This has not turned out to be the ideal summer I was expecting. We've been in the midst of a heat wave for far longer than I'd like and that's resulted in a lack of any fun and exciting activities on the weekends. It's simply been too hot and humid to stay outdoors for a long period of time. And when it's not been hot, it's been wet.

Thanks to this weather, many of the fun things I had planned for the summer have been cancelled. That includes the evening picnic with friends in Central Park when the Philharmonic was playing (the show went on anyway but I heard it wasn't too enjoyable with the on-and-off rain all evening), and last weekend's Jazz Age Lawn Party (way too hot both days, but there's always next month).

The start of this week is supposed to be slightly cooler, including today. The high this Sunday is supposed to be about 10 degrees cooler than it was yesterday, which is somewhat better. Even still, it's already too hot for me and it's still early morning.

I made a quick trip out to the New Amsterdam Market yesterday, having missed last month's due to the polo match. The one nice thing about the current space it's being held at is that it was wonderfully shaded. Had it not been, I'd probably not have bothered going. I'm looking forward to it being held on a more frequent basis in the fall as opposed to monthly this summer.

Other than that, there's not been much of anything going on. I've been catching up on tv (cooking shows from the UK) and movies that have sat long inside my computer; that's practically the only thing one can do in this weather. And copious amounts of writing fanfiction as long as the air conditioner can keep my computer cool.

I also spent most of yesterday sleeping, or dozing (choose your term) in the cooler and shadier confines of my bedroom. It's so unlike me to want to spend all day in bed but I think exhaustion from the daily grind had finally caught up with me and I just needed to rest. Today so far has been better; I can only hope it will stay cool the rest of the day.

Another year, another polo match. With advance preparations for the event this year, it turned out to be a spectacular (though very hot) day.

This time around, it was me, Queenie 2, her husband and their friends. We had been plotting and prepping the past week about what to bring and when to meet. So last Sunday, we agreed to meet at 10am at the Dean & Deluca in SoHo. After picking up a few more things from the store we made our back down to the subway with many bags in hand.

The nice thing about the early hour was a shorter queue for the ferry. Last year, the line stretched out the building and down the block towards the Staten Island Ferry terminal. I had checked the schedule and the boats were running at 10am, 11am, and then every half-hour after that; we were hoping to board the 11am ferry, as did quite a number of other people.

Once we were ashore, we followed the rest of the crowds on the way to the polo grounds. There were plenty of people already there by the time we arrived, having staked out the better viewing spots along the public side of the field. In the end, we claimed a spot along the center, directly in front of the restrooms. At first, it didn't seem to be a good spot but honestly, it was a good place to be with easy access in case we needed to use the facilities and not having to detour through too many other picnickers and spectators.

We set down the blankets and then pulled out our wonderful luncheon spread. It was a bit of afternoon tea meeting picnic fare with a bit of Spain thrown in. We started out with some wonderful cranberry and strawberry scones that Queenie made, which we topped with clotted cream and jam. Then came the Spanish tortilla from Despaña, slices of ciabatta, olive oil with a hint of vinegar. There were fancy sardines, mushrooms and fennel. And we washed it down with the pitcher of orange and grapefruit tea I had cold-steeped the night before. Thankfully, the tea stayed cool despite the hot weather.

In between the eating was the people-watching. The organizers set the viewing area about 10 feet back from the edge of the field this year, providing a walkable stretch before the match started. (It was also a safety measure, since the horses could—and did—jump over the barrier and onto the other side.) So it was we had a lovely view of everyone that came to take part in watching. It reminded me very much of the Easter parade, with so many people dressed up in fancy hats, dresses and suits.

Once lunch was over, we took took a break before Queenie brought out dessert: homemade sponge cake with more jam and cream. It was a homemade Victoria Sponge, albeit without the icing sugar on top:

I also brought boxes of berries and cherries, so we had some fruit to go with the cake. But it was a nice way to end a meal. When the tea was all gone, we moved on to the blood orange and elderflower cordials (mixed with sparkling water that was literally chilling in the mini-cooler that was parked beneath my open umbrella).

The match began around 3pm and we stayed for all of it. On the following day, the press made a bigger deal of Prince Harry's fall from his horse (at the start of the game) than was really necessary. But it was fun, and some of the players came and shook hands/high-fived the commoners during intermission. I say "commoners" because during intermission the staff came onto the field and using a rope to separate the grounds from the VIP and public areas as everyone went to stomp the divots.

