The joys of iPhone predictive text. Do you know what came out instead of corn chips (I was being smug about not adding them to my taco bowl)? Cognitive chips.
Cognitive chips. They need to be a thing, actually. Especially at this time of the year when we’re all a bit overwhelmed. fatigued and just need to fling it like Elton (James Weir wrote the article I’m linking to, he always makes me laugh out loud) the next time we have to go to Westfield.
Can you imagine snacking on some cognitive chips with some dip at your next Christmas do? Can you feel the instant jolt of increased processing speed, concentration and memory hitting your brain cells? How it’s even more nourishing than the smoky baba ganoush you might be eating with your chips?
But I digress. In lieu of cognitive chips, here are the highlights of my weekend.
Making and baking in the kitchen takes on a meditative quality for me at this time of the year. I love being able to use my hands while my brain hits the familiar groove of tried and tested recipes. It’s also very cathartic getting that food processor going as it crushes those biscuits for the base of my cheesecake.
It also does the heart a world of good be able to share the simple pleasure of food.
Putting the slow cooker on in the morning before heading out for a day of Christmas-ing makes me feel more organized than I actually am.
Coming home afterwards to a bowl of bolognese galvanizes me for an evening of recipe sorting as I make the difficult decision of which trifle recipe to go for on Christmas Day. A decision has been made and all will be revealed in 15 (!!) days.
I used to carry him around this part of the pool as the tide swept us along. Now I’m just a bystander as he jumps, twists and paddles his way around. I nearly cried at the memories. He is now one of ‘the big kids’ I used to shield him from as we braved the water together.
The front garden’s not that big at all but thanks to my discovery of solar-powered LED lights, its hedges are punching well above their weight in the frazzled but bedazzled stakes.
Where would you be after Christmas lunch without a few minutes shooting the breeze with a friendly parrot?
We met Olaf at swimming before having an icecream with dear friends.
We didn’t stop all weekend. The busyness saw that I ended up possibly more tired physically than I started however my mind and heart faced the new week with renewed stores of joie de vivre.