This week - hot and hotter!

I long for the ending of this year's Summer season. It has been nothing but endless days of breathtaking dry heat. Carrying a water bottle is sensible. I usually forget mine, so end up with throat issues as I become dehydrated after just a short time outdoors. Yesterday we ran some errands in 102F, not smart. The heat shimmered across the concrete parking lots, getting back into the car was like plunging into a furnace. I was thankful for my air conditioned leather seats. We ended the afternoon in a favorite wine bar before heading to the house for supper. I ordered a crystal clear glass of icy cold rosé and requested a glass of water - he brought me a large chilled bottle.

The house is cool and walking in refreshing. Meals are quick with no long prep. Roasting, boiling, frying, not in the cards lately. Even a tomato sandwich with a slice of fresh mozzarella and a bright green salad is satisfying on a hot night.

I've done little around the house this summer. Need to downsize stuff. Editing knick knacks will be a winter project, again! That said I have a few new to me items on the walls!  My wonderful neighbor has moved. He and his kitty Ms. Nala, whom you may recall I often cared for when he traveled, have a new home. We will miss him being next door, but he'll be around a lot as he's keeping the house and renting it to a family member.  He gifted me with this beautiful antique mirror and two winter landscape paintings. He knew I always loved these when they hung in his house. He's kind and thoughtful and has always been there for us in the last ten years.

Meanwhile, I'm pulling out autumn/winter weight clothes for the upcoming trip across the pond. It will be cooler there for certain. I will love that. The collapsible rack is at the ready. I hang things there daily while deciding what I will pack later. Each day different items appear as others disappear back into drawers and closets. Decisions as to what to take - and fit into one suitcase - is the hardest part of a journey for me, and it never gets any easier!  Going home soon.
  

When I dig back through memory cells, I get one particularly distinctive feeling - and that's one of warmth, comfort and well-being. For whatever else I may have had, or lost, or will find - I've still got a hometown. This, nobody's gonna take away from me. 

Rod Serling

SuzAnna's Antiques - Holiday Open House

SuzAnna's Antiques 2022

Many of you may recall my days at SuzAnna's Antiques. Memories are many and happy. The friends made there during the years when I shared a booth with Vanessa, and then my granddaughter Jasmin working there for several years, all remain close to my heart. I look around the cottage and see so many things purchased there. Yes, SuzAnna's is special.

Now located further away from Raleigh I don't get there as often, but the Holiday Open House is never missed. This year we headed north with Jasmin, met up with Vanessa and her daughter Luna who have moved back to North Carolina from California (so glad!), and we joined the crowd of shoppers for a lovely evening with shop owners, mother and daughter Susie and Jennie.  

Did I buy anything? The brass angel came home and will soon be hanging somewhere for the Christmas holidays!  Despite trying to downsize I couldn't leave without something to remind me of another special visit.

So, who is already starting holiday decorating?  Perhaps most of you, like me, don't do much until after Thanksgiving here in the USA. I have noticed in my neighborhood some lights are being strung outside and probably by next weekend lighted trees will appear in windows. Dusk creeps in early now. Woodsmoke lingers in the colder air. We readied the fireplace this week and stacked wood near the back door. The fire tools are aging but a new fire screen looks smart, and unrolling the hearth rug brought back memories, fortunately no cinder burns so it will last a while longer!  We'll light a fire on Thanksgiving Day when it will be quite cold and cloudy.

Best wishes to all who will be celebrating Thanksgiving this Thursday.  

Kissing cousins, brother, husband - "my guys" ---------

A short distance along the coast from Torquay is the smaller, a little more old fashioned seaside town of Teignmouth.  At the mouth the of the River Teign, beneath the cliffs and sloping hills, it was for several years the home of my mother her parents and siblings, and has always been the home of my dear cousin Sue. I spent many summer holidays there as a child and teen, we two girls were loving cousins then and still are to this day despite an ocean between us!

 

Teignmouth seafront

Mary (me), cousin David, cousin Sue, my brother John

We are the four cousins, our three mothers were sisters. Sue (79) lives in Teignmouth, David (78 today) in Torquay, John (70) in Southwest France, and yours truly (78) in Raleigh, North Carolina. Getting together has taken three years due to the pandemic, however yesterday we managed to do it. . . . . .. and in brilliant, hot sunshine we hugged and kissed like never before!

Bob, looking debonair in a borrowed hat, when we sat on a rooftop restaurant for

lunch in Teignmouth. Unbelievable weather here - hot, dry and non-stop sunshine every day.

