Thursday, October 18, 2012

Music and Bread - staples of Life

Thursday, October 18th, 2012

I am riffling through the magazines at the local pharmacy when both my eye and my imagination are caught by an appealing book of Bread Recipes!


I have been thinking about home made bread quite seriously in the last few weeks, after paying $4.50 for a loaf of Orowheat 100% whole wheat bread, that toasts ups like leather, and is still as fresh as the day I bought it two weeks ago, - what DO they put in bread these days that cause it never to mold?

I learned early in my married life the art of making bread, and it was a great part of our lives all the time the children were home, and even after we were retired and left the farm it was greast fun to knead with the grandchildren.  Somewhere I have a sweet picture of Ashley and Eve making loaves from their own small silver bread bowls, ready to pop into the oven, but if I stop to look for it now I will never get this posted before lunchtime.

After a time I fell into fascination with The Bread Making Machine, - one loaf at a time while I read or attended to the loom.  But then, after The Bread Machine kept quitting on me half way through the kneading process I fell into despair and disillusion, and started looking for something that would approximate home made bread that I could buy off the shelves of the Super Store (the two bakeries in town having both closed down).  Charles was patient but neither of us were enamoured of what the shelves have to offer, and so I have been thinking of the tactile pleasure of the dough beneath my hands, and the wonderful aroma of crusty loaves, warm from the oven and slathered in butter!!!

I think I am a goner, and we will soon be enjoying the sweetness of toasted buns or homemade breads in the morning....

As to the Music - last night I listened to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in a Gala festival at Schonbrunn Palace with Zubin Metha directing and Lang Lang as the most exuberant and athletic soloist I have seen  and heard in a long time!  Marvelous performances of Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt, with Lang Lang being particularly enthusiastic with the Polonaise and Fantasias.  I have heard his music described as 'blazing speed and thunderous power' and I know there is some criticism of him not being refined enough with his interpretations, but he is truly an amazing pianist and I quite enjoyed the concert. 

The other night, while downloading some emusic from the library I came across a recording of The Entertainer which Lang Lang made for the soundtrack of the video game, Gran Turismo5.  I found his interpretation quite different from what Scott |Joplin intended, but novel and entertaining.

Now, I must go and get lunch, and later I will look for the picture of the two sweet grandchildren making bread.


5 comments:

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I swear I can smell bread baking! I used to make 9 loaves at a time when the kids were young -- before I got a second job (outside our home)....

I'd have time now to do it again of course, but the problem is that if I bake it we will eat it (the whole loaf, all at once) and that's SERIOUSLY not good. (For once, one of my rationalizations for being lazy actually is a good thing).

Still, if you invite me in for a slice of homemade bread, I'd love it ;>) with a cup of tea! Ah well, I shall content myself with memories.

Penny said...

I am afraid I am a bread machine person, I think I have worn out three, I love the idea of actually making it but like the convenience of the bread maker. It even goes with us on the fishing trips (we have a rented house) as the fellows like my bread to make lunch to take with them.

Barb said...

I'll come with Sallie. I'll bring the tea!

Dimple said...

Mmmmmmmmm!

The Weaver of Grass said...

The trouble is that our local supermarket has an in store bakery and as soon as I walk through the door the air is filled with the smell of all kinds of speciality breads - olive bread, walnut bread, cheese bread, rye bread, organic brown bread (my favourite) - I really could almost live on it, especially covered thickly with butter.