The pot of overgrown basil plant in our backyard was screaming and begging to get trimmed. And used.
With a whole load in excess of fresh, very green and healthy looking leaves, Silver Bullet decided to do something about it. He cut them off and presto! There was (green) pesto.
All blended up!
It has been a while since we had a home-made one and having a pesto jar handy is always delightful. All done within minutes with a food processor. THAT easy!
Storage is easy too. Keep it in a tight jar or plastic container that’s airtight. Fresh pesto is able to last in the fridge for about a week, give or take. Or you can always freeze in little containers for later use. Just don’t forget to layer it with olive oil before sealing.
This is nothing daunting and too good not to share so I’m bringing a few jars with me over to #FiestaFriday!
Last month we had our very first weekend getaway hosted by my in-laws with our entire tribe which saw us heading northeast to Drenthe.
By ‘entire’ and ‘tribe’, I mean every single one of us within our immediate family circle:both of Silver Bullet’s parents, us four and along with Silver Bullet’s brother plus his girlfriend.
Just like my own immediate family, our tribe is small and cosy. I think it’s great! Especially so with our kids being truly blessed to still have both sets of healthy grandparents to spoil them.
Drenthe is about a 2-hour drive from where we live. It is known for its agriculture and unlike many other parts of Holland, it is rural and sparsely populated. Here’s an interesting fact: It ranked 9th in terms of being a large province but with no known rivers or lakes.
We were there 3 years ago and I remember it as a quaint little village all packed with its own unique charm. I also remember that during our stay (at a different place altogether), we had driven to Emmen (a 20-minute drive from Drenthe) and had a walkabout there.
This time, we came to a different zoo that was reopened earlier this year at another location.It was renamed Wildlands Adventure Zoo Emmen as they had closed down the former Dierenpark Emmen due to financial difficulties. This new zoo was not as exciting and overall, a big disappointment despite some interesting exhibits. Perhaps they just need a little time to pick itself up to being an awesome place once again.
Just a few days in Drenthe did not give us much room for more exploration but having discovered that Kamp Westerbork was located a mere 10 minutes away from where we stayed, we just had to get our asses there (without kids!) before we head home.
Visiting Westerbork Transit Camp was a sombre visit. During World War II, Kamp Westerbork was used as a refugee, detention and transit camp that assembled Romani and Dutch Jews before being transported to other Nazi concentration camps.
Some original buildings – potato bunker, hidden SS bunker and a new water treatment plant had remained standing, but most had vanished and very little of it had left. It was refurbished as a monument to symbolically represent history, with a primary purpose of honouring it as a historic site for education.
It was ironic that this camp was erected by Dutch government and financed by Dutch Jews themselves to house those fleeing from Nazi Germany only to end up as a macabre stop-over before their final destination to face death.
As I walked around, I was consumed by it all. Each monument tells a story…or held stories untold.
That track caught me hard. Each element is symbolic of what happened during that war…of dismay, of despair (curled up rails), of bewilderment, of an extent of destruction (railway sleepers). A spot where railroad from Hooghalen to this camp terminated…that one train that came to a standstill in front of a buffer.
Another end: a wall of boulders from surrounding areas have been stuck together with strong binding materials resembling skulls.
Then, there are these 102,000 Stones arranged uniformly within a map of Holland:
They were most spine-chilling; amongst hundred of thousands who got deported, 102,000 did not return. They represent how many people were murdered and to emphasise individual people: 102,000 times a mother, a father, a son , a daughter, a brother, a sister…
There is a Star of David to represent Dutch Jews on top of each stone, 213 of them have a flame on top to represent Gypsies and 100 have no symbol to represent the resistance fighters imprisoned here before being deported and murdered. References extracted from Kampwesterbork NL and Wikipedia
I can’t help but wonder how just one person could single-handedly create such chaos WITH millions of human race supporting him and his crazy cause. How could anyone get so much power? Where is humanity?
Such a dark history of humankind; it gives me lots of shudders. Haunting.
We left Westerbork feeling sunken…and drained. It felt like my entire energy was sucked out good. And as we continued on with our way, my thoughts lingered on to current warfares which really, isn’t dissimilar if you think about it. Scariest thing is, I’m afraid this insanity for power and supremacy will continue to undermine humanity of a so-called modern world.
Having lived with cats almost all of my life, I would not know what it would be like NOT living with one. Or two. Or three. Three being the most number of cats we’ve had and that was only in the last 9 years.
No, we do not intend for any more of them. Cats (AND kids). Yes, I am very sure. Plus, the 3rd cat we have had been an accident. Yes, that very cat also fondly known as Fudge.
While our 3 cats may not necessarily like each other and/or the kids, they all have silently pledged with an agreement that we shall peacefully co-exist. They mostly tolerate each other (and the kids).They’ve got us acclimatised with their presence even though they may not necessarily be seen for hours since they spend most of their time sleeping in their favourite hide-outs.
Cats are funny creatures with their own little quirks. Sometimes we don’t see them around and being indoor cats, we KNOW they are at home. Somewhere. Somehow, they just choose a no-show.
Sometimes, they follow us around and are constantly hot on our heels. So much so that if we don’t pay attention, we could accidentally trip up on them and we’ll be the ones with broken necks. Even when we do pay attention, they would decide with a jump dead right in our tracks, threatening us with a broken neck.
Sometimes, they just meow at us for no reason. Or chide us with a stern WTF meow when we sneezed our heads off.
Sometimes, one of them would bring us toys. Or catch imaginary (or real) flies. Or lizards. Or roaches. But when there are real flies/lizards/roaches, they may just decide on a staring competition, do nothing, yawn, stretch and carry on as is. WTF right?
You never know with cats. They do whatever the fuck they want and they get away with it.Bloody annoying.
Then they purr like engines on steroids and snuggle up which they don’t normally do. Making mortal humans like us melt. Bloody annoying.
These cats, they have their allegiance. Unwritten rules exist between them. And because of that along with their individual dynamics with one or the other cats, no matter what the circumstances are (unless we dump them all in one carrier), we could never get 3 cats together, at one place, all at the same time. That would be inviting a trouble.
Then every once in a blue moon, the strangest thing happened:
A rare sighting
That at the least unexpected moment and with no camera in your hand in that particular instance when you would usually have your phone with you but not at the time which you needed it, you faced an image that you know will not possibly last another second. You then swiftly tiptoed, gently retrieving your phone while you hope they all stay in position for just 3 seconds longer.
It was one of those precious but rare moments – that when you look up at the stairs and the cats are perfectly aligned. Pun intended.
High above everyone. Looking over you like guardian angels. Purposeful. And you wonder if they know something that you don’t. Almost creepy.
Just as quickly, one of them broke out of the form as if awaken from her state of meditation. They dispersed just right after you tapped the snap button. And all you got was an out of focus picture.
The next cycle for a clearer sighting, unfortunately, cannot be determined.
