A walk while day is dawning . . .

A walk while day is dawning is a blessing,
A draught of water for the thirsty soul;
Beneath a gallant sun intent on dressing
A rain-washed tattered sky in sheets of gold,
I deeply drink as morning light unfolds.

The rose and gilded clouds are barely dry,
Mirrored puddles glitter at my feet,
And baby birds peer from their perches high
While parents gossip somewhere in the trees
Of stormy rumbles carried on the breeze.

Oh! In moments fashioned such as this,
Tenderly, from Mother Nature's breast,
There is no earthly place of greater bliss
Or hall in heaven holding sweeter rest
Than a walk in daybreak's splendidness.
~Rachel Wallace-Oberle



I think I solved the mystery of why the female blackbirds were mobbing that starling the other day. Yesterday as we drove into our drive I noticed one sitting on top of our garden shed with a mouth full of dry grass and twigs. As I watched she flew into the ivy and clematis that grows at the side of the shed upon a latticework that we have placed there. She is nesting. I had not realized that blackbirds nest so late in the spring. Do starlings raid the eggs of nests? I don't really know, but those females were certainly putting the chase to that one the other day . . .

I am a real nature lover. I have always been so. It's always fascinated me and I get real pleasure from watching it and taking it all in. I'm not so fussy about bugs though. I do find them a little creepy, but when it comes to animals, birds and plants, I just can't study them enough. Not in the way of a scientist, but in the way of someone who truly appreciates and enjoys them.



That is something that Todd and I surely have in common and I am truly grateful for that commonality. It's nice to be able to share this love of mine with the person that I share my life with. We often stand at the window together, arms around each other, looking out at our garden and watching the bunnies, or the squirrels and more often than not the birds . . . drinking it all in together. He is the gardener . . . he does all the weeding and trimming etc. I get to enjoy the fruits of his efforts and we often enjoy them together.



One of my favourite parts of working all night when I have occasion to do that, is getting to walk home along the lane that runs from the big house back to our cottage in the wee hours . . . just as the sun is coming up and dawn is breaking. It is such a peaceful time, and such a wonderful reward for a night's work just passed. The birds sound so beautiful and even the air is charged with a special feeling, a feeling that is so very hard to explain, but the word joy comes very close, as does gratitude . . . I often go into our back garden and just sit on the seat of the picnic table that sits on our patio, and I drink it all in for a few moments before I go into the house and to bed . . . the dew on the grass, the hum of early morning bumble bees beginning their daily work, the rustle of night-time creatures hurrying home to their dens in the underbrush, the beautiful melody of the song thrush as it greets the day . . . the sun is not yet giving out it's warmth, but the promise of the warmth of the day to come is already there . . .

I think of all the times of the day, this is my favourite . . .



Speaking of favourites, I did another little one of my paintings on Monday while I was enjoying my relaxing day off. I know I say it every time, but I think this one is a favourite of mine. I'll be posting it all on my art page when I finish here, but for now, this is just a little teaser.

I have a few Rachel Ray cookery books. We don't get to watch her on the telly over here, but I have seen her a few times on the telly back home. I was flipping through one of her books the other day (365:No Repeats) when this idea of a side dish caught my eye. I changed it a bit (of course, I can never leave well enough alone) and was pleasantly pleased with the results. These oven chips went really well with some chicken breasts I had grilled in our Foreman grill. I may never do plain oven chips again . . .




*Garlic Dill Oven Fries*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe

What could be simpler than dressing up ready made frozen oven chips with a few ingredients most of us have in our larders and spice cabinets. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeasy as they say!

1 package (about 1 pound in weight) of frozen french fries (oven chips)
(I used the rustic ones by McCain, less than 5% fat and with the skins still on)
3 TBS butter, melted
3 or 4 dashes of Tabasco sauce
2 TBS dried dill tops (dill weed)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder



Pre-heat the oven to 205*C/425*F. Stir together the butter, Tabasco sauce, dill, salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl. Lay your frozen chips out in a single layer on a large rimmed cookie sheet. Drizzle the butter mixture over top of them and toss them with your hands to try to coat them as much as possible. The butter will harden a bit on them, but don't worry, it works out well that way. Pop the baking sheet into the pre-heated oven and roast for about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and give them a stir, flipping them over. Pop them back into the oven for a further 10 to 15 minutes, until they are nicely crisped and finished cooking.

Divide amongst 4 serving plates and serve hot. Delicious!