And Then We All Had Tea

Thursday, 5 March 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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Transferware . . .

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White furnishings . . .

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Braid carpets . . .

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White jugs . . .

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Fresh bread rolls . . .

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Pearls . . .

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Spring Flowers . . .

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Birch Trees . . . as a child I loved to peel their bark . . .

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Floral curtains . . .

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Fresh eggs . . .

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Foxes . . .

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Fresh naan breads . . .

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Baby toes . . .

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White bed linens . . .

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White nighties . . .

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Its on the way . . .

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Fresh morning buns . . .

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Old fashioned . . .

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Puppies . . .

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Fresh baguettes . . . especially with good butter and shaved European ham . . .

And those are my favorite things for this week. Hoping some of them were yours also.

A thought to carry with you . . .

☾ ° ★° * 。

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

*Some people chase perfection
I chase the joy of creating something
with my heart stitched into it.
~unknown • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。

I made Tomato Dumplings for Eileen yesterday. She was in heaven. Quick, easy and economical this was something I made often when she was growing up. It had been a very long time since she had had them. It pleases me to please her.

I hope you have a great Thursday! I was awake at 4 a.m. thinking about taxes. Time to get them done. 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!

Wednesday, 4 March 2026

Wednesday Witterings . . .

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I am a bit late getting started this morning. We had to be up really early as Eileen was going to the hospital early for her second Iron Infusion. After I got her ready to go and she left, I thought I might have a short nap, but it was for naught. I couldn't fall back asleep. I will be nodding away tonight as I try to watch something on television no doubt!

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Occasionally I get emails from people who subscribe to my Grow Newsletter from the food blog. I got one the other day from someone who wanted to cancel her subscription:

"I am vegan. Is there a vegan option for emails? If not, I would like to be removed Please and thank you. FYI: the reason I am vegan and killing of life to fill my stomach is sickening."

I politely responded that if she wished to unsubscribe she need only click the unsubscribe button at the bottom of the Grow email.

So then I get this response:

"Shall do. It is disappointing that you don’t care. Sigh"

I am not sure what I could have done any differently. If you want to be a Vegan than that's great for you. I have tried it and it is not for me.

It is obvious from the outset my blog is not a Vegan blog, although I do occasionally post a recipe that is Vegan friendly. If you are a Vegan and you don't like recipes that are not Vegan friendly, then the answer seems to be pretty simple to me. Don't subscribe to a blog that is not a Vegan blog. There are plenty of Vegan blogs out there to suit your purposes. Sorry to disappoint, but hey. I like to eat meat on occasion, and I don't feel, and will not let you make me feel guilty for doing so.

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Eileen had not had sauerkraut for a very long time. Probably not since I moved over to the U.K. so yesterday I cooked us some for our dinner. Pickled Pork and Sauerkraut with some fluffy mashed potatoes. It was some good and we both really enjoyed it. I beat lots of butter into the potatoes. I have quite a bit leftover (the potatoes) and I am going to make something with them today. I do still have a bit of sauerkraut and pork as well, but I will give that to Eileen and have something else myself.

My friend Leona used to make delicious potato patties using canned corned beef. I might try to make some of those. I will have to dig out my Big Blue Binder and look them up.

I did look online (for ease) and found one but when I looked at the photo of the ingredients for this recipe:

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Something is clearly amiss. That's not corned beef in the bowl. That's ground beef. That leads me to believe that this is not a legitimate site, but some AI produced page with a fake author, etc. In short, not to be trusted.

Oh I am being a negative nelly this morning aren't I!

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We had a bit more snow during the night last night, but Eileen's worker was still able to get here from Annapolis, so it was not too bad. I doubt they will clean our street. The sun is shining brightly now although the skies are still grey. The temperature is above zero however so the new snow on the road should melt alright. This is the season of transition between Winter and Summer. Days where you get cold and Winter one day and mild and Spring the next, swinging wildly back and forth until Spring finally decides to grab hold and stick. Even then we may get an occasional day of Winter. I have seen it snow in June. (Not hoping for that scenario!) The clocks spring forward this Sunday so here we go with the time change again. I am so NOT a fan of time change. I wish that they would do away with that whole scenario. It always messes up my internal clock and takes me ages to get back on track.

I know I am not alone in wanting this madness to stop.

Oh dear negative nelly again.

The cats have adjusted very well to Eileen being here. They don't mind at all. Even Nutmeg. He is such a funny little guy. He is the first to disappear when someone new arrives. The cleaners have never really seen him as he hides the whole time they are here, only coming out after they leave.

