All Things Nice . . .

 

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I never knew a room could hold,

Such loveliness within its walls,

A little cupboard painted red,

Upon whose face the lamplight falls,

Making it glow with warmth and grace,

And casting shadows at its base.

A dainty Chinese figuring,

An ugly little god of brass,

A garden done in miniature,

Holding a tiny tree of glass,

A bridge with doll-like figures on,

A patch of gayly painted lawn.

And through a doorway you can glimpse,

A kitchen done in yellow tile,

With copper kettles on the stove,

A willow teapot English style,

A window where a backyard shows,

With vegetables in tidy rows.

And over all these lovely things,

There's something else you cannot see,

A nameless harm and happiness,

An air of sweet serenity

As if the people living there,

Had found a jewel rich and rare.

As if its beauty were in part,

Reflected from a human heart.

~Edna Jacques, I never Knew

The Golden Road 

 I was watching Spring Watch on BritBox the other night and they were showing and talking about this tiny two colored mason bee, the Osmia Bicolor. I love nature shows of any kind.  What a fascinating little creature this bee was. It is a tiny, two colored bee with the top half of its body and head being black and the bottom gold. This little bee looked all over a field for a snail shell, and not just any snail shell, but a banded snail cepaea shell.  She maneuvered it into the correct position and then proceeded to partition the interior of the shell into a bunch of small cells.  

Each cell is stocked with an egg and pollen before being sealed with a layer of masticated leaf matter, soil and other debris.  This was all done in a process of flying back and forth gathering the materials needed.  Once the shell was fully stocked and sealed, she maneuvered the shell again so that the opening was facing the ground.  She still wasn't finished. Over the next hour or so she collected dead grass and bramble stems, carrying them one at a time back to the shell, using the material to thatch together a camouflaged shelter, only to repeat this whole process several more times.

Isn't nature fascinating??? And that is only one type of bee.  There are a multitude of different kinds of bees and each one has their own way of doing things. 

I could watch nature shows like this forever . . . 

My sister and I went yesterday to pick up the dolls house. It is huge.  This is it standing on top of my dresser. I wonder now if I will be able to afford to fill it.  It almost didn't fit in my car. We had to put the seats down to accommodate it.  I may have to put it out into the garage for a time as it has somewhat of a musty smell. At the moment I have an electric wax burner sitting in it trying to replace this musty smell with something floral. I am not sure if it will work.  Time will tell.

The inside is all partitioned off with six rooms, each one very prettily papered, and a staircase running up the center of the house.  There is also an attic space.  

I was looking online at doll house furniture etc. last night. Tres expensive  . . .  

It was fun getting out and about with my sister again yesterday however. We did go to the mall first and I picked up some buttons and snaps for Luna.  So did Cindy.   We finished off at the farm shop, where we bought some fresh vegetables and these donuts.

The donuts looked really good, homemade  . . .  but I had one for my supper last night. (I know, very nutritious.) Somewhat greasy and there is an under-taste. I think it is baking powder.  I am not really fond of baked goods where they over use the baking powder or soda. But they did look very good. I will have to ask my sister how hers tasted.

 

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I was just thinking this morning about the home milk delivery in the UK. I am not sure if they do home milk delivery here anymore and I know that in the UK, it was fast going out of style. The milk float (which is what they called the truck) would glide silently down the streets early in the morning.  They were electric so made no noise. The only noise you would hear would be the sounds of the glass bottles tinkling. 

Yes glass  . . .  they delivered it in glass pint bottles, each one topped with a metal cap.  The trick was to get it collected and into the house from the doorstep before the tits discovered it.  Tits were a small chickadee type of bird. They would tear the lids off if you were not fast enough and drink the milk.

There was something very comforting about the whole process.  I fear something special about community has been lost with the disappearance of home milk delivery  . . .  

 

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We are starting to see the first of the winter crop of potatoes now. These small new potatoes are so deliciously earthy. Of course the potato is my favorite vegetable.  I can never quite get enough of them. I could eat a plate of these new potatoes and nothing else . . .  hot and buttered with salt and pepper on them. They are almost sweet  . . .  so good . . . 

