A blue hat...

A bit of a blue day at the Bateau today; to cheer myself up I have included this photo I took in Florence which just makes me smile. The lovely dog on the centre book is called 'Bum bum' and the unrelated but perfectly positioned girl on the right hand side just has the best expression on her face.
This is the first day I have sat to write and found myself floundering and my psychological state is to blame, I know. The cash-day-job has given my brain a pounding this week as I drew closer to my six days of freedom; the proximity of that much time to myself served to accentuate the banality and my colleagues seemed hell bent on treating me to a bumper display of politics and personality clashes. The net result has been a chair pushed slightly further away from the table on teabreaks; a less attentive ear to conversation, and a quicker turn to evasive action when confronted with human contact. Must it be this way? I feel decidedly alien and out of sorts, wishing I were camping in the wilds watching the stars come peeking out a million squillion miles above me.
And so to dinner came the depressive recluse. Luckily, Stu had masterfully sensed my mood and plumped for a favourite from our travels in Thailand; of all the Thai curries we do find ourselves drawn to the Massaman. Variously spelt, it is essentially the curry of the southern Muslim communites and is less fragrant than the green, red and yellow of further north; it is not often that hot either, although Stu sneaks in a few birds-eye chillies for effect. Lamb is often used, again in contrast to the food of other regions, and because of the oiliness of the meat there is a different texture entirely; a richness and warming spice more similar to the Indian tastes. For some reason it works very well with potatoes and I love the indulgence of the 'double carbohydrate' hit when added to the rice. We used Jersey Royals for a bit of gratuitous fusion and just to see how it turned out, and the result was most satisfyingly earthy and smooth.
Spinach also for a bit of green and some happy vitamins, and we washed it down with some beetroot juice; that lot just has to be good for you.
I am hoping that the combined vitamins, minerals and good vibes will see me awaken in a less cynical frame of mind; it is a shame how small things can bring you down, even when I try my damndest to be a small calm oasis of good nature in a hubbub of friction.
Still, as a firm believer in karma, I rely on the worries within righting themselves given time and a good long sleep. I shall have a look at 'Bum bum' and smile.