White Wednesday....

On Wednesdays many bloggers used to write post and title them "White Wednesdays"...
well I am resurrecting the practise with this post.
It's a short one as I am busy and cannot devote as much time as I would like to this post.
Living in the moment, being fully present and involved requires effort, energy and time.
So to sit and write at the laptop becomes less frequent...hence my daily speedy post on Instagram.

The Dogwood Tree is blooming in the front...

the branches hang over our drive from the neighbours yard and we get to enjoy the waxy blooms.

When I see the flowers I am reminded of peace, harmony and beauty.

Simple creamy white forms that can yield perfection...

grateful for the opportunity to witness and appreciate such beauty.

The tall nodding snowdrops are still putting on a show.

We purchased several packages of bulbs a few seasons ago 

they are multiplying and filling the beds our front yard...

(Hope the deer do not like to eat these!)

The broken rake that hangs on the fence has a visitor...

let's take a closer look shall we?

Behold the lowly garden snail.

The vintage crystal door knob looks quite out of place outdoors...

next to the rusted door plate... 

 on the French door that opens the weathered grey cedar garden shed.

As you can see I've taken liberties with the white themed post!

Oh and I have been shopping!

I have purchased some new white enamel pots.

Our chartreuse Dutch Oven has seen better days...

so it is out with the old and in with the new.

A wee bit of a splurge I know, but well worth it to have decent tools in the kitchen.

I'll be making soup and a stew this week...some to eat and some to give away.

There is illness about ~ some more serious than others...

we are crossing our fingers for a positive outcome but we cannot control it.

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."

~ Lao Tzu ~

"Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides."

Lao Tzu

Oodles to do before I leave for Paris and so I am focused on tending to those details...

I may be posting sporadically before I leave.

I'll be on Instagram if you want to keep in touch...

to follow

Click on the picture at the top right of the blog side bar.

Elizabeth George's first Inspector Lynley book "The Great Deliverance" beckons...

so I'll close for now.

Tell me what you've been up to this past week...

Walk the Walk, Talk the Talk..."Sisters" and a healthy new recipe.

My sister is several years younger than myself blond haired and blue eyed.
I was born with brown hair and hazel coloured eyes...
She was athletic and I was "bookish" she was a lean child while I was the chubby one!
We are opposites in many ways, have different opinions on politics, medical and scientific practises but we do enjoy each others company. We see eye to eye on many topics and we rarely argue...
we listen to each other with great respect.
We used to fight like cats when we were young...we were very territorial about our space, toys and clothes.
She would sneak into my closet and steal some of my clothes and wear them to school...some she lost.
She once cut the hair off of one of my Barbie dolls...
in retaliation I gave her Midge doll a mustache with a ballpoint pen...
it was LOVE/HATE back then...happily things mellow as we age and we change.

We both love animals, gardening, entertaining, walking, cooking, our friends and our families.
I suppose we are "normal" sisters...it depends on your definition of normal.
We are bound together by blood and linked with a rich history of shared experiences...

My sister is passionate about horses, is an accomplished equestrian with several horses in her barn...
she teaches riding and makes custom made leather chaps.
There are all kinds of physical jobs that go along with owning horses.
Mucking out the stalls, feeding, grooming, riding and training the horses.

Exercise is incorporated into her daily routine which keeps her svelte but it also gives her a big appetite.
While I struggle to keep my weight in check she does not.
I've seen how much she eats and I eat only a portion of what she does, but it is "what she eats" that is different...

She eats a lot more salads, vegetables and "raw food" than I do...
we spoke about this on a recent walk and she explained to me how cooking food often takes away the naturally occurring enzymes...
cooking can also enhance some nutrients too...
it's complicated and there is a lot of conflicting information out there.

I thought I'd spend some time reading and researching the theory behind the raw food movement and there are plenty of resources available online...I budgeted an hour while my laundry was drying and it was not enough time!

Weight Watchers recommends eating fresh fruits and vegetables in their natural state.

 No food is forbidden.

She listened to my thoughts about food and fitness and I listened to hers...

My sister walks at a much brisker pace than I do and I attribute that to her being a few inches taller.

(I kept pace with her and we chatted effortlessly the entire time we walked!)

