Caron I assume the lascar didn’t know – but he should have guessed! He had all the clues.

1. A shop I often buy clothes at sent me an email letting me know they are having a one-day sale. A dress I’d been eyeing is less than 1/4 original price. Unfortunately I’m stuck at home waiting for a delivery to arrive (I was given no window of time, just the day!), but if I don’t manage to get out to try it on I will take a chance on ordering it online even though I assume they wouldn’t take returns on a sale item if I don’t like it on. I know my size there and it looks like it would suit me.
2. Why stop at one item when they are on sale? So easy to click on more…
3. I have been over my calories every day this week BUT my water intake is really good and that has always been a struggle for me in the past.

Enjoy yr break Allie! My positives are so many I might need to collate some into one!

1. Fund a beautiful pair of black slacks at a charity store. Top brand – and new! SIZE 14 which I havent worn in decades.

2. Plumber friend came to check out an excess water bill and electricity hike. Pressure Valve on HWS had corroded . . . and two taps were dead. ALL were miraculously fixed in spite of their ages!!!! Canopy on my gazebo had been shredded by ice shards during a hail storm . . . I had a spare canopy which is now n pace thanks to the above friend.

3. A “scarcely speak to” type of acquaintance of several years – whom I met through a Body Shop party 🙂 – (she was/is a consultant!) – was asked – (just out of sheer desperation for a travelling companion!) would she travel with me on a two week cruise next April. A week into her deliberations . . . her daughter was taken ill – and while in hospital awaiting emergency surgery, they were discussing the opportunity. Her daughter suggested it was a wonderful opportunity and she would be missing out on a good holiday and experience if she didnt take it. . . and . . . she has agreed to go!!! SO with a bit of serious cutting down over the next 6 months – wherever possible!!! – and as I have most of my Christmas shopping ready to wrap 🙂 . . . I can afford the twin share fare not the single supplement one! Something to look forward to!!! Interesting fact . . , the last time I did a cruise I actually came back weighing lighter – and on reflection – without even realising it . . . sure I was walking more – from one end of the ship to the other 🙂 . . . and nibbling at the odd little pettit foure * (spelling . .?) – serve of sweet desserts . . . but mainly . . . . I was eating mostly like Im now doing on BSD!!!! So Im not concerned about menus or possibly over indulging. Roll on April 2019!!!

Allie – of course you can prevail on me for the plum chutney recipe – think it would go very well with pork tenderloin. The recipe is based on one I found online, but I did my usual tweaking. Quantities are vague and not hard and fast and as far as the sugar/maple syrup is concerned, this can be adjusted according to how sweet the plums are – I prefer chutney to have a sharpness rather than being jam(jelly)like, so always add it in stages.

Anyway, here goes (items marks *, are those I added):
1kg (2.2lb) plums pitted and chopped
500g (1lb) chopped onions (*I used shallots, as that is what I had to hand)
Generous handful of sultanas
*2 generous handfuls of cranberries
*12 quartered cherry tomatoes
160ml (two thirds of a cup) each of cider vinegar, malt vinegar and *either port of a medium sherry
Sugar and *maple syrup as required (maple syrup is lower in carbs that cane sugar, which is why I use it)
Flaked dried chillies (as much or as little as you like, according to your preference)
1.5 inch chunk of root ginger finely chopped (*crystalised root ginger can be used, that was all I had in, so it’s what I used)
*2tsp crushed or milled pink peppercorns (or for more heat you could use mustard seeds, as called for in the original recipe)
Salt and the *Zest of one medium lemon
Cinnamon Stick and *two good size blades of Mace (all of these need to be fished out at the end of cooking and pre-jarring)

Put all ingredients in to a good sized heavy bottomed saucepan, bring to boil and then simmer until the chutney has a good gloopy consistency. Be sure to stir frequently, to avoid the chutney sticking to the bottom of the pan. The cooking period took longer than I was expecting, as it takes time to reduce the liquid. Test for the balance of tang to sweetness as the cooking process goes on, so that adjustments may be made with vinegar or sugar/maple syrup as appropriate. At the end of cooking, allow the mixture to cool a bit, before bottling into sterilised jars.

Hope you’ll have a go at making a batch – let me know if you make any tweaks, as it’s always good to know what other adjustments can be made. I’m thinking some cloves might make a nice addition, or even a few green cardamom (one of my favourites) – may be next time.

Okay, well I’ll be back later to add some positives for the day – too early yet to formulate those.

This sounds wonderful, Sunny! Aren’t you sweet to translate the measurements for me too 🙂 We have
orchards in the next town over, so I hope to make it over there early next week. Would you recommend
red or purple plums?
Back later to post positives, and chat, all!

Well I used red plums, because that’s what some kind neighbours gave me, but I see no reason why it wouldn’t work just as well with purple.

Day is old enough to post some positives now ….
1) Lovely evening with OH last night. Good to communicate properly again.
2) Another Christmas gift sorted for the friend who came to see us in Turkey – created a photo book to remind her of her holiday.
3) Baked the cake my grand daughter requested for her birthday. It’s a bit flat and sad and really not my best work, but I figure with filling and decoration, it will be well accepted by an eight year old – hopefully! Will be decorating it tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed for me.

Hope you’re all having a positive day.

Sunny, I’m sure the birthday cake will be beautiful! I so wish you were a hop, skip and a jump away, so that
I could give you a handful of my life like gumpaste/sugarpaste flowers for decorations 🙂 They disguise
any and all imperfections when they are well placed! Having a date night is always a good idea…
I’ve already checked the menu at our favorite Cape Cod restaurant, and I’m already anticipating the
“fisherman’s stew” and the antipasti plate. Let’s hope that I can build in some wiggle room before then 🙂
I have my sights set on red plums, too…probably a more beautiful color. I make 3 or 4 types of chutney,
but I’m very excited to try yours! I’m sure you have noticed this too, but I find that having cooked for
over 4 decades, I just instinctively know how a new recipe will taste simply by reading the ingredients.
I think yours will be a winner!
Other news….. My orchid has now produced 6 shiny, healthy looking buds! I’ve begun to think how to see
to their proper hydration while we’re away for 5 days.
Tomorrows temps will be 20 degrees cooler, and I can’t wait to throw open every window and get out
of this refrigerated air.
How long will you be spending in Turkey this time around? Be prepared, because I will be hoping that
you have time to check in with us while you’re away!

