TRAVEL TUESDAY 433 - ADELAIDE

“Summer in Adelaide: the nourishing and destructive golds, the soft fruit and the fire.” ― Kerryn Goldsworthy

Welcome to the Travel Tuesday meme! Join me every Tuesday and showcase your creativity in photography, painting and drawing, music, poetry, creative writing or a plain old natter about Travel.

There is only one simple rule: Link your own creative work about some aspect of travel and share it with the rest of us.

Please use this meme for your creative endeavours only. Do not use this meme to advertise your products or services as any links or comments by advertisers will be removed immediately.

Unley Park is a southern suburb of Adelaide in the City of Unley. Its postcode is 5061. It is located on the north side of Cross Road and east of the Belair railway line. Access via public transport is from the Unley Park railway station and the Unley Road "Go Zone". 

It features Victoria Avenue—Adelaide's wealthiest street, containing many large and luxurious houses built between the two World Wars. Here is one of the stately mansions on Victoria Avenue.

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TRAVEL TUESDAY 233 - CORONAVIRUS DIARIES VIII - AT HOME

 

“Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” - RobertFrost 

Here we all are, cooped up indoors, observing the isolation and social distancing guidelines. We are all protecting ourselves from the invisible enemy, hoping thus to win the battle against the dreaded Coronavirus. Suddenly, many things we all took for granted have been wrested from us – but then again, most of us did not put up much resistance and willingly let go: Any sane, logical, thinking and educated person gave up those things willingly. We stayed home and protected ourselves but also our friends, our neighbours, our workmates, the strangers that we encountered every day, our whole community.

We gave up our visits to concerts, sporting events, the hairdresser, the pub, friends’ houses. We stopped going to the beaches, the picnic grounds, the malls, the cafés, the restaurants. Seeing relatives in distant suburbs or other towns was not an option any longer, visiting the elderly in nursing homes and hospitals was forbidden. Schools and churches closed, and numerous restrictions were placed on a number of social gatherings, including funerals, weddings and other celebratory events. Anything “non-essential” was postponed or cancelled.

Moreover, travel for pleasure is completely out of the question. Airports are no-go zones, railway stations for interstate or international travel are all but closed, while ships have been shunned, cruising for pleasure being unthinkable given the extremely high number of infections and deaths due to COVID-19 on board. Thus, all of us who relish travel and jump at the opportunity to pack suitcases and fly off at every opportunity remain grounded, our wanderlust frustrated…

Home suddenly has become more than simply the place we come to in the evening and spend some time at, before we venture out into the wide world again the next morning. Home is the place that we live in all the time, really live in, all of the sudden. The place where we eat, sleep, interact with family/housemates, where we amuse ourselves, where we must do things that we used to do elsewhere. Some of us cope better than others with this housebound existence. Some of us worked at home even before this crisis. Some of us are homebodies in any case. But those who lived out there for work, for pleasure, for socialisation, for meals are suddenly thrown into the deep end of the “home” and it is no wonder that they are disgruntled, bored, angry, stir-crazy.

Yet, we must be grateful for having that home to take refuge in. Think of the thousands of homeless people who must weather the pandemic any way they can. How many of those unfortunates will succumb to the virus? Think of the refugees, the institutionalised, the transients, the prisoners, the elderly confined in aged care facilities. All of those who are sitting ducks, extremely susceptible to becoming infected and possibly dying of COVID-related illnesses. Home is becoming a very attractive place even for those who spent precious little time in it under normal circumstances.

I, as a person who has travelled a lot, as an inveterate traveller if you like, am also a bit of a homebody. I enjoy being at home and never get bored here, my varied interests, multitudinous hobbies, countless projects and numerous pastimes fill every available slot of my time. Even when I travelled constantly in the past, every time I came back home, a surge of bliss filled my being. “Home, sweet, home” was all I could think of, never mind how exotic the place that I had just visited was, no matter how good a time I had had, no matter what interesting things I had seen, great people that I met, or marvellous experiences that I had had.

