Yesterday was my son's birthday. He turned 17! It's been very long and yet very short 17 years. It's been a long time when I think about all these joyful and frustrating moments in those years, and it's been a short time when I think about a newborn baby who is now a six-foot tall young man. My message to him in the birthday card was, "You are a work of art to me. It's been a bloody hard work, but I'm getting there."
He has always been a placid and reliable child, but he has a very persistent and stubborn disposition. Well, his astrological sign is a bull. Anything we tried to do together tended to come to a grind halt and I used to end up giving him a wallop out of frustration. Then he went into tears and so did I. Since he has become a teenager it's been endless 'discussions' and yet again I ended up in tears many more times.
I didn't shed tears for nothing, though. I got a bit wiser and softer than 17 years ago, and I learnt a lot of lessons that I needed to learn. I now feel that my son's character was suitable for what I needed to learn and work on. When I look at my parents I feel the same. They are perfect for me to help overcome my shortcomings. I guess any encounters are made that way.
I'm here because of my son, and I want to say big thank you to all my precious friends who walked with me and supported me along the way.
Ingredients (for 1 person):
2 medium carrots, grated coarsely
a handful of walnuts
a handful of raisins
Heat the oven to 180C and roast the walnuts for about 5 minutes. You have to watch like a hawk. They burn very quickly.
Just crumble the walnuts into grated carrots, and add the raisins. Season with salt and pepper, and add 2 teaspoon of white wine vinegar and 2 tablespoon of walnut oil (olive oil if that's all you've got).