Day 5, L3: Biarritz, scones and driving

It dawned reasonably nice this morning but then along came the rain.

Not the sort of day for a walk to the beach - so instead I'll showcase the beaches of Biarritz, on the south-west coast of France, Basque country. The first three are of Plage de Port Vieux (the old port) - first one is the view from our hotel balcony.  Small and beautiful, dotted with people, and a bar to boot.

Plage de Port Vieux

The second photo is same beach, taken from a different angle. Fab castle stands prominent.  Bar on the right.

The third photo is looking out to sea, wider scope - you'll see the bridge out to an island - that bridge was designed by Eiffel. Being out on that island is quite an experience. It was rather turbulent when we were there - the sea swirls wildly, even on a very nice day. Quite an experience.

This final photo is of the main city beach - Plage du Miramar. The vibe is deco, and this particular day was a stormy one. Perfect for hunkering down with wine and hearty meal. It didn't deter surfers from heading out in the rain and churn though. Later that night we watched a 2015 RWC match in a bar - great fun. Next morning we had breakfast on the seafront in perfect weather!

Plage du Miramar

We loved Biarritz and environs - we left thinking that we'd love to spend 6 months or a year there at some future point. I hope we can make that happen, it's such a beautiful and under-rated part of this world. Great beaches, near mountains, near wine country, near Spain, just across from UK. Glorious.

So back to lockdown in Omaha ...
After doing a few domestic chores (aka bores), I decided I would bake some scones. I do make scones reasonably often at home and never consider this a chore or a bore and they always disappear in a jiffy.
But I must admit that the first batch I made in this new Omaha oven over New Year were ... well, not up to scratch. Oh well, if this is another poor batch, then only I would know!

I get things under way ... 1 cup of flour, another cup of flour ... Uh-oh, not enough flour.

Quick dash to the Superette - thankfully they'd had a fresh delivery of flour. Over the past week or so there have been bulk bags of flour that you could scoop some into a bag. No thanks, it just looked ... well, no.
Today they had new stock of boutique bagged bakers' flour. Perfect.
I've always thought that, unless you're a serial baker (which I'm not), the bags of flour you get from the supermarket are too large and you simply can't use it all by its use by date. Acres of dormant flour in a pantry is invitation to weevils and evils, so these smaller boutique bags of flour are just perfect for my requirements (I'm so not a baker!) I even bought a bag of wholemeal flour. Will that attract weevils or entice me to bake, I wonder ...!?

A wee while later, out of the oven came fresh hot scones - a concoction of red and green capsicum, celery, coriander, red onion, black pepper and cheese.  With a drizzle of balsamic glaze on top. Served with melted butter. Yum. Oops, I scoffed too many. Delivered some to the neighbours. I think I'd rate them up there with my best scone batch ever!

An eye on the Aussie races.
A bit of work stuff in the afternoon - which led to more work stuff. Which was kind of not what I'd set out to do on a Saturday. But the thing is, for me Saturday can be Tuesday, Thursday can be Sunday and Friday - well, it's usually always Friday! Drinks! But sadly not in lockdown.
For years I've worked according to deadlines, mood, appointments etc, not the name of the day.

Had a long conversation with a friend in the evening; talked for ages, caught up on lots. Enlightening and refreshing.

Watched the documentary "McQueen" - about designer Alexander McQueen. I'm still processing this one - will share thoughts tomorrow as I need to ponder more on what I saw.

LUNCH: Scones! Ate too many!
DINNER: Vege curry - with cauliflower, mushrooms, jalapenos, tomatoes, beans, lentils, spices and more. With coconut cream. And Galliano. And rice and naan. I have plenty leftover for tomorrow. Yum. And I did use that celery stock I made the other day! Perfect.

A rainy night - hideous outside, cosy inside!

SHARE-NOTE OF THE DAY:
Driving ...
First of all, the lack of cars on the road during lockdown is a great thing.
For those who have to get on the road for work etc at this time, it's a case of: less cars, less stress, less accidents, less deaths.
I think the road stats will tell their own positive lockdown story.

What I do worry about is what those stats will look like once we're all back on the road again.

Weeks of not driving makes you rusty.
Like anything, if you don't use it, you lose it.
And not driving for several weeks makes you rusty. No point in denying it.

So what sort of chaos is going to invade the roads once everyone is allowed on them again in droves? OMG, I shudder to think and I do not jest about this. A month is a long time in recess.

I've tootled to the Superette and as far as Matakana, but no further.
You've probably tootled to the supermarket but - hopefully - not much further.

Last night when I drove out to pick up my fish & chips, I felt like a novice on the road. It was pitch black and the whole thing had a layer of surrealism about it. And even though I've driven for more than 40 years without issue or mishap, I felt rusty. Cautious. I've never felt like that in my life driving. Never ever ever ever.

Here are my general thoughts on the driving thing:
- OLDER DRIVERS may seriously struggle to get back on the road in the way they once did - anxious, uncertain, out of practice, and all the rest of it. It's a real thing.
- YOUNGER DRIVERS will be blase and get back to it like a duck to water - they're probably going to be the safest drivers on the road - astute, confident, can't touch me. But ... they won't appreciate the older drivers who are struggling a bit. And that makes them highly dangerous.
- NEW DRIVERS - those who got their licence not long before lockdown, or haven't had time to build experience - they'll be green as spinach. But likely as gung-ho as any young driver ever was.

Bottom line is, the whole context of driving is going to be different for everyone - but no one probably realises this or has given it a second's thought.

Let's get this message out. Hmm, perhaps an email to the powers that be is required ...

As an analogy ...
For skiers, it takes a day or two on the slopes to get your ski-legs back to optimum operation when a new season opens. Skiing is a skill. Build it back up gradually. Then you're off ...

Driving is a skill and I hope drivers take the same approach.

To use the skiing analogy - anyone can put on skis and hoon down a hill - but they'll likely end up in a heap at the bottom, wipe out people along the way, injure themselves, and look like a dick. Get lessons, listen and learn properly, and then take that wonderful craft you've learnt and use it in a controlled and safe way.

Same with driving!