Saturday meanderings of the mind . . .

 

There is something so very comforting about having a wood fire amidst the depths of a Winter storm.   That is one thing I really miss over here in the UK.   That cosy comfort of flickering flame . . . if Julyhas the Thunder Moon . . . September, the Harvest . . . October, the Hunters . . . then surely February should be the Fire Moon . . . not the Snow Moon.  Alas it is not . . .

In one of the houses I lived in through the years we had an old Mennonite cook stove that we used to heat the house in the Winter.  It sat in an alcove in the dining room and during those cold and blustery months of the year it snap, crackled and popped twenty four seven, often with a string of drying laundry  strung in the air above it.

It kept the kitchen as warm as a sliced of hot buttered toast . . . and the rest of the house fairly cosy . . . and the air smelt of comfort . . . pure and simple.



Outside our doorway the winds raged and snow pelted against the glass of our window panes, but we were tucked up safe and warm inside.  Does anything on earth of an evening taste better than corn which has been popped over the comfort of a hot wood stove??  Stuffed spare-ribs . . . were never better than when they were coddled and basted within the depths of that cast iron heat . . . logs snapping in rhythm to the music of their bubbling juices . . .

Somehow homework done by light of fire moves more smoothly along . . . as do histories unfolded and stories told by it's flicker and warmth.  Cosy times and memories, which even now . . . twenty years later . . . warm the very depths of my heart and soul . . .

Sigh . . .



We had a quiet day here yesterday.  It was blustery and rainy once again.   It does get rather tiresome, but we are blessed here in the North West where we live.   Our back yard may be sodden, but we don't have swans drifting by our front windows like they have had down South.   We are grateful for that and our prayers are with those who do . . .

We had a nice supper, home-cooked.  It is so very rare that I enjoy a meal out in a restaurant I would rather save the money and cook at home, where I know exactly how it will all turn out, and that at least it will be well cooked and tasty.  I don't really mind.  Better a delicious home-cooked meal than an over-priced border-line tasting meal out.  After supper we watched a film, tucked into the sofa together with our furry friend all snuggled between us, her favourite place on earth.  We know who the master is, make no mistake, but we don't really mind at all  . . . 

The film we watched was called "Ain't Them Bodies Saints."  It starred Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara.  It was very poetic and atmospheric . . . the story of a man who escapes from prison and sets out across the country to find his wife and young daughter, who was born after his incarceration.  It was really different . . .  a story of love, motherhood and searching for peace in the face of an unrelenting past.  Quite unsual really.  There was no nudity or swearing in it at any rate, although there was some violence.  

We were saddened to learn of the passing yesterday of the actor Ralph Waite, John Walton from our much beloved show "The Waltons."  He was 85,  the same age as Shirley Temple Black, who also passed away this week.  I know it is the natural order of things, but it seems some days my youth is slowly being rubbed away, one person at a time . . . before you know it I will be the one standing on the precipace.   I better make hay while the sun shines!

  

Gourmandize UK/Ireland published an interview they did with me yesterday afternoon.  If you want to read it you can just click on that box.  It will take you there. 

I spent a good part of the day working on the format of my new blog as well, trying to get everything in place before I launch it.  You can check that out here.  I would love to hear your opinions on it.

A quiet day is planned today.   Nothing exciting going on here.  I like that.

A thought to carry with you through today . . .

(¯`v´¯)
`*.¸.*´
¸.•´
(¸.❀⁀⋱‿✿“The true way to live
is to enjoy every moment as it passes,
and surely it is in the everyday things around us
that the beauty of life lies.”
~Laura Ingalls Wilder¸.❀⁀⋱‿✿



Triple Chocolate Muffins being baked in The English Kitchen today . . .

Have a wonderful Saturday.   Stay warm and dry!