DAPHNE IN THE YEAR 2017

Good Morning to you,

My Christmas decorations have been placed in their respective boxes and once again returned to their home in the loft, where they will live for the next 11 months, waiting for December to return, when they will once again, decorate my house.

.... but for now, I am enjoying my home, without the twinkles and colour. In the evening, I love curling up on the sofa with a throw, not because I am cold, but because it feels so snugly.  Candles are lit and dotted around the room.... and I am feeling very happy.

So I thought this would be a nice time to look back at 2017.

The reason I like to review the past year, is because  it gives me the opportunity to refresh my memory. Believe it or not, I do forget some of the things I did last year.

So as always, we will begin in January,

where we spent the most wonderful Christmas and New Year in Chicago with our daughter, Natasha and her husband.  With so many things to enjoy, the food being upper most in my mind, I have to say, food was closely tipped, by the musical Hamilton, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

February arrived and I made Baked Greek Olives which are always a success in my household.

In the middle of March I was busy in the garden tying in my clematis plants which were shooting prolifically. The roses also needed pruning and between bouts of rain George and I were busy dividing plants.... but there is always time for baking. I discovered this recipe for Coconut Macaroons in my 1955 Good Housekeeping Cookery book..... if you love coconut and chocolate as I do.... these will certainly be a hit with you.

.... and then April, arrived with it's hope of warmer weather, but we were fooled, instead of warmer weather we experienced rain, hailstones, arctic winds and snow, this made gardening a little difficult, but George and I persevered.  We worked so hard dividing herbaceous plants. 

George is so kind, because he often surprises me with a bunch of flowers and on this occasion he treated me to these beautiful roses which I displayed in 3 different ways. Roses are my favourite flower, whether growing in the garden or cut and brought into the house.

.... and with the arrival of May, our Lilac bush flowered.... and it brought back wonderful memories of George's father, who like my father, loved lilacs.

On this occasion I showed you a little tip on how to support the lilacs when using a shallow container.

June was a very busy month for us, because we moved house.

and it was time to say goodbye to my much loved garden

and to say hello to this rather overgrown garden.  Were we daunted.... oh no we were not, George and I saw this as an adventure. The size of the garden was perfect for us, but I have to be honest and tell you, that when we were younger we would have towed into the garden and cleared it ourselves.... but we are not as young as we were, and we needed help.

.... and the help came, in the form of Gary, who runs the gardening company Ace of Spades.  He and his friend were absolutely amazing, they did the work in no time at all.  When I left the house, to go to my sewing group, Gary had not arrived, but when I returned 3 hours later, this is what had been achieved.  They were both amazing.  By doing all this work, we could see the bones of the garden. So the planning could begin.

One day during August, George and I were reminiscing about how food had changed during our lifetime. We talked about past loved dishes which had fallen by the wayside and George asked if I could remember how to make Waldorf Salad. Between the two of us, we came up with, the recipe.... and do you know it was so lovely, that it is back on our menu again.

This is also the month when I told you about my daughters.

Firstly, Natasha,

my eldest daughter, who is writing a book about the 1980s TV show Dynasty. Natasha is currently reviewing the new CW Dynasty and also the 1980s Dynasty show, on YouTube. If you loved Dynasty you will love her reviews.

.... and secondly, I told you about my lovely daughter Danielle

who spoke to Mungo Jerry, one of Danielle's favourite singers. I mentioned that Danielle was hoping to have a photograph taken with Mungo Jerry. Well the update is, Danielle has met Ray (real name) and the photograph is going to be taken when the band returns from touring Germany. As you can imagine, Danielle is very excited.... and am  I  singing 'In the Summertime' in January.... well yes, it is a fabulous song.

With September arriving,

it was time to care for my Moth Orchids, which, because of the move, had not been given the care they deserved.

October arrived, with a chill in the air,

so instead of showing you the progress we had made in the garden, I decided to share with you artwork around my home. My artwork is varied and does not fit into one category.  If a picture catches my eye, then it's for me.

November arrived and I shared with you,

the birthday card my Aunt Molly received from  Queen Elizabeth II

to celebrate her 100th birthday.  Sadly Aunt Molly passed away last year at the grand age of 101 years.

The final month of the year arrived and I was busy with Christmas baking, gift buying, decorating the Christmas tree and also the ups and downs of dehydrating fruit.

.... and here we are again, at the beginning of January.  I wonder what new excitement lies ahead for this year.... I look forward to finding out.

Take care and I will catch up with you next Thursday.

As Always,

Best Wishes


Daphne