Wednesday Witterings . . .

 

 

It's hard to believe we are already into February.  I think January went by rather quickly, but maybe that is a good thing as we can now really start to look forward to Spring.  Tomorrow is Ground Hog Day here in North America.  Legend has it if the ground hog pops out of its hole and sees his shadow that means six more weeks of Winter.  I think there's about six more weeks of Winter anyways, but who am I to mess with tradition!  

Actually, Friday the 3rd of February is the midpoint of the Winter season this year. Winter being 88.9 days that means that as far as the calendar goes as of Friday, we technically only have 44.5 (and a bit) days left of Winter, not to be pedantic or anything.

 

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It's extremely cold out there this morning.  My computer tells me it is -13*C/8.6*F. If we are going out and about we will need to wear our woolies today. By Friday it is supposed to go down to -27*C/-16.6*F, so very cold indeed.  Time to put out some extra fat balls and things for the birds. I don't know how the wild creatures survive in the cold weather like they do, but somehow they do.  I won't be sticking my nose very far out the door, that's for sure, but I do want to go get some petrol for the car. Its only half full and I don't like it to go below half if I can help it, especially in the Winter. I am also meeting my father and his friends for supper tonight. I gave last week a miss because of my cold, but I am fighting fit to go this week!

So far so good, the heat pump is still working.

 

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I have a boyfriend.  No, not really, but there is this guy who keeps sending me messages on my English Kitchen Facebook page.  Sometimes they are voice messages, but mostly they are just written messages with him expressing his great love for me.  Its been going on for several months now. I let my son listen to some of them at Christmas time.  This guy is supposed to be some fifty something year old guy from California, but when you hear his voice, he is obviously some young Nigerian guy.   I asked my son who does this sound like, and he said a young African male. Spot on. The accent is hard to hide.

Here is an example:

Good morning my Queen You’re welcome Dearest sweetheart Thanks Take good care of yourself have a wonderful day sweetheart God bless you amen .

That is just one of them and there is usually a new one each and every morning, sometimes more.  Nothing threatening. Nothing unkind. I am not quite sure what to do about them if anything. Mainly I just ignore them, but I am wondering if I should be concerned?

 

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This is so beautiful. I am not sure what it is, perhaps the embroidered hems of a garment that is layered ruffles?  I see lace on the edge of the bottom one. I would so love to see the full garment. (Marsha found the real source. Nadia Sinkevich on IG.)

I have always loved to embroider. My mother taught me when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I remember her giving me a small embroidery hoop, some threads and a needle and showing me what to do.  It may have been for a badge for Brownies.  I fell in love with the art then and have loved it ever since.

I have explored many kinds of embroidery through the years.  Crewel, Swedish Huck, Counted Cross Stitch, etc.  I've done pillow slips, wall hangings, cushion covers, hand towels, kitchen towels, dresser scarves, etc. I've never quite been brave enough to do articles of clothing although I always do admire the ones I see that others have done.

Is there anything so delightful as a collar which has been embroidered with tiny blooms, or the edge of a pocket trimmed in such a way?  I think not. Maybe I should try to do something like that for myself.  Or even a small, embroidered brooch.  Food for thought.

 

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I have been carrying on a love affair with blankets and throws for a very long time.  I especially love woolen ones. I had always wanted to get myself one of those Welsh Woven Wool blankets, but alas it was always out of my reach. They are very expensive.  Probably as expensive as a Hudson Bay blanket. Maybe one day.  I also love those old woolen bathrobes that people used to wear.  I expect they lasted a lifetime.  Most of our clothing today is disposable.  When was the last time you had a pair of socks that was worth darning?  When was the last time you even saw a pair of socks that was worth darning? There is very little of quality about these days, and when you do find something, it's very expensive to buy. If I was a very young woman, it would be worth it, but at the age I am now . . . well . . . 

When I was a young woman, I didn't have money to buy anything much of quality. With a large family to clothe and feed most of our income went towards that and keeping a roof over our heads.  Now I am older and might be able to afford a few things of quality I am loathe to do so because I know that I will not outlive them, and so I don't . . . 

But wouldn't it be lovely to throw caution to the wind and just have a few things like that about? Food for thought there.

 

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I am always surprised by the unkindness of others. I suppose that is because I am not an unkind person myself, or at least I don't think that I am.  Today it is all too easy for people to hide behind the anonymity of the internet and say whatever they want to anyone, make nasty comments . . .  drop nastiness here and there without any thought about it.  I could never be unkind or cruel. I think you have to have a pretty thick hide sometimes to maneuver the cruelty of the internet and some of the people who troll it. I am always slightly aghast and appalled when I see some of the things that people say to or about each other.  And generally speaking, behind the cloak of anonymity.

I do get people leaving mean comments from time to time, both here and on the food blog, but I usually just delete them.  That's why I finally enabled comment moderation. It gives me better control over the trolls. They are hard to ignore sometimes though, and the words do cut a bit, and I wish sometimes that I had thicker skin.

Some are very determined in their agenda's, however. I have one person who took offense to one of my cooking posts and left some nastiness via the comment box.  I didn't publish their comment and deleted it, only to have them return again and again, each time becoming that little bit nastier. And of course, always hiding behind being anonymous. It's easy to be mean if nobody knows who you are, I guess.

 

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Is it bad that I am now craving pizza for breakfast?  The power of suggestion. Seriously I would rather have something like this for breakfast than pancakes or anything else.  Mind you, I am pretty much up for pizza any time of the day. It is one of my favorite food groups. I like it when it's just plain cheese and tomato, but then I like it when it is loaded up as well. I just plain like it any which way I can get it. Thick crust, thin crust and everything in between.

When we lived in Winnipeg, we used to get pizza every now and then from a pizza place just down from the married quarters, called RJ's Pizza. There was something about the crust that was unique and quite delicious, so much so that forty odd years later I am still thinking about it and would give anything almost to have just one more taste of it.

Taste memories are like that.  Elusive they haunt us, and, in all likelihood, they are tastes we will never be able to recreate. I have a few of those. Like the BBQ Chicken from a restaurant called the Cascade in Ottawa that I tasted back in the early 1970's, so good that I had it for supper every one of the three nights we were there. Or my mother's stuffing.  I have never been able to make my stuffing taste like the memory of her's does.

And with that I best be on about my day and leave you with a thought for the day. I will be cheeky and steal it off my calendar.

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  ˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛

 ˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★

*Reading is a conversation.

All books talk. But

a good book listens as well.

~Mark Haddon•。★★ 。* 。

In The English Kitchen today . . .  Hamburger Vegetable Soup. This was what I made for my father for supper the other night. It was really delicious. We both enjoyed it very much!  Healthy, hearty and filled with lots of delicious flavors.

I hope you have a wonderful Wednesday. Wherever you are stay safe and warm and don't forget! 

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And I do too!