June 17, 2016

Time to catch up.

We are into a wonderful post monsoon fruit season.  Avocados, mangosteen, starfruit, jambu, soursop, mango (which I don't like, but there are tons of them), breadfruit and a new fruit I discovered called laulu.  English name is canistel (Pouteria campechiana), it also grows in Mexico and other parts of Latin America.  Apparently it grows profusely in Sri Lanka.  So much so in fact, that people consider it almost a weed.  Eaten by itself it has a sticky quality almost like peanut butter sticking to your teeth and the roof of your mouth, but whipped with cream or even better coconut milk and sugar it is heavenly.  I tried it for the first yesterday at my friend Claire Hemachandra's place.  I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  I told Veenitha about it this morning and it turns out she has a tree in her yard.  They just throw the fruit away.  No more.  It freezes wonderfully.  I am going to make ice-cream out of it.

The tree

The fruit.  Even the seeds are lovely.

Jambu.  Makes great jam but is a bit runny, so I had to make my own pectin from jambola (pomelo).   Got almost a litre of liquid pectin from the pith of only 2 jambola.

Jambu jam cooling

Star fruit is great in smoothies

Today, we reaped some of the benefit of the avocado and made wonderful guacamole.

Nothing goes to waste.  The tomato juice is being saved for gazpacho.  Lovely fresh cilantro in the guacamole as well.  Made cilantro pesto with the fresh cilantro and cashew nuts.  Very tasty.

I had heard of Claire Hemachandra before.  She is a Swiss woman who married a Sri Lankan years ago, 1972 and has lived here since.  The Hemachandras are famous for their jewellery and silk shops. I met her a couple of weeks ago at the Old Trinitian Sports Club (OTSC).  We went for an early dinner one night with Yoshitha Fernando and Tania De Silva.  It was fabulous.  Of course, you have to an Trinity Old Boy to be a member.  Happily Yoshitha has a good relationship with her ex-husband who signs us in.  I want to convince Amal to join as he is an old boy so we can go any time without relying on Yoshitha's ex.  Anyway, the food was superb.  We each had a cheese omelet made with our cheese I am proud to say.  We shared a calamari done Asian style and some chickpeas.  It was all delectable.  I had a big bottle of Lion Lager and all this for only LKR.1,000 about C$9.  Yoshitha and I have decided that we have to make this a weekly occurrence.  Not only is the food good, but the place is fairly well appointed and overlooks the Trinity cricket pitch.  Plus, we might even meet some old boys that are not totally disgusting.  Ha, Ha!

Me, Tania and Claire at OTSC.  I have to stop wearing white and sitting so close to the camera.

Me, Tania and Yoshitha

Here we are having lunch at Claire's yesterday.  Me, Claire, Yoshitha.  She lives in a huge house overlooking Kandy lake.  Beautiful large yard and a swimming pool and even a proper double garage with automatic door opener.  Must be one of the most desirable properties in Kandy.  Certainly on one of the most fashionable streets.

Still raining every day, so we are still getting all the rain visitors.  This one large snail is becoming a pet.

Apart from all this, still swimming most mornings.  Have made it up to 30 lengths and am now working on my speed.

I see this beautiful tree walking to and from the pool.  This house feeds and waters some neighbourhood cats.  Yet another litter this morning.