General Chat

it looks as if we may meet another level in the next few days, has anyone else noted what number of entries we have???

Sue, So two of us awake early this morning, do you live in the UK or elsewhere. Any particular reason you were awake?

Valerie, I have always understood that Shepherds Pie is made from minced lamp, and Cottage Pie is made with Minced Beef. I have taken heed of not overdoing anything, but was very proud of myself yesterday when I drove OH and myself into town for a couple of hours and back again in the early part of the evening, I had not driven in Spain for about 6 years so it really was a milestone for us both and it was my idea. I must admit it is a very short distance but a very steep hill.
the message about the lady in the church this morning was very uplifting and certainly reminds those of us who are comfortably off just how lucky we are to be is in such a position even if we have had to work hard to attain such a position.
We have been out to lunch in the English bar rather like a club really and had an excellent traditional English roast lunch of, roast pork, roast potatoes, cabbage, carrots & swede, roast onions, leeks and home made gravy, followed by home made individual treacle pudding and custard. Also had a glass of red wine. OH has brought me home as I suddenly needed to be back in my home. fortunately OH has already explained to our close friends the difficult time I have been through & still have to some degree to "get my act together" so he has now gone back to watch a football match with two of his friends and has promised he will be back as soon as the game finishes.

well that is all for now so please take care of yourselves

Bridget

I was very humbled this morning - a member of our church who is a domestic worker and a single parent who has had a lot of difficult times and was recently retrenched, losing not only her work but also her accommodation, knelt at the front of the church to pray to give thanks for all the kindness shown to her, for all the help she has received and for the friendship from the congregation. With the help of the church she has now found employment which includes accommodation. This made me realise once again just how much we, who are reasonably comfortably off , take for granted.

6.30 a.m. here, the sun is shining and already quite warm.
Off to church this morning and then have been invited to tea with friends, otherwise it will be a quiet day with nothing special on the agenda.

Shepherds Pie is what we call Cottage Pie I think, I made one this week for supper. I am not a great meat eater but do like mince and chicken breast which is the only part of the chicken I eat.

Look after yourself Bridget and don't over do things, good job your husband keeps an eye on you.



Val.

That's two of us awake, Spanish Eyes!

Sue x

3 o'clock in the morning and wide awake, that is the trouble with going to bed early at 10.30pm !! It is so quite I really could hear a pin drop.

no postings today

another triumph we have reached page 51 well done everyone.

i am downstairs now which is separate from upstais, hope that makes sense. it has a very large livung room, 1 showere room and a large doble bedroom. I keep saying that I am going to install one of those student kitchens which are sol in some places but I never actually yget around to it and I now have to consider the cost as well. We do have a large fridge-freezer down her as well and there is the kettle etc and I do sometimes bring the microwave down here if we have visitors, just in case thay want anything during the night.
Well my Spring ckcleaningis nearly finished, OH makes sure that I have regualrbreaks and something to eat and drink. I have prepared our meal for tonight I have made a shepherds Pie which we will have in about an hour or so.
Well have to go and checking that the washing is dry enough tobring in, I do not use the drier unless I have to,

Wel Mary, did you find any bargains??

Bridget

Maybe they were going to blitz the house before you arrived if you arrived early Bridget.

Val, I have never made lemon meringue as my OH doesn't like anything lemony unless it is in his G&T!!! But I always choose it given the opportunity if it is on the menu.

Mary. Did you find any bargains?

Bridget I have just been for a longish walk round the village astates, probably under two miles but more than I have been doing recently because of the weather. It was gloomy when I set out but the sun came out and it is a real spring day, very mild too. OH is playing golf so he will be happy. Now I shall make some cards or do a scrap book page. It is all decisions.

had a late breakfast today which OH prepared, Boiled egg and toast with a lovely mug of tea..very english but we really did enjoy it.
The grey skies have gone and the sun is shining and i would say it is warm not hot. the sun shining certainly lifts ones mood.
I am still wallowing in the joy of being home, of sitting next to OH watching a film or sports or anythiing which takes our fancie. We are lucky that the house is on two levels and in each we can make coffee and hhave a snake although the main meal is nearly always up stairs.
I am still re arranging the house so it is my home again...I am amazed that some people do not clean quite as i expected afterall they were here for nearly a year, and the couple who looked after the dogs, and did a good job were rather caught out when we arrived at 01.00hrs and not mid morning. the house was a disgrace. food everywhere, dust you could write in, washing everywhere, etc etc, At least jet and joe had been feed but their food holders were ,.......beyond description. Oh well at least we are all together again and hoouse work is supposed to be therapeutic.

I haven't picked the fruit yet it may be delayed until tomorrow

Going to finish one of the bathrooms now and then hang out the washing

I will be back latter

Oh Ann, Lemon Meringue does sound good, I must admit that is something which I have never made, not sure why.

My daughter has so many books, some from when she was a child, and she does not like to part with them, like her father when she is reading she is so absorbed in her book that the world can pass her by!! Me on the other hand, must be too quizzy, I don't get lost in my book and alwlays know what is going on around me.

I went to the movies yesterday afternoon, the second time in two months, saw a lovely true story about a race horse called Secretariat.