Now, at home, I am enjoying my “confinement”. Enjoy yours, take it as a holiday. Do things at home that you would do while travelling: Dress for dinner, organise special activities, surprise yourself and others. Become an armchair traveller in your own living room: Watch travel documentaries, see your old travel photo albums again, watch your travel videos, reminisce on good times you had while away with your family, housemates. And of course, visit the links below where fellow travellers drag their old snapshots from the archives to kindly share with us…

This post is part of the Our World Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Ruby Tuesday meme,
and also part of the Wordless Wednesday meme.

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MIDWEEK MOVIES - LION

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” - George A. Moore 

We watched a very good film recently, and found it involving, heart-warming and quite poignant. Although the story was simple (and some would say, clichéd), the whole package of the film worked well: Screenplay, direction, casting, acting, cinematography, soundtrack, etc, etc. The theme of the movie is home and identity.

As individuals we all need to know who we are, where we come from, what “home” means. Adopted children searching for their biological parents is a story often told, and can be powerful enough on its own. However, add to that a lost child, who finds himself thousands of kilometres away from home to grow up in a completely different geographical, religious, cultural and societal environment and suddenly begin to be confronted by memories of a former life. Questions arise that need to answered and the quest for answers becomes a gnawing yearning and an emotional journey that can only be satisfied by the real, physical journey in search of the past. 

Lion (2016) Drama - Directed by Garth Davis; starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara. – 8.5/10

This is a movie based on the autobiographical book “A Long Way Home” by Saroo Brierley, an Indian who was adopted as a young child by a Tasmanian couple. In 1986, Saroo was a five-year-old child in India of a poor but happy rural family. The mother struggles to feed her children, and Saroo and his older brother help by stealing coal. On a coal hunting expedition with his brother, Saroo finds himself alone and trapped in a moving decommissioned passenger train that takes him to Calcutta, 1500 miles away from home.

Totally lost and disoriented in an alien urban environment and too young to identify either himself or his home to the authorities, Saroo struggles to survive as a street child until he is sent to an orphanage. Soon, Saroo is selected to be adopted by the Brierley family in Tasmania, where he grows up in a loving, prosperous home. However, for all his material good fortune, Saroo finds himself plagued by his memories of his lost family in his adulthood and tries to search for them even as his guilt drives him to hide this quest from his adoptive parents and his girlfriend. Only when he has an epiphany does he discover not only the answers he needs, but also the steadfast love that he has always had with all his loved ones in both worlds.

We thoroughly enjoyed this movie and recommend it most highly!

FOOD FRIDAY - SOUFFLÉ

“Always farm fresh eggs, never store bought.” - T. J.Miller 

In winter we love having fresh-out-of the-oven soufflé. A friend of ours has hens in her backyard and she was kind enough to give us some lovely fresh eggs. With our wintry weather and fresh eggs on hand, some spinach from our garden and freshly grated cheese, yes, soufflé was on the menu! 

Cheese and Spinach Soufflé

Ingredients

250 g baby spinach leaves, washed, drained

150 mL full cream milk

30 g butter

2 tbsp plain flour

60 g grated soft parmesan cheese

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 pinch of ground mace

Grated nutmeg to taste

2 large eggs

2 extra egg whites

Method

Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Grease a one-litre soufflé dish with plenty of butter (or you may use individual soufflé ramekins). Fill a roasting tin large enough to hold the soufflé dish(es) one third of the way up with water and put it in the oven to preheat.

Steam the spinach leaves in boiling water for two minutes, and drain through a fine sieve, squeezing every last drop of water from the spinach, and then chop it up. Put the milk in a pan to warm. Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour to make a roux. When it is smooth, gradually add the warm milk, whisking hard until you get a silky sauce.

Over a low heat mix the cheese in the sauce (reserving a little cheese to sprinkle on top just before the dish goes in the oven). Combine the cheese sauce and the chopped spinach in a mixing bowl, adding the salt and spices.

Separate the eggs. Add the two yolks to the spinach-and-cheese mixture and mix thoroughly. Put the four egg whites in a large mixing bowl and whisk until they form stiff peaks. Using a metal spoon, carefully fold the egg whites into the spinach-and-cheese mixture one spoon at a time, taking care not to lose all the air you have whisked into them.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared soufflé dish(es), then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, place in the preheated roasting tin and cook for 30-35 minutes. The soufflé should be well-risen, soft and moist on the inside and just starting to crack on the surface. Serve immediately.