Bleeding hearts in pink...

and in white.

Aren't the flowers so pretty in the Springtime?

It's a season of beauty...

quite possibly my favourite time of year...

everything is new and fresh coming to life after a winter of hibernation.

Carpets of pink petals line the walks and boulevards...

we both took note of the beautiful things along our walk.

The beat of the wings of this majestic eagle were heard above as it soared overhead.

The ease with which this large eagle flew was quite graceful.

The two of us below in our sturdy athletic shoes, arms swinging, and bodies surging forward at a rapid gait...

looking rather like "women on a mission."

Waking fast to counteract our breakfast...

improving on and building up our mid life bone health

walking with intention.

chatting

laughing

talking about Mother 

our spouses 

and 

grandchildren.

(mine, as she does not have children)

((another difference))

~ ~ ~

There is a lot to learn about the raw food movement...

how you cannot use much heat when preparing any food, it is kept quite low to keep the enzymes alive.

Nuts are soaked and used in a lot of recipes.

Blenders and food processors come in handy when mixing nuts and seeds.

It is a VERY labour intensive way of preparing food.

We have several raw food restaurants in Victoria...

Bliss

Be Love

are just two that come to mind.

We are taking Mother out for dinner at Be Love before I leave for France...

it will be interesting to see what she thinks of the food.

My sister mentioned that she lost almost 2 pounds by eating exclusively raw food for two days in a row.

So...

I'm thinking that those pesky few pounds might be shed if I consumed only raw foods...but having said that

  I am not going to commit to a complete overhaul of my cooking practises.

(old dog new tricks kind of thinking here!)

(besides I can pretty much guarantee that my husband would not be a fan)

I came up with a new salad that uses zucchini instead of pasta

it's not raw but it is a step in the right direction and if it helps me shed those few pounds I can eat like this and still enjoy the big flavour and benefit from the lower point counts!

Mock Pasta Salad

Grate a large zucchini and set aside in a colander to drain.

Place in a large bowl and add a few tablespoons of Pesto.

Chop and dice 1/2 red onion

quarter a handful of cherry tomatoes

add 1/4 cup Greek Olives

Salt Pepper to taste

Mix and chill for about an hour before serving.

This is a super tasty salad...

I can imagine this wrapped up in a whole wheat or corn tortilla!

Pesto Salad for lunch with roasted yams and carrots...

I made extra for snacks and lunches.

love the bright colours too!

"Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply"

 ~ Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814 ~

                                             "A sister is both your mirror - and your opposite."
                                                                ~ Elizabeth Fishel ~

OOTD....French class

Madame, our French instructor, is a Parisian.
She grew up in the 6th arrondissement of Paris and her father lives in the home where she grew up...
she is planning to go back and visit for several months later this Spring and Summer.

Madame dresses in a style that is very chic. I like to study how she puts things together.
Her accessories are minimal ~ earrings, a watch or perhaps a scarf.
She has a keen eye for fabrics and shapes that flatter and fit...
ballet flats and a pair of leather loafers alternate depending on whether she is wearing a dress or black pants.
Yes indeed black pants...Madame wears lots of black.

Madame smiles a lot...she laughs and winks at her students which are a mixture of middle aged women and men.
She is a gifted teacher and although I am "struggling" to learn the language she is very encouraging and supportive.

I don't fuss too much about what I wear to French class but for fun I thought I'd show you what I wore last week..

Hermes scarf and a cardigan over top a simple black tank top.

Easy Peasy Scarf tie...

I don't like fussing.

Socks with dots...

no one would see these as they were worn inside my Clarks short black leather booties.

I wore Tulip by Fresh Sugar on my lips...

and my diamond studs.

My walking buddy gave me two books to read...

not sure which one I'll start next.

I've never read Elizabeth George but it comes highly recommended.

I read Rachel Joyce's previous novel and found it to be a delightfully entertaining light read...

this might be one to take on the plane.

It's been a drizzly couple of days but then the sun came out and shone down upon us late in the day.

Which made my heart soar...

 then as if I was not happy enough walking along in the peace and quiet

an eagle flew overhead and I could hear the rush of its wings....

Fly like an Eagle.

I am still weighing in over my goal weight but I am determined to keep walking and tracking my points.

Never give up.

