Tuesday 28 March 2023

A Daybook . . .

 



OUTSIDE MY WINDOW ...

Its perfectly light out and dry. So far. A bit chilly at -1*C/30.2*F but it is expected to warm up a bit as the day goes on, and the sun is supposed to come out. They are calling for snow on Thursday, so March is going to go out like a lion I suppose! Mind you, weather forecasts can often be wrong, or change. Weather always gives you something to talk about.  In the UK the weather was always very changeable. You could sometimes experience all four seasons within the span of an hour, lol, and the weather was always a popular topic of conversation. If you were going out for the day, it was wise to be prepared for anything!

I can hear Blue Jays out there making lots of noise. The cats sure love watching their antics. Some days sea gulls come in from off the Bay and that gives them loads of viewing pleasure as well as the gulls are quite large, and of course we get the odd crow. I am looking forward to the hummingbirds returning in a few months time.




SOMETHING TO BE HAPPY ABOUT ...

Its Spring! Things will soon turn and all the leaves and blooms will start to unfurl on the trees and in the gardens. My friend Glenna has bulbs popping up all along the front of her place. My sister can't keep tulips or daffodils. The deer crop them to the ground every year.  I wonder what kind of summer we will have this year  . . .  but I get ahead of myself. Its Spring!  Let's enjoy every moment of it! 



 

SOMETHING TO BE THANKFUL FOR ...

The Spring April General Conference of my church is this weekend.  These conferences happen twice a year.  Millions of Latter Day Saints around the world gather together over two days to hear inspiring and uplifting talks from our leaders.  I love these conferences.  I always get a lot  out of them and come away feeling full of the spirit and being inspired to want to be and do better. I  love that I can watch and listen to their talks right here in my own home. I watch on YouTube.  I love the music also. There is a really special spirit which comes into my home on these occasions.  I used to spend the time taking notes, etc. but I know now that I can just drink in the talks over these days, take note of any impressions I might have or feel and than because all of the talks are stored online I can revisit them again at a later date to really study them if I want to.  That is one of the wonders of the Internet. We can be fed and inspired within our very own four walls and any time we want or need to be.


 

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS ...

Cake. I love cake. It is a weakness of mine, along with a few other things. Yesterday my sister gave me a chunk of a Gumdrop cake that she had baked over the weekend.  I can't wait to enjoy a nice slice of it later this morning with a hot cup of herbal tea.  Cake and tea go together like peas and carrots!

If I had a pick a favorite cake I think it would be the Victoria Sandwich cake. But then again, I love all cakes. My favorite cake is actually whatever one is sitting in front of me now. lol




I AM CREATING ...

My blanket is growing.  And Cinnamon is still interested in it.  I was doing single rows of every color, interspersed with the main color which is a type of pale taupe, but I have started doubling up on the rows of color now, interspersed between the single rows of taupe.  This one is suppose to have big pompoms in the corners, but I am not sure I will do that.  Pompoms might just be too tempting for my furry family members.




I already have the colors all picked for my next blanket. They are very spring like.  Its good to have things lined up like this, at least it is for me.  It inspires me to hurry up and finish what I am already working on. More things get finished that way! 

Did you know you can buy this yarn in Canada?  It is the same yarn I used to use in the UK and is such a nice yarn. Stylecraft DK. I buy mine on LoveCrafts. It does come from the UK but doesn't take long to arrive and there is no shipping fee if you order over a certain amount. This is the same yarn that Amanda from Eight by Six uses. 

I like that it is soft and not heavy.  The first couple of blankets I crocheted after moving back here ended up being very heavy.




I AM READING ...

LUCY BY THE SEA, by Elizabeth Strout

"Like many others, I did not see it coming. But William is a scientist, and he saw it coming; he saw it sooner than I did, is what I mean. ~ William is my first husband; we were married for twenty years and we have been divorced for about that long as well. We are friendly, I would see him intermittently; we both were living in New York City, where we came when we first married. By because my (second) husband had died and his (third) wife had left him, I had seen him more in this past year."

This is  Elizabeth Strout's pandemic novel. Due to Lucy’s weakened lungs, William, whose scientific background prepares him for what might be about to happen, convinces Lucy to get out of New York with him, to retire to a small coastal town in Maine, just before the lockdowns begin.

I am really enjoying this book.


