Then.........and Now!

I'm not saying life has returned to normal. After all is there really a 'normal' when everything can change so suddenly?  Days come and go and every one is different. My virtual visit of the last 12 days to the UK is over. It was completely different from my real in-person visit back in June. Arriving home the week after the Platinum Jubilee was somewhat sad as we missed the celebration - but of course much quieter. I think now what if we had planned to visit during the recent two weeks, how would that have impacted our time. . . . . . I doubt it would have been a vacation.

Growing up in a family who loved and respected Queen Elizabeth II and the monarchy, losing her, no matter when, was always going to be a day of grief for me despite being so far away from home. You may think it audacious of me to still call England 'home' having been gone almost 60 years, but it is and always will be. I can't ever change that.

So now I'm moving on and planning Autumn days and some travel come October. Decorating the cottage is low key, no over the top pumpkin displays outside but perhaps a large pot of bright chrysanthemums to take the place of the fading canna lily. Indoors I've a vignette on the dining room table, small white pumpkins on the mantel. A few more wait in the wings to go on the front porch once the 90F days leave - please let that be soon!

Butternut squash, often said to be the 'favorite squash' of many, is always a pleasure to cook with. Sometimes though, when the local growing season is long over and the squash are not so good in the grocery stores, I think back to these, just harvested from the field, tender to cut, quick to cook, and so very flavorsome as a bowl of soup or a savory roast. I was thrilled when I found these at the pumpkin farm on Saturday. Yesterday I stocked up with fresh carrots, parsnips and ginger -

so I'm heading to the kitchen now where I'll get cracking on something tasty for supper. Also bought two roasting pumpkins. . . . . . more on preparing them another time as they will stay fresh for quite a while.

Coming up for air -

The past week has been one of reflection and I admit

 to many, many hours in front of the television, or staying

 in touch with the happenings in the UK on my phone or

laptop. I felt the need to gather with my people across

 the pond in some way to honor our late Queen.

Being British, I was raised in a family where Royal

pageantry was embraced. My maternal Grandfather was

an officer in the Coldstream Guards. My Mother and her

siblings grew up in Windsor where he was stationed and

they used the castle grounds as their playground.

Later, my Mother was a Royal dressmaker in London and

worked on clothes for Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

I saw Her Majesty twice, first as a 9 year old child when she visited

near my home in July 1952 to attend the Royal Agricultural Show.

We had a day off school, were crowded onto local buses for the 

short ride, and then lined up along the street waving small

 Union Jack flags as she was driven by in an open car.

I can still recall the excitement of that special day.

via Devon Live

Elizabeth II's first visit to Devon as Queen was in July 1952 when she came 

to the Royal Agricultural Show at Stover near Newton Abbot. She arrived

 in the town by train and nearly 50,000 people packed the streets and Courtenay Park

My second sighting of the Queen was in Boston in 1976

when she visited for the Bicentennial celebration. She arrived via

 the Royal Yacht 'Britannia' on a beautiful July day. I lived in

Massachusetts then so again didn't have far to go to see her.

On Monday morning I will be up at 5:30 AM to prepare

to watch the funeral at Westminster Abbey. Later that day

 I will be watching as The Queen is taken back to Windsor 

Castle where she will be interred in the royal vault in

the gothic 15th century St. George's Chapel, alongside

 her Husband Prince Philip, Father, King George VI, Mother, 

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and sister Princess Margaret.

Today I needed to get away and get out into the beautiful fresh air.

We drove south of the city to our usual farm for pumpkins. 

Tucked into the countryside we were warmly welcomed by our

 farm friends. Timing was perfect as they opened today to sell the

 first harvest picking and I was able to get some great ones for

 decorating and cooking.  

Will show you more later.