The world felt a little shitty this week with so much going on and so little I could do about it. My sore back continues which meant no sanity walks for me, my cat was diagnosed with feline lymphoma and tumours on both his kidneys and liver, which brought so much sadness to our family, my aging mother-in-law debilitated with pain and alone in hospital was told that she would not be returning home, my friend whose husband is rapidly deteriorating with pancreatic cancer fears he may not see his daughters again, COVID continues to wreak havoc on people’s lives with an increasing number of deaths, hospital admissions and devastating impacts on people’s mental health and well being, the ravage of earthquakes and loss in Haiti, and last but not least the horrific turn of events in Afghanistan and scenes at Kabul airport where thousands of Afghans trying desperately to flee from the scourge of the Taliban, push, shove, climb and scurry in desperation onto overcrowded US military rescue planes, some clinging to the sides of the planes as they moved down the runway. The disturbing pictures of some Afghans stowed away in the undercarriage plunging to their death as the planes took flight were scenes reminiscent of Americans plunging to the ground as they were trying to escape the September 11 attacks by the Taliban on the World Trade Centre twin towers in New York in 2001. In twenty years it felt like we had gone full circle and the scenes at Kabul airport will be etched in our minds in the same way as those indelible moments we witnessed as the planes flew into the World Trade Centre. What a bitch of a week it has been. No wonder we are feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment and struggling to find hope in a hopeless world.
Chaos at Kabul airport 📸 tribuneindia.com 🇮🇳
As Anne Frank once said “I don’t think of all the misery, but of the beauty that still remains” and it is in that beauty that we must find hope.
I recently finished watching The White Lotus, on Binge, a six part American TV series which tracks the goings on of a group of pampered guests, each with plenty of emotional baggage, holidaying at an upmarket tropical resort in Hawaii, along with the exploits of various employees including the quirky and deceitful resort manager Armond. A great escape for people who enjoy satirical comedy.
The ABC’s new drama series, The Newsreader, depicts a typical commercial newsroom in the 80’s with the news director playing staff off against each other with the promise of a career in the newsroom's sexiest role.
Holding on to the pure joy of cooking during this dire time I made this gluten free Pumpkin, Spinach and Feta Muffin recipe by popular nutritionist Steph Geddes, a great accompaniment to a cup of chicken broth for a mid morning snack. You can find the recipe here.
Pumpkin, spinach and feta muffins
Whilst lockdown restrictions do not afford us the luxury of coming together as a community, a photo I received by text of the Spoonville Community proudly displayed under a tree in Erskineville Oval brought a much needed smile to lighten my mood, in an otherwise week of glum news.
Spoonville, Erskineville Oval, Sydney
At the local fruit shop, I found the most delicious Estelita strawberries. The caramel-like aroma, the ruby red colour grabbing attention like fruit bowl jewels, the crunch and juiciness as I bit into them, and the flavour a perfect blend of sweetness and acidity was reminiscent of strawberries picked from a patch in my own backyard. It’s the small things….
Until next time may your days be both serendipitous and enjoyable.
Eugenia
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