Tuesday, 14 June 2016
Wednesday, 8 June 2016
Dad's Dictionary...
As you may have noticed I haven't been blogging for a looooong time,
but I will try from now on to post a little more often. I like blogging.
It's just finding the time. All my children but one have almost or
completely 'flown the nest' and I now find myself in a totally different
situation. Whereas before everybody had their jobs to do around the
house and garden, now guess who has to do it.
So, in keeping with tradition of a word for Wednesday, I am now going to introduce you all to another of me Dad's favourites:
So, in keeping with tradition of a word for Wednesday, I am now going to introduce you all to another of me Dad's favourites:
ARGY-BARGY
This expression remains all too clear for me even now, probably because I was almost always the one on the receiving end! Dad would give me something to do and would invariably add "now, I don't want no argy-bargy, you hear me?" If that particular something involved my brother or sister then my guess is that he felt he had even more reason for adding it!
Argy-bargy was a late nineteenth-century modification of a Scots phrase, which appeared early in the same century in the form argle-bargle. The second part of the two forms, in fact, is no more than a nonsense rhyming repetition of which the English language is full. The technical word for such doublets is reduplication. Think easy-peasy, hoity-toity, super-duper, etc.
So what does argy-bargy mean. In most webs I've looked at it means 'a lively discussion, argument, dispute, perhaps one which becomes bad tempered enough to produce a spat or minor quarrel'
Shall we call it a day?
This expression remains all too clear for me even now, probably because I was almost always the one on the receiving end! Dad would give me something to do and would invariably add "now, I don't want no argy-bargy, you hear me?" If that particular something involved my brother or sister then my guess is that he felt he had even more reason for adding it!
Argy-bargy was a late nineteenth-century modification of a Scots phrase, which appeared early in the same century in the form argle-bargle. The second part of the two forms, in fact, is no more than a nonsense rhyming repetition of which the English language is full. The technical word for such doublets is reduplication. Think easy-peasy, hoity-toity, super-duper, etc.
So what does argy-bargy mean. In most webs I've looked at it means 'a lively discussion, argument, dispute, perhaps one which becomes bad tempered enough to produce a spat or minor quarrel'
Shall we call it a day?
Monday, 6 June 2016
Tuesday, 23 February 2016
Monday, 22 February 2016
Saturday, 6 February 2016
Yums!
Been doing some baking...
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| Banana and peanut butter chocolate chip cookies |
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| Anzacs |
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| Rainy day biscuits* |
*Yes, we do have a legitimate excuse to make them as it rained a little during the night, for the first time in three months. The last time it rained was during the first week in November, last year!
Thursday, 4 February 2016
Tuesday, 26 January 2016
Blog birthday
Yes, folks, today is the day you have all been anxiously waiting for...
Happy 3rd birthday
to my blog!
To celebrate, as usual, here is a collection of pink/purple things which I have come across over the last year, since the last blog birthday. They are not in any special order.
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| Amazing artichoke flower |
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| Beautiful African violet |
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| Cables in Ikea |
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| A gift from D. and A. |
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| Field of flowers in Romania - photo sent in from D. and A. |
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| Files to help with office organization |
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| Iris in the garden |
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| Petunias in the middle of a roundabout in Tarragona |
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| Table mat - photo sent in from Auntie A. |
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| Waterside flowers |
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| Toryn, wearing the young lady's scarf |
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| Bathroom items |
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| Kitchen items |
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| Ornamental kale |
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| My lovely bedroom - complete with some teddies (and Caroline the hippopotamus) |
Thursday, 14 January 2016
Wednesday, 13 January 2016
2016
Happy New Year
to all of my fellow bloggers and page viewers
Please forgive me for the small delay in doing a New Year post. For the last four weeks my feet have hardly touched the floor! We've had all the family back home over the holiday period, plus a friend or two staying or just for a meal and we have all had a really lovely time.
We've had temperatures way above usual so we have been out, enjoying the beautiful weather and walking, walking, walking...