Oh Allie, I’m not as confident as you seem to be about the cake I’m working on! I’m sure some of your beautiful flowers would help no end, but as there isn’t that option, it will have to be whatever I can manage. It will be what it will be and the grand daughter in question is such a little sweetheart, I’m sure she’ll be kind about whatever I present to her.

The fisherman’s stew and antipasti sound great – just my sort of food. We have a w/e in France coming up later this month, so I’m hoping for some lovely French cuisine then. We are going to the champagne region with friends, so needless to say there will be alcohol involved!

Yes, I’m like you with recipes and instinctively knowing the kind of flavour they will produce. It also means I instinctively add in things I feel are missing/ lacking – hence the tweaks to the chutney recipe. Hope you really enjoy it, whatever plums you manage to get. What chutneys do you make? I want to make a gooseberry one – have a recipe – but haven’t seen any gooseberries so far this year – typical!

Really pleased your orchid is on the verge of blooming again. If you water well before you go, they should cope with your absence of five days and not need attention before you’re home again. We’ll be in Turkey just over a month this time and yes, I’ll be dropping in occasionally whilst away. Miss you guys too, when I’m away, but like to have a bit of a tech-detox too.

I’ll call these my positives for today?
Just had my 60yrs MOT at my GP (health check for non UK)
Health Check 07/08/2018
Height 178.0cm 5’10” & a bit
BP139/84
Heart rate 55bpm
Cholesterol 4.4 HDL 1.3 Non-HDL 3.1
Glucose HbA1c 36
What is a healthy HbAlc level?
A normal healthy person will have an HbAlc level under 42 mmol/mol. Pre-diabetes ranges from 43-47 mmol/mol. Above that is diabetic level.

That all looks good Sumo, except maybe the blood pressure? Have you noticed any change to that with BSD? I mainly need to get my blood sugar down from pre-diabetic level, and my cholesterol has been a bit high for as long as I can remember.

Should I be watering my orchid regularly then (recent gift for my birthday)? I thought they didn’t like being wet, and I’m trying to stop my husband drowning it. I wouldn’t have thought five days without was a problem at all. But I’ve never had success with them so maybe I’m underwatering. I should do some research.

I’m struggling to think of anything today! It wasn’t a bad day at all, just not much happened. I’ll try.
1. I did the grocery shopping and my trolley was full of fresh fruit and veges and meat, almost nothing processed. A trolley to be proud of!
2. Strawberries are cheap at the moment, so I got the family a whole punnet each to have for dessert. Yum.
3. I’m down 1.3 kg since restarting BSD on Monday.

Natalie
Just looked back over last 7 years, even though I have lost 5 stones, my BP has been fairly constant? So unless it changes as I am now increasing exercise, then that is me?
Forgot, hot tub drained for me to clean, and refill this afternoon, ready for weekend use.

Hey Sumo – some really good results there. Yes the BP is a little high, but that could just have been stress on the day. And I guess it’s possible that it is your norm – my BP has a natural tendency to be low. I’m sure if you GP had been concerned, they would have mentioned it to you.

Natalie, if you have phalaenopsis (moth) orchids, light watering once or two a week is plenty. If leaves are yellowing and dropping, it’s likely due to over watering. Under watering causes leaves to wrinkle and go limp, but this can also be a sign the root system is dying. Moth orchids are very tolerant though and usually an adjustment in watering pattern will resolve issues. They are pretty much the only indoor plant that happily co-exists with me – even other types of orchids take on look at me and give up!

So anyway, on to some positives ……
1) Homemade cake a complete and unmitigated disaster, so bought one this morning and successfully decorated it – looks good and I think it will be well received by G/daughter.
2) Planning a TV Free evening and a discussion with OH this evening – need to get to the bottom of his uncharacteristic grumpy moods recently ….. wish me luck!
3) Struggling for a 3rd one today, so I’ll be content with the two … does that count?

Of course it counts, Sunny! I’m sure your granddaughter was delighted with her birthday cake, produced
in your oven or elsewhere 🙂 I seldom make cakes either, and I only have 4/6″ pans, which I hold my breath
when I bake. My only claim to fame is to have mastered a boiled icing/frosting, called “italian meringue”.
It’s a beautiful concoction, not gritty like ones made with powdered sugar, and involves boiling sugar and
water to a precise temp on a candy thermometer, and pouring it in a steady stream into whipped egg whites.
You need a heavy duty stand mixer for this, which runs for about 10 minutes until it cools down, then you
beat in room temp butter, a tablespoon at a time, until it’s all been incorporated. Next, vanilla and any flavoring
you wish to add.
I hope your evening with your husband was helpful in understanding his mood changes. Mine doesn’t really
go grumpy on me, but he can become very remote and noncommunicative when he’s got something on his mind.
I”m sure you’ve heard the expression “man of few words”? Jim is a man of “no words” when it comes to his
feelings!
I took a quick look through my assortment of chutney recipes in my personal cookbook, and find all of the
ingredients we’ve been discussing, i.e., cardamom pods, chili flakes, fresh ginger, cloves, raisins, even garam
masala, and black mustard seed, cinnamon sticks, etc. I found one using seasonal dark cherries, a cranberrry
apple one, a tomato apple one with garam masala. All can be frozen. I’ve got one for Bengali fish that uses
pineapple, 1/4 c dried apricots, some heat and some raisins. I’ve never frozen it because of the pineapple.
It also uses turmeric and bright saffron yellow Kashmiri mild chili powder. I see that our orchards have
plums and peaches available now, so I’m off to collect some of each. I’ll see you in our virtual kitchen, to
report on successes and failures, and compare recipes. Fun!!! Do you every spread one of your chutneys
on top of cream cheese, and leave it accompanied by crackers for a quick and easy appetizer? When I do
cocktail parties for 20-30 people, it’s useful to have something that doesn’t involve last minute use of the oven!
A few edible flowers on the plate, and it always looks great 🙂 I’m most excited to try the red plums, however.
This might turn into a cottage industry for us! I hope you locate the gooseberries. And then of course, purple
figs should be along soon, too! Grilled with a little wild honey…Nirvana 🙂 Have a wonderful evening, chef
of my soul xx

