Choosing Love

"With love, no harm can come. Do not forget, ever, the light that is shining ahead of you, calling on you to look ever upwards. Be guided and guarded in all your ways by the spirit of light." ~Translated from an old book of Gaelic wisdom and lore.

I have always felt that one cannot go far wrong in life, if they use the motivating factor of love to guide all their steps and actions. That means that everything you do or say is done out of love and compassion for your fellow beings. It's not always easy. Some people are downright prickly and hard to love! Still others have a wall built around them that is pretty hard to penetrate. It is always worth it though . . . always . . . the dividends and rewards paid out in blessings received being priceless and beyond measure.



Love . . . it is the greatest of human values, a direct gift from God, the most powerful and potent life enhancing human energy and quite possibly where we are able to derive the most meaning in life.

I choose each day to love and face the world as a lover. Naive? perhaps. Symplistic? undoubtedly. Sensible? absolutely. Worth it? You betcha!!! Loving others is a choice we make and let's face it . . . it beats any alternative out there!



We had a lovely day in France yesterday. It started out rainy but ended up sunny and warm. I haven't had time to have a good look at my photos yet or edit them, but by tommorrow I should be well and truly ready to tell you all about it! It was a long day to be sure, as we left here at about 6:00 am and did not get home until going on for 9;00 last evening. (I'm sure Jess was quite wanting to shoot us!) My feet were protesting and I was more than ready for bed, but we had a wonderful day with some great friends in a beautiful place. Tune in tommorrow for more details.



I'm not sure what these flowers are that I have posted the pictures of this morning, but they grow throughout my garden in a variety of colours, each one more breathtaking and beautiful than the last. I took these photos the other day after an early morning rain.

Obviously I didn't cook yesterday but on Friday I managed to rustle up this delicious meal for Todd and myself. Simple and very easy to put together, this is a winner on all counts.



*Chicken, Stuffed with Peppers and Goats Cheese*
served with a tasty potato crush
Serves 2

Simple, but packed with flavour, this dish is great for an imtimate meal a deux. It's also very easily multiplied to serve more however.

3 plump cloves of garlic, peeled
2 TBS chopped fresh flatleaf parsley
2 TBS olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I use free range organic)
100g goats cheese (I use capricorn) cut into 6 rounds
3 strips of roasted peppers in oil, drain well and cut each in half
fresh thyme sprigs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
10 ounces of new potatoes, the small ones
85g packed of wild rocked, washed, picked over and tough stems removed

Pre-heat the oven to 100*C/400*F. Lightly oil a baking dish and set aside.

Bring a little pot of water to the simmer and add the garlic cloves. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. This helps to take some of the harshness out of the garlic, giving it a somewhat mellower flavour. Drain well and then chop finely. Mix together with the chopped parsley and the olive oil. Set aside.

Make 3 deep slits, diagonally, in each chicken breast and then set them into the baking dish. Take half of the garlic mixture, reserving the rest for later, and spread it over the chicken, pressing it into the slits.

Cut each round of cheese in half diagonally and sandwich a piece of the peppers inside two half along with a piece of thyme, making six goats cheese sandwiches. Stuff one sandwich into each slit in the chicken. Sprinkle liberally with salt and black pepper and then pop into the oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until bubbly and the juices of the chicken run clear, without overcooking.

While the chicken is cooking put your potatoes into a pot of lightly salted boiling water. Cook for about 15 minutes until tender. Drain well and then return to the pan. Crush lightly with a fork. Stir in the rocket and let sit for a few seconds until it begins to wilt somewhat. Stir the remaining garlic oil mixture in, along with some salt and black pepper. Divide between two warm plates along side of one of the chicken breasts. Drizzle any juices from the chicken over all and serve.