It's Been A While . . .

Yes it's been a while since I posted in July following a trip to The Courts Gardens in the Summer sunshine!!!! Real life has a habit of getting in the way, as does work, although I know Big Sis and I are truly grateful to have jobs and for everything that we do have between us. The UK seems gripped by a somewhat grim mood which I can only describe as something approaching wartime, and this is from what my parents told me of that time when of necessity austerity ruled and "make do and mend" was one of the key phrases, as was "Keep calm and carry on". Yes, there were actually posters of that phrase put up in public places at that time!!! The old skills of utilising leftovers in the food line and minimising waste as well as making over where clothes and other things are concerned are being rediscovered and in some cases hailed as new ideas . . . these are skills my grandma and Mom had and passed down to me; likewise my Big Sis was raised the same way. Just my observations and not meant in a patronising way to anyone at all. On the happy side Big Sis and I had a wonderful vacation recently and as usual crammed in a whole lot each day, as well as stitching, hanging out and laughing, movies and food!!!! I think I trucked back half her local grocery store in my luggage and of course brought out with me a whole Waitrose bag full of crumpets for her freezer!!!! Yes I'm sure some online import stores carry crumpets but at an exorbitant cost and at least she gets them fresh from my local Sainsbury's where the bakery manager is intrigued that some of his stock finds its way across the pond!!!!! And as usual on the flights to/from the US, there were the usual number of idiots trying to bring on luggage as carryon then wondering why there wasn't space in the overhead bins!!!!! There's me with my regulation size carryon and personal item (crumpet-stuffed Waitrose bag) all stowed, watching folks get tied in knots then having to give up their bags to be valet-checked - and this is at Heathrow!!!!! It's selfish and wastes valuable time - as it was the plane was 10 mins late pushing back from the gate because of these idiots but of course the airline should enforce the carryon size rule . . . !!!! I know folks are trying to avoid the extra bag charges but come ON!!!!! Get real!!!! OK, rant over!!!!! I got to and from safely and reunited with my luggage which, after all, is the whole point!!!! AND I got a second breakfast too as the outward flight was only half full . . . the airline sure didn't make any profit on me that day!!!!! But then a couple of days after returning, I had to invest in a new cooker or stove as the element blew in my old one. This was NOT cool as it was a Belling and in the UK this is supposed to be a good make but hey what do I know. My friendly electrician sucked his teeth wisely and even though it was only six years old we agreed it would make more sense to bite the bullet and get a new one as parts for these are not readily available over here and labor costs high. I am now the proud owner of a new cooker to be wired in tomorrow evening. There's never a good time to buy high-ticket items but I'm grateful I am in a position to be able to do that. And from what the delivery guys said my old one can be "reconditioned" by the store in some way and reused. Next weekend I plan on making chicken & mushroom pie from scratch in my new pie dish to christian my new cooker!!!!! However today is StitchAlong Sunday and I'm pleased to say White Star is almost finished now - I'm on the last row GO ME!!!!! Happy stitching!!!!!

High Summer II

Now this post and the previous one show pix of my visit to the Courts Gardens today. You can see the scarecrow in the veggie patch and the display of wonderful desserts in the tearooms there!!!! Here too are pix of my strawberry mousse and amaretti gateau that we had after YUMMMM ham with old fashioned English garden salad, homemade coleslaw and new potatoes. It's High Summer now or Dog Days which last until August 11. Everything pauses now, quietly ripening in the hot sun. Now we are past Midsummer, the days are starting to draw in, albeit imperceptibly, but already it's darker in the mornings now. The Courts Gardens are all betwixt and between like all gardens, big or small, in the UK and we saw tall hollyhocks their blooms like colorful floppy cotton skirts, as well as a raft of other old fashioned country garden flowers and shrubs. There were quite a few folks visiting today as well as a lady artist who had her work on display and was painting in a shady corner. The waterlily looked just gorgeous and the sound of the water spilling into the pool was very cooling. We saw a Bat Evening advertised for next week when a bat expert would talk visitors through the bats they would see in the twilight with the tearooms laying on nibbles and fruit juice cocktails. The gardens were very peaceful even with more folks walking around and we could have stretched out in the shade and slept off our full tummies!!!! My stitch frame is wonderful and I'm making good progress with White Star now. Giverny is kitted up as the next project and I can't wait to see White Star framed!!!! Meals for the coming week will be based around nice lamb leg steaks baked in pear cider with some sweet onions, redcurrant jelly, seasoning and thyme along with mashed potatoes, runner beans and gravy. I have a couple of pints of English raspberries for desserts along with some thick Jersey cream as a treat!! Happy Stitching folks!!!!

