Home cooking, a caterer's web launch and robots reading blogs!

Mr. HB is busy fixing up my laundry room and the basement
and to keep him going I have been indulging his palate with tasty dinners.

His new favourite is Giada's Chicken Cacciatore...

Served atop spaghetti noodles

Here's the method...

in pictures.

This made a lot so invite friends or family over

or be prepared to enjoy leftovers.

Mr. HB raved about this dish and he mentioned that he thought it was better the second evening!

BTW my friend Julie the talented caterer has her website up and running.

I have posted a picture on the side bar you can easily check it out by clicking on the picture.

Bon appetit!

Is anyone else frustrated with Blogger making me prove that "I am not a robot" when commenting on blogs?

I disabled that feature on my blog a long time ago

 and those were the days when one word was enough and now we are asked to type two!

I wonder if that has reduced the amount of comments on certain blogs.

Have your blog comments dwindled?

Why would a robot read blogs anyhow?

Blogger are you listening

or are you a robot?

:-)

The weather is not Springlike or warm 

and when I was away it snowed....

and that was during our Sun Salutations at the island Yoga class !

my Christmas cactus is blooming too...

Abkhazi Garden Pilgrimage

Oh I adore gardens of a certain age...
those that have great bones and mature plantings.
Historic Gardens of significance are few and far between in our neck of the woods.
One garden that never fails to inspire is the Abkhazi Gardens situated on a rocky plot of land in a Garry Oak meadow.
This space is such a gem and a favorite spot for a meander and a cup of tea.

A friend and I walked over and met for lunch in the tearoom before touring the magnificent grounds.

Lunch was a  delicious hot pot of Abkhazi Tea and salad Nicoise served on fine china in the sun filled living room that once was the home to Prince and Princess Abkhazi.

This garden will come alive in the next month when the  Rhododendrons and Azaleas bloom.

Here we see the "bones" of the garden.

The water feature or pond is home to two elderly turtles.

I have seen the turtles basking in the sunshine on a sunny day.

Wisteria 

gnarled

ancient and vast.

Terrace adjacent to the living room which serves as a tearoom.

The Land Conservancy owns and runs the garden and they are now serving breakfast as well as tea and lunch.

On a warm sunny afternoon this spot is a lovely place to spend time.

It's an oasis of loveliness.

The terrain is rocky and there are many levels

the paths lead the visitor on...

and there are many spots to sit and observe.

The Hellebores were putting on quite a show for us.

a simple euphorbia looks bright against the rocks

creeping plants hug the rocks and grow in very little soil

A rare Tasmanian bush with purple seed pods

the volunteer opened one up to show us 

She gave me several and I am going to try and grow one.

I'll need lots of luck as I do not have a knack with seeds.

The day we chose to wander the grounds started out as a sunny one but quickly turned grey and overcast.

You'll have to trust me when I tell you how amazing this place really is 

as the images that I have taken really do not do it justice.

I posted about this magical place a few years ago and you can see it here in full bloom.

Gardens... should be like lovely, well-shaped girls:  

all curves, secret corners, unexpected deviations, 

seductive surprises and then still more curves. 

 ~H.E. Bates, A Love of Flowers

Must run along as I am busy busy

going on a wee adventure

I'll be back soon.

Tea in the afternoon...

Invite a dozen women
prepare some simple trays of fruit
make stuffed eggs
bake a lemon cake
buy some pretty pink roses and napkins
set the table with flowery patterned  china
boil the kettle
and make the tea...

Lavender Rose China by Royal Albert

Silvery Lace silverware by Rogers

The eggs stayed in the fridge until the first guest arrived

by gosh they were popular

I made a dozen eggs which when halved and stuffed made 24

they are so retro and I make them often because people seem to love them.

fresh fruit

even ladies who diet indulge...

flowers 

in the "powder room"

just because...

OOTD

salmon top

black tights

ballet flats

scarf

an easy outfit to move about while serving tea

now try to get a word in edgewise 

when you've invited a dozen women to tea!

It must have been a success because they came at 2:00 and left at 5:00.

Let's get this weekend rolling...

Loot shoot ~ OOTE a fat moment ~ Resort getaway part 2

Mother was a passenger in my car as we were headed to the Resort.
We were on the road in good time and had an hour or so to spare so she directed me to turn into the mall.

An hour to peruse the new lines...
she likes to keep up with what's current and I think shopping is a habit or hobby of hers.
(she was the manager of a ladies boutique after her many years of nursing and she loved that job)

Mother said "I'm going to look around so off you go and good luck."

I said "Mother how will you find me later you don't have a cellphone?"

