Reflections in, on and round about…with a lot of cooking on the side
Stories that don’t fit elsewhere and add to the rich fabric of life….
An opening word - or three I wrote this post as an experiment in November 2018 in response to a challenge: pick one favourite song. For me, that is a virtually impossible task. I have favourites depending on my mood, what I'm hearing, the context, where I am... I delighted in rising to that challenge … Continue reading The soundtrack to my life – a kind of musical “back story”
Pickled fish is an iconic traditional South African dish. I first ate pickled fish at the ripe old age of about seven. It was the starter for Christmas lunch: the first I really remember. I was instantly smitten. Auntie Doris made it every year and for all the years we "had Christmas" at number 10, … Continue reading Pickled Fish: a South African Tradition
It seems I've written quite a bit about sandwiches over the years. They were the subject of one of my earliest (and surviving) blog posts. Given that a sandwich is food - a filling - wrapped up - or between two slices of some sort of bread - I really have. Quite something given that … Continue reading Sandwich Memories
She came into the kitchen, clearly distressed, and asked, "Do you vear licenses?" pointing at her eyes. "Umm....ye-e-s..." "So could I pliz have some of zat liqvid to clean mine?" Then the penny dropped. Lenses. Contact lenses. I had taken a flyer and thought that our Ukranian house guest was talking about prescription spectacles. This … Continue reading Of licenses, liars and scrambled eggs
I’ve not had a rant for a while. My last few rants were more than a year ago. I railed against aspects of the restrictions associated with the lockdown. Truth be told, I was probably railing at the virus itself. As if it gives a damn. I might come back to that but I suspect … Continue reading Unicorns, bunnies and fishes: a reality check
Nearly two years ago, and when the world was first locked up, and as mother survived, I had to confront the very real possibility that I might have to actually bake something. Probably bread. I wasn't ready. The entire process from the kneading to the proving and everything in between, terrified me. I'm also (if … Continue reading Is it a scone? Is it a biscuit?
Wednesday began as it usually does. With dustbins and shopping lists. The former is The Husband's job and the latter is a kind of joint effort that starts with meal planning (yes, I know I've promised...it's on another list...), the first cup of coffee, and culminates with his famous spreadsheets. He "translates" the paper scribbles, … Continue reading Fishing, shmishing…whatever…don’t get had!
"Don't close the door," the mother said. The three year old trundled up the grass banks to the ablution block, chose a stall, and closed the door. It was a door with a staple handle and a ball and socket closure. The three year old was not inclined to sit and perform with the door … Continue reading A saint, lavatories and life
When I grew up, Halloween wasn't a thing. And it was. In the 1970s, Halloween didn't feature on the South African calendar. Somehow, though, it was always mentioned in our house. By my father. It had been a thing in his childhood and he'd talk of the night the spirits fly. He believed in things … Continue reading Halloween: memories from the past, and not-too-distant past
Foreword This post first appeared in 2015, and since then, the recipes have gone through a number of developments/iterations/whatever word you'd like to choose. Originally, it was carrots, two ways. Now, I've added a third. Growing carrots Our soil is rocky and very clayey. Certain root vegetables grow, but very differently from what one would … Continue reading Carrots – yes ways – three ways