Golfers, 50th Anniversaries, L'Hermitage, Food Revolution.

Tiger Woods played his first tournament yesterday after 144 days and actually played an excellent game although in fact Fred Couples won the day. Everyone was speculating that Tiger would not play well after such a long break - I imagine that no matter what, he has been playing golf regularly to keep himself up to par. There were a number of scathing things said about him by people in authority in Augusta, but the fans let him know that he was still tops in their books. Freddie Couples or Boom Boom as he is nicknamed, has always been one of Matt's favourites and he has now hit his 50s so is a member of the senior tour which he started off by winning the first three tournaments. I so wish I could still play, but I sold my clubs last year as a) I lost my game and b) I lost my health. I used to love the game although I don't watch it on TV. More a thing I wanted to do not see. Once when I was laid off, I used to play every morning regularly at 7 a.m. most often with a Scotsman who, to me, was pretty elderly as he was in his 80s but I had trouble keeping up with him even so. Yet another friend is celebrating 50 years of marriage today, which, in these days is a pretty good achievement. I don't know what it is, but these days people just don't work at it at all. Admittedly both Matt and I were married before, but we have been together 38 years this year, another number which seems to be impossible for so very many. As a cousin once said, divorce is America's favourite passtime. Not that it's limited to America by any means. This morning on GMA, George Stephanopoulos is in Russia with President Obama, he did an interview with him (long way to go to interview his own president!!) however, he has also done an interview with the Russian president. I would have enjoyed a job like that where I could have been sent around the world in the train of some VIP. I have always wanted to go to Russia because they have such beautiful palaces and museums there. Having read a novel about the amber room in the Winter Palace, St. Petersburg, I always wanted to see it although my friends who did see it were not unduly impressed. Russia has been spending a lot of money restoring the various buildings which were damaged by the revolution and then neglected for a number of years. The picture is of the Winter Palace where they have the Hermitage Museum. I must remember Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is on tonight. I would hate to miss it. I am very strongly in favour of what he is trying to do for Americans and what he has already done in Britain. Which also reminds me, a German friend commented that she was surprised to see how well we cooked because we were English. Its very true, England has had a terrible reputation for many years and although, thanks to Delia Smith, this has changed considerably, there are still many areas which have a preponderence of either lousy cooks or people who don't cook at all which is something of what Jamie is trying to correct. Eating Well are promoting the $3 diet at the moment and I thought the following pizza recipe looked pretty interesting. Green Pizza http://tinyurl.com/y5mwe49 From EatingWell: September/October 2009

Why not use cooler-weather vegetables like broccoli and arugula as an unconventional pizza topping? The arugula adds a slightly bitter, peppery taste—for a milder flavor, use spinach instead. Serve with wedges of fresh tomato tossed with vinegar, olive oil, basil and freshly ground pepper. 6 servings Ingredients •1 pound prepared pizza dough, preferably whole-wheat •2 cups chopped broccoli florets •1/4 cup water •5 ounces arugula ,any tough stems removed, chopped (about 6 cups) •Pinch of salt •Freshly ground pepper to taste •1/2 cup prepared pesto •1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation 1.Position oven rack in the lowest position; preheat to 450°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray. 2.Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about the size of the baking sheet. Transfer to the baking sheet. Bake until puffed and lightly crisped on the bottom, 8 to 10 minutes. 3.Meanwhile, cook broccoli and water in a large skillet over medium heat, covered, until the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in arugula and cook, stirring, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. 4.Spread pesto evenly over the crust, top with the broccoli mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, 8 to 10 minutes. Nutrition Per serving : 323 Calories; 13 g Fat; 4 g Sat; 7 g Mono; 19 mg Cholesterol; 33 g Carbohydrates; 15 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 511 mg Sodium; 241 mg Potassium 2 Carbohydrate Serving Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 medium fat meat, 1 1/2 fat Have a great day