August 28, 2013

Just finished cooking up a whole North Indian feast with Veenitha.  This is great.  I have all the benefits of cooking without the drudge work.  I get her to do the chopping and cleaning up.  All the parts that any cook hates.  It is like being a chef in a high class restaurant.  You get a sous chef who even makes you an espresso afterwards.  The latter, I am sipping on right now.

We made bengan bharta, palak paneer using some unnamed local greens, and an okra dish with curd.  Will make for a great lunch tomorrow.

We had the mother of thunder storms last night.  It poured with rain and the lightning was continuous.  The power went, but there was no need for it as the lightning provided all the light you needed.  The thunder just kept rolling like a continuous stream of 747s landing.  The cat and I curled up together in bed and huddled until it passed.  It lasted about an hour all told.  A lot of water can come down in that time.  The river is full to the high water mark again.

Finally Face Timed with my friend Marg this morning.  It was good to catch up.  The technology never ceases to amaze me.  I must be getting old.

As I was sitting on my exercise bike this morning, I saw a green thing streak past me.  Some kind of small bright green bird.  I don't know what it is because I just got a glimpse of it and there are a lot of green birds that are endemic here.  But a thrill to have seen one for the first time.  It landed in a coconut tree close to the river.  It is exactly the same green as the coconut fronds and therefore is perfectly camouflaged.

Spoke with my friend Devaraj this morning.  He says there is trouble brewing in the government.  The president has gone on a state visit to Belarus, which is strange since Sri Lanka has minimal relations with Belarus and neither country has much to offer the other.  I think it may be a possible exit ploy by the  president.  If there is a move towards a coup, which has been rumoured for weeks now, he will be well out of harms way.  A good strategy as the coup will come eventually.  If he is here, he will be assassinated.  Only time will tell.