When I Found My Colours. Aldona Grupas

 

There were several Lithuanians working at the nursing home. We got along very well and helped each other. Once, after work, I went out with Angelė. We exchanged a few words about the weather and how good it was that the shift was over and we could go for a walk. The weather was truly wonderful. The sun was shining, our mood was good, and it seemed we had left our fatigue behind us when we closed the work door. Angelė said timidly, "I have to tell you where I'm going, but you’ll laugh at me." I promised not to laugh. She said she was going to a drawing lesson. "That’s amazing!" I shouted. "My dream is to paint. Take me, too." Angelė was happy that I reacted that way, and we went to the drawing lesson together. The lesson took place in a large room, filled with easels, drawings, and painting tools. The smell of paint hung in the air. My head was spinning with happiness. I liked everything here the smell of paint, the drawings, and the brushes. The teacher, Anna, welcomed me into the group very kindly. After paying for the course, I sat down at an easel. I don't know how long I sat there looking at the blank sheet. I probably still didn’t believe my dream was coming true. And suddenly, something lit up in my head, and I started to paint. I painted without stopping. The brush glided over the paper like a swan swimming on a lake. The colours matched one another without even thinking. Everything happened on its own. It seemed I had known how to paint for a long time. That day was the happiest for me. I returned home as if on wings.

From a Single Photograph to Our First Indian Dish. Aldona Grupas #2

 

The first story from the book “Two Lives at the Table”

My husband, although not Indian, has always been very fond of Indian food. As for me, I must confess that I have never learnt how to cook Indian dishes. Of course, I have tasted them many times. I have Indian friends who occasionally treat me to their homemade meals, and I am always amazed at how ordinary ingredients, combined with a variety of spices, can produce such extraordinary flavours.

But enjoying a meal is one thing. Preparing it yourself is quite another.

My husband sometimes buys an Indian cheese called paneer. It is a white, fairly firm cheese with a delicate, mild flavour. He enjoys eating it just as we Lithuanians eat our traditional curd cheese — without any special sauces or exotic spices.

Nuo vienos nuotraukos iki pirmojo indiško patiekalo. Aldona Grupas #2

 Pirmasis pasakojimas iš knygos „Du gyvenimai prie vieno stalo“

Mano vyras, nors ir nėra indas, labai mėgsta indišką maistą. O štai aš turiu prisipažinti – indiškų patiekalų gaminti nemoku. Žinoma, esu jų ragavusi ne kartą. Turiu draugių indžių, kurios kartais mane pavaišina savo gamintais valgiais. Kiekvieną kartą stebiuosi, kaip iš paprastų produktų, pridėjus įvairių prieskonių, galima sukurti tokius neįprastus skonius.

Tačiau viena yra valgyti, o visai kas kita – pačiai gaminti.

Introduction: The Story Behind the Spice / Įžanga. Istorija, kvepianti prieskoniais

 

For years, Sarbjit and I shared long shifts, hard work and plenty of laughter while working together in a nursing home. Among those busy days, there was always time to talk about food.My first experience of Indian food was at a restaurant called Cinnamon. I will never forget that first bite. Coming from a very different culinary background, that first bite was an explosion of flavour! Everything tasted so new, so full of flavour—and so hot!

Later, when I met Sarbjit at the nursing home, we began by talking about our work and caring for the residents. But our conversations soon turned to cooking. Sarbjit brought homemade food to work, and I was surprised to discover that Indian food did not have to be as hot as that first restaurant meal. Her cooking was full of flavour, and I could enjoy every mouthful.

Over shared food and conversations, we became friends. I tasted dishes I had never tried before, asked questions and discovered new recipes. Sarbjit cooked with love and happiness, and it showed in the food she shared.

This book is more than a collection of Sarbjit’s recipes. It is a scrapbook of our years working side by side, of the memories we made, and of the comforting dishes that brought us, and everyone around us, together.

Welcome to our table.

💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚

Daug metų su Sarbjit dirbome slaugos namuose. Kartu išgyvenome ilgas pamainas, sunkiai dirbome ir daug juokėmės. Net ir užimčiausiomis dienomis atrasdavome laiko pasikalbėti apie maistą.

