HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - GREGG'S SECOND BIRTHDAY MEAL AT THE HAWK AND GRIFFIN 3/22/26

Today I am only going to write about Gregg's second birthday meal. This is one where happily our daughter-in-law was able to join us. I will write the other days for the week and publish it this Tuesday, the 31st.

Sunday, March 22nd, 2026: it was the Birthday Boy's celebration-2 today (actual birthday being on the 18th), but first son came over for his Sunday morning visit and left three hours later to pick up his Sweetie. 

That afternoon we arrived at the restaurant at a busy time, and couldn't find a parking spot at first. It turned out that the football match was on (soccer), and this was a big draw. Gregg squeezed into a spot right next to the fish and chip van. I didn't realize they had one and judging from the phone number on its side, it could be rented out. 

Gregg left to see if he could find a table, as reservations were for 10 people only they said but as he had to wait, I think this is the reason we were able to reserve one for the four of us - just guessing here. They told him the game had just finished and people would be leaving by the dozen. No sooner had he told me that, then parking spaces started opening up and we were able to slip into a closer spot. We had arranged to meet with our kiddos here. No sooner had we parked the second time, they rolled into a spot a couple of places from ours. Perfect timing! 

Hawk and Griffin is our closest British Pub that we go to, again not often but have enjoyed previous visits since its opening in June 2021. It is a great place to take company. The staff is always pleasant which is a big factor when deciding if we are going to revisit anywhere. Fortunately, it is very rare that we are not satisfied with either food or service or restaurant. Both are excellent at the Hawk and Griffin. The link to their website is here. 

A picture taken in 1877 of a group of recruiting sergeants hoping to recruit young men for the army. The explanation I found here, notes that they were outside a pub somewhere in London. 

The owner also has another place not too far up the road, The Pure Pasty Company, and that place opened in 2010. You may remember my posts about our Cornish Pasty car picnics in the parking lot over the years. Their pasties are a 10 out of 10, authentic. The owner is originally British and his claim to fame is being the first American bakery to win at the World Pasty Championships in Cornwall, England. 

We settled into our booth, no waiting as we were seated straight away. We started looking at the menu while having a good chat. It is always fun to be with our son and daughter-in-law, and we love their great sense of humor. Case in point this photo when son was teasing his mother, interestingly pointing to items in the menu. I actually remembered my reading glasses so didn't really need any help, but he insisted, pointing to the items he thought I would like, saw my eyes narrow and I looked up as he burst out laughing. I didn't teach him that just in case you were curious. And I wouldn't have put this in except that I love those teasing, happy expressions on their faces. I was trying not to burst out laughing as I rolled my eyes and shook my head in mock horror, while trying to take their photo. Looked at Gregg who also had a twinkle in his eye. Then I got back to what I wanted to order. They always keep us laughing when we're with them, these two.

I told him he was a naughty boy. Not really, all in good fun.

I've never tried Guinness but son seemed to enjoy. His Sweetie and I had a Pimm's Royale...

which was prosecco and strawberry. My Sweetie rarely has an alcoholic drink and was very happy with his coca cola. What he was eager to try was the fried bread which was offered as an appetizer. We all shared a piece. It was excellent, not greasy at all. He used to love having this when he was on an exchange tour with the Royal Navy in England, and whenever we went back, would order a full English breakfast and fried bread was always part of that. I don't know how they fry their bread or what they cook it in. I would love to ask next time we go in. Probably a trade secret though.

Our son remembered the Scotch Eggs from our last visit, which we also shared. They were as delicious as we remembered them.

Our daughter-in-law ordered the cottage pie and the three of us had the same thing, fish and chips which you can just make out in this photo. Again, all excellent and absolutely no calories!!! Today at least!

Lastly, and I can't believe we didn't take a photo, we ordered two Sticky Toffee Puddings, they shared theirs and so did we. If you ever get the chance to order one, and I'm sure our British friends know what I am talking about, please do. Ours came with a scoop of ice cream. You can check out a recipe I found here if curious. It has the closest look to ours.

Anyhow, I will leave you with their motto, which has become one of my favorites.

"There are no strangers here, just friends you haven't met yet." 

There you go, there will be a little more on the pub next Tuesday, along with the other days we have experienced this past week. 

Thanks for dropping in and 

I hope you all have a great day!

