Cistern Troubles

Someone visiting me here left a package labeled “Laksa.” Laksa is a favourite dish of mine. I could get it at the Banana Leaf restaurant that was a block from my condo. It sat there for ages. I’m not inclined to packages such as this one. I like making everything from scratch, and I’ve made Laksa before. I made it, however, in Vancouver where I could go to the Asian markets for the many ingredients in the soup at Banana Leaf.

But a couple of weeks ago I tried it, and I was surprised to find that I quite liked it. But I added prawns and cilantro, and I will get some Asian radish at Nester’s to add as well. So … I went on Amazon where they sell the same packaged Laksa, and I bought 16 packages. Now, I use them as a base for various easy meals, adding whatever I want.

I baked a cake that is always a hit (I’ll add modestly). I got a great basic chocolate cake recipe from a woman in Vancouver whom I met through a baking course. It has 2 cups of coffee in it, and although I hate coffee, I love this cake. Plus, I add beets, and lately, because I have a new stand mixer, I add puréed beets to the batter (instead of grated beets). It makes the cake nice and moist and deepens the colour. Adding beats to her batter once won a baker in the USA, cakemaker of the year. That’s how I learned about using beets.

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I’ve never written here much about my beloveds. I always talk about walking Sheba, but not about her, or Fred and Ethel. 

My two passions from birth were the theatre and animals. I was given a book that was an encyclopedia of dogs, and I learned to identify every breed. I am mad for all animals, birds and fish, so having three wonders of my own brings me immense joy. I cannot believe how deeply attached I am to Sheba. We are a unit. When I feel her fall against me in the bed, the weight of her pressing against me fills me with joy. I feel bonded and nothing beats that.

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This morning, at first light, I could confirm that my cistern was not re-filling with water, so in the weak light of dawn, I was up the ladder and onto the cistern to open it up. It only took seconds for me to get it working again, but I will have to oil the switch of the floater valve. For now, however, it is filling, and I can then finish filling the hot tub and all will be back in order, but I’ll have to monitor the cistern until I oil the valve.