Thursday 26 April 2018

My favourite things . . .

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These are some of the things in life that I enjoy and which make me happy, inspire me, or put a smile on my face. Maybe some of them are yours too.  Lets share!   
I am in love with pastry anyways, but I am uber in love with Puff Pastry.  All those buttery crisp light as air layers  . . .  yum.   When we were kids one of our favourite things to buy with our allowance was a Vachon puff pastry cake with a layer of cream and caramel inside.  Oh boy but those were some good! 
  
Which is why I love pie . . .  sweet, savoury and anything in between.  Filled with fruit, or meat, or vegetables.  One crusted, two crusted.  Full sized, hand sized. Hot or cold.  A-la-mode or a-la-cheese or a-la-nothing.  Just gimme the pie.  I have never met a pie I didn't like except for . . . 

Stargazy Pie.  A Cornish delight.  This I would not be eating.  No how. No way.  It has to be the most unappealing pie I have ever seen or heard of.   
From Wikepedia -  Stargazy pie (sometimes called starrey gazey pie, stargazey pie and other variants) is a Cornish dish made of baked pilchards (or sardines), along with eggs and potatoes, covered with a pastry crust. Although there are a few variations with different fish being used, the unique feature of stargazy pie is fish heads (and sometimes tails) protruding through the crust, so that they appear to be gazing skyward. This allows the oils released during cooking to flow back into the pie.

Gag and shudder . . .


The film, Sarah, Plain and Tall.  A single New England woman responds to an advertisement by a Midwestern widower in which he asks for a bride to help him raise his two children. It was a Hallmark film. I have not seen it in a very long time.  It has always been one of my favourites. 


Garden Gnomes.  Actually I love all kinds of garden statuary, but I really like Garden Gnomes. We don't have any.  I am afraid it would get stolen because I think lots of people like Garden Gnomes. 

  

I also really love bird baths and watching birds having baths.  They really love taking baths, especially on hot sunny days.  My favourites to watch are blackbirds. They really get into it. 


Perusing seed catalogues. They are filled with dreams, and hopes and plans. I could spend hours. 

  

Patisserie Windows  . . .  they, too, are filled with dreams and hopes . . . 


Ivy Covered Walls  . . . 

  

Tea Cups with shamrocks. My mother has one. I have loved it all of my life, and that's a very long time. 


Lace curtains and the patterns they make when the light shines through them  . . . 

  

Violin Music . . . haunting and ethereal . . . 


Painted wooden furniture  . . . 

  

Artichokes . . .  with lemon and butter  . . .  salt and pepper.  Yummy. 


Fields and  meadows filled with wildflowers . . . I love wildflowers  . . . 

  

Kitchen agas . . .  oh to just have a kitchen large enough to hold one, and an arm chair. I would never leave it. 


Whatever these are called  . . .  Bedroom Ottomans?  I don't know.  Something to sit on that sits at the end of your bed . . .  also iron bedsteads  . . . 

  

Toile painted furniture.  I once painted the whole top of a coffee table with flowers . . .  it was beautiful. 


Well dressed brooms  . . .  old brooms . . .  they have plenty of character . . .  

  

The combination of blue and yellow . . .  its such a pretty fit . . . very French provincial  . . . 


Forget me knots  . . .  I've never had any success with growing them  . . .  not sure why, but I love them.

And those are my favourite things for this week.  What are some of yours?

A thought to carry with you  . . . 
  

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★

 *.˛.
I still remember the days, 
I prayed for the things I have now. . . 
•。★★ 。* 。•。★★ 。* 。 



 

BOOK OF MORMON CORNER 

Today's Reading - Alma 7:14-27 
Question - What does it mean to 'make his paths straight'? How do you think we can do that now, in these last days?  
 
Thoughts - Without detours, or rambling off the path, or seeking to make my own path. One of my favourite songs of all time is 'come thou fount'. The most touching few lines for me are, "Jesus sought me when a stranger, wandering from the fold of God. He, to rescue me from danger interposed His precious blood...Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Take my heart, O take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above". I used to really get down on myself when I realised I had wandered again, one day the thought came to me that when the good shepherd found the lost sheep He never yelled at it, or kicked it back to the flock, He picked it up and carried it to safety. I think how I can do this now is to hear the promptings of the Spirit because normally He will be prompting me if my heart is starting to wander towards the world. 
 
Tomorrow's Reading (Day 149) - Alma 8:1-17 
Question - What have you learnt from the reading today? Why was Alma's mighty prayer unanswered at that time? 
 

 
 
Cooking in The English Kitchen today  . . .  Yeast Free Naan Breads. Easy.

Have a wonderful Thursday.  Dodn't forget along the way of your day . . . 


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and I do too! 
 


8 comments:

  1. Hi Marie, back to normal today and catching up with everything. So sorry Todd has been unwell but pleased he's on the mend. My husband John used to suffer terribly from prickly heat. He would come out in horrendous hives all over is upper body but especially under his arms. It was so sore and painful. It was definitely caused by the heat cos he got it every time we went on a summer holiday, but he also got it with certain washing powders. I could only use Fairy non-bio. We always had to take our own sheets in case the hotels sheets were washed in bio detergent. (Its just a thought, but have you changed washing powders?)

    We had a lovely couple of days in Lincoln. I didn't realise what a beautiful city it is with its amazing cathedral and castle and lots of winding cobbled streets. But boy is it steep!!! I know we have big hills here in New Brighton but they take the biscuit!!

    Anyways its good to be home, lot's of love xxx

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    1. No change in washing powder. I use Fairy Non-bio and have done for years. It was hot and he was mowing the garden. It was probably a combination of heat and pollen. They have been muck-spreading here. YUCK! Such an awful smell. So happy you enjoyed your time away, we have some good friends near Lincoln and it is on our bucket list to visit! Love and hugs! xoxo

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  2. I smelled like that 2 days ago;) W/ chicken poop manure..
    Love the name of your Fairy wash:)..And of course all your fave things:)Bonne journée Marie..I have no -knead ready to be popped into a warm oven:)

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    1. Ohh, I can imagine, but your gardens are so beautiful, it is worth the smell I am thinking! OH, I love that no-knead bread. I haven't made it in a while. Perhaps tonight I will put it together to bake tomorrow. Sounds like a plan! xoxo

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  3. I do love pastry and except for the fish heads, the pie really don't sound too bad. More than not though my favorites include fruit and nuts. I have tole painted furniture in the past but right now the only remaining piece is a painted shelf in the bathroom for towels. I do love wildflowers too and right now the sunny dandelions are beginning to show up. Even they have their own special beauty. Hope you have a Happy Thursday

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    1. Oh yes, I love dandelions also Pam! Even when they have gone to seed, then they are wishes! Happy Thursday to you also! xoxo

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  4. Sarah Plain and Tall... one of my favourites as well. I had it and the sequel on video many years ago. Needless to say they're long gone and even if I had kept them through my many travels I would have nothing now to play them on. And YES to yellow and blue. It's always been my dream to have a pale yellow and french blue kitchen with white cabinets and crisp white lace curtains.... perhaps a blue AGA to go in it. We seem to think a like my friend. Xx

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    1. Why does that fact not surprise me dear friend? I think we are surely kindred spirits! xoxo

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