A series of words and images. More stream of consciousness than anything else, they are reflective of that delicious lazy post Christmas, pre NYE haze, which I sincerely hope you are all enjoying too.

Claude, the ginger von tuffty who takes himself slightly too seriously, sitting at the front door on Christmas morning. The lovely Christine and Willie arrived soon after, bringing a bottle of bubbly which we drank sitting on the verandah, accompanied by chocolate bread, crème fraiche and fresh raspberries.

Lunch the day after Boxing Day. After too much, well, everything. This met the need for something light and fresh. Asparagus feathers, squash, zucchini, roast onion, goats feta, fresh mint and parsley with a drizzle of lemon infused extra virgin olive oil.

I’m still on my quest to create easy recipes including turmeric. For those of you who didn’t read the relevant earlier post, turmeric is excellent for the brain. Curcumin, the active ingredient, breaks down the build up of a particular protein which is increasingly linked to Alzheimer’s and as one with more than a fair share of that ghastly disease in my family, I keep a close eye on what’s happening in that field of research. Anyway, here is this morning’s smoothie.

A cup of brown rice milk, but you could of course use cow’s milk, soy, almond etc. A banana and a handful of strawberries. A teaspoon of turmeric. The seeds from 3 cardamon pods. A tablespoon of agave but honey would do equally well. And tablespoon of cacao nibs. You could easily do without the last item – actually, you could probably do without the strawberries as well, but there were a few slightly manky ones in the fridge which needed to be used.

I met Beth from Boston in Costa Rica last year and since then we have caught up in once in person and several times via skype. Beth has had me doubled over with belly-aching laughter more than once. Don’t mention the yodelling pickle… She sent me the following image this morning, having rediscovered it amongst pictures taken on her iPhone. She can’t remember where it is from, but it’s gentle and thought provoking and so I’m sharing it with you too.

Finally, speaking of words, I’m going to leave the last few to the wonderful T.S. Eliot. Another treasured friend made in the Costa Rican rainforest was Randy from New England. He included some of these beautiful words from T.S. Eliot in an email just before Christmas. If you’d like to read the complete poem, here is the link http://www.tristan.icom43.net/quartets/

Not known, because not looked for

But heard, half-heard, in the stillness

Between two waves of the sea.

Quick now, here, now, always—

A condition of complete simplicity

(Costing not less than everything)

And all shall be well and

All manner of thing shall be well

When the tongues of flames are in-folded

Into the crowned knot of fire

And the fire and the rose are one.

T.S. Eliot, “Four Quartets”