Figs, Frogs and Red Onions

The countdown has begun, only seven sleepies to go! If the dining room is anything to go by, we’re going to need a pantechnicon to get us to Tofo. There's no doubt we're all fatigued at this time of the year, although it’s gone like a flash, and the year is just a memory. We’ve all had our highlights, disappointments, hardships, and stresses. 

We've had a brilliant year of travelling so I'm not really complaining but.... when Eskom, our power supplier goes on the blink and does a bit of "maintenance work"  or loadshedding I rejoice, it’s almost like a cloudy day when we’re on holiday, it takes the pressure off doing “must-do’s”, taking all responsibility out of my hands, leaving me to chill out, listen to the birds, garden without watching the clock. The whole day loses its edge and breathes a sigh of relief.  My shoulders drop, and the tension in my neck miraculously eases away.

Silence is golden, in our world we seldom have the luxury of “quiet”, no humming of gadgets or appliances, and I think my old refrigerator also winds down with a rattle and groan of contentment. Imagine reading a book at eleven in the morning?  We saw the White-eyes and Sunbirds flitting around, slurping nectar in the lemon and lime trees; we watched Wagtails and Weavers bathing in the fountain; we never have time for that anymore.

On Monday, I walked into the garden and picked the first ripe figs, beautiful, big, green figs with a salmon centre, perfect for poaching or roasting, or, as I had them, with the sticky milk all gluey on my fingers and lips. The Queen of tarts baked a deliciously tart rhubarb pie served with cream, which reminds me of my Ouma, who had plants in her vegetable garden. I spotted a snail in my garbage bin. I wonder where he came from and where our resident frog has gone.

My hydrangeas are in full bloom, and the Christmas candles are starting to open (Agapanthus - or Agatha's panties, as Precious calls them). Summer is here.

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Last night we had our last Book Club get-together for the year; the pink bubbles tasted of summer and Christmas, a loud, jolly evening of good cheer, and even the skinny girls nibbled away at the beautiful platters of cheese, fruit, jams, and pate. The understated, tasteful table has inspired me to buy some ribbon and look for a sparkly centrepiece for our Christmas Eve dinner on the stoep in Tofo.

I’ll pack the monogrammed table napkins and a white tablecloth. Fortunately, I won’t have to polish silver and crystal glass! The butterflied leg of lamb cooked over the coals was juicy, succulent, and melt-in-the-mouth good. An excellent idea, as it kept the host busy and saved slaving in the kitchen in front of a hot oven. 

Some of our recommended books and recipes, such as Jurie's Florentine biscuits, are perfect for sharing personal favourites with friends and family, making the content more relatable and engaging.

Maggie O’Farrell's 'The Hand that First Held Mine' is a compelling read that I recommend to those interested in stories about love and identity, and it is perfect for cozy winter evenings or holiday downtime.

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ABOUT SELASI TAIYE- FROM THE GUARDIAN- DIANA EVANS -Wednesday 3 April 2013 13.13 BST

“Before you get to page one of this book, there is a noisy overture. The author has been mentored by Toni Morrison and endorsed by Salman Rushdie. She is Yale- and Oxford-educated, half-Nigerian and half-Ghanaian, born in London, raised in Boston, living in Rome.

 Her 2005 essay "What Is An Afropolitan?" gave a face to a class of sophisticated, cosmopolitan young Africans who defy downtrodden stereotypes. Her short fiction "The Sex Lives of African Girls" was published in The Best American Short Stories last year. She has also adapted a screenplay for Alicia Keys. Ghana Must Go – named after the Nigerian phrase directed at incoming Ghanaian refugees during political unrest in the 80s – is one of the most hyped debuts of recent times.

It stands up to the hype. Taiye Selasi writes with glittering poetic command, a sense of daring, and a deep emotional investment in her characters' lives and transformations. There is a lot of crying in this novel, lots of corporeal observations of the pain inflicted by social experience and the ties of love. But the tears flow lightly through passages of gorgeous description and psychological investigation, leaving behind a powerful portrait of a broken family – "a family without gravity" – in the throes of piecing itself back together.”

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On Sunday, we laid the table in the garden under the pecan tree and feasted on roasted red onions, aubergines, and a cucumber ribbon salad with Vietnamese dressing. The Pork Belly was perfection on a plate, crispy, succulent, and melt-in-the-mouth delicious. Precious outdid himself as usual. I kicked off my flip-flops and rubbed my feet on the gravel with contentment. Later on, I picked at the last crumbs with stringy Rhubarb whilst tidying the kitchen. To reward himself, Precious had an extra glug-glug of Condensed milk with his Vietnamese coffee.

Today we’ll sink our teeth into our first juicy mango. I think I’ll make a salsa to complement our lunch.

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JURIE’S FESTIVE ALMOND FLORENTINE SANDWICHES

Unfortunately, I can’t tell a joke like Jurie, nor do I have her comic repertoire, but I can give you her Florentine recipe!

Recipe makes 18 biscuits

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We're off for a night on the tiles... will keep you posted, and tomorrow I'll post fab recipes for Butterflied Leg of Lamb, Crispy Pork Belly, Red Onion salad, and a Rhubarb crumble.

Au Revoir!