Saturdays with Yvonne

Challah Breads which I baked last Saturday

Every Saturday I join Yvonne, a charming 80-something friend, who as a Jewish lady, celebrates Shabbat (the Sabbath) on that day. I visit her in her neat home in the retirement village and we watch a DVD. By choice I don’t own a television (I mean: when would I get time to watch it with all the blogging I do? LOL) and I can honestly say I don’t miss anything that represented by the square box. Once again, this is purely my opinion and by my own choice.

I have known Yvonne since I arrived in town more than fifteen years ago. In fact, I moved to my present home and lived opposite Yvonne where she lived for her entire married life. She has since been widowed and moved into the retirement village just two streets away from me. However, this post is not about this or then. (I will do an in-depth post later) Here I'm writing about our Saturday afternoon movies.

It all came about one day in the middle of the year, while sitting next to Yvonne at a Garden Club meeting. She said she would love to watch DVD’s with someone on Saturday afternoons. I too, sit alone on a Saturday while my husband is in North Africa, so I took her up on this wonderful offer.

I arrive promptly 3:15 every Saturday. Sometimes one or more of her neighbors join us. Sometimes it’s only me and Yvonne. We decide on a movie, into the machine it goes and we sit back and enjoy.

So far we have viewed: La Vie en Rose, (I grew up hearing Piaf on the radio, her voice an indelible signature of the 20th Century). The next week we watched La Vie en Rose –The Making of the Movie.

We’ve also watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding (where has this woman been - you may be asking - only watching this movie now?) It was hilarious – lovely light relief.

On another Saturday in July we watched Chocolat. Now was that a sweet movie or what? Seriously, I found it very thought-provoking. We’ve watched many movies, including an all-time favorite of mine: I am Sam

In mid-August I visited my husband in the Sudan so no more Saturday afternoon movies.

I’m back in South Africa again so last week I resumed the Saturday afternoon movie watching with Yvonne.

This week we watched Kate and Leopold and as usual, just before the plot swings in favor of the protagonist[s], (we all know when this happens, not so?) we stopped for tea. Yvonne sets pretty teacups and matching cake plates on the dining table along with whatever she’s baked that week. Fifteen minutes later we return to our seats and watch the rest of the movie.

Last week I Googled “Shabbat” and found recipes for the delicious breads which are served at this special family meal and other festivals. On Saturday morning I made four loaves of Challah Bread. Even though Yvonne doesn’t want any of us visitors to bring eats for Saturday’s tea, I took along two of the breads. One was a plaited loaf and the other, an oval loaf I had filled with raisins, cinnamon and sugar according to one variety in the recipe. I wanted her to taste my Challah Bread and asked her to give me her honest opinion.

She phoned me on Sunday evening and said that she’d had some of the bread for her supper and it was delicious.

I was thrilled.

I 'm planning a Shabbat meal for when John, Debbie and the children return from their holiday next week.

I’ll be posting the Challah Bread recipe on my food blog later this week.

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