A Day Book . . .

OUTSIDE MY WINDOW ...

Its still really dark. It is only 3*C/37*F and cloudy. The sun is just starting to come up. It's cloudy and isn't supposed to get much warmer than this today. Maybe only 2 degrees so quite a chilly Halloween. A mix of sun and cloud, but dry. Happy Halloween!  I am all ready for the Trick or Treaters. I have plenty of candy and potato chips to hand out. I love seeing the costumes and feeling the excitement of the kiddies.  Some of the parents dress up too. Last year we had a full sized dinosaur dad!

I AM THINKING ...

This is the Autumn Apple Cake with Toffee Glaze I shared last week.  I got this comment left on it this morning:

"I have made this cake twice for a charity cake sale and it was a big hit. It looked fabulous and sold out quickly. I didn't make the apple crisps because of the timing of the events but sprinkled some little fudge cubes on top to decorate instead. The second occasion I was really up against it for time so didn't make the caramel glaze but extra buttercream and put that on the top instead. It was still gorgeous and sold out. It's a great recipe!"

This has made my day already!  And its only just started.  That's why I share my recipes. I love it when people try them and then enjoy them. I love it even more when they are kind enough to share their experience with others, especially when it is positive!

 

(source)

I AM ALSO THINKING ...

About the lovely day I had yesterday with my sister and my dad. It rained most of the day, sometimes very heavily, but it was nice to be together. We took my dad to his Doctor's appointment first and he got a clean bill of healthy and then we went out to lunch. We tried a new place we had not been before called Callister's in Coldbrook.

It doesn't look like much from the outside, but was very pleasant inside and very busy, which is always a good sign. True to form, we had fish and chips and it was really good. It came with a tea biscuit and real butter (not margarine) coleslaw, tartar sauce and we could have had vegetables also, but we knew we couldn't eat them as well.  They pleased dad by giving him a children's cheeseburger and chips, which was very kind of them.  We were amazed at the pies that kept waltzing by us, but had no room for any kind of dessert.

I kid you not, they are all about six inches high!  We were amazed. Cindy and I have decided next time we are up that way we are popping in just for a cheeky slice of pie and a drink!

After lunch we took dad to see his cardiologist and have his pacemaker checked and then we headed home.  We stopped at the Cambridge Convenience briefly and then dropped off Dad, then we headed back down towards ours. We stopped at the SuperStore on the way which was super busy and then a few little stops. We had just pulled into Cindy's and dad was arriving for supper, so it was a very long day for us all!  I headed back home to some cats who were very happy to see me.

Family times are the best of times.

 

Just trying to help me make my bed

CORNERS OF MY KINGDOM ...

Cinnamon helps me make my bed every morning. As soon as she sees me heading into the bedroom to do it, she is on the case!

 

Making sure I got the corners just right

She is with me every step of the way. Its so cute.  I really don't mind it at all. It is a game we play together and she seems to really enjoy it.

We always have a little cuddle at the end of the exercise. And a bit of a play time. She enjoys that as well. These little fur balls add such a wonderful dimension to my life.  I enjoy them both so much!

IT HAPPENS ...

I had Dad over for supper on Saturday night. Cindy and Dan went golfing and then Cindy wanted to take them out for supper using the gift certificate that the place she worked at gave her when she retired. I am always happy to have Dad over.  My oven stopped working right in the middle of me cooking supper. The element burnt out. I will be calling the landlord today and hopefully it won't take them too long to replace it. I really need a working oven.  It wasn't too much of a problem on Saturday evening however as I just finished everything off on top of the stove and all was good. These little things sure add a bit of excitement to life!

UH OH ...

I signed up to take a writing course through BBC Maestro. I have been humming and hawing about doing it for months now. You have to keep the old brain ticking, and the courses were on special at the moment so it was not overly expensive.  We will see how it goes. People are always saying they want me to write a novel. I am not sure I have one in me, but it will be fun trying and what else have I got to do really.  Its a better way to exercise the old brain than just sitting in front of the television.

NOT GOOD ENOUGH ...

I had ordered this as a gift for someone and look how it arrived. Not in a box but in a paper envelope. And crushed.  Just not good enough. And it is not eligible for return. It is really difficult to find where you can get a refund on Amazon. I will try again today to see if I can figure it out.  This is bad though. Very disappointed.

CRAVING ...

Apple Pie Jam.  I wonder if there is a way I could small batch this. It looks fabulous.  I bet it would be great on biscuits, or filling a cake, or just eaten by the cheeky spoonful. 😁

SAD ...