This post is part of the Food Friday meme.

FOOD FRIDAY - VEGETARIAN STEW

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: It is the time for home.” ― Edith Sitwell 

We have been having more crisp winter days in Melbourne, and as the evening falls earlier and earlier with the night cold and dark, some hearty comfort is definitely needed. Here is a favourite vegetarian dish of ours that foots the bill!

Vegetable and Bean Winter Stew
Ingredients
3 tbsp of olive oil
+ 2 tbsp of olive oil
1 tender celery stick, finely chopped
1 leek, white part, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
400g can of chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 sweet red capsicum, finely chopped
2 cups vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp ground smoked paprika
4 cups of a mixture of cooked and drained, black-eyed beans, haricot beans and butter beans
Chopped parsley and red chilli (if desired) for garnish

Method
Heat the 3 tbsp of oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the celery, leek and onion and stir. Cook until the celery looks almost transparent and then add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for a minute, stirring all the time.
Add the canned tomatoes, red peppers and 2 cups of vegetable stock and boil for about 30 minutes, stirring to break down the tomatoes, until the sauce is starting to reduce and the peppers are soft.
In a skillet, put the 2 tbsp of oil and once hot, add the drained beans, stirring through to heat up. Add the herbs and spices, stirring thoroughly.
Add the beans to the vegetable mixture and boil for about 15 minutes, stirring now and then. Add a little water if the mixture becomes too thick. Season with salt and pepper.
When ready, serve in individual warmed bowls and top with some chopped parsley and chilli if desired.

This post is part of the Food Friday meme.

POETS UNITED - HOME

“Home is where the heart is.” - Pliny the Elder

This week, PoetsUnited has its theme the concept of “Home”.

Over 100,000 Australians will be homeless tonight Half of them are under 24 years old and 10,000 are children. That 1 in 40 children under five use a homeless service each year is quite astounding for a first world country like Australia. The largest single cause of homelessness in Australia is domestic and family violence, which overwhelmingly affects women and children. Most preventable homelessness is caused when people exit from institutions into unstable housing situations. The waiting list for public housing is 16 years, while for people at extreme risk the waiting time is 12 – 18 months.

I often think how lucky I am not to have experienced this tragic state of affairs first hand. Having a home to go to every night and to be able to enjoy the creature comforts that we all take for granted is quite an immense gift. When the weather is bad, when the wind howls, the rain pelts down, when the cold reaches zero degrees, which of us safe in our warm homes thinks of those without a home to go to?

Please help by donating what you can so that some relief can be provided to the homeless.

Here is my poem of gratitude for having a home to come to every night and even more gratitude that it is a place that is full of love…

Happy at Home

The simple joy of winter sunshine,

Drying the rain-soaked earth.

The warmth of freshly-laundered clothes,

The dryness of shoes without holes in their soles.

The knowledge that a light will be on at home

When I return there after work.

A greeting, a kiss, the smile when I get back,

And the glow of being loved and loving in return.

The satisfaction of knowing that a sprain

Is the extent of my ill-health.

The smell of a simple tasty meal on my table,

Its appetising sauce the fact that it was cooked with love.

That I turn on the tap and have running water,

That I have warmth in my home in winter.

The knowledge that when I listen to the news

All bad news will be from far away.

The simple contentment of the ripe oranges

Hanging golden on the tree in my winter garden.

The fresh flowers in the vase,

The music that I can play when I want to.

My job, my friends, my colleagues, my associates,

All of my life, so gratefully being lived.

The tears that might flow now and then,

Being tears of joy, compassion, sympathy, not of sadness…

AT THE PARKLANDS

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” - Albert Einstein

We live close to a magnificent natural reserve within metropolitan Melbourne, the Darebin Parklands, which straddle Alphington and Ivanhoe, approximately 10 kilometres northeast of the City of Melbourne. This reserve is a district park covering an area of 33 hectares. Darebin Creek flows through the Parklands, to join the Yarra River, at Alphington.

