My fingers are not like these

One their many names may be lady's fingers,

but I know of no ladies who have pentagonal shaped fingers :)

I love these when stuffed with spices and roasted till they are crispy on the outside;

I cannot stand them when cooked in stews and they become all slimy.

However I most enjoy them not for their culinary uses;

but rather for the use as stamps at the craft table.

For these green vegetables to be cut into short lengths

and dipped into paint to make pretty designs on paper.

Watching Crabs

I think they are fascinating to watch.

Scurrying along on the rocks,

peering over the edge.

Their legs quick;
their sticking-out-eyes forever on the watch.

And when they attack,
they sit with their prey and enjoy their meal;
despite the waves crashing onto their backs.

What would you choose?

If you lived in these islands,

you cannot avoid sea transportation.

Would you choose to travel by ferry?

Or hire a speed boat?

Or perhaps enjoy the luxury of a yatch?

Or would you opt to brave the waves in a little bokkura like this?

40 before 40

I am 35. I have a long way to go before I turn 40.

But it's always good to have goals, right? (Plus, I am in a list making mode today.)

So, here is my list of 40 things to do before I turn 40.

Clean and gut a fish
Compile all my favourite recipes into a family cookbook
Complete a writing course
Complete an online course
Complete scrapbooking my children’s first five years
Create something I am happy to display
Do something that scares the hell out of me
Donate blood
Get pampered in a spa
Go camping with the children
Go on a pilgrimage
Go to the ballet
Go to the theatre with H
Grow and maintain a vegetable patch
Learn a foreign language (Arabic, Italian or French)
Learn how to use Photoshop
Learn the art of diplomacy
Learn the art of photography
Learn the discipline of practising gratitude
Learn to drive a car
Learn to accept my body as it is
Learn to ride a horse
Live in a bigger house
Make a photo display wall
Make friends with my sewing machine
Make ice-cream from scratch
Make pasta from scratch
Make peace with my hair
Own a big-girl camera
Reach and stay at my ideal weight (ha!)
Read all the books on my Top 100 Reads list
Complete a half marathon (don’t laugh; it’s just one of these things I’ve ALWAYS wanted to do)
Send ten articles for publication in academic journals
Teach a language course at college
Teach my children to ride a bike
Tour New Zealand
Travel across Europe by train
Visit the Taj Mahal
Watch the sunrise over Uluru
Write a novel

Looking forward

Focusing on positive things today.

The weekend - starting tomorrow :)

Planning our week's break in Malaysia, visiting my little sister

(8 days to go before we leave!).

Looking forward to the excitement of the Fifa World Cup.

The thrill of Hero being able to read on his own -

he had a slow start, but is so excited to be able to sound out words now.

Spending some girl time with Em

(who, btw, made these flowers so they would make a good subject for my photos).

***

What are you looking forward to?

Needing to re-focus

To say that these last few weeks were stressful at work would be an understatement. This week particularly has been just crazy. There have been moments when I have been on the brink of tears, and last night, sitting at home, reflecting on the events of the last two days - the confrontational meeting with 300+ people; answering questions at a press conference; the heated arguments during meetings - I remembered suddenly that this year started with two words: believe and balance. And that I need to refocus on those. I need to believe in myself. I need to find balance in my life so as not to get sucked into this whirlwind of events that have left me so depressed and tense.

And so, H, my sweet, sweet husband, brought me something to drool over and forget the worries of work. Last night, we watched this. And today, I feel better. I mean, who wouldn't. Right, Peanutts?

The shell in my hand

The sea is far away

yet in this shell I hear its song.

A soothing lullaby

that calms the tensions of the workday.

A reminder of happy memories.

A whisper of hope.

A source of strength.

It's Monday and I am already dreaming of the weekend...

It has been a rainy few days here.

And when it rains, it pours.

The rain has been much needed

and a very welcome relief from the humid heat of recent weeks.

But these pictures, taken by H,

make me want to go enjoy some beach time.

So, I am hoping for sunshine and blue skies and light breezes

by the weekend.

A Leaf Falls

This curled up dried guava leaf
got stuck on a branch on its way to the ground

and reminded me of how everything ultimately falls

when it reaches its end.

It also reminded me of this e e cummings poem.

l(a... (a leaf falls on loneliness)

by e. e. cummings

l(a

le
af
fa
ll

s)
one
l

iness

Colour Week: A celebration of colours

The last five days were a celebration of colours,

and today we have the grand finale,

ending the colour week with a multitude of shades from the colour palette.

We have had a creative crafts day at home today,

and so I have had a lot of colour all around me,

whether they were paints, crayons, stars or popsicle sticks.

There was also colour on parts of the document I have been working on recently.

More colour on the bookshelf, when Em was searching for a book to read.
(the image of the books is by Em)

Thank you Lisa, for organising the colour week.

It has been fun visiting all the participating blogs

and seeing colour around the world.

Colour Week: Green

Rain drops lingering on plants

bunches of bilamagu

velvety smooth avocado - one of my favourite snacks

lines in nature

bananas maturing

mottled green on the outside, bright orange flesh inside

a young dhaagan'du kekuri

the swirl of a new banana leaf, after the rain this morning.

GREEN.

Colour Week: Purple... in flowers

Rushed off my feet.

Ten hour work day.

Taking the easy way out by selecting purple blooms from my archives

for today's purple celebration.

Colour Week: Yellow & Orange

The just-opened ethuma on the coconut tree,

the maturing fruit;

the yellow flowers on the tree I see everyday for as long as I remember

stacks of mandarins on the kitchen counter

a car driving past

the contrast of the petals and the center of this flower

a birthday cake from some weeks ago

a fastened knot

a perfect rose.