HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - ODDS AND BODS FOR OCTOBER 25TH, 2026

“Good Morning Sunshine! 

“How are you today? I hope all is well where you are.”

I found my imaginary home.

It’s chilly outside. Time to light the fire. I love this cosy room. 

Here are three images of pretty art that I enjoy sharing with you. The moon with…

friends.

I thought this was very cute, two friends having a chat.

A few recipes:

I am sure many have a favorite salsa recipe.  Hubby not only found but made this one and it was delicious. We shared an avocado and put a spoonful into the cavity after we took the seed out. Most of the time we cut up raw veggies and used it as a dip. He advises to pay particular attention to how many seconds on that blender, so that you get it to your desired consistency. 

Salsa - Ingredients: 4 plum tomatoes - 2 Jalapeños, deseeded - 1 medium onion -1 full bunch of cilantro (called coriander in some parts of the world) - Juice of half a lemon - 1 to 2 garlic cloves - Salt, a good amount hubby says (depending on if it is good for your health or your taste).  Instructions: 1. Finely dice all the ingredients before putting them in a blender.  2. Add everything to a blender and blend until you reach your preferred texture.  3. Taste and adjust the salt if needed. 

Cheeseburger Soup - Farmhouse Favorites - Ingredients: 5 pieces

of bacon (cut into small pieces) - 1 pound of ground beef - 1/4 cup

butter - 1/4 cup onion, diced - 2 sticks celery, diced - 1/2 teaspoon 

minced garlic - 6 tablespoons flour - 4 cups chicken broth - 1 cup

heavy cream - 1 pound Yukon potatoes, peeled and diced small, and

partially cooked in boiling water (I add this because it doesn’t mention

this soon enough in directions, in my humble opinion) - 1-1/2 cups 

sharp Cheddar Cheese, grated - salt and pepper to taste. (Message on left: 

Hearty, creamy and packed with all the flavor of your favorite 

cheeseburger!) Directions: 1. Start by browning your ground beef,

 draining and set aside.  2. In a separate pot, brown brown your chopped 

bacon until no longer pink. Add butter, onion, celery and garlic and let 

it sauté for about 5 minutes.  3. Next, add in your flour and stir into the 

bacon and veggies until combined.  4. Then semi softened potatoes, 

chicken broth, heavy cream, 1 cup of cheese and ground beef into the

pot.  5. Stir well so that it thickens, then let it simmer for about 15 minutes.

6. Top with more Cheddar cheese, salt and pepper before serving. 

I am going to keep this recipe for when we have guests. We only ever eat pears straight from the fruit bowl, but this looks great for those special occasions.

Baked Pears with Goat Cheese, Honey and Cranberries - Intedients: 

4 pears, halved - 1/2 cup of goat cheese - 1/2 cup cranberries 

2 tablespoons honey - 1 tablespoon olive oil - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  2. Place pears

Cut-side up in a baking dish.  3. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle cinnamon.

4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until tender.  5. Fill with goat cheese,

cranberries and walnuts.  6. Drizzle honey on top.  7. Bake 5 to 10 

minutes and serve warm. 

I like these too and it would be nice to keep this recipe for those same guests over the holidays, at least for those with no nut allergies.

Maple Vanilla Candied Pecans - Ingredients: 2 cups pecans - 1/4 cup

maple syrup - 1 teaspoon vanilla - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon - Pinch of salt 

Directions: Toss pecans with maple, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Spread

On baking sheet. Roast at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

I have four words for you today, and the first three are to do with the moon.  

Selenophile - (noun) - a person who loves the moon.

Moonglade - (noun) - moon-glade - the reflection of moonlight on 

a body of  water.

ZMoonbroch - (noun) - a halo round the moon which presages an

approaching storm.

And then there is this.

“Akiramenai” - origin (Japanese phrase) - Meaning: Until I get

there, I won’t give up. When things are moving slowly, remember

that each step matters. The door won’t open for someone who rushes,

but it will for someone who keeps knocking.

