News blues
[US] Senators announced a deal on a $10 billion coronavirus aid package on Monday to provide additional aid for domestic testing, vaccination and treatment efforts, after dropping a push to include billions for the global vaccination effort.Read “Senate negotiators announce a deal on a smaller Covid spending proposal without global vaccine funding” >>
The agreement requires at least $5 billion to be set aside for therapeutics and $750 million for research and clinical trials to prepare for future variants. The remaining funds will be used for vaccines and testing.
It does not include $5 billion in funding for the global vaccination effort that had previously been proposed, after senators spent the weekend haggling over a Republican demand to claw back money Congress previously approved.
Healthy planet, anyone?
In London, UK: Climate change activists forced the closure of London's famous Tower Bridge on Friday in the latest protest ahead of what they have warned will be even more disruptive action in the British capital. Read more >>In Australia: protests re inaction on climate change and massive flooding >> (0:50 mins)
Cold and rain predicted for next two days.
This house has a fireplace that I’ve never used. This house also has stored firewood. Fireplace and firewood could mean a fire. Why not?
Turns out I’ve little talent for starting fires, at least intentionally. My efforts showed a basic misunderstanding of how much effort and know-how is required to start a fire in a fireplace.
With a little help from my friends, we got a fire started…and it looked great for 15 or 20 minutes…
The dog liked it.
I liked it.
Alas, left to its own devices, the flames died and the logs smoked.
Diagnosis? “Wood is damp.”
The good news? Damp wood dries out when confronted with fire and knowhow. Soon the smoke died down, the flames rekindled, dogs and humans were content.
I face a new challenge: learn to make a usable fire in a fireplace.
Americans show little interest in the dark fruit cake that pleasures my taste buds. Some Americans like a light, cakey fruit cake while most enjoy carrot cake - which is uncommon here. (A cultural factoid: South African wedding cakes present dark fruit cake, lavishly frosted with marzipan and firm icing. American wedding cakes tend toward carrot cake with moist, creamy frosting.)
The local chain grocery store/bakery combo that sells the dark, fruity gustatory delights appears, however, currently to have a less experienced baker than usual. Over the past months I’ve purchased two cakes – nothing fancy, no marzipan, no icing, shaped like square loaves - and both have been dry. Since it’s not fun eating dry fruit cake, I improvised. I purchased a bottle of cheap sherry, sprinkled it over the cake, let it soak, then – yum, snack on it over time. (I tell myself this cake is healthful – full of iron and ‘roughage’ – and that is true. It’s also delicious and addictive.)
Sipping on sherry now and again is also fun. An added bonus? Cheap sherry is self-limiting and one sherry glass full does the trick.
While I consume little alcohol, I appreciate an occasional margarita or mojito. The price of decent tequila here sounds too outrageous for me to indulge – R400 to R500 ($27 to $34) a bottle! Instead, I indulged in a bottle of moderately priced white rum – R200 to $275 – that accompanied my purchase of the bottle of cheap sherry.
Mint grows thick and fast in this garden. Cooked into mint syrup to replace sugar, it makes a tasty ingredient for a mojito at day’s end: mulled fresh mint, mint syrup to taste, ice, soda water, and a dollop of rum.
In ye olde days, white South Africans enjoyed sundowners. Family and friends gathered on the lawn under the bright rays of late afternoon sun. Ladies enjoyed a glass of wine or small glass of sherry. Gentlemen indulged in “cane and coke” or “dop en dam”.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch…
Cold and rainy today.Cold and rain predicted for next two days.
This house has a fireplace that I’ve never used. This house also has stored firewood. Fireplace and firewood could mean a fire. Why not?
Turns out I’ve little talent for starting fires, at least intentionally. My efforts showed a basic misunderstanding of how much effort and know-how is required to start a fire in a fireplace.
With a little help from my friends, we got a fire started…and it looked great for 15 or 20 minutes…
I liked it.
Alas, left to its own devices, the flames died and the logs smoked.
Diagnosis? “Wood is damp.”
The good news? Damp wood dries out when confronted with fire and knowhow. Soon the smoke died down, the flames rekindled, dogs and humans were content.
I face a new challenge: learn to make a usable fire in a fireplace.
***
One of the delights of this locale is the presence for several months beyond Christmas of what I call Christmas Cake. Dark, moist, and thick with fruit, raisins, currents, cherries.Americans show little interest in the dark fruit cake that pleasures my taste buds. Some Americans like a light, cakey fruit cake while most enjoy carrot cake - which is uncommon here. (A cultural factoid: South African wedding cakes present dark fruit cake, lavishly frosted with marzipan and firm icing. American wedding cakes tend toward carrot cake with moist, creamy frosting.)
The local chain grocery store/bakery combo that sells the dark, fruity gustatory delights appears, however, currently to have a less experienced baker than usual. Over the past months I’ve purchased two cakes – nothing fancy, no marzipan, no icing, shaped like square loaves - and both have been dry. Since it’s not fun eating dry fruit cake, I improvised. I purchased a bottle of cheap sherry, sprinkled it over the cake, let it soak, then – yum, snack on it over time. (I tell myself this cake is healthful – full of iron and ‘roughage’ – and that is true. It’s also delicious and addictive.)
Sipping on sherry now and again is also fun. An added bonus? Cheap sherry is self-limiting and one sherry glass full does the trick.
While I consume little alcohol, I appreciate an occasional margarita or mojito. The price of decent tequila here sounds too outrageous for me to indulge – R400 to R500 ($27 to $34) a bottle! Instead, I indulged in a bottle of moderately priced white rum – R200 to $275 – that accompanied my purchase of the bottle of cheap sherry.
Mint grows thick and fast in this garden. Cooked into mint syrup to replace sugar, it makes a tasty ingredient for a mojito at day’s end: mulled fresh mint, mint syrup to taste, ice, soda water, and a dollop of rum.
In ye olde days, white South Africans enjoyed sundowners. Family and friends gathered on the lawn under the bright rays of late afternoon sun. Ladies enjoyed a glass of wine or small glass of sherry. Gentlemen indulged in “cane and coke” or “dop en dam”.
“Cane”, I believe, is a form of white rum; coke is regular old coca cola.
Dop en dam is brandy and water.
Dop en dam is brandy and water.
Ice wasn’t necessary, perhaps considered an affectation or difficult to produce.
Ah, the memories stimulated while sitting in front of a fire on a cold, wet morning.
Ah, the memories stimulated while sitting in front of a fire on a cold, wet morning.
