Window on George

The past week has been one of many cultural celebrations and festivals, significant days, high days and holidays,  a long weekend, family traditions, and special visits. All crammed into 6 days!!! These are the occasions that accentuate the complexity of expat life: You look forward to the excitement of new and strange celebrations and festivals like Holi, but want to share it with your "closests" and "dearests" who are far away.  They envy you, watching you experience the exotic in a far-away land. Then there's a family birthday, like my mother's 83rd and my nephew's... uhm...... 21st? on 23 and 24 March.   Oh it wasn't as exciting as your weekend, they say.    It was just the family and close friends.   We just went to the place where everybody knows your name, we just had the usual.   Maybe an added lemon meringue pie.   An extra steak or two.   Nothing as exotic as what you had... And then there's Easter... and fami...

VegeTAbles VEGtables Ve Ge Ta Bles but my favourite one is Wedgies not veggies WEDGIES Local street market and supermarket finds are very fresh, very colourful, and if truly local, very very cheap indeed Sir! After buying my first bunch of coriander from a street vendor, I was disappointed to find out that only half was actually coriander.    The other half was carrot tops, tasteless of course, and much finer than the coriander leaves.   So, the next time I needed coriander, I took my body guard, tour guide, travel companion, driver, heavy luggage-carrier, -loser and -chucker, tight bottle caps opener, champagne, wine and whiskey connoisseur, bathroom fixer, kitchen builder, deck maintainer, lavender planter, yo-yo champion, flower lover, sailing seaman, brunch buddy,  best mate, cooking partner, the love of my life, and now...coriander controller, with me. The vendor immediately knew that we meant business. I asked for dhania. He ga...

and the net will appear. But if you hover on the edge of the cliff, waiting, anticipating, yearning, wishing, dreading, hoping,  you may never leave or change. So here I am in Incredible India. Mumbai, Bollywood, city of Dreams. It was quite a jump. I was too scared to venture into the streets at first.   I was thankful for a car with a driver.  And welcomed being stuck in the awful traffic.    All I had to do was roll down the window and start shooting.    There are too many moments to capture.  One needs a lifetime in India, it seems. I don't know if the mistake is intentional.   Maybe they want to be different to Made in China. Traffic is insane.  The noise level unbearable! I don't see as many cows as I was hoping for... but my favourite street has 2 resident goats. There is colour everywhere, usually in stark contrast to the grey and very dirty buildings and streets. Flowe...

This weekend's biscotti has a distinct Middle-Eastern flavour, in honour of the first UAE team in international cricket. I started off with the usual classic Italian ingredients, but then realised the wonderful tangerines are from Morocco,  and the fat vanilla pods were bought by a colleague in Dubai. And the sticky dates have been in the fridge far too long. Hence, Arabic Biscotti. It will be enjoyed with Arabic coffee (Saudi style) which should not be confused with  Arabica coffee. Saudi coffee is a "tea" of saffron, cardamom and a touch of cloves. Quite an acquired taste, but I will forever associate that heady aroma with life in Riyadh.

I do believe that Crete is not only an island, but a continent.

Long, long ago... Iceberg roses, Victorian broekie lace and light blue shutters. The first house I wanted to own in George. Stormsriver Bridge, Masterton's coffee, ferns and fuschias. A tradition with my daughter and sister. I am very proud of this photo that I took in passing. Mandy's Spanish lavender in the Hop Gardens and Janie's driving lesson. Walking my neighbourhood and occasional trespassing to get a good shot. Thankfully not shot at. Nursery in Hsinchu, Taiwan where local is exotic, and Thea my flower friend was remembered. Mandy's wisteria in George, family Christmases, candles and board games. My biggest flat in Hong Kong where I promised myself  fresh flowers every week, just because I could! Flannel Flowers flower shop in IFC mall, Hong Kong. Never a bad shot. Perfect ligh...