The Darebin Parklands are highly regarded for its social, recreation, education, conservation, water quality management, cultural and heritage values. The Parklands have a rich history as the homeland of the Wurundjeri Willam people and for cattle and sheep grazing, orchard and market garden use post European settlement. The southern section of the Darebin Parklands was developed as a bluestone quarry in 1890 and following the closure of the quarry in 1965, the land was leased to the Northcote Council as a municipal garbage tip which reached its capacity by 1975.

In the 1970’s the site was marked as a potential freeway or an area for industrial or residential development. Following this classification, local residents moved to protect the area and in 1973, formed the Rockbeare Park Conservation Group. The group pushed for the acquisition of land on the Alphington side and in 1975 the Whitlam Government funded the purchase of land for the park (thank you, Gough!). A management committee was formed which included both adjoining Councils and community representatives.

In 2001, the Darebin Parklands Committee of Management joined the Darebin Creek Co- ordinating Committee to form the Darebin Creek Management Committee. The Darebin Parkland’s rich history has contributed greatly to it being such a special and highly valued place today.The Darebin Parklands is a stunning example of regenerated bushland, with indigenous vegetation, and native animals like echidna, lizards, snakes, possums, flying foxes and more than fifty bird species. The biodiversity of the Darebin Creek is not obvious at first. Walking along the creek the signs of careful planting by the rangers and Friends of Darebin Parklands becomes obvious with healthy clumps of native grasses and blooming wattles. The Parklands are a beautiful green, open space close to the City and al the better for us as they are within walking distance of our home.

GALLEYS vs KITCHENS!

“Cooking is at once child’s play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love.” - Craig Claiborne

A couple of weeks ago, a friend told me that she went to look at some new apartments that were being advertised for sale in the City. To her surprise, there was no kitchen to be seen anywhere in the flat. When she asked the estate agent showing her the apartment to show her where the kitchen was, he smiled and opened a cupboard, and pointed to a tiny galley with a microwave oven, a metre-long bench, a tiny bar fridge and an equally tiny sink. He explained to her that most people who chose to live a “downtown lifestyle” rarely ate in. As a vast selection of eating places of all kinds were within a few hundred metres of your apartment, why would you want to cook? My friend was not impressed…

Nor would I be! One of the most cosy and homely places in the house is the kitchen. There is always something happening there, always someone around, and many-a-time the delicious smells of food being cooked and the clatter of pots and pans are enticing calls to attention and draw everyone in the house to this happy place. Our kitchen is not overly large, but is well designed and merges with the family room and meals area, so that quite a spacious area is perceived when one enters these “three rooms in one”.

Whoever is cooking or working in the kitchen can converse with the others sitting in the family room and meals are easily passed from the cooking area to the meals area. Close friends gravitate to this part of the house, whereas acquaintances or work colleagues can be entertained away from this private area, in the “public” lounge room. Making a pot of coffee in the kitchen while one is conversing with close friends sitting in the family room is one of the pleasures of this arrangement.

My favourite times in the kitchen are weekend wintry mornings, when I wake first, turn the heater on and start the coffee going. Making hot toast with lashings of butter, while some baroque music is playing in the background sets the stage for the making of more serious breakfast fare, later on when everyone is awake. Scones, pancakes, porridge, eggs or on rare occasion a full, cooked breakfast are special treats, especially in winter. There is a wonderful smell that comes to mind when I think of such winter mornings. Freshly brewed coffee blending with hot buttered toast, ground pepper on hot, steaming scrambled eggs and green tender chives chopped on top.

A galley, indeed! Hrrrrrrrrrrrrrmph!

A recipe for Eggs Benedict

Split some English muffins in halves crosswise, toast them without allowing to brown. Place a slice of cooked ham on each muffin half. Heat in a moderate oven and put a poached egg on each muffin half. Cover the whole with Hollandaise sauce and garnish with finely chopped chives. Keep warm until served, but don’t dawdle in serving them!

