Here's a good one to start the day off.....
A Birth Certificate shows that we were born. A Death Certificate shows that we died. Pictures show that we lived! Have a seat . .Relax . . . And read this slowly.
I Believe...
That just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other.And just because they don't argue,It doesn't mean they do love each other.
I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
I Believe...
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
I Believe...
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
I Believe...
That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
I Believe...
That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
I Believe...
That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
I Believe...
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.
I Believe...
That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
I Believe...
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.
I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
I Believe...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.
I Believe...
That my best friend and I, can do anything, or nothing and have the best time.
I Believe...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.
I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
I Believe...
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I Believe...
That it isn't always enough, to be forgiven by others. Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.
I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I Believe...
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but, we are responsible for who we become.
I Believe...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life Forever.
I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.
I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you - you will find the strength to help.
I Believe...
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.
I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.
I Believe...
That you should send this to all of the people that you believe in, I just did.
'The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything;
They just make the most of everything.
We met Lesley's new pup for the first time on Saturday, so there I was, outside the cafe in Stratford, with my bare Saturday morning face on, cuddling the most gorgeous squiggly pup! Tali was very well behaved and gave her ears and tummy lots of kisses and cuddles while Rosie took the photos.
Here's one of another type of dog - Ruby on guard out of the front window.....
Because Starbucks have the REDCUPS! I know it's sad but that's when I know it's Christmas. Enjoyed my first Christmas beverage today!
Funny thing was I popped into town to visit the new Lakeland. Which seemed a bit cramped compared to their normal stores. I was astonished however at some of their prices, £15 for 3 jars of preserves? I think I may be underpricing my homemade christmas hampers!
Town was mental too - it has to be near Christmas when that many people are out shopping. As we drove home we saw a huge queue of traffic going into the Tesco home store - get a life people it's not worth queuing for!
I made the mistake of "popping" into the farm shop today for a few things. They had boxes of baby plum tomatoes for £1.99 - one box, a 50p bag of onions and a 50p bag of peppers and I have enough pasta sauce to see me through winter - that really is a LARGE stock pot - it fills the Aga oven.
Meanwhile in the baking oven I had another batch of suet free mincemeat on the go - for my christmas hampers, I'll be taking orders this year folks! Whilst the roasting oven had a roast dinner in too - I really was using it to it's fullest for once today.
A friend recently turned 37 and blogged the 37 lessons she'd learned in those years - some of them very wise. I am sure she won't mind me repeating them here:
1 Remember that you start as a child, but although you will always have a child inside you, you will never have anyone to nurture it once you’ve grown up.
2 Do your best, but don’t excel if it is not needed. It will only raise people’s expectations beyond what you can, or are willing to, give.
3 Honour your body, treat it and respect it like you would your best friend, and never ever let anyone be harsh to it in any way.
4 Let people into your soul, but always assume they will want to go out again. If they let you into theirs, step inside but always know they will one day ask you to leave.
5 Keep your promises. Even the ones you made to the people who have broken theirs.
6 Always forgive. Yourself, and others.
7 Do not expect unconditional forgiveness from anyone.
8 Accept your imperfections. They are a sign of your humanity.
9 Look at your children with love, respect and gratitude. Always. Unconditionally.
10 All things that live, breathe, grow are to be treated with respect, no matter how big or small they are.
11 Money doesn’t bring happiness. It doesn’t even make happiness easier to find.
12 Don’t give your heart easily. It might seem like a good safe secure gift at the time, but mostly it ends in breakages.
13 Never pretend you do something for someone else, when really you are just doing it for yourself.
14 Don’t give anyone the right to stand between you and your beliefs and goals.
15 Don’t let anyone convince you they know better than you, if you have reason to think that they don’t.
16 Learn to make the differences between somebody else’s guesswork and their knowledge.
17 Never regret an act of kindness, even if it backfired. It was still kindness, and kindness is always good.
18 Give yourself time and permission to hurt and grieve. Being without emotions is not a quality.
19 If you’re afraid to speak your mind, change company.
20 If someone you love keeps testing you, take distance. Loved ones should accept you as you are, not keep appraising your value.
