Lovely Heart surprise!

Hello everyone, hope you are having a great weekend.

We had a very busy day yesterday, with in-laws visiting us, so cue a big clean up operation and a big cooking session.  I will show what I made at the end of this post as first of all I would like to start off with what definitely cheered my day amongst all it's hectic-ness.  My dear friend Betsy sent me a lovely package all the way from the United States - just look what was inside:

Betsy has made this lovely felt heart brooches for me and some of our other dear blogging friends...

I love the sweet embroidery of this flower...

and isn't the card adorable?

I shall be wearing this tomorrow on my return to work...

 

Betsy, thank you so, so very much for this gift and your sweet message, you really are a sweetheart!

 

And the arrival of these lovely gifts were such a pick-me-up: I don't mind cleaning and cooking marathons, but have to confess that I do find these things a little stressful when having to complete them to a set deadline.  My work life is what you might call "an extreme deadline environment" so in my everyday life I choose to be on a slightly more flexible timetable.

 

But thankfully everything was done and dusted (literally) with 30 minutes to spare before the visitors arrived.

 

And this is what I had spent 3 hours making:

 

 

 Galnish...

 

A traditional dish from the Caucaus region...

 

 

To give you some idea of the quantities, it requires 2 large bags of flour, 4 pints of water, and a lot of elbow grease and patience!  The trays (of which eventually there were three in total) are large enough to cover almost a third of my dining room table - that is each tray is that big!  Yes, we are talking of industrial quantities here.  Does my family have a healthy appetite?  You bet!!

The flour is wholemeal, but has to be sifted to take the larger pieces out.  Then, it is mixed with water to form a stiff dough.  About 6 years ago I had surgery on my hand and found kneading the dough too painful, so DH treated me to a Kenwood Chef Major so that I can use it with the dough hook for this dish.  Yes, it is a family favourite and worth investing in such a piece of kitchen equipment!!  Then the dough is rolled out (by hand) into long sausage shapes, about the diameter of my little finger.  These are then cut into pieces about 2 inches long and hand rolled into the shapes you can see above.  The good news is that any left over pieces can be frozen before cooking, so every time I make this dish I freeze some.  This means that on average, after 4 times of cooking I end up with a 5th batch in the freezer for "emergency visitors".  Or when DH wistfully says "I really feel like having Galnish for dinner"...

 

A soup is made with meat (the relatives) or onions and milk (me).  The meat (or onions) is taken out and put on one side, then the Galnish pieces are cooked in the soup in the same way you would cook pasta.  The cooked pieces are served with the meat (for the meat eaters) and a garlic sauce.  It is a very rustic but delicious dish, and although I sometimes groan when I am making it, the eating of it makes it all worthwhile!

 

Today I am taking things a little easier, just a big pile of ironing and some paperwork tidying later on.

 

Have a lovely Sunday!

 

Helenxx

 





Little things

TGI Friday!  What a week!  Very, very hectic, with work emergencies stretching into the evenings.  And a power cut as well for a short time tonight!!

BUT - there have been some lovely little things that have made me smile this week.

First up, on a visit to a college (set in the most beautiful grounds) I spotted this little clump of beauties on a very cold and grey day...

Sweet little snowdrops, how lovely to see you!  A very welcome sight at this cold time of the year.

Next, I was at one of the training providers I use with my students, writing quite a detailed report.  One of the tutors popped this little fellow on my desk to keep me company...

Such a cute bunny!!  Very tame and docile, sat next to me - so soothing!  I would love to bring him home but would be worried that he might end up as a cat snack...he is so small he easily fits into the palm of a hand.  And apparently he wont grow much bigger.

Yesterday I actually had time to snatch a bite of lunch - I usually end up working through lunch which is fine by me, but every now and again circumstances allow me to actually grab 30 minutes.  So I popped into a little Middle Eastern restaurant for a falalfel sandwich and a very strong Arabic coffee...

it was very yummy indeed!!  And just the very thing to give me a renewed burst of energy!

Tomorrow will be busy as we have in-laws visiting, so lots of cooking and cleaning to do.  So probably wont be much time to sit and relax, but I am hoping to at least get a couple of rows of crochet completed on my blanket.

Have a great weekend!

Helenxx

Into the Winter Woods

Hello everyone - what a chilly weekend it was, and this cold snap has certainly continued today.

Yesterday, after running all the usual errands, DH, DD and I went for a brisk walk in our local Outwoods.  As always there was plenty to see and enjoy.

Walking into the woods it was lovely to see the old trees...

Bare branches against a pale blue sky...

I wondered who had carved this star into the trunk of this tree, and why...

Looking across the empty fields...

A sprinkling of snow on the dead leaves...

Loving this pale, washed out landscape, so familiar yet ever-changing...

The rangers have been busy clearing some of the trees...

Looking wintry...

The air was full of the scent of wood smoke from the charcoal burner, such an ancient tradition alive and well...

I loved how this venerable old tree frames the landscape...

and was amazed to see how this cross section of a felled birch tree forms a heart shape!

Then back home again to work another few, soothing rows of this Winter Woods lap blanket, I am so pleased with how the colours seem to closely match those in the photos I took on my walk, exactly the look I was after!

Another few rows should see me ready to add the border. 

Hope you are keeping warm and cozy!

Helenxx

Birthday Treats

Good morning everyone, hope you have had a good week.

