Wednesday, 22 April 2026

Wednesday Witterings . . .


 

This is a word I am very familiar with although I did not know that was what the word used to describe the situation. I cannot tell you the number of times I have trouble finding the word for something or someone.  Its right on the tip of my tongue and I can actually see who or what I am thinking of, but I cannot remember the word or name. Does this happen to you? I am guessing it does because it is such a common thing that they have an actual word for it.

Eventually the word does come to me, usually in the middle of the night, but I have seen it take several weeks.  Not that long ago Cindy and I were trying to remember the name of mom's Avon Lady.  She had taken up selling Avon after mom had quit. Her name should have been very familiar to us both, but do you think we, either one of us, could think of it. We could not. It was a blank in both of our minds.

It took several weeks for the name to surface and when it did, it came up like a bubble in a bath. There it was. Plain as day. Marie Cress. DOH! And then it as if I had never forgotten it. And I doubt that I will ever again. 


 

I am one step closer to having my front garden sorted.  Dan went out yesterday and picked up all of the cedar chips and the ground cover for it. Its on the front deck waiting for him to begin when the weather starts to cooperate. It's quite cold at the moment. -5 this morning.

At least I hope it is still on the front deck. You never know in this town. There are a lot of thieves about.

I have in mind to put a bird bath in the center, which might also attract butterflies. They like water. And then several large pots that I can put annuals in. We will see how it goes.

I had beautiful Peacock Butterflies in my garden in the U.K. We had a Buddleia bush in our back garden and in the warmer months when it was in bloom it would be covered in these most beautiful butterflies.


 

 


They were so much fun to watch and so beautiful.  At any given time there would be half a dozen or so sunning themselves and drinking in nectar from the blooms.




We also got butterflies that looked like this, although I am not sure what their name is.  Cabbage whites as well, but mostly the peacock ones.

Butterflies are not so common as they used to be.  Sad really  . . . 


 


Remembering when my two little munchkins used to fit together into their basket in front of the living room window. Now Cinnamon fills it to overflowing when she gets up into it. It is a favorite perch of the both of them. They each seem to take turns sitting on it and watching the world go by outside the window. Chippy is back so this week they have been enjoying him. And I have been getting chickadees and goldfinches at the feeder so they are enjoying them also.

And Eileen is enjoying the cats.  She is going to get a cat when she gets her own place. She has been trying to think of names to call a cat. She wants a girl cat that is a year old. I think we decided on the name "Willow" yesterday, but you just never know.





This is the situation at the present. He is purring away next to me as I type. He is such a little character.  


 

Oops!  Are you talking about me?

I don't know where his sister is. She is most likely having her after-breakfast nap underneath my bed. They sure sleep a lot.  There is the after-breakfast nap, the mid-morning nap, the pre-lunch nap, then the after-lunch nap.  Mid-afternoon nap, pre-dinner nap, after dinner-nap, evening-nap and then its party on until morning time. 

Love them both so much.


 


Next year I will mark 20 years of writing a blog.  I was checking back this morning and my very first blog post on blogger (when I called my blog A Year from Oak Cottage) was back on the 1st of June in 2007. I posted about the weather and  the life in our cottage garden along with a recipe for lemon curd.


"We have really had some lovely weather here recently. Our garden is full to bursting with color and scent and sound. The other day I saw a hawk down on the grass by the feeder. I believe it had caught a mouse. Two magpies were settled very nearby just waiting for him to slip up and their chance to steal his prize. We have had jackdaws come calling recently along with a pair of crows and the other night I perchance to look out the window and saw a the lovely sight of an adult woodpecker feeding it's baby on the top of our shed roof. I don't imagine it is often one gets to share a sight like that. 

 I heard a bit of a fuss a few nights ago and looked out to see a fox in the garden, which might explain why the two baby bunnies we had been enjoying nightly have suddenly disappeared."


When I think back on all of the experiences and things I have enjoyed in the ensuing years tis pretty amazing at the journey I have taken in all that time.  In writing that first post I had no idea of where the days and years would take me. What an interesting ride it has been.

I think I will always write. I am a writer at heart. It is what I love to do. And I do it for the fun and the joy it brings. The way it inspires me to exercise my brain. I have always loved stringing words together, and that is all that writing is.  Stringing words together.

It still amazes me that anyone comes to read them.


 

Life is a journey and its pretty wonderful to have this somewhat of a journal of mine cataloguing the last 20 years or so. I was watching Leave it to Beaver the other day and his father had given him a diary to write in as Beaver had said that he wanted to be a writer when he grew up.  I could certainly identify with that ideal as I felt the same way when I was a child.  

On his first few pages, he writes. "Got up. Ate Breakfast. Went to school. Had lunch. Came home from school. Had supper. Went to bed."

This goes on for a few days, but then he decides that it's kind of boring so he starts making up adventures and writing them down.  Things like walking on his hands on the railings of the bridge in the middle of town, etc.  Just to make it more interesting.

And then one day he is late coming home from school and his parents have no idea of where he is or what he has been doing. They decide to check out his diary to see if they can find out any clues.  They pick open the lock are appalled at all the things he's been up to. 