Pirmą kartą indiško maisto paragavau restorane „Cinnamon“. To pirmojo kąsnio niekada nepamiršiu. Buvau pripratusi prie visai kitokių patiekalų, tad tai buvo tikras skonių sprogimas! Viskas nauja, tiek daug skonių ir taip aštru!

Vėliau, slaugos namuose susipažinusi su Sarbjit, iš pradžių kalbėdavau apie darbą, ligonių slaugymą. Tačiau netrukus mūsų pokalbiai pasisuko apie maisto gaminimą. Sarbjit atsinešdavo savo gaminto maisto ir pavaišindavo. Nustebau – pasirodo, indiškas maistas nebūtinai turi būti toks aštrus, kokį ragavau restorane. Jos patiekaluose netrūko skonio, o aš galėjau mėgautis kiekvienu kąsniu.

Taip, besivaišindamos ir besikalbėdamos, tapome draugėmis. Ragavau dar nepažįstamų patiekalų, klausinėjau ir atradau naujų receptų. Sarbjit gamino su meile ir džiaugsmu. Tai buvo juntama ir jos maiste.

Ši knyga – daugiau nei Sarbjit receptų rinkinys. Joje sudėti mūsų bendro darbo metai, prisiminimai ir patiekalai, kurie prie vieno stalo suburdavo mus ir aplinkinius.

Kviečiame prie mūsų stalo.

Meno magija, pakeitusi mano gyvenimą

 

Aldona Grupas

Man buvo aštuoneri metai, kai stovėjau Rygos operos ir baleto teatro scenoje ir latvių kalba deklamavau poeto Rainio eilėraštį. Tą dieną gavau savo pirmąjį apdovanojimą – knygą su Rainio poezija. Ar galėjau tada pagalvoti, kad po daugelio metų menas mane nuves net iki Jungtinės Karalystės parlamento?

Gimiau Rygoje. Vaikystėje mama dažnai vesdavosi mane pasivaikščioti po senamiestį. Ji rodydavo gražius pastatus, ant jų esančias skulptūras, pasakodavo apie architektūrą. Kartu lankydavome muziejus ir meno galerijas. Galbūt tada ir gimė mano meilė menui.

The Magic of Art That Changed My Life

 

By Aldona Grupas

I was eight years old when I stood on the stage of the Riga Opera and Ballet Theatre, reciting a poem by the Latvian poet Rainis in Latvian. That day, I received my very first award – a book of Rainis's poetry.

Could I ever have imagined that, many years later, art would take me all the way to the UK Parliament?

I was born in Riga, Latvia. When I was a little girl, my mother often took me for walks through the Old Town. She would point out beautiful buildings, sculptures decorating their walls, and tell me about architecture. We visited museums and art galleries together.

Perhaps that was where my love of art began.

Later, when I lived in Lithuania, I never missed an opportunity to visit an art gallery. Riga, Klaipėda, Vilnius, St Petersburg – wherever I went, I always looked for art.

For me, art has never been just about paintings. It is also music, dance, literature and theatre. Everything that enriches our lives, touches our hearts and makes us think.

However, my professional life took a very different direction.

I became a nurse.

For more than forty years, I worked in healthcare, including fifteen years in England. My everyday life was filled with patients, their pain, worries, joys and life stories.

But art never disappeared from my life. It was always there, somewhere beside me.

While living in England, I began writing books, presenting them to readers and organising meetings with writers, poets and artists. We met in different towns and cities across the UK and Lithuania, and later our conversations also moved online.

I participated in art and literary festivals and met so many interesting, creative people.

One day, while talking with conductor Margarita Mikhailova, an idea was born – why not establish an art club?

We were both full of creative energy and ideas. We did not hesitate for long.

That was how Albion Art Club came into being – a place where artists, writers, poets and people from different nationalities could come together through their love of art.

And then one particular meeting opened another door.

I met an artist named Rasa Ušackienė. One day, while visiting her home, I noticed the paintings hanging on her walls and listened to her life story.

I cannot explain what kind of magic happened at that moment, but suddenly I wanted to show the world the work of women who had discovered their artistic talent after the age of fifty.

I also knew younger female artists from Latvia and Ukraine. I began thinking about how to bring them together and introduce their work to a wider audience.

Two countries have always been especially close to my heart – Latvia, where I was born, and Lithuania, the land of my parents and my roots.