Such sad news to hear concrete poet Childe Roland (Peter Meilleur) passed away this week. He was a genius in every sense of the word: bold, inventive & unapologetic. Approaching poetry & language with an insatiable, child-like inquisitiveness, he plotted elaborate excursions across the vast white expanse of the page, and it was a joy to set out on explorations with him from time to time. Any room became a stage in his presence, and the people in that room,…
When I soak chickpeas I do enough for a couple of dishes. These are giant chickpeas – delicious, fat, buttery & creamy. I’ll be honest and say they are Greek but from Lidl. We’ve found Lidl to be the best for storecupboard essentials (although their veg is over packaged in plastic ?). We shop on a tight budget so mix local farmers market fresh produce with supermarket budget items. This week our total food spend was €70 (last week it…
When I could no longer hold onto anger / I sought release / how do you move away from something that has shaped you for so long it is part of your physical being? / shoulders hunched, I sit at sunset & watch the death of the day / bare feet flat on cold earth / womb heavy with blood / heavy with containment / heavy with all the things I should have said: it is not my fault; I…
Foodie day today. Makes me feel good. Spiced cauliflower with flavoured rice, pumpkin & pomegranate seeds, & tahini dressing. To make – cook Basmati rice with cardamom pods, dried chilli & salt. Once cooked, stir in juice of half a lemon and leave to sit with lid on. Thinly slice a small red onion and fry until caramelised with sugar and some cumin seeds for the last minute. I’m loving spiced cauliflower at the moment and experiment with all sorts…
/ I lay starfished in the Mediterranean Sea / flesh & bones floating in saltwater / my body was a boat leaking poems / with eyes open I knew the white mountains / my body was in conversation with the water / eyes closed, I whirlpooled with constellations / my body translated the sublime into non-action / later I twist & wrench revelations into words / & as the sun sets, this land knows me /…
I have a love/hate relationship with bread. I love it but overdoing it makes me feel tired and bloated and other issues arise. So the trick is to not overdo it. But I am an imperfect person. And I love bread. When the kids were younger we’d make homemade pizzas at the weekend, and today is a bit of reminiscing on those times. This meal is also inspired by the huge bag of dried olives bought at the Míres farmers…
The island of Crete is home to so many layers of culture throughout time. From Bronze Age Minoan ruins to the place where Icarus and Daedalus took flight to escape King Minos in Greek mythology, it’s a fascinating place. This time of year the coastlines are littered with empty holiday homes, hotels and apartments that give a stark reminder of how the fashion of buying a place to escape the ratrace for the holidays has created a different layer of…
Went a bit mad at the farmers market last Saturday in Míres which means we still have produce to eat, but then we found an amazing parkup so haven’t moved in a week. To make sure there’s no food waste I’ve just been cooking tapas style dishes all week, adding new ones to the table as others are finished. To the leftovers from yesterday’s food (see previous post) I added a bowl of herby pan roasted potatoes, broccoli stems in…
Taking time to eat slowly is a goal for 2019. I’m a gannet. Always eating my food as if it were about to be stolen ?. I can literally inhale an entire meal when some people are still chewing their first mouthful. It makes for embarrassing situations in restaurants. Part of slow living for me is about taking time to make and appreciate food, so I’m finding that making a small ceremony of it helps: setting out a table, appreciating…
Ah the winter Cretian weather is more changeable than a Cymraeg summer! Last night I sat and watched huge waves crashing under the silvery moonlight while over on the far horizon lightening flashed like a warzone or alien invasion (I’ve been watching some great horror films lately ?). The past few days the wind has rocked the van so hard that at times it felt as though elephants were pushing from either side. Waves are tumbling so fast I haven’t…