Allie

Oh Allie, figs – bliss! Actually. Friday evening as a starter, I baked part split figs filled with a little blue cheese to accompany a slice of black pudding (think in the USA it’s know as blood pudding) served with a little of the plum chutney and this evening, the figs were roasted with a little feta sprinkled with a little dried oregano – had that to accompany some maple glazed ham. If you could share the cherry chutney recipe I’d appreciate it, as they are cheap and plentiful in Turkey, so I could make a small batch and bring some home. Oh and I have also made Fig and Raki (aniseed spirit) conserve using dried figs, which goes wonderfully with cold meats and cheeses too – or have I mentioned that before?

Friday evening proved very helpful, we had a good heart to heart chat and it seems that there are a few issues, starting with OH not sleeping well at present and feeling very fatigued all the time. Suggested he should go the Doc for an MOT, but we have a new bed arriving Tuesday, so he wants to see if that makes any difference, before taking the step of seeking medical opinion. He has also been struggling to ‘get back to normal’ since our return from Turkey and because of that, he feels kind of out of step with everything. Reminded him that technically he’s retired, so he can make up the rules as he chooses – work when he wants to and not if he doesn’t. He’s expressed a wish for us to spend more time together, doing days out and w/e’s away etc, so I’m currently researching some options. Overall, think it’s put us back on the same page again anyway.

G/daughter was thrilled with the cake, so a success even though it was a cheat! She was also delighted with her birthday presents, especially the amethyst pendant I got for her – she is eight on Wednesday and currently has a thing about gem stones.

Anyway, my positives right now are ….
1) OH seems more relaxed after our sharing on Friday.
2) Great to spend time with son and g/daughter yesterday and visit a friend on the way home too.
3) Another garden session this morning, as friend mentioned above, gifted me a batch of polyanthas, so they needed to be put in and OH installed and old wrought iron gate for me, as a feature divider in the border. Really happy with how the garden is looking now.
Oh, and mentioning the gardening prompts me to add a fourth positive. A little frog appeared on the edging stone while I was watering, so I gave him a little shower and then he was patient enough to wait while I grabbed my camera and took a series of close up photos of him – even with the lens just a couple of inches from him he remained and eventually moved on when I went back to gardening. Completely delightful!

Hope everyone else has been enjoying lots of positives this w/e.

My grandmother had an outside toilet at the bottom of the garden under a huge fig tree, and when I stayed there every summer as a young child, I had to walk down the path at night with the smell of figs all around me and overripe figs squishing under my feet; terrified of the dark, venomous tiger snakes, red back spiders, miscellaneous monsters, and the frogs sitting under the rim (I wasn’t exactly scared of frogs, but you don’t want one jumping up at your vulnerable bits while you’re sitting on the toilet). As a result the smell of figs still triggers a memory of that scared little girl in the dark, and I have never tasted one. All this talk of figs makes me shudder!

1. I had a walk in the early spring sunshine.
2. The smell of wattle in flower.
3. Our new floor lamp arrived, it looks like a black chandelier on a pole which fits our gothic fantasy theme perfectly for the room we play Dungeons and Dragons in (previous home owners used it as a dining room).

Oh my goodness, sorry Natalie! Isn’t it strange the things that can bring old memories racing to the fore – both good and bad. Will try to limit chat about figs in future.

Another day and more positives to find. I love this thread, as it really makes me take time each day to find something good, even if the day hasn’t presented anything much out of the ordinary. Think it is finding little nuggets of positivity even in the most bland of days, that make us really appreciate how blessed we really are.

So, today has not been an exceptional one, but I’ve dredged up a few positives to post and here they are ….
1) More wild life found in the garden today – a juvenile goldfinch, who was a bit fatigued and needed time to rest, so we popped him in a hanging flower basket, so no neighbour cats could get to him; and a huge frog, uncovered by OH whilst moving logs at the bottom of the garden. Puzzle is, we don’t know where the frogs come from, as there isn’t a pond in our garden, or in those of our immediate neighbours. Lovely to see them though.
2) Nice and sunny here today, which means we’re generating a good amount of electricity with our solar panels, so have been getting laundry up to date on free electric.
3) Rescued a couple of old rotting logs OH was going to chuck on a bonfire. They were already being colonised by bugs, so I have moved them onto the flowerbed, so that the insects can continue to make use of them.

Like I said, nothing of any great import, but – I think – positives nonetheless. Hope everyone else is able to identify some positives today too.

1. Laughing at pictures of NY fashion week. I would call the theme ‘dumpster chic’. It looks like they grabbed a random assortment of clothing and plastic bags from someone else’s bin, everything four sizes too big in clashing colours and patterns. And apparently ‘ugly sneakers’ are a thing, yes that is what they call them. Good for a laugh.
2. I needed some plastic pots to move up some seedlings, the sort you buy plants in not for display, and the nursery had a big container out the front for people to dump their old pots to be recycled. I couldn’t reach many without climbing in but I managed to grab some bright blue ones. Perfectly usable, just a little dirty. Saved a few dollars and helped the environment at the same time.
3. I got hungry while still out and about but I didn’t buy anything, I waited until I got home and had my planned lunch (steak and salad yum).

