Bridget McNulty

Gratitude in a breath of air.

// August 17th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Decisions, Inspiration, Nature, Philosophy

Life is busy, isn’t it? And so much of the time (I realised recently) I’m so busy living it and discovering new things and figuring out how to live it better, that I don’t really take time out to appreciate where I am, right now.

We went away this past weekend, my man and I, with a group of friends, and at the end of the day on Saturday (after a delicious afternoon nap) I took a dog for a walk. This is actually quite big news: dogs and I don’t usually mix. Anyhoo, I took this very playful dog for a walk along these raised wooden walkways right next to the sea… The wind was howling, but it was a warm, friendly wind, and the waves were whipping up into froth, and there was nobody around as far as I could see. After I’d walked quite a distance I stopped and watched the sun set behind a mountain.

I only had a few minutes, because the dog was pulling to keep walking, but I had this sudden, very clear moment where I felt gratitude. For my life as it is right now: for feeling healthy almost all of the time, for having found a man I want to spend all my days with, for a job that challenges me and friends that support me and make me laugh. I suddenly felt this deep thankfulness for it all – as if I’d stepped out of the everyday run of things and could look in and see how lovely it all is.

And it’s stuck with me, this sense of lovely.

Have you had a moment like this lately? Have you given yourself a chance to?

One wonderful weekend…

// August 4th, 2010 // No Comments » // Cape Town, Inspiration, Life (and the living of it), Nature, food

This past weekend was one of those weekends that will stick in my memory for a long time to come… My man and I went away with five other friends to a tiny little town called Prince Albert in the Karoo. It was a four hour drive (a stunning four hour drive, through some really majestic scenery) to get to the little town, and we arrived on Friday just in time for dinner. I fell in love then, even in the dark, mainly because there were succulents everywhere. Everywhere! Excitement overload.

The next day I fell in love even more. The whole town is centered around a main street, which has lots of the expected restaurants and guesthouses, but also has a Saturday market run by Afrikaans tannies and ooms (aunts and uncles, for those not from SA). They were selling pancakes for R3 each, big slices of homemade cake for R5, pots of tea for R3 and homemade roosterbrood for R8. It was like being in the land that time forgot…

Before the Saturday market, I’d gone for a long walk into the surrounding orchards and then out into the veld. It’s extraordinary how vast the Karoo sky is – like a completely different country, with a 360 sweep of sky. Incredible.

The weekend was spent strolling around, stealing succulents (see above), sitting in the sunshine eating delicious food, visiting the dairy (yes! A dairy!) to sample the homemade cheese (yum!), and playing a particularly fun game called Post-It (our name) where you think of a famous character, write it on a Post It and then stick it to someone’s forehead. Then they have to guess who it is in 20 questions, while dealing with the humiliation of sitting in front of everyone with a blue Post It on your forehead. Ha! Hilarious. Until it’s your turn…

The highlight of the weekend was our ghost tour – dinner combo. Prince Albert is a  town rich in history (and ghosts) and we went on a ghost walk around the town with a fascinating storyteller (dressed in a long black coat) who told us all the local tales… Creepy! We then went to African Relish for a superb dinner – bacon and spinach fritters (wow), Karoo lamb stuffed with roasted celery and pecans with the most amazing polenta I’ve ever tasted, and hands-down the best milk tart in the world. The dinner was long and full of laughter and I can’t wait to go back.

Oh! And how could I forget! That afternoon we’d visited African Relish (which is also a cooking school, and is co-owned by our friend’s father) and I tasted jamon for the first time! Jamon! The real deal! Made in South Africa using all the Spanish techniques! It was extraordinary.

So, all in all, a pretty wonderful weekend. We stayed in the most amazing cottage (see below), we ate some truly special food, and we spent good time with friends, laughing. What more could you ask for?

