All Things Nice . . .

 

(source)

I like sun-loving things that reach

Their fingers up to find the light,

Gay morning glories by the fence

A blue wave decked in frills of white.

A kitten dozing in a patch

Of golden sunlight on the floor;

A row of pines above the lake,

Shedding their needles on the shore.

Old people love it's warmth and glow,

Against the chill of ageing limbs,

So Mother Nature gives the sun

To cater to their special whims.

The creeping things of field and wood,

Back in the splendor of its rays,

While birds have lovelier songs I know

That they save for sunny days

Small lizards baking in the sun.

A sheltered wall where ivy clings,

How poor the world would be without

The beauty of sun-loving things.

~Edna Jacques, Sun Loving Things

Fireside Poems, 1950

I love how you will always find cats and dogs laying in patches of sunlight that make their way through our windows. They know the places to be. If there is an animal around and a patch of sunlight, you can probably guarantee the two are together.

I don't blame them. I love a nice patch of sunlight myself.

 

(source)

 Toilet roll bunnies. I saw these and thought they would be a really sweet idea for holding little Easter Treats. Candy kisses, little chocolate eggs, or whatever. They would even be cute just as they are hanging on an Easter Tree, if you were so inclined.  I thought I would share them now so you could save up your toilet rolls.

 

(source)

I love mourning doves.  There is something about their gentle cooing that sparks soft feelings in my heart. The sound that their wings make when they take off and land. Its called sonation. It sounds like whistling to me. Did you know they were monogamous? You usually see them in pairs and they incubate and raise their young together.

I have sometimes seen three together. I am not sure what that is about. 

Are you a list maker?  I am. I have always loved making lists. I make lists for all sorts of things. Most of my notebooks have lists of things in them.  I make menu lists, shopping lists, (just check my coat pockets), wish lists, pro-con lists, etc. 

One of the things I am most guilty of is making a grocery list and then coming home with a bazillion things that weren't on my list, having forgotten many of the things that were.

I am a planner who, more often than not, makes plans that are hardly ever followed.  If you looked into my Big Blue Binder you would find menu pages and plans.  Housekeeping plans with schedules and chores planned for each day of the week. Plans which hardly ever got followed.

I can make a menu plan and a grocery list on Saturday for the week ahead, but chances are that the plan for making tacos on Tuesday will have gone by the wayside once Tuesday rolls around because I no longer feel like eating tacos on Tuesday.

I am not sure what this indicates about me? I love to make lists and plans, but I rarely, if ever, follow them. I have a wish to be more organized, but my personality is such that it defies most of the logic of being organized. I get distracted very easily.  I can start off doing one thing and I end up doing three or four other things and the original thing I started is unfinished.

 

(source)

I find myself in a very odd season of life. Not one I would have ever wanted to endure or experience. One only ever wants their children to be happy and I have always supported my children no matter what. It makes me sad that my daughter Eileen is going through what she is going through at the moment. On the surface she appears to be doing alright, but I think she hides a lot of what she is feeling. She is a very loyal person. Always whenever I picked the two of them up or tried to make plans with just her, she was very quick to make sure that Tim also got his turn in the front seat, or that Tim was included, not just her. Already this week she has been thrown into situations several times where she has been forced to be in his company, even sitting next to him in a car while they are being driven somewhere. I have no idea how difficult that is for her. I know it would be extremely difficult for myself. 

All I can do is to try to be as supportive of her as I can. I reassure her daily that everything will be alright, in time.  That she will one day be able to look back and see through the trials and know that what seemed like the worst of things was actually leading to the best of things. I tell her each day that she has nothing to be ashamed of, to hold her head high and that it's okay to not be okay about things. There is a time for mourning and we need to mourn. We just don't need to wallow in it.

Every night after we go to bed I shoot her a positive message on the iPad. Sometimes its an uplifting scripture, other times a special song. I want her to end her days with something positive and uplifting to think about.

This is Nutmeg  polishing one of the legs of my coffee table. He was so funny to watch. I was going to try to take a video of it but he stopped doing it almost as soon as I pressed record. Isn't that always the way??? He is such a funny little character. Eileen gets so much pleasure out of watching the two cats and their antics with their unique little personalities. They are as different as chalk and cheese. One a big bumbling oaf and the other a delicate little rose. 