Good morning all
My grandma had a Singer sewing machine which my mom inherieted. When my sons were little I borrowed it and used to make them trousers and also made myself a few dresses and skirts. When my mother in law died she had a hand Singer sewing machine which is here with me in Spain . The spring had gone on the tension wheel some time ago and we found a shop in Gandia and bless the man he repaired it, gave me a packet of needles and charged us 50 euros - 25 euros parts and 25 euros labour - so the old lady is back up and running.
Bridget you could make lemon curd - my friend in France made some last weekend and said it was easy.
Friday is market day here in Oliva so shortly I will have a walk down the town and see if there are any bargains. But Oliva is the same as Peniscola Bridget - folks are feeling the pinch and this also shows on the market - some stalls are more like jumble sales and I cannot be bothered to delve in and see if there are any bargains.
Have a great weekend everyone
Take care
Love Mary xx

My Mother had an old hand driven singer which I believe is still in my daughter's loft. However one of the school machines was a treadle, I couldn't get on with it very well.

No fresh oranges and lemons here unfortunately. (I wish). However we do get fresh lemons and sometimes avocados in Tenerife.

Val, when I was little there was no free library but in town there was a small shop that was packed with books. For a fee, I think a penny, I would go in and get a book, I was in there at least twice a week. It was called the Beacon library, long gone of course but I loved books. My parents would buy me a book or two for Christmas and my Mother always complained because I read them too quickly. I also like to read Enid Blytons Sunny stories.

Orange and lemon marmalade would be lovely with your fruit Bridget. And lemon meringue pie (Mmm! can taste the tangy lemon now.)

The last of our visitors left this morning, things have been quite hectic.

I agree with your sentiments about Valentine's Day Ann, far too commercialised and after 53 years I appreciate someone thoughtful and helpful throughout the year.

I don't read nearly as much as I used to, I enjoy biographies, autobiographies, historical novels and stories which are based on fact.
My daughter is an avid reader, we started taking her to the Library when she was still very small and encouraged her to read. She cannot walk past a bookshop without going inside. I have found that to-day many parents do not encourage their children to read and I think that is such a pity.

Bridget, it certainly is very nice to be able to go out and pick fresh fruit. Our lemon tree died and the new one we planted hasn't borne any fruit yet. P We also have an orange tree and a grapefruit tree . I love fresh grapefruit and we make marmelade using all three fruits. I make lemon curd quite often , and lemon drinks are nice.

I had a Singer treadle sewing machine which belonged to my mother-in-law but I always started it in the wrong direction and then the cotton would snap.

My sister-in-law is doing well at home and my brother is managing fine with the exercise, occupation therapy and speech programmes . Thanks for asking Bridget.

Back to all the things which have to be done!!


Hope everyone enjoys their day.


V al.

Hop

Where is everyone? Please come back and send some messages.
I never did get to go downstairs yesterday but will do so today and will tell you what I have chosen.
The weather here today is much the same as previous days so I am hoping that the skies clear by late morning and we have the same lovely warm sunshine as we had yesterday,

I am going to pick some of the oranges today and then peel them and place them in a jar and cover them with Brandy, in about 4 or 5 months they will be delicious for those who like Brandy, which I do not, We also have a glut of Lemons this year so if anyone has any suggestions as to what I could make easily and fairly quickly please let me know. Maybe we could start a new topic from this message, so let us all know asap.

I store the rinds of citrus fruits and dry them then in the winter when we have the wood fire on i throw some onto the flames and the aroma is magical as it takes me back to my very early childhood when my grandmother Lived in a very old house in a place called Fingrinhoe in Essex and I used to stay with her quite a lot.. She also taught me how to use a treadle sewing machine, and how to do cross stitch.

i wonder if anyone else has similar memories.

Well bye for now everyone, hope to have some replies when i peek back latter today.

I bought it on Amazon but it would probably be available at a library too. She had written at least three good books. Another good one be her is The Frozen Lake, set in the North of England, another one about family intrigue.

AnninGllos
Thank you for your views on The Villa, did you buy it or was it from a library? I am going downstairs in a few minuets to find a book to read and i will report back which book I have chosen.

May take me a while as I have been out with OH and we shopped and then had a four course meal and I had two very large G&Ts!!

The Villa in Italy by Elizabeth Edmondson

This was a book I found hard to put down. Within the main story of the mystery as to why four people are summoned to the Villa Dante by the will of Beatrice Malaspina, there are several other stories.
I found the whole book very intriguing and I was trying to solve the problem myself before I reached the end of the book so was totally engrossed. Why were they all there, how did she know them, what clues were there to follow?
As well as the good story line there was plenty of historical interest in the book together with the descriptions of the villa, its gardens etc and the surrounding area. I loved it and look forward to reading more by this author who was new to me.
Incidentally, because I read it on holiday, my daughter also read it and she too enjoyed it.

Nearly eleven am here and the sky is pale gray and the sea is much the same. The trees and bushes are all very still and the silence is broken by the sound of a dog who lives further up the mountain. My two charmers are on the balcony with their noses pressed up to the metal work and i cannot see what they are looking at but something has caught their eyes.
I just heard some birds twittering so maybe the weather is improving...oh my goodness just as I was writing the word improving so the sun came through the clouds and back again so maybe we are in for a pleasant afternoon and my two have decided it is better to be indoors again!

I am going to research St Valentine today, just for fun and if there is anything worthwhile i will post it and if not I will try to find some interesting topic, in my opinion that perhaps we can discuss. If anyone else has some ideas please do post your thoughts, also wondering if anyone has read any good books recently and if so please share them with some sort of revue, I love reading revues and then reading the book to see if I agree. Also Please please post so subjects or ideas we can discuss as we used to. Hmmm, i am beginning to sound like a school teacher...no offence to teachers intended.


Have great day everyone
and I look forward to hearing from you all.

Bridget

Thank you Ann