PUPPY PREP UNDER WAY

We head off on Sunday - I am not packed yet, although I do have clothes

and some 'things' organised but.....

have been preparing a little for Bella's arrival  :)

AWAITING BELLA'S ARRIVAL

 



SWISS ROLL BAKING

Inspired by Great British Bake Off and reminded

of my long ago knack at baking a pretty

decent swiss roll I thought I would rustle one up tonight

-a 'fat free treat' for the office on Friday

after a week of healthy eating by all.

.....and a fairly decent roll has been achieved!

 

 



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.

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.

STORM DAMAGE!

Everything was coming along really nicely in our vegetable garden until we were hit by the storms last Monday and the wind just ripped through the whole garden. I appear to have lost a couple of sprout plants, a couple of cauliflower and the leeks have taken a real battering. I'm taking no chances though and today I've planted a couple of extra sprouts and a fresh lot of leeks.

When I arrived home from work on Monday I could not believe the devastation - the avenue was actually blocked by THREE fallen trees - leaves, twigs and branches were everywhere. I had to get out of the car and clear the way to allow me to drive in - though I could only drive in a few yards - and I had to park the car and wait for Jonathan to arrive home with the chainsaw. Poor men!...they do get the heavy end of the work....he's been working every evening this week to clear the fallen trees and broken branches - and some of these branches are actually trees split in two! He does have everything sitting so tidy and neat now - it just looks like a different place from Monday!

I did take some storm pictures on my phone - hopefully I'll get them uploaded here soon.

VEGETABLE GARDENING

In past years - but not recent years - Val has kept a vegetable garden and, in her vast garden area it has become my favourite spot. Last winter I thought it would be lovely to try to work this area and grow some vegetables so, in February Jonathan rotavated it for me and, after some work we now have a selection of our own vegetables growing. Oh the satisfaction of seeing them thrive week by week!

I think we could have been rather too enthusiastic or ambitious in our selection which just kept growing and growing (pardon the pun), anyhow we have potatoes, peas, brussel sprouts, leeks, beetroot, parsley, cauliflower, red onions, carrots, lettuce, courgettes, raspberries and strawberries.....and I think that's the lot!

It's a real thrill to just pop into the vegetable garden every day, check things over and just watch it mature. I'm hopeful we will get a dinner or two out of it yet - we even have a red side on ONE strawberry right now...though we'll not get the ice cream out just yet!!

WEIGHT ISSUES

This weekend I woke up afresh to the fact that I have W E I G H T issues! Oh, just think - all those years I really honestly did think I was FAT ...... well, I now weigh 30 pounds heavier than I did then! How did it happen??!!

Just one pound at a time creeping on. In the past couple of years I've tried Weight Watchers where I lost nothing, then a half-hearted attempt at Slimming World where I lost nothing and still the weight creeps steadily on!

I've blamed several things for this steady and sustained weight gain - the first being fibromyalgia.....well I do blame it for everything else! I look back though to all the walking I did several years ago and I don't have the energy for it now so I'm really getting very little exercise.

Yesterday was a turning point...... we were going to Barbara's for Sunday dinner and mum's birthday so I decided we would walk there and back. I think it was a good brisk 20 minute walk and you know what - didn't do me any harm at all. I just hope my energy levels keep up as I'd really like to get into being a little fitter.

In the evening, after a sumptious dinner and the 20 minute walk back I did some exercises on my newly acquired gym ball.

All was fine until this morning - back, neck, knees, thighs......is there any part of me that's NOT stiff and sore. Anyhow, I am determined....no point moaning about the size and shape of me, doing nothing about it and then spending the summer miserable because nothing fits me or looks right on me.

I've also joined the work weigh-in today - maybe this will give me a little added incentive.

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.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

Am amazed that I have not posted here since end of July - what have I been up to?
So much going on and I suppose 'fighting fibro-in faith' has just taken a back seat. I have been spending more time and fellowshipping with the wonderful people at Living Whole - I find each of them to be such an encouragement and inspiration to me.

I had found it difficult to see how I could post at LW and here - I think I am seeing past that now and probably will begin posting here again.

We have just returned from a wonderful 2 week (almost) holiday in Slovenia, so I suppose I may start there, posting some pics of our memory-making along the way.....what a country it is!