MOVIE MONDAY - REVENGE (TV SOAP)

“While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself.” - Douglas Horton

Soap operas are an extremely popular and an immensely prolific genre of TV program. This type of serial drama and suspense features related story lines about the lives of multiple characters. They can be found locally produced in almost every country of the world and reflect that particular society’s culture, mores and values. The stories typically focus on emotional relationships to the point of extreme melodrama. Usually, the lives of the rich and poor are contrasted, the soapie often allowing the “common people” viewing it to live vicariously the lives of the rich and famous. The term “soap opera” originated from this type of drama series having been sponsored by soap manufacturers in the past.

We have watched a large variety of soap operas, originating from the USA, Australia, UK, Scandinavia, Greece, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, Argentina, etc, and it is surprising how similar they all are in terms of characters, plot lines and conclusion. They all seem to pander to basic human needs and desires: Desire to be rich (and perhaps, famous); need to be loved and to love; desire to be desirable and to feel wanted; need to live in a society where justice is served; desire to allow people to reach their full potential; a wish for the good to be rewarded and the bad to be punished; and of course for the heroes and heroines to live happily ever after…

Production values vary immensely, with some extremely polished series where good actors sink their teeth into interesting and involving plots of some originality, to series that are ludicrous, with bad actors hamming up stock melodramatic situations or wading their way through badly disguised fairy tales. And of course, there is everything in between. It does depend a lot on the creative team behind the series, and not so much on the country of origin, as one may see extreme bathos and surprising quality in any one country’s output of soapies.

At the moment, we are watching the USA soapie “Revenge” whose first season began in 2011 and it is still going strong this year, in its fourth season. It stars Madeleine Stowe, Emily VanCamp, Gabriel Mann, Nick Wechsler, Josh Bowman, Christa B. Allen and Henry Czerny. The series was created by Mike Kelley and as is usual with soapies, it is written and directed by a whole team of people, who obviously keep the suspense up and ensure that enough plot twists and turns maintain viewer interest.

“Revenge”, as the title implies, takes as its premise a common desire of many of us to avenge ourselves on those who have done us wrong. The plot commences thus: As a summer to remember begins in the exclusive Hamptons of Long Island NY, new arrival Emily Thorne dazzles the members of high society by making herself known in the exclusive social circle of Grayson Global CEO Conrad Grayson and his socialite wife Victoria. But it soon becomes clear that the beguiling young philanthropist has a dark past. Emily was once known as Amanda Clarke, a young nine-year-old whose life was torn apart when her father (Grayson Global hedge fund manager David Clarke) was falsely accused of channelling money to a terrorist organisation responsible for the downing of a commercial airliner. Now living under an assumed identity, she is determined to seek vengeance on the people who destroyed her father’s life (the two main conspirators being Conrad and Victoria Grayson) by making their lives come crashing down around them.

The production values are high, the acting is excellent, direction tight and the pace rapid and with few pauses for reflection. Unlike many other soapies, there is not much time wasted and the viewer is kept engaged without becoming bored. We are watching this on DVD, without ads and we are enjoying it much more than watching it on commercial television. Of course there are numerous clichés, many stock dramatic situations and predictable character traits. However, there is enough originality, humour and likeable characters to maintain viewer interest in what is proving to be a very long-lived series. The IMDB score for this series is 8/10 from about 90,000 voters.

This series started being remade in 2013 in Turkey as “Intikam”. Yagmur Ozden moves to a yali (Bosporus mansion) at a rich neighborhood on the shore of the Bosporus in Istanbul. Her real name is Derin Celik. Her father, Adil was framed for a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Derin was sent to an orphanage and believed that her father was guilty. Adil wanted her daughter to learn the truth and kept a diary to be given to her. Derin learned the truth about her father when she was 18. But it was too late. He died in jail as an innocent man. Derin comes to her childhood neighbourhood with a different identity to seek revenge against the people who betrayed her father. The lead role is played by the captivating Turkish star Beren Saat who has in many other quality Turkish TV soapies.

POETRY JAM - LOCAL

“Home is where the heart is.” - Pliny theElder

Poetry Jam today has set the theme of “Local” as inspiration for all participants in its poetry challenge. The instructions are: “Give us a feel of what makes your town or city special - it could be a person, a local character, a place off the beaten path that few know about or a food that you can only find - maybe even a celebration that only happens locally.”

