Now it is winter and I am content

Winter brings a change in pace, not just outside in the garden but inside as well. Meals turn from light summer salads, roasted vegetables with slices of cold roast meats to stews and soups with more complex flavours.  A cold winters day calls for a spicy orange and carrot soup, a slow oven-roasted oxtail with an abundant bouquet garni from the garden and flaming orange pancakes with thin cream for dessert.

While the gutters sing with the rain and the rain drops glisten pearl-like against the windows, I find gentle comfort on the chesterfield with a snifter of Klipdrift Premium brandy. This brandy, a product of this valley, has been named 2016's World's Best Brandy at the World Brandy Awards. The rich warm flavour from the Klipdrift Premium brandy I used on the crepe flambé, still lingers on my palette as the golden liquid’s rich round aromas of cedar, tobacco and warm spices fills my nose and mouth.

I lean back, close my eyes, and listen to Maria Callas’ performance of ‘Una Voce Poco Fa’ filling the space.  Her voice falls like welcome rain on my ears and like the plants in the garden, I feel rejuvenated by the rich tapestry of life.

The room feels warm and light and reflects my spirit for that moment. As I look at the raindrops running down the glass of the double doors leading to the garden, I relax in the thought that it is winter and I am content.