Thursday 19 May 2022

My Favorite Things . . .

 

A few of the things in life that make my heart go pitter pat. Maybe they will do the same thing for yours. ♥♥♥    I'm pretty sure however, that these things mainly make my own heart sing.   

 


  
Hot buttered toast.  Nobody does toast like the British.  I can remember when I first moved over there I had toast in shop called Gregg's on Frodsham street in Chester.  Best toast ever. Thick slices of bread the size of door stops. It was sooooo good.  Just the smell of toast makes my taste buds tingle. My mom also loved her toast.




The city of Chester itself was one of my favorite places to live in the UK. It was so beautiful and quaint.  The people were lovely.  There was so much to see and do. I loved it there. When we lived down South in Kent I always longed to go back to Chester. 



 


Fresh vegetables. I have never met a vegetable that I did not like.  


 


Cows in the meadow . . .  the sound of them mooing . . . .  if they have cowbells, the sound of the bells  . . . . the first house I lived in in the UK backed onto a farmer's fields. It was filled with cows. Sometimes they would get out and be wandering down the back lane right behind our back gate.  Here we were in the city, but it seemed like the country . . . 




Public footpaths in the UK. You can literally walk the width and the breadth of the UK on these public footpaths.  We used to walk them all the time. They lead you through some of the most breathtaking scenery you could ever want to see  . . . 


 

I always loved making  my own jams and jellies.  I used to make tons every year and it would all get eaten too.  When you have five growing children things like jams get eaten up. Not so now. I can open a jar of jam and it takes ages for  me to go through it. That's why I like the small Bonne Maman pots (aside from their looks.)  You can open one of the tiny pots and eat it in one sitting and you don't have tons of open jars of jam languishing in the refrigerator.  

 

Sheeps in the corn . . . the baaa-ing.  Such a comforting sound. Every time we stayed in Cumbria we were surrounded by fields of sheep, and even when we stayed in the south of France.  Such a lovely sound to wake up to  . . . 



 


Anything Jane Austin  . . .  such an era of gentility, class, civilization  . . . 



 


Honey . . .  I love the stuff, especially Greek honey  . . .  I can't eat it now. It makes my feet burn  . . .
 

 

Hollyhocks  . . .  well, any cottage flower really.  When I lived in Suffield Alberta, the whole side of our house was bordered with beautiful pink hollyhocks  . . .  and the back with peonies.  So beautiful. 


 


Cream cakes  . . .  I am such a glutton . . . especially if there are also berries! 



 

This  . . .  makes me think of an old country store  . . . 


 


Beautiful fabrics  . . .  love them  . . . 


 


The story of the Ugly Duckling  . . . 


 




Birds and blooms  . . .  a beautiful combination   . . .  


 

Lace  . . .  I love lace  . . . 


 

Vanilla ice cream in sugar cones  . . .  heaven on earth  . . . 


 

Pepper steak  . . .  I have not made it in forever! 



 



Pizza  . . .  with a lovely sourdough crust oodles of cheese and plenty of tomato flavor  . . . rocket  . . .  delicious.

 

Fairy tales . . .  I always believed in happily ever after's   . . . 


I still do.

And those are my favorite things for this week.  Its a cool crisp day out there this morning. I am glad that I covered my herbs over last night.  My next door neighbor Sheila telephoned me to tell me that she heard on the television we were going to have a risk of frost last night and so I covered them with garbage bags. What a kind and thoughtful thing for Sheila to do.

Things went alright at the Doctor's yesterday. I am not entirely out of the woods, but it is not considered urgent. I need to go for a scan, but she said if I had not heard from the hospital within six months to date the scan then I needed to get back in touch with the clinic and they would jig if up. I also need to set up a mammogram. In any case I felt less anxious after my visit.

My sister and I had a lot of fun yesterday. After the Doctor we went and picked up some fresh eggs at the egg place, stopped off at hers to use the loo (what is it with older bladders?  You go and then before you know it you need to go again!!) Then we drove to the mall. We went to the Old Country store and got some flavorings.  I picked up some banana cream pie, blackberry,  and cake batter flavorings. Also these most delicious little sugar free jelly chocolates.  





We went to the fabric store and I got some really nice fat quarters.  I think we are both going to make a Luna Lapin or some kind of doll anyways.  Then we went to the dollar store. I had not been to the dollar store in forever, probably not since Todd and I were here on holiday one year, so a long time.  I got some baking parchment, a whisk and a plastic container.  

The best part was getting to spend this time with my sister. It occurs to me that in an extraordinary my life has ended up being just what I wanted it to.  Living close to my sister, my best friend of all time.

A thought to carry with you  . . .

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★
*Very little is needed to make a happy life;
it's all within yourself, in your way of thinking.
~Marcus Aurelius  •。★★ 。* 。•。★★ 。* 。 




In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Ina Garten's Buttermilk Cheddar Biscuits.  Seriously yummy! 


Have a most wonderful day!  Be happy and be blessed. Stay safe and don't forget!

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And I do too!       

4 comments:

  1. Good things went okay at doctors. Sounds like a really good time with your sister. We are having a wonderful visit with our family.
    Have a good day,

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  2. How FUN to have a sister to do all these things with!!Yay on DR!

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  4. Lovely post….oh, the hollyhocks! Nice to have a thoughtful neighbor ….and such a delightful sister. Good to go to the doctor…check that chore off your list. Happy day, V.

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