Finally, it rains here. I decide to spend the majority of the day at home, for once. The clouds were grey all day today, and the drizzle remained steady. It would be easy to feel a little down with weather like this, especially for someone who loves the sun and blue sky. But truthfully, I needed this damp, dull day. Sometimes we need to be cosy, and realise that actually… productivity is a bit overrated.
Luckily, I had prepared myself for a day like this a couple weeks ago. I was able to wake up with one of my favourite drinks… one that reminds me of home. Rose milk. Maybe it’s a little strange, but whenever I have this drink it settles me down. The reason why I love it, is because it reminds me of a sweet my Mum makes at Christmas time. It’s a type of Indian sweet called burfi, and Mum makes it with milk, rose and cardamom. Although I can’t make that same dish, I can make a drink which gives me the same flavours.
I wasn’t able to find any rose syrup here, but I did find dried roses. So I made some of my own syrup with rose, sugar and cardamom. I still remember the day I made it. I was exhausted from taking plane after plane and train after train… and I needed something to pick me up. I think there is no better way to change the mood, than physically change the air in your home.
I took one cup of water, one cup of sugar, and half a cup of roses along with a few pods of cardamom, and put it to boil. I let it simmer a while, and before long I had a beautiful smell of rose and spices fill the apartment. The cardamom takes a little longer to infuse, so after I strained the syrup, I left the cardamom pods in the jug and put the jug in the fridge. At first the sugar overpowered the taste, but after a couple weeks… the flavours have perfected themselves.
So this morning, after an intensely dreamy sleep, I brought myself to life by boiling some milk and adding some home made rose syrup. I opened the doors of my balcony and let the curtain hang over the opening. The curtains are white, made from a material that makes them appear to be lined with glitter. So even though the clouds, thickly pasted on the sky, blocked out much of the light… the cloth still glimmered. There was a bit more breeze than usual this morning too, and so I sat there with my warm rose milk safely cuddled by my hands, admiring the way the material floated gracefully into and out of the apartment.
Most mornings, my mind is easily filled with thoughts… but on soft mornings like this, it’s a little easier to remain empty. After a while, the fresh air filled my apartment, making my cheeks a little red and turning the edges of my lips purple. It was time to close the door… and go back to bed.
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