Mother "Oh I don't think I'll have any trouble!"

Hostess  "Well if you are having trouble make a "hoo hoo" sound and call my name!"

Mother "Oh I'd have you paged over the loud speaker before I'd resort to that nonsense."

So we parted our ways and I went foraging in the aisles.

Here's the Loot I scooped...

Andrew Geller

woven black and cream flats with rope/jute detail.

Merrell 

leather flats with cut out detail at the heel

raised textured insoles for foot stimulation

new health technology perhaps?

Jones New York 

black and white striped polo style shirt

I'll wear the collar open and maybe some pearls at the neck.

Vivienne Tam

lightweight tunic top in a BOLD shade of salmon 

I'll wear this with leggings.

Luii

Black lightweight jacket

material has a sheen and is rainproof.

I managed to find all of these in 45 minutes

 for just under $200.

Fast and Frugal

My sister snapped this photo of Mother and I

I snapped one of her with Mother as well.

OOTE

Outfit ~of~the~evening

Bianca Nygard dress

3 or 4 years old

I considered deleting this image

as I have mixed feelings about posting it.

I don't feel like a large woman but I am

especially when you factor in my height and my weight.

Body image is a funny thing

some women see themselves as fat when they are stick insect thin 

then there are those like myself who spend years avoiding mirrors 

(and cameras)

Mater mentioned a bit about our insecurities about revealing our true selves recently on her blog

go have a read...

On the morning of our departure we awoke to 

 a dusting of snow!

I had not packed for the cold and I wore my ballet flats sans hose

thank heavens for seat and car heaters!

these crocus look chilled...

There were flurries on the way home but we were warm and cozy

and arrived home safe and sound.

Mother was quite anxious about the weather 

 being snowbound is a concern

 it's melted and thankfully she's able to come and go as she pleases.

I'm going to go to the pool and swim some laps

I love swimming!

What is your fitness routine?

Resort: pajama's and more...Part 1.

Do you buy new pajama's when going away on a trip?
A new pair in fuchsia pink have been purchased...

Small travel sizes of Aveda Shampure and Phomollient and Avene products have also been sourced to fit inside my cosmetic bag. Packing light makes sense as the bag needs to have room for purchases and be easy to tote.

Mother and my Sister are my travel companions so I like to wear new pajama's.
We often stay up late and talk well into the night over a glass or two of bubbly.

a wee bit of lace

a V neck

 the back is sheer and gauzy

Pepper is on the job

she started attacking the lace!

 Every time I lay something new down on the bed for a photo shoot she turns into the Fashion Police!

Pepper's so lovely that I think I am dressing in her colours.

Mette hinted at the possibility and I think she's onto something.

I bought a new sweater...

and it reminds me of Pepper.

Style My Way 

goes with all my black, white and greys...

was reduced as an end of season clearance

  then further reduced by 50% off the last ticketed price.....

at under $20 how could I leave it?

Honestly I am turning into a bargain shopper

it could be those renovations.

I have a lot going on in this post and it seems to be rather discombobulated so apologies...

Our getaway was such a good tonic for Mother.

She spends a lot of time alone now

many of her friends have passed away and several of her women condo pals have sold and moved into care facilities.

Our suite at the resort was large and had all the amenities.

The rooms were vast and very quiet in the wing that we were settled in.

It didn't take us long to get into holiday mode

have a look.

living room

bedroom

kitchen

I didn't take pictures of the bathrooms or the dining area 

as we had strewn all our stuff by the time I got my camera out 

and I wanted it to look pristine!

Unfortunately it was not sunny...

but Sis and I swam in the outdoor pool just the same...

we had to get some exercise because we knew Mother would be taking us out for dinner.

Beef tenderloin, mashed potatoes, carrots, broccoli and wine demi~glace.

Melt in your mouth perfection...

Prosecco was our night cap in our room and we did sit around in our PJ's and robes!

(it pays to be prepared)

High spirits and excitement

laughter

reminiscing

chatting and sharing

pictures

fabulous family time.

Moments to save and hold tight to our hearts.

 Mother had her very first ever spa visit!

we had three side~by~side manicures...

in the lush facilities

so relaxing...

"Hearts and Tarts"

looks a bit like a French Manicure

When Mother's onboard 

"shopping happens"

and "happen" it did!

I'll post my "loot shoot" soon so stay tuned...

Pepper was happy to see me come home.

I got lots of pats and licks

she's now napping on my bed.

We've had snow flurries so the drive home was a winter wonderland...

I must get back to reality and rustle up some dinner for Mr. HB.

Cheerio,

Hostess

XO