When I recently returned from Mallorca – with the irrepressible desire to recreate Catalan bread and the unforgettable image of ‘Banana Hammock’ etched on my noggin – I desperately needed to find a ripe bull’s heart or beef tomato. My expedition was close to being fruitless (ha!) until I had the smart idea to gatecrash […]
When I was sixteen, I was involved in a Spanish exchange through my school. Sadly, my exchange partner so hated living with my dysfunctional complex family that she only stayed for a night, before moving in with her twin sister and exchange partner down the road. A new partner was found for me in the […]
The Mother-in-Law has been away for sometime now. It’s strange to not hear the gentle rumble of her feet pitter-pattering in the bathroom above the kitchen, causing the chandelier to jingle-jangle like a gigantic sparkly wind chime. Some may regard this sort of illumination in the cook’s room as “naff chichi” (to quote an ex-Sister-in-Law) […]
The thing I love about this rain, this totally, completely prolific rain, is that it carpets The Mother-in-Law’s garden with a lush verdant cover of edible treasure – namely wild garlic. This year it’s been bountiful: tiny fountains of pungent foliage, with their paper-like white buds, have scattered themselves all over the vegetable patch, filling […]
For the last two months, The Mother-in-Law’s boyfriend, The Psychotherapist, has been living with us. Until now. It was only ever going to be temporary but he moved out early one morning after a late-night bust-up. (If you could call arguing with a psychotherapist a bust-up.) He’s gone to stay with another therapist. I’m sure they’ll […]
