Tag: dailyprompt

A South Indian breakfast ( revisited)

Joey Jones5 Comments

What’s the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?

There is nothing on this Earth which beats a South Indian breakfast. Forget the toast and cereals, what they offer is an absolute feast.

Idli, dosa, samba and pongal. Pongal my most favourite ever!

I shall post a picture of it now in it’s cooking form, but what is then added to that totally rocks. I have some great photos of the whole shebang, but before I head off to find some, there are things I need to do…..

Oh, my beloved pongal. A dish made with rice and lentils cooked in boiling milk. Tempered with ghee, black pepper, ginger,curry leaves, cumin, and hing. Then topped with cashew nuts. Oh my goodness. Heaven sent!

You could also have a dosa. A thin savoury crepe, made with a fermented batter of ground black gram and rice.

There are also Idlis. A kind of savoury rice cake.

To accompany these dishes, there is Sambar. A thin lentil and vegetable soup, consisting of what is available; okra, tomatoes, egg plant, carrots. There is a wide choice of what it can be made of. Plus, the addition of Tamarind gives it an amazing zing!

Added to the feast can be coriander and/or coconut chutney.

And should you feel a bit peckish mid-morning, there will always be someone on the street to  provide you with Vardi ( a savoury lentil doughnut) and a glass of chai.

A digression…Written yesterday

I dropped my phone today and totally wrecked it. Nothing, nada, a digital life completely wiped ( luckily, I have a tablet with some stuff on, which helps. But I need to now get my new device up and running. It’s my own fault. Until recently I had one of those black shockproof cases on it….but the other day I decided to take that off and enjoy the beautiful pale green back of it. Big mistake!… Anyways, because the device is destroyed I can’t transfer the data. ( Yes, I’ve lost some lovely photos, those I’ve taken and some sent to me) Sooo, I have to sort it manually. It may take a while. However, I didn’t want to miss today’s prompt. What I will do is come back and fill in the details of this amazing banquet offered at breakfast time in Chennai.

I’ve not eaten this in 20 years, but my goodness, I will never forget it!

I don’t expect you to come back to the edited version, later..but I want to honour this food with at least a little write-up.

P.S. I’ve not had time to read what you guys have written today, but I’ll get there. When the sun goes down and the birds are saying goodnight, the hood will be quiet and peaceful…and then you will have my full attention x

First up best dressed

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If you were forced to wear one outfit over and over again, what would it be?

A short n sweet answer to our daily prompt ..

A French/Belgian (they produce the best) linen top, of some description. The thermoregulation it provides will keep me warm in winter and cool in summer.

High waisted straight leg jeans, for ultimate comfort.

And some new Sambas/whatever, as mine have seen better days.

Spirituality v Religion

Joey Jones9 Comments

How important is spirituality in your life?

Maybe it should be Spirituality v Religion v A Bit of Both?

You see, to me religion is a structured system of belief and practice. There are sacred texts, rituals, and ceremonies. Communal worship a Thing.

Whereas spirituality is personal. A fluid relationship with mystery. A connection to nature and inner transformation. The soul.

The two can mix, I’m not naive enough to believe they can’t.

My belief is spirituality is present in everyone, but not always cultivated.

It’s more than important in my life

A holistic approach, methinks

Joey Jones2 Comments

How do you practice self-care?

There are so many facets to Self Care, it’s tricky to know where to start. I guess fuel. A balanced diet is the obvious way to go. Word on the street the Mediterraneans have it sorted. We all know crisps, cakes, biscuits and the like call to us from behind the kitchen cupboard door. So very hard to ignore. This week walnuts and pumpkin seeds went into my shopping bag as an alternative. A tad costly though.

Keeping hydrated is important to fend off lethargy. Extreme thirst can be quite deliberating.

Exercising the grey matter, whilst the rest of your body….rests.

A decent night’s sleep. Don’t we all crave this? Of course, should a cat have the audacity to tiptoe through the garden, Patches kicks off, waking up the whole neighborhood, who all have their windows open during this glorious weather.

Another element to self care could be presentation? Not going out like you’ve dressed in the dark….but comfortable and clean clothes always feel good, don’t they? And if you love what you’re wearing all the better!

Another thing to make you feel good? Has to be laughter. The more the merrier. Definitely the best medicine.

Talking of merrier, consuming zero alcohol is going to make your GP happy at least. Otherwise moderation is probably advisable.

