It's time

Is there anything as wonderful as the feeling of anticipation that comes when you have an exciting holiday coming up, with plans to visit places you've never been before, a visit to one city you have visited before and loved, and time with a good friend to look forward to?

What to do now?

What to do now? A question I ask myself a thousand times a day. With 'now' meaning a load of different things from 'right this minute' to 'for the rest of my life'!

Every now and then the possibilities overwhelm me. There are so many options. Just think about it ...

Thinking about setting up a business? The internet has opened up opportunities that didn’t exist 10, or even 5 years, ago. What talents can I use? I start a list and soon find myself with so many options I can’t make a choice. Write some ebooks, teach English, freelance writing, editing – writing seems to be a theme but now I need a niche. Silent scream.

I decide to stick to the day job a little longer and think about what to read in my spare time. I’ve decided that six bookcases full of books – well, it’s somewhat excessive for one person and I need to cull the collection. But where to start? Of course, I can’t remove anything without re-reading it. So, fiction or non-fiction, light or literary, European, Asian or Antipodean ...? Too many choices. Maybe I’ll work on the holiday planning.

The countries are decided. I had help with that ... So we have a list. Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and the Czech Republic. But only two weeks. And in each of those countries there’s so much to see, so much to do. Then there's the question of which websites to trust for travel information.

Maybe it’s time I cooked dinner – but of course, a rummage in the kitchen means more choices, more decisions.

I am now completely overwhelmed. Maybe I’ll just distract myself by writing a blog entry – and asking for advise. What do you do when you’re confronted by so many choices that you can’t make a choice?

I have ground to a halt. I am wasting time doing trivial things to avoid making decisions about the things that will make a difference.

Perhaps I should read some self-help books ... that might be a place to start.

I've been cooking again ...

Paprika spiced cannellini beans

Dice two onions and finely chop a couple of cloves of garlic. Cook slowly in olive oil to soften, not brown – no caramelising here, okay – soft and pale is how you want it to be. Add about three tablespoons of Paprika and the same of ground cumin. Stir and cook for a few minutes. Then add about three tablespoons of cider vinegar and a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar. Also add a stack of chopped tomatoes (I used some preserved organic cherry tomatoes from Organic Foods and Cafe) and squashed them up as they cooked. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes. Then add a couple of cans of Cannellini beans.

Play around with the ratios – look at how much tomato you like with your beans or how many beans you like with your tomato – I went for two lots of tomatoes and two cans of beans ... Cook some more – maybe about ten to twenty minutes.

You can serve this with all kinds of things. Crumble over some feta cheese, add some chunks of avocado, serve with rice, or mop it up with bread. Pile on toast (bruschetta style) or serve with salad. For extra richness top with some sour cream. Use your imagination and have fun. The recipe is just the starting point.