Mish-Mash Post

002

This is a bit of a mish-mash post.  All week I’ve been intending to write something but then my mind flits.  It flitted from   “I must keep up-to-date with my blog”  to “Is it worth keeping the blog?”  to “Yes I’ll blog – it’s a diary of sorts and good to look back on”.    Also it provides a reminder of events … you know big things like “I’ve actually washed my car at last”.  I’m sure it must be a year since I last washed it and so if it’s recorded here perhaps I’ll be a bit more diligent (and actually remember WHEN I washed it!).  It is usually parked not far from the birch tree in the front garden and so tends to be like a compost bin, with fallen leaves caught in the grille under the top of the bonnet, lichen growing in the seal around the sun-roof and a lovely big spider and web on the driver’s wing mirror.  But it’s a compost bin NO MORE – I cleaned it and now it shines (well almost).  I’ve been careful with my water usage as we’re on a meter – hence the watering can.

SLC

On Thursday I popped along to the Photography Group with 2 friends  (potential members).  The topic this month was Abstract views so, along with a couple of other photos, I took the above.  Well actually I took a similar one with me but realise now that I took the WRONG one – it should have been this one.  Oh well.  I wonder whether you can guess what it is?

On Friday evening, we went with friends to a ceilidh in a nearby village.  The ceilidh was in aid of Amnesty International and the  entertainment included singers, a band, clog dancers,  a caller and dancing.  There was a raffle and a Zaytoun stall selling Fair Trade olives, oil and soap produced by Palestinian farmers … my bar of lemon-scented olive soap smells delicious.

As part of my “What shall I blog about?” flitting, yesterday I did a quick flit around the kitchen:-

006

and what did I see?  Well a mish-mash (again) of magnetic thingies on the fridge, including “Make today the day that changes your life” beach hut card,  a Krokodillo’s advert in case we want to order a take-away from Queensland and the Latin first declension of femina in case I meet a bunch of Romans and want to talk to them about women.

007

The Krokodillo made me think of another reptile in the kitchen – this terracotta metal (now there’s a contradiction) lizard which I bought in Utah earlier this year and which reminds me of the vibrant red rock out there.

010

Not far from the lizard is this original water colour of chickens.  I picked up the framed picture from the charity shop for a mere £1.50.  I just love the expressions on their faces.  They are obviously enjoying a juicy bit of gossip.

011

On the shelf sits this white Wedgwood(?) jug and a card with a beautifully-painted comma butterfly – it’s a greetings card I bought with the intention of sending.

012

I am enjoying the beautiful colours in this photo.  The calendar is from Carol and is twelve-months’ worth of her beautiful photographs of western USA.

014

Of course we can’t be without this invaluable Nigel Slater book – well stained and splashed with all sorts of ingredients.

018

Ingredients?  Mr Dancing was assembling them yesterday for chutney making.  He is hoping that Nanny Dot’s Chutney recipe will produce results as good as hers.  Thank you P and L for sending it!

019

I think that Mr Dancing is an Olympian in the chutney-making department – hence my preserving jar ring award.  Each ring represents … well   …   er …  will have to think about that one.  Any ideas?

copy of all

This flitting has now led me to Mr Dancing.  Thank you so much for putting up with me over the last seven years.  There we are in the photo above on 11 October 2002 …

Mr and Mrs

and here we are again just a few weeks ago at D’s wedding with the lovely C.  Have you noticed how Mr Dancing doesn’t have a hair out of place in either of these photos?  So I have to compensate for this!

Well I shall flit no more …. if you’ve managed to stay with me so far …. well done.

Tom and Basil

blog-toms-1basil-blogblog-toms-larger

I always keep a little thrifted hand-thrown greeny-blue pot of tomatoes on the windowsill … yesterday I topped it up with these organic baby toms  -  the  pot showed off the vibrancy of their colour.  I just LOVE red!

I put them back on the windowsill next to the gorgeously green fragrant basil as I know that they’re friends and bring out the best in each other in cooking.

So here’s to my friends … Basil and a whole bunch of Toms … thank you for cheering me up on such a dark, dank day.

[edit: Comments now enabled!]

3 Little Pots

kitchen-pots-001

My sister, The Recycling Lady, gave me these 3 sweet little pots discovered at the recycling centre some time ago and they have been safely wrapped in their packaging for weeks and weeks.  So, at last, I’ve unpacked them … I’ve still to give them a bit of a scrub … but I just LOVE them …  particularly as their lids are a bit skew-whiff.

It’s been worth posting this just so that I could use the term “skew-whiff”!!!

Heaven Scent

blues-002

blog-mantelshelf1

The two hyacinths which were given to us as a gift from our neighbour have started to come into flower.  The white one is beautiful and looks like a dancer with her green arms in the air, swaying her bulbous hips!  The intoxicating scent wafts over the room and is like no other.

blue-bud1

The blue one is catching up.

For Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d put an appropriate header photo on the blog … I spotted the white heart-shaped pebble on the beach in North Devon … if you go and look hard enough I’m sure it’s still there!  [edit:  the photo is now under "Header Photos" see top menu]