Snow in Darkest Wiltshire!!!

Yes it's snowing here - despite the confident predictions of the Met Office which shows just how much THEY know - NOT!!!! About a couple of inches and nothing that would really get in the way of shopping or the usual weekend activities but all week the local forecaster has been saying we won't see any snow till the middle of next week!!! Of course Brits being what they are there will be panic-buying at sight of the first few innocent flakes, bread and milk will fly off the shelves only to end up in dumpsters a few days later and before anyone jumps on me about this I've seen it happen SOOOO many times - so there!!!! And anyway this is my Big Sis's blog and my post - if you don't want to read, go somewhere else!!!! Yes you can tell I'm just a tad ticked this morning . . . I've had a doozy of a cold and lost my voice only to find from a lady I see regularly at the grocery store that it was allegedly a bad batch of flu vaccine from my local surgery that is the culprit!!!!! She was telling me she and a whole gob of other folks had flu jabs the same time I did and ALL - without exception!!! - have had similar symptoms to me!!! It seems I've got off lightly as loads of others had upset stomachs as well!!!! Talk about the NHS saving money by allegedly using an outdated vaccine batch. Quite honestly if you get sick in this country the medical profession are just as likely to misdiagnose or give you the wrong drugs!!!! A friend's mother-in-law has pancreatic cancer and the consultant missed the not insignificant fact that her blood sugar might be way up as her pancreas had stopped working properly - DUH!!!!! My father used to say he'd be happy to be treated by our cats' vet who was a nice man, very down-to-earth and knowledgeable with bags of common sense. Ho hum!!!!! On a brighter note I've got a pot of onion soup simmering on the hob and the barrista in our local Starbucks gave me a freebie this morning - I went in for a very nice cafe mocha and bought some of their jasmine-orange teabags and got a free teabag to try later today!!!! OK it may be a small thing but nonetheless it was kind and she didn't have to do that!!!! The girls in there are always bright and cheerful which is saying something given some of the miserable types that show up for coffee and yes I have served the public having done bar work some years ago and I know what it's like!!!! I sat in the window watching the market stallholders setting up and reflected that in small towns across the UK the weekly market has been the same down the centuries - just the wares have changed!!!! It's also comforting to reflect that Starbucks is at O'Hare Airport and I pass it every time I head to my connecting flight to visit my Big Sis although I have to say the Starbucks at the entrance to the G concourse is better than the one in the food court on the K concourse - much friendlier staff!!!! Why that should be I have no idea!!! White Star is almost done and I'm on the last half page - WHEEEEEEEE!!!!! Giverny is next up and is sat on my craft table next to my stitch frame all ready!!! I hope everyone stays warm today both sides of the pond and my US readers aren't suffering too much from a surfeit of turkey!!!! Happy Stitching!!!!

A Grey November Afternoon . . .

It's a grey November day here in the UK and I think folks are sweeping up after the high winds earlier in the week!!!! Fortunately where I am there was minimum damage for which I am very thankful!!! Still it wasn't fun driving to work on the freeway and my little car sure was buffeted about by the wind - not to mention the idiot drivers (mostly male!!!!) who seem to think they can whizz by at 96,000,000 mph in treacherous wet conditions . . . !!!! It's a cold grey November day too where my Big Sis is and I think it's crumpet weather all round!!! All very conducive to stitching in a warm cozy living room, something good on tv and something good baking in the oven!!! Today it's roast chicken with good old mash, gravy, buttered carrots and savoy cabbage - may seem pedestrian to some but it does me all right. With my Big Sis's patented apple salad for dessert - crisp slices of Cox apples mixed with dried cranberries and either pecans or walnuts then bound with either plain yoghurt or creme fraiche - this is a cheeringly YUMMMM meal. I've watched a few of the Nigella Kitchen episodes but I don't really take to her style, being more of a Delia Smith/Ina Garten cook with just a dash of Jamie Oliver!!!! I'm happy to watch Michael C on the Food Network when I'm visiting my Big Sis as well as Giada (although she does harp on about chocolate a tad too much!!!!) but that Robin Miller can be a tad scary but just my two cents!!!! When cooking for my Big Sis I have a tendency to say things are "gettin' happy" in the pan which means I've been watching too much Emeril!!!!! White Star is almost finished now and I can't wait for my Big Sis to see this then we have to decide what kind of frame it will look best in - whatever, it will be BIG!!!! I think more folks should stitch - it gets rid of a shedload of stress and you have something decorative at the end of it and a sense of achievement. Happy stitching to all the stitchers out there - we need more of you!!!!!!