Sat under the avocado tree and sobbed with grief. All three dogs around to give me comfort. Very slobbery and affectionate in a noisy way, but dogs are not as good at comforting humans as cats. I wish I had a cat around at times like these.
Then the door bell rang and there was an elderly lady wanting to talk about the arthritis in her jaw, painful, nothing much to be done and she was stoic and admirable. Didn’t want to come in for tea. The new puppy got his head stuck in the security gate and screamed blue murder. The old lady (89) hobbled away with her hands over her ears. Calmed the dog down and felt like a failure.
Made out a long list of things to take on holiday. Mosquito repellents, anti-flea stuff, anti-snakebite serums. Hurricane lamps and candles. Detective novels. Bedding for the dogs. Bedding for us. Smarter crisper bedding for guests. Cast-iron pots for cooking over coals. Storage containers for dog food. A mild dog shampoo in case the dogs roll in dead whale on the beach or encounter a skunk. Cannisters of Kenyan coffee and English breakfast tea. Armfuls of sweaters and beach wraps, detective novels, biographies, a paperback copy of Finnegans Wake. Fiction by Sarah Waters, Emma Donohue, Iain Sinclair, David Mitchell. Roberts Birds of Southern Africa. Jacqueline Yallop’s Magpies, Squirrels & Thieves: How Victorians Collected the World. Books to help identify sea shells and sea weeds. An almanac of tides. Several cookbooks, including C Louis Leipoldt’s antique Cape Cookery which tells you how to turn wind-dried fish into a dish called smoorvis with chillies, tomato and potatoes. Hiking boots. Blister cream for heels. Ugly but practical khaki hats. Waterproof windcheaters. Maps. Firewood. Extra pillows and an old mohair rug from Lesotho. Dried goods: pasta, brown rice, lentils, split peas, haricot beans, chillies, nuts, origanum, cardamom pods, black pepper, strips of mango and apricots. Sacks of sweet potatoes and butternut. Madhur Jaffrey’s hefty World Vegetarian Cooking. More spices, a small bag of lemons. Navel oranges.
The housemate and I have agreed to travel lightly on this trip. She has made her own list which runs to three pages and includes torches, chocolate, Horlicks, dog biscuits, Dettol and half a sheep. This is what always happens, we pack for Africa, as if we were heading to Timbuktu with a zoo in tow – and without doubt we will arrive at the cottage on the estuary and discover we have forgotten toothpaste.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around ‘half a sheep.’
Don’t blame you Kristin — the housemate is a dedicated carnivore!
your list sounds like you should pack a bookcase to go with all the books.
Or just hire a mobile library!
Is it your friend? I’m so sorry. I’ve had my own season of grief this past spring. It does pass. Of course I’m not the same, but it passes. That excruciating pain can’t last long, thank God. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
Hi Lydia. An friend I’ve known for years and she has been ill a long time — she is far more accepting and gracious about the process of dying. Hard to let go –
I am sorry if your friend has taken a turn for the worse. Hopefully, the trip will help. Packing light– wow, but it sounds like you will be gone awhile. Have a safe trip.
Syd it is partly facetious as a post — I find travelling with dogs quite cumbuersome but wouldn’t dream of going without them — I shall be back at the end of July. Hope you’re feeling better.
I am sorry for your grief. It is hard to watch friends decline. I think it is harder to take when they are graceful and sweet.
Have a great trip. Hope you have several trucks to haul all that stuff!
I could do with a huge container van!
Don’t forget to pack the garlic!
Pasta with courgette sauce and spinach balls
For the spinach balls
500g/1lb 2oz spinach leaves, washed thoroughly, tough stalks removed
2 free-range eggs, beaten
pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 garlic clove, blended to a purée with ½ tsp water
110g/4oz fresh white breadcrumbs
50g/2oz parmesan, freshly grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2-3 tbsp olive oil
For the pasta sauce
8 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled, finely chopped
1 chilli, finely chopped
2 courgettes, trimmed, finely grated
60g/2¼oz parmesan, freshly grated
salt and freshly ground black pepper
400g/14oz rigatoni, cooked according to packet instructions, drained (reserve a few spoonfuls of the cooking water)
Preparation method
For the spinach balls, blanch the spinach leaves in a pan of salted, boiling water for 1-2 minutes, then drain well and refresh in cold water.
Using your hands, squeeze out as much water from the blanched spinach leaves as possible, then finely chop the spinach.
Transfer the blanched, drained spinach to a bowl, then stir in the beaten eggs, nutmeg, garlic purée, breadcrumbs and parmesan. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix well until the mixture binds together, adding more breadcrumbs or more water, as necessary, to bind the mixture.
Roll the spinach mixture into walnut-sized balls and place onto a baking tray.
Cover the base of a frying pan in a thin film of olive oil. Heat gently over a low to medium heat.
When the oil is hot, add the spinach balls, in batches if necessary, and fry for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until crisp and golden-brown all over. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on kitchen paper. Keep warm. Repeat the process with the remaining spinach balls.
Meanwhile, for the pasta sauce, heat the oil in a separate frying pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli and fry for 1-2 minutes, or until softened but not coloured.
Add the courgettes and continue to fry for 3-4 minutes, or until the courgettes have started to soften.
Add the parmesan and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix until well combined, then stir in the reserved cooking water from the pasta and the cooked, drained rigatoni.
To serve, divide the pasta and sauce equally among four serving plates. Place the fried spinach balls on top.
Delicious — thank you Jan!