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| Coll d'Arca |
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| Juncosa - El Montmell |
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| Albiol and La Serra del Pou |
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| The village of Siurana |
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| Siurana reservoir |
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| Masarbonès |
Friday, 11 December 2015
Parrots in a palm tree
I thought I would quickly post a photo of these parrots. I took my mother-in-law to the beach for a walk this morning and there were dozens in this palm tree, thoroughly enjoying the dates. Many flew away as we approached, but there were still a few left.
See how many you can find ; )
As you can see, we are still enjoying beautiful, sunny, warm days. I wonder how many of you are under two feet of snow already...
See how many you can find ; )
As you can see, we are still enjoying beautiful, sunny, warm days. I wonder how many of you are under two feet of snow already...
Tuesday, 8 December 2015
Friday, 4 December 2015
Autumn poem
October's party
October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came-
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;
All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.
Then, in the rustic hollow,
At hide-and-seek they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.
Professor Wind played louder;
They flew along the ground;
And then the party ended
In jolly "hands around."
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;
All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.
Then, in the rustic hollow,
At hide-and-seek they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.
Professor Wind played louder;
They flew along the ground;
And then the party ended
In jolly "hands around."
George Cooper
(1840 - 1927)
Tuesday, 1 December 2015
A few thoughts...
A sinning man will leave off praying
A praying man will leave off sinning
Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
Colossians 4 : 2
And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.
1 John 5 : 14
[...] ask in faith, nothing wavering.
James 1 : 6
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5 : 16 (b)
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5 : 16 (b)
Saturday, 28 November 2015
Handy household tip
"Maaamaaaaaaa, the stud button has just come off my jeeeeeeans!" My fourth child would sing down the stairs at 7:10 in the morning.
"No problem, I have a spare one in my sewing box. I 'll just come upstairs and find it. You can replace it while I get the sandwiches ready for school."
Three hours and a different pair of jeans later...
With at least fifteen different pairs of jeans of all shapes, colours and sizes I couldn't possibly know from a glance what was what. Do you find yourself in the same predicament? Even if you do have time (lucky you), you still have to sort out which little bag of extra buttons/studs/sequins belongs to which jeans/jacket/dress shirt, etc. This can take up so much of your day that you start to wonder whether it's really worth all the hassle... would be quicker to go buy...just sew anything... nobody's going to look, bla bla bla...
So I have recently come up with a very obvious solution. As you take the bag off the newly purchased item, pop a little note in with the spare parts, mentioning the colour, item, size, brand or store from which the item was bought, add the name of the person to whom the item now belongs and keep it in a safe place.
The only comeback with this, of course, is that you now have to remember where that safe place is! I keep mine in my sewing box which is actually a big tool box. Something big and bulky enough not to lose easily!
You will notice that there is no name on two of the packets. That is because I am the only person likely to wear a black blouse or a dress cardigan in this establishment, especially if it's from Mango!
Have a great day : )
"No problem, I have a spare one in my sewing box. I 'll just come upstairs and find it. You can replace it while I get the sandwiches ready for school."
Three hours and a different pair of jeans later...
With at least fifteen different pairs of jeans of all shapes, colours and sizes I couldn't possibly know from a glance what was what. Do you find yourself in the same predicament? Even if you do have time (lucky you), you still have to sort out which little bag of extra buttons/studs/sequins belongs to which jeans/jacket/dress shirt, etc. This can take up so much of your day that you start to wonder whether it's really worth all the hassle... would be quicker to go buy...just sew anything... nobody's going to look, bla bla bla...
So I have recently come up with a very obvious solution. As you take the bag off the newly purchased item, pop a little note in with the spare parts, mentioning the colour, item, size, brand or store from which the item was bought, add the name of the person to whom the item now belongs and keep it in a safe place.
The only comeback with this, of course, is that you now have to remember where that safe place is! I keep mine in my sewing box which is actually a big tool box. Something big and bulky enough not to lose easily!
