Saturday Pic and Mix . . .

 

(source)

"Sometimes the pattern of life seems a little monotonous, and discouraging.

It is like climbing a mountain and, after reaching the top,

getting knocked back down to the bottom to climb

it again; but I guess the fun is in the 

climbing and not in arriving!"

~Marjorie Pay Hinckley 

I loved Sister Hinckley. She always had a bit of a cheeky smile on her face and I am sure her life must have been as challenging as it is for anyone.  She didn't let much get her down however, or if it did, even keep her down.  She seemed to rise above the challenges, despite them. She was a great role model for us all. 

I was thinking yesterday and came to the conclusion that by dwelling on the negative things in your life you only make them worse, so it is much better to dwell on the positive and to make the best of whatever we are given.  I practised that art all day yesterday and miraculously felt quite a bit better.  I even go some exercises done.  That didn't mean I wasn't still hurting, but I was managing it better, and hopefully one day it will disappear all together. Mind over matter. It works.  

 

(source)  

I have fallen in love with these curtains and find myself wondering how they would look in my bird window.  Not a long curtain.  Just a valance,  with the lace trim of course. or perhaps in the kitchen on the door to the back garden. Are sunflowers passe??  I don't care if they are, I love them. If the money for the rent comes through and it ends up we can stay in this house, then I might try to do a bit more to make it cosier. We will see.  Baby steps. 

 

Josh hard at work 

It is that time of year again.  Pumpkin time. It has been a very long time since I have carved a pumpkin. When our kids were growing up we used to do a couple of them and they would help.  I would carefully spread newspapers all over the dining room table and we would spend a few happy yours, trimming off the lid and scooping them out and then creating the best Jack-O-Lanterns we could from them!  It was an exciting time! 

 

(source)  

It might not have been so exciting or easy (as if) to carve out a turnip however, but interestingly enough that has long been a tradition over here in the UK, or at least in Ireland and Scotland. 

In Ireland and Scotland, people believed that spirits and ghosts could enter their world on Halloween. This is very Celtic and much in line with the old ways of doing things.  Not wanting to be visited by these ghosts, people would set food and treats out to appease the roaming spirits and began to make their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits.

Irish immigrants brought the Jack-O-Lantern tradition with them to North America in the 1800s. They soon discovered, however, that pumpkins made perfect Jack-O-Lanterns since they were softer and much easier to carve than the turnips and potatoes from the old country.

Pumpkin carving has caught on here in the UK in recent years and you can see pumpkins in all the grocery shops in the run up to Halloween for the children to carve, but you may also see from time to time a child carrying a carved out turnip face with a light in it hung around their necks on a string on Halloween.

  

Jake's pumpkin. Its a bat.  I think he did

a rather dab job on it, don't you!!  

I think he shows some artistic talent there.  Actually all of Doug's boys are very creative when it comes to the arts. The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree I guess! Our whole family is full of creativity.  I can remember my Aunt Freda sketching a woman for me on one of those pieces of card that you used to get in your Panty Hose packets. She was also very artistic

 

I am working on page three of my flower journal at the moment.  Todd is very impressed with it so far, but then again, he is very easily impressed! 

  

At the moment I am working on the red flush on the geranium leaves.  I haven't gotten it cracked just yet. It is all experimentation for me, figuring out things as I go along.  I am quite happy with how the tulips have turned out and I can't wait to get started on the Poppies. 

 

When I was a teenager I used to do pencil drawings of pop stars.  I would spend hours on them, shading, etc. Not to brag, but I got quite good at it.  I gave them to my oldest son a number of years back as he had admired them.  To that end I thought I might like to do some pencil botanicals and so I used some of my writing earnings to buy myself this book this week.  It wasn't too expensive, only £10 and I can see myself using it a lot when I have the time.  When I am doing art I actually lose myself in another world for hours and don't even notice the time passing.  I find it very satisfying. 

 

(Weary Chef) 

And speaking of writing I have an rather exciting bit of news to share.  As you know I have been writing for Chef Knives Expert for several months now, the last few months has been in the main sharing recipes on their pages, roughly one a week.   They have acquired a new site The Weary Chef, and have asked me to write on that site for them also.  So I will be writing on two sites now and being paid for it.  I always said that I put as much effort into the English Kitchen as I would a full time job, but I don't get paid for it and wished that I would.  So now I have two writing jobs in addition to that.   Nothing too serious.  Again, just one recipe a week for each. I reckon I can handle that if I cut The English Kitchen back to maybe 4 days a week, and then one recipe on each of the other two sites a week.  They will still be great recipes, just not all on The English Kitchen, and I will be earning some dosh.  I get paid by the hour and because I will be doing two sites for them, they will pay for th food I use as well.  How could I say no!  Being paid to do what I love anyways, and having our food paid for?  Well, it all sounds like a win/win to me. We will see how it works out. Eventually it will mean also me working on creating weekly menus for their newsletter as well. 

They must be really happy with my work, or they would not have offered me this chance.  I need to have a new photo taken of me however.  An action photo, wearing an apron, etc.  I know a guy at church who takes fantastic photos of people and I will ask him, and I need to book myself in for a trim/colour I think.  Asap  I don't think he will charge me for the photo, it is more of a hobby for him, but I will definitely offer to pay him.

 

And to end for today, something completely different than anything else I have shown you.  . . .  Did you used to think Starsky and Hutch were dishy?  I did.   I still like Detective shows, although these days it is for the plots and not the dishy Detectives.  

  

Sgt Bacchus and DI George Gently

Although having said that, I still do find Detectives rather dishy . . . 

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *Oh human race born to fly upward,

wherefore at a little wind dost

thou so fall  . . . 

~Dante Alighiere, The Divine Comedy

 •。★★ 。* 。•。★★ 。* 。 

 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Lemon Splits.  These are like a plain Welsh Cake, sandwiched together in pairs with a lush lemon curd in the centre. Tres delish! 

Have a wonderful Saturday! I think Tina is dropping by to see me.  Can't wait! Don't forget!

═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════ ⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
═══════════ ღೋƸ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒღೋ ═══════════

 

And I do too!