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE DAILY JOURNAL SUNDAY - 3/15/26 TO SATURDAY 3-21-26

Weather forecast for this coming week, from 3/22 to 3/28 2026.

Sunday, March 15th, 2026: the day always starts off with our son’s visit early morning unless he is elsewhere, out-of-town sometimes. He drops our daughter-in-law off at work. He lets himself in at around 8.30 a.m. and I hear his voice announcing his arrival. I am often upstairs finishing getting ready. We sit around and chatted an hour before his dad started breakfast. Bacon and eggs with toast usually, sometimes British bangers if we have been to the shop in Vienna, sourdough toast as Gregg found out it is one of the breads he should eat health-wise. I had a banana with my cup of black coffee. 

The morning always goes fast and it was soon time for our traditional selfies before son left at 12.30 p.m. He didn't want to be late picking his sweetie up. 

Half-an-hour later the phone rang and it was son again, this time with our dear daughter-in-law. She wanted a quick chat and that’s always lovely when we get a chance to do that. They were on their way to Winchester for the afternoon. The four of us are going to get together for dinner as soon as soon as schedules align. We sometimes forget how busy they are and they do have different working hours.

Dinner: a late one of soup and sandwich at home. We wanted something simple so heated up a cream of mushroom which was delicious, with ham, thinly sliced cheese, alfalfa sprouts and lettuce on wheat bread. 

There are always dates and nuts and fruit to nibble on if we get hungry before bedtime.

I have had no sugary treats as such, and that seems to be going well. I am supposed to have a chat with my doctor soon and will have to set that up in the next couple of days. She is a busy lady and I don't rush into these things. It will be when it will be.

I will be looking at some recipes saves for this week to make, something we both like. The shopping list is being put together.

Monday, March 16th, 2026: the weather was an issue today. We had a tornado watch and 80 mile per hour winds expected. At 6.02 p.m. we have had a lot of rain but it's gone very quiet, not raining, not windy. We look out all day off and on. We would hear the wind pick up if something was coming I'm sure. We also have a basement to get down to if necessary and filled the bathtubs up with water. Yes, I wasn't in the Girl Scouts ten weeks for nothing. Camping? My sister regaled me with all the creepy crawlies inside her tent when she went. That was enough for me to resign from the Girl Scouts!

Gregg moved what he could into the garage, heavy pots are in a corner, outside chairs are tied to the rail and the bench table. Gregg thinks the worst of it has passed and we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Breakfast: a bagel with scrambled eggs and a teaspoon of chili crisp spread over the top, also banana a little later.

Lunch/Dinner: the same as yesterday. It's cold and I needed soup again. I'm drawn to it when I feel chilled. I dress like I am living at the North Pole.

Tuesday, March 17th, 2026: For those who were celebrating, I hope you had a great Saint Patrick’s Day. As for us it was another day spent quietly. 

On the weather front, the tornado watch and high winds we were told about, didn’t materialize. We were glad for the anti-climax. We had heavy rain and that was it. I showed Gregg a photo from our local neighborhood app. Someone had taken it on their way home from Washington DC. It showed very dark clouds and what suspiciously looked like a funnel cloud forming in the distance. It was enough to send him outside to make sure he had secured what he could with the deck furniture. However, no tornadoes touched down in our area. There are downed trees in places and not sure of flooding. Hopefully everyone is okay. We didn't lose our electricity. 

Wednesday, March 18th, 2026: a special day, it is my Love’s 79th birthday. He was very touched with all your greetings and thanks you very much, as do I. Here is another collage from the restaurant. He often tells me what a very nice group of people I know online. True!

We almost forgot our selfies. Son took a few on our way out.

The meal was great, we all said it was a 10 out of 10. No denying we had a feast and there is no need to eat again today. We had a nice young lady who took care of us. I complimented her on her polished nails, they were really something and beautiful! My nails remain short and buffed and that's as far as I go, but it doesn't stop me from admiring beautifully decorated nails. Anyhow, I need to check out these menus before we go. I find them a bit overwhelmed trying to decide what to choose, but this young lady was a big help. I have already shared photos in the collage but here are a few larger versions.