Oh Natalie, squishing your way through rotting figs barefoot and in the dark sounds horrendous! I was a
very “suggestible” child also, so I can imagine how you felt “running the gauntlet” to the loo 🙂 Awful!
Your commentary on NY Fashion week made me smile. Actually, that fashion show is re-enacted in my
house on a daily basis. I’ve gone from a size 26 to a size 6, but I continue to wear these rag bag tops/tunics
around the house, anyway. I live in fear of someone ringing the doorbell, and having to do a quick change
before I open the door. All I really need to do is throw on some Bohemian jewelry and find an old pair
of paint spattered sneakers, and I might be perceived as cutting edge! I often think we have some designers
that are actually sadists!
Sunny, I just love your stories of “life in the garden”. I hope that you keep a garden journal! I picture those
lovely English garden benches, lots of shrubbery and spectacular oversize pots filled with blooms 🙂
Your husband must be a treasure…It seems that that there is no task that he cannot do, from tiling to
repairing a car. What a gem! I would be flattered beyond words to hear from my O/H that he wanted to
spend more time with me. However, I do have him all to myself for 5 days next week, and I’m really looking
forward to our time out at the ocean. Tourists are long gone by mid September, and there is something
very special about the light, due to the sun being lower in the sky, that intensifies the contrast between
light and shadow. Quite breathtaking, actually. Lots of wonderful nature walks too! We particularly
enjoy taking binoculars and following the sandy trail through the marsh, zoning in on great blue herons
and gorgeous white egrets. I have finally located the notebook that contains the cherry chutney, so
I’ll include it in a separate post, to follow. I’d really like to know how you bake your figs!
Almost forgot a few positives…
1. Black Mission figs are in season!
2. Another category 4 hurricane is heading for the east coast, but should make landfall by Thurs., so
hopefully blown out to sea by the following Tues. when we’re due to travel!
3. There is a dense wooded area beyond the lawn where we live. Wild grape leaves grow 10 feet in the
air, twining around tree trunks, which are bright yellow in Sept. We had a big thunderstorm last night,
and what a sight this morning…Hundreds of bright yellow handkerchief size swaths of color littering
the lawn this morning. Mother Nature is full of tricks! 🙂

Bring forth your positives, everyone! Enjoy your day!

For SunnyB, or anyone else who might care to give this a try…

CHERRY CHUTNEY
1 c. pitted, dark red cherries
1/2 c apple cider vinegar
1/2 c chopped onion
3 Tbs brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 c dark raisins
@ 1″ peeled ginger root, grated
1 tsp. black mustard seeds
1″ piece cinnamon
3 cardamom pods
3 whole cloves
a few gratings of whole nutmeg
pinch of salt
red pepper flakes, to taste

Bring all ingredients to a boil in a heavy saucepan, then cover and reduce to a simmer, for about
30 min. If not thick enough, remove lid and simmer a little longer.
Keeps @ 10 days under refrigeration, or freezes beautifully. Remember to extract cardamom pods and
cloves!
NOTES: I’ve never made this other than by tripling the recipe, which has worked out well. I’m fairly
certain that I cut back on some of the onion, too. If you try it, I’d love to have your opinion, as well
as any tweaks that you’ve made 🙂

Love all the comments today! SunnyB, the garden logs with bugs sounds just like something I would do. It’s a sort of deep ecology that most gardeners just don’t think about but just might save our world.
My favorite thing to do is to garden, but it is funny, over the past few years, instead of gardening, I find myself just wanting to WATCH what is in the garden and what nature is up to. I’ve adopted a “let it lie” philosophy unless it’s blocking a path or in the way of the car or something, I just let it stay wherever nature put it in the first place — which has made for a messy yard but really interesting! The only areas I clean up are the required areas for fire control — but luckily the house has broad brick patios all around so half of the required “defensible space” is provided by the brick.
I became a Master Gardener (a trained volunteer program through the University of California) way back in 2003 and enjoyed it for many years but I’ve sort of separated with them as I moved into my own ways of “gardening” — their focus just isn’t mine anymore and I can’t really support it.
I originally got the idea of just “let it lie” from Yosemite National Park, where they adopted the philosophy about twenty years ago — its a big “mess” there now but fascinating to witness. Our property is three acres, situated up against the coastal range and Mount Madonna — so it is already a wild area (last wild area in Silicon Valley) — as I’ve “messed it up”, we have become a hot bed of wildlife activity — bobcat, deer, grey and red foxes, skunks, raccoons, birds of every sort (lots of raptors), mountain lions!
So you have a kindred spirit here in California!
Allie, have a super time on the Cape — I hope the hurricane turns out to be a big nothing. Your description of the light out there makes me want to visit.

Natalie, sounds like we won’t have to spend any money on clothes this year, I’ll just go get the gardening clothes I keep in a big pile and put something together. Might need to buy the shoes though! I usually throw away the wrecked sneakers!

Thanks Califoriniagirl, I like to offer the wild life something where I can – the logs, bird feeders, planting that attracts bees and butterflies, a paving slab and tiles propped against the fence to offer shelter from the sun to frogs and toads and little purpose made bug houses for solitary bees and other crawlies to use.

Allie – I try to plant fragrant plants, so I have lavenders, lilacs, perfumed roses, pinks (dianthus) and I like to have some herbs around too – rosemary, various thymes etc. It’s not the quintessential English garden, but it’s developing nicely and I’m getting to enjoy spending time out there at the moment. I’m very lucky that OH can turn his hand to almost any task and willingly does so – although he’s not a fan of cooking! And yes, I’m thrilled that he’s keen for us to be doing more together. Thanks for the cherry chutney recipe, I’ll definitely give it a try. The baked figs couldn’t be more simple – cut off the little stalk piece at the top and cut partway through the fruit and then stuff with a piece of your chosen cheese, pop into an oiled ovenproof dish and bake until the cheese has softened or melted to your liking. The last ones I did, I sprinkled with a little dried oregano after cooking and before serving, which increased the savoury aspect.

My positives for today are ….
1) At last the new bed is installed. As we bought the base and mattress from different suppliers, installation fell to us – very interesting exercise getting one king size bed upstairs and another one down! The two of us managed it though and the new bed looks very imposing – so much higher than the old one, sitting on the new one my feet don’t touch the floor!
2) On my way home from a grocery shop today, I visited a local garden centre to look at trough planters. Didn’t find anything overly inspiring, but I ended up buying a beautiful pale pink cyclamen with tiny delicate flower heads and also a blue candelabra primula Because of the bed installation taking over this afternoon, I didn’t get around to planting these in today, but shall be sure to get them sorted out tomorrow.
3) Making some progress with planning our trip to India next year – early days yet, but starting to get a picture of what we might be able to include and places to visit. It’s really exciting, as this is somewhere we have never ventured before and I love planning vacations!

