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| Some of our snowdrops. Alistair informs me that there are 72 in the front garden at the moment |
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| Mr Bullfinch. I spotted him and another few on a bush on the derelict railway track near the canal. He is a much darker red in reality. |
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| Tulips are such thirsty flowers - and they grow in the vase, amazing! |
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| This wee man enjoys life |
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| This plants always reminds me of the feelers of an Andorian. I know, geeky. |
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| Still one of my favourite quilts, simple and cheerful. |
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| I have been working on James' quilt, one block a day keeps the bad mood away 😉 |
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| Another mood booster: lemon curd pavlova. |
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| My Christmas present is finally assembled and on the wall. It makes me very happy. |
The week is ticking along nicely, hope yours is, too. I have not used my camera much lately and I thought I'd better give it a dusting and start using it again. I am suffering from constant hunger this week. Annie has asked to switch our diet to vegan for one week only and has spent a large number of hours planning the menu. It is rich in complex carbohydrates but lower in protein than our usual diet. Maybe my hunger is psychological, who knows. I am trying quite hard to stick to it, I have even enjoyed almond milk in my coffee but if I can be honest, it is foul. I asked for a almond milk cappuccino the other day (I treat myself to a weekly take away coffee) and I was amused to notice that the barista scooped a big spoon full of milk chocolate shavings on top - and then wondered if it would still be vegan. I didn't have the heart to tell her to make another coffee. After all I am only a temporary hobby vegan. I can see some of the problems a vegan might face in their daily quest to avoid all animal products. I am wearing leather birkenstocks just now for example. I am looking forward to an egg mayonnaise sandwich next Monday. The boys of course pay no heed to the vegan directive and happily guzzle milk and sneak slices of salami into their sandwiches. Annie and I share the cooking, which is kind of fun but she is very strict and I am not.
We have parent's night tonight for Sam. I am not looking forward to this much. Sam failed all his mock exams (as expected). He knows of course that he is in trouble and has decided to actually make an effort from now on. Sam did fourth best in one of his mocks but failed to mention he achieved a measly 29%.... just goes to show how pointless these mock exams are.
Anyway, not much to report here, all is reasonably well. Thanks for stopping by xx
Lovely photos:) The purpose of mock exams is to make you feel awful and then try harder. Seems to be working. Love the sewing reel holder and the new quit is coming along nicely. Hope the rest of the week goes well. And no I couldn’t be a vegan however hard I tried, I love my dairy foods too much. B x
ReplyDeleteHope all goes well with the parents evening, I am so glad I don't have to go through these any more. If it is any consolation they do seem to put more effort in and do well in the finals. Great progress on the quilt, mine is going very slowly.
ReplyDeleteThat lemon dessert! If you made that I am impressed and could you make one for me😀
ReplyDeleteHe had the fourth-highest score and got a 29? I totally agree, with results like that, the exam is pointless for sure! Wow. I hope the night goes well. Maybe he'll pick it up in the final months here. Your pavlova is beautiful. I would love it with lemon. I've only ever had it with the traditional things like strawberries and kiwi, which I liked, but I love lemon. I'm glad to hear you're sewing a block a day! That's fantastic. You must feel great. I love your Christmas present. Very nice and organized. Hope you have a good weekend, Christina!
ReplyDeleteHope all goes well for the parents evening for you and Sam, it is a difficult time for child and parents isn't it. The pav looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteAs I sit reading this we too are driving in to my 17 yr olds parents evening at college (I'm passenger). I'm expecting trouble with the computer science. The graphics and media he enjoys so should be much better.
ReplyDeleteAll looks lovely especially Jack, arh. Cathy x
Although I've not eaten meat for over twenty years I don't think I'd like being vegan in the least... not even for a week. I love cheese too much... and chocolate! Hope the parents evening goes well... I used to hate them. That quilt is beautiful x
ReplyDeleteHey! we have just come back from parents evening, how weird is that. It was good and the teachers said my children were nice and polite which suits me. One said she liked Heidi's hand knit cardigans and I was super proud but hey, it's not all about me!!! I am swooning over your reel holder and your blocks look so neat, much better than mine. Happy sewing. Jo xxx
ReplyDeleteLovely collection of photos :)
ReplyDeleteI was vegan for a bit in my twenties and I often have the urge to go vegan again (there are so many good reasons too) and there are many areas I could easily do it as I am a strict veggie and a fairly ethical shopper, but there are also many things that would make it difficult. I do have an idea that when we've moved and have more time for food shopping and cooking again (not to mention more fridge and cupboard space) I might go vegan at home but also allow some non vegan days (but still strict veggie of course) if we're eating out or something as it can be so hard to find vegan options.
