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Drumstick Primrose, in yellow.

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Ocean Beach, Tas, Aus ...

The longest stretch of beach in Tasmania, and the most beautiful I have ever encountered.



There's no land mass between here and South America!



Life's a beach, but someone has to do it!



From this photo it's difficult to conceive the wingspan on this bird. The remains of a White-bellied Sea Eagle?



In season Muttonbirds fly in, to their burrows in the dunes.



A small bird blends in rather well in the sand.



You can get to Ocean Beach by un-sealed road. No trouble in a 4x4, we made it in a two-wheel drive erring on the side of caution!

If there really is a place one can call Paradise, this is it.

Click on link for more Watery Wednesday

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anyone for a cup of PG ...

More often than not I 'oom and aah' over making a purchase, but when I saw this set of miniature tins in TK Maxx for the bargain price of £3.49, I didn't hesitate.

Tiny containers of loose-leaf tea showing three Icons of England, a London bus, a postbox and a telephone box.

I most probably won't use the contents, as in our house it's teabags!



Back in the 1960s before Brooke Bond introduced bags, loose-leaf tea was all you could buy.

Mum was always into the latest trends and had one of those plastic wall-mounted tea dispensers, which gave a measure of tea for the pot.



Like many families growing up in the 1960s/70s, money was invariably in short supply. A few pennies could have been saved by buying a cheaper brand of tea, but Mum always bought PG Tips so we could have fun in collecting the cards. The suspense of finding which card was tucked down the side of the packet, and the disappointment when discovering you already had it!

I can't ever remember completing a set?

The Tipps!

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A family of chimps who were made to dress up and drink tea. This long-running campaign of ads are some of the most popular of all time. If you click here it's guaranteed to put a smile on your face. A certain removal man, in the name of Mr Shifter!

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today was ...

We started off the day by going into Worthing for a quick cappuchino in Neros, before going up to the crematorium with blue Grape Hyacinths for Mum's plot.

Set in the most beautiful grounds with birdsong abound, it really is the most lovely place to be at this time of year, and a good opportunity to take a short walk through leafy woodland paths and shady glades of Spring bulbs.

I had the camera on me, to take photos.



Steely blue stonework, sadly crumbling.



Bright blue sky, just as it was the year before.



Fluffy heads of Pussy Willow.



Little ladies, white and green, are you glad to cheer us? Hunger not for where you've been, stay still Spring be near us - taken from a poem Snowdrops by L Alma Tadema.



Aconite, the first of all, who is so very, very small, who is so golden-haired and good, and wears a bib, as babies should - taken from a poem The Aconite by A M Graham.



A half open gate in sun and shade.



Pretty pink Hellebore nodding in the sunlight.



Sun casting shadows. An elderly gent sits deep in contemplation on a bench nearby.

ooooooooooooooooooooo~~~

We then drove over to see J's Mum, with of course blue grape hyacinths for her too.

The rest of the morning was spent catching up with news, drinking yet more coffee, eating cake and munching our way through a pack of walnut whips!

Today was ... a happy Mother's Day.

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pasta and sardine salad ...

Take four ingredients, a tin of sardines in oil, cooked Gigli pasta (40z dry weight), thin slivers of onion, and black pepper. Photograph at a jaunty angle.




Photograph, two Le Creuset (as new) large ramekin dishes found yesterday in a local Scope charity shop, 50p each!



Photograph, rather nice sunny yellow packaging. These sardines were on special offer last week in Waitrose, at 99p.



Eat, delicious sardine and pasta salad for supper, all to yourself!

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heart love ...

A person's world is only as big as their heart.

This year J is taking part in The South Downs Way Randonnee Challenge, a bike ride, which sets off from Winchester.

It's split into three stages, 100, 65 and 35 miles. J will be joining it at the last stage, which leaves from Devil's Dyke, finishing at Eastbourne.

This event is held in support of the British Heart Foundation.

If you would like to sponsor J, just click on the widget on the sidebar. It's that easy!

We'd be so appreciative of any donations received, the minimum is £2.

Thank you very much for your support.

Louise x

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b is for ...




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Bondi New Years Eve!

