Even Bananas!

Some years ago a friend of mine gave up smoking. He told me that everything tasted disgusting for the next 6 months. Well I'm on day 17 of not smoking and after initially only noticing that water tasted different now everything tastes really salty. Even the bananas that I love eat each day. How strange is that?

It's all got me thinking, all the cooking I have done for others over the years, has it been too salty? No one has ever complained about too much but maybe they were just being polite. Do I cut back when I cook or is it just a strange twist of giving up after so many years?

That aside it hasn't stopped me in the kitchen. I finally ate my Vietnamese beef curry that I had been infusing for 2 days last night. It was a triumph other than the salt. Tomorrow I have friends round for herbed roast chicken and in the week I will have duck as it was on offer today.

It was another curiously quiet week. My feeling now is of being flat and restless. I think I did some good things but find myself dismissive of good at the moment. Had some nice things said about my book but still sales are very slow. Perhaps if I had become a professional football player my ghost written autobiography would have done better. I guarantee it would!

On Thursday I'm going to Lord's to watch my very first test match. Knowing that it always rains on day 1 of the English test season I invested in an umbrella this afternoon. Let's hope I don't need it! In the meantime I am listening to a Poulenc opera and will get back to T E Lawrence.

I Heard a Voice.