Oddly enough, this immediately brought to my mind a distant place, which once upon a time I considered as “local” when I lived there alone for a few months. It was Amsterdam, where I went on sabbatical, many years ago. Yes, it was quite special and yes, I met a host of interesting work colleagues and made a few friends, however, it was also a bit of a hard time for me as my beloved was far away from me, on the other side of the world. Pliny said, “Home is where the heart is”, and though I made a new home for myself in Holland, my real home was back in Australia, where my beloved was. So “local” was a questionable concept in my predicament then…

Amsterdam IV

In the yellow streets of Amsterdam
So early in the morning, that night still darkens the sky;
When the thin houses loom high over the canals
And the water flows so slowly that it mirrors
The yellow lights unblemishingly,
I walk the cold streets, going home at last
After a long night’s pretence at carousal.

I know that I will call you as soon as I get home
To share my night with you, to tell you yet again
How much I miss you, how much I wish you were here with me.

In the cobblestoned, jaundiced streets of Amsterdam
Early in the morning when night lingers on;
When the revellers go to their beds, staggering and tripping
And the air echoes now and then with a rowdy laugh, an off key song;
When the young men boisterously call out as they piss in the dark corners,
I walk home insulating myself from the drunken merrymakers
Walking quickly straight ahead, past the cheap whores in a line.

I know that I shall sleep alone again tonight,
After drinking of your soft voice across the thousands of miles,
I will dream of our frustrated embraces for one more night.

In the empty streets of old Amsterdam
Early in the morning when only I walk in the lonely alleys;
When even the air is asleep, and the wind dares not to blow,
When alleycats have found a snug, warm corner
Where they can dream of nimble mice and careless birds,
I walk the narrow streets, going home at last
After a long night’s torture without you by my side.

I know that I will count the hours once more tonight
To see if they are any less than last time I counted, discovering yet again
How slowly time passes until I can spend the night in your arms.

A RAINY SATURDAY

 “I prefer winter and fall, when you feel the bone structure of the landscape. Something waits beneath it; the whole story doesn’t show.” - Andrew Wyeth

The weekend is here again and another Saturday filled with the blessed routine of doing chores around the house and some shopping for essentials. Otherwise, the weather has been too bad for gardening or any other seriously outdoor activity. Instead, it has been a day of staying inside and luxuriating in the warmth and cosiness of home. We watched a movie, read, listened to music and generally relaxed.

What better than some Antonio Vivaldi to finish the day off? Here is his Concerto for Two Violins in A Minor (RV 522) from L'Estro Armonico, Op.3.No.8. This is a favourite of mine, but it also was a favourite of J.S. Bach’s as he transcribed it for keyboard. It is a very dramatic concerto with wonderful melody, harmony, and much incident that is inventive and adventurous. Perfect for the blustery winter season, illustrating some wild weather, but also the pleasures of a warm fireside!

ENJOYING BEING A HOMEBODY

“A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body.” - Benjamin Franklin

Oh what a day in Melbourne today – Melburnians would probably say a typical Melbourne day! We really did get all four seasons into one, with rain, hail, sunshine, cold and then slightly warmer temperatures! Just as well I was busy at work and except for short foray to the bank across the road, I was quite sheltered from the changing and quite inclement weather with many meetings, and much desk work. However, Winter was certainly showing his teeth today just as he is departing…

When I came home this evening, I felt like a drink before dinner, which is something quite unusual for me these days. However, once every blue moon, a little apéritif is quite nice to enjoy prior to dining and especially so on a Friday. Here is what we enjoyed this evening:

DRY MARTINI BITTER
Ingredients
    • 2 measures of gin
    • ½ measure of dry vermouth
    • A couple of drops of lemon juice
    • 1 drop of lemon essence (or a tiny piece of lemon peel)
    • 1 drop of Angostura bitters
    • Stuffed green olive.
    • Strip of lemon peel

Method
Pour the spirits in a cocktail shaker, add several ice cubes and the drop of lemon juice, essence and bitters.  Shake until the martini is ice cold.  Drain into a chilled martini glass and keep this in the freezer until ready to drink.  Wrap the strip of lemon peel around the olive and secure with a toothpick.  Drop the olive in the martini and serve ice-cold.