You will notice that there is no name on two of the packets. That is because I am the only person likely to wear a black blouse or a dress cardigan in this establishment, especially if it's from Mango!
Have a great day : )
Friday, 27 November 2015
Friday fun fact #10: Chestnuts and conkers
Just two names for the same thing? No, there's a difference. There is one huge difference. Simply speaking, one is edible and the other is not. Take a look at the photographs, both from Google images:
Indeed, they have only two things in common as far as I know - their colour and the fact that they are around at the same time of the year, namely late September through to the end of November, depending on the weather and where you live.
Now the reason for the confusion could be put down to the fact that conkers are also called horse chestnuts. This name probably derived from the fact that, although the fruit is poisonous to humans, due to saponins, it can be given to deer, cattle and horses. Apparently, it gives a horse a lovely shiny coat.
When I was a little girl in short, white socks we used to wait with impatience for conker time to come around. On my way home from school there were a good few conker trees and I managed every year to fill my school bag, day after day, with these lovely, shiny treasures.
What would I want them for, you may be asking. Well, it pleased me simply to admire their beautiful colour and handle them. I used to take a tissue or a clean hanky and 'puff and shine'. Most of all I liked to find the unopened ones and be the first to discover their simple beauty.
But above all, I picked them to have conker contests with the boys in the playground and sometimes even with my brother. I wasn't much of a 'girlie' girl to be honest and this was something I was good at.
To prepare a conker for the fight one had to string it - make a hole through the middle, thread a string and tie a strong knot. You then wound a good part of the other end round your fingers and you were ready for the battle. The opponent had to simply let his conker dangle at the end of the string and inwardly squirm at every hit!
The contest consisted of taking turns in bashing your opponents conker to smithereens. If you missed the opponents conker then it was his turn to bash yours and so on till one or t'other would completely break apart and fall from the string.
If your conker won two battles it was classed as a two-er, if five battles, then you had a five-er, etc.
How did you know if the conker was a good one. Well, before the hole was made one could tell by the weight. The heavier they were the more solid they would be inside. If in doubt, you put it in a bowl of water. If it floated it was no good. Next, if when you made the hole, the skewer went through too easily, then that one was also discarded. Obviously, the best conkers were the heavy, solid ones.
So far this article consisted of refreshing my girlhood memories. But now if you care to look here you will find more information about conkers. If you look here you will find out more about sweet chestnuts, sometimes called Spanish or Portuguese chestnuts (I didn't know that!). Although their names are similar, the two varieties of tree are only very distantly related.
Have a good Friday and a pleasant weekend.
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| Chestnuts |
 |
| Conkers |
Indeed, they have only two things in common as far as I know - their colour and the fact that they are around at the same time of the year, namely late September through to the end of November, depending on the weather and where you live.
Now the reason for the confusion could be put down to the fact that conkers are also called horse chestnuts. This name probably derived from the fact that, although the fruit is poisonous to humans, due to saponins, it can be given to deer, cattle and horses. Apparently, it gives a horse a lovely shiny coat.
When I was a little girl in short, white socks we used to wait with impatience for conker time to come around. On my way home from school there were a good few conker trees and I managed every year to fill my school bag, day after day, with these lovely, shiny treasures.
What would I want them for, you may be asking. Well, it pleased me simply to admire their beautiful colour and handle them. I used to take a tissue or a clean hanky and 'puff and shine'. Most of all I liked to find the unopened ones and be the first to discover their simple beauty.
But above all, I picked them to have conker contests with the boys in the playground and sometimes even with my brother. I wasn't much of a 'girlie' girl to be honest and this was something I was good at.
To prepare a conker for the fight one had to string it - make a hole through the middle, thread a string and tie a strong knot. You then wound a good part of the other end round your fingers and you were ready for the battle. The opponent had to simply let his conker dangle at the end of the string and inwardly squirm at every hit!
The contest consisted of taking turns in bashing your opponents conker to smithereens. If you missed the opponents conker then it was his turn to bash yours and so on till one or t'other would completely break apart and fall from the string.
