Culture Shock!

Hi Paul!

Welcome to Belfast and to a month of healthy eating that isn't going to cost the earth!

I do wish I'd taken your picture in the fresh fruit and vegetable aisles ... it is hard for me to understand just how expensive this kind of produce is in a country the size of the US.  We came home with a trolley (did you say "cart"?) full of top quality fruit and veg ... For the next month we'll be eating a mostly vegan diet (well I may slip occasionally for a piece of cheese or an egg) and I know that it is going to be so good for me!

 The variety and price of tinned beans and tomatoes faced us at almost the end of the shopping trip.  At that stage I suspect "overload" was happening ... and Paul sits mesmerized ... looking at the shelves but not really taking in any more information.  There's only so much the brain can process before it goes into "standby"!
After this stop it was straight to the coffee aisle and then the checkout.
It makes such a difference when you're shopping to have a helping hand ... Paul unloaded the trolley while I packed up the items as they were scanned ... it is certainly quicker than trying to do it on your own!

 Home is only ten minutes from the store so everything was packed quickly into the fridge and cupboards and then ... Paul cooked the evening meal!  What an extra special treat that was.
Wonderful flavours ... spicy potatoes, boiled rice and a stir fry of mixed vegetables.  Green salad and fruit salad on the side.  A feast both to the eyes and the stomach!

 The sharpness of the raspberries with the sweetness of the orange and banana, added to the crispness of the apple, made a lovely fresh accompaniment to the flavoursome vegetables.  I could get used to this style of eating!  Who needs meat or dairy?!!
While Paul was enjoying his first cooking experience in Ireland I was getting ready for a funeral service tomorrow.  That service is in Saint Nicholas' at noon.
So now ... soon to bed ... early to rise ...

O Lord, support us all the day long
until the shades lengthen, and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed,
the fever of life is over
and our work is done.
Then, Lord, in your mercy, grant us safe lodging,
a holy rest, and peace at the last;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen. 

Book of Common Prayer

Funeral Service