My Favourite Things . . .

 

A few of the things which catch my eye, inspire me, pluck at my heart strings, make me smile, or that I just enjoy.  Maybe they will do the same for you.    

 

When we were at school, we had to memorise poetry.  I remember memorising this one and it was always one of my favourites.  Do children still have to memorise poetry?  I wonder. 

 

Bunnies  . . .  especially baby ones  . . .  baby anything really.  

  

Linen napkins  . . . 

   

Pretty flats  . . .  

 

Rose covered arbours  . . . . 

  

Sink Skirts  . . . 

 

Pink roses  . . .  can't wait! 

  

Anything bluebird  . . . 

 

Up the Hill on instagram. The most beautiful embroideries.  

  

 Animal dolls  . . .  so cute  . . . 

 

Vintage Typograpy  . . . . 

  

Cups with secrets in the bottom . . . .

 

Ripe pears are my favourite fruit, followed closely by nectarines  . . . and berries. Ohh, watermelon, canteloupe . . .  pineapple.  Fruit.  I just love fruit.  

 

Vintage kitchen ceramics  . . .  especially fruity ones  . . . 

  

Window boxes  . . . . 

 

My glass birds  . . . .  my heart sings whenever I spy them . . .

  

The colours in my new blanket  . . .  love this one most of all of all the blankets I have done  . . . 

 

Macaroni and Cheese from scratch.  My own homemade. Yum.  Haven't had it in a while. 

 

Robins egg cake (from Country Living)  To me this is the most beautiful cake ever . . . 

 

Twin Beds  . . .  love ours . . .  we each have our own space. Nobody hogs the covers . . . 

  

Children's verses  . . .  love them . . . 

 

Homemade shortbreads  . . . 

  

Garden fresh beans  . . .  I'm going to plant some in tubs again this year.  So good  . . . 

 

Wool blankets  . . . 

  

Proper red hair  . . . 

And those are my favourite things for this week!  

 

We had such a great time with Tina and Tony yesterday!  This is a photo of them on their recent trip to SA. Those are rescue baby elephants. Magnificent.  We took Mitzie with us, as she just adores Tina and the feeling is mutual. Tina had made a fabulous stew.  I got Tony all sorted with his Netflix so now they can watch it on their telly, no problem.  It was just a really wonderful afternoon.  It cheered me up to no end! 

A thought to carry with you . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *In the end, only three things matter;

how much you loved,  how gently you lived,

and how gracefully you let go of the

things not meant for you.

~Buddha   •。★★ 。* 。  

In the kitchen today  . . .  Chicken Cordon Bleu Sliders. Seriously yummy, small batch.  Quick and easy as well.

Hope you have a beautiful day.  Love and be loved! Don't forget!  

 

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And I do too!    

   

Ponderings on this, the first day of Spring . . .

I look out my front window here in our little terraced house this morning and the sun is shining gloriously down upon Blacon . . .  with only a few clouds in the sky.    The sky is a steady blue . . . with a few wisps of white and grey steaking across the evenness of it's colour . . .  and its a lot milder than it has been.  About what you would expect this time of year . . .

The branches of our hydrangea bushes out front are waking up . . . little buds are growing there, beginning to unfurl into leaf . . . and then bloom.   It is the same with each bush and plant in the garden as they begin to show life after a long cold Winter's sleep . . . our camelia has been blooming for a few weeks now. It bloomed early this year and the forsythia is a burst of yellow glory in the back garden. 

 Purple coloured Grape Hyacinth now dance along the bottom of the hedgerow out back . . . along with a cluster in our frong garden,  their little bells tinkling in a late March breeze . . . a breeze which nips at the fingers and has the taste of the winter still on it's lips, but not for long . . . no, not for long . . . there is no power at it's weakening soul . . . it knows it's days are numbered now . . .for today is the first day of Spring. 

There is a special warmth to the sunshine which is felt today . . .  it was not there last week, nor the week before . . . and it may take most of the morning for us to feel it for today, but it's there all the same and with each day that passes it will become stronger and much easier for us to feel  and embrace it's presence. . . it is the breathe of life which  I call the "greening" of England . . . spring unspoken . . . 

At first imperceptible, but soon unmissable . . . every trunk and branch of every bush and every tree swathes itself in the tender green flush that is spring arriving . . . it is soon as if they are enveloped in a tender green haze which grows and grows until all are swathed in it completely from head to toe.   Spring's tender green gown fit for it's Bride who is getting ready to walk down the aisle, there is no stopping her now . . .

The cold of Winter is losing it's grip on the land, weakening.   The earth stirs with a tender moan and begins to relent and release it's prisoners with a white bloom here . . . a yellow one there . . . birdsong becomes just that little bit sweeter . . .
 

 

 

Tender purple crocus with yellow hearts dance with the daffodils within the confines of the town green, their heads swaying to the music of the warming breeze . . . and there . . . a gamboling bumble bee prances too . . . an awkward dance which lifts it up from tender bloom to tender bloom, black hairy britches  dusted with golden fairy dust, which spreads from flower . . . to flower . . . to flower.  They are a harbinger of spring with their bumbling ways and jaunty britches . . .
 

 

(My friend Netta had one set of triplets born!)  

