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| With mom and dad when I was several months old. |
When April started I looked back on my short terms goals and realized that I didn't accomplish everything. I'm happy that I was able to finish flooring, and the financial goals have been achieved as well. But I didn't make curtains for the living room and stopped doing yoga sometime in March. I'm still in the process of installing plantation shutters in the living room. The shutters are up, but they need minor adjustments.
Yesterday I sowed more seeds - okra, passion fruit, kale and beet. I found lubber grasshoppers in the garden. They destroyed all spinach seedlings and some okra seedlings. I was able to save three okra plants and planted them in a raised bed. They are also eating kale and mustard leaves. I read that they grow up to 6-8 cm and are very hard to eliminate. I don't want to use insecticides, so I hope they will be kind to me and not destroy all my plants.
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| A few okra survived from grasshoppers. |
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| Basil. |
Last weekend I made dosai, a South Indian pancake made of rice flour and urad dhal. Dad loved Indian food and used to make this at home. I tried it for the first time and it came out really well. I made a large batch of batter and was able to keep it in the fridge and make dosai several times. I also made a fresh coconut and mint chutney.
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| Dosai, coconut & mint chutney, and chicken curry. |
The next new recipe I want to try is Ethiopian flat bread called Injera. It needs teff flour which I don't have at home. I will buy some next week.
I have been reading two books. The first one is "All the Money in the World: What the Happiest People Know About Getting and Spending" by Laura Vanderkam. It's not how to save money book, but discusses how to maximize happiness when spending money. It's all about setting priorities. The author suggests making a list of things that makes us happy when it comes to money. And keep the list in the wallet to remind you what expenses are more important. I'm still reading the second chapter, and so far it is very interesting.
I'm also reading "The Duchess: Camilla Parker Bowles and the Love Affair That Rocked the Crown" by Penny Junor. I heard about this book from a member of the Homemakers Forum. Though it sounds silly now, as a pre-teen I used to collect Princess Diana's photos. I had several books full of photos and paper clippings. I was very sad to hear her death and remember watching her funeral live on tv. Now when I read this book I see how complex people are, and how unhappy and lonely people can be no matter how rich they are.
Another busy work week is ahead, and I have already prepared enough food for lunches. I made a turkey meatloaf with lots of onions and shredded cabbage, and several curries and rice. I need to make granola so that's what I will do after having a cup of tea.
I hope you all had a great weekend.
XX
Nil
Another busy work week is ahead, and I have already prepared enough food for lunches. I made a turkey meatloaf with lots of onions and shredded cabbage, and several curries and rice. I need to make granola so that's what I will do after having a cup of tea.
I hope you all had a great weekend.
XX
Nil
Hi Nil, you are such a keen observer and excellent writer. Lovely photo with your parents. I'm sorry you are feeling grief. I get the same way since my mom has died. That book sounds really good. Many people don't realize that money can't buy happiness. Congratulations on achieving so many of your goals. I admire your drive and discipline.
ReplyDeleteThank you Stephenie.
DeleteI'm sorry the past few weeks have been rough for you, Nil. The loneliness that comes from losing a loved one can be so difficult. I don't know that it ever leaves us completely. Sending you cyber hugs. (((Nil)))
ReplyDeleteThank you Belinda.
DeleteIt must have been a difficult few weeks for you Nil. I hope you're feeling a bit brighter now. The book sounds fascinating. I watched an interview with the author and while ago and thought about buying a copy, but for some reason I never got around to it. I'll try and get hold of one now. X
ReplyDeleteThanks Jules. I feel better now though there are rough days at times.
DeleteI borrowed both books from the library. :)
It sounds like the last few weeks haven't been easy for you, I imagine many things in your life bring back memories of your dad, and leave you feeling sad and missing him. Hugs across the oceans for you. I'd love to come and share your dosais and mint and coconut chutney, two of my favourite foods. I make injera bread all the time now, it's really easy and tastes great. I'll be interested to hear what you think. Take care x
ReplyDeleteThank you Nanette.
DeleteAnd you are welcome anytime. :)
I'd like to make Berbere spice mix as well and make a curry to go with injera. I'll let you know how it turns out.
Lovely thoughts of your dear father -and how nice to remember him as you made that yummy food!
ReplyDeleteThank you earthmotherwithin.
