SATURDAY BAKING

Lovely light, fluffy egg sponge sandwiched with blackcurrant jam and

rich velvety double cream..........

EGG SPONGE with BLACKCURRANT JAM and DOUBLE CREAM

Ok.....this is not baking but..... top hats at their best!

PARTY TOP HATS

ANNUAL BARBECUE

Annual bbq at Thomas and Norma's - always a good night enjoyed by all.

I go with the intention of not staying too late as I haven't been feeling so great -

but we're not home til about 10.30

- and had a really good evening.

Great food and company! I made one of my favourite salads to take along ......

PEPPER, FETA AND ORZO SALAD love it in the summer months!

PEPPER, ORZO and FETA SALAD

 

Ingredients: 1 red onion, peeled, halved and finely sliced
2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces orzo pasta
3 roasted red peppers (from a jar, sliced)
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1 small bunch mint leaf, chopped
salt and pepper

Directions: Put the onion in a bowl, season really well and toss with the vinegar and olive oil. Leave to marinate and soften while the pasta is cooking. Cook the orzo in salted boiling water until just
tender, then drain and rinse under cold water and drain really well again. Toss with the onion mixture and gently mix through the rest of the ingredients.

MANGO and WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

I also took along a MANGO and WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE.  First time I have made this and have to admit it didn't look very impressive.....the set wasn't very impressive either but it was rather tasty.  May be one that I never make again though....

Ingredients for 10

• 150 g oaty biscuit crumbs
• 40 g butter, melted
• 425 g can mango slices in light syrup
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
• 300 g white chocolate, broken into pieces
• 280 g Philadelphia Original
• 150 ml double cream, lightly whipped



Instructions

 

Stir the biscuit crumbs into the melted butter until coated and press into the base of a 19-20 cm loose bottomed cake tin or spring form tin.

 

Drain the mango slices from their syrup and puree the fruit in a liquidiser or food processor with the lime zest and juice.

 

Melt the chocolate by placing it in a basin over gently simmering hot water.

 

Whisk the Philly until soft then whisk in the cream and chocolate. Fold about half the mango puree into the Philly cream and spoon over the prepared base.

 

Immediately swirl the remaining mango puree on to the surface of the cheesecake to give an attractive pattern.

 

Chill for at least three hours before serving to allow the cheesecake to set.

BEN COMES TO STAY

JUST BONDING

We've had Debbie's Shih Tzu Ben here to stay with us for a week.....what a pet!

He's always been ready with a growl for me at ANY time - but not so this week....Ben knows not to bite the hand that feeds him :)   He has been a darling and is such a character.  We just love how he brings a toy to you when you come home....and he even tidies his own toys away!

We've had a great week with him while Debbie has been in Rome - and we will miss him when he goes home......didn't think we would feel that way!

  

......even better bonding!

Just going to help Auntie Linda with the gardening

                               

Uncle Jon and I keeping up with current affairs

Off walkies

Our bedtime selfie

 

NEIGHBOURHOOD DAY

Our church has in the past really not reached out to people - we've sort of sat back and expected them to come into our meetings ... and that has not happened.....as the saying goes we have been 'preaching to the converted'. Yesterday however was different and will hopefully be the start of a new move in reaching the local people - meeting them where they are. Instead of our annual Sunday School trip for the children it was decided to hold a 'neighbourhood day' in the field beside the church/hall and invite the nrighbourhood - adults and children. It was a huge success - local people came and willingly took part in all that was happening - games for the children and adults, t-shirt painting, crafts for the ladies, barbecue and tea/coffee and ice creams for all - and a puppet / theatre show with clear gospel messages. A great day, enjoyed by all - and I'm sure the outsiders could see that the folks who meet in that little hall week after week are quite normal after all. It was a day when, instead of expecting the community to come to us, we reached out to them, we became a part of the community and I trust the Lord will bless us and continue to speak to hearts long after this day.

THANK YOU ALL BUNCHES!!!

I cannot believe my rambling of a diary / blog is featured on Living Whole!!

The past weeks I have written as a means of personal therapy, just pouring my heart out to my blog and weeping buckets over my keyboard - it got to the stage where I had to say I would write no more and read no more of my darling Jessie - it was just too much for me to go through. I miss her dreadfully but am so very thankful that we had her in our lives for 15 years, and it means a lot that you all cared to read this and comment.

I have missed being around LW in recent months - you may have read that we moved house and that was a MAJOR move! The incompetence of our national telephone provider company has left us without a landline and broadband connection since 1st of July and we still have no indication when they will fulfil our order! Having said all of that - my evening time is now much more limited but I do hope to be around again and re-connect with my dear friends at LW.

So.....I love you all dearly......and I do think of you all often ..... thank you for caring and keeping in touch.

LIFE CHANGES

This summer has seen us come through some incredible and totally unexpected life changes. We truly believe that God Himself has been in the midst of all of these changes, planning and weaving in ways that we could never have imagined possible - He truly is an amazing God.

Jonathan continues to maintain gardens and has treasured a dear customer for the past 2 years - a remarkable 91 year old widow and, although he cuts her grass she continues to tend her flowers and plants. For some time now Val's family have felt that she should not be on her own although suggesting some form of 'sheltered housing' would be totally out of the question! In May, in passing conversation with visiting family members, it was suggested that Jonathan and I would perhaps live with Val, be company and security in the house for her and provide a daily meal.

