Oh yes, and I want to tell you how the Ancient Greeks used honey to treat battle wounds. Honey – you see - has mystic, healing properties. It’s liquid gold. Which reminds me about the story of Aristaeus, the bee-keeping god, who sacrificed his cattle for a colony of bees. The myth of Aristaeus is a story of redemption and regeneration. It reminds us of the ancient powers of the natural world. We celebrate men and man because we are human. We celebrate the man-made because we are proud to have created it. But we must also celebrate and protect the natural. Because we are borne of it. And we depend of it. Because without it we have nothing to make. Nothing to create from. No honey or cream for semifreddo.

Those are some of my thoughts, written down. My page is no longer blank. My stream of consciousness – chaotic and sincere – I have now shared with you.

And here is my recipe for a semifreddo. I think that you’ll like it – I did. Like it, that is. The cream is thick and honeyed, cold like ice cream, but softer in texture. Like melted ice cream. The salted almonds give it an irresistible crunch and the stem ginger a peppery kick.

I sprinkled some thyme on top – a little nod to the rural idyll that I’m sitting here wishing I were living.