Wednesday, 27 June 2018

Wednesday This and That . . .




Well, we have another beautiful day in paradise here.  The sun is shining once again. Yesterday our temperatures here in Chester got up above 30 degrees celcius which is in the low 80's farenheit, so pretty warm and they are calling for an even warmer day today!  There is no humidity to speak of so its relatively pleasant. 

Yesterday I had the very pleasant experience of taping a Pod Cast for the site called She Heals the World.  What a wonderful experience it was. Dr. S had contacted me several months back, saying she was a fan of The English Kitchen and asking me if I would like to do a Pod Cast with her and so I said sure.  I am always happy to talk about food.cooking and positivity.  I thought I might be nervous, but I really wasn't and I was able to share some of my favourite time saving tips as well as my philosphy for life. That will be live sometime in July.  

Yes I am living the most amazing life! 


Popped over to Costco yesterday as I wanted to pick up a large jar of Nutella to give to Jose as a thanks for his help with the BBQ. I had already ear-marked some money for just that purpose. He loves Nutella and he was ever so good to help Todd out like he did.  It was so hot and he was sweating buckets. We really appreciated all that he did.  When I was there I saw Tomahawk Steaks. (This is not an actual picture of what I saw, but an example.)  Apparently they are ribeye steaks, with a really long bone.  Not cheap, but they looked great. I hear they also sell them in Aldi.  We promised Ariana and Jose a steak dinner on the grill/BBQ so once all the banking stuff is settled, I think I will try to get a couple of those (one would feed two people I am sure) and BBQ them for us all for dinner one night.  This is a Fred Flintstone cut of meat!  

Yabba Dabba Doo! 



Look at who has graduated from Grade Six!  Yep, that's Jon.  So next year he will be in Junior High.  It's hard to believe.  The grands are growing up so fast. Somebody make it stop!  


   


They must have had a BBQ along with the graduation service.  Here Jon is enjoying his burger and a drink on what looks to be a fabulously sunny day!  



A few of my other boys have been enjoying the sunshine also.  This is Anthony (my oldest) with Luke (his youngest).  I am not sure whose dog this is, but I am really loving the smiles!  Summer holidays! 

  

BBQ's and Campfires on the back pation.  Gabe is getting really tall now.  He's also just passed Grade Six and will be in Junior High in the fall.  There are only a few months difference in age between him and his cousin Jon.  I wish they lived closer to each other.  One is in NB and the other in PEI.  Not far, but not close either.  I predict a lovely summer for both families. 

Our Anthony told me yesterday he has taken up skateboarding again, which is something he used to do in High School.  I admire him for that.  Not easy to do these things as you get older and hard to believe but he is 43 now. (I know!  How did I get old enough to have a 43 year old son!)  Its doing him the world of good however as he is back to the same size and weight as he was way back then.  (I wish!)  Exercise is so good for the body and also for the brain.  Kudos to him!  That makes me happy.   


It looks like one of my sister's resident chipmunks has taken himself a holiday home!  Cute!




I found out yesterday that I had won a giveway on Instagram!  Yep, I won a Cook House Mini Food Processor worth £25.99!  I was so pleased!  It looks really good! It has a large 1/2 litre glass bowl with a no-slip rubber base.  My old mini food processor seized up a few years back (chopping dates!) so I am really pleased aobut this.  I predict I will get a lot of use from it!  It is always nice to win a prize!  I am ever so lucky that way.  That's how I got my dish washer also! Now if I could only pick the right lottery numbers! haha

I don't think its meant to work that way! 


I am on my last day of antibiotics for my cellulitis.  I can't really tell if it is any better.  I think it looks better, not as red as it was.  I will wait and see how it goes for the next couple of days and if it flares up again, then I guess I will need to go to Hospital.  I really hope that I don't.  I don't think hospitals are very restful at all.  They are noisy and boring. I really have my fingers crossed on this one that these anti-biotics will have done what they needed to do.  According to Ariana they would keep me in there for a couple of days, not hours like I thought.    


  


 I really don't want to be away from my home and Todd for that long.  Please continue to keep me in your happy thoughts!  Thank you! 


