Cool liquids -

The best iced tea ever!

Jeanne's elixir ~ a wonderful herbal blend of lemon myrtle, 

chamomile, lavender, rose, spearmint and peppermint.

I brewed enough to keep in the refrigerator during this ongoing 

heatwave . . . . . . . . . .

When visiting Jeanne's beautiful farm in New Hampshire

last month, we sipped this same tea in her sun room looking out 

across the stunning landscape toward the mountains . . . . . and she 

kindly gifted me with this jar of the blend to bring home.

You can follow Jeanne here at her fabulous blog ~  COLLAGE OF LIFE.

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

Iced tea, the northern name, is usually called sweet tea here in the south

and brewed from black or green tea leaves. A form of tea that is brewed

 cold to begin with, and then mixed with ice, it’s almost always

heavily sweetened, especially if you order it away from home.

Though I've lived in the south over forty years where sweet tea is a

 legendary drink on hot or cold days, I have to admit I am not a lover of it, 

perhaps imbibing only a few times. Iced coffee, yes, yes, yes, love it, 

especially on a hot day like today and all the past days recently when

 temperatures hovering around 100F continue to be the norm.

Hot tea I enjoy anytime, black, green and herbal.

Recently I tried Kombucha for the first time. This brand

is made by a local company

It was quite refreshing but after reading that it may

not be a healthy alternative I doubt I will drink it often.

If tea is not your choice of beverage but you want a refreshing fizzy drink,

I tried this one. Nothing outstanding regarding flavor, very subtle, but

 Pellegrino by name alone makes one feel Italian, and the tall skinny can

 is very attractive if you're a visual person, lol!!!!

Hey friends, these days anything different that might make one

 feel special is good!

Stay cool!

Pre-Autumn Porch -

 

OK, if I have to stay here for autumn's arrival I can at least start on a little

 decorating to cheer up the now so tired summer look. All was looking dead, 

dreary and downright boring! 

It didn't take much effort this morning.  All I did was pull on the new

 golden IKEA pillow covers, and go to the potting shed and sort through

 out-of-season stuff tucked away at the back of shelves. I found the pretty

 china Italian pitcher and the glass light in fall colors. This ball is filled with

 mini lights and is battery operated with a 5 hr. timer. Set just as dusk falls,

the evening hours on the porch are brightened.

My Christmas cactus has spent summer on the porch. It was doing nothing

 on the dining room table, seemed in a state of dormancy with never a bloom. 

Now it appears to have some new growth and looks a lot healthier so will

 stay there until cold weather arrives, perhaps in October.

The new plant, picked up yesterday at LIDL for just $6, is a Petra Croton. 

I've never owned one before but seeing the display of perfect colors for

 the porch, I grabbed one!  Crotons are interesting plants and can grow

 really tall as houseplants. I'm only planning to use it outdoors through

 the fall months, perhaps hide it in the potting shed over winter and see

 if it survives.

Have you ever grown a croton?

"What makes homeowners love Petra Croton is its incredible coloration—deep green leaves with variegated, multicolored veins in bright red, orange, and yellow. If you have room to fill, the Petra Croton houseplant will make that space shine, growing 6-8' high. You can also keep shorter by topping it in spring. This plant will only need water when the soil begins to dry out. Otherwise, it likes humid environments and an occasional misting of its leaves. Be sure to keep in a warm spot in the winter time, and be careful when moving it. Too much motion causes it to drop some leaves, but don't panic, just stick to the watering and lighting requirements and it'll bounce back fast. Petra doesn't only add mood-lifting beauty to your home. As it grows, it helps purify the air, too! "  Michigan Bulb Co.   

 

Now if only the weather would change, bring us some cooler temperatures

 and rain, we could sit out and enjoy the porch again!

Meanwhile thoughts are with everyone along the Gulf Coast in the path of

 yet another possibly catastrophic hurricane - be vigilant, stay safe.

A long way from home ----

A

. . . . . . . will not be winging its way back across the pond for the time being.

Thatcher Rock and Tor Bay, Torquay, England ~ my home.

For the third time since COVID-19 arrived and shut down the world to international travelers, we are cancelling our long overdue trip home to the UK. We were due to leave in a few weeks and planned to stay for 3 weeks. Now, after much thought and discussion, listing the pros and cons of travel overseas, and checking with my family and friends in England, we have decided not to risk a trip which still has so many cons, especially with new variants rearing their ugly heads, and no way to get a third vaccination before leaving the USA. 

I so miss England. 

I miss not seeing my remaining family and friends across the pond. 

We are all aging and time is precious. It's now well over two years since

 I last visited due to COVID . . . . . the longest period of time I've ever

 spent away from my real home since emigrating almost 59 years ago! 

I am homesick - really homesick! 

Thankfully my home never actually fades from my memory as I've been

 fortunate to go back such a lot. . . . . . and now we will plan to go next

 year, perhaps in late spring.

Vintage Torquay guide book - a much cherished item from home.

I often spend time looking through this book and remembering how

 things were when I lived there in the 'good old days.'  

There really is "no place like home" no matter how long one has been

 gone and made a new life elsewhere. 

Do I have regrets about leaving? Yes, sometimes I do, but I mostly

feel I made the right move and am thankful for the good life I've

experienced in America all these years.

To live a full life includes having regrets. They are an unpleasant,

though unavoidable, part of the human condition. 

You may know people who staunchly declare that they have no

 regrets whatsoever. That is unhealthy because with regret we get to

 reassess our lives. Whether or not we chose our actions, 

we get to think about who we are, how we relate to the world

 and where we may have failed.

Regrets are necessary to being a complete human being. 

Meanwhile, as the saying goes, once again "I'll pick myself up, brush myself 

off, and start all over again" - and hope to go back home as soon as possible.