Cinnamon, on the other hand, follows them around, watches their every move, lets them pet her and relishes rolling around on their freshly mopped floors.

Those two are as different as chalk and cheese.

I don't have a lot planned for today. Normally we would be going out to supper with Dad, but he is going to Greenwood for a Chinese and I am not a fan of that filthy restaurant, so we will be staying home. I think Cindy and Dan are going to take dad and drop him off and then go to another place themselves. Can't say that I blamed them. It really is a dirty spot. Eileen and I will do something here.

I am wanting to bake a cake today so I might make that happen. I also have a ton of comments to attend to. We will just have to wait and see. In the meantime, here is a thought to carry with you . . .

☾ ° ★° * 。

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

*Develop a passion for learning.

If you do, you will never cease to grow.

~Anthony J. D'Angelo• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。

• ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ • •。★★ 。* 。

Sharing a recipe today for Potato, Cheese & Onion Pie. This is very simple and very good.

Delicious comforting food made from simple ingredients put together in the tastiest way possible.

I hope that you have a lovely day no matter what you get up to. I am so sorry that I have been quite boring as of late. I am not sure why that is. 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!

Tuesday, 3 March 2026

A Day Book . . .

FOR TODAY, March 3rd, 2026

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW ...

The sun is shining and the sky is a bright blue. Its garbage day, so everyone has their garbage out by the road. -15*C/5*F this morning but it should get up to +2*C/36*F. Still pretty cold regardless.

I AM THINKING ...

My daughter posted a picture of my granddaughter yesterday. She turned 15 on the 24th of February. She is beautiful. I won't share it because I am afraid if I do, then my daughter will cut me off completely. But I was grateful to see it. It was the first photo of her that I had seen in a long while. She is a very pretty young woman.

I AM ALSO THINKING ...

I wonder if she knows about me, who I am, where I am, or even if I exist. I also wonder what she has been told about me. Positive or negative. She is on Facebook now. I keep getting suggestions from Facebook to add her as a friend, but I ignore them. They don't come from her, they come from Facebook. She would probably think I am some random stranger trying to add her as a friend. And it might upset her. Maybe one day.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR ...

Slow things. Things that give you pause to reflect on the goodness of life Tender mercies. The gifts that are ours that cost us nothing but our time and reflection.

I AM ALSO GRATEFUL FOR ...

My childhood. I know I was blessed with good parents and a safe an happy upbringing. I was loved. I was a curious child, always wandering in the woods near our house, looking at things, observing. I loved nature then. I love nature now. I still hear it's music.

IN THE KITCHEN ...

Healthy Breakfast Oats with Dates and Marmalade. Wholesome, naturally sweetened and delicious.

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ON MY "TO COOK" LIST ...

Hot Buttered Corn Rice. This looks really delicious. We like rice. We like corn.

THIS I BELIEVE ...

Serving others in whichever way that we can is one of the things which can bring great joy into our lives.

SOMETHING THAT IS NICE ...

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The warmth of light on wood . . . so pretty . . .

SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS NICE ...

This is me to a "T." I am so not a night or party animal. I like my evenings to be quiet and slow.

I AM WANTING TO CREATE ...

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A chicken tea cozy . . .

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A bird shaped pot holder . . .

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Crochet lemons . . .

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Little crochet coin purses. Sweet.

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A sunflower bag . . .

SOMETHING I ENJOY ...

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Cozy cottage decor . . .

SOMETHING ELSE I ENJOY ...

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Butterflies . . .

I AM READING ...

IN THE GREAT QUIET, by Laura Vogt

A pioneer unwaveringly endures the Oklahoma frontier in an epic adventure about a woman haunted by secrets and searching for home.

A cannon booms at high noon, and the race begins in the Oklahoma land rush of 1893.

Amid the crowd is Minnie Hoopes. Tenacious and fiercely independent, she is determined to endure the brutal frontier and create a life of her own. Guarding her solitude, she distances herself from bordering homesteaders and finds peace under the starry nights of the vast frontier. But this is outlaw country, and Minnie soon has the blood of two gunfighters on her hands. After a renegade outlaw named Stot discovers her secrets, she forms an unlikely friendship with him. With each passing season, Minnie’s past grows more haunting and threatens the future she has risked everything to build. Minnie raced into the Wild West alone, but her grandest journey in the frontier wilderness is one she never saw coming.

Based on the true story of the author’s great-great-grandparents, this sweeping and transportive survival story explores a woman’s connection with the land, her reconciliation with the past, and her elemental search for home against all odds.

Settle in, I’ve stories to tell.

I love stories based on true stories. Only just begun this novel.

THINGS THAT CATCH MY FANCY ...