It feels like today has been incredibly long. I’m writing this a nine o’clock on Wednesday evening and I’m exhausted. I woke up this morning from a fitful sleep at five thirty. I could not get back to sleep so I got up and started dictating some letters. After that I took a trip to the recycling unit to dispose of some large cardboard packaging (our long awaited hallway console arrived yesterday) and then came home and decided to back a banana bread. My friend had shared a Jamaican recipe with me that I thought I might try.

The bread came out a golden brown colour, very pleasant to look at, crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Not as moist as I would have liked but certainly acceptable.

I went back to my work, took part in a child in need meeting and then headed out to the garden to complete my appraisal documentation.

It has taken me some time to find the mental space to finalise the details of my appraisal. However I allowed myself no distractions and spent a few hours in the sunshine thinking about what where the challenges from the last year. What were the successes. What do I want to achieve in the next year.

Ninety minutes later I had put together something I was happy to send to my appraiser. I think as the weather allows, I will allow myself the odd hour away from my desk to sit outside – top up my vitamin D levels and just let nature take away some of my work-related stress.

Ingredients

113 g butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg beaten

3 large ripe bananas

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 nutmeg

pinch of salt

1/2 cup milk

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup raisins

Methods

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add egg to butter and sugar.
3. Add crushed bananas and mix well.
4. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
5. Add flour mixture to butter, sugar and egg mixture along with milk and vanilla.
6. Add raisins.
7. Pour into greased and lined loaf tin and bake at 350oF (175oC) for one hour or until done.

Reference: Enid Donaldson, The Real Taste of Jamaica.