And that was Thursday . . .

Not to bore you or anything, but this is how my day went yesterday.   Thankfully I was able to get an appointment to see my local Doctor yesterday morning.   Todd drove me over about quarter past ten and for once they were on time.  The Nurse Practitioner that I saw told me to go to A&E as soon as possible, which we did.

Todd dropped me off at the door and then went to park the car.  (It took him forever to find a parking space.)   At the A&E, they had already received a phone call that I was coming.  I was booked in rather swiftly and also taken to be seen by the Doctor pretty siftly as well, which was quite good.   They have a sign on the wall saying that they endeavor for patients to be seen within 15 minutes, and I would say it was pretty spot on.



The Doctor I saw was ever so nice.   He put those drops in to dilate my pupil.   They really stung I thought.   He gave me a good examination and then I was sent back out to the waiting room.   This is where I waited the longest.   I think I must have sat there waiting for a good two hours, but that was okay.   Todd and I kept ourselves busy playing hangman.  (You know that game where you have to guess the letters to guess the word and for each one you miss you add a bit more to the hangman, hopefully guessing the entire word before he's hung.)

The upshot of it all was that I have an appointment for the eye clinic today at 1:30 pm. The Doctor told me yesterday that there was not a lot they can do for the eye but if they caught a detached retina early enough they could  work wonders.  So I am hopingthat if it is a detached retina they have caught it early enough.




I was back home here by about 1:30 so that wasn't too awfully bad.  You hear horror stories about people being in A&E for six hours and more.   I think I saw it on the telly once that the average wait was four hours.   Crazy.  Crazy.

I did not do much for the rest of the day, except get some supper and relax.  I had pupils like moons for most of the day.  Last night I had my home teacher come over to give me a Priesthood Blessing along with Todd so that helped as well.   I am ever so appreciative of all of your prayers and happy thoughts.   It really buoys me up to know you are praying for me.   I am confident that what will be will be and that it is in God's hands.

Like they say . . .  things could always be a whole lot worse.  I come from a line of strong and faithful  women.    Women who have set great examples for me through their courage and tenacity.  Women who have had to overcome great obstacles in their lives. I will be okay no matter the outcome.



I picked up an already roasted chicken on the way home yesterday as I knew that Ariana would probably be up shortly (she's working nights all this week) and wanting something to eat.  I was ever so surprised at how much smaller they (the chickens) were than what they used to be.   In any case we enjoyed it with some boiled new potatoes and vegetables.

It looks to me like most things are shrinking in size and yet the prices are staying the same.    Am I imagining this?    Even the paper tube in the centre of our toilet papers rolls have gotten larger  . . .  sneaky.   That way the roll still looks the same size, but there is less paper on it.  I only know this because, like my mother  . . .  I buy stacks of loo roll when it's on special and I had some older ones that I could compare with the new ones.  Oh, and the last bottle of Olive Oil I bought was half the size of the one prior to it and yet the same price.  It's crazy.

It's life.



A thought to carry with you through today  . . .

 ❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥
"The more difficulties one has to encounter, 
within and without,
the more significant and 
the higher in inspiration his life will be.
~Horace Bushnell
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In the English Kitchen today  . . .  a delicious Roly Poly Rhubarb Pudding.  One of Todd's favourites.

I will probably do my Friday Finds post tomorrow.   I have not been doing a lot of surfing this week.  Have a great day.   Don't forget . . .


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And I do too. See you soon!

We interrupt our normal schedule . . . .

Normally I would be doing a Five Things About Me post today . . . but I can't seem to concentrate on that this morning and I am also trying to minimise my time on the computer.  I have a lot on my mind.

Two nights ago, as I was getting ready for bed, I noticed little glinting flashes  on the left side of my left eye.   This is the same eye in which I had a blood vessel burst for no reason a number of months ago, and to be honest I have always kind of thought of it as my weak eye.   Most often when I am reading in bed at night, I keep it closed and read with my right eye, and if I wake up during the night, I can't see much of anything with it really.  Everything is a lot more blurred with it than with my right eye.