  It was such a nice day yesterday we decided to try out our new Space Grill. (This is just to show you what it looks like.)  They are really a lovely piece of kit with a cast iron grill plate and a stainless steeel grill area.  They are a fold down BBQ that you can affix to the wall, or there is also a stand you can get. Because we don't own our own home, we opted to have a stand for ours. I didn't want to go to the trouble of fixing it to the wall of a home I don't own and again, if we decide to move, I wanted to be able to take it with us.  I did chicken on it (what else!) and it worked really, really well, and it was really easy to clean afterwards! We were both really pleased with it!  I might use it again today!  I am thinking salmon would be really nice done on it.  Not that I have any salmon at the moment, just thinking out loud!  


I read this  morning that the Duchess of Sussex will be taking over one of the Queen's favourite duties (along with the Duke of course) in welcoming young people involved in the Young Leaders Program to Buckingham Palace.  What a lovely role model she will be for them.  It is really refreshing to see that  the Royal Family has really taken her under their wings and into their hearts.  I think she is destined to become the new People's Princess!  (But I am a tad bit biased as I have always loved her!)

And with that I will leave you with a thought for today  . . . 

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

 *.˛.° ˛°.There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
there is rapture on the lonely shore.
There is society where none intrudes,
by the deep sea, and music in its roar.
I love not man less, but nature more.
~Lord Byron   •。★★ 。* 。 


 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Parma Chicken Casserole.  Low carb and filled with two of your five a day.  Simple, quick and deliciously healthy as well! 

Have a lovely Wednesday. I will be calling mom this afternoon and am looking forward to that.  Don't forget along the breadth of your day  . . . 

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And I do too! 

PS - Don't forget that the pavement out there is really hot and so will be also very hot on your animal's paw pads when you are out walking them!  Be careful not to burn their feet!




Tuesday, 26 June 2018

The Simple Woman's Daybook . . .

 
FOR TODAY, JUNE 26, 2018

Outside my window ...
Its sunny and warm. The birds are singing. Looks to be another fine day. 


I am thinking ...
I went to check out bank account onlineyesterday and was left scratching my head. Something didn't quite add up. This is near to when we pay our rent for the  next month and we were short about £300.  But online, transactions frequently don't show up right away.  In the meantime Todd gets a text saying his card has been stopped. So at first we ignored because we thought it was a scamming text.  Then he got a call, so we called the bank.  Sure enough someone had pinched the money from our account buying purses and such. Upon closer inspection this morning, I have found two much smaller transactions to the same place earlier this month which went un-noticed.  The bank told us yesterday that they would try to get the money back, but so far nothing. They said it would be back in our account by 6 pm if they could.  Zilch. We will now have to chose between paying our bank or eating tinned beans for a month.  I am absolutely fuming.  Todd's card was in his wallet, but somehow they got all his details. I am assuming it was for online purchases.  I can't help but say this word . . .  Bastards. I feel like I have been raped.

In the kitchen ... 

 


Sticky Sausage Tray Bake. All in one, baked on a sheet pan. Yum.  


On my "To Cook" list ... 

Something Sweet, Something Savoury.  Tattie Soup.  This looks really good.  Is it wrong to want soup when its hot outside?  I think I will save it for September, but it sure looks good.



Good to know ...

I am creating ... 


   


I Heart Gantsilyo.  Love these cute little crochet gingerbreadmen.  So sweet. 
 

Purl Soho. This is sooooo elegant!  


Your Crochet. Peacock Style Coasters.  I have crocheted this pattern before. Sweet.

 
Cotswold Cottage Tea Cosy.  I love this. Free pattern from Lets Knit UK.   


From Shwin & Shwin. A cute little babydoll top pattern, free.  


I am reading ...  




Be Still my Soul, the cadence of grace book 1, by Joanne Bischof

Night’s chill tickled her skin. Lonnie pressed her hands together and glanced up. He was even more handsome up close. Having grown up the shy, awkward daughter of Joel Sawyer, she’d hardly spoken to any boy, let alone the one who had mothers whispering warnings in their daughter’s ears and fathers loading shotguns. 