She is going to get herself a cat she says. I told her it could be an emotional support cat. I know it would do her a lot of good to have something/one to take care of. She is a nurturer. 

No man is an Island. Human beings need something other than themselves to believe in, something to draw upon. We do much better in our lives when we have something to feel passionate about and a reason to get out of bed in the morning.  Having a belief in something, anything at all, helps us to be the very best (most of the time) version of ourselves. Belief helps to prevent our minds and bodies from atrophying.  Belief makes it impossible for our hearts, minds and lives to stand still. Once activated, belief itself takes on motion, and as we hold on to belief, we, too are set in motion.

That is why it is very important to carefully choose what or who it is we will believe in. One of the ways we can tell if a teaching or a belief is good or right is by how it makes us feel. It should not make us feel drained, or confused, or powerless. It may challenge us, but that is often a very good thing, something we can rise up to meet with joy and enthusiasm. Good belief should empower you and inspire you to become the best that you can be.  Good belief sets you free and inspires you to soar. Good belief strengthens us.

When we feel better, we act better. When we act better, our lives become better. Fully satisfied, nourished and vibrant. At peace with life.

 

(source)

Kindness is a choice and the more often we choose to be kind, the more natural to us being kind becomes. Life is just better when we make kindness the prevailing choice.  We live in a world that is often very unkind. Being gracious no longer prevails. There is far too much name-calling, insult and derision around us . . .  at times too much dishonesty.  It can be so tempting to fall into the same trap and to behave in the same way. 

Doing so does not bring joy or peace into life. Doing so can destroy life at its very core . . . this being unkind . . .  seeping into our health, our relationships our happiness and even our success. 

As well we often find it much easier to be kinder to others and forget that we also need to be kind to ourselves. It is not a selfish thing to be kind to yourself. Being kind to yourself helps to make a better you and in turn helps you to be kinder to others. 

 

(source)

Life is sometimes very hard.  I know I am not alone in experiencing the hard times. I think that rain falls on everyone's shoulders. Nobody is immune to pain and loss and hardship. Life is also very beautiful despite the hardships, however. We just need to train ourselves to dwell on the good instead of on the bad . . . on our many blessings.  I do have many, many blessings in my life.  I live in a safe country. I have pretty good health, aside from the aches and pains of arthritis, but as we get older most of us experience that in one way or another. I have a comfortable roof over my head that keeps me warm and sheltered and dry.  An oasis in the wilderness. My home, to me, is holy ground.

I have all that I need and then some. Enough to share with those who are not as fortunate as myself. If you have enough and then some to share, then you are very blessed indeed.

I am so grateful for the love of family and friends.  For a sister who is always there for me and on whom I know I can depend on in all the seasons of life. I hope she feels the same about me as I do about her.

I am grateful for a daughter who knew and felt comfortable enough to turn to me for help in her rough times. Who had enough confidence in me to know that I would be there for her, no matter what.

I have my faith which supports and uplifts me. I would not, could not, be without it. It has gotten me through many a hard or sorrowful time and brought an abundance of joy into each of my days.

I have never known the pangs of true want or need. I have never had to listen to the sound of falling bombs.

I have been hurt just enough in life to enable me to have true compassion and love for others.

Life is good. I do carry an element of sadness in my soul, but most people do. I am not unique in that. I can live with it, even when all hope seems lost. I can dwell on the good rather than the negative, and that will . . .  does . . . make all the difference in the world.

I hope you have a beautiful Saturday.

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

•。★★ 。* 。

° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚

˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛

˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

*.˛.°“One ought, every day at least, 

see a fine picture, and, 

if it were possible, 

to speak a few reasonable words.

to hear a little song, read a good poem, 

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Mini Lemon Drizzle Cake.  This is rich and light and loaded with plenty of lemon flavor, from the inside out. It has that distinct lemon sugar topping that most drizzle cakes have as well, but I will go out on a limb here and say that I would have enjoyed it even more without the topping. 

I hope you have a beautiful Saturday.  Whatever you get up to I hope it brings you joy. I think Cindy and I are going to drive up to Pelton's after she brings dad home from his breakfast out.  Apparently they have turkey pot pies. We shall see!  Anyways, have a good one, and don't forget!

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

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And I do too!    

   

Dear Neighbor . . .