These photos were taken at Coogee Beach. It was fun to guess.
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I wonder whether a sky-writing pilot has ever got his letters muddled up?

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coconut cake ...

My coconut cake came out of the oven impersonating a crusty loaf!

After throwing in and mixing all the ingredients together, the raw mix did appear all glutenous and gloopy, and to be honest after scraping out the bowl, didn't taste particularly nice either.

I did wonder how this cake was going to turn out?

I'm always looking for trouble, and trouble usually finds me. But not in this case, as you can see underneath this hard exterior, is a firm, moist, springy interior waiting to be sampled.



Nice!

I must confess, the dessicated coconut I used was a bit old. Buying it to make Lamingtons some time ago, I found the half full, half empty packet at the back of cupboard. Like you do.

As I love food, hate waste, I was reluctant in throwing it, and knowing I couldn't put it out for the birdies (it makes their tummies swell), I thought no harm in trying it, and surprisingly so, after all these months, it tasted fine.

I'll just take another bite, to be doubly sure!

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the importance of being a Mum, a Dad, and a friend, love and happiness ...

The sun is pouring through the window and it's March 4th, the date my Mum and Dad got married, back in 1961.

How time flies. Today they would have been celebrating 49 years of marriage. That's if they hadn't got divorced, and Mum hadn't left us for which I hope is a place where the sun shines bright.

When a marriage breaks down it ends, when someone dies, time somewhat heals, but grief and sorrow can show no sign of an end.



One mustn't rely on support, but it is gratefully accepted when it's received.

That's were blog friends come in.

Look at that cute bunny above!

Lisa from Periwinkle recently lost a very close friend.

She came up with the brilliant idea of making cute egg-cup cosy bunnies, with the consent of the pattern owner, with all proceeds going to his charity fund.

Aah look! After e-mailing Lisa with a special request for one with yellow stripes, she made a custom, custard cosy especially for me!

This bunny is sitting next to two items of my 'modern' yellow Cornishware. Ones which I cherish, ones which Mum gave to me after visits to what once was, the factory shop at Church Gresley in Derbyshire.

If you have yet to discover Lisa's skill with knitting needles take a look on her blog, or better still take a look in her shop on Etsy.

To have this bunny in my home makes me very happy!



As, I am sure regular and long-term readers of my blog know, my Mum died, on a sunny day very much like today, of secondary Breast cancer.

She was happy when in remission, but became very depressed and dispondent when she lost the use of her dominant arm, when cancer cruelly spread to her bones. Never being one for giving up, she gave up.

The subject of cancer is one very close to my heart.

That's where blog friends come in.



Back in October, a good blog friend of mine over at Life in Red Shoes, who leaves 'witty' comments over on my garden blog, was holding a Pink giveaway to highlight the fact it was Breast Cancer Awareness month.

She asked for comments from those touched by breast cancer. After reading her very emotional and touching account of losing a best friend, I left a comment. This is the link if you would like to read it, but do have a handful of tissues at the ready.

Look, yours truly only went and won!

Not only did I receive the giveway of a set of emaculately hand-made dishclothes and a set of potholders (another cleverclogs knitter), enclosed was a lovely card, and little bags of seeds collected from flowers from her garden, for my garden.



Love is a difficult word to define.

The word love, of which I confess to using in blog world in a rather indiscriminate manner, can mean many things.

This is the card I sent J as his Valentine. Now, I love him to bits!

I thought you might think it sweet, and as a gesture of blog friendship, and love in a different shape and form, I send it to you.

We haven't kept every card we've sent each other over the years (too much stuff lying around the place does my head in), and what is a lovely cuddly bear, who is is happily surrounded in pink love hearts, will inevitably end up head first in the blue bin!

But not blog friendships, I do hope!

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bashed neeps, and the Christmas in February giveaway winner ...

I haven't ever been sure whether a neep is a swede, or a turnip?

For this post, it's a swede/rutabaga (US) of which I love, bashed with a knob of butter and black pepper.

Why a photo of a swede?

It's because the smell and taste of swede always reminds me of childhood Christmas dinners at home. We'd always have mashed swede, along with a huge roast turkey with sausagemeat poked under the skin, and Paxo in the cavity, roast potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, and thick Bisto gravy.

