All posts tagged: fruit

peach and mint sangria

Welcome, all ye who love summer. The heat of it. The gleam of it. The relaxed, open sensation of it. It’s the time of year when you become “holiday you” and then try and take that person through to the rest of the slightly colder, more insular months. The one who walks barefoot and laughs full-throated at cobbleside tables. Who packs picnics and hopes for fair weather, head tilted upwards, instead of checking the weather forecast. Who throws on a pair of sandals and sunglasses and calls it a day, letting the sunshine melt away your flaws. This is the drink for you. Make it up the night before and leave it in the fridge – when you’re ready to greet the sun, it’ll be ready to go with you. It’s refreshing, fruity, and packs a summer punch. That is to say, you’ll be happy sipping this on a picnic blanket with good friends – and no other plans. It goes without saying, but use the freshest ingredients you can. During the summer, peaches are …

chapter 4: of marmalade and madness

“I got the blues thinking of the future, so I left off and made some marmalade. It’s amazing how it cheers one up to shred oranges and scrub the floor.” DH Lawrence My blues at the start of 2017 weren’t forward-looking (that came later) like DH Lawrence’s. They were defiantly fixed in the present, conjuring memories of the past. I lost someone I loved dearly in January. It was unexpected. And it carved out a hollow space in my heart. Around the same time, I smashed my knee on an icy patch of pavement, making it hard to walk, stand or hobble. It was dark, it was gloomy, it was the deepest patch of winter and I cleaved to it. Wintry Glasgow was a solace. An ever-present, but patient friend. The air was sharp, blustery, harsh. The city didn’t ask anything of me; it practically begged me to stay inside. The winds and rain hit at my window, reminding me it was out there, but telling me to stay put. My world, understandably, became a …