My gardening has gone the opposite way from SunnyB and Californiagirl; when we moved here three years ago the backyard was a tiny piece of the Australian bush, with lots of birds and lizards and native plants, all scrubby and natural. It was interesting, but unusable by the kids, they never went out there. We ripped everything out and put in a swimming pool and paving, then replanted with tropical plants and a bit of lawn. Completely different! I was glad to see the lizards quickly returned, including a water dragon, and I’ve seen a frog and of course many many spiders, bees, ants etc. The Eastern Lorikeets (colourful parrots) and kookaburras just moved round to the front where there are still native trees and bushes.

1. Solar panels are going on the roof today, very noisy installation process but it will be worth it.
2. A hot cup of tea.
3. Reading this thread!

My day is drawing to a close, but I just have to express my delight over the day’s discussions on this thread,
before I turn the lights out. I’m deeply attuned to nature, and being able to experience your gardens, across
multiple countries and time zones, has filled my day with joy 🙂 Frogs, parrots, grey and red foxes, wallabees,
mountain lions, lavender, herbs and figs..what next!!! Thank you all so much 🙂 I realized today that I’ve been
literally around the calendar with many of you, and it’s a joy. I’ll never be able to thank you enough for breathing
life back into this thread, Sunny. I’m off to purchase figs in the morning, and my head will soon be hitting the
pillow with gratitude in my heart. See you all tomorrow!

An extra positive! The three tiny passionfruit seedlings that we planted a year ago, and which are now enormous and smothering the shed and fence, are covered in flower buds! Hoping for a big crop this year.

I too love this thread, though don’t get on here to post as often as I should. Personally, whilst I love my garden, I’m not a keen gardener, so it tends to be a haven for wildlife – though nothing as exotic as wallabies or mountain lions! I do however have a plethora of rabbits (!!!! – doesn’t everyone), foxes, badgers, hedgehogs and even the occasional stoat and weasel, not to mention bats and birds – my favourite being our Cornish Chough, not pretty I admit, but native to and, I believe only found in Cornwall. And of course, I mustn’t forget my colony of stick insects. I also have lavender, passionfruit and sea-pinks in abundance, and figs growing up one of my walls.

Anyway, my positives are:-

1. After being shrouded in sea mist for the past couple of days, the sun is now threatening to burst through the murk!
2. O/h has returned home after 6 days away.
3. Have just received the final invoice for our next big trip – not that paying is a highlight (it’s costing a flaming fortune) but it suddenly made me realise how close it is now. Only 3 weeks until we leave, and then away for 10 weeks, back just in time to attend a mid-December wedding, followed by Christmas. Getting excited.

Oh yes, the great photos of the stick insects, Theo! I’d never seen them before…If I remember correctly, you’re
headed down under on your next sojourn out of the country? Is it Australia or New Zealand? I’m certain that
I’m not the only one who would love to hear about your itinerary! Pop in when you can..We miss you 🙂

Theodora

Low mist must have been over all of the West Country, came in last night, now appears to have gone. Not a gardener, main garden we use mainly to slabs or concrete wife has about 20 large plant pots to water.
Other garden I try not to cut it more that twice a year? Son just brought me a multi-function petrol tool, Strimmer, brush cutter, Chain saw & Trimmer, need to play with that this weekend and cut that garden to size, I am sure bugs and other things live in there.

1. Increase exercise to 2 45min Aqu-fit and 1.5 hour Sunday morning gym, it will take time to get back into fitness mode, will also see a sports therapist for deep muscle massage, painful but helps a lot.
2. After celebrating my 60th now back into loosing.
3. Off home to walk the dogs

Aww, bless you Allie. I miss you all too, and I’m really sorry that I’m no longer as active as I should be. Life (not to mention trips) just seems to have got in the way.

Yes, the next trip is a short visit to Oz (only a quickie, as we have been to Oz on several occasions) then on to New Zealand (I’ve never been there before, though o/h was there on rugby tour for a month last year) for 2 months, where we have a big road trip planned. Then we return via a week in UAE, where we will be meeting up with my boys.

And those pesky stick insects have taken to invading my bedroom and en suite. They seem quite capable of finding their way in via open windows, but totally incapable of finding their way out again! So this summer, I have had to repatriate several to the garden. Stick insects are parthenogenetic and, whilst males of the species do exist, as an interesting fact of the day, apparently we only have female stick insects in the UK, mainly in Cornwall and The Scillies, because of the amazing gardens created by our forebears who travelled all over the world finding and importing plants I the late 19th / early 20th century. It is believed that the first stick insects were accidentally imported from New Zealand (funnily enough) in tree ferns, and they have now become naturalises..

1) The Dutch have a saying “oost, west, thuis best”. (East West Home is best). I enjoyed waking up in my own bed after the UK trip. And appreciating family, garden and house all over again.
2} While on my travels I bought some fantastic clothes – most notably a slim fitting winter coat which looks (excuse me saying it) absolutely fabulous. It’s the first winter coat I have bought since 1990s (excluding jumble sales and charity shops). It says I HAVE ARRIVED!
3) Despite pub lunch, wine etc over the last 5 days in the UK, I did not put on a single gram. All the same…time to refocus!

Have a good day one and all!

That coat sounds fabulous caronl – reading about it made me smile. I too am appreciating my garden, but more because I have just found a renewed interest in it and have been spending lots of time out there recently, tidying, replanting etc., but the best bit is the contact with the wildlife – frogs, robins, bees and bugs.

