the Rock Wall

I awoke this morning to rocks crashing and noisy machinery in my backyard... I have been on a mission since Boxing day last year to fix a faulty rockwall on the back of my home leading into the canal..It had collapsed forward and was very dangerous. As usual, dealing with high profile companies and the council it has taken 11 months to get done. ( and only after many , many letters and a TV appearance by me ) Now . of course, I am stressing ,because the young men helping  have NO RESPECT for my lovely garden and have completely.damaged my beautiful plants.. Oh well, as they say ,you have to make a mess first to make something beautiful ...eg., renovations.. I am sure you will agree. Unfortuneately I am of the type that lies awake all night thinking about  how I am going to fix it....... My grandson is probably the most excited,  he was very impressed by the "large digger" in the water and was trying to convince me to let him climb aboard.... What seems a nuisance to us  can be completely changed around in the eyes of a child..... We should not forget that.    Hopefully by Xmas all will be finished and my lovely garden will recover , I am sure.... Speaking of Xmas I think I will have to invite my 2 beautiful grandchildren over to decorate my tree with me..... It is almost that time and even though after they have gone, I redo all the trimmings., how could I not share that excitment with them... Miss Moo is such a fusser and everything has to be 'just right"... I wonder where she gets that from.?.Spunky Monkey is more excited about getting the lights flashing.... must be a boy thing.  I shall look forward to this shared time together and I will have to start thinking Xmas food and drinks with friends..... Another year has passed and in a blink we almost miss it..... I hope everyone takes time to be thankful for our healthy children and lovely family and friends , and make sure you say ;'I love you"  at least once every day to someone close to you.... we can get so caught up in our own little problems that sometimes we forget 3 little words can 'make someones day" when it comes from the heart. .

SPANISH NIGHTS.

Tuesday night was the eve of my Spanish Dinner Party. and what a fabulous night it was. 19 of my friends and family .lots of wine , music and "the food" . 5 - 6 hours of cooking  to some people seems a chore, but to me, this gives me pleasure and it is all worth while when I see  everyone enjoying the fruits of my labour. This was a new experience for me as I haven't cooked spanish before ,and I now have a few new favourite recipes that will be very handy with Xmas coming up...... Roasted marinated peppers. Chorizo in apple cider ( a real winner) and absolutely yummy with sour dough bread for dipping.Everyone was relaxing catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. What a wonderful night with people who are special to my heart and one that leaves memories for all of us to share. "Buenas Noches"

Mother nature

I came home tonight from work to find an echidna.in my backyard. Unfortunately for him ,my dog saw him ,and started barking, which caused him to immediately start burrowing into the soil.... By the time I managed to get a shovel and bucket to try to catch him and let him go outside my yard he was all but submerged into the garden... No amount of proding and digging could get him out... In fact he just kept digging deeper...My worry is that he stays there ( instead of coming out and leaving the yard) I will be anxious about leaving my dog go out there tomorrow in case he gets quilled. What to do.????? This is all a bit of excitment for me as I don;t think I have seeen an echidna so close up for about 40 years, when I was a small child living on the farm.... I shall go to bed with doors locked  ( to keep my dog in ) and hope he goes on his way during the night when he realises the threat is over....

Family

Today I spent and a lovely day and a delightful lunch with family... My niece (who has 5 children) was visiting with 3 of her little angels, and my sister (her Mum) was also there and my daughter and grand-daughter . We chatted and ate, and chatted and drank coffee ,and gossiped ,and  passed on words of advise.. 3 generations of girls at the table ( 8 in total) and all of us strong women and children , and ALL with something to be said and heard.. Most men would have run a mile. to see us all enjoying the cool breeze and beautiful sunshine and passing the time with people we love. That many women and so much noise in one place could be a bit daunting.... The kitchen was wrapped in memories and love, as my niece was making cheese on the stove  and opened a small wooden box sittting on the bench,this box was a gift from her to my daughter, and contained a hand written recipe of my Mum's for a favourite dip of hers.. This "Mock Chicken dip" was always on the table at Xmas and family dinners, I think ,as she opened that recipe out, we all took a moment to think of "Nana" who gave so much love to us all unselfishly. Days like today are what memories are made of , and I think we all realised how lucky we are to have such a family bond. . May our children and grandchildren always keep these family values, this is the best gift we can give our children." WE  ARE NEVER ALONE" Thank you to my daughter for inviting me for lunch and  allowing me to be part of today.

beach days...........

Woke up this morning to a magical sunny day.... Too good not to go for a walk on the beach.....We have had high tides and heavy rain so there were  large pieces of driftwood everywhere.. One particular piece was a large tree stump., all twisted and had obviously been floating at sea for a while ... There were  little barnacles attached to the roots  and the stump was washed smooth by the tide.. Even though the beach was very popular with people walking the dogs, the driftwood gave the beach a almost desolate appearance. Like a place you stumble across as you explore hidden beaches on an island. somewhere remote.... The child in us all. comes out (I think) when  we let nature in and enjoy our beautiful surroundings.  My little dog was in his element running across the sand and dashing into the edge of the water playing. The walk over and time to go back to reality and the jobs left undone at home. Today is a 'work day' but having spent the morning enjoying our little bit of paradise the rest of the day is a breeze. .  I hope everyone has had a chance today to take time out for themselves and let the world rush by without you ,just for a little while.. and.be at peace within.......................

rainy days

Vietnam

Today it is raining and I am lost . Instead of doing the ironing which awaits me in the laundry I sit dreaming of my trip and searching the internet for images of the places I will see.. I have Italian music playing in the background (from the movie "The Big Night") and a Chicken Chasseur cooking on the stovetop. The day doesn.t seem quite as dreary now with the fragrance of yummy comfort food and Italian opera playing on the stereo.  What a shame reality steps in and I have to go to work later in the day. I sit and wonder what is it that makes some of us want to explore the world and others who are happy to stay close to home.   I am the 1st to admit I get anxious being away from home too long... I am definitely not a gypsy, I know I need to be grounded with my home and family close by...but.... Oh, to travel to new countries, with histories so old and the fabulous food and  the people. I find the most rewarding experience I get from travelling is to come home with a renewed appreciation of all that I have.  After Vietnam in March this year and Morocco last March and to see the children living in camps set up by the town dump and playing with sticks in the dirt- no barbie dolls and tonka trucks ..or computers for them... We are truly the lucky country and our precious children so spoilt. and I try to check myself when I worry about silly meaningless things and say "Thanks " for all  that I have..... Today I leave you with some of my memories of these trips...

Vietnam

 

Morocco

Morocco

Morocco