Saddened by the news of Matthew Perry's death.  I love the show Friends. I was not able to watch it when it first came out as my ex husband did not like that kind of television show. He would only watch science fiction, cop shows, etc.  So it kind of never was on my radar. I finally started to watch it on reruns in 2010 and I fell in love with it.  I can't tell you how many times I have watched it from beginning to end since then. I have been watching it all over again recently and am in the episodes where Ross is getting married to Emily and Chandler and Monica are just about to get together. Now they are tinged with a special sadness.  He was a great comedic actor who, like most comedic actors, was able to bring laughter to the masses but unable to find happiness in his own life.  It is tragic really.

I HAVE DECIDED ...

Sunday nights are going to be romantic movie nights for me and I am going to watch a romantic film that I have never had the opportunity to watch each Sunday night.  This week I chose The Lake House. I thought it was pretty good and was very happy with the ending.  

ALSO WATCHING ...

Being Human on Britbox.  I have watched the first episode and am hooked. I don't know how I missed this when it was on the telly in the U.K.  Well done, as most BBC shows are! I have five seasons to catch up on, which is great!

I AM READING ...

Bridges of Madison County, by Robert James Waller 

“The Bridges of Madison County” is a novel by Robert James Waller that was published in 1992. The book explores themes of memory, loss, sacrifice, desire, dreams, loneliness, love, sexual satisfaction, and contentment 1234. The story revolves around the relationship between Francesca Johnson and Robert Kincaid. Francesca is a married woman who falls in love with Robert, a photographer who is visiting Madison County to take pictures of the covered bridges. The novel explores the choices that Francesca and Robert make and the consequences of those choices. It also examines the impact of their relationship on their lives and the lives of those around them. The book has been adapted into both a movie and a musical

I have only just watched the film and fell in love and now I am reading the book.  I just had to after seeing the film.  So far so good.  

 

(source)

SOMETHING I REALLY LOVE ...

Ripe pears. I really love ripe pears. I have not had any yet this season. Time to rectify that. Must get some  . . . 

 

(source)

MAKES ME SMILE ...

They're having tea.  I love that. I can almost hear the conversations taking place.

 

(source)

TRACING THE GOODNESS ...

Scripture study and prayer, family outings and dinners, cats and cuddles,  friendships, home, faith, all is well in my little corner of the world. Each day may not be a good day but there is something good in every day. My life is filled with the abundance of grace and my cup runneth over.

 

(source)

A THOUGHT TO CARRY WITH YOU ...

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

 *.˛.In order to love who you are

you cannot hate the experiences

that shaped you.•。★★ 。* 

~Andrea Dykstra•。*。*˚

•。★★ 。* •。★★ 。* 

IN THE KITCHEN ...

There is nothing new in the kitchen today, so I am sharing my Apple Dumpling recipe. Always a winner!  So much so that Coleman Andrews included my recipe in his book on English Cooking. I was really chuffed to be included!

And that's my day book for this week. I have loads to catch up on!  I hope you are all well and happy and that this is a very good day for you!  Happy Halloween!  Don't forget!

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And I do too!    

   

All Things Nice . . .

 

(source)

For this is life -- this blessed throbbing Now,

This golden-tinted morning -- this today

Whose rich abundance speaks from every bough

If we just listen to the things they say.

For I shall never hear a clearer song

Than yonder skylark's singing from the blue,

Or know a sweeter ecstasy -- or see

A richer purple than this pansy's hue.

For I shall never taste a lovelier breath

Than of red roses blooming on the vine,

Or sense a heaven nearer to the earth,

Or grasp a clearer sight of the Divine.

For Heaven lies about us everywhere,

And God is close, for every blade of grass

Sings on the wind like ancient lines of prayer,

And all the world is hushed to watch Him pass.

~Edna Jaques, Life

My Kitchen Window, 1942

I loved this view point of God as I read it this morning.  This idea that we can seek Him in all that we are surrounded by. In the simple things of every day life that we take so  much for granted, but are so much more than that. I am very much a person who pays attention to the small details and pleasures that are ours to hold on a daily basis.  I take them not for granted. Even as a small child I was cognizant of the simple beauties that surround us and embroider our daily lives.  

One memory stands out and it is this.  I have been caught up in a sun shower, which is in and of itself something quite miraculous. The sun is shining and yet the rain is falling in a torrent. I take cover under the overhang of a garage roof and I am dry, sheltered from the rain and yet if I stretch my arm out I can catch the drops in my hand, and the heat of the sun is drying the pavement up as fast as the rain is falling.  The air smells of wet pavement an sunshine.  If I close my eyes even now, I can smell the smells and catch the wonder of it all.

