It has been an unusually colourful but cold, wet autumn. It will be a hard winter they said. I packed a bag and flew to my second home in Sri Lanka – for three months.

Flight EK 018

On a cold and blastery November morning, I took a taxi to Manchester airport and bordered  the early afternoon Emirates Airbus 380 to Dubai. The 380 is an excellent aircraft with generous leg room and good service. I had a G&T, ate Sumac chicken and saffron rice washed down with a rather ordinary South African sauvignon Blanc and watched Mission Impossible 4. (The sumac bush, native to the Middle East, produces deep red berries, which are dried and ground into coarse powder and added to meat dishes. Ground sumac is a versatile spice with a tangy lemony flavor, although more balanced and less tart than lemon juice). Emirates now have the odd…