This and That

What I'm reading:  The Melissa Harrison book was so well written and interesting until about two thirds or more through the book when suddenly it became depressing and had a fairly unsatisfactory ending. Not one of the three main characters had  their hopes/dreams fulfilled. I felt depressed when I was done reading.
Miss Read, on the other hand, never disappoints me.

 Does anyone remember the Ideals magazines?  I used to have a big stack of them which I donated. This week I bought these 2 "for old times sake". For all I know they might be some of the ones I donated years ago.  I enjoyed paging through them reading the poems and looking at the pictures. Next time I go to the thrift store I'll take them back and some one else can enjoy them.

 
I bought a bag of Daffodil bulbs and put some in pots and the rest in the ground. I hope they'll all grow and bloom next Spring.

My Thanksgiving/Christmas Cactus have lots of buds. I bought a potted plant with two different coloured blooms last year. After it finished blooming I divided it into 3 pots but I don't know what colour I'll end up with. These look quite pale so maybe white?

Years ago I had a Chinese Lantern plant and I'm not too sure exactly why I don't still have it. They tend to be very hardy and even invasive so I don't think it died. I think I'll look for another one. At this time of the year their papery pods look wonderful. I got this picture off the internet in case you are not familiar with this plant. Isn't it pretty?

Teacup # 24

Thanks for coming by,  GM

What's happening in my Kitchen

 The chilly weather has made me want to be in the kitchen more.  I have been reading about the health benefits of lentils and although I've often included red lentils in most of the soups I make I had not used the brown ones ( those are the ones that retain their shape even after soaking and boiling).  Below is the picture of the lentil stew  I made and both of us enjoyed  and look forward to having it again soon
.I found so many different recipes for Lentil stew on line and I ended up making my own version.

 

Baked Oatmeal was another experiment and was deemed a success as was a pan of granola. I have made granola in the past so that wasn't an experiment.

 
Have you been baking or cooking different foods now that colder weather has arrived?  

 Teacup # 23 is called Greenwood Tree and is a Royal Albert piece. I've added the saucer picture to give a better look at the pattern but Blogger insists on placing it sideways. Sorry.

Thanks for visiting,  GM

Halloween

As I've mentioned many times I'm just not a fan of Halloween but my eldest daughter with her talent for making things of all kinds has created some remarkable vignettes that I thought I'd post. For those of you who are interested.  The skeletons mostly came from the craft shop but were rigid and upright. She heated them and formed the various poses.

 

I'll end this post with a cartoon I found on FB.

I'll be back soon and I will resume my very ordinary homey posts.    GM

 

Autumn Colour

 We had a lovely walk even though the sun wasn't shining. Rain is in the forecast also high winds. I'm so glad we could feast our eyes on the beauty of the Autumn leaves because chances are good that the wind will blow them all away.

 I took these photos off the internet because they capture the paths we walked much better than my camera would.  I'm going to miss this beauty so much when its gone.

 I hope you are able to get out and enjoy Autumn or Spring, depending where you are. There's beauty in all seasons even if we have to look for it a bit harder in our very wet Winters.

 
 Teacup # 22  Royal Albert unnamed pattern with a simple white Rose.

 Thanks for popping by, GM

 

Christmas at the Thrift Shop

 It's rather early to be putting out Christmas decor but the thrift shop often starts early ( and does very well in sales all proceeds going to charity).  So I went to browse and enjoy but didn't buy anything. I thought you might like a peek at what I saw. If early Christmas decorating annoys you feel free to skip this post.

 

In the photo below you can see just how big this shop is.

 

 

teacup # 21

 Thanks for visiting today,  GM

Destruction

There are always new homes going up around this area and often there will be an older, smaller home being taken down to make room for some much larger place. Adjacent to the park there was a large home, quite fancy, with what was either a conservatory or maybe an indoor pool on one side. When I went for my walk I heard crashing noises that got louder and louder as I neared this big home. Sure enough that very place was being destroyed by an enormous wrecker. (excavator?).  It seems a shame to take down what looked like a perfectly good house. One hopes that some of the woodwork and such was removed before the demolition began.

 It's a wet day. 12C (about 53F) which isn't that cold except with the rain it feels bone chilling. I came back from walking and my shoes and socks were soaked and my feet were so cold.  Now I think I'll do a bit of housework then spend some time with my feet up and a book in my hands.

Teacup # 20  by Elizabethan has pretty pink and yellow roses.

 Thanks for coming by,  GM

This Day

 October is a month in which our family celebrates  many birthdays and anniversaries.  Yesterday was Youngest Son's birthday and today is Eldest Daughter's.  It also is National Chocolate cupcake Day!! 
I'll warn you already that tomorrow is  "Evaluate your life" day. That gives you lots of time to start evaluating ( just kidding).

 On this day in 1929 a landmark Canadian women's rights  court case decided that "yes, women are persons".  The decision by the Privy Council was thanks in great measure to the efforts of the Albertan social activist Emily Murphy whose appointment in 1916 as the first female magistrate was challenged on the basis that women were not persons under British and Canadian law.  Today we salute Emily Murphy.

Today's Teacup by Royal Chelsea is # 19   I couldn't decide which photo showed it best so I'll include both.

Thanks for visiting today,  GM