Wise words.

Here is a quote that is a favorite of mine. “We are the leaves of one branch, 

the drops of one sea, the flowers of one garden - Jean Baptiste Henry Lacordaire.

The Seasons Inside a Person - Not every winter is cold. Some people

carry it behind their smiles. Not every spring is filled with flowers.

Sometimes it begins with the day someone chooses to hope again.

There are people with summers in their laughter…warm enough for

Strangers to feel at home. And there are people who wear Autumn

so beautifully, letting go without making a sound. We spend our 

lives looking for the perfect season…only to discover that every

heart is learning how to survive its own weather. So be gentle. You

never know what season someone is living through - Aurelune - A

little universe of words, silence and souls. 

May someone always walk beside you. 

And remember…because we often forget when it comes to ourselves and need a reminder…

of this very important message.

Never forget how amazing you are, for you are worthy and you are loved.

And so ends another positivity post.

Thanks for visiting and I 

hope your day is a great one.

(Thank you Pinterest for today’s inspiration.) 

JUST ME, BACK IN THE EARLY 1970's - PART 1

Still clearing through boxes in our 2025 downsizing project. Gregg came across these old photos of me, taken in the early and mid 1970's. When he put them in my hands, I could hardly comprehend that they were taken 50 years ago. Who is that young girl leaning against a snowbank? It's me! 

I decided to put them on here, along with the memories of each photo, so that our son could read them in the years ahead and hopefully have a chuckle. Hopefully you will too, or feel to skip most of it. I certainly won't be offended. 

In the next batch Gregg brings in, there were more of him when I asked. The photo above was taken on a walk on one of the trails around Seefeld in Austria. The name of where we stayed just popped into my head. It was the Hotel Hohe Munde. I don't remember what it looked like too much on the outside, typically Tyrolean I would say, but I remember the dance floor and the coffee shop and a wide staircase. I saved for almost two years to be able to go with a group of good friends, hotel and air fare included, plus skiing lessons and our evening meal.

I wasn't fond of the skiing part. In No.1 - it looks like I am trying to figure out which ski goes on which foot. No. 2 - I managed to stay on those feet for a while. No 3 - I finally gave up on the skis for a bit and decided to use this contraption. No. 4 definitely more my style. I would be the one being pulled instead of the toddler shown. I understood why there were skiers who looked so at ease, as if they had been born to it. I saw many a toddler attached to and straddling their parents' legs with their tiny feet resting on their parents' skis as they skied downhill, albeit more gently and slower than they normally would have done, and on the bunny slopes as they were called. The seeds are sown early.

In the next photo I am standing in front of The Golden Roof. It doesn't look so golden, but these photos have faded. I'm glad we found them when we did as they are deteriorating rapidly. What do I expect after not seeing the light of day for all these years?

In those early days, not long after we met, we were talking of places visited and found that we were in Innsbruck about the same time. Gregg was on an exchange tour with the British Navy and had time off. All his shipmates and friends were married and had gone home to be with their family. As it was a fairly short holiday, he had not flown back to the States and decided to see a bit of Europe. Innsbruck was on his itinerary. 

I had gone with a group of friends but decided to take a bus trip to Innsbruck one day, which the travel person at the hotel had recommended. I don't remember going with anyone else and maybe a tourist took this photo of me. The facts seem a bit fuzzy of how-tos after all these years. 

So, there was Gregg looking around the city moreorless at the same time as I was, and fancifully thinking, it was almost as if the fates were trying to tell us something. Two months later we met in my hometown. 

A little bit of history, the Golden Roof was completed in the year 1500 and was decorated with 2,657 fire-gilded copper tiles for Emperor Maximilian I, to mark his wedding to Bianca Maria Sforza. The Emperor and his wife used the balcony to observe festivals, tournaments and other events that took place in the square below. The rest of the history can be read here. Seefeld, the town where I was spending my vacation, was only about an hour. 