They end up confronting him when he does get home and tell him what they have done, but are really relieved to find out that it's all been made up. And then they are ashamed that they betrayed his trust in checking out his diary. But Beaver is completely okay with it. He's just excited that he has a father who knows how to pick a lock!

I love that show. In many ways it reminds me a bit of my own childhood, except my parents were not June and Ward Cleaver and we did not live in near as nice of a house. But I can identify with a lot of the situations and experiences and feelings shared on the show.  It's what I call "nice" television.


 


What a pretty little cottage this is. I can just imagine what it would be like to live in a pretty place like this. I can almost hear the birds singing and the bees humming as they flit from white bloom to white bloom.  Some people are just so very blessed.

But really a home isn't what you see on the outside is it. It is the people who live within it's walls and the lives they have built. A safe space. A place of joy and contentment, no matter how pretty or practical it might look on the surface. You could have the prettiest house on the planet and that would not make it a home.

When I was a young woman I used to love to sit and make plans and to dream about the home I might one day own. I could spend hours planning and dreaming . . .  in between taking care of kids, housekeeping,  cooking, laundry and taking care of the home I did have. I wish I had known then what I know now.

A home is not the four walls that surround you, but the love and the lives that they shelter, no matter how humble or beautiful that the four walls may be. 


 


I don't have many plans for the day except to knuckle down and get my talk written for Sunday. It is supposed to be based on the theme of Love One Another. I have had two months to write it. I have gathered a lot of thoughts over that time and references, so now I just have to pull it all together into some semblance of a talk and hope that I will say whatever it is that the Lord wants me to say.  I have always found that the person who learns the most when I give a talk at church is myself. And if that is the only one who feels inspired, then that is enough. 

In any case  . . .  today is the day.  Eileen will be out for much of it so I will have lots of peace and quiet in order to concentrate. I don't have a meal to prepare as we are going out to supper with dad as per normal. (And Eileen is looking forward to that.) So all told a pretty quiet day and perfect for correlating my thoughts into something which hopefully will not put people to sleep.

And I finally had a half decent nights sleep as well. Lately all I have been getting is one hour spurts. Last night I managed to get more than five hours straight without being woken up.

Eileen said she would pray for me, and I guess it worked. 😊 She will be happy to hear that when she gets up.

A thought to carry with you . . . 

☾ ° ° * 。  
• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | ç”°ç”° |é–€ ★
*We have not inherited the earth
from our fathers.We are borrowing it
from our children
~native American saying 



Herb Oatmeal Pan Rolls



In The English Kitchen today    . . .  Herb Oatmeal Pan Rolls.  Incredibly easy and quick to make. Delicious too! Soft, wholesome, and full of homemade flavor. Made with oats, two flours, and a buttery herb topping, they bake into tender pull‑apart rolls that are perfect with soups, stews, or enjoyed warm with butter.


I hope you have a beautiful day today. It is saying on my weather app, rain/snow ahead. Sounds interesting!  Whatever you get up to, don't forget!

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
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And I do too!    

   

Tuesday, 21 April 2026

A Day Book . . .

 



FOR TODAY, April 21st, 2026


OUTSIDE MY WINDOW ...


Nothing too out of the ordinary. It's cold, -1*C/32*F. It is only supposed to go up to +5*C/41*F today. So not a really warm day in store. We could get some rain mixed with snow on Friday.  That's a Canadian spring for you!

Very unpredictable.


I AM THINKING ...

I just read this morning that Alan Osmond died. He was 76 and had been battling Muscular Sclerosis for many years. May he rest in peace. I love the Osmonds when I was a teenager. They were great role models.


I AM ALSO THINKING ...



This is me. Totally. Fits me to a "t".


I AM GRATEFUL FOR ...

 


Having an attitude of gratitude. It has made my life even more joy filled.


I AM ALSO GRATEFUL FOR ...


 

Spring flowers. A lovely spark of color after the bleak cold winter.


IN THE KITCHEN ...

Country Meatballs with Gravy

Country Meatballs with Gravy. Tender, well-flavored meatballs, oven-braised in a flavor-filled rich gravy. These are extraordinarily delicious!


ON MY "TO COOK" LIST ...


Quick and Tangy easy Refrigerated Pickles. From SimplyTastyLife. These look great!


THIS I BELIEVE ...


Truth.


SOMETHING THAT IS NICE ...


 

This  . . . . 


SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS NICE ...


 

At the risk of repeating myself  . . . 


I AM WANTING TO CREATE ...


 

Pretty painted tea cups   . . . 


 

Are these bookmarks?  I love them  . . . 


 

A white dove with a message  . . . 


 


A carrot bookmark . . . 


 

A little stamp  . . . 


SOMETHING I ENJOY ...

 

Pussy Willows  . . . 


SOMETHING ELSE THAT I ENJOY ...


 

Fresh figs  . . . 


I AM READING ...


THE FROZEN RIVER, by Ariel Lawhon


A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history. 

 Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. 

Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town's most respected gentlemen-one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own. 

 Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie. 

 Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon's newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard.

The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.

Reading this on my kindle


THINGS THAT CATCH MY FANCY ...


 
The cliffs of Ireland  . . . 


 

Strawberry Cakes  . . . 

 


Pretty bouquets of flowers   . . . 


 

Pretty pottery  . . . 


 

Chocolate tarts  . . . 



MAKES ME SMILE ...


 


Hand knit socks  . . . so pretty.


SOMETHING TO WATCH ...



My Best Friend Anne Frank . . .  on Netflix


A THOUGHT TO CARRY WITH YOU ...

☾ ° ° * 。  
• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | ç”°ç”° |é–€ ★
*My body is mine.
It carries me through the days.
It holds my heart, my stories,
my ordinary little moments.
And that is more than enough.
~Diane Shiffer• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。
• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。



And that is my daybook for this week!  Thanks always for being here!


  ⋱ ⋮ ⋰
⋯ ◯ ⋯ Take time to enjoy the small *´¯`.¸¸.☆
  ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆ 



✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•. ╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥╬
░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░ 


Have a beautiful day!  Don't forget!  

═══════════ღೋƸ̵̡Óœ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ═════════════ 
⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
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And I do too!    

   

Monday, 20 April 2026

Small and Wonderful Things . . .

 



"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny? It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard 


 A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life. It's the small things in life which truly mean the most. Simple abundance . . . it's the best.


 

Sunday morning church. I love to go to church on Sundays. I still miss my congregation in the U.K. but I also love the people I go to church with here in Nova Scotia, and I love the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So church on Sunday mornings is where I want and love to be. I love the prayers, I love the hymns, I love the talks. I love taking the Sacrament and renewing my covenants with the Savior, taking His name upon me and preparing myself spiritually for the week ahead. This is a vital part of my life and of who I am.


 


Glenna's Daffodils are all in bloom and are such a cheerful sight. Every time I look out my window I can see them dancing in the breeze. I love daffodils. I always wanted to be able to visit Ullswater in the spring and see the daffodils that Wordsworth wrote about but never got there when they were in bloom. 


 


This is such a wonderful time of year to witness. The earth coming alive again after a long cold Winter. The trees are taking on that green flush that they were in Spring. The grass is turning green, little plants are poking their heads up through the soil.  At my sister's the lupins in the ditch are already making their presence known.  The birds are singing their beautiful nesting songs. The peepers in the ditches are likewise regaling us. It is a lovely time of year.

But then, I say that every season. I am so blessed to live in a country with seasons that change so dramatically.


 


I am so loving the bread that we are able to get at Pelton's. It tastes just as good as my mother's did. And at only $5 a loaf it is not overly expensive either. Soft and delicious. I am ashamed to say that I had five slices yesterday when I count the two I had for breakfast as toast, the two I had for lunch with butter and jam (naughty I know) and then I had the crust end at Cindy's with my supper. I couldn't resist it. It is so darned good!




Love these two furry family members. They bring such joy into my life. I cannot imagine a life without them in it. I am so blessed.




I love having this sweet girl staying with me. I will miss her when she moves into her own place. She is a joy to have around. Always so happy. I have not ever met anyone who doesn't think she is a treasure. She can be stubborn sometimes, but she comes by that honestly. My family is full of stubborn people, including myself. She faces life and it's challenges with a sweet and gentle heart. Everyone should be so blessed to have an Eileen in their lives. Love her so much. 


 

Grateful for all the dandelion bouquets I have been gifted with through the years. I cherished each and every one of them!



 

I am grateful for the talents I have been given and how I am able to use them and share them with others. I wish my eyes were a bit more cooperative these days, but I do my best.



 

Grateful also for the creativity of others and their generosity in sharing it with the world. I am in awe of all their talents.


 


Grateful for the gift of family and for mine. For a daughter who makes me smile. For sons who stay in touch and send me photographs of their cooking exploits.  For my sister and Dan and all that they do for me. For my dad and the time I get to spend with him. I am so grateful to have had these five almost six years with him that I never thought I would have. For grandchildren that know and love me, and who I love back with all of me

I love all my family so very much.



 


So grateful for my home. It is my sanctuary. My oasis. The place where I am my happiest.

My life is full of blessings. I am so grateful for each and every one of them. I have all that I need and then enough to share. I am loved and I love. I have a strong faith which sustains me, guides me, uplifts me.  I am at peace with my life and with the world.  Life is good.

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

☾ ° ° * 。  
• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | ç”°ç”° |é–€ ★
*Hope is a renewable option
if you run out of it at the end of the day,
you get to start over again in the morning.
~Barbara Kingsolver


Traditional Oat Bannocks


In The English Kitchen today, Traditional Oat BannocksLight, tender, and gently nutty from quick oats, they’re a traditional Scottish bake that comes together with just a few humble ingredients and a soft touch. Simple to make and most enjoyable!

I hope your week ahead is loaded to the brim with small and wonderful things that bring you peace, joy and happiness. Whatever you get up to, don't forget! 

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Óœ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════  

And I do too!