The marvellous Ortleralpen and its beautiful flowers

[johanneshoeller]

Kathrine, wonderful pics, thank you!
I hope I will have the same sunny weather the next 2 weeks!

[Maggi Young]

Kata, your photos are just a delight, thank you! 

Hans, hope you do have such weather for a happy holiday!

[Paddy Tobin]

Great, great, great show Kathrina.

Paddy

[Katherine J]

Thank you Paddy, and Cliff, and everybody! We (me and my husband) are happy you liked it, because we also liked it very much.

[Lesley Cox]

Thanks again for this wonderful show Kata. Beautiful plants and places and I especially like both halves of the goat.

[Paddy Tobin]

But which half would you prefer to eat, Lesley?

Goat is no longer commonly eaten here in Ireland but, as a child, we looked forward to kid in season each year.

Then again, draining the blood from the autumn killed pig and watching my mother make black pudding, a type of blood sausage, was another of these now past pleasures.  Pig's feet, pig's head and salted pig's ear were also enjoyed.

Times change!

Paddy

[Lesley Cox]

Who said anything about eating the goat? I admire his coat, that's all. Kid yes, mature goat, no thanks.  There's no Farmers' Market near you Paddy? Pork trotters, cheeks, belly, brawn etc. All jolly good fare if well prepared. Haven't tried salted ears though. Will suggest them, on Saturday, to my pork vendor.

[Katherine J]

"We" (when I was a child  ) usually killed the pig between Christmas and New Year's Eve, and that meals I also recall with pleasure.

[Paddy Tobin]

Lesley,

Irish people have drifted away from most of these traditional foods, what might generally be categorised as 'offal' and one needs to order them from the butcher if needed.

Salted pig's ears were a winter chew for children in my family. The nearest shop was about five miles away and, to be honest, spare cash wasn't available and so we would cut a slice off the salted  pig's ear which hung in the pantry or above the fire in the kitchen.

There is no good farmer's market near me. There are two excellent markets but they are about a two hour drive away.

Paddy

[Magnar]

Thanks a lot for posting these fantastic pics. I have enjoyed them very much 

[Maggi Young]

Kata, I think we must ask you to pass our thanks to your husband for allowing us to accompany you on your holiday.... after all, he does not know us and so many strangers with you must have been quite a surprise, eh? 

[Katherine J]

Maggi,
he knows you very well. He does not speak (and read) English only very bad, but I translate many things for him from this beautiful Forum, and he also looks to the pics posted when he has time, and he already knows many of you. 

[Maggi Young]

Kata, this is good news! 

[art600]

re: YAKS...... mind you, on reflection, there are reindeer in the Cairngorm mountains, so..........

Maggi
Did you see them last night on BBC2 - not for meat, but more a Scottish Longleat(!)

[Maggi Young]

Missed that programme, Art.
 An Icelander, Uitsi, brought a herd of reindeer to the Cairngorms many years ago and they are still a visitor attraction, as well as being very busy in the Christmas period, making appearances all over the country to assist Santa in town and shopping centres .
It is possible to be walking in the hills and come upon a group of these attractive and mostly very calm and friendly creatures. We had trouble once trying to get away from a group without a young calf, which had decided that Ian looked a likely surrogate parent and was determined to follow us... thought we were going to end up with her and her mother and assorted relatives in our back yard.... the baby was very persistant. Fun opportunity to really see these animals at very close quarters. They have the most adorable, sofft, furry noses! Very pettable! In fact, reindeer are covered as comprehensively in their thick fur coats as it is possible to be.. feet, noses, long pretty eyelashes... everything is furry !

The real joy about these reindeer is that they are able to roam over huge areas of open land....while there are llamas and even ostriches to be seen around in Aberdeenshire, these are confined in regular farm fields and so lose some of the shock value of seeing them!