Didn’t manage to post on here yesterday, as some how the day got away from me, but I’m pleased to say in lots of positive ways so I might get greedy on positives posted this time. Started yesterday by clearing a corner of the bedroom that had become a bit of a dumping ground, squirrelled away things I really wanted to keep, into the big draw in my side of the new bed and throw out two bags of tat. Found a batch of cookery mags, so went through them and took out the pages with the recipes I wanted and put the rest f the paper out for recycling.

Then, I went out to a local DIY store to buy some compost to fill an old toilet bowl and cystern as planters. While I was there I spied trays of pinks (dianthus) six per tray, at £3 per tray – so just 50p per plant. The only thing wrong with them, was they all had some dead flower heads, but lots of buds in waiting. Bought some, dead headed them and popped them in the planters, weather is still mild enough for at least some of the buds to bloom and the plants will keep leaves through the winter and hopefully bloom again next year. The two extra planters look really good and are helping to bring some colour to a previously featureless area in the garden. Have an old bidet from too, that I have decided to plan up and add to the display and have also ordered a winter flowering clematis, which will be trailed to climb up the recently installed gate feature. Seriously getting into this gardening thing at the moment!

Late afternoon, OH asked that we have a quiet dining evening – nice surprise, although I was the one expected to do the catering! Managed to cobble together a fairly passable three course dinner though and we had a pleasant evening, chatting and listening to music – nice way to spend a mid-week evening.

Anyway, those are the positives from yesterday, but will post some for today later, although I can say we are going out to a stately home later to have a look around. We recently joined the National Trust, so figure we might as well start to use it and get some benefit. Will post something on that later, meanwhile, hope to be reading lots of positives from everyone else today too.

1. I ordered a cardigan online on sale for $40 which turned out to be too big. I took it to the store in person and they didn’t have the smaller size so refunded my money with no problems. I checked online and they had it in the smaller size there – but the sale price had gone down even further to $20! Bargain! If they’d had it in store I bet they wouldn’t have given me the $20 difference.
2. A walk in the sunshine.
3. I’ve started rewatching Glee from the beginning with my daughter. Fun!

Great result on the cardi Natalie – I love a bargain too.

Positives today ……
1) OH very happy because he’s managed to get the ride on mower to work.
2) Lytes Cary Manor House was really pleasant, the original building is medieval and although it called manor house it’s quite small and has a cosy feel to it – could easily imagine living there. There are beautifully kept gardens, mostly in a cottage garden style and they were full of flowers and lots of busy bees. Sadly didn’t get any plants for the additional container, but did see what I wanted in the gardens at the manor, so I’ve searched online and found it – just need to order when it’s back in stock though.
3) Made contact with an old friend, after two years of non-communication. Have tried to reach out to her before during that time, but been met with silence, so was a big surprise to get a response this time. We have been friends for over thirty years and have been really close in the past, however after she and her husband parted company and she started see someone new, she kind of pulled up the drawbridge and blanked my attempts at communication. Anyway, I’ve missed having her in my life, but I’m not going to get ahead of myself – early days yet. Was good to hear from her though.

I just love this focus on acquiring new and stylish clothing! Last Fall I went a bit hog wild too, and got myself
a blindingly bright red 3/4 length winter coat 🙂 I also didn’t have any interest in clothes when everything
looked horrendous on me, anyway! In recent years I’ve allowed my hair to go “au naturelle”, i.e., imagine
shoulder length, all shades of grey, with one dramatic white streak at the part line…Prior to this, it used to
be auburn, so I’ve had to adjust to a new color palette altogether! All cool colors from now on, and a switch
from gold to silver jewelry 🙂 We’ve done the work, now we need to enjoy it, and trust that it is permanent!

Sunny, I may be confused, but I believe you’re still a ravishing blonde, if I remember you correctly from the
Phoenix thread? Your fragrant garden sounds like paradise. Are you familiar with the Gertrude Jekyll English
rose, with the 4 rosettes in the center? Breathtaking! I’ve lost touch with friends that changed partners, too.
It can be painful, indeed. I hope you find your way back to each other! Planning a trip to India is very
exciting…I learned of the rich and complex history by studying different regional cooking, and I’ve always
though I’d like to travel in the mountainous northern regions. Train travel appears to be a little hazardous,
though, unless you are unbothered by hanging over a cliff 🙂 Do you have any idea of a preliminary itinerary
yet? Really hope that your husband is feeling more rested with the new bed, but I can’t imagine just the
2 of you maneuvering 2 king sized mattresses up and down the stairs..You are both fearless!

My positive for today is that I’ve finally started notifying close friends via email of O/H’s change in
employment status. Phonecalls and a heartwarming response from all, almost immediately. Nothing
like old friends!!! I’m feeling very blessed.
#2 We really enjoyed the baked figs with gorgonzola dolce, and 2 left to drape in proscuitto di parma tonight.
Husband enjoyed them immensely!
#3 Our mini break at the beach is fast approaching, and I’m really looking forward to propelling myself
forward over the 40 miles of uninterrupted beaches, sans tourists, that will be our backdrop. Rain or
shine, it’s all great with me 🙂
See you all tomorrow, my lovelies.

Hi Allie – no not blonde but a dyed copper red! I checked out that rose and it does look and sound beautiful. Glad you enjoyed the figs and hope you guys have a wonderful break at the Cape. Don’t have a definite itinery for India yet, but looking at Jaipur, Jodhpur, Agra and a couple of safaris to see tigers and leopards. Hopefully we’ll be getting something more concrete sorted soon. Will let you know when it’s clearer what we’ll definitely be including.

1. I read a recently-published short story today where two sisters were wearing leotards and leggings while working out. I’m not sure if it was set in the 80s, or if that’s just the last time the author went to the gym!
2. I had a few grapes this afternoon, usually one of my favourite foods, and they seemed too sweet with a sugary aftertaste. I’m hoping my tastes are changing!
3. I’m returning to the real workforce in four weeks after years at home with the kids, studying, and doing part time work at home where I rarely saw customers/associates. I am so happy to be halfway to my goal weight, feeling good about how I look in my new work clothes, and buying the clothes was fun not painful! I’ll be a Library Technician (somewhere between the lofty heights of a true Librarian and the lowly drudgery of the Library Assistant). It’s so much easier to come across as professional yet approachable, smart, confident etc when you know you look good. And I can have tiny heels on my shoes without my feet hurting now I’m not carrying so much weight around.

