Like heaven, but indescribable

The mangosteen.

A fruit famous for its heavenly, yet indescribable taste.

In 1878, one South Seas explorer is believed to have written that

a mangosteen has "a taste which nobody can describe

any more than he can tell how a canary sings or a violet smells.''

I think that's pretty apt.

Enjoying these gorgeous fruits this week.

Making the most of the limited season.

And how are you?

It's raining.

Ears are blocked.

Throat feels constricted.

I am tired after a long day of meetings.

Planning to just curl up with a book

and think sunny thoughts.

The smell of baking

Did a little baking yesterday.

Chocolate fudge cake, at Hero's request.

Banana and pistachio bread,

because there were just too many blackening bananas in the fruit bowl.

Hero, was very impatient at the cooling stage:

"Can I just eat a piece? Just taste it? Just smell it?..."

Do You Have a Fowl Personality?

I read that birds have personalities just like humans do.

So, I wonder, which one mostly resembles our own?

Are you gregarious and enjoy being the life of the party?

Or are you quiet and wary of attention?

Do you prefer to observe quietly from a distance?

Or are you known for being talkative and playful?

Do you have a shy, introverted side to you?

Or are you highly analytical, decisive and not afraid of confrontation?

Fire and Spice

Do you like your food to make you feel like you are on fire?

Bland food doesn't usually do very much for me.

I need some spiciness. It doesn't always need to be fiery hot;

just enough to wake my tastebuds is often fine.

But today, I am (unusually) craving something un-spicy.

Something very simple.

Bland even.

Something that will soothe my sore throat,

rather than send it into overdrive.

Any suggestions?

Macaw Love

"Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind."
~William Shakespeare~

“The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They're in each other all along.”
~Jalal ad-Din Rumi~

Corner View: Noticing

This week's theme at Corner Views,

hosted by Jane is "noticing."

I wanted to tackle this theme by trying to focus on things

I wouldn't normally do.

***

I often try to capture birds,

but I often don't pay much attention to their feet.

Vehicles don't really get me to stop and look,

but this truck, loaded with yellow gas cylinders

made me pause and take notice.

Graffitti usually just annoys me,

but I noticed the colours on this one

and the nails hammered into the wall.

I don't get why people smoke

and cannot stand the smell,

and littered remains on the street;

but something made me want to capture the cigarette butts here.

Three Steps to Dessert

Okay, I was being really good and avoiding making desserts for a long time

(note that I said been good at avoiding making them myself;

not necessarily avoiding eating those made by other people).

At any rate,

I was really craving something sweet and fruity

so I ended up making this very easy clafoutis.

Spread a good layer of frozen berries in a baking dish

and poured over some ground almond based batter

then baked till it was golden brown.

Delish.

Mosaic Monday: Butterflies

Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp,

but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.

~Nathaniel Hawthorne~

More Mosaic Mondays listed at Mary's.

The grown up ugly duckling

Poised and graceful

as the swan glides along;

its elegant white body

reflected in the water.

The Secretary Bird

Is the name anything to do with its pretty hairdo

or its long eye lashes,
I wondered.

But apparently no;
the recent hypothesis is that
"secretary" is a corrupt form of the Arabic saqr-et-tair meaning: hunter-bird.

Balancing it out

Image from Lonely Planet, taken from here.



Despite the mess of concrete on the main island, we do have the most beautiful beaches, listed among the 50 most beautiful things on Earth, and the archipelago is included among the 28 finalists for the new seven natural wonders of the world.


So, it's not all bad, right?

Painted Storks

These pretty long legged ladies are having a good gossip at the water cooler.

While the older, wiser ones watch on silently.

Aww come on, give me a hug?

The other side of paradise

These are the views that you would usually get in Male,

the crowded capital of this archipelago that is often seen as paradise on earth.

Space is limited, and all you see from above are rooftops

and ongoing construction work,

building more and more homes and businesses vertically.

Greenery is hard to find,

and you spend a lot of the day climbing up and down staircases.

This is Male.

An island that is roughly 2 square kilometres,

but home to over 80,000 people.

Corner View: Daily

Blech. Laundry.

Everyday wear.

More often than not, I end up making these for breakfast.

It is not a good morning unless I can whizz up some fruity smoothie.

The view from my balcony.

Little Miss Curiosity.

Mr. Cool Dude.

Check out more corner views from the list on the sidebar at Jane's.

My images... with borrowed words

In the hopes of reaching the moon men fail to see the flowers that blossom at their feet.
~ Albert Schweitzer ~



Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.
~ Helen Keller ~


Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~

Blog Cafe

Have you been to the weekly Blog Cafe? I have to confess, I signed up to host one, but have just not had the time to visit any of the others yet. Apologies! Well, that is going to change from now on - I hope!



Tracy, Jenny and JoLyn organise a weekly meeting place for good food, good conversation and stress-free online travelling around the world. The venue, menu and topic of conversation is chosen by a different host every time, and today happens to be my turn to play host.



I should really choose somewhere local, I suppose, but I do not have any photos to go with any of my local favourite eateries. Maybe we can do that another time.



But for now, let me take you to Penang, Malaysia, where I was last week.


Pulau Pinang, an island joined by a bridge to the mainland Malaysia, is surrounded by breathtaking views of the ocean.

Fishing boats aplenty.

A city that has perfected the art of apartment living.

Beautiful mosques

And intricately designed temples exist side by side.

After a long day of driving and taking in the beautiful scenery, we stopped for our dinner at a rustic little place that boasted of the best claypot dishes.

There were seven of us - my sister and I, our husbands and children. There were a selection of dishes at the table. Thaalis of tandoori chicken, naan bread, green chutney, dahl, and vegetable curry.

Chicken biriyani cooked in a claypot and served with curry sauce.

Tall glasses of mango lassi (a yogurt based mango smoothie), pineapple juice, spiced chai and refreshing cola to down the spicy meal.

And the conversation - conversation revolving around travelling (there was so much to do there and so little time; so it was a question of prioritising our activities), food (when you are travelling, do you prefer to sample the local cuisine or go for what you are familiar with?); and the fifa world cup (are you following the football?).

This blog cafe is open all day. Come on in and pull up a seat.