Simple Pleasures

The rains are finally here!  The much awaited monsoons that sustain our country.  Of course, the north still blazes with heat, but even there, in the hills, the clouds are gathering and showers are beginning.  Let's hope they continue.

Here, it has been raining the whole day.  It's lush and green outside, the air is fresh and cool and even the birds sound overjoyed.  In due course one will miss the sun, but the beginning of the rains is always a special moment.

Inside, I spend a few moments in thanksgiving for simple pleasures - the rain, the freshly drenched earth which releases all kinds of delicious smells, the life giving air, and the comfort of my home.

I bake an apple tart - delicately caramelised apples covered with a crisp, buttery pastry.  Make a wholesome soup with broth and noodles, topped with a sprinkling of fresh coriander and lime juice.  There is fresh fish to be fried and a cherry tomato and basil salad to be made, with lashings of olive oil and feta.  Now that the summer heat has dissipated, fresh herbs and greens will begin to fill the market.  Right now, avocadoes and mangoes are plentiful.  We eat them everyday, to our hearts' content.  This reminds me that I have not yet begun my Mexican cooking.  I must open those bottles of mole and get to work on the salsa and stir up some thick drinking chocolate...

My list is endless, so many simple pleasures abound!