Wednesday Witterings . . .

 

 

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We had a bit of snow during the night. Not a lot. Looks to be like maybe 2 inches or so. It is fairly chilly however, -4*C/24.8*F.  A typical winter's morning. They say it is always coldest before the dawn. It is not meant to get much warmer than this today however. so quite a chilly day. 

On days like this I am grateful for my heat pump which keeps warm air circulating through the house. There is not a lot of house to heat, thankfully. My sister has two heat pumps in her house as it is a much larger space. One upstairs and one downstairs.

Heat pumps are a much cheaper and more efficient way of heating the home. I am not sure how it works, but somehow, they gather heat from cold outdoor air and pull it inside. That doesn't make sense to me, but it does keep the house lovely and warm in the Winter months. In the summer months it does the opposite and pulls in cold air from outside, cooling the house down. However it does it, I am grateful to have a cheaper alternative to my electric baseboard heating!  

I keep no heat on in my bedroom at all. The door stays open all day, and I am assuming that the heat travels from the larger living area into the bedroom. I prefer to sleep in a cooler room, so I close the door. It works fine for me to do it that way! I often even kick off the covers during the night. I guess I am hot stuff! ha ha

 

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On Sunday when I was at Cindy's for dinner we got to talking about the games we had when we were growing up. One year for Christmas we had gotten this set of games that all came in a box. I think there were like supposedly fifty games or some such. Chinese checkers, snakes and ladders, checkers, backgammon, etc. I know that we played the snakes and ladders all the time. My mom was not one to waste money on things like games.  My best friend had the games Mouse Trap and Clue, and I used to love to go over to her house to play those. 

I do remember getting Pick Up Stix when we were a bit older, and Tip It and Hungry Hungry Hippo, but that was as fancy as our games got. 

There was also a word game we used to play called Probe. We played that a lot. Everyone had cards and you spelled a word out with letter cards (right side down) on a small holder in front of you and the aim of the game was for the other players to figure out your word by guessing letters. My dad always won because he would spell out electrical terms that none of us knew. We had fun playing nevertheless.

I have picked up a selection of games over the past few years to have here for when the grandchildren come, but most have never been opened. I think kids today prefer electronic games.  I have played a few with Eileen and Tim however and we have had fun.

I can remember getting together as adults back in the day to play cards as a group and that was always a lot of fun also. Do you remember card tables?  Tables specifically for playing cards on? I wonder if they still make them.

 

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Went out yesterday to pick up a Birthday card for Dad. He turns 91 on Friday. Somehow we (Cindy drove) ended up at Spur's farm market and I picked up the loveliest loaf of Olive Sour Dough Bread. I totally adore olive bread.  I could not resist cutting myself a piece when I got home, which I enjoyed with lashings of butter. I had a bit more later on.  I have had some already this morning and the loaf is half gone.  But better to eat it while it is still fresh right?

I knew you would agree.

I have not started making sour dough again since I returned to Canada. I keep thinking that I should, but then I don't. I follow a girl on YouTube who makes sour dough everything.  Even pie crusts. No bit of discard ever gets wasted. My daughter in law Kayla also does sour dough. I am just not sure where would be a safe place to keep it here in my wee house I suppose.  I should try making a starter and see what happens.

I had dried some of my starter in the U.K.  I really should have brought it with me, but I was afraid that they would question it at customs.

Something to take under consideration is, would I, a person living on their own, eat enough bread, etc. to warrant having a sour dough starter on the go?  Food for thought.  (No pun intended.)

 

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My brother had his appointment with his oncologist and this was the result: (I will copy from his FB page.

"We met with the oncologist today. They feel the recent scans are suggestive of kidney cancer, but the two tumors are small and appear to be slow growing, so there are several treatment options to consider. They will run a few more tests and then we will meet the doctor again in 6 to 8 weeks to finalize the treatment plan. The prognosis is good. We are at peace and will take one day at a time. Thanks for your prayers."

It does sound promising, and I do believe in miracles, so will keep praying for such.  I thank you also for your continued prayers. They are much appreciated by all of us.

 

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I really love this.  I am a person who, for many, many years, saved the good stuff for "some day" in the future.  I don't know which day that was supposed to be.  Since having had to walk away from everything and never having had the pleasure of using what I had been saving, I have decided to use and enjoy everything I have.  Not save any of it for "some day." 

Life is too short.  I want to eat the good food and listen to my favorite music.  I want to squeeze as much joy out of every moment of my life as I can, within reason of course. 

But it only makes sense to love what you have and to have what you love and to use and enjoy it all. Life is far too short to do otherwise.

 

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I am a person who refuses to be pigeon-holed. I am a person who defies specifics.  I don't think anyone could look at my home, etc. and place my style solidly within any one genre.  I have deep passions for many things and I surround myself with them. I find so much that is interesting in life and I tend to embrace all of it, even though that means I may come off as being a bit scatty from time to time.

Old books, spirituality, vintage plates, crochet blankets, quilts, cooking and baking, fairy lights, cats, yarn balls, art, sewing, dolls . . . cakes.  I am all of these facets and all of these loves. Some of these things are more important to me than others, but I love them all and I could not choose between any one of them.

I guess I am at peace with being prolific. I feel free to be all and everything that I dream of being, and it is delicious to feel such a way. To soar and not settle.  To be a version of myself that is all of these things and loves.  A human moveable feast of bits and bobs that bring me joy.

Again, life is far too short not to embrace what you love and to love what you embrace.

 

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I am still waiting for us to get some real snow.  Not these light dustings we keep getting.  But real snow. Snow that needs a definitive plowing.  It has not happened yet this year.  I do believe that they have gotten more snow in the U.K. than what we have gotten here where I live.  I know Winter is far from being over yet and has only really just begun.

I am not a lover of the hot and humid weather of the summer months. I prefer something in between. Not so hot as you cannot stand it, nor so cold as you are freezing to death either.  With sunny days and blue skies, and just enough warmth in the air to keep you comfortable without being over the top.

I love to watch the snow fall.  Especially if it is big goose-down-like flakes. Watching them fall makes me feel all cozy and warm . . . safe.  It is easy to feel that way if you have nowhere pressing to go to or to be.  You can feel cozy and warm at home. 

Life stands still in moments like those.  All urgency disappears.  At least it does for me. I love it when life slows down that tiny bit and comes to a standstill that I can comfortably cope with.

 

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I am not sure what I will get up to today.  I have a bit of cooking that I want to do.  I need to do some book-keeping, something which I always seem to procrastinate.  I tell myself that I do my best work under pressure, but . . .  do I really?  That remains to be seen.  I just know I need to get with it and get it done.  

Whatever I get up to today, you are bound to hear about it I am sure.

And with that I will leave you with a thought for today . . . 

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

 *.˛“Great things are done

by a series of small things

being brought together.° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

~Unknown° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

° * 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •

In The English Kitchen today . . .  Ultimate Stuffed Baked Potatoes.  A tasty side dish that makes good use of all the bits and bobs in the refrigerator.  Delicious and simple. I could make a meal out of a baked potato any day. I love them so much!

I hope you have a beautiful day. I hope you are blessed with plenty of love and luck and all that you are in need of.  Don't forget along the way . . . 

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And I do too!