Photos courtesy of the extremely talented Mark Peddle: www.markpeddle.com

Day 22: Much-needed money

// July 23rd, 2010 // 1 Comment » // 29 Gifts, Cape Town, Decisions

I’ve spoken before about how easy it is as South Africans to become jaded towards beggars. There are just so many of them, and if we reached out to all of them, we’d soon be penniless and depressed.

I’ve had a realllly busy week, and I must confess that I didn’t even think about a gift yesterday – I was too busy driving to and from Gordon’s Bay for a Fresh Living TV shoot. Very exciting!

But as I pulled up to the traffic light near my house, I saw the old man who begs there every day. And while this may sound like a simple statement, the fact that I saw him was quite remarkable, because I usually drive past and don’t notice that he’s there. So, on impulse, I reached into my wallet and gave him some much-needed money. Much more than I  usually would have. Because sometimes you just have to follow the impulse, you know?

Parmesan fish with avocado and watercress salad.

// July 20th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // Blogs, Inspiration, Recipe of the Week, food

Time for this week’s recipe challenge… are you ready for it?

I made it last night and it is DELICIOUS. Absolutely yummy, and it only took about 25 minutes to make. My kind of dish!

Here goes… Enjoy!

Parmesan fish with avocado and watercress salad:

* Salt and milled pepper
* 4 (150-200g each) sustainable fish fillets, sliced into fat fingers
* Juice of ½ lemon, (about 2 Tbsp)
* ½ cup (125ml) breadcrumbs
* ¼ cup (60ml) grated parmesan
* Olive oil

Salad:
* Juice and grated peel of ½ lemon (about 2 Tbsp)
* 2 Tbsp (30ml) olive oil
* 2 tsp (10ml) PnP fresh basil paste
* 2 packets (30g each) watercress
* 2 avocados, cut into wedges

Serves 4

Preheat oven to 240°C.
Season fish and drizzle with lemon juice. Place on a baking tray.
Mix breadcrumbs, parmesan and a glug of oil together.
Spoon over fish and press down lightly to form a crust.
Bake fish for 10 minutes or until cooked through.

Salad: Mix lemon juice and peel, olive oil and basil paste together and season well.
Toss watercress and avocado in dressing and serve with fish.
Enjoy!!

(PS: If you want it in less irritating form, just buy this month’s Fresh Living magazine… Which you should be buying anyway, because it’s only like the best magazine in South Africa. And because I work for them.)

Day 19: Nesting kit

// July 20th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // 29 Gifts, Inspiration, Tea Parties

Those of you (men) who don’t have the nesting instinct might not know how essential nesting tools are. But let me tell you – when a woman wants to make her home her own, numerous nesting kits are necessary.

So when I heard that a lovely friend of mine has finally started nesting in her flat (despite having lived there for many months) I decided I had to encourage the nesting drive and buy her some tools. Hence the pan / spatula / apron / oven glove combo. In pink! Ohhh yeahhh…

Day 17: New pyjamas

// July 18th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // 29 Gifts, Life (and the living of it), Love

Is there any feeling as delicious as that of slipping on a pair of new pyjamas? Especially if you’ve just got out the shower and you’re about to get into a warm bed? I don’t think so.

My man, believe it or not, has never worn pyjamas, and much as t-shirts and shorts are handy, they don’t do what a pair of crisp cotton jammies will for a good night’s sleep. So yesterday, while out on a bit of a shopping spree for myself (more on that later), I decided to buy him a pair of pyjamas. Delicious.

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

// July 13th, 2010 // No Comments » // Blogs, Inspiration, Recipe of the Week, food

Raise your hand if you loved the movie Julie and Julia. Really, who didn’t?

We watched it while we were away and it awoke in me a deep desire to cook. Not just to cook boring old regulars (which is what I’ve always done), but to cook wonderful, inspiring, deeply delicious meals. I mentioned before that part of my new job is going to be testing out recipes every week, sort of a Recipe of the Week Challenge. But the blog is taking toooo long to get off the ground, so I’ve resorted to using Facebook to share recipes. And here, of course!

