ODDS AND BODS FOR THURSDAY, AUGUST 12TH, 2026

Good morning! How are you today?

It has been hot and muggy and also we have been getting torrential downpours. Not many walks but I have been doing a few chair exercises. 

I only wish I were that limber!

Don’t forget to be silly today.

…because a sprinkle of silly and a dash of absurd keeps that inner child disappearing into total adulthood. And you all know by now that my inner child is alive and well. Go outside and see something magical. My brain gets dusty if I stay inside too long. True!

Okay, so it doesn’t have to be a dragon. How about watching a bee collect that magical dust off a flower?

I would love to live in Willowhollow.

Willowhollow - Established in 2024 - Faith - Hope - Love - Dream Big - Be Kind

Enjoy the ride - Collect beautiful moments.

My imaginary home is on its outskirts on the edge of the forest. 

There is a small pond out back for visitors to enjoy on these hot summer days. (As I have said before, imagination is a fine thing.) Jump in, we keep arm-floatation devices at the ready and there will always be someone looking out for you.

Later we will take a walk through the Secret Garden. Who knows, we might come across a fairy or two. 

But first into the kitchen we go...

to make a few recipes.

Mix together and dip your bread…

Lori’s Recipe Journal - Bread Dipping Oil - 1/2 cup olive oil - 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon garlic, minced - 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning - 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped 

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes - 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan Cheese - Salt and Pepper to taste

Corn Chowder - Yield: 6 servings - Preparation time - 15 minutes

Cooking time: 35 minutes - Total time: 50 minutes.

Ingredients: 6 slices thick cut bacon, diced - 2 tablespoons butter

1 onion, diced - 1 leek (white part only), sliced - 2 celery stalks, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced - 2 tablespoons flour - 4 cups chicken broth

1-1/2 pounds Ukon Gold potatoes, diced - 5 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika - 1 teaspoon kosher salt - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup heavy cream - 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar - 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Reserved bacon - Instructions: Cook the bacon until crisp, remove and reserve.

Cook the onion, leek and celery in the bacon fat and butter until softened Add

the garlic, cook for 1 minute. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in

the broth. Add the potatoes, corn, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Simmer for

20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Blend about one-third of the soup with

an immersion blender. Stir in the heavy cream and heat gently. Finish with cider

vinegar, chives and reserved bacon. Helpful tip: for extra depth let the soup rest for 

10 minutes before serving, so that the flavors meld. Add seasonings and vinegar just 

before serving. Flavor notes: Sweetcorn and smoky bacon, creamy potatoes and a

bright acidic finish, create a chowder with excellent balance and depth.

Another soup recipe 

Cream of Anything Soup - Ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter 

1/3 cup flour - 1/3 cup milk - 1/3 cup of broth - 1/4 teaspoon 

onion powder - 1/4 garlic powder - optional: 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup

Cooked add-ins (chicken, mushrooms, etc) - salt and pepper.

Directions: Melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk

until mixture turns into a paste. Whisk in milk and broth until

thickened and smooth. 

And for dessert…

Flourless Lemon Almond Cake - Ingredients: 2 cups (200g) almond flour - 1/3 cup (80ml)

fresh lemon juice - 1 tablespoon lemon zest - 4 large egg - 1/2 cup ( 120 ml) maple syrup

or honey - 1/2 cup (120g) plain Greek yogurt (optional for extra moisture) - 1 teaspoon vanilla

extract - 1 teaspoon baking powder - 1/4 teaspoon salt - toasted sliced almonds (optional). Optional

toppings: lemon glaze (powdered sugar and lemon juice - toasted sliced almond - light dusting of powdered sugar. Instructions: 1. Preheat and preparation: preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (175 

degrees C.) Grease and line an 8-inch (20c) round cake pan with parchment paper. 2. Mix wet ingredients: in a large bowl whisk together eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, maple syrup, Greek 

yogurt (if using) and vanilla. 3. Add dry ingredients: stir in almond flour, baking powder and salt

until fully combined. 4. Bake: pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes

or until golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. 5. Cool and serve: let the cake cool

before adding glaze or topping. Slice and enjoy!

Words

Philomath - someone who is passionate about acquiring knowledge 

and constantly seeking to learn new things. 

Meraki (meh-rah-kee): noun - a Greek word for infusing your work with love, 

creativity and soul; to pour a piece of yourself into everything you do, creating 

beauty in the process.

Wise words - because we all need a pep talk at times. 

While on this ride called “Life”, you have to take the good with the bad, smile when you’re sad, 

love what you’ve got and remember what you had. Always forgive, but never forget. Learn from

your mistakes, but never regret. People change, things go wrong. Just remember, the ride goes on.

“I am far from perfect,” sighed the Boy. “It’s true,” said the

rabbit. “You are real, which is better than perfect.”

THE COURAGE TO BE MISUNDERSTOOD - If you want to be authentic, be

prepared to be disliked. If you want to be private, be prepared to be gossiped 

about. If you want to stick to your boundaries, be prepared to be seen as unfriendly.

