Wednesday 31 May 2017

Wednesday This and That . . .


This is a pretty little photo I snapped in Chester yesterday with my phone. I have been watching phone camera tutorials and trying to learn now to take better photos.  It is the top/roof-line section of some shops kitty-corner to the cathedral.  I thought they were really pretty with the relief work on them, resembling somewhat embossed German Springerle.  I have probably walked by them a thousand times, but never stopped to really look at them.  They are very Tudor in appearance and the chimney's are pretty also, or am I just biased?  I don't know.

Its funny how you can walk by something so often and yet never drink it in.  I have vowed this year that I am going to take in everything around me, appreciate it more  . . .  take more notice.

 

I took this photo just down the street a little bit as it curves down towards the main drag.  Not sure you can tell that the street is tiled or not.  That is an eyeglass shop on the far left and hairdressing salond next to a small Italian Bistro/bakery on the right.  Oh the smells coming out of those doorways are amazing.  I love the rooflines and the white and black tudor styling of the buildings.  I love that Chester has not gotten rid of this old architecture as it is really a part of its charm as a city.  Many people come here each year to drink it all in.


I also snapped a shot of the Chester City Touring Bus.  Its an old Victorian bus that you can hop on and take a guided tour of the city.  I have not done it yet, but we were thinking that when Tim and Eileen come over in September we will take them on it. Its not cheap, but it will be worth it and I think they will enjoy it a lot.  You can get a closer look at the tiled streets here along with the pavements.  Those black poles are called Traffic Bollards and they keep vehicles from riding up onto the pavement.  That double yellow line, means no parking.



I picked up my new spectacles at Spec Savers.  These were the ones I really wanted and they are on my wish list if I ever get some extra cash.  they are called Pearl.


This is what I settled for.  They are bronze coloured metal at the front with coffee coloured sides.  They were £20  less in price than the other ones.  I like that the nose piece is moulded in the ones I really like.  I am not fond of the separate nose piece thingies.  They can get loose and pinch, and all sorts. The others are also easier to keep clean.


I was laying in bed reading last night in this book and I read this part that I thought to myself, I am going to have to share this with you all in the morning  . . .

"It was at this inn that I got, for a ridiculously small sum,
a lunch which more than ever endeared me to Wharfedale,
for after a man has had a morning full of beauty there is no
better cap to it than a lunch which in itself is a thing of beauty.
There was a rich, dark soup which was not only hot, but full of
the flavour of vegetables, then turkey with thyme and parsley stuffing,
roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts, a fruit tart with a crust it was
a shame to break and a joy to eat, a portion of Wensleydale cheese and
a cup of as good a coffee as you could expect in England."

Now does that not sound so very appetising? As I read it the fork in my mind was poised above the plate and I was longing for a taste of that rich, dark soup.  Now that is good writing if a travel book can make your tastebuds tingle.  I really am enjoying this book however and not the least because of passages such as this.


Speaking of writing, all has been submitted now for the book and I was told yesterday by my Editor that he will soon be sending me the final proof for me to see.  I am starting to get very excited.  I really, REALLY hope that it does well, for if it does then next time I will be able to write the book I really wanted to write instead of the book they wanted me to write.  (If that makes sense.)  Fingers crossed!


I got some cotton yarns yesterday to bring with me on our Trip later in June so I could crochet some cotton dish cloths.  Monique tempted me.  Its all her fault.  😉  She had shown some lovely ones on her blog that a friend had sent to her as a gift.  They had such beautiful "ice-cream like" colours. (You can see them here.)  I am in love with colour and while I might not sport a lot of colour on my person because I am humble like that (ahem, haha) I do love to work with colour as you know.  Colour brings me joy.


I got really hard on myself yesterday and I finally tackled my wardrobe and my dresser and I got rid of  . . .  wait for it  . . .  FOUR bags of clothes.  Yes.  Four bags.  Four bags of clothes that I have no idea why I was keeping them.  There is no way on earth that I will ever, ever fit into them again and lets face it  . . .  in all honesty, if I ever do get back to that size I will be wanting NEW clothes, not old ones and so I just was ruthless and plucked and plucked and plucked until now there are only things I love and things that fit.  Job done, and some lucky lady is in for a treat when she stumbles on them in a charity shop.  Some of them still had price tags on them.  Seriously.

Now if I could only be as good at weeding
out my books.  That's a much
harder chore to 
complete.
...

And with that I will leave you with a thought for the day . . .

