And Then We All Had Tea

Thursday, 6 August 2026

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!

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Ginger cats. No surprise there I'm sure! I just think they have very engaging personalities.

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Vintage mixing bowls. Mom had one just like this . . .

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Fresh beans. Green, yellow, any kind. I got some the other day that look dark purple but when cooked are a deep green. Very tasty, all of them.

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Pretty cups and saucers . . .

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Dining al fresco . . . this looks like a lovely spot.

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Flowery curtains . . . .

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Flowery dresses . . .

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Fresh Raspberries . . . .

Raspberry Celebration Cake. I used to make one of these for my birthday every year when I lived in the U.K. It is a really delicious cake. Studded with fresh raspberries and filled with buttercream and raspberry preserves. It's a stunner.

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Old barns . . .

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Fresh peaches . . .

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Fresh plums . . . .

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Pink roses . . . so pretty . . .

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Small sea shells . . .

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Blueberry Bakes . . .

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Indian corn . . .

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Waffles . . .

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The gift of a sunrise every morning. What's not to love? Magical . . .

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Peek-a-boo . . . my heart melts . . .

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I love this coverlet . . . and the lamp.

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Sunflowers . . .

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Pottery mugs . . .

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Misty mornings . . .

And each of you. Thank you for being here. You are appreciated.

A thought to carry with you . . .

☾ ° ★° * 。

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

*You are not going to master the rest

of your life in one day. Just relax.

Master the day. Then just keep doing

that every day.

In The English Kitchen today . . . Aunt Betty's Old Fashioned Fruit Cobbler. Simple to make. Using larder ingredients. Fabulous served warm with some vanilla ice cream on top. You can make it using any fruit filling you like. I used Strawberry Rhubarb. This is some delicious!

I hope you have a wonderful Thursday. We had a heat warning in effect for the third day in a row. Best to stay indoors in the cool and keep hydrated. Whatever you get up to, stay safe! 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!

Wednesday, 5 August 2026

Wednesday Witterings . . .

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I was able to get to the mall yesterday and got to the phone store (thank you Cindy!) and got my phone sorted out. The problem was the VPN I had on it. Apparently you don't need a VPN on an iPhone. They have their own encryption. So in any case, it is sorted now and working great. Crisis averted and it didn't cost me anything for a change!

Also, to get to the phone store we took a shortcut through the pet store and I was able to get the right cat food, the one that Cinnamon will eat, so another problem was solved!

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On the way home Cindy and I stopped at the farm market. I picked up a couple of ears of fresh sweetcorn, some new potatoes and beans. I got a nice loaf of walnut and cranberry sourdough bread as well. The sweetcorn was $1 an ear. I can remember way back when you could get a Baker's Dozen of sweetcorn for $1, and that was in the mid 90's. We used to buy it on the side roads in Southern Ontario when we were living in Georgetown. Corn farmers would have wagons set up and they would be loaded with fresh sweetcorn every day. It was so good.

This was good too. I had an ear of it for my supper along with a new potato and some beans and some fish. It was just frozen fish. I think it was Jane's frozen cod in bread crumbs and it was terrible. Dry and tasteless. I ended up throwing the fish away. I won't be buying that again. I did enjoy the rest of my meal however. It was delicious. I love fresh vegetables so much!

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I did get down to the Birthday get-together in the afternoon. I just drove my car down and parked there at the end of the street, and tried hard not to be overly embarrassed by the fact that I had to drive down. They had their walkers parked outside the door and I had my car.

We had a lot of fun. There was tea and coffee. And water or juice for people like me who don't drink tea or coffee. (Glenna and myself.) Someone had made peanut butter squares and someone else ginger crinkles and Zilla had baked a birthday cake. I don't know what we didn't talk about. A really nice bunch of ladies. I felt like I was on the set of Steel Magnolias. Lots of laughs and wit and wisdom. I was glad that I had gone. Zilla reminds me very much of my mother. Same mannerisms, etc. but then again, they grew up in the same area.

She was telling me yesterday how they used to skate on the frozen field next to my Aunt Orabel's house and they go into Orabel's kitchen afterwards and warm their feet on the door of the woodstove, which was folded open for them to do so. And she remembered the old white horse in the other field next to the house as well.