This was very nice to sip while relaxing before dinner. For dinner tonight we had some steamed broccoli with a simple lemon and olive oil dressing, some cheese with crackers, and mushroom crêpes, washed down with some nice pinot gris. Fridays are very nice, especially in a warm house while it is wet and cold outside. After dinner, it’s time for curling up with a good book. Much better than being out and watching the football – grand final weekend or not!

FOOD FRIDAY - HOME COOKING

“Good food and a warm kitchen are what make a house a home.” – Rachael Ray

One of the best parts of travelling for work is coming back home! When I came back home this evening, it felt as though I had been away for ages. I suddenly felt very comfortable amongst my own things, the wonderful “home” smell that greeted me with the familiar objects, paintings, furniture around me. I think this is a sure sign of getting older, not being comfortable for too long far from home. However, it is also because I was not away on a holiday, but rather for work.

In any case, for dinner tonight a wonderful home-cooked meal. Whatever one may say about restaurant meals (even in the best restaurants), the palate soon palls and one yearns for the honest to goodness, simple and tasty home-cooked dishes. And so it was tonight, with a traditional Greek dish, which although a hearty soup, it is at the same time quite light.

Youvarlákia
[Meatballs in Egg and Lemon Sauce]
Ingredients
•    750 grams of veal mince
•    1/2 cup butter (may substitute olive oil if desired)
•    1/2 cup rice
•    1/2 cup minced onion
•    3 heaped tablespoons finely chopped parsley
•    1 teaspoon finely chopped dill
•    1.5 litres chicken stock
•    4 eggs
•    3-4 lemons
•    salt, pepper

Method
•    Wash the rice well and drain, putting it into a large bowl.
•    Add the veal mince, the herbs, one egg white, salt and pepper.
•    Mix well, kneading the mixture so it becomes homogeneous.
•    Shape the veal mixture into small balls, each about 3.5 cm in diameter.
•    Melt the butter in a fairly large pot and add carefully the meatballs.
•    Add the stock so that the meatballs are covered (add water if not enough stock),
•    Boil and then simmer until the meatballs are cooked.
•    Beat the eggs in a large bowl and add the lemon juice, beating well to incorporate it (this can be done with a mechanical whisk).
•    Gradually add the very hot stock the meatballs have boiled in, to the egg and lemon mixture using a ladle while continuing to whisk. The object is to cook the egg without curdling it.
•    Once all the stock has been added, pour the egg and lemon sauce back into the pot containing the meatballs and simmer gently so that cooking process is finished. Once again, be careful the egg does not curdle.
•    Serve immediately with freshly ground pepper and a dill sprig for garnish.

7 SECONDS

“The African race is a rubber ball. The harder you dash it to the ground, the higher it will rise.” - African Proverb

Today was a lazy day. It’s nice to have lazy days once in a while. Sleeping in, having a leisurely breakfast, then enjoying the morning by taking a walk in the garden, smelling the late summer roses, the flowering ginger, the four-o’clocks, the jasmine and the carnations. Revelling in the colour of the orange zinnias, the yellow and brown marigolds, the scarlet salvias, the pink cosmos. Looking at the green growing things and listening to music playing on the radio and happy to be alive, and being grateful for such pleasures. We said we’d go out shopping, but we ended up staying in, relaxing, taking it easy and having a wonderful lazy day…

Tonight, a hit song from 1994, composed by Youssou N’Dour, Neneh Cherry, Cameron McVey and Jonathan Sharp. It was released as a single by Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry, the song and remained on the charts for nearly half a year. It reached the top three in many countries, including the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Australia, Russia and Poland. The single stayed at the top spot for 16 consecutive weeks on the French Singles Chart, which was the record of the most weeks at the top at the time. Its title “7 Seconds” refers to the critical time after a baby’s birth, essential for its survival and it packs a strong anti-racism message.