 

 

(source)

FEBRUARY 27th, 2026

Estate Lane

Middleton, Nova Scotia

-7*C/19*F

Mostly clear

rain/snow ahead

Dear Neighbor,

Its hard to believe that we are already at the end of February. Tomorrow is the last day. Two months have slipped off our 2026 calendar at the speed of light. I am always amazed at how quickly the months seem to fly by.  This year has seen quite a bit of snow in these last two months, with more to come, but I am not going to complain. After the drought and fire-season of last year, this moisture, be it snow or be it rain is more than welcome. The more moisture the better to fill our streams, lakes and rivers and to keep our ground water topped up. Fire season was ever so scary last year, not the least because the fires were so close to where I live. That one day when the skies were orange and red and ash was falling like snow is a day I never hope to repeat again so long as I live.

And spring is just around the corner now with it's March winds, April showers and May flowers.

Eileen wanted me to take her to the store yesterday so she could get some drinks and some grapes to snack on.  There was a new product on the shelves that I could not resist.  Bonne Maman Apple with Vanilla compote. I could not resist buying a jar even though it was a bit on the expensive side. I really love the Bonne Maman products, and especially the jars. There is something about that checkered lid that really appeals to me. I never throw any of them away and reuse them for all sorts. This is quite a large jar, holding almost 2 cups and I love the green gingham colored lid. I was sorely tempted to open it last night, but didn't. Perhaps today I will try it out and see what it tastes like. 

I had their Advent Calendar for Christmas and, true confession, I still have not opened most of the little pots of jam. There were some really unique flavors, but a lot have not appealed to me.  I guess I am just an old fashioned strawberry jam kind of a girl. I like what I like.

 

(source)

We managed to get out for supper with Dad and Cindy this week on Wednesday night.  Eileen had been really looking forward to the Spaghetti & Meatballs and I had been drooling over the photograph that Cindy had shared with us the previous week of her Haddock Burger and Frings. (Fries and Onion Rings.) So no surprise, that is what I chose to have. Dad really enjoys their Shepherd's pie, but they were all out of it this week so he had to content himself with pan fried haddock. He did not seem to mind overly much, especially since it came with a roll on the side.  The Haddock Burger was quite nice, but far too much, especially with the frings on the side. I could only eat about half of it and half the fries. I did manage to quaff down all of the onion rings however. I really like onion rings, and I know they are naughty and I really shouldn't be eating them, but  . . .  the heart wants what the heart wants and I really did enjoy them.

Eileen really enjoyed her spaghetti and meatballs.  She brought half of it home with her and had it for her lunch yesterday. She was very happy with that.

The cleaners were here yesterday afternoon and, true to form, Nutmeg stayed hidden for the duration. I am sure they must think I am making up this second cat and that he is a figment of my imagination. Not really, I do believe they got a glimpse of him once.  For some reason he stays tucked away the whole time they are here. He did not come out yesterday until about an hour after they had left.

Cinnamon, on the other hand, stays present and accounted for the whole time they are here. She sits and watches everything they do and relishes in rolling around on their freshly mopped floor. She even lets them pet her. She is a funny little creature. 

They both desperately need their claws clipped. I also need to make an appointment for them to have their shots.  They are late getting them once again, so I will probably have to get double shots as if they are beginning all over again this year.  I should have taken them in January but alas I was not up to it.

Eileen and I watched the film, "The Moon Spinners," while the cleaners were here yesterday afternoon. Its an old Haley Mills film, made in 1964.  I remember going to see it at the base theatre in Gimli, Manitoba way back then. I fell in love with Greece while watching that film and it became a place that I really wanted to visit one day.  Alas, that will never happen now. 

Its not a bad movie. A bit cheesy by today's standards I guess, but we both enjoyed watching it. I have ready the book as well, by Mary Stewart and I remember thinking it was very good. 

I had a huge little girl crush on the male lead of the film, Peter McEnery.  That handsome young man is an 86 year old man now, but still fairly attractive even at his advanced age. I looked him up to see if he was still alive, and thought he had quite a pleasant face.

It is funny how men seem to become more attractive as they age, whilst women not so much. I hardly think that's fair, but it is what it is.

 

(source)

I had been going to make us turkey burgers for our supper last night. I had some frozen ones, cranberry and stuffing flavor.  When I took them out of the freezer however, it was noted that they were more than a year out of date, so they went into the bin and we had scrambled eggs on toast in stead. 

