Spice 4 - and a prize!

Alice plays with nutmegs.

Isn't she cute? Alice is a doll from the Batsiranai project in Zimbabwe - she came to me from the Oxfam Fair Trade shop. Each doll has a twin, which goes to a child in Zimbabwe - Alice has Anna.

Nutmegs, of course, aren't African; but they still make great toys, don't you think?

It's been a bad day here. Not much sleep, since I kept waking to whimper and pull my thumb back into its socket. Been doing a fair amount of screaming today when I accidentally bend it, too; it's getting me down.

To cheer myself up, I figured I'd give out a prize. A random commenter on today's post - either here or on the livejournal community will win an Oxfam chicken. I'll draft someone to pull a name out of a hat and announce the lucky chicken recipient tomorrow, so get commenting!

Spice 3

Cinnamon and Spice.

Cinnamon is one of my favourite spices. The Romans burnt it as part of their funeral pyres - the richer you were, the more cinnamon burned your corpse. There was even a myth that the phoenix rebirthed itself on a bed of cinnamon logs. Herbally, it soothes and warms an upset stomach, helps sinus membranes stop over-producing, and balances blood sugar levels. And it's one of the warmest, most inviting smells I know.

I edited this photo over a goblet of cinnamon-infused cognac, a sample of a batch that's been steeping for almost a month. It's done now, and will be decanted soon. I'm debating whether or not to add a little sugar to take the edge off the resin. The smell of cinnamon was beautifully warm and exotic; it set the mood nicely!

Spice 2

Coriander seeds in the suribachi.

The suribachi is a Japanese version of a mortar. I have a mortar as well, but I love the suribachi for the grooves you can see inside, which makes it easier to grind things like these coriander seeds. In a mortar you pound, and a suribachi you grind - sometimes the grinding brings out the best flavours.

Spice 1

Vanilla orchid, Tropical Spice Gardens, Penang.

I'm cheating a little, here - this shot wasn't taken this week, obviously enough, and I didn't take it specifically for the 'Spice' theme. It does follow the one shot rule, though. And how could I pass it up? It's a real, live vanilla orchid! Sadly, it had no vanilla beans for us to steal, though.

Speaking of the one shot rule, thank you to the people on both this blog, and on the livejournal feed who commented and gave feedback on yesterday's atrocity. After a bit of thought, I've decided to cut myself some slack - if I come up with another shot as spectacularly awful as the last one, I'll discard it and re-shoot.

If anyone disagrees, or wants to put in a vote for more terrible photos, be sure to comment!