Day 82 & 83

A restful weekend with lots of naps, a beautiful film on Saturday evening, a stroll along the beach and my first ever batch of raw cookies. They really were so easy to make actually..... I had reserved the apple pulp from juicing a few days ago so when I made a fresh batch of brazil nut milk  I took the fresh nut pulp, added desicated coconut, cinnamon, flaxseed together with the apple pulp (oops I forgot the chia seeds….will add in next time!) and a drizzle of agave. The mix was shaped into little rounds and popped into dehydrator to hum along until crisp (hint: turn a few times).

Before the film Saturday evening dinner was a light meal of shredded pumpkin, courgette & asparagus with freshly picked basil & rocket, avocado, pine nuts and a drizzle of olive oil.  We discovered some new pumpkins in our garden, one is growing through the fence so that’s going to be interesting! And the meat beans are really humming too! This week we will start preparing the beds for our autumn crops and don’t forget Thursday evening we have the monthly gardening meet-up all welcome.

We loved the time we spent in India many years ago and I’ve been longing to return so when the trailer for Best Exotic Marigold Hotel came on a few weeks ago I just had to see it. Judi Dench is sublime and the film is a gem, leaving no emotion unturned and something for everyone. It's amazing how films can take you back when you have been to a place before, you can almost taste and feel it. Shaun and I volunteered at Mother Theresa's hospice (Kalighat) in Calcutta some years ago. It was a most interesting experience meeting people from all over the world, spending time with the patients and listening to their stories. It was strenuous work in 40 degree heat but any calories burnt were quickly replaced by calorie dense biscuits and sweet milky masala chai the nuns fed us at morning tea. The food in Calcutta was extraordinary and after four weeks in rural Nepal, our 'international stomachs' were well settled so a few centimetres were definately added to our waistlines.

I watched the sun rise this morning and after a relaxing hour drinking tea we decided a ride was in order. We took did the Bergins Hill loop this morning (around 20km) finishing up with a delicious chai (Donna has a fabulous blend there you must try it - very aromatic) and congratulations to Mr Berry and his team who were also enjoying a morning cuppa in the laneway at Bon. The sun seemed to break through around noon so we drove down the coast, had Japanese for lunch and took a lovely stroll along the beach before heading home. Speaking of the coast and cycling - whose up for the Pink Triathlon on the Gold Coast in October?