I am turning into my mother in my old age. I can remember going to visit her and you would have to check the expiry dates on everything. There would still be salad dressing in the refrigerator from my previous visit several years prior, and she would get quite upset if I went out and bought new dressing to replace it.  I have eaten brown parmesan cheese because I did not want to hurt her feelings.

I can see now how easily things go out of date when you live by yourself.  Things come in such big packages and it is hard to use them up in time. I can remember when I first moved to the U.K. thinking how terrible it was how small everything was, but, now I live on my own, I would gladly pay a bit more for something smaller in size just so I didn't end up wasting half of it. I am sure I probably end up throwing half of most of what I buy away as it just doesn't get used up in time. I am sure that this is a common complaint of anyone who lives on their own.

 

(source)

I have not had many birds at my feeders since putting out the fresh seed.  One lone junco. That is all I have seen aside from the greedy jays who come to snap up the peanuts. I had hoped that we would see more, but alas, so far that just has not happened. Perhaps there are too many people feeding them on this street?  I know Wil's son (who moved into her place after she passed away) has quite a few feeders out and Jane across from him does as well.  So perhaps the birds are just content to go to them and are being well fed.

I will continue to hope.

My sister gets tons of birds at her feeders.  Chickadees, juncos, cardinals, etc. Plus squirrels and crows, jays.  Her garden is like a wild life preserve.

I don't really have a lot else to share with this letter. Life is not overly exciting, but I am happy for that. I think I could not handle too much excitement. Slow and steady, calm, normal. That is enough for me at the moment. There is that old saying about slow and steady winning the race. I am content with that.

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

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

*I'd rather regret the risks that

didn't work out than the chances

I didn't take at all.

~Simone Biles• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。

New in The English Kitchen today, Oat Topped Banana Bread.This is a no‑fuss, one‑bowl banana bread that’s ideal for breakfast, snacking, or an afternoon treat with a cup of tea. I love the nuttiness of that toasted oat topping. This is lovely served thinly sliced and buttered. It's also quite low in sugar as compared to other banana breads.

I hope your Friday is a lovely one. Its supposed to be mostly sunny here today. But cold. I don't expect to go too far from the house today.  I think Anthony was wanting to facetime this morning. Whatever you get up to, be blessed. Don't forget!

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

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And I do too!    

   

My Favorite Things . . .

 

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens . . . 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.  Let's share!

 

(source)

Snowy footprints, human, birdie, animal, etc. they tell a story.

 

(source)

Spring blooms  . . .  it won't be long.

 

(source)

A pretty sewing box.

 

(source)

I love the smell of fresh coffee. I may not drink it but I do love the smell of it.

 

(source)

Burleigh ware  . . . Maytime serving dish . . . so pretty.

 

(source)

Peter Rabbit anything  . . . 

 

(source)

Vintage crochet pot holders  . . . 

 

(source)

Vintage kitchenalia . . . 

 

(source)

Vintage button cards  . . . 

 

(source)

Being inside in the warmth looking out  . . . 

 

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A cozy corner  . . . 

 

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Good cheese  . . . 

 

(source)

A foxy cup  . . . 

 

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A roaring fire in the grate  . . . 

 

(source)

Vintage Barbie  . . . 

 

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Vintage fashion plates  . . . 

 

(source)

True comfort  . . . 

 

(source)

A pretty vase  . . . 

 

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They know the best places  . . . 

 

(source)

Pretty pillows  . . . 

 

(source)

Cherry cakes  . . . 

 

(source)

Blythe . . .  love mine.

 

(source)

Cottage Cozy  . . . 

 

(source)

French pastries  . . . 

 

(source)

Foxgloves  . . . 

 

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Those eyes  . . . 

 

(source)

Gingers  . . . 

 

(source)

Warm hands  . . . 

And those are my favorite things for this week . . . 

A thought to carry with you . . . 

☾ ° ★° * 。  

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

*If you see something beautiful
in someone, speak it.

~Ruthie Lindsey• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Melting Carrots.  Delicious, buttery, tender and perfectly spiced.  These were fabulous.

Another chilly day today. Partly sunny. I have to take Eileen out this morning to get some drinks and then my cleaners are coming in the afternoon, so a busy day ahead of me.  I hope you have a lovely day.  Whatever you get up to, don't forget!

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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿

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And I do too!