The older we get the more we seem to have to do. Take yesterday for example. Friday is bathroom day but I never had time to get round to it.
The weather forecast promised rain this week-end, and it was right first thing this morning, and we needed to plant three replacement roses; and half a dozen plants on the rockery. It is not easy when your soil is clay. When you have a job getting down and an even harder job getting up it's not easy anyway. But we did it; together with a spot of weeding.

In the afternoon we "went to the pictures", as going to the cinema was termed 'in the old days'.
There aren't many films these days that aren't filled with wars, gratuitous violence or cartoon characters; but we saw "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" which is a lovely film filled with superb actors. We all have our own choices, but I do not think there are many who would not enjoy this film. (Click picture to enlarge)
The only low spot was having to put petrol in the car at 139p per litre. The tank wasn't empty but it cost me £80. I bought my first car for £30. I went down to the west country on Wednesday to take lunch with a few old friends: a litre was 142p there. But then, the west country was always a rooker's paradise in my experience.

After the cinema we came home and I cooked "Chicken with, ginger, curry and honey sauce" accompanied by tagliatelle and mustard beans. Like the film, it was lovely, even if I do say so myself.

The recipe comes from The Good Cook's Guide published by Which in 1974. It is filled with recipes from restaurants in The Good Food Guide and which I found for £2 in the old church where they sell books for charity in Buckingham town.
I include it here really for the benefit of my friend Eddie Harley who, I hope, is beginning to look for such gems of meals easy to prepare without need of basketfuls of ingredients that he can cook for himself or visitors. I shall send a copy by post to our mutual friend Trevor Jones down in Somerset: he doesn't have a computer yet.
Give yourself an hour altogether.

You will need for two people:
2 boneless chicken breasts, or fillets; skin or no skin makes no difference.
1 onion
1 stick of celery
3 thin slices root ginger

Sounds nice don't you think?

5 fl ozs dry white wine

and for the sauce - the most important part of the meal

1/2 oz butter
1/2 oz flour
120 ml single cream
1/2 teaspoon curry paste (I used Madras because I had it; curry paste keeps a long time so I'm told): it's improved if you stir it in a teaspoon of hot water.
1 teaspoon honey (the runny sort)
salt, pepper.

toasted almonds (don't worry if you don't have any: I had some but forgot to add them: still tasted fine)

Heat the oven to 200" C.
Heat the wine in a small saucepan and pour it over the chopped onions, chopped celery and ginger which you have placed in a roasting tin or shallow oven-proof dish.
Place the chicken breasts on a wire rack which you then lay over the dish with the vegetables. Cover the whole thing securely with foil and put it in the oven for 35 minutes; after which leave  the chicken under the foil to keep warm in the oven while you drain off the sauce from the basin, discarding the vegetables. Mix together the flour and butter (it's called making a roux) and add the sauce and the cream and stir while you cook it gently for a few minutes. Then add the honey and the curry paste and stir for another couple of minutes. Add a pinch of salt and pepper if you wish.
If you have used chicken with skin on it, remove it before pouring over the sauce and the almonds.

The tagliatelle is cooked in boiling slightly salted water; only
 needs about 10 minutes and after draining the water off stir in a nice nob or two of butter.

You need some green beans (they may be called string beans). I have scanned a few: all you need really for two people. Wash and snip off the ends and drop in boiling water  for 10 minutes, then swill under a cold tap and put to one side until I tell you (they call this parboiling - if they had added the letter 't' in the first place we would have known what they were talking about!)).
This old recipe is from BBC Food's Saturday Kitchen with Manju Malhi.

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds (if you don't have any use a sprinkling of mustard powder or a dab from a mustard jar)
1tsp cumin powder (if you don't have any go and buy some and get some mustard seeds while you are about it))
1tsp peeled and grated root ginger and a pinch of salt.

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Add the mustard seeds.
2. A few seconds later tip in the beans and the cumin and fry for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the ginger and salt and saute (fry) over a low heat for 5 minutes.

Done! A meal really fit for people like us who have occasionally enjoyed the good things of life - even if it was 'on expenses'.

Beer, or a glass of Sainsbury's house red goes well.