A mushroom appetizer was ordered that we all shared. It had a cheese sauce over it all and was very good. In the next photo below, the cowboy boots were over the door as we walked in. The old horseshoes are saying, "Welcome", which you can just about make out. Which ones would you pick to wear? I'm going for the pink ones but would probably sprinkle glitter all over them.

We all had steak. Gregg had polished off his Caesar salad before his arrived. Brad ordered Caesar also and I had a regular mixed salad. The Birthday Boy doesn’t drink anything alcoholic normally and enjoyed his coca-cola. Son ordered a Southern Comfort and I had a cocktail, a strawberry lemonade with what I am not sure, mostly a strawberry-lemonade concoction, I wanted to try something new. It didn’t taste like it had alcohol in it and was very refreshing and probably a little dangerous. One was enough for me, I was getting a bit too chatty the boys said and yes, they were joking, at least I think they were joking. You can see the drinks in the photo with mushrooms above.

I ordered a smaller steak than the boys as a lobster tail came with mine, along with the loaded baked potato. No one wanted a dessert after this meal but the cheesecake looked good. 

Over the weekend we will be doing it all over again with our dear daughter-in-law, but at a different restaurant, another favorite of our Birthday Boy. We always consider the whole week a special birthday week. 

It is 7:01 pm. and not now but we will be going to bed early!

Thursday March 19th, 2026: (57 °F. - 13.9 °C. - Sunny as of 1.09 p.m.) 

Just had breakfast at lunchtime. Oatmeal with apples and dried cranberries (these were originally homemade put into 3/4 cup pots and popped in the freezer for whenever I wanted one. The link to the recipe is here. It was made in the crockpot). I added a 1/4 cup probiotic yogurt, a tablespoon of pumpkin seeds and 1/2 ounce of chopped walnuts. One of my favorite breakfasts.

Gregg just gave this to me from one of our selfies. He had it turned into a painting. We both said the boys' likenesses are more accurate than mine. 

We went to Trader Joe’s. Another place that has been a long time between visits. I bought small boxes with chocolate Easter eggs, tiny ones six to a packet. I wanted to treat our darlings and give them a special treat but not over the top. I am thinking about the sugar thing for everyone, not just myself.

I had it in mind to buy a few greeting cards. You can get prettily designed ones for 99 cents. While we were in there, we bought a few food supplies as it was time to stock up and we love their pineapple juice for a change of pace. Things seem to sell out fast here. TJ’s is fun to walk around. 

Friday, March 20th, 2026: just finished another iPad jigsaw puzzle. I think you will guess what’s on my mind. 

No breakfast but lunch was a ready-made salad from Trader Joe’s; chickpea, kale and crispy red rice with avocado herb vinaigrette. There was enough for two so I had the rest for dinner. Gregg preferred his coleslaw and he won't mind my saying so, but his eyebrows rose at my kale. If it was fresh spinach or cabbage he would have no problem. It was all excellent and I will definitely look for it again next time we visit. Also had half of a roast potato. I had the other half for dinner also.

The day has flown by again. We were going for a walk, but it started raining. 

Saturday, March 21st, 2026: Happy First Day of Spring and what a gorgeous day it is today. A sunny 68°F. - 20°C.  Ah well now, we've tried to be good all week but today we went to McDonalds for lunch. We usually get a coffee and a doughnut today but didn't, so that's a step in the right direction, I guess. However, a step in the wrong direction took us to the coffee shop after our burger and fries. I gave Gregg my cheeseburger - another justification - and got a coffee and a brownie, no no, oh yes, yes. They picked up on the fact that the dear man had just had his birthday, and he got everything at half price. 

Here are a few photos we took around and about. These were taken when we stopped at traffic lights. Such a jolly fellow, he waved and waved and waved.

We have been watching this building go up over the last few months. The land used to have a private home, but it had been abandoned for years, and we slowly saw it collapse in on itself, always saying what a shame, someone's dream home once. It surprised us when the land was finally cleared, the old house was bull-dozed and we watched this much larger building being built floor by floor, starting with the elevator shaft. "I can see three people up there." "What are they doing?" "I can see sparks, looks like some welding is going on." And this is the riveting and scintillating conversation we have when stopped at the traffic light. We counted three people on sight today and yes we count people too.