To love and be loved. Fresh air, exercise, light… and if you have a spiritual vein, fabulous!

And now if you will excuse me I shall go and run a bubbly bath and light a scented candle, maybe a glass of something fizzy on the side. Oh, it’s only 10.58 am. Better not..

That which Cannot Be Bought

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How do you waste the most time every day?

The Green Tent

Summer has spread a cool, green tent

Upon the bare poles of this tree;

Where ’tis a joy to sit all day,

And hear the small birds’ melody;

To see the sheep stand bolt upright,

Nibbling at grass almost their height.

And much I marvel much how men

Can waste their fleeting days in greed;

That one man should desire more gold

Than twenty men should truly need;

For is not this green tent more sweet

Than any chamber of the great?

This tent, which I spend my day,

Was made at Nature’s cost, not mine;

And when night comes, and I must sleep,

No matter if my room be fine

Or common, for Content and Health

Can sleep without the power of wealth.

By W.H. Davies 1871-1940

” The time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted ” …….. John Lennon 1940-1980

Out with the old, in with the new..

Joey Jones5 Comments

Which food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?

There is at least one advantage to being ‘ of a certain age’, that if you’re lucky you have a vast back catalogue of stuff to recall.

WordPress, what a joy this has been. I originally picked up blogging again as free time allowed me the luxury.

I felt I was becoming keen to start unpacking dusty memories, thoughts and beliefs which had been firmly put behind closed doors in my mind, for the longest time.

Decluttering is cathartic. Empowering. Nature fills a void, they say, so I’m curious to know what will come along to begin filling those spaces becoming vacant in my head. Mustn’t leave them vacant for too long 🥳

These are Daily Prompts not assignments so we do have a licence to digress ..

However I will say potatoes. Jersey Mids, Lily used to call them. Royals. Jersey Royals. She cooked them to perfection every single time. How can that be so difficult?I hear you remark. Last night I boiled some and they ended up water-logged, so easy to do. The house smelt of mint for a while though, so all was not lost.

Thank you Lily. I loved your rock cakes too.

In fact I have many memories of eating at your house. Stories for another time ❤️

A Fierce Kind of Grace

Joey Jones2 Comments

Who is your favorite historical figure?

William Morris, without a shadow of a doubt! English textile designer, artist, writer, poet, social activist/political figure.

This wonderful man was the founding force behind the Arts & Crafts Movement.

He grew up with a deep love of story telling and nature and his whole creative life was dedicated to honest materials and visible  craftsmanship He believed beauty wasn’t’t just a luxury for the elite, but for all.

He was quietly radical and was deeply opposed to the soullessness of mass-production coming out of the Industrial Revolution. He was keen to return to handmade, beautiful and meaningful.

Together with his close friend Edward Burne-Jones and the Pre-Raphaelite movement, they shaped the landscape of Victorian Britain.

William Morris 1834~ 1896

Dear John

Joey JonesLeave a comment

Write about your first crush

It wasn’t a crush per se, but there was this lad in my class at primary school…He had a radiance, a broad smile which reached his eyes. Saying he was ‘ nice’, sounds a bit lame, but he was.

The land of fire and ice….

Joey Jones6 Comments

What countries do you want to visit?

WordPress, had you asked this question twenty plus years ago the answer would have been Syria and/or Lebanon. Today it’s Iceland.

Despite being a tad freaked out by extreme weather conditions/ natural disasters and that volcanoes and earthquakes are not uncommon in this region, I think the pluses will outweigh the negatives…she says…nervously.

Fjords and waterfalls, mossy cliffs and black sand beaches. Thermal springs and glaciers, Puffin colonies and the Arctic Fox. Oh did I mention the light is pretty spectacular? – itself considered a muse by artists and photographers.

A two and a half hour skip and jump from the UK. 850ish miles. So near and yet so far. So far from anything I have witnessed in my life before.

Not sure about the cuisine though; fish stew, lamb soup, dried fish…Mmm…May need to pack my own lunch?

A rich inner life? Edit….

Joey Jones4 Comments

What’s your favorite thing about yourself?

Curiosity, Yeah, I’m naturally curious….about everything.

Edit; I’m considering changing this to Observant.

Curiosity is a wonderful thing, to be interested, stay interested in the world around us. To keep learning. The ‘ Every day’s a school day’ vibe is a good one…but I think Observant pips it to the post ….or maybe a vivid imagination? Nooo, I’ll stop right here. Observant it is.