Journal Weds 20th August

Ugh, this title is a bit wanky don’t you think. SEO and all that.

Morning all, I’m racking my brains to tell you what happened yesterday, and I genuinely can’t think of anything exciting to tell you. Must have been an eventful day.

The thunderstorms that I thought had gone (according to the forecast), appeared with great vigour around mid morning. Hallelujah! Biblical rain, and some very loud thunder that Freya was not thrilled by. We were counting from the lightening to see how many seconds it was between flash and thunder to determine the storms distance from the house. Does this even work by the way, or is it just a thing you’re taught as a kid to help temper your anxiety? I started to count and barely got to say one, before house shaking thunder and out went the power. Oh no how awful, I lamented, and right in the middle of ironing too, I guess I’ll have to stop now…..

We had a great electrician many years back when this old place was re-wired. We’ve never had a long lasting power cut, all that happens is the power surge trips a fuse. Once everything has blown over we just re-set the fuse and voila, everything is back. We have more storms forecast later and I’m most happy with that. Keep working all that lovely fertiliser into the ground for me please, much appreciated.

It’s been so nice to cook again, after what seems like weeks of trying to live off cold things, or quick things, or basically anything that didn’t add more heat into the house. I made one of our favourites, a chicken and mango curry. It’s a slight variation on a Diana Henry recipe called (I think), Indian Spiced chicken and mango with coconut if you want to try and find it. Failing that it’s in her book Simple, which I highly recommend. I love her writing as much as her recipes, in particular there’s a story about how they tap maple syrup and have parties where it’s dripped into the snow where it hardens up into a sort of natural candy. It’s so evocative.

I change little in the recipe, hers calls for coconut cream, I often use coconut milk instead. She uses a vindaloo paste, I use a Penang curry paste from the asian supermarket. Hers is finished with cream, I don’t think it needs it, and she uses fresh lime juice, I favour freeze dried, powdered kaffir lime leaf that I buy from an on-line spice shop. Just half a teaspoon, but the fragrance you get with the mango and coconut is so delicious. Since I first made it, I think we have it once a fortnight at least. Pile a tonne of fresh coriander on top (unless you’re one of those freaks that thinks it tastes like soap). Only kidding, some of those freaks are my best friends.

It’s time to really throw myself into operation house clean, and these roots won’t colour themselves.

“Create a highly detailed, high-resolution image that encapsulates the theme of “thunderstorms and cooking.” The main focus should be a cozy kitchen scene illuminated by warm, natural light filtering through the raindrop-speckled window. In the foreground, include a vibrant chicken and mango curry simmering in a stylish pot, surrounded by fresh ingredients like mango, coriander, and spices. The backdrop captures the stormy atmosphere outside, with dark clouds and occasional flashes of lightning visible. Emphasize sharp focus on the dish while maintaining a slightly blurred view of the storm outside, creating a dynamic contrast between the warmth of cooking and the intensity of the thunderstorm”.

TTFN,

V x

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