CARD MAKING

Spent today at my first card-making class. I've never been inspired to make my own cards until I recently saw some based on water-colour principles. Today I attended a class solely for this and all 6 of us in the class came away with 5 cards each - work we were all proud of. I was of course the novice - the only one who had never made ANY type of card before! I don't think I will be making my Christmas cards but would like to make a few from time to time.

AS THE DEER

'As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for You o God'....Psalms 42 v 1Last Friday was the start of a week of personal mourning - grieving after the 'old me'...the energetic me who did her weeks grocery shopping before heading to start work at 8.30am. The old me who did errands on the way home from work, walked and groomed the dogs, cleaned the house, cooked a meal, did laundry, tended the garden, visited the sick....all in one day! The old me who was 'in control' and on top of, if not ahead of everything. I cannot accept she has gone. I don't know what I am supposed to think. I do keep looking for answers, therapies, cures, solutions. I have NEVER doubted God has plans and purposes and that He IS in control but I am impatient. I want to know and learn the lessons NOW Lord. Last Friday and all weekend was a spell of glorious weather....I did not even have enough energy to sit in the sun.....This Friday I feel alive and rejuvenated - I feel I belong to the world again.We had restaurant reservations for dinner - we cancelled them and had a Friday picnic. I was too weak and disinterested last week to even think about going anywhere and tonight I had energy - I wanted to be out in God's beautiful creation - enjoying the sunshine (though it was cool), the sea, rocks, trees, rabbits and deer.Various places we've travelled all over the years we've seen signs warning of deer crossing - we've looked out for them but NEVER seen them - tonight we saw SEVEN young deer, grazing, running, chasing and just enjoying life...freedom.Lord, I want to be like the deer....my soul panting after YOU...desiring only YOU....depending only on YOU.Is that what makes the difference? Has the Lord brought me so low this week to let me see my need for HIM. If I don't have Him I have nothing. I want to enjoy freedom in You Lord.Ha....I have just checked the meaning of seven - it just struck me there may be a significance in God showing me seven deer tonight.....'seven' from the Hebrew 'shevah' meaning 'to be full or satisfied, have enough of'.... my goal should be to be filled, my life filled with God alone.....Lord, I do not know what has made the difference in the PHYSICAL from one Friday to another.....but I do want to experience the difference in the SPIRITUAL when my life is filled with YOU alone. Father help me take my mind off the physical and focus on the spiritual - that which is eternal. YOU MAKE THE DIFFERENCE LORD.....make a difference in me. Amen.

FRIDAY PICNIC....

Tonight I felt more energetic and life seems a little more 'normal'. We had booked a restaurant for dinner at 6.30 pm but the evening was beautiful - glorious sunshine and much too nice to spend indoors. I cancelled our table at 5.45 pm .....we hastily put a picnic together and headed out to Murlough Bay....idyllic and tranquil. We even saw some young deer grazing, wild rabbits scuttling around, and just enjoyed the peace and quiet in the fresh outdoors....wonderful and so good to be alive. Life is good... God is good!

FRIDAY NIGHT

Have not posted for a whole week....and can't believe feeling I have missed blogging! Is this addictive or what :)
Friday night again and we were so looking forward to another picnic night. Weather fantastic- clear blue skies, brilliant sunshine and the weatherman says a whopping 20 deg! We were all geared for lovely Murlough Bay but I just didn't have the energy. Sat out front for a while but didn't seem to have enough energy to be in the sunshine so we went to the backyard - cannot believe this fibro has reduced me to opting to sit in the shade!....and there we enjoyed our picnic.
Wasn't the most scenic of places, especially since next door has sprung a water leak which is running off their roof and into our yard! Anyhow we had a dry shady spot and just enjoyed each others company - and the picnic and of course we had our two girls looking on and waiting for treats!, so I reckon at the end of the day we were all happy :)

Friday night...

We had the first of our Friday night picnic teas for this summer...

Jonathan had shopped today and when I surfaced from my after-work rest he had our picnic prepared and we were all set to go. Drove to Ballintoy Harbour and just enjoyed the peaceful tranquility, sound of the sea, early evening sunset and the picnic of course :)

Looking forward to many more picnic nights....my favourites!