Wednesday 27 March 2024

Wednesday Witterings . . .

 

 How did it happen?  Did I blink too fast?  Wasn't I just 17 yesterday,  and filled with hopes and dreams?  Or 25, with all of my chicks beneath my wings?  That is how it seems . . .  your days seem to pass as if in a blur and then all of a sudden you are on the precipice of something that once seemed to be eons away. You are older than you ever thought you could be.  Loved ones are missing and gone  . . .  and it all happened far too fast. In. The. Blink. Of. An. Eye.

Ahhh  . . .  but think of the wisdom gained.  And the growth in spirit. You were but a child and now . . . you are almost full grown.  Hopefully there is still quite a ways to go before you are done.  There are still hopes and dreams, and your chicks, they have chicks of their own. Such is the way of life. Its all as it should be, and quite rightly so.


 

Oh the little faces, with scrunched up noses as if something foul just passed by. Grumpy Gus's.  When I was a child I thought they danced in the garden beds.  Green toes prancing over the dirt, leafy arms held aloft . . . to music only the fairies could hear. Elfin drums beating  . . . alongside the tinkle of canterbury bells  . . . 

Yes, I did read too many Enid Blyton books and watch too much Disney.  For me fairy worlds were real and tangible, and I longed to catch a glimpse.  Too much imagination. That was me. My head always in the clouds.


 

I ventured out yesterday for a short.  Cindy and I went up to the Super Store. I wanted some fruits and some vegetables. I got what I thought a fresh salad, but it ended up being mostly stems of romaine without  a lot of leaf.  I should have looked closer. Was a person putting together salads, I fear my pride in a job well done would not allow me to do such a thing . . . fill a salad container with just stems, and then hide them beneath a tray of tomatoes, carrots, etc.  

I did get some lovely looking apples at Goucher's Farm Market though.  I plan on making  myself a bowl of applesauce. I am not one much for eating apples in the raw.  A piece here and there, but cook them and I am all in. I think it is a texture thing. I do not like the feel of the skin against my teeth. In these later years I find myself being super sensitive to textures and smells, tastes even.  Lately pepper seems to smell like smoke to me and I am not overly fond of it . . .  the smell.

I did get to the Drugstore and spoke to the Chemist and asked if I could take some Ibuprofen to help ease the inflammation in my knees for a few days.  I got some and had seen a little improvement by the time I had gone to bed last night.  I was a bit more comfortable at any rate.  The pain is still there this morning. I expect it will take a few days to ease to tolerable. I will be calling tomorrow to try to get an appointment next week to see a Doctor.


 

I watched a video by Hannah Ricketts yesterday as she ventured into Panzers (her local store) and into Chelsea to see what Easter goodies were on offer.  I was amazed at all of the different things that were for sale for Easter in just those few shops in London.  I expect it is the same in most large urban cities.  We don't get a lot here where I live.  The usual Cadbury's eggs and Lindt bunnies.     I have never seen anything so luxurious here, but then I don't think that people around here would have the dosh to spend on such things. It was very interesting however and I really enjoyed seeing everything.


 



Speaking of Easter, I posted this on my English Kitchen Facebook page the other day along with the relevant link to where I had posted how to make them.  Garden Tomb Cookies.  Anyways it was meant only to be a bit of fun and something that a person could enjoy putting together with their children or grandchildren whilst teaching them a bit about the religious traditions of Easter if so inclined.  Someone took offence.  How dare I post something so sacrilegious  and disrespectful.  The thought of inviting children to eat something as morbid as a burial place with a pagan Easter egg on the lawn. 

I mean, really?

I notice that there is becoming  more and more a level of intolerance amongst people for anything that they don't see eye to eye with, and a general lack of grace.   Almost every day I get people shouting the odds at me because I am "The ENGLISH kitchen" and how I shouldn't be posting anything that is remotely un-English. (Never mind that there are oodles of truly British recipes posted.)  Have they never eaten a pizza, a Chinese meal,  or a curry?  Not English by any definition, but appearing at dinner tables regularly all over the U.K.  Ham on a pizza?  Call Scotland Yard!  

There are only so many truly authentically traditional British recipes and I have posted most of them at one time or another.  But most of the critics never bother to take the time to look, judging solely on the recipe they are looking at.   People are really becoming rude and ignorant and not reluctant in the least at shouting the odds or being super critical of others.  Everyone is an "expert."


But then again . . . they can think what they think, it is only the odd person, and by and large most people are quite happy with what I post. I try not to let myself get drawn into the "trolling" activity, but sometimes it is hard, and one feels the need to defend oneself.


 


Its actually +6* out there this morning, and it says mostly sunny.  Is March going to go out like a lamb?  I can't remember if it came in like a lamb or a lion?   Ahh, my aging brain.  Whatever will be will be. Later today I will hopefully be meeting my dad and Hazel for dinner out.  We will see how the knee is feeling, or if my sister is going also. I prefer it if she is.  Is that selfish of me?  Probably so  . . . I just enjoy her company so much.  Oh, her kittens are adorable.  I could spend hours playing with them. So sweet.



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

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

 *.˛.If, of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
and from thy slender store two loaves 
alone to thee are left, sell one and from 
the dole, buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.
Sa'di, The Gulistan, 1258° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •




In The English Kitchen today  . . . Quick & Easy Cheesy Chicken & Potatoes.  This is a simple dish to throw together in a skillet for a quick and delicious mid-week supper for two.


I hope that you have a lovely day. I hope the sun shines and that the temperatures are warm and that you are treated to a truly spring-like beautiful day!  Be happy and don't forget!


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⊰✿░G░O░D⊰✿⊰L░O░V░E░S⊰✿⊰░Y░O░U░⊰✿
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And I do too!    

   













6 comments:

  1. Advil 12 hour is my go to for pain/swelling relief. It's a drippy foggy dull day today, makes my arthritis feel so much worse. I read those comments on your Facebook page, you gave good answers. I wonder how many of those people actually live in England. Today English food is a combination of all sorts of styles/cultures/ ingredients etc. They are just trolls and looking for an argument. I imagine not a lot of traditional English food around. Had a similar experience with some bagged coleslaw, it was big chunks of cabbage, and very little other stuff. Rest when you can. Take care.

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  2. Lol sacrilegious? Give me a break:) Funny how Ibuprofen knows where to target the pain:) A miracle;)

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  3. Hope your knee continues to feel less sore, Marie. Chronic pain is so difficult to deal with. To all those critics out there, if you can’t be kind, be quiet. Enjoy your dinner with your Dad and Hazel. Hope Cindy decided to go, too. Love and hugs, Elaine (in Toronto)

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  4. Hope your knees feel better. Lots of wonderful shares here from you to all of us. Thank you

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  5. Always a lovely visit with you…always I love the recipes. Hard to imagine someone would take time out of their day to troll and criticize…it’s beyond comprehension! Easy to tell you to ignore, hard to actually do…I’m not on any social media…twitter, Facebook, TikTok….never have been…and that makes me happy…I know I miss a lot of lovely things but I also miss the unkindness.
    Hope you’re feeling better each day, happy Easter week! V.

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  6. It is indeed a strange time we live in...you can be criticized for things no one would ever expect!! As to knee pain...I had had it for years and it was very bad...but I had an allergic reaction to something I ate and took a little Benedryl capsule. Do you know that little capsule took away the swelling and pain like nothing else, aside from the laser treatments we got some years later. So I don't know if it would help, but probably would not hurt to try it out. It was a most unexpected side benefit to me!! Wishing you the best!!
    HUGS, Elizabeth xoxo

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