On Monday yours truly celebrated her birthday - one of those "in-between one BIG birthday and the next BIG birthday" if you know what I mean...;)

It was a work day, but I was truly spoiled by family, friends and colleagues.

My lovely DH and children clubbed together to buy me something I had long been wanting, an android tablet.  This means that when I am travelling I can upload Kindle books to it, videos, etc, then read/watch these on the plane/boat/in the hotel, etc.  Plus it is so much faster and easier than firing up the computer at home.  There is no temptation to check work emails or type reports as I haven't linked my work email to it, and it does not have Word or Excel on it.  In fact, it is purely all play and no work!  I have worked out how to blog on it, now I need to find out if I can link my camera by a cable to transfer photos so I can do this properly.  I can certainly use it to comment on your blogs which is fab.  DH has also upgraded my phone, which I am hoping to pick up today.

I had perfume, and lots of lovely things for the bath, some of which are travel size which is very handy. 

I received this from my bestest friend, Sue, the fungi are hand made by her in lampworked glass, and the log is actually made from the remnants of one of my favourite autumnal things...isn't it wonderful?

She also made me this wonderful card, reflecting my love of Islamic architecture...

Moonstruck indeed...

This will be on permanent display I think!

And these lovely chocs...

 

And a pot of hyacynths...

 



 

AND a brand new, shiny 20 Euro note for my next European adventure!  Thank you so, so much Sue, you have really spoiled me!

 

I got lots of lovely cards...

 

 

and flowers...

 

 

And of course DD put on her apron and made a scrumptious cake...

 

 

 

 

What a wonderful day! I am very blessed to have such fabulous family and friends, I really do appreciate how fortunate I am.

 

Then on Thursday it was Best Brother's birthday, so we went to visit him with presents and of course DD sprang back into action...

 

 

He loves coffee so this was a Tiramasu inspired cake with chocolate coffee beans on top...

 

 

And on Tuesday, it was the fourth Anniversary of the start of this blog - four years: where has that gone?  Of course, it was Sue who got me into this lark - and how grateful I am that she did as I have made some wonderful friends and learned so much from all over the world.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

Helenxx





Blanket love

Hello everyone, hope the first full week of 2015 went well for you.  We went back to work, school, college and university this week, boy was it a shock on Monday morning!!  The week went reasonably well, thankfully, and here we are again on Sunday, and I realised I hardly had any time to read blogs, let alone post on mine. 

So I thought it high time I shared some photos of the lap blanket I made my Darling Mum as part of her Christmas gift.

I had to take photos just before gift wrapping it, so no fancy photography tricks I'm afraid!  Here it is on the back of my sofa...

The colours match her sofa and cushions, the yarn was self-patterning chunky weight so worked up nice and quickly...

She was very happy with it...

I am progressing well with my stash buster lap blanket, it has progressed beyond a huge granny square, and is now taking on a more rectangular shape.  It is so good to use all those scraps left from my 2014 challenge blanket.  Hopefully I will complete it in the next two weeks and then I can start my 2015 challenge blanket - some yarn has already been purchased as an in advance birthday treat from me to me!!  My birthday is actually tomorrow.  There has been quite a bit of furtive sneaking around the house this weekend, so don't know what the crew are up to!!

Have a lovely Sunday, hope the sun is shining where you are.

Helenxx

On a cold and frosty morning

Hello everyone, well, back to work, school, college and university today, weather grey, probably reflecting how many people feel getting back into the swing of everyday life!

But yesterday we awoke to a cold and frosty morning, so I made the most of it, grabbed my coat and my camera, and took some photos before the fleeting moment had passed.

The frost was so heavy that it looked like a dusting of icing sugar on the conifers...

The spider webs looked beautiful...

Twigs glistened...

But amongst all this cold and frost, there were glimpses of spring - the cherry trees are already forming buds...

And, tucked away at the side of the house were the two pots of bulbs I bought this time last year, and they are springing back into life! 

Hyacynths...

and mini daffodils...

I am looking to treat myself to a couple more pots of bulbs this week, I always buy some on my first week back to work after the holidays.  Usually they can be found quite cheaply and the scent and beauty of the flowers act as a real tonic.

I hope, if you returned to "normal" life today it all went well for you.

Helenxx

Lovely surprise!

Good morning everyone, hope you are enjoying the weekend.  We are slowly getting our head around the fact that it is back to work, school, college and university tomorrow.  The last 2 weeks have been wonderful, but have flown by far too quickly!  Oh well, only six weeks to half term...and we still have today to make the very most of!

Yesterday I had a lovely surprise all the way from America.  I heard the post arrive and was very pleased and excited indeed to see an envelope with this stamp...

and this sweet drawing in the corner...

This is what was inside the envelope...

A card from dear Teresa, my dear blogger friend!  I love the picture on the card, I think I am correct in saying that it is a photo of Teresa's fireplace in her lovely farm house, edited by the iphone or ipad watercolour app.  I think it is so effective...

Such a sweet message inside!

But that is not all - just look what Teresa made for me...

It is so intricate, absolutely stunning.

I am so delighted...

Teresa, thank you so, so much for thinking of me, I really do appreciate it.  The heart will be hung in my living room year round, it is too pretty to put away with the Christmas decorations!  I am so blessed to count you amongst my blog friends.

Bloggers really are the best!!

Helenxx