Friday, June 09, 2017

Rambling on a Friday




I visited Butterfly World with my daughter and granddaughter last week. I caught Shadow, the blue macaw, trying to nap, his head resting on one branch, his body suspended, and his feet and tail resting on another branch. As he relaxed, I watched his feathers slowly fold together, dropping one at a time before his eyes closed. Every so often he would jerk, as one does in such an uncomfortable sleeping position. I wanted to go straighten him out and tuck him in properly.


He didn't seem to mind the discomfort and woke up looking quite perky. "Ah, that's better," he says, standing once again on his perch.



In my kitchen a modest (some call it more than modest) collection of cookbooks collected over the years sits on shelves. Lately, I've been perusing some of the older ones. I find it interesting the way food trends come and go. What drives food trends? I know that we eat differently than we used to. I make fewer casseroles and less starchy foods. This week I made lasagna for the first time in several years, and very delicious it was. 

We had company last weekend and I wanted something simple for dessert. In the 70s and 80s a group of Canadian Women published a series of cookbooks whose titles are based on the game of bridge. The Best of Bridge is the first one and others that followed included Grand Slam, That's Trump and other bridge-related names. I've used many recipes from these books over the years. 

For Saturday dinner I made a Sensational Lemon Roll - a sponge cake filled with a tart lemon and whipped cream filling. Our strawberry plants are loaded with berries and so I decorated the top with a few, along with some sprigs of mint. Our guests enjoyed it, and then we enjoyed the leftovers during the week. 



I wish you could see the roses in my garden. They began blooming in earnest. Winchester Cathedral, above, is fragrantly ruffled. See the white spider making herself at home there? I flicked away part of her dinner - a fly she'd caught and brought home. 

It tickles my fancy to think that some distant relative of this rose also blooms in the Queen's Rose Garden at Sudeley Castle near Winchcombe where we spent some time last summer. 


More of Winchester Cathedral getting ready to bloom. 


I've been reading the Rhys Bowen Royal Spyness mysteries. I've read most of them now, but out of order, and I hadn't read the first one. That's my current book. They are light and full of fun details about life in England during the 1930s.


I immortalized this unwelcome, but bright and valiant, buttercup with a photo before yanking it out. We have several neighbours who do not care for their gardens very well and as a result, buttercups are rampant. I dig them out when I see them, but this one bloomed up against the fence, so I'm giving it its time to shine.


With all the turmoil in the world, St. Paul's words keep coming to mind. These days, I'm thinking about delightful things like pretty pink poppies, fragrant roses, the scent of freshly cut grass, cool air rushing over my face through the wide open window at night, blue and white china, how my grandchildren make me laugh, and a host of other lovely things. 

How are you handling the doom and gloom of the world these days? What's delightful in your world?


19 comments:

  1. Lovely post - I must look out the books you mention about the 1930s. Doom and gloom well you know what made me smile from my latest post but like you I find tranquiltiy in Nature in gardens and flowers etc. We all need a bit of that here as we are reeling at the outcome of the election and the effect the results will have.

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  2. I'm sure that working in the garden dispels some of the doom and gloom. Pulling out weeds, of which there are suddenly far too many, gives such a feeling of achievement! Winchester Cathedral is beautiful. I had it in my French garden and left it there as it was so happy.

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  3. Just like Winchester Cathedral itself your rose is very beautiful.
    Love the first photo of the parrot falling asleep and what exquisite feathers he is adorned with.
    Things do seem to be doom and gloom in the world at the moment, but I reflect on how times must have been far worse in the not too distant past for literally thousands during the days of Hitler and his wicked regime.

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  4. We definitely must focus on the delightful things. Love your garden flowers. Oh and the Butterfly Garden, love mr. macaw. Now I must run to Amazon and look up the book you are reading too. Thanks for the recommendation.

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  5. Don't tell but buttercups are popping up all over in our yard. That sponge looks delicous. Right now I'm breathing in my peonies. I'm going to have to search and see if my library has any of the books you are reading. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  6. I love this post, Lorrie. From the roses to the pictures of parrots/flowers to that Lemon Roll cake. Now I am dying for something lemony! lol Hope you have a great weekend. xo Diana
    (I stay plastered to the news but don't discuss it)...lol...too dangerous!!

