Day 347 - A winters day in Cape Town.

The road to Santiago  runs through villages, up hills, through forests and over farmland. The road to a man's heart runs through his stomach. So today I decided to prepare a meal that would put a big smile on the face of the man in my life.

Lamb shanks. Slow cooked in red wine, rosemary, cinnamon and a host of other delicious ingredients, accompanied by olive and parsley mashed potatoes, roasted veggies and a garden salad.

Blogger still has to design a widget for smells but I can tell you, if you were in my home this morning, you would have experienced what a million dollars smells like!

In all honesty, I am not a natural cook and if I never have to cook again, I'd be happy! So, I've discovered over the years that the secret lies in spotting good recipes. Hence, when I discovered the recipe for slow cooked lamb shanks in a magazine at a doctor's reception room a few days ago, I knew this was a winner.

Another one of my secret weapons in the kitchen is my black cast iron pot. It goes on the fire, on the gas and I even stick it in the oven, like today.

All in all, a lovely winters day in Cape Town. No hiking today because of the rain but a successful morning in the kitchen and a lovely lunch shared with my husband and parents.

As for the Camino - the South African ladies who I have been following online, have arrived in Santiago and another arrives tomorrow. I loved reading these day to day accounts of life on the road and I can't help but imagine what it must feel like for them all, right now. 

I have about a year to go before I take off myself and as this is going to be the time of year that I am going to have to deal with albergues, the weather in Spain, finding the best place to eat etc., I'm reading all these blogs with particular attention as to how they are experiencing all these things. 

Sometimes I think I should just forget about all the details and just head out when the time comes, but that's just not how I'm put together! I would like to experience the real heart of the Camino every single day without having to worry about too many details on a day to day basis. Hence I feel good about going about it the way I am - by the time I start my journey I'd like to feel as if the outline of the picture has been drawn, as it where, and the inside remains to be created spontaneously!

Until then, my road to Spain has quite a few detours to take and I hope that I will have many more special moments, like this experience today, to share with you.

I leave you with a picture of this lovely flower, one of four given to us today by my mom and dad - straight out of their garden. A gift given from the heart - and an even bigger gift to have had them here today.