Supper last night with John (today he's flying home to France) at our favorite fish 'n chip shop SALTWATER in Torquay.

Off to meet up with a really 'old friend' this afternoon - at a quaint tea room overlooking the bay. Jackie and I have known each other since before birth!!! Our respective mothers actually met at the maternity hospital before we were born!  We've remained good friends all these years and always pick up where we left off last time. . . . . . .as only best friends can!

Week of preparations -

SuzAnna's Antiques - Rolesville, North Carolina - November 2021

It has been a busy week.  Two PT appointments, a doctor visit, and an MRI.  Cooking up the big pumpkin for eating (soup and a gratin) and tucking some away in the freezer.  Pulling out a suitcase - yes I'll be traveling very soon - watch this space!  Starting on the Christmas cards which need to travel much farther than I can these days. Thursday evening we managed to drive a little north through horrendous rush hour traffic to SuzAnna's Antiques for the Holiday Open House. Many of you will recall my long, lovely history with the shop, the booth I had for a while with a best friend Vanessa, and my granddaughter Jasmin working there for several years.  Since they moved out of Raleigh it's a long way to go but always worthwhile. . . . . . especially to see the delightful Susie, Jenny, Bruce (playing a handsome Santa again!) and others of their family.  The crowd was big, the holiday offerings awesome - impossible to leave there empty-handed - and when Jasmin arrived it was just like the old days. . . . . .except we were all masked of course!

This evening we'll pop over to see the Christmas tree lighting at the midtown shopping center - then it will really feel festive, and it will be cold!

Happy weekend everyone - hoping you have good weather to enjoy any holiday preparations you are working on.

News from the garden -

Yesterday, with the surprise of what must have been quite a soaking

 rain during the night - the best kind for the garden - I opened

 the front door to a beautiful shock of green. Layers of color all the

 same hue but each a different shade. Washed clean, undamaged, 

refreshed, with no fallen leaves or twigs.

Many birds were at the feeders - including the invincible four-legged

 versions with the bushy tails! A large rabbit hopped across the lawn, and 

two chipmunks scampered around the front porch, one stopping for a

 drink at the fountain which I'd not seen happen before.

I baked a French pear Gateau de Mamy (Grandma's Cake) for Mother's Day

and decorated simply with garden pansies. I couldn't eat any though whilst

 on the Low Histamine diet!  I'm feeling great though cutting out so many 

food items which may have been causing problems. I did cheat a bit for

 Mother's Day by drinking a glass of sparkling Prosecco during a visit 

with a dear friend. She bought it especially for me to sip, along with

 thoughtful carrots and broccoli rather than cheese and crackers which

I've had to give up for a while!

She also gifted me with this..........

.........a very pretty bird snack wreath now hanging on the porch.

Note my special 'garden boy' Bob working in the background!

This was another beautiful gift from Anthropologie for Mother's Day, 

one I'll be using a lot - even later today as I'm heading into the garden

 now to prune the massive azalea bushes. If you have azaleas always

 prune at this time when the blooms have died - that way they can set

 buds during the summer for next spring's glorious display.

Who doesn't love peonies! I cut the first open bloom from the garden

yesterday as it was so heavy and hanging down - the perfume is

 awesome, I wish you could sniff, and the petals so pretty.

Back to SuzAnna's Antiques!

It was far too long since I last visited SuzAnna's at their new location

 outside of Raleigh. I went once early last year when we were just

 starting to wear masks, and then two weeks ago, still masked, I had a

 wonderful visit there to see old friends. 

Of course couldn't resist doing a little shopping.

I brought home dried lavender and this bird art . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . hanging here now.

Will be heading that way again soon - treasure hunting is so much fun.

Did I hear someone say what happened to "downsizing" - well I'm still 

working on that!

Have a fine Saturday. We're off to the market for fresh eggs and veggies, 

then a walk in full sun and 72 degrees - that's what I call perfect!

Christmas came and went -

A really great trip to the now wintry North Carolina mountains last week.
One evening we enjoyed walking to a French bistro in snow flurries. 
Next day we had a meeting with longtime friend and blogger Penny from
 Enjoying The Simple Things. We met for lunch in glorious sunshine with a
 thoroughly enjoyable visit to her beautiful home on a hillside, then came back
 to non-stop readying for Christmas!