 

SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE ...

A new day. Each new day we are given is an opportunity to start on a fresh page, write a new story, begin again. I strive each day to try to be even a little bit better than I was the day before. This could be something simple as reigning in my appetite for things that I know are not good for me, like cookies.  Or it could be as dramatic as spending some time in service to others each day.  A phone call. A letter.  A quick hello. Some days I do really well at those things, and some days I do appallingly, but the good thing is that each day we have the chance to start again and do better if we want or not. The choice is ours. The important thing is we see each day we are given for the gifts that they are.


 

SOMETHING I LOVE ...

Sit and stare time. Time to just sit and think, or not think, to reflect, to relax.  Perhaps enjoy a hot drink.  A scratch behind furry ears and furry belly tickles. Sit and stare time. Time to do nothing. Its a good thing.



SOMETHING TO WATCH ...

The Bay, Season 4 on Britbox. I have loved this series ever since Season 1.  I do love a good Crime Drama and nobody does these better than the British. I am also enjoying The Voice on Crave. I find that I don't really watch regular television. I basically only watch television in the evenings, and then it is streaming channels.  The good shows on regular television are all on past my bedtime. haha I turn into a pumpkin about 9:30.  That is when I want to be in bed reading.


 


SOMETHING I ABHOR ...

Mean girls.  I don't like them. These two (Micah and Irina) are on the latest series of Love is Blind. I feel that they are both mean and catty. In the first few episodes you could see them spying on and making fun of the other girls in the house. I think the one on the right, Irina, has used this platform just to get on television and promote her business. I think she is mean spirited, both towards the man she agreed to marry and towards the other contestants. Micah is also mean, and catty and very manipulative. I know we are only seeing a small glimpse of what really goes on, and what the television executives/producers want us to see, but I think I preferred this show when the contestants on it were actually actively interested in finding someone to spend the rest of their lives with. There is only one couple, maybe two,  on this show so far that I see as doing that.



MUSIC I LOVE ...

I love Contemporary Gospel Music. Lauren Daigle, Brandon Lake, Stars go Dim, Jon Reddick, Colton Dixon etc. I love that it is music with a positive message, uplifting and inspiring but is also current.  Easy to listen to. Some of it gritty. Its just a great mix of styles and genres with a positive message. It makes me feel good when I listen to it.


A THOUGHT TO CARRY WITH YOU ...

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
  ˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
 ˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門 ★
*In the right light, at the right time,
everything is extraordinary.
~Unknown •。★★ 。* 。



In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Pineapple Glazed Ham Steaks. Delicious!  Simple. 


I hope you  have a fabulous day whatever you get up to.  Be happy.  Don't worry and don't forget! 


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And I do too!    

   

11 comments:

  1. Your afghan is coming along lovely. I like Stylecraft yarn too, do you read Attic24 by Lucy? Changeable weather all week while it decides which season to be. Off to buy some sewing thread to shorten a spring top, fingers crossed it will be time to wear them soon. Enjoy the cake and tea.

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    1. I think I do Linda. I will check it out. On Instagram right? Good luck with finding your thread. I hope you get to enjoy your spring top soon! xoxo

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    2. also a blog https://www.attic24.typepad.com/ which is where all her patterns are, possible Facebook too

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  2. Your blanket is so pretty Marie, love it. I promise my daughter to make one for her, would you mine telling me how much yarn to purchase etc and the size. Please and thank you. (Bev from Mount Forest)

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  3. Oh my gosh Marie third time I have written a comment 3 last posts..looks like all is well and when I scroll to bottom of my message it disappears

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    1. These two came through, no problem. I don't know what is up with blogger, half the time my comments don't go through either. Its annoying! xoxo

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  5. Hi Marie~ I love, Daybook posts! I wish I could say that spring is here, but we still have snow, cold days and clouds. But, I am looking forward to spring, when it get's here. Our favorite cake it your, spice cake recipe from your big cookbook, we love it!! It's big, moist and delicious. I too am really looking forward to General Conference. Last night we said goodbye to my grandson, as he starts his mission on Wednesday. He's really excited, so it's hard to be sad. I know General Conference will give me a much needed boost! Enjoy your day! Hugs and Love, Barb

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  6. I have figured out the issue..I start commenting and if I dare to scroll back up to see some things I want to write about..my text goes away

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