Since our house was already on the market for sale we felt we had already 'detached' ourselves from it so leaving our beautiful and much-loved home did not pose a problem. We prayed about this offer, felt truly led of the Lord to accept and believed we could see His hand clearly guiding us into this unbelievable phase of our lives. As we met with the family and discussed it further it was quite clear they were keen to have us accept and we were presented with an offer which we just could not refuse - we had asked the Lord to show us clearly His way and we believe He did. It was agreed that we would take us residence with Val on 1st July and Jonathan and I moved in, with Jessie and Jojo of course!

Our house, which was a beautiful 100 year old, 3 storey townhouse did not have a back garden, just an enclosed courtyard which we had beautified with patio furniture, candles, plant baskets and tubs. It was a delight to sit in the summer evenings and listen to the traffic go past but I did miss having a garden. Some months ago, when considering the sale of our house, I asked the Lord to give me a new home with a back garden. Oh how the Lord surprises and indeed surpasses even our greatest expectations!! As I write this I am looking out over my new back garden .....acres of garden rolling down to the River Bann, woodland on either side!

I love trees - I now have trees as far as the eye can see! GOD IS GOOD!

THE VIEW WHERE GOD HAS PLACE US FOR NOW

 

Yes, I know it's not my own home - I know this position brings responsibility and committment of time and energy BUT I know without doubt that God is in all of this. He has His plans - His purposes for bringing us here and we look to Him to bring it to pass. We have the privilege of giving Him thanks as we eat our evening meal with Val -acknowledging before her that all things come from Him. She listens, says a loud 'Amen' and we pray that He will speak to her heart even through this simple act.

Our God truly CAN and DOES do exceeding abundandantly above all that we can ask or even think ........ nothing is too hard for our God......... to this end we pray that He will save Val's precious soul, that in these end years of her life she would come to know Him, the Master of this glorious creation that she so appreciates and enjoys.

HONOUR THE LORD

Awoken again in the night hours.....

I've been concerned for what a friend is going through in her Christian walk... things are such that I think she is realising that belonging to the Lord does NOT mean that life suddenly just falls into place. Things don't JUST start going right in all areas of our lives....and yes... I do feel for her. I have been there and I know I will be again - that is life. That is also Christian life - God promised us eternal life - He never promised us immunity from the trials of THIS life, here and now. Yes, eternal life awaits but we have this life to get through first - if this is our preparation for life with our Lord in eternity we have MASSIVE responsibilities.

I pray for her and then I text her as I feel the need to share with her from 1 Samuel 2 v 30.... 'him that honours me, I will honour'.

God WILL honour us but note that the condition in the promise is placed first on us. God requires first place in our lives. We KNOW God keeps His word so, if we make a promise to Him or a condition we can be assured He WILL hold us to it. Why shouldn't He...why should He expect any less of us than He is prepared to offer us?

Yes, I know she has prayed and 'bargained' with her Lord... He requires full cooperation in return. He is a faithful God - we must be faithful servants worthy of our Master.

I trust and pray to God that she accepts my counsel as from the Lord and in the spirit of prayer and I thank you Lord for Your word, even to my own heart in this.

BIBLE STUDY

I am amazed at how the Lord opens doors. I continue to rejoice in His move in the heart of someone who would have been just an aquaintance....He has given me a burden for her and a real desire to reach out to her, as I see her seeking Him and desiring to have Him in her life.

What responsibility is mine! I ask that the Lord will equip me for the task which I believe He is calling me to. I admire her openness and willingness to share her heart with me and pray that the Lord would keep me close to Him - that this study we plan will be HIS work - nothing of me.

Guide us Lord as we make decisions on what to study and thank you for bringing her THIS far..... but take us ALL THE WAY.

HAPPY WEDDING DAY - 30 JUNE 2009

Without a doubt the happiest of days ever. My little sister is now Mrs Smyth (with a 'y'). We have just returned from the most fabulous day....Belfast Castle, the perfect setting on a perfect sunshine day. Everything just planned to perfection....harpist, soloist, jazz band, beautiful food and cake, family, friends, love and happiness in abundance.

Every day should be like THIS day.

Congratulations Barbara and Harry .... I really hope EVERY day of married life will see you as happy and content with life as you both are today.

ARCHIVES....

Whooppee........I now have archives! Seems sad I know that this would excite me but I really thought blogging would be a one-day wonder for me. It's now a whole month since I started my blog and I must say I have enjoyed the therapy of just committing thought and pictures to print.
I still have only one follower but she is special !... thank you Kimberly....I love you :)
It's been an incredible couple of weeks too since I linked up with Living Whole - you ladies are an inspiration and I look forward to getting to know more of you.

I have a friend who once described the internet and all the evil therein as 'www...world wide wickedness' - thankyou Lord for steering me to the little corner whose vision is 'world wide wholeness'.

Linda the Dahlia

A dear friend bought me this little dahlia at the weekend...

such a fitting gift...

not because it's beautiful, fresh, bright, fragrant and sunny...but because it's name is.....

LINDA :)