It’s the first day of December; the last month of the year and the beginning of the warmer season. Standing upon this weathered plateau that has seen the turbulent year passing, we commemorate and reflect upon our achievements during the year and perhaps some of the regrets and concerns along the way. Before I had the chance to stow away those fuzzy jumpers and pullovers from the transient winter-spring hybrid season that just ended, the mercury has risen to its resting point of 31 degrees centigrade, meaning that public transport to and from the city bustles, booms in the peak hours and beyond, swelters and swells, with smells of body odour from those returning from gym sessions and nervous students awaiting their examination results.
These days (which seem to keep stretching on longer and longer), I’m kept busy by my commitments at the University of New South Wales, providing my nine-to-five of technical support for the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and a small cache of personal projects on the side. For example, Sevendales.net is due to see a revamp as I finally knuckle down to get those anthologies written, those photographs uploaded, the forums powered up and a few personal ballads recorded in good time. Of course, in between all of that, I am visiting with friends I haven’t seen in a long while, queuing for make-it-yourself salads at work and discussing existentialism with colleagues over a thick slice of ciabatta. And who could forget, writing, editing and planning all of those recipes and reviews to come. Some would say it’s all in a days work. Just between me and you though, the ratio probably resembles two parts cooking and documenting to four parts ordering in take-away and procrastination. There are moments when I stop to pick up fallen flowers like dandelions, frangipani and azaleas (as seen above), not to mention the indulgence of Christmas lights which I still haven’t come around to hanging up on the inside of our window, facing the carpark. The residents might have a good laugh at our Chrissie cheer, even if they are Scrooges’ themselves!
Given the immense heat that has us under a spell, commuters face the flies by the dozen and by the retiring night, the mosquitoes biting. Nobody can deny it any longer for it’s as official as it gets; the Southern Hemisphere has turned its pasty white limbs lethargically toward the Sun to greet the dawn of summer, the beginning of December and the rebirth of thousands of saplings and tender troops of seeds eager to burst forth from the earth, ready for another season of yields. Thanks to Eastern Daylight Savings Time, Sydneysiders are enjoying their extra few hours of sunlight beyond 4pm and are roused in the morning by the happy chirp of birds in their trees rather than the sound of a monotonous alarm clock. Did I mention the dazzling, succulent fruits on sale? Bananas, cherries, raspberries, strawberries, currants, lemons, lychees, mangoes, melons, dews and passionfruit, pineapple, rambutan, starfruit and apricot have all poked their noses out for the consumer market to take advantage of the best on offer.
And as with every season, there is a bounty of goodness to enjoy in the great outdoors with family and friends, pulling out and dusting off those old recipe books hastily crammed away while we braced ourselves during the winter months. And whilst the author will be sipping sangria and feasting on fruit salads, he wishes to remind his readers that Wild Thyme and Sweet Pea will not let a moment of good food and inspiration pass through the sieve of time. So what are you waiting for? ‘Tis the season to cast off the shackles of the gloomy time past and brew up a pot of inspiration, while spending other times chilling with a kind of careful contemplation. Stay tuned for our unfolding catalogue of delicious weekly updates and anecdotes to come.
The Wild Thyme and Sweet Pea project found its roots when it was plucked excitedly from the garden, washed briskly in a basin of water and lovingly left out to dry in a soothing marinade of vision and ambition ... More »
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