 Cindy and I bought some apples at Spurrs the other day.  They look pretty much the same from the outside.  The one on the left is smaller and a bit redder.  It was called a Sweet Tart Apple. The one on the right is larger with a yellow green skin, flushed with red and is called a Japanese Melon Apple.

Cut them open however and you are faced with quite a surprise!  The ones on the left, the Sweet Tart apples have a red hued flesh. They are indeed as their name says, crisp and sweet and tart at the same time. Not quite sour, but quite tart all the same. I think they would be lovely for cooking.  The ones on the  right, the Japanese Melon apples, look like any other apple on the inside, but what a beautiful flavor! Sweet with a faint taste of melon.  They make for very pleasant apple eating.

We were impressed with both apples. I think they are not all that common yet, but hopefully they will become more common in the future.  The Japanese Melon ones were so tasty my sister and I went back to Spurrs yesterday so that she could pick up another bag!

I treated Chippy to some blueberries the other day. He seemed to really enjoy them, picking them over the peanuts that I also put out. 

My sister has a red squirrel. She actually has a few of them.  One of them had found a hole in their shed roof and she saw him going in there with the peanuts that she puts out for them. When she investigated she discovered a wooden birdhouse in the shed that Dan had made and this squirrel (she calls him Skippy) was storing the nuts in this birdhouse in the shed. It was loaded.   

The cats really enjoy watching Chippy. I got an unusual shot of him scampering back beneath the window boxes.  I am not sure what he does there, but he spends quite a bit of time under them. Sheltering from predators perhaps.

He emerged from the other end and was busy peeling a peanut.  I am not sure why they do this. They kind of nibble away at the shell, turning it over and over in their hands and then tuck them into their cheeks and scamper off. Perhaps making them pliable so that they can fit more in there?  Scampering off to bury them for the winter.  He has a very direct route that he takes.  You can set your clock by it.  Off under the deck out the other side, through Sheila's garden, direct across the street (tail held high) and back behind the houses on the other side. He moves very quickly.

I looked over at Cinnamon the other night and this was how she was laying in her basket.  It doesn't look very comfortable to me, but she was quite pleased with herself.  I thought it quite funny to see and was able to snap a shot.

This was here just a few minutes later giving me her "love" eyes.  Did you know that when cats slowly blink at you they are telling you that they love you?  I don't know if that is true or not, but that is what I read, so I always blink slowly back to tell them that I love them too.

And in the meantime Nutmeg was keeping me company on the sofa.  I have to pay equal attention to him or he can get a bit jealous. I think he sees Cinnamon and myself as a part of his harem.

As I have said in the past, he is always, more often than not, to be found very close to me.  He likes to be near by.

 

(source)

Cindy and I took a trip "up" country yesterday. (That is what we call it when we travel East from here. The town we live in is considered to be the "heart" of the valley. When we go the other direction we are going "down" country.)

There was quite a bit of construction going on near Aylesford which is not far from the High School we attended and graduated from. We were stuck in traffic for a bit, which is unusual for this very rural area we call our home.

Kentville is holding its Pumpkin People Festival at the moment.  Every year it is a different theme. I believe last year it was dinosaurs. This year it is under the sea and there were pumpkin people all over the town in groups and clusters as well as sea creatures, such as whales and turtles, etc.  Very entertaining.

They are quite fun to see and there were groups of children visiting them all and we even saw a person dressed up as a pumpkin person walking about. I think it is quite unique!

It is so unique, it even manages to make it on the news.  We are not just known in the valley for our apples, but also for our pumpkins! Its great fun! 

 

(source)

We went to Michaels and browsed.  They have all of their Christmas gear in now. I picked up a set of micron india ink pens and a few other bits.  Some new highlighters for my bible journaling. I got some cute fairy lights for my light up birch tree for over the holidays. Some little gnome ones and another set that looks like the old fashioned Christmas tree lights. They were buy one, get one free. I also got a little metal ruler for my bible journaling and some love charms. I keep thinking I am going to start making my little wire dolls again.  I just need the time to do it. I always really enjoyed making them. 

I am not sure if you remember them or not, so I will pop a picture here.  I made all sorts of different ones.   They were always great fun for me.

