Today I started a new job in the city...and today is Shrove Tuesday. Not a perfect combination for pancakes. Perhaps I should explain....I am now one of those depressed looking peak-hour commuters on the train, leaving stupidly early and arriving home too late. Combine this with a musical schedule that tends to involve rehearsals or meetings nearly every night of the week, and you don't have a lot of time when you get home. Bah!
Anyway, I started today and was feeling a bit lost and lonely. I didn't know anybody and had a empty desk in a corner of the room, hidden behind shelves, so had nobody to speak to - and am doing a pretty tedious job. I'm surrounded by very intense men who just seem to stare intensely at their computers and don't seem to take any toilet or lunch breaks. I think they're robots! After a desultory lunch at my desk, which left me hungry (tinned soup is not only yuck, but not nearly filling enough on a cold, rainy day), I couldn't wait to get home.
A. was in a similar situation, having started a new job yesterday and still feeling a bit lost and lonely. We both don't have access to email, so frantically exchanged text messages at lunch, reminding each other that we had to make pancakes tonight before rehearsal. Yay! After all, you can't not have pancakes on Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras/Pancake Day!
Well, we messed up our train connections, and got to our station later than preferred, then had to walk 20 minutes home (no car today) to find we had all of 1 hour at home before we had to leave again. Yippee! Welcome to the world of full-time commuter life.
We were pretty resouceful in our 1 hour. Not only did we watch most of an episode of Dr Who while we collapsed on the couch with a bowl of curry, but while I got changed A. started preparing pancake batter. I came down to find him hard at work with bowls and eggs and blenders and frypans going wild...and I was so grateful to let him take over. What you see above is him in full-flight - 2 pans on the go ready to be doused in lemon juice and sprinkled with caster sugar or, the great Australian favourite, slathered in CSR Golden Syrup. Mmmmmm...
Now it's time to get some sleep, otherwise I'll feel suitably shriven!
Yummy looking pancakes! And how nice of him to make them happen.. I hope you don't become too stressed with the new job, but it is nice to know you're not completely alone, having A in the same boat. Good luck to you both in your new jobs!
ReplyDeletedon't know where i've been. never heard of this pancake and lemon thing before.
ReplyDeleteGood old lemon and sugar? Never heard of it?! Goodness. I didn't think it was an unusual Australian thing. I'm sure it musn't be. I'll have to find out a bit more about it! It's a lovely combination, though.
ReplyDeletenever heard of the lemon thing before, but sounds interesting. i hate the jam fillings we used to get back home. icecream and chocolate is much better, add some nuts, maybe. and apparently sugar and cinnamon are all the rage in south africa... johanna
ReplyDeleteIt really must be an Anglo thing, I think, as I noticed Sam at Becks & Posh made lemon & sugar pancakes for Shrove Tuesday as well!
ReplyDeleteI was introduced to the lemon and sugar thing on crepes in France - and love it! Heard it's nice with orange too!
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ReplyDeletePreviously wrote: Mmmm, I love golden syrup with pancakes!
ReplyDeleteI used to work at a similar-sounding place where nobody took toilet breaks and I felt so sheeping every time I got up.
Edited to add: I meant "sheepish" not "sheeping." Baaaaah.
Lol! I did guess what you meant, but I kind of liked the idea of sheeping, reall! If I did it at work, it'd certainly liven up the place!
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