So, these flashes . . .  I found them a little bit disconcerting.




My friend Jo (remember her, she was the housekeeper at the Manor when I first went to work there) used to work at an optometrist's office and she had told me once that if you ever got flickering in your eyes you should go to see an eye Doctor as soon as possible because it could be something really serious, like a detached retina.   My Aunt Thelma had two detached retina's and went blind because nobody took care of them.  And so I decided that I would try to get into see an optometrist  as soon as I could.

I was really lucky as I managed to get an appointment really quickly for yesterday morning.  Todd and I went into town and I had an eye test and exam.  The Doctor couldn't really see anything much, not that she told me, and my prescription hasn't changed since the last eye check up, but she said she was sending a letter to my Doctor's surgery to get them to refer me to an Opthamalogist at the Hospital, who could do a more thorough check.



And so we treated ourselves to some fish and chips (naughty) and then came home.   Todd thought perhaps I was spending too much time on the computer and I have been doing a lot of close work recently, with doing that quiet book for my friend's daughter and then getting my artwork ready for the NYC show.    I thought, perhaps he was right and so I didn't go on the computer all afternoon, not even to check e-mails.   I watched some Nigel Slater Cooking Videos that Todd had gotten me a while back that I hadn't had time to watch and then Todd and I took Mitzie for a walk at the park.   I had to use my cane the whole way,  *grumble* , and my right hip and knees were so sore after, but I felt good for having done it.

After getting some supper for Ariana, I sat down and decided I would work some more on the quiet book.   It's very thick and so I am having to sew the pages in by hand.   I got two in and they were all crooked and I was so disappointed and started picking them out . . . I was almost in tears about it, thinking about how am I going to do this  . . .




Then I got up to make Todd a sandwich.   Neither of us was very hungry because of the fish and chips.  It was when I was in the kitchen, making his sandwich,  I thought bugs were flying at my face (we had had the back door open all day) . . .  kind of like a small spider had dropped down on a web and was moving towards the left side of my face.  I kept trying to brush it away, but it wouldn't go away and so I went to the mirror to look so I could get rid of it . . .  nothing there, but I could definitely see something with my eye . . .  a small black dot that moved with my eye and lots of webby bits, very disconcerting . . .  and now this morning it is like there is a film over my eye, with more black bits that move constantly . . .  it's like looking through petroleum jelly with black bits and pieces of web moving about.

I am going to call the Doctor's Surgery this morning to see if I can get in to see a Doctor right away and see if I can't chivvy up a hospital appointment as soon as I can, and in the meantime stay away from the computer, etc




I am a bit afraid.   I don't want to go blind.   I have always said I would rather be deaf than go blind.  I am trying to be positive about this and hoping that if it is a detached retina I have caught it in time.   And if the worst happens and I do lose the sight in that eye, I still have one good one so I will count my blessings, but I would really appreciate some prayers, or even happy thoughts if that is your thing.

Wish me luck at getting an accelerated hospital appointment.

It's a beautiful day out there today.   I hope it's a beautiful day where you are also.   Don't forget . . .

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And I do too.

Wednesday wanderings of the mind . . .

 I was sitting and thinking yesterday . . .  as I was working on my portfolio . . .  what are the things which make me happy in life.  It's a simple list really . . . but it is a living list which changes and evolves with the changes that accompany my life as it ages and goes on . . .

When I was younger, I had different priorities.  My children and home were uppermost in my thoughts.  Making sure that they were happy and our home was comfortable were always uppermost in my mind.  Now I am a lot older and my nest is empty, my children living independant lives  . . .  and I am able to concentrate on the things which make me happy and bring me joy.  I suppose that is one of the blessings of old age . . . even though there are many moments when I yearn for a full nest again.

My heart longs to live closer to my family, but for a variety of reasons that option just is not possible at the moment.  I could dwell on that sense of loss, but I do not . . . for to do so would steal the light from the many joys in my life that I do have . . .




