Its time to grill.....

What I used to think about a Barbeque - much ado about nothing !
What I think about a Barbeque NOW - How can we have Spring without one ?!

Here is why......

First of all, its great being outside enjoying the sunny weather and that makes up for the half the happiness. I never realised what a big part of my life the sun was and how not seeing it for a few days could be depressing...really depressing (depression due to weather is apparently one of the top reasons for people committing suicide in Finland!)...well...thats what I am going to talk about in my next blog..so lets move on !

Second of all, being outside in a ''picnic'' mood instead of in a ''formal restaurant'' mood is so much fun and it is amazing how a few beers will loosen tongues (times that make me glad that I dont like beer !)

Last of all, the freshly cooked and served food...agreed that there are not a whole lot of choices for vegetarians but where there is a will there is food too :) !

A colleague of mine has a spring Barbeque every year in his garden (I am lucky enough to be one of his close friends to get invited) and as every year goes by, I look forward to it more and more ! His wife, an Italian, is an amazing cook and is such a warm person that she is like the perfect ''mother hen''. She takes extra care to make some delicious vegetarian dishes for me - be it potatoes-au-gratin or the baked aubergine-tomato-mozzarella, its simply scrumptious ! He, at the same time, grills paprika, zuchini and mushrooms for me. Together with some garlic bread and juice, it really becomes a heavy meal.

My favorite is the after-dinner part where we build a fire in the garden, sit around it and exchange funny photos and stories right from the innocent childhood, naughty adolescence to the current responsible (now..now dont laugh) self until almost midnight since laughing like crazy beyond those hours will make the neighbours call the cops !

The fun continues the next morning at work when we exchange fotos - some nice and some awkward and we all resolve to have a barbeque more often than now knowing well that its going to be another year before we actually do it....sigh....!