Then we went to The Running Man, which is the closest thing we have to Costco here in the Valley. I got my bag of organic sugar and a few other bits and pieces and I picked up a bag of this. Oh my goodness but it is dangerous.  It doesn't show it on the bag but there are also strawberries in this one. Kind of like strawberry jam. They are like real strawberry jellies.  Very tasty.

We stopped at Jonny's for lunch. I had fish and chips. They will be closing for the Winter soon.  We went to Forsyth's farm market to get some squash and then headed on back home. We got caught in the road works again.  Much worse at this time.  We sat for over 20 minutes waiting.  Many people were getting impatient and turning around and going another way. We just stayed in place and eventually we moved. At least we knew where we were going. We got where we needed to go anyways.  It was a much longer day than we had anticipated.

We were out from just after 9 am and I didn't get home until 3:30.  So a long day out.  But a fun day out!

This morning I have to go to the chapel to clean. It is my team's turn again. It half doesn't roll around quickly!  It seems like it is every week, haha, but it isn't. It is only every 5th week. Anyways, I best finish this off and get ready to go!

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

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~＼。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ ｜ 田田 ｜門 ★
 *Everything you've ever wanted

is on the other side of fear.

~George Addair •。★★ 。* 。  

I may or may not be here on Monday. My father has two medical appointments, one at his Doctors and the other at the hospital to be fitted for a heart thingie.  So it all depends on how early we have to leave!  Dad is coming here for supper today as well.  Cindy and Dan are going golfing and then out for supper together.  It will be nice to have dad here, even if all he ever wants is weiners and beans! 

In The English Kitchen today  . . .  Autumn Apple Cake with a Sticky Toffee Glaze.  Impressive and very simple to make. Delicious as you can well imagine!

I hope you have a beautiful weekend!  Stay safe and stay happy. Be blessed, and don't forget!

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And I do too!    

   

My Favorite Things . . .

 

Sharing today a few things that I really love to do, eat, experience, enjoy  . . .  maybe you will enjoy them too.

 

(source)

Birds.  I have always loved birds and bird watching. I am afraid I am not fond of seeing birds in cages or zoos, etc.  or any wild animal in captivity, actually.  Birds were meant to soar the skies. I much prefer to view them in their natural habitat.

 

(source)

Pie. Any kind. If it's in a crust, I love it.  Well, maybe there are a few that I don't like, such as Stargazy Pie, but normal pie. I love it.

 

(source)

Knowing this to be true  . . . 

They matter most of all  . . . 

 

(source)

It is my favorite season  . . .  seriously  . . . 

 

(source)

Beautiful food. This is a beetroot rosette tart.  So pretty  . . . 

 

(source)

Old sweaters and sweater weather  . . . 

 

(source)

There can never be too much  . . .  we all need more of that in the world.

 

(source)

Squash  . . .  my sister cooked some on Sunday that was out of this world delicious.  I could have eaten a whole bowl of that and nothing else.

 

(source)

China Plates  . . .  love them. Mismatched or not.  Mismatched is even better than matched in my opinion.

 

(source)

Happy bees  . . . 

 

(source)

Hello Kitty . . . 

 

(source)

Anything pink  . . . 

 

(source)

This  . . .  so cute . . . 

 

(source)

These colors  . . .  so pretty . . . 

And those are my favorite things for this week!  I hope some of them were yours also! 

I am taking my car to be winterized later this morning and have a servicing.  I don't know if the car needs it or not. Men always took care of this type of thing for me, but I believe if I take good care of my car it will take good care of me!  Its supposed to get fairly warm today. I think that the high is expected to be 20 which is nice!  Sunday day too!  I love sunny autumn days!

A thought to carry with you  . . . 

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

 *.˛.When I despair, I remember•。★★ 。* 。

That all through history, the way•。★★ 。* 。

of truth and love has always won.•。★★ 。* 。

There have been tyrants and murderers,•。★★ 。* 。

and for a time they can seem invincible,•。★★ 。* 。

but in the end, they always fail.•。★★ 。* 。

Think of it -- always!•。★★ 。* 。

~Mahatma Gandhi•。★★ 。* 。

•。★★ 。* 。•。★★ 。* 。

In The English Kitchen today . . .  Classic Carrot Cake with Pineapple, the small batch. Delicious!  It has a white chocolate cream cheese frosting. Carrot cake is one of my favorite things, especially with pineapple.

I hope that you have a wonderful day, no matter what you get up to!  I probably won't be writing tomorrow as my sister and I are leaving quite early to travel up the valley, but I will be back on Saturday for sure!  Stay safe and be happy!  Don't forget! 

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And I do too!