It was quite simply a gorgeous, gorgeous day here yesterday.  The sun shone and had a tender warmth to it that has been missing in these past weeks . . .  Todd sat out in the garden at our little table almost all day, reading and studying.   I had to remind him to put his hat on . . .  I was worried he would get sunburnt, it was that sunny and warm.  We took Mitzie's bed out onto the stoned area of the patio, thinking she would find it more comfortable to lay in that whilst she surveyed her domain . . .  but I think she just thought we were a tad crazy and lay on the cement anyways.

Come to think of it  . . .  the cement was probably a lot warmer.

The bees buzzed and the birds chittered . . .  and I puttered.  I like puttering.   It makes me happy.



A bit of cooking.   A bit of cleaning.   A bit of sewing.   A bit of painting. That was most of my day right there. And I was happy.  Seeing Todd enjoying the sunshine . . .  and Mitzie too.  That made my heart sing it's special song.  Of course there were plenty of Mitzie cuddles as well.

Her feet smell like popcorn.   I love that.  She knows how to hug.   Her hugs involve her pushing her head into me and tucking in close.  Mitzie hugs make me happy.



When it came to cooking dinner . . . I went to the refrigerator and picked out a bit of this and a bit of that and created something edible. I had two chicken breast portions . . .  albeit quite large ones . . .  and a half each of a green, red and yellow pepper and some leftover cooked pasta of the noodle variety.  I channeled my inner Nigel Slater and came up with something which was quite tasty I thought . . .  with the addition of an onion, some seasoning, creme fraiche and a bit of cheese.  Todd would have rather it had been potatoes instead of pasta . . .  but saving money makes him happy and so he did not complain.  A slice of jam tart for afters made it all better anyways  . . .

Jam, it makes us both happy.




At one point I went down to the bottom of the garden with the idea in mind to count the apple blossoms.   Too many to count.   A blessing in and of itself.  Perhaps this year we will have enough to make a pie . . .  and the pear tree is heavily laden with bloom along with the plum.  Very promising indeed . . .  very promising.

And I watched the fish in the pond.   We only have one really large one left. It is very yellow, but we have two medium sized ones as well, an orange and a variagated one with orange, black and white . . .  and then some that are a bit smaller, orange, yellow and a dusky black one which we had not noticed before at all  . . .  and here and there little glimmers of really tiny ones flit back and forth, so quickly that you cannot count, but there are quite a few . . .  so again much promise is held in the waters of the pond . . .  and the lilies are growing up and the reeds also, and polliwogs wiggle along the edges.




And the flat leaf parsley has survived the winter and is coming back.   I am able to use a few leaves of it here and there for garnish . . .  and the chives are abundant, and the marjoram, and sage . . . thyme and oregano too . . . and mint . . .  always mint.

I do not know about the lemon balm . . . and I doubt the tarragon will have survived, but I
 may yet be surprised.

And there are buds on the snap dragons and the lobelia is in bloom and while the camelia bush is dropping her blooms like rain falls on the plains . . .  I see the furry leaves of the Oriental poppies bursting forth and the lupins and holly hocks . . . all are unfolding before my very eyes . . .

And across the way . . .  lilacs and cherry trees.

Oh tis a beauteous time of year.  Not a word?   Perhaps, but you know what I mean.

 

I love days when I can wash the bedding and then hang it out of doors to dry . . .  and it comes in at the end of the day all smelling like sunshine and that beautiful English air . . .  filled with budding blooms and nesting birds and growing grass . . . the scent of spring everywhere . . .



And I think to myself this is where I belong  . . .  this is where my happy lays.  It may not be the life I started out to have, or the life I thought I would have . . .  but it is a beautiful life, filled with much good and much joy and much love.

Life is happy when your joys are simple ones.

A thought to carry with you through today  . . .


❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥
"A friend is one to whom we may
pour out the contents of our hearts,
chaff and grain together,
knowing that the gentlest of hands
will sift it,
keep what is worth keeping, and
with a breath of gentle kindness
blow the rest away . . . "
~Unknown
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Baking in The English Kitchen today  . . .  Simple Vanilla Cupcakes.   A real doddle to make and bake.
Have a beautiful Wednesday.  I hope the sun shines wherever you are, even if it is only in your heart. 

Don't forget . . .

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And I do too.  See you soon!

The Simple Woman's Day Book

 

FOR TODAY, April 21st, 2015

Outside my window ...
The sun is up, the birds are singing.   I can see a couple of mourning doves sitting on a chimney on a rooftop across the way.   All is right with the world.

I am thinking ...
I am thinking about all of those desperate people who try to escape from Libya on the boats and the risks they are taking with themselves and their families.  I think that the world and the UN needs to step in and do something to stop it from happening.  Things need to change so that their country becomes a place they want to stay.  Europe just cannot sustain the influx of a whole country (s) like that.   We don't have the space or the resources.  The World needs to fix this.  We all have a responsability to take care of our fellow residents of this planet . . .  but right where they live.

I am thankful for ...
I am so very grateful that I have alway been blessed to live in places that I did not want or feel the need to escape from.

In the kitchen ...
 

Swedish Meatballs.   Sooooo good and so easy to make.


On my "To Cook" list ...



This Cinnamon Streusel Dessert Pizza looks just wonderful.  I love cinnamon anything!  Found on  Life Made Sweeter.

I am Creating ...
Still working on my portfolio, but these projects have caught my eye and I am thinking a few of you might enjoy them.



I love this beautiful crochet collar I found on Lulu Loves.




Homemade Beeswax Balm, from Homemade Unrefined.



Homemade watercolours for the kiddies.   From All Parenting.



These Needlebooks are just beautiful.   Found on Gentlework.

I am reading ...


The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain
In The Silent Sister, Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager. Now, over twenty years later, her father has passed away and she's in New Bern, North Carolina cleaning out his house when she finds evidence to the contrary. Lisa is alive. Alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now? As Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family. Riley must decide what the past means for her present, and what she will do with her newfound reality, in this engrossing mystery.
I am really enjoying it thus far! I love Diane's books. She's a great writer.

I am hoping ...
That's Ariana's plans all fall into place for her.  She called her letting agent yesterday only to find out that the property she had applied to let has been passed onto another letting firm . . .  but she had alreayd paid out to the agent she had called?  That shouldn't happen.  They best give her her money back, but I am betting they won't.

Makes me smile ...


Episodes of Andy Griffith always make me smile.  Especially the early ones.  I love black and white television.

I am learning ...
Not a heck of a lot this week.  I am slumping  . . .  some weeks are like that I guess!

Around the house ...

(source)

I love painted wooden furniture.   I need to do that with some of ours.



Here's a great idea.  Garden tubs planted with nothing but salad ingredients.



I would love, LOVE a veranda.  I have always wanted one.



Relaxing in one of these would also be really nice.   Summer on my mind here  . . .

I am pondering ...
 I have not had my hair cut since before Christmas.  Wondering what to do about that  . . .

A favourite quote for the day ...




`*.¸.*✻ღϠ₡ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ..
(¯`v´¯)
 `*.¸.*´Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
  ¸.•´¸.•~♥♥♥~•.~      
ღϠ₡ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ.
(¸.❀⁀⋱‿✿“ 

And above all, watch with glittering eyes,
the world around you,
because the greatest secrets
are always hidden in the most unlikely places.
Those who don't believe in magic,
will never find it.
~Roald Dahl

One of my favourite things  ...


The music of Mindy Gledhill.  I could listen to it all the time. It's so upbeat and it inspires me to create.

A peek into my day ...


We always watch at least one episode of The Big Bang Theory.  Usually just before we go to bed.  It's so funny.   It doesn't seem to matter how many times we have seen them, they are still funny.  Ariana says it has helped her English to improve also and that she used to watch it in Spanish, but that it was not as funny in Spanish as it is in English.  Funny how that goes!

