When the sun is setting, between dusk and darkness, there is a moment when the light turns blue. And the world stops for a heartbeat.
Proteas is one of the most interesting looking flowers I have ever had in my vase. They are a bit of an acquired taste, and not everyone appreciates them. In South Afrika they are now in season, and every flowershop and supermarket is full of different varieties. Also – being native to dry areas – they last for weeks. My kind of flower.
I have done several jobs in my life that required long hours. I am no stranger to 80-100 h weeks, and for many years that was just “the way it was”. Someone once told me, that “if you enjoy your regular Tuesday, you are living a good life”.
This Tuesday, we braaied.
Stuart has always found it funny how obsessed Finns are about berries. Initially he thought it was only me – but he has met enough Finns since then to know it’s a national obsession. I think it is a result of such a short season for berries in Finland. Being able to buy fresh, good berries practically 10 months a year is not something you can do in Finland.
It is a more a general observation as well. People in Norther Europe live and cook (even today) much more based on what is in season. Even though you can get asparagus from Finnish supermarket around the year, the price during the spring season is so much cheaper (and taste so much better), that most people only eat it during those few weeks. Most South Africans could not even say when the asparagus season is.
There is no denying. Summer is coming. Some days are too warm to wear a long-sleeve sweater, the pool is sparkling and our garden is full of bird-song. And Merlin hunted down and ate his first fly of the season. Definitely summer!
Except at night. At night it is still winter.
Today was a public holiday – Women’s Day – in South Africa. I planned to sleep in late to make up for the busy week with a lot of early wake-ups. Well, that didn’t happen. Merlin and Jozi (who is visiting for a week) decided at 5:30 am that it is time to get up. And so, I had a little nose poking into my hand every few minutes, just to check whether I was already awake. Unable to sleep, I did the only thing I could at that situation. I baked muffins.
In our house, dogs don’t eat human food.
It is quite a cliché that as you get older, the time seems to run faster. The problem with clichés is that they are true.
To not to be disheartened by my yesterday’s splash-failure, I combined two of my favourite things for today. Strawberries and splash.
I really enjoy high-speed photography. Especially when it comes to water-drops and splashes. So I got an idea to photograph breaking water-balloons. Being as impatient and bad at planning as I am, I got right to it. The fact that I didn’t actually have any water-balloons was of no consequence. Normal balloon would do.
Except that it didn’t. It. Just. Wouldn’t. Break.
You can imagine all the cool splash-effects going on in the inside of the balloon.
Stuart has no sweet-tooth what-so-ever. It sincerely limits my possibilities for baking. I like eating, but there is only so much cake one person can handle. And our freezer can’t take that many chocolate muffins. Therefore, I blame Stuart for the fact that I have never learned to decorate a cake. But I do make good cinnamon buns (thank you Mum!), Karelian Pies (thank you Google!) and an occasional savoury muffin.
About this photo: Stuart doesn’t bake. It is a set-up.
Stuart and I are much more into watching series than watching movies. Sure, we see many of the big blockbusters, and sometimes a movie is rumoured to be so good, it can’t even escape our notice, but generally it is a good series that gets us ticking. Maybe it’s because the series will continue past that single evening. Letting go of a good movie character is just as hard as saying goodbye to a favourite book character in the final chapter. Let’s all be grateful for the season 10.
Blue Moment 