My wee house is filled with the sounds of padding feet this morning as Nutmeg and Cinnamon chase each other. They sound a bit like a tiny herd of elephants. Back and forth and back and forth . . .  galloping . . .

They were most interested in the doll house when it came in.  With all the different smells and feels. They have a need to investigate every new thing that comes in very carefully and thoroughly.  It is all very fascinating.  I call it the inspection.  Will these new things pass their muster or not? 

 

Their newest toy is this.  A  mouse runs up and down and around the track. You can make it go fast or slow. I think they find it somewhat boring. I need to learn to knit some little mice (as if they would let me, the sound of needles brings them rushing from the four corners of the house into my immediate presence.)  I think they might like little knitted mice better. 

Their little robot toy, which they loved, has disappeared somewhere in the house. I cannot find it anywhere. Its run out of charge so the remote for it doesn't work.  I know it has to be in here somewhere, but where it is I have no idea.  And I have looked. At the moment it's whereabouts is a mystery to all and sundry  . . .  

Come out, come out, 

wherever you are  

. . . 

 

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Late last month, early this month, we were reading in our scripture studies about one of my favorite women of the Bible, Ruth.  Ruth was one of Jesus' Gentile ancestors, showing that Christ came to save all people, not just the Jews.  Her story is a remarkable one, perfectly demonstrating the providence of God.  The descriptions of Ruth are some of my favorite scriptures  in the Old Testament. 

Ruth 1: 16 - 17 "Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee; for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and they God my God.

Ruth 1:18 "She was stedfastly minded"

Ruth 2:11 "It hath been shewed me, all that thou has done unto thy mother in law."

Ruth 3:10 "Blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter; for thou hast shewed more kindness in the later end than at the beginning."

Ruth 3:11 "For all the city of my people doth know that thou art a virtuous woman."

All the characteristics of a righteous woman can be found within the book of Ruth and within her story.  She was a woman of loyalty who came to know the lord, with a steadfast mind.  Kind, virtuous and true.  Remarkable. 

My favorite verse of all in the book of Ruth - "The Lord, recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust." (Ruth 2:12)

I pray daily to be a righteous woman. A woman who makes righteous choices. Kind, virtuous and true. Loyal. I think I am getting there . . .  at least most of the time. 

 

The bleeding hearts are almost finished now . . . with most going to seed. I have managed to be able to collect two and press them in waxed paper between the pages of two heavy books. 

A Story Within The Bleeding Heart 

 The flowers also hold clues to a tragic tale of unrequited love. To begin narration of the story, hold a heart blossom in the palm of your hand. Long ago there lived a noble prince who tried in vain to win the heart of a very beautiful princess. The prince had brought the princess wonderful gifts from his travels far and wide. Yet she had taken no notice of him. One day the prince returned from a long journey with very special gifts to surely win the love of the princess. First he presented her with two magical pink bunnies. (Peel off the two outer petals and set them on their sides to display two little pink bunnies.) 

 The princess only sighed and barely looked at the little bunnies. The hopeful prince had one more gift saved for last – he presented a pair of beautiful enchanted earrings. (Remove the two long white petals and hold them next to your ears.) 

 Again, the princess hardly noticed the prince’s gift. Now the poor prince was utterly heartbroken. He could try no more to win the heart of the princess. He rose up, pulled a dagger from his sheath and stabbed himself in the heart. (Remaining in the flower is a heart shape with the stamen, appearing as a dark green line down the center. Hold the heart up, carefully remove the dagger-like line, and plunge the dagger through the heart.) 

 The princess was overcome by the dedication of the dying prince and his unending love for her. She realized too late that she loved him also. “Alas,” she cried out. “I have done wrong, my own heart is broken also. I shall bleed for my prince forever more!” And her heart bleeds to this very day. 

Bleeding Hearts  . . .  a story of unending love  . . . 

And with that I will leave you with a thought for the day  . . . 

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

 *.˛.There are two ways of spreading light;

to be the candle, or the mirror that reflects it.

~Edith Wharton•。★★ 。* 。•。★★ 。* 。 

In The English Kitchen today  . . . Classic Raspberry Split Seconds.  For dad.

I hope that you have a lovely Saturday.  Whatever you get up to, be safe and be happy and don't forget! 

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And I do too!