l just got back from the windy city ......

Hello folks .... l know it's been a while since l posted any news but the truth is l have been lacking in disaplin, in fact l've been a wicked lazy girl .... now that feels better ... they say confession is good for the soul and l feel forgiven !!!!

Today l would like to share my news of a recent wonderful trip we took to London. 

We had a great romp visiting museums, buildings, shops, and anything that took our fancy. The sun shone brightly in a very blue sky which made everything sparkle.

Sometimes we just sat and watched the people go by in their over energetic sprint .... the energy there seems faster, and for us was part of the excitment. If you ever have the chance to visit our lovely capitol city l urge you to visit Greenwich south of London... lt's dripping in history and charm, every corner you turn delights you more, and if you're an old romantic like me you'll be swept away by it. We visited the Royal observatory, which is on the top of a very high hill, it goes back to 1657 and is the birthplace of the meridian of Greenwich Longitude 0 degrees .... l'm not a science buff but l really enjoyed it and half expected Mr Darcy to ride by and swoop me up in his arms .... Oooohhhh.  And just check out the view from the top of the hill !!!!

Porch Monkey

l am thinking of changing the name of this blog to 'Porch Monkey' ... and why is that you may ask?
Well, a short time ago l discovered the untapped delights of sitting on the homestead porch with a block of cheese, some unsalted crackers and a large jug of grape juice. Just sitting and observing the world from the porch ... watching people saunter by and then discussing who they are and where they might be going. If you're a true porch monkey you might start the debate with wwhhoooo was that and wwhheerrr are they going, you might move your arms to gestate your excitement at seeing them, also known as waving. You must never have your feet on the ground, but leave them resting on a chair, also shoes are forbidden. Some porch monkey's have been known to stay on the porch all evening, or until the grape juice has all gone. It's important for these gentle creatures to share what they have seen with other monkey's and after leaving the porch will use a telephone to communicate their new discoveries.... ! So, when l became a porch monkey, one evening last month, l got to thinking about this little blog and how l use it as my porch, just observing what l see and then sharing with other monkey's .... hence the desire to change the name !!
And so after my short hiatus away from blogging l return with a new ambition, to continue to watch and share with you my dear monkey's .... please follow me.
l would like to dedicate this post to my favourite porch monkey Margie, thank you . x

Happy Birthday to you !!!!

Dear Mr Fox ... !!!!

Accessories....can you have too many ???

A Ring ... A Ring of Roses !!!

Coming to a sky near you .....

Just waiting .....

I used to walk everyday through this door to work, and now my little one is standing in the same doorway.

Catching the light

Inspirational .....




l love looking at clouds, watching them change shape before my eyes. lt's just gas moving around , but l think they are magical creatures hiding in the sky, and only a few can see them.

 

Sometimes we forget about the magic around us .....

The magic in our day to day lives ...

The little things that feed our imagination, and inspire us to create ....

lt may only last a moment, and then it's gone ... like clouds in the sky.

Favourite things !!



Oh dear... me and mini me have both been suffering with nasty colds all week, so to try and cheer ourselves up we've been thinking of our favourite things .... like whiskers on kittens ..... so here are a few !!!



A cloud with a silver lining....

A beautiful baby deer , ahhh



A moment of freedom ....



Just joy .... !!!

The beauty all around us ..... just remembering all these lovely things in our lives helps make us feel better.

Cooking up a storm in a cheesecup !!!!

I discovered this lovely little take on a fried cheese sandwich from an English cook called Nigella Lawson. She's a busy working mum with an unfussy approach to cooking, l like the easy informal way she has of sharing her ideas. As you may know it's always a challenge to get your little one's interested in new foods, but including them in the making of their meals can give them a sense of pride and an eagerness to try new things. This is a very simple little snack, a kind of inside out pizza. lt is a fried meal but now and again l don't think it hurts !!!!

You will need :

White bread (Ahhh !! l hear you scream, but it's nice and squidgy and sticks together well )
2 cups of milk
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 egg (beaten)
Mozzarella cheese
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

So, firstly take two slices of bread and cut the crusts off. Slice the cheese thinly and place on the bread.

Now for the fun bit, ask your little helper to put the cheese on the bread and make a sandwich using the second slice. Now squash together, sealing the edges so it looks like a little white parcel

Take 3 small bowels, one each for flour, milk and egg. First place your parcel in the milk, but don't get it too wet !



Than pop it into the flour and give it a good dusting, finally dip it into the egg until it's all coated.



Should look something like this ... so far so good !!!

Lightly oil a frying pan, just enough so the sandwich wont stick when cooking, so , place your yummy treat in the pan and cook on a medium heat until it turns golden brown and crispy. You'll need to flip it a few times, but you know that already !. When you're happy give it a quick press to see if the melted cheese oozes out, when it does you are there !!

Once it's cooked place it on a kitchen towel to drain away any excess oil and leave to cool. You can add a few chilli flakes when cooking, or salt and pepper and even a shot of tomato ketchup to taste. Mozzarella cheese can be a little bland so you might want to add something to give it some zap !!

A very tasty treat after a long day at school, and a very happy little girl.
Thanks Nigella, and thanks for watching !!!

Secret life of a shoe hoarder ....

I recently read an article about women who buy lovely shoes and end up not ever wearing them. These works of art end up in a box at the back of a closet, collecting dust !!

"That's outrageous" l thought.

why would anyone buy lovely shoes and not wear them??

And then l realized

I have my own collection of lovely unworn shoes .... boxed and hidden away. These gems l fell in love with, spent money on , held in my hand and fantasized about being glamorous and successful, these beauties who were going to change my life, were .....um  stored in a box with a label on, and neatly placed at the back of a cupboard.

Mainly because, well it was raining, or l was in a hurry, but my feet hurt or l don't want to draw attention to myself, and well they don't go with this outfit blah blah blah .......

There are so many reasons not to wear these shoes, these lovely shoes , but l promise to when the time is right !!!!

P.S .... These are the shoes l usually wear !!!