21 Do not put your loved ones to the test either. Love is a gift, not a prize to be won over and over again.
22 If someone knocks you down harder than they hold you up, let go.
23 If you feel so angry you are going to hurt what you hold dear, walk away until the anger subsides.
24 Make time each day to look at the sky, appreciate its vastness and its beauty in all weathers.
25 Don’t replace one addiction with another.
26 Never believe men are better than women in any way.
27 Never believe you are better than someone else. There are things about others you might not know, that might make your judgment mistaken.
28 Never think you know all there is to know about anyone. Everyone has their secrets.
29 Admit your mistakes and be able to make fun of yourself. It will help others deal with their own mistakes better.
30 Never, ever, let anyone tell you that you won’t be able to do something. They don’t know.
31 Never let anyone judge your past or predict your future. Don’t judge or predict others’ either.
32 Trust your instincts above your reason.
33 Never believe eternal promises.
34 Always, with no exceptions ever, treat others as you would have them treat you.
35 Give high value to honesty, but don’t place it above gentleness and kindness.
36 If you are the kind to hurt others regularly, make sure you learn how to heal them.
37 Be yourself. After all, it’s yourself you are sure to have to face in the mirror each day for the rest of your life, and there is no running away from what and who you are.
... that feeling of satisfaction when I've stripped and re-made the beds, with the winter duvets on now that it's cold.
There's a big pot of home made chicken soup bubbling away on the cooker - the carcass from one of the meat birds from Jude.
The house smells divine and I shall rest tonight in a warm bed with a lovely feather and down duvet on top.
Just one moment of smugness.....
I just love walking out with the dog - Phil and I took her for a walk out at North Newington, a village barely a mile from the house, but with the most beautiful scenery. We only walked for about a mile, but it was so quiet and refreshing.
The monsetr is clean in this photo, but not for long... she managed (yet again) to find a fox poo to roll in before i spotted what she was doing - cold bath for her under the outside tap when we got back!
I love the contrast here between the red earth we have locally (coloured by iron ore) and the fresh green shoots of the winter wheat.
She's still for just a moment...
Plenty of these hills - it's very dingly-dell here
*grins*
He's just the best hot water bottle ever!
Biscuit usually sleeps at my feet or between my ankles, but on cold nights I wake up to find him up in my arms, with his little nose snuggled into my neck.
.... he loves his mummy. The snuggle monster is currently sprawled across my bed, taking up most of the room and snoring with his nose tucked into an old t shirt of mine.
I read about these in the Omlet forum and I thought they looked delicious. I looked at a recipe online and realised I could make them relativley fat free (certainly a LOT less fat than roasties so I had a go. I was very pleased with them.
-
Place potato on wooden spoon
- Slice down at 3 to 4mm intervals - being on the spoon will stop you slicing right through
- Line a roasting tin with a piece of bake o glide (or don't if you want more washing up!)
- Sprinkle with sea salt
- Spray with spray oil - 2 sprays per potato
- Cook for 40 mins on second set of runners in the Aga roasting oven (200 in standard electric oven)
Serve with whatever topping you choose - I just sprinked over some grated cheese - they were delicious - crispy and perfect and not at all mashy. I'd never heard of them before but when I showed them to her in the annexe she said she'd cooked them before and they used lots of oil - well not like this - a new favourite methinks!
To blog!
Mille is settling in wiht us beautifully - in fact as I type her head is on my knee and lovely and warm it is too! This is her last night on the sofa - soppy old thing.
Whilst we've been out and about we have met a local (rather rich) chap who owns lots of our village, he has just bought the disused pub a couple of hundred yards up the road and has been down there with his digger clearing and securing the property. He lets James drive his digger and dropped me off this amazing stump for my garden.
Of course when we are out walking Mille is around - she rather likes a stick to run around with too. Just think we wouldnt' have had all this fun if we hadn't adopted Mille. She is a total star, captivates everyone who meets her and Mum is now wondering why she resisted dog ownership. We've even arranged for our regular pet sitter to look after her when we go on holiday so she doesn't have to go to kennels. Interestingly her breed - Lagotto Romognolo - is used to hunt truffles in Italy - there are probably a fair few around here growing under the many oak trees - here James snuggles into a root hole on one of the smaller oaks!
I just love this track - a friend sent me the link, apparently it's the theme to a TV series or something like that. She knew I'd love it... enjoy....