Hope things are looking bright in your neck of the woods...

Hostess

XO

Snapshots ~ Highlights from the past week.

It's a rainy Spring day and I am feeling quite lazy...
so I'm writing a blog post instead of going for my usual walk.
I've got a pot of chili simmering on the stove and a pot of Lapsang Souchon tea brewing...

There have been so many opportunities to capture beauty this past week...
maybe my eyes have been "more open" or possibly I have been "tuned into my surroundings."

Walking with eyes open wide...scanning the scenery looking for something worthy of a picture...

I took quite a few pictures this past week of things I have seen on my walks.

If you follow me on Instagram you will have seen a few of these pictures.

There's a lot of varied textures coming together in this image...

the ornate shell, the gritty concrete wall, the calm sea.

All of the photos taken on my walks are captured with my IPhone.

 Driftwood structures are fun to make as a shelter from the sun and the wind.

I like to think of them as "Log Homes." 

Hardy mosses growing in the crevices of the rocks along the seafront...

they thrive despite the salt air and brisk winds.

Nature is so resilient and adaptive.

We enjoyed a delicious brunch at Zambri's earlier...

The food at Zambri's is always fabulous...

Our son and DIL arrived at the restaurant in a newer BMW, which they recently purchased in preparation for the birth of their third child which is due in August.

 It was fun getting together and I just want to say we got some big hugs and cuddles from the two wee ones...

who by the way made our day extra special and who were on their very best behaviour.

Brunch frittata and salad...

The Paris Architect was a great book...

written by an architect it is set during the second world war in Paris.

It was so well written that I didn't want it to end.

A pretty pink rhododendron from the Garden Centre.

Russell Nursery 

Mr. HB wants a green house for our Humble Bungalow Garden.

He was checking out the various models that they sell...

and I do not mean these "models!"

I should have taken note of the artist of this wonderful sculpture.

It's quite beautiful...

Chester decided to take a nap in the sink...

 we had a dinner party and I had cleaned up the dishes

 popped the linens into the washer 

 it was very late and

all I wanted to do was to wash my face and get to bed!

I did a bit of shopping this week...

Dressing room shot of a pretty coral blouse which I didn't buy...

Tahari blouse which I thought was silk, but turned out to be polyester...

the price was too high for a polyester blouse even though the style was nice.

I bought socks which I did need.

I made and delivered David Lebovitz's Coq au Vin recipe for my friend L and her family.

The recipe is from his Paris Kitchen cookbook and wow it was tasty!

It's been a busy week!

How about you what have you been doing?

Food for Thought...weighing in on mid life weight gain.

Spring has arrived and I am struggling trying to shed a few pounds.
They are proving to be rather stubborn despite the walking.
Is it a sluggish metabolism or the hypothyroid condition that I have?
Whatever it is I am getting frustrated!

The Weight Watchers Regime advocates keeping track...so I'm writing down the WW point count of everything I eat and drink.

I am not too hungry at breakfast time so I usually eat lightly...some fresh fruit and yogurt.
But I am usually really hungry by lunchtime...

Keeping busy with chores, actioning domestics, walking, running errands doing the things we women do can really give you an appetite.

Something that fills me up, satisfies and sustains me until my tea and a small mid afternoon snack is what I need.

Wraps are the stars in my book...they are fast, easy and versatile.

Hummus, red cabbage and pea shoots on a corn and wheat wrap.

High fibre goodness that sates and satisfies.

You could use a scrambled egg, a modest serving of lean meat or poultry, 

a bunch of cooked, raw or roasted veggies 

whatever you have on hand.

Think healthy and use salsa or hummus.

 Avoid the creamy dressings which will quickly add fat and sabotage your eating regime. 

A piece of fruit for "dessert."

Loaded with flavour and simply delicious...plus it's a low point count lunch.

Weight Watchers and Hostess Approved!

I'm waging war on these persnickety pounds!

It won't be long before the weather warms up enough so that we can sit outside and dine al fresco.

How are you handling mid life weight gain and a slower metabolism?

Tish Jett the writer of one of my favourite blogs wrote about it in a recent post.

I think Candace Bergen is lovely and it is her right to choose how she eats and if she is comfortable in her own skin I say Bravo!