Sunny, planning a trip to India sounds very exciting. I’ve never been, and it’s on my bucket list, so will be interested to hear about your experiences.

Natalie, how exciting, returning to the “real workforce” as you put it, after all this time. Wonderful that your weight loss has enabled you to feel so much more confident about it.

My positives – am I allowed 4?……………….

1. Lonely Planet published a brand new guide book to New Zealand today. I had it on advance order from Amazon and it arrived this morning, so I can now get into serious planning for our upcoming road trip. We reckon to cover between 3,500 and 4,000 miles whilst there, so it does need a bit of planning.

2. I caused great hilarity amongst friends when I told them that my clothes are now all so small, I’m trying to persuade o/h that we could manage to go on the above 10 week trip with hand luggage only, but for some reason he is not buying into the concept😉🤣🤗

3. Going out for dinner this evening to the local yacht club with good friends.

4. Went for a 6 mile walk along the coastal path with o/h this morning in glorious sunshine.

Have a good day, everyone.

Sunny, a fellow redhead? I really should have known 🙂 We do have a bit of a reputation for being a little
feisty, don’t we? We’re basically harmless though, right?

Natalie, how exciting to be returning to the library! I’m so happy to hear that your bringing a new confidence
along with you. That’s great! How old are your children? I have a sister who left investment banking
to raise two sons, but they are adults now, and out on their own, and she’s feeling somewhat bereft,
and hasn’t decided what she wants to do from this point forward, so she just travels all the time!
You might know her Theo, since you can’t stay in one place for very long, either 🙂 Between you
and Sunny, I feel like quite the “dullard”!

I’ve checked the forecast for the beach next week, and it’s looking like all sunshine and seasonal
temperatures. Hooray!

Stay in the positive zone, my friends 🙂 🙂 🙂

Hi! Just wanted to say ‘hello’! Now have proper WiFi again for the first time in 10 days. Lovely to see so many positives and promise I will be back in a week or so posting on a regular basis. In the meantime just be ‘positive’ and keep on keeping on ………

Ooh – going to have to add a fifth.

Sitting in a hot tub, replete from a wonderful dinner, under the stars and overlooking the water. What a wonderful end to an evening; something that can’t be beaten.

That hot tub under stars sounds like bliss, Theo. V, it will be good to have you back with us properly, but take the time you need for yourself, you deserve it.

Yes Allie, seems we have one more similarity. Certainly have a bit of a reputation for being feisty, but as you say, essentially harmless …….. so far! As for you being a ‘dullard’ – far from it. You always have so much to contribute here and whilst travelling is something I love, home and hearth are important too and is something of which I’m very appreciative.

Sorry not to have posted yesterday. It turned into another activity packed day. OH and I went to help pick grapes at our friends’ vineyard (local to us) and whilst there I was asked if I wanted to pick myself some quince from their tree, which I did – as well as ‘scrumping’ some crab apples too. Around all of this, sits my positives for yesterday ……
1) Being out in the soft autumnal weather in the vineyard picking grapes was amazingly relaxing, if surprisingly physical work. Approx. 2tons of grapes picked by ten of us in about four hours.
2) At home, I made some membrillo with some of the quince and set up a batch of crab apple vodka. Pleased to say the membrillo has set beautifully. Will sample the end result later today – in moderation of course, as it’s very carby!
3) While we were out, my new handbag had been delivered. It’s more a tote actually, with enough room to take a whole load of stuff. It’s in a vivid magenta and inside includes a little bag of the same colour, which can be used as either a clutch or X-body bag as it also has a detachable strap – all very versatile. Looking forward to taking it with us on a trip to France next week.

Couple of positives for today too ….
1) OH and I took our old bed to the recycling centre this morning, so it’s finally gone and we have space in the conservatory again.
2) Going to the local supermarket to buy some gin, to set up a batch of quince gin and will be making that and some quince jam later, as well as some crab apple and cranberry chutney/sauce.
3) ………………. day is still quite young, so will see what comes along to fill this slot ………….. We are going to a party in our friends’ woods this evening – BBQ and a samba band …. looking forward to that.

Have a wonderful weekend of positives everyone.

Allie …. Is Storm Florence affecting you at all? Do hope not. When is the mini-break? Have a feeling you are going this w/e, so hope you have a fantastic time and both you and OH can relax and have a chance to chat about his next move re: employment. And enjoy those walks, connecting with nature is fabulously uplifting and a great way to recharge the batteries. We’ll be waiting for news …..

Hello! Oddly enough . . . . Ive had a similar experience about reconnecting . . . I put it down to being Spring! and I too am waiting to see what happens since the re-connection – believe patience is required for now . . . but as this could possibly be a life changing detour, it is worth marking time for now . . . we will see . . . Im considering that as just a response to your situation and not counting that as a positive to report BUT Im feeling Ive made some positive decisions and actions since the re-connection! . . . .
1. HWS and two leaking taps have been “fixed” so looking forward to a reduced electricity bill . . . and reduced water bill!!! next quarter.
2. Helped a friend who put out a call for help – and that meeting was a winner . . .
3. Had success finding an acquaintance is who is also a single lady, and willing to accompany me on a cruising holiday next April. That is something to look forward to!!!

Have a great week everyone.

Alliecat my children are 14 (girl) and 11(boy). Jasmine is practically an adult, but Aiden is still my baby! I do feel like I’ve been home alone for a long time now. I really enjoyed returning to study in a classroom (and Library students are a varied lot including other middle-aged… ahem prime of life… women with a previous career behind them, so I didn’t feel odd-one-out like I did when I tried a bit of Science crammed with straight-from-high-school teens). I did a few weeks of work experience in a Library as part of the course and loved it.

Theodora hot tub sounds awesome! We have a spa bath here, in the bathroom – it’s lovely but no view!

SunnyB I love handbags!