Pretty Lonnie Sawyer is shy and innocent, used to fading into the background within her family, and among the creeks and hollows of the Appalachian hills. Though her family is poor and her father abusive, she clings to a quiet faith. But when handsome ladies’ man and bluegrass musician Gideon O’Riley steals a kiss, that one action seals her fate. Her father forces her into a hasty marriage with Gideon—a man she barely knows and does not love. Equally frustrated and confused by his new responsibilities, Gideon yearns for a fresh start, forcing Lonnie on an arduous journey away from her home in Rocky Knob. Her distant groom can’t seem to surrender his rage at the injustice of the forced matrimony or give Lonnie any claim in his life. What will it take for Gideon to give up his past, embrace Lonnie’s God, and discover a hope that can heal their two fractured hearts? Gideon only ever cared about himself. Now that Lonnie is his wife, will he ever be worthy of her heart?

A sweet and easy read.

I am looking forward to ...
Tatiana's visit in August. My niece Alison coming in August.

Dreaming about ...



Good corn on the cob  . . . peaches and cream.  Used to buy it by the bagful off of trucks by the side of the road.  Two or three dozen at a time.  And we would eat it all.  


 

Silver thimbles  . . .


Ribbon Boxes  . . . 

  

Floral stair risers  . . . 


Green Gate Greys  . . . 

Something to watch ...

 

The Donna Reed Show on Prime. Nice, nice, nice  . . . 


A goal for the week ...
Failed miserably at my no sugar for the week last week.  Will try again. If at first you don't succeed and all that. But already failing this morning.  lol  Must. Do. Better.


A quote for the day ...

(¯`v´¯)
 `*.¸.*´Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ¸. •´¸.•~♥♥♥~•. ~ ღϠ₡ღ¸. ✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ.
         ( ¸. ❀⁀ ⋱‿✿“` * .¸.* ✻ღϠ₡ ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ.
The people who think they are crazy enough to change the world,
are the people who do.  ~Steve Jobs   ❀⁀ ⋱‿✿“` * .¸.* ✻ღϠ₡
 ❀⁀ ⋱‿✿“` * .¸.* ✻ღϠ₡ ღ¸.✻´´¯`✻.¸¸.Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ.  



Makes me smile ...


 Jose, Ariana and Todd hard at work putting together the BBQ. It was quite the job!  I had a real chuckle listening to Ariana telling Jose how to do it in Spanish.  Proof positive that in any language, men need instruction from women no matter the job. ;-)  We really appreciated their help. They are such a cute, CUTE couple!


Corners of my kingdom ...




Peggy Porschen Parlour - Belgravia, London  Surely the cutest cafe and cake shop ever.

 And that's my daybook for this week!



  ⋱ ⋮ ⋰
⋯ ◯ ⋯ Take time to enjoy the small *´¯`.¸¸.☆

  ⋰ ⋮ ⋱ blessings in life.*´¯`.¸¸.☆ 




✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿✿¸.•*¨`*•..✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.•*¨`*•..¸✿ ✿¸.• ╬♥═╬╬═♥=╬╬═♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥═╬♥╬╬═♥╬╬═♥=╬╬♥
░░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░ ░░░░░░░░░░░░ 





Have a beautiful day!  Don't forget!  

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And I do too! 


Monday, 25 June 2018

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.   




I was reading Susan Branch's latest blog post yesterday and the thought came to me, what a blessing it was to have someplace/someone so special to you that it made saying goodbye so very difficult and how very wonderful it was to have someplace/someone so special to you that made saying hello such a joy to look forward to.  She was getting ready to leave the UK (which is a place she loves filled with people she loves) to go home to her much beloved Martha's Vineyard, her kitty kat Jack, and the life that she loves there.  I am equally blessed in much the same way, with a foot on two continents, each filled with people, and places that hold a special place in my heart . . . that make saying goodbye no matter which direction I face or move towards . . .  very hard.  There are many in this life who don't have a fraction of what I have in this way.  Oh, what a special blessing it is to belong to someone/someplace in such a way.  


   


Our black currant bush is dripping in black currants. We are picking every day. I adore the flavour of black currants. What will I make with these.  We shall see!  



Likewise the strawberries. Oh I do so love this time of year when we are surrounded with such tasty abundance.  And we still have the blueberries, loganberries and blackberries to look forward to!  Hooray! 