DeleteOh dear, so sorry to hear about the grasshoppers!
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious you loved your dad very much. How nice to have a precious photo of your parents and you when you were just a baby.
Thanks Priscilla.
DeleteI heard that some gardeners use a shop vac to collect lubber grasshoppers and drown them in soapy water. I just can't make up my mind to do it. :(
Nil, I can tell you really miss your Dad. The grasshoppers have been bad here too and love chomping away on our dahlias and I found some in the herb garden as well so I am not happy with them but it is hard to get rid of them. I have heard of Injera but haven't made it as yet. I look forward to seeing how yours turns out.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chel.
DeleteThese grasshoppers start really small (and black) and turn into multicolored very big ones. This is the first year I saw them. The problem is no other animal eat them, so they multiply very fast.
Hi Nil. I feel the same way about my parents especially when I am preparing food which they loved. Thank you for writing honestly about your life; this is what made me follow your blog. Su’ad
ReplyDeleteThank you Su’ad.
DeleteAnd thanks for reading my blog. :)
Sorry to hear you are having a tough time Nil, x
ReplyDeleteThank you Marlene.
DeleteHello, Nil. I think that when those we love and are close to pass away, they leave a space in our lives. Time makes that easier to accept but I think the space they once filled remains simply because that unique and beautiful person is no longer with us. The fact that you miss your Dad so much shows just how much you loved him. I'm sure he felt exactly the same way about you and that he would be proud of you in the way you are living your life, setting goals and making progress on them too. MegXx
ReplyDeleteThank you Meg.
DeleteSometimes I think dad is watching over me and it makes me feel better.
So sorry to hear you are out of sorts. You were such a cute baby. Don't be too hard on yourself, sometimes we just need to do nothing to get better. I gave up on planting okra for now. I love dosai, didnt know you could keep using the batter from the fridge.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bridget. I'm feeling ok now.
DeleteI learned abound refrigerating dosai by accident because I made a huge batch. Mom didn't know about it, so I told her too. Imagine me giving mom cooking tips. :)
Hi Nil, sorry to hear about your rough couple of weeks. I agree with you too - I don't think time heals either - people say a lot of things around grief and death to bring comfort that may or may not be true, and everyone is different of course. There is no timeline. Be kind to yourself - sounds like you still achieved a lot while probably feeling less than motivated to do much.
ReplyDeleteOn the garden front - I wonder if some type of exclusion over your seedlings would help - either a little cloche or a net? I use old net curtains from the op shop to cover baby brassicas to protect from cabbage moth - I wonder if this would work.
I love dosai - you are making me hungry. Do you have a recipe to recommend? I've never actually made them at home but would be keen to give them a go.
And I'm going to check to see if my library has that book. It sounds like a good one. Have you read 'your money or your life' by vicki robin? That is also about getting clear on values/priorities and even gets you to calculate how much 'life energy' things are actually costing you. I really enjoyed it.
Hope you have a good week. Take care of yourself.
Cheers,
Laura
Thank you Laura. Some days are harder than the others, but I am feeling a lot better now.
DeleteIt's a very good idea to use a net. I never thought about it. Thank you for the tip. :) I will see where I can get a net. I do have small cloches that I can use for seedlings.
I will post my dosai recipe soon. There's also a recipe link on the post. In mine I added suateed onions, green chilies and curry leaves to the batter.
I have read "Your Money or Your Life" and it's one of my favorite books. That's where I first learned about the true cost of things. It was really eye opening. :)
Silly me, I didn't even notice that link in the post. The SBS recipes always turn out well I find so I'm bookmarking this one.
DeleteI've also ordered 'All the money in the world' from the library so i look forward to checking that out.
Hope the last week has been a little kinder :)
Ayubowan, Nil. I found your blog through A Hidden Jem and someone else also mentioned your blog to me. I just wanted to wish you a happy New Year and to say I'm sorry about your father's death. You will always miss him, but time does ease the pain of that loss, it just takes a very long time (my mother died 12 years ago and I still miss her). By the way, I am also originally from Sri Lanka. :)
ReplyDeleteAyubowan Bless. It's a pleasant surprise to see someone greeting me so. Happy New Year to you too. I'm sorry to hear about your mom.
DeleteThank you for reading and commenting. As far as I know, you are the first Sri Lankan to read my blog. :)