And that's my daybook for this week!
⋱ ⋮ ⋰
⋯ ◯ ⋯ Take time to enjoy the small*´¯`.¸¸.☆
 ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆
✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿
╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬
░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░░
 
Wherever you go and whatever you do I hope there's a wonderful day planned for you! Don't forget . . .
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And I do too!


 

Small and Wonderful Things

"The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But who gets excited by a mere penny?...It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted with pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. what you see is what you get." ~Anne Dillard 

A few of the small and wonderful things which bring untold joy into my life. It's the small things in life which truly mean the most. Simple abundance . . . it's the best.



No empty seats in the chapel on a Sunday.  It is getting to be so that we have to get there earlier on a Sunday morning so that we can find a decent seat.   (Todd is a bit hard of hearing, and not everyone speaks loudly from the stand, so we like to sit closer to the front.)    So many churches throughout the country are having to shut down because of lack of attendance.  No empty seats is what I love to see.  It shows that our church is alive and growing.



Sunny Days.   We have had quite a few of them just recently.   I think there is no prettier place on earth than England on a sunny day.  A sunny day brings everyone out and about and puts a spring in the step. A sunny day does the heart good.



The smell of freshly chopped basil.  I just love it.   It's heady and smells like something good is about to be cooked.  The only thing better than the smell of fresh basil is the taste of fresh basil.



It's  Apple Blossom time!  I love seeing the blossom on our fruit trees and bushes.   They smell beautiful and are a lovely promise of sweet and delicious blessings to come.

  
(source)

I've been helping a friend to put together a quiet book for her future grandchild.  This is not it.   Just an example.   I've only been doing the cover and the pages for inside.   She's been doing all the things to put onto the pages inside.   It's going to be a real treasure when it is finished.



The return of the bumbling bumble bees.   They are the harbinger of the British Spring, unlike the robin which ushers in Spring back home.  I love watching them bumble from one bloom to the next.  They are a miracle to me . . .  that such tiny wings can lift and carry such a big body.  I think they are just amazing.

And still people say there is no God  . . . 

  

I love this dear sweet friend of mine.   These past few years have been one disaster after another for her, but she just keeps on trucking.   This past week or so Lura and her husband John have been in Utah  to welcome home their grandson Jalen from his Mission in Chili.  This weekend a raging fire came within yards of their beautiful home in California.   Thank goodness the fires were contained and their home is safe.   God is good.    Lura is such a sweet example to me.   Her faith never wavers.   I love her very much.   She doesn't blog much any more, in fact not at all, but if you wanted to catch up with some of her past goings on you can find them here.  I am sure she will inspire you also. 

This is Sister Wagner who served here in the Chester Ward.   She is the frog kisser.   She makes me smile.   We got a lovely wedding invite from her just a few days ago.  She knows we cannot conceivably make it but wanted to send us an invite as a keepsake.   We get a few of those from the Missionaries who have served here in Chester, and sometimes they even come back and visit us.   It makes my heart smile to know that we have touched these young people's lives in some way.  We are so very grateful for the numerous ways in which they have touched ours through the years and continue to touch our lives.   As we are both converts to the church, the Missionaries always hold a special place in our hearts.   We are both so looking forward to serving the Lord and are on pins and needles waiting for the call to arrive.

A thought to carry with you through today . . .


❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥.¸¸.✿¨¯`❥✻❥ 
No work or love will flourish out of guilt,
fear, or hollowness of heart,
just as no valid plans for the future
can be made by those who
have no capacity for living now.
~Alan Watts
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I am cooking a trio of lovely soups in The English Kitchen today  . . .  and a tasty bread to go along with them!


Have a fabulous Monday. I hope it gets your week off to a great start! I hope your week is filled with a multitude of small and wonderful things! Don't forget . . .

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And I do too!