   


A happy childhood, filled with love and all the things I needed.  I never once went to bed hungry or had to live in constant fear. I was surrounded by people who cared for me, and was free to run through the grass in my bare feet, pick wildflowers and berries, play games . . . sleep under the stars in wonder.  I was educated and fed and clothed and my health was well taken care of, my teeth, my eyes, my body.  I had clean water and plenty to eat . . . . toys to play with and time to play. So many children in the world never ever have a fraction of what I had and took for granted.  I wish I could wave a magic wand and give everyone the childhood that I had. It was not perfect, but it was pretty darned close.  





I love and am loved.  I have always been blessed in this way.  God is good.  


  

A childhood dream I realised not once, but five times over and now I get to be a Grandmother seven times over. Its like having all of these little pieces of your heart out there walking around the earth independantly of yourself. When they are really small you get to hold them close and keep them safe, but then they grow older, and older and you have to let them go . . .  but they take a piece of you with them wherever they go, and you just hope and pray that all will be well . . . motherhood is an eternal role that never ends . . . but also a great blessing.    




I've always lived a life filled with freedom of choice . . .  to do or not to do, to be or not to be, to eat or not to eat, to go or not to go, to love or not to love  . . . choice after choice after choice.  So many in the world have no choice. I am blessed that I do.




The Dawn Chorus . . . I wake up to it every morning.  Its much better than an alarm clock.

 
  

I have lived and am living a life filled with abundance . . .  and best of all I know this, I recognise this. I don't take any of it for granted and where and when I can, I try to share it with others.  A blessing shared is a blessing doubled. A grain of rice shared between two people brings joy to them both.

And that's the best way to live your life.  A thought to carry with you . . . 

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

 *.˛.° ˛°. Connecting to the soul and 
finding peace and happiness
is a process. It is a lifestyle.
It is a choice, it is our attitude 
of happiness.
~Dr Joe G Vethanayagam •。★★ 。* 。


 

In The English Kitchen today . . .  a delicious Bacon & Egg Salad.  Healthy and fabulous!

I hope your week ahead is filled with lots of small and wonderful things. Along the way of your week, don't forget! 

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right where you are! 

And I do too!  
 


Sunday, 24 June 2018

Sunday morning ponderings . . .



I do so live in a beautiful area of the country . . . known as the borderlands . . . where Wales and England meet.



It is a secret land of hidden vale and mountainous retreat . . . with a chain of noble castles marking it's ancient boundaries, from Chepstow to this beautiful, historic walled city that I live in.



Blood and tongue are mingled here . . . where once was feud and strife. The Welsh were greatly feared as a warrior people . . . and indeed, I believe . . . there is still a law on the books whereby Welshmen are not allowed within the walls of Chester after dark . . .



Loyalties and cultures are merged here though . . . having been tempered through time, and the distance of old histories and memories. This area is a place of unsurpassed beauty, unspoiled by vandal hands . . . this wild romantic beauty of the borderlands . . .



I love to go into the city on warm days and sit by the river where I can relax leisurely . . .enjoying the cool green comfort of a somewhat restful holiday . . . where shady willows lean. The river meanders by meadows cold and green.



No . . . not the same as a seaside holiday . . . nor as thrilling as the music of the sea . . .but there is peace to be found in water that flows dreamily past.



No wheeling gulls or waves . . . no rolling tide . . . just peace and rest by the riverside.



A land of mist and shadow at the edge of time and space . . . I love my home  . . . this beautiful place.



The sun is shining beautifully again here this morning. We really have no cause for complaint this year. May and June have been most beautiful. I hope that it sticks for a few more days at least.  We are really enjoying it.

Yesterday we were picking strawberries and black currants in the garden. I so love black currants and they are not a fruit that I ever really got to eat much of before I moved over here.  Our bush is loaded with them this year!  We are blessed! I see a pie in Todd's future!

I've spent far too much time on here this morning now . . .  I must dash and do the things I need to do before we leave for church . . . but I shall leave you with a pleasant thought . . .

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

 *.˛
Each time you pick a daffodil
Or gather violets on some hill
Or touch a leaf or see a tree,
it's all God whispering . . . 
"This is me."
~Helen Steiner Rice•。★★ 。* 。 



 

In the kitchen today  . . .  Strawberry Eclairs!  Fabuously tasty and not as difficult to make as one would suppose!

Have a beautiful Sunday!  Don't forget!


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And I do too!