When my brother, sister and I were children we used to visit with that white horse in the field while mom visited with her Aunt Orabel. The poor horse was blind, but very friendly.

I came home and finished some work I had to do and then got my supper. (I took a photo of it to show my sister. I know . . . what are we like, lol) I looked at all my Birthday cards again. I will have to put up a string to hang them on. What a nice problem to have. So many cards, I have to put up a string to hang them on. We should all be so blessed.

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In any case I had a very full day yesterday and was grateful for it. I haven't really done a lot over these past years. Since my return to Canada. I've mostly kept to myself and not reached out much to others or spent a lot of time with anyone but Cindy really. I am not sure why that is. Oh heck, who am I trying to kid. I know exactly why that is. I don't want to have to explain what happened to my husband, or why I am on my own. Or at least that is what I have been afraid of having to do. Well, it never even came up, so what was I worried about? It's probably the same with most of the things we worry ourselves over. We are probably worrying about nothing.

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Today the summer has come at my

window with its sighs and murmurs; and

the bees are plying their minstrelsy at the

court of the flowering grove.

~Rabindranath Tagore, From Gitanjali

minstrelsy (American)

[min-struhl-see] / ˈmɪn strəl si /

noun

the art or practice of a minstrel.

minstrels' songs, ballads, etc..

a collection of Scottish minstrelsy.

I had to look up what the word meant, or even if it was a word. It is. So now I can hear the bees humming beneath the window as they dance across the tops of the flowers, burrowing in here and there, fluffy butts aloft, to have a good long sup of the nectar of warm blossoms. Summer in a nutshell.

Sun bearing down. Shadows flickering beneath the dancing leaves. Bees humming. A gentle breeze murmuring and pulling at the tall grass at the edge of the lawn right where it greets the fence at the back of the house, tempting it to join in with the dance.

It is hard to believe that the children will be back to school in just a few weeks. Hasn't it only been a few weeks since that school ended for the year. But that is how a summer goes . . . it goes . . . far more quickly than we think it will . . .

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How can we slow it down? I don't know . . . be present? Wrap each day gently with the things which bring you the most joy? Take time to savor the light, the smells . . . the sounds and the tastes. Bask in the warmth of the sun while it is yet close to the earth . . .

Each night when I lay myself down into my bed I lay there all stretched out on my back and think, this is the most comfortable that I have been all day. Oh, how blessed am I to have such a comfortable bed to lay on. I close my eyes and I enjoy the feeling of being there for a few minutes.

Perhaps that is what we need to do with the moments in our days . . . to close our eyes and enjoy the feeling of being there and present in whatever it is that we are experiencing. The warmth, the breezes, the sunshine, the rain . . . and everything in between.

And with that I will leave you with a thought for the day . . .

☾ ° ★° * 。

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

*Love is the greatest

refreshment in life.

~Pablo Picasso

I didn't have time yesterday to cook a whole new recipe, photograph it, etc. so I rewrote an old post in it's place. Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes & Capers. Such a tasty meal. One of my all-time favorites. Tender and moist, golden scallops of chicken, nestled into a delicious sauce of sweet fresh cherry tomatoes and briny capers. This is so yummy! Quick and easy too!

I hope that your Wednesday brings a lot of summer joys to your table. Fresh veggies and fruits, summer breezes, buzzing bees, joy . . . joy . . . joy. Whatever your day brings, 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!

Tuesday, 4 August 2026

A Day Book . . .

FOR TODAY, August 4th, 2026

OUTSIDE MY FRONT WINDOW ...

All is well. Not a lot going on. It is garbage day today so my garbage is by the road. We have had a fair bit of rain off and on these past few days. A sunny, hot and windy day is expected for today.

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I AM THINKING ...

All of a sudden yesterday my phone decided that I am unable to hook up to the internet. Not via data, not via my home wifi, etc. That means I am unable to upload photos so I really need to go to the phone store and see what is up with that. I have tried forgetting the home network and reinstalling it. Restarting my phone numerous times. Rebooting my wife, which really was a wasted effort as I can get online with everything else in my home. It's my phone. I will need to go to the mall and the phone store, which is a bit of a worry for me due to the mobility issues I am having this week.

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I AM ALSO THINKING ...

