The two cats are ensconced in their favorite early morning spot, sitting on the window sill of the front window watchin the world go by. Two little shadows against the growing light of the morning, ears pointed straight up, alert to every movement outside the front of our house. They were very excited yesterday as a flock of sea gulls landed on the huge mound of snow which lays in the garden across the street. There were at least ten gulls, all large, all flapping their wings and making lots of noise. It must have been stormy at the shore. Gulls usually only come inland when its messy at the shore.
I have to say that gulls are not my favorite kind of bird. Noisy and greedy.
I've been enjoying watching the Cranford Chronicles on Brit-Box. I enjoyed them when they were first on the television a number of years back. I really like shows like that. Dramas with a historical bent. The cast of characters and stories of the people in Cranford are quite delightful to me. I am pretty sure that I would not want to live in such an age, but I do like to watch programs set in that time period. Another program which I enjoy is Larkrise to Candleford. It is set in a later time period, but still has historical interest to me. I think nobody does historical drama like the BBC.
I actually really miss British television. I think their television is some of the best in the world. And so I spend a lot of my television time streaming British tv, on several channels. I think streaming tv has spoilt watching regular television for me actually. I only ever very rarely watch regular television at all. Mostly just the news and not even that much of the time.
Mom used to watch the soap operas and programs like Dr. Phil religiously. The three of us (mom, Cindy and myself) watched Another World for years and years. I never was able to get into any of the other soaps. But I did really like Oprah.
I watched a good documentary on Orchard House the other evening. Orchard House was the home of Louisa May Alcott. Oh how I did love the story of Little Women when I was a girl, and even now. I think I have seen every film version of it that has been put out. It is a story which transcends time, this tale of these four girls/women and their lives.
Being able to see inside the house and learn more about the life of Louisa May Alcott and her family was fascinating to me. I have always loved to visit historic homes. They are wonderful glimpses into the past. In the UK of course they the National Trust does them beautifully. One of my regrets is that I was never able to get into Beatrix Potter's home in the Lakes. Whenever we went by the car park was full and they were not allowing any more visitors in.
I did get to see many others however . . . Winston Churchill's, Ann Boleyn's, Rudyard Kipling's, etc. to name but a few. And of course many others which belonged to aristocrats and wealthy families of years gone by. Glimpses of history which fascinate me.
I also love looking at historical fashion plates and videos. I hold a great fascination for them. I can remember as a child in our family encyclopedia there was a section on fashions through the ages and I must have worn those pages out looking at them again and again and again. When we visited the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the fashion displays were some of my favorite displays. I have never had much of a figure for fashion, but have always longed to dress like they did in the 40's and 50's. With the figure I have I would look frumpy, but if I was much thinner, then I would quite enjoy it.
One person I enjoy watching on YouTube is Laci Faye, The Vintage Girl Next Door. She has her whole house and life decorated as if she is a character from one of the 50's sitcoms. Hair, clothing, everything. She buys vintage kitchen tools, etc. and cooks with them. I cringe when I watch her cooking or baking however. She could use a few lessons, but otherwise I find her quite fascinating.
There are loads of videos on YouTube of how women dressed in past eras. I find them all very interesting and could waste loads of times watching them.
In comparison we really have no style today. Anything goes. Jeans and a t-shirt, but built for comfort. In reality I would sit in my night dress all day if I could and never get dressed, lol. I don't think I am alone in that.
Sometimes I get the urge to build another doll's house, but I don't know where I would find the time or where I would put it. I so enjoyed making the one I had in the UK, and fitting it out. I don't really have anywhere to put one now and in all truth, I don't have a lot of time to spend on things like that. Most of my days are spent cooking and photographing, editing, writing. And I do enjoy those things also. I guess we just can't fit all the things we would like to do into one lifetime. I am not sure why that aspect of my life takes up so much time so as not to leave me much time for other things. I must be slowing down . . . either that or time is speeding up.
My latest book continues to get some great reviews. There is one "one-star" review given because there are not a lot of photographs in the book.
Well, they say there actually are no photos, which isn't true entirely. There is a photograph of one recipe from each chapter. Ideally I would have liked to have seen more photographs myself, but I was not the one who decided the amount of photos that would be used. More pictures, more cost to the reader as photos cost money to produce and to print. I think the publisher felt they would sell more books at a lower cost to the reader and they are probably right about that! You cannot have it all. Were there more photos, then the complaint would be that the book was too costly.
By and large however the feedback is very good, and I am proud of my accomplishment, and it seems to be doing quite well. I do wish that I had more reviews however, positive or negative. Any press is good press as they say.
I get complaints on my food blog as well. Too many photos. Crappy photos. Why no recipe jump button, etc. I had one person tell me that as good as the content was they would not ever cook from it because it takes them too long to scroll down for the recipe. How lazy is that? The fact is Blogger doesn't allow for a jump button. Not that I have been able to ascertain at any rate.
You cannot please all of the people. That is a fact. I will probably get complaints that what I have written today is boring. We live in an age where everyone has an opinion and the right to express it. I try hard to be as accommodating as I can be.
I was very pleased to get some recent photos of Mitzi this morning. Oh how I miss her, but my heart is glad that she is happy and content where she is. My heart will always be broken that I had to leave her behind. There is no getting around that, but I am happy that she is safe and loved and content. I could not ask for more than that.
The cats have gotten over whatever bug they had. Nutmeg is back to being a glutton and Cinnamon is still her fussy self. I just don't think she is fond of wet food at all. She eats the dry and she likes the dry treats. Just not wet food. Some cats are like that. They are both happy and content, loving and playful. That makes me happy. I am just a worry wart I think. I need to get them some more toys. Their catnip mouse seems to have disappeared. They both loved that thing and I can't find it anywhere.
And with that I will leave you with a thought for today. I must be getting on.
A thought to carry with you . . .
° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★ *The less you respond to negative people,
the more positive your life will become.
~Paulo Coelho•。★★ 。* 。•。★★ 。* 。
In The English Kitchen today . . .
Crunchy Topped Banana Snack Cake. A small version of a much larger cake with a moist texture and crunchy nutty topping. Delicious!
I hope your day is filled with wonder and beauty! Don't forget!
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