At the end, Harry's team lost in overtime 6-5 (how very much like soccer is that?) and we finally packed up and made for the extremely long lines for the ferries. It was still very hot by then and the heat was taking a toll on everyone. It also left me with an unwelcome souvenir: a bad sunburn across my back from where the sunscreen missed. What a bother. It was lobster red the first day and has since turned into a very dark tan. I've been applying aloe vera and other miscellany to it but it will be some time before it fades.

See what Delights in Sylvan Scenes appear!
Descending Gods have found Elysium here.
In Woods bright Venus with Adonis stray'd;
And chast Diana haunts the Forest Shade.
Come lovely Nymph, and bless the silent Hours,
When Swains from Sheering seek their nightly Bow'rs;
When weary Reapers quit the sultry Field,
And crown'd with Corn, their Thanks to Ceres yield.
This harmless Grove no lurking Viper hides,
But in my Breast the Serpent Love abides.
Here Bees from Blossoms sip the rosy Dew,
But your Alexis knows no Sweet but you.
Some God conduct you to these blissful Seats,
The mossie Fountains, and the Green Retreats!
Where-e'er you walk, cool Gales shall fan the Glade,
Trees, where you sit, shall crowd into a Shade,
Where-e'er you tread, the blushing Flow'rs shall rise,
And all things flourish where you turn your Eyes.
Oh! how I long with you to pass my Days,
Invoke the Muses, and resound your Praise;
Your Praise the Birds shall chant in ev'ry Grove,
And Winds shall waft it to the Pow'rs above.
But would you sing, and rival Orpheus' Strain,
The wond'ring Forests soon shou'd dance again,
The moving Mountains hear the pow'rful Call,
And headlong Streams hang list'ning in their Fall!

— from "Summer: The Second Pastoral", by Alexander Pope

I met up with Milly for a late brunch on Saturday. We were originally going to go to a French place downtown but the service was a bit lacking and everyone was too busy paying attention to the upcoming US - Ghana World Cup match (which we lost too). So we ended up leaving and headed for the other place I suggested we could eat.

Before we got there, we detoured a block over. I had walked down Mulberry Street earlier and noticed what appeared to be a new restaurant there. (Apparently, Balaboosta's been open for about three months now, though I don't know how it escaped my notice since I walk along that street fairly often.) We glanced at the menu posted in the window and then decided to go inside. The nice thing about the place was that there were no tv sets, so it was one of the rare restaurants that wasn't filled to the brim with footie fans.

We were seated by the window which was absolutely lovely. The lighting, the view, and the plants contributed to the cozy atmosphere. There were a few other occupied tables and it gave off a nice European atmosphere, considering there were a few Europeans seated at some of the other tables.

As for the food... it was a tough call, really. Milly really wanted to try the ceviche but sadly, it was a dinner thing; it would have been perfect to counter the heat of the day. Instead, she ended up ordering the breakfast pizza and I chose the Shakshouka, which I think would have been more suited for cooler weather but it was cool enough inside the restaurant. Both of ordered the honey-pomegranate iced tea for drinks.

I loved the presentation of the food. The Shakshouka was especially colorful, and I opted to include merguez in it as well. I'm not a fan of lamb, but the sausage was pretty good and the gamey taste that usually turns me off of it was very mild. The bread that came with my dish was hot, grilled and brushed with oil. So very tasty. I think I needed one more slice of bread to properly soak up the leftover tomato sauce in the dish, but I went without.

We stayed for dessert as well, splitting the Orange Blossom Malabi. I loved it and Milly thought it was all right; she didn't care for the kumquat sauce that came with it though I liked it. The Malabi was light and creamy, a nice way to end the meal.

Balaboosta
214 Mulberry Street
(just north of Spring Street)
New York, NY 10012

So today, there was an office function this afternoon that I did not have much advance notice about. The place:

The Rooftop Bar at the Empire Hotel. It seems to be some sort of annual picnic/BBQ for this department. I was told last year's was held here as well.

There was plenty of food (burgers, chicken, salad, fries) and an open bar. And for those who wanted a little exercise, a Ping Pong table as well.

We spent the entire afternoon there, enjoying the free meal, watching a bake-off and a Glee-style karaoke contest. It was officially over at 4pm (meaning, the open bar turned back into a paying bar) though many people still hung around afterwards.

I must say, it was a fantastic way to start the weekend.