We are months away from snowdrop, and in fact, I seldom see them around here. The only ones I recall seeing are a few that my dad had planted at his place. Crocuses are the flowers that I associate with early spring. I may have a few come up, but daffs are really the first flowers in my pathetic garden.
ReplyDeleteWell done Annie. I was vegan for 25 years so I know how tricky it can be to find vegan things. These days I am eating all the cheese, probably 25-years' worth to be honest. I have been thinking about giving it up for Lent though. Love your cotton reel holder. And very especially the lemoncurd pavlova, I was a bit breathless when I saw that. I saw a bullfinch a few days ago down by the stream where I walk the dog. I very rarely see one, it was such a pleasure. Wishing you and yours a good weekend. CJ xx
ReplyDeleteI remember getting a,b,c,d, e for my higher prelims, I passed them all with a and b's, although I am sure I added some grey hairs to my parents' head along the way. I'm not looking forward to my pair having exams!
ReplyDeleteBravo on the wonderful spool holder! For a seamstress, that must be like wall art to you. Sorry your son is having school difficulties. Our older grandson has decided he hates school.. which is upsetting for his grandmother. I hope it gets better for him. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteI understand vegans, but could never be one, I need my animal protein. I like the looks of the quilt, I'm sure he's going to love it.
ReplyDeleteToo bad about Sam, maybe he learned something from it though.
Good for your daughter - what is the motivation for "vegan week"? I was vegan for several years. It isn't too hard when you cook for yourself, but when eating out it is definitely hard. Before I married my husband, the deal we made was that he had to stop eating meat, but I had to start eating dairy so that we could enjoy pizza and ice cream together! Great photo of that Bullfinch!
ReplyDeletelovely photo's.love the bird and that quilt is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI wondered how your husband is doing now - hope he is well. I always enjoy your blog. Jean/Winnipeg
ReplyDeleteI think it is so hard to be vegan or even vegetarian with a family. My boys are all heavy meat eaters. I have not had red meat or pork for over 29 years, I don't miss it a bit. But eggs and cheese would be hard for me to give up. Hope you make it to the end of the week.
ReplyDeleteThat pavlova looks good. The snowdrops are just appearing in my garden - pleased to see them. It's seemed like a long winter this year. X
ReplyDeleteGlorious bullfinch, glorious quilt, glorious reel holder and glorious Jack! Interesting about the vegan week and your experience of it. We don't eat a lot of meat here (prefer fish) but I don't think I'd want to be vegan. There are vegan runners but I would find it hard to get the necessary protein into my diet, especially to recover after the long runs. Cheese and crackers or hot chocolate with milk is such easy recovery food. As for Sam's mocks, my experience here is that mocks don't reflect final grades, but I also think it's better to work at a level you're happy and capable at, rather than pressurising yourself to work harder and struggling to cope. I link to think life finds a level xx
ReplyDeletelovely colourful post,love that quilt so pretty and the Bullfinch just adorable.I Love Snowdrops who wouldn't.Now,of course Jack is soooo cute,want to give him a cuddle.We have a Vegan Coffee Shop here and they also do the most wonderful food.we also have a Vegan Bakery which my friend owns.I hasten to add I could never be Vegan,but I do enjoy it when I have meals there.Happy Week.
ReplyDeleteLove the quilt, I would love to make one but the thought of starting one is so terrifying that I just freeze and crochet instead. Your quilts are always so striking, you use such bold and warm colours. I hope parents evening went better than expected! xx
ReplyDeleteYour photos are fabulous as always! Oh, I remember the mock exams and the pressure involved (big daughter was told at one point "these are the most important exams of your life" which is of course nonsense) - they're simply a signpost to point you in the direction of how much more work is required - and sometimes the shock of not doing well is enough to kickstart the studying. Good luck to Sam for the rest of his exams! xx
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed all these colorful images, Christine, and it seems that many of us get the camera doldrums in winter, but it’s nice to look back on perhspa forgotten images. I concur that the lemon dessert looks delicious as lemons are a favorite in my cooking and baking as well. And, we are also trying a new food plan this week and my husband who is the one pushing this one will be doing all the evening meal prep and cleanup, so that works very well for me. Like yourself, I could not be a strict vegan, so the chocolate shavings would work for me. Hope the parents school night went well.
ReplyDeleteLovely images.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I could survive being vegan for a week so kuddos to you
Sorry to hear about Sam's exams.. I remember those days of mock exams.. hated them.
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