If you don’t want to explain yourself, be prepared to be misunderstood. 

One worth repeating 

Not by Erin Hanson - You are not your age, nor the size of clothes

you wear, you are not a weight or the color of your hair. You are

not your name or the dimples in your cheeks, you are all the books 

you read, and all the words you speak, you are your morning croaky

voice, and the smiles you try to hide, you’re the sweetness in your

laughter, and every tear you’ve cried, you’re the songs you sing so

loudly, when you know you’re all alone, you’re all the places that

you’ve been to, and the one that you call home, you’re the things that

You believe in, and the people that you love, you’re the photos in your

bedroom, and the future you dream of, you’re made of so much beauty,

but it seems that you forgot, when you decided that you were defined,

by all the things you’re not.

More good advice. Don’t forget to read the signs.

Make a choice 

Live simply - Laugh often - Be kind - Enjoy the little things

This flower is for you, for all the silent battles you’ve fought and the strength no one sees.

Never forget you are a limited edition. There’s no one like you.

And on that note, I will say bye-bye for now…I’m 

off to cause a kerfuffle

It’s a good day to have a good day. 

And into the forest I go to lose my mind and feed my soul. 

John Muir was a very wise man. 

And remember when you are in that forest…

You are Loved!

Thanks for visiting and 

may your day be a great one.

(My thanks to Pinterest for today's inspiration.)

ODDS AND BODS 10/16/24

I am starting off with a poem today, and you know how much I love my poems. Often they are oldies but goodies, and sometimes ones I have shared before.

 How about this then? Could you live here? Take a short holiday? It’s really cute!  I would probably want a small garden though.

May I a small house and

large garden have, and

a few friends and many 

books, both true, both wise,

and both delightful too.

~Abraham Cowley(1618-1667)~

I thought these pumpkins were beautiful.

One more!

As we are coming up to Halloween at the end of this month, the witches are getting ready to fly.  They are…

A thought for anyone who has ...

friends or relatives in a retirement home. You may have done this already, but I thought what a sweet idea.

Now for some food pictures. I am in awe of these cake decorating designers.

Back to reality!

I grew up with fluffy dumplings and those are what I prefer to make, but these sound good… 

and these.

Talking about this as I was the other day, here is a recipe. 

One last recipe.

And now fun with food. 

Onto other things. 

I found this photo on Pinterest, along with a link to the lantern below. How pretty is this picture? Those nests are amazingly tiny. The lanterns are on Amazon and not that I am touting the company, but I just love this lantern. The advertisement says Hummingbird Solar Lantern - Outdoor - Waterproof, etc., etc. Will I buy it? If it was sold locally in the bird shop I used to go to, probably. I enjoyed visiting this family-owned shop, used to go there quite a lot back in the day. Sadly they closed. 

This is interesting. Don't forget to enlarge for better reading or seeing any of my pictures in greater detail.

I once had a friend who was learning English and she told me it was very hard. Years ago I took a class with six months of Mandarin Chinese and thoroughly enjoyed it, but it was as my friend said of English, very hard. We had to leave the area before the course was over. I never did get back to it, much to my chagrin. Looking after a baby/toddler obviously took precedence and I gave him all my time. Being a navy wife also had its responsibilities and I wouldn't have either any other way. Learning a language is great mental gymnastics for anyone. Gregg is trying his hand at French. He is French on his Mother's side. I always liked the idea of learning Spanish but I can't roll my "r's". I try and pick up a few words here and there, and find it fun to learn, but my memory isn't very good. Still, I even enjoy my snail's pace and am hoping something will sink in.

Wise words!

Did you know…

Very naughty of me but this is a gotcha moment! The above story is false, darn it! A good tale though. Just goes to show however, that we can't believe everything we read. Check, check and fact check again! We need lots of patience to wade through all those pork pies! And here we go again, off on another tangent.

What do I mean by 'pork pies'? Well, funny you should ask. Yes, I know you didn't but...

Apart from the literal meaning of actual pies filled with pork, 'pork pies' is a Cockney rhyming slang for 'lies'. With rhyming slang the actual portion that rhymes is often dropped in order to further confuse the outsider, so it becomes 'porkies'. So, someone 'telling porkies' is a liar, liar, pants on fire sort of a person.  If you want to know about Cockney rhyming slang, you can go here. My Dad always told me, and this was as far back as I can remember, that a Cockney was born within the sound of Bow Bells, which you can read about here. 

Oh my goodness, you never know where these posts are going. I definitely miss my walks around the gardens and yet I am having fun with all these things that I find.

Wise words seen outside a local church.

“Tweet others as you 

would like to be tweeted.”

Now for more poetry.

Love to read my poems. An oldie but goodie. It’s a bit sad when I deep think it. I welcome all opinions on any of these poems I share, or anything else for that matter.

Profound!

Hmmm…who could this be? 

He agrees!

Have a great day everyone 

and thanks for once again sticking through to the end of this epilog. Certainly no worries if you didn't. I am falling asleep too.