High Summer

Stitch Frame!!!!!

At last I've assembled my wonderful stitching floor stand (thanks to Hearthside Crafts in Canada and my family LOL!!!!) and White Star is on the scroll rods!!!!! It sure makes a difference as it was getting very heavy to hold on the Qsnaps. I'm still waiting for my recliner to be delivered and have a little chair to use right now. The recliner will go right next to the armchair and I just won't know myself!!!! I have to say when assembling the floor stand you do need two people so that you can hold the pieces properly and get them flush with each other before tightening the screws, etc. But otherwise it was a breeze!!!! I have a tiny apartment (someone once called it a bijou shoebox!!!) but that's OK - less to clean and more time for stitching!!!!!! Here in this part of the UK it's sunny with a few clouds but a chilly breeze!!! I know my Big Sis's weather has been hot and humid - they had lots of rain recently and standing water gives rise to mozzies - EEEEEKKK!!!! While we have a few of these pesky critters over here, nothing like what other places have. Yesterday I made my version of my Big Sis's cherry chicken in the crockpot . . . skinless boned chicken thighs diced along with half a can of pitted morello cherries and a handful of dried sour cherries. To this I added a packet of dried onion soup mix and about half a pint of chicken stock along with a little seasoning and a pinch of dried thyme. This was YUMMMM although I wouldn't use canned cherries again. I put runner beans with it and of course mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, noodles, couscous or rice would go very well!!!! Today is Little Sis's burger day . . . good quality beefburgers with thick grilled onion slices on toasted buns with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and good blue cheese mayo and nice burger relish or pickle (although I know "pickle" in the US means dill pickle or sweet pickles which are something different to UK relish). Some nice seasoned oven fries will go very well too!!! I wish we could get wonderful two-tone fresh corn that I've had when visiting my Big Sis - all we get in the UK is yellow corn which is tough and not very sweet even when bought from a farmstand!!! Big Sis thinks this is just field corn and we're being shortchanged!!!! The caramel macchiatto creamer I brought back has all gone now but I'll be bringing double back in September now that I know it survives the trip!!!! Right now it's back to my stitching frame - happy stitching everyone!!!!!

An Overdue Update

Yes I know it's been a while since I posted but I was kind of busy with a much-needed vacation with my Big Sis then recovering from the jetlag on my return AND having to head back to work!!! We're on countdown for September now and in the meantime I thought I'd update with some food items. First up is the pic of turkey lasagne - nice lean ground turkey quickly sauteed with red onion then mixed with some rather good tomato-chianti pasta sauce then layered up with pasta sheets and store-bought
three-cheese sauce to which I added some extra ricotta then the whole lot dusted with parm. It sure smells good in my kitchen!!!! I also tried out a bean & tomato salad from the Eating Well mag/site. This should really be made with heirloom tomatoes but I had to make do with good quality grocery store ones - slice up the tomatoes, mixed with blanched green beans and add a drained can of whatever beans you like if you want along with thinly sliced halfmoons of red onion. Whisk up some cyder vinegar, runny honey and a little olive oil and seasoning, pour over and chill and run it up the flagpole!!!! As I like beets (Big Sis doesn't) I made a beet salad with toasted pecans and crumbled soft goat cheese with just a drizzle of sweet aged balsamic dressing. Again this should really be made with yellow and red beets but all my store had today were red but it sur tastes YUMMM!!!! *drum roll please - DRRRRRRR!!!!* Now I am VERY happy to announce I am now the proud owner of a crossstitch floor stand - GO ME!!!!! This is the same as the one Big Sis has and I've hummed and haaaed about getting one for the last year or so. It's from Hearthside Crafts (thanks to John and Helen) who are based in Canada and is handmade, designed to fit over a recliner chair. Delivery was extremely quick given that it was from Canada and I'm just waiting for the recliner I bought to be delivered then it will be fitted together and away I'll go. This will be brilliant for White Star as this project is getting very heavy now on a Qsnap. Of course I hope the recliner isn't too comfortable else I might be tempted to snooze instead of stitch!!!!!! I hope wherever you are the sun is shining and you're enjoying a well-deserved restful weekend - happy stitching!!!!!

Countdown to Vacation!!!!

