A Perfect Saturday Night --

It doesn't happen that often anymore - but a perfect Saturday night for me is having time to cook. The weekdays are so busy that even though my husband and I are sticklers for freshly cooked organic produce, our evening meals are a little dull. We need to be able to whip something up in forty-five minutes or less. But ... at the weekend, I have the luxury of making some yummy things. My favorite chefs these days are Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson. I also love the Barefoot Contessa. I'm afraid I'm not an experimental cook. I envy people who can throw in a bit of this and a bit of that without measuring a single thing. I sometimes go wild and add in an extra herb, but on the whole - whatever imagination I have goes into creating puzzles for Vicky Hill to figure out.

What about you? Do you have to follow a recipe or can you be throw caution to the winds?

Seriously ... does Mr. Suleman think I was born yesterday?

So ... this was the first email in my in-box this morning ...

Hello Mr. Williams sister,

We received email this morning from Mr John Williams who said that he is your brother,he said we should stop contacting you as you had car accident and on sick bed. And as such your fund should be wired to him via his bank account in New York City. We need to get your approval for the release of the fund to your brother asap.You can reply also via: alhajihassansulemann1@yahoo.com.hk.

Best Regards,

Alhaji Hassan Suleman.

Memories in a Digital Age!

It’s been a strange time. Where did October go and now, November is upon us—and it’s only weeks until the holidays. I’m not ready for the end of the first decade! 

My sister’s big birthday is coming up and my daughter wanted some photographs. I got out my old school trunk of neatly organized photo albums. As I poured through them and was instantly transported back through time. Those memories were tangible. I could feel them. I was back there—as a young girl at the beach with her Cindy doll (I’m British – Barbie was regarded as a bit of a tart), holding my first dog Snuffles at age 8 (who had just thrown up on my coat), a disastrous camping expedition in the Girl Guides where I was told off for sticking a wooden stick in a cowpat, a wild time in Cardiff as a rookie reporter with friends who, now I’ve seen their laughing faces again, I’m determined to track down. My daughter’s first steps 26 years ago, wonderful memories of Africa and endless, endless photos of my first ever trip to Disneyland (what was I thinking?) 

I could go on and on but what struck me most was that these past five years I’ve kept all my memories on iPhoto. If I do look at them, it’s more of a quick skim. I don’t relive the memory at all. It’s not the same as leafing through dusty albums, each page promising a surprise. I’ve also noticed that I take dozens of photos with digital cameras because the bad ones can be erased. Yes, I’m making myself sound old, but there was something magical about getting your photos back from the developer to see how—and in my case, if—they came out. 

What about you? Do you still keep photo albums or are you an iPhoto fan? Do you think a part of our memory is erased too in the Digital Age? 

Photo: Christmas 1977