I baked a lot for Christmas Eve!
Traditional English Mince Pies (with a dollop of rum butter added at serving time).
Tiny Cheese, Onion & Black Olive Scones (later split for a spread
 of herbed Boursin).  Costco supplied the baked brie and some great cheeses,
 and I made really crispy herbed crostini from rustic baguettes.
The grapes I roasted after brushing with a marinade of olive oil, white wine vinegar
 and honey - a new recipe which went over well, tasted so good, and looked great
 on the cheese board.
We took a late evening drive around the neighborhood to view lights and luminarias
lining the streets - all very festive.

Christmas Day was quieter. We visited with friends for drinks then spent
 the evening at home. I made Asian inspired salmon, Brussels sprouts roasted
 in olive oil and crushed garlic almonds with perfect plain mashed potatoes.
Dessert was Christmas pudding topped with more rum butter and fresh whipped
cream - oh my, I see more walking and exercise in the near future - like later today! 
The sun is shining and temperature perfect at 63F so no excuses not to head outside.
 Our meal was enjoyed in front of the hearth with a blazing fire. . . . . . .and watching
 the "Call The Midwife" Christmas special. OMG it was fabulous and filmed on
 Scotland's beautiful Hebrides Islands - one of the few places
 remaining on my 'travel bucket list!

Today, Boxing Day, is always a favorite day of the year for me.
Time to reminisce about childhood holidays and take a little 
quiet time planning for the year to come.
We have a busy month ahead which includes the garden - tree company coming
 to remove a dead oak (thanks to woodpeckers over-pecking!), and some serious
  pruning of other large branches now overhanging the roof.
Hopefully an indoor project involving paint and furniture will be done. . . . . . and, 
after the holiday decorations are down and stored, some serious purging and
 downsizing as we clear out 'stuff' room by room.
I don't make a list of New Year resolutions, however in my mind I know what 
needs to be addressed to get me organized here at home for what will hopefully
 be a great 2020!

If I don't make it here again before New Year's Day, I wish you all the 
very best for a happy, healthy and wonderful Year. 

A sad week. . . . . . . .

There were two sets of twins in my family.   

My mother and her brother, and then two years later their twin sisters. 

 Prior to the first set of twins there was also an older sister. 

So my grandma had five children in four years - quite a feat for any woman.

All are long gone but never forgotten.

There have never been any other twins. I always hoped for a sister but

got a brother when I was eight years old. He was worth waiting for

though. Siblings are always very special whether brothers or sisters.

******************

This week I received such sad news and I'm having difficulty coming 

to grips with it.

On Monday morning a dear family lost one of their two amazing daughters, 
their only children. Emily, beautiful and talented, was much too young to die. 

Wife, mother of three young children, sister, daughter, friend, loved so much

by so many.

Damn cancer in all its forms. Damn cancer for impacting Emily's

life for several years then taking her from her loved ones forever.

My condolences to the special local family of SuzAnna's Antiques, Susie

and Bruce - Emily's parents, Jenny her sister, Tim her husband, 
the children, and all their family.

Emily will be greatly missed but always remembered.

TORRES del PAINE National Park, Chile. . . . . . Part I

Puerto Natales, Chile

Torres del Paine National Park

March 13, 2018

Temp. Range 40-51F 

Showers possible all day

By 8:30 am we were in Zodiacs being transported ashore to Puerto Natales.

Three clean and comfy buses were awaiting to take us on the 1.5 hour 

drive through the Chilean countryside to the Torres del Paine National Park.

Declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978, it was voted the 8th wonder of

the world in 2014 by people from all over the world!

This park, in Chile’s Patagonia region, is known for its soaring mountains, 

bright blue icebergs and ice floes that cleave from many glaciers, and golden

 pampas (grasslands) that shelter rare wildlife such as llama-like guanacos. 

Lake Grey, the Grey Glacier visible left of photo.

Our stop for lunch was at Hosteria Grey, an attractive tourist complex on

 Lake Grey with magnificent views from the restaurant. The property is

 surrounded by forests of lenga and coigue hardwood trees serving as

a refuge for the south Andean deer (Hippocamelus bisulcus), also known

as the southern guemal, an endangered species native to the mountains of 

Argentina and Chile.

Lake Grey with blue ice floe and the Grey Glacier. . . . . light rain falling.

A small iceberg.

Wish we'd had time to kayak there.

Following the tasty lunch, we moved on to the central area of the park consisting

 of the alpine massif with three imposing granite 'Torres' or towers that reach

 over 10,000 feet, together with several lesser 'Cuernos' or horns which are formed

 of black shale.

It was quite cloudy with light rain, however we did get quite good views of this

 spectacular landscape. . . . . . . 

. . . . . . here's a photo to whet your appetite - next time in Part II I'll show you much more!