I was closer to home in the next few photos, 12 hours plus by car from my home in Devonshire. Friend Moira and I are sitting next to a cannon on the battlements of Edinburgh Castle. This time I was away for a week's holiday. Moira's Dad was going on a business trip to St. Andrews in Scotland, and Moira suggested the three of us (also our friend Geraldine) spend a week in her dad's tent a little further north, and he dropped us off.

 

I had never been camping before and was eager to try it. I seem to remember my parents rolling their eyes when I told them what I was going to do. Dad occasionally would call me a hot-house flower, I liked my comfort too much he said. He couldn't imagine his youngest daughter going all the way up to Scotland and sleeping in a tent for seven nights in some strange place. Mum would fondly nod in my direction, agreeing with Dad. "Are you sure you really want to go camping?" with emphasis on the last word. Except for one long weekend on Dartmoor with a bunch of workmates the following year, I never went camping again. Definitely a hot house flower but that week up in Scotland, I wouldn't have traded that for the world. Enjoyed it from start to finish.

The photo above shows us playing cards in that lovely tent that was our home for a week, by a lovely windy loch, anchored to two strong, solid oak trees. None of us had been camping before and didn't really know how to do a simple thing like pitch a tent. It blew down that first night in pouring rain. Did we care? Not really! We couldn't stop laughing as we struggled to hoist it back up, pouring down with rain, catching all the flapping parts and digging them firmly onto the spikes which we hammered into the ground. Lesson learned, it stayed up for the rest of the week.  

There was a pub down the road and a small general shop. I seem to remember the pub people owning the camping ground. We went to two castles, Edinburgh and Stirling. There was a public bus once a week, which is how we got to these castles I suppose. Fuzzy memories on the hows after all this time. 

We walked down to the pub each night and one evening we were adopted by a young local couple we had gotten to know. The next night they invited us to go to their home for the evening. It was one of those self-entertainment get togethers, where the husband played a guitar, the wife sang Scottish folk songs, which we were invited to sing along to, and another of their friends recited Scottish poetry. We ate bread and cheese, ate crisps and drank pop. The hospitality was outstanding. Didn't want it to end and didn't leave until we were dropping off at well after midnight. Our hosts were only too ready to keep the evening going.

We were the only ones at the camping ground so we could take our pick of spots. We never found it boring. I don't remember much about the meals, but they were simple enough. We cooked spaghetti on a burner with lots of delicious bread still warm from the oven and freshly churned butter from that small shop not too far from the pub, all within a short walking distance. The pub always seemed to be quiet when we were there, with only a few locals.

On the last day when we were waiting for Moira's Dad so that we could start the journey home, a group of army lads turned up and started pitching their tent. They had some free time they said and decided to come up here from wherever they were stationed. We girls looked at each other and rolled our eyes but just as well we were leaving I suppose. A flash of my Dad’s disapproving expression just came to me. Gregg often says I have that same expression. I can hear my Mum saying, “Oh Stanley!” as she wrung her hands with worry. They needn’t have been concerned, but we are parents so we know how it goes. Dad gifted his girls with good head sense and taught skills that I still have today. I also have always had an overly cautious nature. Anyhow, those lads seemed very nice. We waved to them from the car as we headed south. It was a great feeling getting home, the same feeling I get now. Great to see my Mum and Dad again, and my Mum was particularly relieved I had such a good time but was now under her roof. Dad just rolled his eyes as I rolled mine and we had a bit of a laugh. Our dog Jason was filled with joy and his tail was like a whirlybird. He wouldn't leave my side for several days. Yes, it was good to get home.

This is Jason, our golden labrador. He was my baby. He didn't like other little dogs though, and we had to be careful taking him on walks. When he was a puppy and we hadn’t had him for long, we were on the high street in Totnes, and a passing terrier jumped up and bit him really hard on the end of his nose and wouldn't let go. He bled and bled and bled and was in such a state, poor pup. We had to keep him away from small dogs for evermore. I loved him dearly, a real sweet boy and he loved everyone who came to our house with even their dogs, but not terriers or other small dogs.