.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | ç”°ç”° |é–€ ★

 *.˛.If you want to improve your life immediately,
clean out a closet. Often its what we hold onto
that holds us back.
~Cheryl Richardson  •。★★ 。* 。

Spiritual Enlightenment



Oh, there is something tasty brewing in The English Kitchen today  . . .  Irish Coffee Cake Scones.  Oh boy, oh boy . . .  these are dangerous!

Have a fabulous Wednesday.  We are going to try to do some visiting of some shut-ins we care about.  Don't forget!


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


And I do too!


12 comments:

  1. Morning Marie, I do like your quote for the day today. I'm so pleased that you managed the task of clearing out the wardrope. When Lyn was at Mary's she helped Mary to do a massive clear out of her clothes, like you she had never worn some of them and now they were much to big for her. She also did a big cull of ornaments etc etc. She felt so much better after that was done and I'm sure the charity shops were delighted to get everything.......poor Lyn had a shock yesterday when the men came to lay new Lino in the kitchen and carpet in the bedroom, when they took out 3 yes 3 layers of Lino in the kitchen the floor underneath was rotten and the man actually put his foot through it the same in the bedroom under I think the window...it means they coudnt lay anything. She has a man coming this morning to see what he can do but I felt so sad for her it's been one thing after another....well here is Mary so I had better go and get the breakfast started !..hope you have a good day visiting. Love the Chester photos,
    Bye. God Bless xx

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  2. My goodness Sybil.

    Marie your photos of Chester are beautiful. Thank you for sharing,

    I am feeling dreadfully tired as I have had little sleep over the last few days. I went to bed around 7pm and now by 9pm I have been woken.

    God bless you now and always.

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  3. You've mentioned that book so many times I have started to get interested in it too. Looked it up 2nd hand online. Quite cheap. I see I'll be ordering it soon.

    Good on you for giving the clothes away. I thought of doing the same thing in the change over from winter to summer but chickened out. I must do a clean out at the end of summer!!!

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  4. When I was downsizing in order to move I had to be ruthless and many clothes and books went to charity.It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. But was necessary so couldn't be helped. I loved seeing all the pictures of Chester too. What a delightful place you have to live in.

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  5. You have a great phone..it's a good idea to practice..

    I love the look of Chester and the passage from the book:) More books should talk about food in a glorious way:)
    Love the yarn haul for you.I will post my first attempt..you will LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.
    I have no shame.
    Love your glasses too:)

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  6. Oh my word Sybil! What lies beneath eh? You never know! I would hate to pull up the carpeting in this house. My landlord is notoriously cheap when it comes to anything. Getting him to make changes is like pulling hen's teeth. He's Irish and can squeeze a penny like nobody else I know! xoxo

    It must have brought you back some memories seeing the photos Suzan. So much brighter in the sunshine! You will have to come back in the summer sometime, when you are in the throes of Winter in Oz! Hope you get a better nights sleep tonight!

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  7. Linda, its an older book, but it really is a lovely read. I got mine out from the Library, but I love it so much I might save my pennies up to buy a second hand copy! xoxo

    As hard as it must have been Pam, I am sure you felt like a load had been lifted when you were done. We need to do the same with our books and tat! xoxo

    Chester is a beautiful city Monique. I missed it so much when we were down South. I always said that I wanted to come back and as hard a time as we went through when we did come back, it was well worth it because we quite simply love it here! I can't wait to see your first attempt. I got my yarn today. It came really quickly! Guess what I am doing tonight! xoxo

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  8. The top of those shops are a work of art Marie!
    What kind of book did u want to write? For me, it would be one with cakes, cookies, and fudge! I can't leave it alone! Lol.
    I'm so happy for u and I think ur cookbook will do great!
    I hope u and ur friends continue to feel better and better! xoxo

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  9. Hi Jan, I have had it in mind to write a book where I combine my seasonal writings from this blog with my recipes from the other, interspersed with my art, etc. I hope my cookbook does alright. We are now haggling over photos. My editor thinks that including colour ones will drive the cost of the book up whereas I am saying nobody wants a book without colour photos. Sigh . . . xoxo

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    Replies
    1. I agree with u Marie, that people will be willing to pay more for colored pictures. Maybe she should ask people which book would sell better. Lol. We already know that answer!
      Try not to worry though bc it will all work itself out in the end. xoxo

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  10. It has J! and we are agreed colour photos! Whew! I posed the question on my English Kitchen Facebook page and waited a few minutes for all the answers to fly in and then sent him the link! He was impressed to say the least! xoxo

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