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  7. I've been weeding through my cookbooks and have a box for the thrift shop. Even the grandkids aren't interested - they just go online for a recipe! I have so many books but it's ridiculous trying to find a recipe with so many to choose from. I plan to just keep the ones I know I will always use. The lemony cake roll looks delicious - I love anything lemon flavored.
    Beautiful bird pix, and the roses are lovely as only roses can be.

    As for the doom and gloom situation in today's world - it makes me ill and I'm trying to cut back on watching/reading the news.
    Bob drives me crazy regarding politics and negative world happenings - I just don't want to know so much info.

    Happy weekend Lorrie.



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  8. Beautiful photographs. The rose is stunning. The napping blue macaw melts my heart. The cake! What a lovely cake.
    With all the rain we've been having, the sun helps the doom and gloom. The Strawberry Moon is visible for a while tonight. And the bees love the new patio umbrella. :)

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  9. Such a beautiful bird! This one is a bit large for me and I've had and raised many types. Thankfully I'm down to one, a Quaker parrot. Beautiful but temperamental!

    I weed out cookbook all the time. I'm determined to work through them. Pinning recipes makes it hard. Sigh. Maybe making a conscious effort of doing a few recipes here and there is the answer....

    Happy Weekend, Lorrie!

    Jane x

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  10. The doom and gloom continues so I focus on happier things, the joy my family bring me and the joy of my little cottage. Step by step making it into a home and enjoying the beauty of my surroundings. I too find it interesting how recipes have evolved over the years and how differently we know eat. Have a great weekend.

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  11. Such a beautiful bird
    I love them all so much
    Big hugs x

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  12. Your lovely post has done much to alleviate the doom and gloom for me today. Your roses and peonies are simply gorgeous. I really ought to make more of an effort to grow more roses but somehow the start of summer this year took me by surprise and I was unprepared. Having such an upheaval inside the house doesn't help either but at least one good thing will come of it, the SP has promised to cull his bookshelves and donate them to the charity shop.
    I'm hoping that tomorrow's General Election in France will give President Macron the support he needs to raise France out of the doom and gloom and then "it's going to be a bright, bright, bright sunshiny day!"

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  13. Leaning on The Lord is the best way to traverse trying times and happy times and any times. He told us there would be troubles and then suggested that we cheer up...more of a command really...because He has already overcome the world. Quite an interesting study in tenses that verse—John 16:33. Course one can't go wrong to visit right here and see all the beauty in your garden. Your roses are glorious. I'd get a thrill out of knowing that the same kind of roses are blooming in the Queen's garden, too. I have only knock-out roses and they are considerable less than a "knock-out." 😏 On another note, I am having a difficult time knowing what to do with my cookbooks. I seldom use them, but am attached all the same. What to do...what to do...

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  14. Lorie, So many good things here. Old cook books: my mother 1946 Joy of Cooking given to her for Mother's Day, the year that I was born. She left the card inside from her mother0in-law who taught her to cook. I often turn to it for a recipe, especially gingerbread that calls for bacon grease as the oil. I use canola. Winchester Cathedral blooms here, too. I lost one; in fact, I only have one David Austin left. They didn't do well in our cold, dry winter. Your's is lovely, so creamy white and perfect, spider and all.

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  15. It is good to take a break from all the heaviness in the world, your photos are gorgeous.

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  16. Brightness in words and colors in your post today. And speaking of food, in this area, it seems there is a dichotomy--between comfort food making a come back, and healthy food. And I laugh to see so much to do about bacon and donuts! Especially among young families!

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  17. I'm doing just what the verse said, and what you are doing - focusing on the lovely, beautiful, true things.

    I make very few casseroles these days, and very little carb laden foods! It is interesting how things change. I know I've lost weight and feel better so I will keep with that, regardless of trends!

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  18. So lovely to see your colourful blooms, they bring such joy.
    We have a lot of Roses growing quite near to us and they are just beautiful.

    Focus on good things ...

    All the best Jan

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  19. Such pretty flowers! I'll have to see if my local library carries the Royal Spyness series.

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