The birthday get together this afternoon at the end of the street is apparently for me as well. I will have to go. I am going to have to drive my car down and park it there as there is no way I will be able to walk down. This is embarrassing for me, but it is what it is. There is not much I can do about that.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR ...

My home which is safe, comfortable, and peaceful. I am truly blessed. I do not take it for granted.

I AM ALSO GRATEFUL FOR ...

My faith. It sustains me and keeps me going. It helps me to live a better life than I would ever be able to live otherwise. I know all good things come from Him. I know I am blessed. I know I am carried.

IN THE KITCHEN ...

This quick and easy Cheesy Cauliflower Bake. This was very simple to make and delicious. Eileen had it for breakfast two days in a row. She said it was like a cauliflower quiche without the crust. It made me happy that she enjoyed it so much!

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ON MY "TO COOK" LIST ...

Buckingham Palace Shortbread. Shortbread? Count me in! All in!

THIS I BELIEVE ...

We all have talents. We need to use them to help to make this world a better place.

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SOMETHING THAT IS NICE ...

Bees and wildflowers. They need each other and we need them.

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SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS NICE ...

Butter. I love butter. We always had real butter growing up. Never margarine. We were really lucky. I hear some of the other kids that we grew up with talking about the things they had when they were growing up and many of them talk about their moms running out of money before payday and them having to eat oatmeal, etc. We may not have had fancy clothes, or the latest toys in our home, or even an abundance of either. Our food may have been simple. But we never ran out and we always had three decent meals a day and we had butter. Real butter. Real milk as well. Never powdered like many others did. The Armed Forces did not get a great rate of pay in those days. My mother was the one who eked out our father's meagre pay and made sure we had everything we needed. Our father handed it all over to her and let her manage it. He got an allowance. In many other families, the mother got the allowance and it was often never enough.

SOMETHING I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO ...

Seeing my brother and sister-in-law in just a few weeks time. We have not seen Christine in a few years now as she was busy caring for her father. He passed away a few months ago now, so Christine is free to travel more. I am looking forward to being able to see and spend time with them both. It will be nice.

I AM WANTING TO CREATE ...

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Sleepy cats . . .

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Washable Swiffer covers . . .

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Pretty dish cloths . . .

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Kitchen hand towels . . . so nice.

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Mug Cozies . . . so pretty.

SOMETHING I ENJOY ...

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Fresh Figs . . . although I have not had one in a very long time . . .

SOMETHING ELSE THAT I ENJOY ...

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Sunflowers and the way that they always look to the sun. Towards the light. We need to do the same.

I AM READING ...

AUNT DIMITY'S DEATH, by Nancy Atherton

Lori Shepherd thought Aunt Dimity was just a character in a bedtime story... ...Until the Dickensian law firm of Willis & Willis summons her to a reading of the woman's will. Down-on-her-luck Lori learns she's about to inherit a sizable estate -- if she can discover the secret hidden in a treasure trove of letters in Dimity's English country cottage. What begins as a fairy tale becomes a mystery - and a ghost story - in an improbably cozy setting, as Aunt Dimity's indomitable spirit leads Lori on an otherworldly quest to discover how, in this life, true love can conquer all.

Lori Shepherd has nothing. She temps for a job, lives with two roommates, and has had her childhood stuffed toy, her only companion, destroyed. So her life is in shambles when she receives a letter from Willis & Willis, Attorneys. When she arrives at their home, she discovers that her childhood stories of Aunt Dimity weren’t fairy tales made up by her mother; Dimity was an actual person, her mother’s best friend. And now both her mother and Dimity have gone, and Dimity wants her to come to England and write the introduction to a children’s book made up of those stories.

But Lori has another surprise - both her mother and Dimity have written her posthumous letters detailing why they never told her about their connection, and her mother has left a photograph - the only clue to Dimity’s past life when her mother met her. She wants Lori to find out about the photo, because it will explain what Dimity would never talk about - her past. So, with the accompaniment of Bill, (Willis, Jr.) Lori sets out for London to find the truth and learn more about this fairy tale which wasn’t one at all . . .

I am thoroughly enjoying this book. It has been a long time since I have looked forward to picking up a book and reading it in the way I am enjoying this one. I plan to read the whole series if I can. This is book 1.

THINGS THAT CATCH MY FANCY ...