Lambs begin to arrive and to prance . . . rhubarb unfurls with tender green and deeply crinkled leaf . . . it's stems reddened and brilliant against the back drop of Winter leaving . . . there is a great and unmistakable beauty in the un-furling of Spring, in that tender wash of green . . . that imperceptible tinkle of white bell and song of bird.

I long  to be where the daffodils dance beneath the sun . . . along side of waters dappled with the glitter of a thousand silver wings.   That which inspired poets to pin words to paper. . .  words which,  a hundred or so years later, still cause  heart to leap in chest . . . and breath to sigh . . . 

Some days my heart is filled with a sadness that I have a hard time coping with, others I can manage it quite well . . . Today is one of those days, but it will pass hopefully as the day goes on. We are going to our friends Tina and Tony's for lunch.  They have just gotten back from their South African holiday so will have lots to share with us.  I have missed Tina a lot. It will be so nice to see her again. It was her birthday the other day so I have a little gift to bring to her.  I crocheted her a hand towel and some dish clothes.  I hope she likes them!

A thought to carry with you  . . .




° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *"Water which is too pure has no fish."
~Ts'ai Ken T'an  •。★★ 。* 。 

 

Two recipes in The English Kitchen today  . . .  A Cabbage & Tomato Soup and some Cheddar & Chive Drop Biscuits.  Both are very good! 

Have a wonderful Wednesday!  Don't forget! 

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And I do too!  

The Simple Woman's Daybook . . .

 

FOR TODAY, March 19, 2019

Outside my window ...

The sun is already up and the birds are singing. Our clocks have not gone ahead yet. They won't until the end of the month.  

 

It looks like it is going to be another gloomy and dismal day. The flower pots look so sad, but the birds in the window look nice. I finally got some invisible string.  You can just catch a glimpse of the forsythia off towards the end of the garden.

I am thinking ...

Why did we never watch Lost when it was originally on the television?  Just catching up with it now on Prime.  We are hooked. 

I am thankful for ...

Two good sons and a brother who are fine examples of the male species. 

One of my favourite things ... 

 

My dollhouse  . . . 

In the kitchen ... 

 

Lemon Yogurt Muffins, small batch, adapted from a recipe by the late Marion Cunningham. 

On my "To Cook" list ...

 

Half Baked Harvest, Chipotle Braised Chicken Nachos.  I adore nachos.  

Good to know ... 

 

The Happier Homemaker, simmering pot house freshener fragrance.  

I am creating ... 

 

I made her a Cherry Pie.  Its a bottle cap filled with red beads with a felt topping.  

 

Sew Into Vintage.  Lavendar Sachets made from vintage linens.  

 

Lullaby Lodge. Bobble Edging Tutorial.  

 

Knot Garden, Stripes.  

 

I finished another blanket. I think I like the colours in this one most of all. 

Oh my goodness ... 

 

Dad's Cookies.  I am happy I only made half a batch  . . . true confession. 

I am reading ... 

 

Hurricane Season, by Lauren K Denton

Betsy and Ty Franklin, owners of Franklin Dairy Farm in southern Alabama, have long since buried their desire for children of their own. While Ty manages their herd of dairy cows, Betsy busies herself with the farm’s day-to-day operations and tries to forget her dream of motherhood. But when her free-spirited sister, Jenna, drops off her two young daughters for “just two weeks,” Betsy’s carefully constructed wall of self-protection begins to crumble.

As the two weeks stretch deeper into the Alabama summer, Betsy and Ty learn to navigate the new additions in their world—and revel in the laughter that now fills their home. Meanwhile, record temperatures promise to usher in the most active hurricane season in decades.

Attending an art retreat four hundred miles away, Jenna is fighting her own battles. She finally has time and energy to focus on her photography, a lifelong ambition. But she wonders how her rediscovered passion can fit in with the life she’s made back home as a single mom.

When Hurricane Ingrid aims a steady eye at the Alabama coast, Jenna must make a decision that will change her family’s future, even as Betsy and Ty try to protect their beloved farm and their hearts. Hurricane Season is the story of one family’s unconventional journey to healing—and the relationships that must be mended along the way.

I am looking forward to ...
The Sister Missionaries are coming again this afternoon with our friend Leslie to teach. Leslie is getting baptised on Saturday next.  Todd and I are both giving talks at the Baptism, so I have that to write now.

Dreaming about ...

 

Bungalow Cottage, but not that colour  . . .  love the trim and the door and the arched windows . . .

  

Smeg . . .  and look at that floor. 

 

A bowl full of linens  . . . 

  

Bees flitting from flower to flower to flower  . . .  

 

Pretty pajamas  . . . 

Makes  me smile ... 

  

Sweet smile, but wrong team.  🙌 

 

And this.  They will be lifelong friends. 

Something to watch ... 

 

I know I am way behind the world on this, but I am loving it. 

A thought to carry with you  ...

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *The best way out

is always through.

~Robert Frost  •。★★ 。* 。

  

Also this  . . . 

Corners of my kingdom ... 

 

Bateman's near Burwash in Sussex. This was Rudyard Kipling's home.  Been to it many times.  It is now owned by the National Trust. It is a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable home to visit.

And that's my daybook for this week!



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



✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.• ╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥
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Have a beautiful day!  Don't forget!  

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And I do too!