Oh I wish it could be Christmas every day! Only ten of you thought so, and left a comment on my Christmas in February giveway post, for a chance of winning a copy of the Hamlyn 200 Christmas Recipes book.

I asked what you had for your Christmas dinner? All comments were fun to read, and considering it was February your memories hadn't been affected by the sherry!

Anyway all ten names were scribbled on a piece of paper, torn into shreds and put in a dish. The winning name pulled out was ...

Amanda and Tim!

Congratulations to you.

I think you are going to enjoy trying out recipes from this little book.

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breakfast and brunch ...

What do you have most days for your breakfast? You know you mustn't skip breakfast, don't you!

On most days I have full fat! Greek style natural yogurt with muesli. On an 'early start' work day I have it in bed watching BBC Breakfast, much to the dismay of the other half, who will get out of bed to make and eat his porridge!

My muesli of the moment is Dorset Cereals 'Simply Delicious Muesli'. A crunchy blend of chilean flame raisins, sunflower seeds, dates, roasted hazelnuts and brazil nuts with multi-grain flakes. It has taken the place of another favourite of mine, Sainsburys 'Fruit and Nut', which contains whole almonds.

My favourite discovery in Greek style natural yogurt is from the Essential Waitrose range. It is very thick and creamy, and is just the best.



On a 'late start' work day I might have Scrambled Eggs. I love it, but it has to be sloppy, usually on white toast but wholemeal will do, with lots of freshly ground black pepper on top! I'll eat this half way between breakfast and lunch, so you'd call it Brunch.



In Victorian times, they'd have enjoyed Kedgeree for breakfast! In this day and age, a meal more suited as a lunch or supper dish.

It's dead easy to make using only four ingredients, rice, smoked haddock, hard-boiled eggs, and a handful of peas. Maybe five if you include a generous grinding of black pepper.

Pop over to Simone's blog Linden Grove and you may, if you're quick on your toes, get a square of home-made Blueberry Buttermilk Cake for your breakfast today.

A breakfast doesn't have to be healthy one everyday!

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Captain Cook's Cottage, Vic, Aus ...

Built in 1755 by the parents of Captain James Cook, the cottage originally stood in the North Yorkshire village of Great Ayton.

In 1933 the owner of the cottage decided to sell it to the empire, and an Australian bid of £800 was accepted.




I thought to move house is stressful enough, but to actually move a house, well that's a completely different ball game!

The cottage was deconstructed brick by brick and packed into 253 cases and 40 barrels complete with an ivy cutting, for shipping onboard the Port Dunedin from Hull.



This lovely old photo shows Cooks Cottage where it once stood, circa 1920. The single storey extension was demolished before the sale.

The cottage now stands in the beautifully picturesque Fitzroy Gardens in the city of Melbourne, Australia.

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my music memories, 1970s ...

Which waveband was your family radio tuned to?

In our home it was Radio One on 247, playing all day, every day. Remember Junior Choice with Ed 'Stewpot' Stewart, Noel Edmonds on the Breakfast Show, David 'Kid' Jensen and Dave Lee Travis, the Hairy Cornflake! Mike Read, Peter Powell and Simon Bates' Our Tune?

Remember the portable cassette recorder, and recording the Top Forty on a Sunday afternoon, stop/starting at the beginning and end of every tune. Losing your favourite tape when it got all caught up and tangled around the spools!

Remember the music centre, in trendy plastic casing! When songs were cut on vinyl, singles played on forty five and albums on thirty three.



Remember the Disco 45 songbook, with all the latest lyrics? Look at the price, 5p! I bought every copy, from Issue No 1 until the time came when it was taken off the shelves. Then one day I lost my marbles and binned them, every single one of them!



I also remember buying the Words songbook at an increased price of 15p, well, inflation was a big thing in the 1970s! At the time when a David Bowie calendar shared my bedroom wall with The Police!



I really liked the magazine Smash Hits, my collection starting from Number 1 to whatever number it was when it dawned on me where would I find the space for another copy?

I'd love to get to hear any music memories from your childhood, or who you had plastered to your bedroom wall during your teenage years!

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