Now Big Sis and I are very excited to once again be on our vacation day countdown - YAAAAAAYYYYY!!!!! What with one thing and another since the start of this year we both think we've earned an extra special vacation - our list is on two pages already!!!!! That's OK cos what we don't get to cross off just rolls over to the next vacation!!! Yesterday the UK had a picture-perfect bluesky Spring day and today is almost as good but with a little hazy cloud. Everything is out now - that first shy fresh green that fades all too quickly then when you look about yourself in the dog days of August, the color seems kind of used up and dusty. But right now everything is eager to get on with the business of flowering and bursting out!!!! Birds are singing away and I've shook out lots of crumbs for them cos snacks are appreciated any time of year!!!! My friend Mand visited this morning and I made us fresh lemonade - an old Cranks Restaurant recipe. For my US readers, Cranks was a vegetarian restaurant in London's West End which started in the sixties, managed to make it through to the nineties but I think has now fallen by the wayside. The emphasis was on healthy organic fresh veggie food and I have one of the original recipe books. I visited several times when I worked in London and can attest to the high quality of the food. The lemonade recipe is simple - just lemons, raw dark brown sugar and water. You are meant to steep the mix overnight but I cheated and squeezed the lemon halves hard before straining into my new decorative jug over lots of ice and lemon slices. It sure was good and very refreshing on a hot day!!!! You can of course cut it with sparkling mineral water and it does make a good base for a Pimms or Long Island Ice Tea - for the latter you'd need to add in tea bags with the lemons and boiling water. I also made us blueberry muffins which disappeared in a wink!!!!!! Dinner tonight will be homely - good quality pork sausages baked with a little hard cider and red onions along with mashed potatoes and baked beans - comfort food any time of year!!!!! My grocery store predictably had burgers on sale along with burger buns and salads and all the fixings and I have some of that for weeknight meals. The store also had specials on icecream and chilled drinks and I think they are a little optimistic given we're still in April!!!! I'm whizzing ahead on White Star now and only have one and a half rows left - each row is three whole pages worth of stitching though!!!! The next question of course is framing and where to hang it!!! I'll be taking it across the pond in my carryon for vacation and once pressed it folds nicely into a plastic baggie and sits behind my travel papers folder. I'll also be bringing crumpets for my Big Sis as these freeze very well and even in High Summer a toasted crumpet with some cottage or cream cheese and a scattering of raspberries makes a YUMMMM breakfast!!!! This is a Stitchalong Weekend and happy stitching!!!!!

Good Easter!!!

Now I sure hope everyone had a great Easter with lots of chocolate eggs and plenty of stitching!!!! Over here it's the first big holiday since Christmas and it marks the start of the UK tourist season - kinda strange when you think the weather is never all that great around this time!!!! Right now it's chilly and overcast - you need a jacket if you're outside!!! But that's the UK for you and it'll start to warm up now *crosses fingers*. We have Good Friday and Easter Monday as public holidays and I happen to get the Tuesday off from work also which is a welcome break!!! I've been stitching up a storm and White Star is progressing very well *looks around and whispers* I might even finish it by Summer!!! Today I plan as a Stitching Day then tomorrow morning early my friend Mandy and I will visit a small market town near us for a little shopping, starting with a good old fashioned English breakfast in the tea rooms there. This little town has lots of good quality old fashioned stores - butcher's, greengrocer's and a very upscale grocery store. If you know where to look you can get some very good stuff at reasonable prices and I'd rather save my pennies and buy just a few good quality treats sometimes cos everyone deserves treats!!!! I'll be stitching in the afternoon too. We'll be getting some Marks & Spencer longlife pouches of Jersey cream custard as I plan on bringing over a couple when I visit my Big Sis in May - M&S food is the most upscale you can get in the grocery store line (we'll leave aside Harrods and Fortnum & Mason in London!!!!) and she's tried a couple of their cakes and cookies before now. Longlife custard may not sound all that gourmet but trust me this stuff is the REAL deal and as it's sealed and longlife, there won't be any tedious questions asked by US Customs!!!! One time a Customs guy did ask just what WERE crumpets and I showed him a pack (I usually bring over about 8 packs and there are 8 crumpets to a pack). He grinned and waved me through!!!! I hope everyone has a peaceful relaxing day and if you have to work then give your boss an extra large smile cos bosses are people too (well most of them, I've known a few where that statement could be highly suspect!!!!!). Happy stitching!!!!!