If your conker won two battles it was classed as a two-er, if five battles, then you had a five-er, etc.
How did you know if the conker was a good one. Well, before the hole was made one could tell by the weight. The heavier they were the more solid they would be inside. If in doubt, you put it in a bowl of water. If it floated it was no good. Next, if when you made the hole, the skewer went through too easily, then that one was also discarded. Obviously, the best conkers were the heavy, solid ones.
So far this article consisted of refreshing my girlhood memories. But now if you care to look here you will find more information about conkers. If you look here you will find out more about sweet chestnuts, sometimes called Spanish or Portuguese chestnuts (I didn't know that!). Although their names are similar, the two varieties of tree are only very distantly related.
Have a good Friday and a pleasant weekend.
Thursday, 26 November 2015
Violets in November
Yes, we really do have violets flowering in the garden and yes, it really is the end of November!
Monday, 23 November 2015
Cassie's blueberry tea cake
This is an absolutely delicious cake - one that we enjoyed for dessert yesterday lunchtime! Cassie is a bloggie friend and mother of nine from down under. She posted it on her blog a while ago. I have subsequently tweaked it a little to suit product availability and I've also renamed the cake in her honour.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 lemon, juice and grated rind
125 g butter or margarine
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla essence
1/4 cup dessicated coconut
1 2/3 cups self raising flour, sifted
1 punnet fresh blueberries (or canned blueberries, well drained)
Method:
1. Mix sugar and lemon rind in a bowl.
2. Add butter, eggs, lemon juice, coconut and vanilla essence. Mix well.
3. Add flour and fold into mixture.
4. Pour batter into a greased oven dish, cake molde or similar.
5. Sprinkle blueberries over the top of the batter.
6. Bake at 170º C for 35 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out clean.
7. Sprinkle sugar over the top of the cake and leave to cool. When cold, remove from dish and serve with cream (optional!)
Notes
# I prefer to use plain or all-purpose flour and add a chemical raising agent or natural yeast.
# I use a sachet of vanilla flavoured sugar instead of the essence, which I
cannot find as a regular product as yet.
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| O.K. so I could have made sure the cake was in the centre of the plate before taking the photo... |
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 lemon, juice and grated rind
125 g butter or margarine
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla essence
1/4 cup dessicated coconut
1 2/3 cups self raising flour, sifted
1 punnet fresh blueberries (or canned blueberries, well drained)
Method:
1. Mix sugar and lemon rind in a bowl.
2. Add butter, eggs, lemon juice, coconut and vanilla essence. Mix well.
3. Add flour and fold into mixture.
4. Pour batter into a greased oven dish, cake molde or similar.
5. Sprinkle blueberries over the top of the batter.
6. Bake at 170º C for 35 minutes or until wooden toothpick comes out clean.
7. Sprinkle sugar over the top of the cake and leave to cool. When cold, remove from dish and serve with cream (optional!)
Notes
# I prefer to use plain or all-purpose flour and add a chemical raising agent or natural yeast.
# I use a sachet of vanilla flavoured sugar instead of the essence, which I
cannot find as a regular product as yet.
Friday, 20 November 2015
Thursday, 19 November 2015
Amazing architecture
Look at this photo. This is just how I saw my keys last night, from my horizontal position. I was lying in bed, about to turn off the lamp, when M. came in the room to say goodnight. He said "Mama, look how you have left your keys."
Before I 'grabbed and ran' this morning, I quickly took some photos - one with flash and some without, hence the different colours. But notice one thing. The point of the black ended car key is through the hole of the door key. How did I do this? Is this the result of having a BK for supper??? Maybe I should do it more often...
Before I 'grabbed and ran' this morning, I quickly took some photos - one with flash and some without, hence the different colours. But notice one thing. The point of the black ended car key is through the hole of the door key. How did I do this? Is this the result of having a BK for supper??? Maybe I should do it more often...
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