Our son and daughter-in-law sent photos earlier. Our sweet d-in-l organized her yearly voice and piano recital for her students today. She is an amazing teacher and the love and care she shows her young charges is very heartwarming. Way to go to our daughter-in-law whom we love dearly. Congratulations on another successful recital. 

My new book that I ordered last week, two weeks ago(?) has arrived. I have Kay to thank for this. She is host of Georgia Girl With An English Heart. Thank you for recommending this lovely book in one of your blog posts Kay. I can't wait to read it. It is set in a different time but Gregg and I can relate, and I daresay I will be reading snippets to him as I read through the pages. We often read to each other snippets from books we both enjoy reading.

            

With this I am going to end my weekly journal.

Thanks so much for reading it with me

and I wish you a great week!

A BIRTHDAY AND CONTINUATION OF OUR TRIP TO McKEE'S BOTANICAL GARDEN, VERO BEACH, FLORIDA IN 2014 - PART 4

 It's Gregg's 79th birthday today, and we are off out for a special birthday meal with our son. We will also be going out again for another special birthday meal this weekend, when our dear daughter-in-law can join us. I will share photos with you in the next few days. In the meantime, I have a regular post.

As I saw these in January 2014, information below is out of date. However, on my Part 3 post, I added up-to-date information (at least at the time of writing) where you would find other exhibits of Seward Johnson's works. I have also updated and checked the links to make sure they are still working. This could all change again a few years after publishing though. There is always plenty of information online.

This is my fourth post in the 'Beyond The Frame' series of sculptures by Seward Johnson's exhibit I saw back in Florida in January 2014.  It is entitled 'The Eye of the Beholder'. You can see the others I have been sharing over the last few weeks here, here and here. This work is based on the Claude Monet painting, 'Pere Lathuilles'. You can see a copy of the painting at this link. 

This particular exhibit is located inside The Bamboo Pavilion. We walked along a path of tall bamboo to get there.  A marker nearby read: "This Pavilion (2002) was the first engineered structure to receive a building permit in the United States.  It was constructed of Guadua bamboo (Guadua angustifolia), an abundant and easily renewable resource in the central Andean valleys of South America.  Columbian craftsmen followed a design by Engineer Jorg Stamm, that combines traditional tribal techniques with European methods of joining wood. 

People throughout the tropical and sub-tropical parts of the world build with bamboo, using many different traditional ways of building.  Modern builders too have begun to use this easily renewable resource for flooring and laminates.  

Bamboo is a giant grass - one of the world's most economically important families  Other grasses we use include wheat, oats, corn, sugar and rice."

I also read online that the roof has more than 9,000 Sabal Palm Fronds attached by traditional methods under the supervision of Seminole Indian Chief Leroy Osceola.  Unfortunately, the link I shared originally no longer works and I was unable to find a replacement. I will keep on trying.

The Pavilion was quiet when we got there.  Our only companions were the couple at the table and their waiter. (Their is today’s birthday boy on the right.) 

Yes, that's birthday boy 'listening in'.

The waiter’s ears were tuned in their direction also.

I will add another post next week showing you more statues.

Thanks for visiting and I hope you have enjoyed the latest on this old Seward Johnson's exhibit.

Have a great day!

THE BAKERY AND MUSEUM COMPANY - BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION - 3-18-25

More photos from the place we mention here on my Around and About post, if you missed it. The bakery's website is here where you can scroll to see what they have to offer. No photos of the dishes though. This is when we were celebrating Gregg's birthday on the 18th. We had a lovely time. 

Gregg had his eye on these leather sofas and as soon as they were vacated we moved over from a table we had been sitting. They were very comfortable.

A part of the wall behind us is covered from top to counter with plants. I didn't inspect it to see if they were real, but if not they looked it.

Our darlings on the other side.

Here they are ordering our sandwiches.

I chose this one. It was called The Jack of All Trades, an excellent breakfast sandwich.

This was son's order or it could have been our daughter-in-law's and am not sure what it was called. Gregg had the same as me. 

I will have to study the menu more the next time we go.

The pastries looked good also.

I put the Birthday Boy in the place of honor in center of the collage.

I have been playing with a collage app I downloaded on my iPad. I am not sure if photo collage is its proper name, but this is its symbol.

Gregg enjoyed his birthday and we all had an excellent time at the bakery.

I hope you have had a great week and I wish you all a very enjoyable weekend.