Today is the first day of this cooking challenge, and I wanted to mention a little of why I love to cook… It’s only a recent love, so I’m still learning how it makes me feel and the various pleasures it brings me, but here are a few:

* I love that I can put together raw ingredients, and come out with something warm and tasty, that didn’t exist before.

* I love that when I come home from work and my head is all full of computers and To Do Lists and planning, I can focus solely on the food – on chopping the leeks and stirring the soup – and that moment is all that exists.

* I love that the more you cook, the better at it you get. This might sound obvious, but it’s a confidence thing. Right now I’m not attempting anything too difficult, but I can already tell that I’ll be able to do quite tricky things in the not-too-distant future.

* And lastly, I love that it results in food, and eating. Because really, what greater joy is there than a homecooked meal shared with someone you love? I can’t think of one right now…

So join me! If you please. This week’s recipe is for Broccoli and Cheddar Soup – mine is bubbling on the stove at the moment. It’s really easy to make, and actually pretty good for you (it uses a whole lot of broccoli). Directions below.

I’ll post my photo of it tomorrow – please feel free to comment and post pics of your soup too!

Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

Ingredients:
• 2 leeks, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• Oil, for frying
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 2 cups (500ml) chicken stock
• 1 cup (250ml) low-fat milk
• 1½ cups (375ml) grated cheddar

Serves 4
Fry leeks and garlic in oil until soft.
Add broccoli, stock and milk.
Bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until broccoli is tender.
Add cheese and mix well.
Blitz until smooth using a stick blender.

Photo from Fresh Living magazine.

Day 13: A day of compliments

// July 13th, 2010 // No Comments » // 29 Gifts, Decisions, Inspiration

I don’t know about you, but I fairly often think compliments and don’t say them out loud. Why is that? I suppose it’s not wanting to bridge a certain ‘formal’ way of relating to people I don’t know that well… Although, having said that, I do quite often compliment people on the street with no qualms whatsoever.

So today I decided, as my gift for the day, to compliment freely and often. And what do you know! There were so many things around me to compliment. What you pay attention to clearly manifests. It’s so great to make people feel good, too, even if it’s only for a few minutes.

Day 9: Pair of apples

// July 10th, 2010 // No Comments » // 29 Gifts, Cape Town, Decisions, food

I’ve been thinking, lately, about what I really want from this whole 29 days experiment… I don’t want to just spend a lot of money on last-minute prezzies or approach it in a half-assed way (and let me tell you, there’s a temptation to do that what with life being so busy all the time).

Ideally, what I want is to teach myself a new way of being in the world – always aware of other people and what they might need, open to the possibility that I could help someone in some small way. I want to train myself into a new habit, you know? Hence the apples.

I eat a lot of fruit, but I have a bad habit of buying large quantities all at one time (I feel panicky if I don’t have fresh fruit at all times) and then occasionally not being able to get through it fast enough. And then I’ll just sit and stare at it. The smart thing to do would be to recognise I’ve overbought, and share it with someone who might need some fresh fruit – one of the many people who lives on the street in Cape Town, for example. So that’s what I did yesterday: recognising that if I left the apples they would go off before I could eat them, I took them while they were still fresh and gave them away.

A small thing, yes. But if I could remember to do this all the time wouldn’t it be a good habit to get into?

Day 7: Thank you gift

// July 8th, 2010 // No Comments » // 29 Gifts, Inspiration, Love, food, travelling

My man and I have had such a wonder-full time in Knysna… We arrived worn out, frazzled and in need of some quality down time. We’re leaving rested, relaxed, full to the brim of oysters and champagne, and having had a really lovely holiday.

The reason for that is one woman: Jeannine Orzechowski, the lovely PR who made our stay so great. She pulled out all the stops – a sunset cruise, a massage, whisky and wine tastings, an oyster bed cruise around the lagoon… Really, it’s been one pleasure after another.

So to say a (small) thank you, we bought her a gift. Because I think a lot of the time if being nice to people is your job, you don’t get the thanks you deserve. And isn’t it lovely to say thank you once in a while?