Solitary walks . . .

The silence of a wood is a living silence . . . it is full of breath and rustlings and movement . . .
The wind stirs, a mere sigh in the sentient trees . . .



A sudden flutter of wings ripples through the air and is lost in the muffled whisperings of startled leaves . . .
The crack of a distant shot makes the heart race, serving only to emphathise the peace which it disturbs . . .



The trill of a bird sets up a soft ripple along the surface of stillness, and the sobbing of doves beats like a hidden pulse at the heart of the silence.
A solitary walk in the woods is never boring . . . so say I.



I just love the beauty of this country I live in. You are never very far from the countryside where you can walk for seemingly miles in solitude, breathing in all that nature has to offer. It is a real wonder to me. Everything so green and lush . . . carpets of bluebells in the springtime . . . and the distant braying of sheep and lambs . . . so, so restful and inspiring.

We are off to Runcorn this afternoon to the Specialist Hospital for my check up, where I suppose they will be wanting to know if the cortizone shot has helped any. It has helped a bit, but I still have good days and bad days. There is a brother at our church who had his knee operated on at the same hospital a month or so ago and who was intially doing very well, but who now seems to be worse than ever and in an incredible amount of pain. Something's gone wrong somewhere! I do hope it is only a temporary blip for him!

I attended my first Relief Society Presidency meeting last night. I was a bit daunted, but it went well. I do have a problem knowing the names of all the sisters in the Ward . . . that comes from having been closeted away in with the children for this past year. I expect it won't be long though before I know who they are speaking of! They are a nice bunch of women and I am looking forward to my association with them! I will be in charge of organizing the extra meetings and activities, so that will be fun!

Speaking of fun, here's a deliciously fun recipe that will really please your family! Kind of like a stuffed Chicken Parmesan! Sort of like Lasagna Roll Ups, but made of chicken instead! Delicious!!



*Chicken Parmesan Roll Ups*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe

If you like Chicken Parmesan, you will love this. Tender Chicken Breasts stuffed with a delicious cheese filling, rolled up, covered with a crunchy crumb, sauce and then baked.

4 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 (10 ounce) package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 1/4 cups grated part skim mozzarella cheese, divided
6 TBS grated Parmesan cheese, divided
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
1 medium free range egg
10 round buttery crackers, crushed (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups of spaghetti sauce, heated

Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Lightly grease a 13 by 9 inch baking dish. Set aside.

Mix the cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup of the mozzarella and 3 TBS of the Parmesan cheese together until well blended. Spread onto the Chicken breasts. Starting at one short end of each breast, roll up the chicken tightly. Secure with a toothpick if necessary.

Beat the egg in a shallow dish. Mix the remaining Parmesan cheese and the cracker crumbs in another shallow dish. Dip the chicken rolls into the egg and then roll them in the crumb mixture to evenly coat. Place, seam sides down in the prepared baking dish.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken tests done. (Juices run clear when pricked with a fork.) Serve with some of the heated spaghetti sauce spooned over top and a sprinkling of the remaining grated mozzarella cheese.



Cooking in The English Kitchen today, a delicious Roasted Asparagus Salad with Parmesan and a Lemon Vinaigrette.