A gate that opens in the shadows . . .

A gate that opens in the shadows
Often proves for you . . .
To be a place of blessedness
Where life begins anew.

The very thing that causes trouble,
Heartache and distress . . .
Often brings much benefit
And ends in happiness!
~Patience Strong

I was visited by a friend one day, who'd had a particularly hard day . . . a day when it seemed that everything had gone wrong . . .

She'd quarrelled with her husband, forgotten her umbrella on her way into town and gotten soaked, missed the right bus back and had to wait an extra 15 minutes . . . you get the idea I'm sure. Her day had been a series of mishaps . . . one after the another.



I was baking a cake at the time, and as I puttered, I carefully listened to her tale of woes . . .

The thought occurred to me as I looked at all the ingredients for the cake set out before me. A bowl of beaten raw eggs would not appeal or be very tasty. Neither would softened butter on it's own or a spoonful of flour. I wouldn't sit and eat a teaspoon of baking powder either, nor can I imagine sitting down and eating grated lemon zest . . .

Put together though, in a magical combination, and baked in the oven . . . you end up with a very delicious cake, that most of us would quite happily want to eat!



It is like that with our days and lives . . .

A lot of our experiences don't seem that good on their own . . . but put together in a seemingly magical sequence, we often find that they turn out all right in the end.

That's the way God works . . . we often don't know why He allows certain things to happen to us, but . . . if we allow Him to, He can bring them together and turn them into something special. We only need to have faith and trust in Him to do what He has promised.



Our good friend Angie, Can You All Hear Me at the Back, is in hospital again with another chest infection. Prayers would be much appreciated! I'll relay your messages to her via my cell phone if you like. She is able to sneak in a text now and then, when the matron is not looking!



In our bid to try to train Mitzie how to walk on a lead, we purchased a harness for her . . . with comical results. I did do a film, which I will try to upload a bit later on to show you! Oh she is a stubborn gal!! She's losing her baby teeth. I noticed a gap in her mouth yesterday as she was nibbling on my elbow! Only love bites . . . of course!

Here's a very tasty variation on the coleslaw theme that I developed in my bid to eat lighter and get away from all that gloopy mayonnaise. Have you noticed that they just saturate store bought coleslaw in it? I have and it's nasty! Yet, they sell bucketloads of the stuff every day. Give this a try . . . I'm sure you will love it! Well, as long as you like pineapple that is!



*Pineapple Slaw*
Serves 6 to 8
Printable Recipe

In a bid to get lighter and away from all that mayo in regular coleslaw I developed this tasty salad. Crisp veggies in a delicious pineapple vinaigrette. If anything, this gets better upon standing.

4 or 5 cups of thinly sliced and chopped green cabbage
(about 1/2 head)
2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsley shredded
3 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 cup of pineapple tidbits (drain and save the juice)
1/2 cup of chopped dates

For the vinaigrette:
1/2 cup pineapple juice
2 TBS rice wine vinegar
1 TBS finely minced shallot
3 TBS sunflower oil
sea salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Combine the cabbage, carrots, spring onions, pineapple and dates in a large bowl. Toss together well.

Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing and then pour it over the slow, tossing to combine. Let sit for an hour or so before eating. If you would like to add some delicious heat you can also stir a couple of teaspoons of sweet asian chili sauce into the vinaigrette. Enjoy!!



Cooking in The English Kitchen today, a delicious Parnip, Apple and Thyme Soup!