It's been a bit of a ramble and am sorry it's gone on for so long, but those photos started the memories flowing.

I have more photos and memories to share but I will give you a break and split this post into two parts, sharing the other in a few days or so.

Thanks for visiting and thank you for indulging me in my ramble. Have a great day!

 

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - VISIT FROM OUR OVERSEAS FAMILY STARTING AT THE AIRPORT - PART 1

 Hello family and friends, my blog break is over. I will be sharing several posts from our recent visit from our dear niece, her partner and his daughter. I thought they were really nice to say they didn't mind me putting their photos on here. I have always been very close to my niece since the first time I met her when she was a wee baby, and when I met her partner and his daughter, they were as nice as could be, with delightful senses of humor. I grew very fond of them over this holiday. We all had a marvelous time and it went all too quickly, but we have great memories and many photos taken during their visit.

It all started at Washington-Dulles International Airport and we arrived early. It has been quite a while since we were there to pick anyone up. As expected, we found the arrival lounge busy, with many people expecting loved ones off countless planes. Fortunately we found a couple of empty chairs.It was such a happy atmosphere. As each planeload of passengers made their way out of the customs area, the excitement was palpable. We watched as several families/friends greeted each other with such joy and excitement. We waited for their plane to land, and a text finally arrived from our niece to say they were in line at customs and that it would take forever. But at long last they came through the doors, and wouldn't you know it, with all the excitement we didn't think of taking a photo. Our arms were too busy hugging each other. But I did remember to take this on our way back home.

I wasn't sure what they would like for their first meal here, and we thought of taking them out to a nice restaurant but as you might guess, they were very tired after their journey. So, we said we would order in, and everyone unanimously voted for pizza. We picked it up on our way home at a local family-run place. Our son went to the same school with the owner's son. You can visit their website here. I get nothing in return for this, but love giving people a good rating when it is well deserved, and we get consistently excellent food. We can purchase a variety of pizzas by the slice, and they also have wonderful salads.

The new table Gregg put together worked out great, and I meant to take a photo of it all set up but forgot. I will do that down the road somewhere. There were napkins but forgot to take those out of the cupboard and no one seemed to mind the kitchen roll. We were all so happy at being together. Knives and forks were set out and that pizza was thoroughly enjoyed.

My niece holding her glass up as we took one last photo before tucking in.

The first request on their bucket list was to see an American shopping mall (I think the ladies might have had something to say about this).We took them to Tyson's Corner the next day. I am still not able to walk around too much but I sat in one of the food courts and found an empty table and enjoyed people watching. Always a fun pastime for me. Husband and son sent me a few photos...and they came back to keep me company. Neither of them are shoppers for places like this, but once our family had the lay of the land, they left them to enjoy the mall. The Easter Bunny looked very tired...

but perked up as soon as this cute little girl visited.

You're not taking my photo are you son?

Oh, okay!

We sat right outside the Panda Express and Charlie's was a few doors up, but I only felt like a coffee son brought back with him. Great coffee from I forget where. Not one of the regular names you see, a new place.

Our dear daughter-in-law finished work and joined us. Then everyone came back and there was a group photo Gregg took.

There's a lot of American pop culture on German television and the youngest member of the group had heard all about Crumbl Cookies. Fortunately one had opened up not too far away from us, so we were able to stop on the way home one day.

A pose for friends back home.

I was told they change the cookies to a different variety weekly, with the exception of the chocolate chip. The cookies are quite big and some are cake-like.

Mine was this one with small easter eggs on top.

It was excellent!

I may be getting timelines confused as strangely I neglected my journal during the time they were here. I couldn’t keep up truth be told. So we did all of the things in my posts. Just maybe not in the order I put down.

That's all for today but more coming.

Thanks for visiting and I hope your day is a great one.