Verano good to see you’re still around.

My three for the day
1. I spend a couple of hours gardening on a lovely spring day, lugging bags of compost and pruning things and leaving me sweaty and tired with an aching back from bending over weeding. Good workout!
2. The feel of clean almost-dry hair.
3. Theodora’s mention of a book had me testing my cataloguing skills. Lonely Planet New Zealand 919.304412 (geography, NZ, travel guides, 2010-2019). I’m passionate about the Dewey Decimal System!

One last positive for today – my winter flowering clematis arrived today and has been planted in. It looks nice and health, with lots of new shoots developing, so I’m hopeful that it will settle in nicely and I’ll be seeing some flowers during the winter months.

Any additional positives which might present themselves during the rest of today, will drop into tomorrow’s list.

Good to see you Verano. And great to read everyone’s positives.

Lots of positives for me today, too many to count really, so will post the main ones. Feeling blessed.

1. After sitting in the hot tub under the stars last evening, our friends lit a fire in the fire pit on their foreshore, and we sat there under the stars chatting / reminiscing (and dare I say drinking?) until dawn – can’t remember the last time we did that – and waited for the sun to rise. Magic.
2. After only 2 hours sleep, woke up to clear blue skies, so spent the entire day on the water.
3. Came home late afternoon and, as the sun was still shining, decided to bbq an early supper – maybe the last of the season.
4. Just finishing supper (circa 6pm) when friends in the village (2 miles away) rang and asked us to pop round for a drink. So we walked, there and back, so had very decent step count today.
5. Noticed that all my camellias are groaning under the weight of buds – never seen so many on them. Providing we don’t have a really harsh winter (unusual in this part of the world) we should have a stunning display in the spring.
6. Heard from a very old friend today, not spoken in months, so wonderful to catch up.

Being greedy, 6 positives is 2 days worth, sorry. Just been a really good day today, despite so little sleep last night. Better not post any tomorrow 😢

So good to see so many positives from you Theo and please, please, post more of them today. I’m sure the usual three a day is arbitrary, although I think it’s a number that isn’t too daunting, so most people feel they can identify at least three positives, even when things are not going too well. You obviously had a truly magical day, when good things flowed seamlessly and easily bring lots of positives your way, so why not share them all? No one here will begrudge you posting more than three.

I’m early today, as sleep-wise my night wasn’t so good and I need a distraction right now – more explained in the positives:
1) Great evening in our friends’ woods, sitting around a big campsite playing games and music. Turned out that the band weren’t performing so much as bringing along a whole heap of percussive instruments, which were distributed to one and all, so we all played for five minutes or so, before passing the instrument on to the person to our right. This meant we all got to play various things, from simple blocks of wood (which I’m sure have a name but I don’t know it) to a large bass drum. Was great fun! There is something primal about being in the open air beating a drum and it certainly give a sense of being grounded in nature.
2) Since late Friday, I have had acute sinusitis which is making the top teeth in the right side of my face ache terribly. As it’s not possible to see my Doctor for anti-biotics until Monday, I am having to back to back NSAI and paracetamol every two hours to control the pain. I woke at 3am this morning, the previous dose having worn off completely, the pain was awful and laying down was exacerbating the situation. Got up, took painkillers and snuggled up on the sofa with a fleecy blanket, to wait for them to kick in and hopefully sleep to ensue. Whist waiting for these things to happen, I got to thinking how lucky I am to live in an age where it’s possible to swallow a couple of pills and the pain will be relieved. Can’t imagine what agonies our forbearers have had to suffer without this luxury we very much take for granted these days.
3) Got a few hours sleep and woke in time to take my next dose before the pain level rocketed again, grateful to have this wonderful forum to turn to, to help distract me and give me a focus while the pain relief kicks in.

That’s me for now. Don’t have any idea what the day might bring, but if anything of positive note happens, I might well post it later.
Have a positive Sunday everyone.

Yesterday, whilst I was at the gym my OH had volunteered us to have one of our grandsons
1. Saturday had a 1hr sports therapy massage, painful as hell but helped to give my legs more movement.
2. Went to the gym for a 1.5 hour gentle workout, felt ok, getting back into training.
3. Went for a short walk with grandson and 2 dogs, grandson was enjoying himself so much running through the long grass and chasing the dogs it became a much longer 2 hour walk. My knees were telling me too much in one weekend?
4. After dinner grandson wanted to go in the hot tub with me, the way I was aching, what a good idea.

Theodora don’t feel guilty posting lots of positives if you have a good day, then why not share?

forgot anther positive
Raining this morning so don’t have to water plant pots, nature can do what it does best, its own thing.

Are you having a second childhood, Theo? Greeting the sunrise is a magical event, always breathtaking
on the water! I admire your stamina, though. Your friends are world class party people, it would
seem! We’re heading to the ocean tomorrow morning, and I will be able to see the moon over the
water, hear the surf pounding on the shore, and shall be witnessing the sunrise from my bed 🙂 The
weather forecast is for sun/clouds, so that makes it into the positive column for today.
Binoculars are already packed, and we’re looking forward to the hunt for belted kingfishers and blue
herons, to name a few. Beach plum roses scrambling onto the dunes, and that very special quality
of light that can only be found in Sept. and Oct.
Sumo, I’m with you on sinking into the hot tub when muscles are screaming at you! We had a
jetted tub in the master suite when we lived in our home, and a day in the garden was always followed
by an early evening soak. SO relaxing!
Sunny, have you had an opportunity to reach your dentist today? I never give a thought to my teeth until
something is amiss! All those nerve roots! It certainly can be distracting. I hope you’re feeling
better today 🙂 Membrillo on top of a piece of manchego sounds wonderful. I really enjoy your
flavor combinations, so I think I have new territory to explore. Is it this week that you’re skipping
off to France? I hope you have a marvelous time! Bound to be a little wine creep, though 🙂
There is no WiFi out at the beach, but if I can find a suitable place to pick up a signal, I’ll be checking
in.
Wishing happy days and an embarrassment of positives for us all 🙂 🙂 🙂