Basil!

I like having plants around the house, although I have absolutely no idea about how to care for them apart from watering them occasionally when they look a bit wilted. 

A few years ago - well, nearly twenty, in fact - I bought a basil plant and popped it in the window of the kitchen. I loved its smell, plus, around that time, I regularly made a pasta dish that included fresh basil. And the more leaves I took off it, the more grew back like some kind of herbal hydra.

The plant thrived in the sunshine and it proved easy to care for. It would shrivel and droop when it needed water and then, once rehydrated, spring back into full-bodied life, filling the kitchen with its mediterranean scent.

This inspired me to try my hand with other herbs but none were successful and, sadly, I can't remember what happened to the original basil plant. I suspect it was left behind when I moved out.

Over the years, I've bought new basil plants from time to time but none has matched the vim and joie de vivre of that first fellow. I bought this one yesterday for Izzy's tomato and mozzarella salad, and I was delighted to be greeted by it, sitting in the sunshine, this morning.