The husband of a very good friend phoned me a few weeks ago and asked if I could help him to organize a surprise party for his wife. Of course, how could I resist? And he emailed me a photo of a table in an orchard with little bunting flags whisping in the wind. Not everyday you receive a brief from a husband....
And so the planning started. The logistics were a bit daunting, as it meant EVERYTHING had to be transported there and if something was left behind, we'll have had to manage without. I packed the car to the limit and stacked boxes of cakes and sweets on top op plates and straws.
But wow, what a morning! It rained the night before, but when I peeked outside early on saturday, the cloads were gone and in their place were the bluest sky and the lightest mist just touching the mountains. The sort of morning you wish you could touch and keep in a special place for later. The orchard was the perfect setting for us friends to mingle. The props felt as if they were meant to be there and we lingered as long as the fierce Lowveld sun allowed us to.
Happy birthday Marique!! I loved being part of a special day for such a wonderful person.
This past year past in a blink of an eye. It was one of great excitement and looking back, I could never have anticipated everything that happened to me and the family. But that is the joy of life is it not? We can never control everything that happens to us and yet we always end up a little stronger, a little wiser and a little surprised at the journey that is life.
We are still on holiday for a few more precious days. Nothing beats a December holiday - sunshine and warm days around the pool, eating fresh fruit and ice-cream! Pure bliss! And of course orchid hunting trips to beautiful places.
Friends invited us to dinner and afterwards we waited for the Masoyi fireworks spectacular to ring in the New Year last night. The villagers of this remote area close to Hazyview has a tradition of purchasing some fireworks every month of the year. Our friends have a veranda overlooking the village and we had ourselves the best seats in the house to enjoy it. It really is something special.
And today we followed a little tradition of our own and went for our New Year's day picnic looking for orchids. Nothing beats a little picnic under the trees near a little stream, surrounded by beautiful flowers and butterflies.
And of course we took lots of litchis.
Our trees are just dripping litchis at the moment. We collect them by the bags full and eat them in a shady spot in the garden. We canned some too for the winter months when we crave a little taste of summer. Canning is a family activity where we all come together to peel, cut and chat. It reminds me of growing up and helping my mom and grandmothers with the jam or preserves. And now my children help too.
I made a little salad with litchis too. Very simple, with butter beans, litchis and a dressing of mint, chilly, fish sauce, lime and sugar. Delicious.
Best wishes for 2012! Here's to the journey that is life and all the surprises installed for us around the corner.
I have been absent from these pages for the last few months. It was not that I wanted to neglect my little blog or my kitchen, but life took a bit of detour and I followed obligingly. Let me try to explain - I got involved with the organization of a local Christmas Market at my kids' school. So involved in fact that I was the chief in charge and it being a charity thingy, it meant that I did a lot (as in a lot-a-lot) of the things myself. It was like falling through the rabbit hole one day in September and only being spit out into life resembling normality at around the middle of December.
Don't get me wrong, I loved it! I enjoyed the process and the people and had a blast with some new friends, but boy, it took over our lives. I had no spare time for weeks and weeks. None, nada. So, unfortunately, the blog, the kitchen even the family all became very much neglected.
I will not bore you with the details save for one. We created all the decor out of plastic bottles collected from the recycle dump at school. It was by far my favourite part of it all and it taught me a great deal about the possibilities of the things we toss into the bin so carelessly.
It's a bit early for 2012 resolutions I guess, but mine is simple enough - just to get the camera out and start blogging. I've spent the last few weeks finding my feet in normality and doing simple things with family and friends. Now I have most of my old energy back and think it is time again to bake and blog and share. See you soon....
