Sicilian siesta

Sicily turned out to be full of good food,
sunshine and mountains.
There was also a totally different pace of life
with everything stopping for several hours
in the middle of the day.
Saturday saw us arriving in this little
mountain village right in the middle of the
day. The streets were deserted, pretty,
as you can see but deserted nonetheless.
After a walk to enjoy the view and take
some photos we were hungrily returning
to the car to push on in search of food
elsewhere when we found an open bar
which made us tasty sandwiches to go
with our bright green apple juice.

Signs of Spring

Recently I've been wondering whether Brighton had
mysteriously turned into Narnia one night while I
was sleeping. Truthfully we haven't had much snow -
in fact all our snowfall was before Christmas but
nonetheless it has been relentlessly cold for the last
five months.
Many of my bulbs failed to flower this year - probably
sharing my view that Spring had been cancelled.
These beautiful blue hyacinths are notable exceptions
reassuring me that Spring is on its way albeit slowly.
Beginning to think that my eldest daughter currently
living in Italy having vowed never to spend the winter
in the UK again has the right idea.

Back to Basics

Vegetable stock. We eat lots of soup especially in the
seemingly never-ending British winter and as I don't
eat meat good vegetable stock is always in demand.
This week's vegetable box provided all the right
ingredients so made a double batch - one to use fresh
and one to freeze.

Tea for two?

This must be the biggest sharing pudding platter I have
ever been presented with! There were four of us but
imagine if you had ordered it between two of you!
In the interests of wholeheartedly abandonning any
attempts at healthy eating I had preceded this with
fish & chips- good job we walked up that steep hill
the day before.

Torquay Travels

After our trip to the USA we had one weekend
at home and then it was time to head off again
this time west to Torquay to visit K.
Saturday was unexpectedly mild with Torquay
living up to its reputation as the English Riviera
so we headed to the beach via this slightly unusual
form of transport. We walked back up the
extremely steep hill realising why most people opt
for return tickets!

A little bit of what you fancy does you good

We are not great pudding eaters in this house - not because
we don't like pudding more because we don't like the extra
effort in the gym required when too much pudding is consumed!
These, however were perfect, quick and easy to make and
small enough to cause no guilt trips (and to eat two days in a row)
I used very dark chocolate because it is my favourite - in
summer these would be good with freshly picked raspberries.

Sunset

One last glorious sunset as our trip came to an end. This one
in Tucson, Arizona in the Saguarro National Park.
After this we turned back north towards Phoenix, Kingman
and eventually Vegas and our flight home.

Back to winter weather and indoor pursuits as we wait for
Spring to reach the UK.

Colour

What colour do you think of when you hear the word desert?

Not purple and green - I'm willing to bet yet these are often
the colours of desert plants, contrasting beautifully with
the dusty backdrop in which they grow.

Could be a good colour scheme for a new look lounge maybe?
Pictures here if it works out.

Shape

Huge Fred Flintstone style rocks are another
feature of Joshua Tree. Many walks come with
the warning "some scrambling required" - no
warnings about squeezing through small spaces
though!

Texture

Leaving Death Valley we headed south to Joshua Tree
National Park where we saw amazing plants growing
in the High Desert conditions there.
These Cholla cactus look almost furry in the picture
but signs warn you not to touch as they are in fact
covered in spiky spines which detach from the plant
and attach to anything that touches them.
Apparently they are not easy to remove!

Freedom!

Oh the bliss of the first chance of the year to discard the
cosy socks and the furry boots and feel the sand between
your bare toes!
Firmly back in the world of socks & boots now we are home
but it was fun while it lasted and we are heading to Sicily for
a few days soon to visit A so maybe there will be another
outing for my toes.

Red sky at night Shepherd's delight

Sunset in the desert throws up a whole set of different
colours to those we see at home.
This shot reminds me of the phrase "sky-blue-pink"
There were quite a few people gathered on the sand dunes
to watch the sun go down but hardly anyone waited to see
the sky slowly change through shades of pink and red
before yielding to darkness.
Sunset is a time for patience as the best colours invariably
come after the sun has dipped below the horizon.

Monday Morning Blues

The pool at Furnace Creek in Death Valley
is fed by warm springs making it warm
all the year round.
This was the last day of January, the
sun was shining (77degrees) the pool was
warm (and quiet) it felt as far removed
from a typical UK Monday morning as it's
possible to be.
Bliss!

Sunrise over salt flats

One of the highlight of being in the desert is, as
I have said before watching the sunrise and the
sunset.
Not being a morning person, getting up earlier
than I would on a work day while on holiday
seems at first a complete non-starter.
However, on a winter holiday there are
compensations: One: sunrise is later
Two: there are less people around so the
whole experience of watching the sunrise
and the landscape transform is even more
magical. Three: The reward of a cooked
breakfast on your return is even more
appealing!

Fading fast

Sunset as we walked down from Natural Bridge.
One of the best things at Death Valley is the
sunset and the sunrise, it is definitely worth
making sure you are in good spots to enjoy
these while in the Park.
Clouds had blown over on this afternoon so
the sunset was over quickly - still beautiful
though lokks more like a painting than a
photo in some ways.
Gives me a sense of calm just looking back
at the photos. Beautiful.

First Impressions

First impressions are always important creating
a sense of expectancy sometimes good sometimes
not so good.
This is the Dante's view near the entrance to
Death Valley National Park. The white on the ground
is not water or snow but salt!
From Dante's view you can walk along the ridge
formed by the mountain peaks - about 5,000 feet
up I think with stunning views however long or short
your walk.
This view gives a sense of how vast and empty this
particular National Park is and conjures up for me
that feeling of anticipation at the start of a road trip.
Definitely a great first impression.

Signs of new life

I know it's still January but I have had enough of
winter. Enough dark mornings and dark evenings
and cold days requiring multiple layers of clothes
and furry boots in the attempt to feel warm.
Somehow everything is harder work in the winter
and I'm definitely ready for sunny Spring days.
Sadly they will not be arriving in the UK anytime
soon but in the meantime - signs of life in the garden
and a couple of trips to sunnier climes are both very
welcome.

Recycled Christmas Tree

Christmas tree branches, bay leaves
from the garden and white tulips make
for a pretty combination and prolong
the lovely piney smell that you miss
when the tree comes down.
Thanks to Martha Stewarts Living
magazine for the idea.

Healthy and tasty

Although the Christmas chocolate still lingers
and the urge to bake remains strong, it really is
time for some healthier options.
having kidded myself last week the lemon tart
met these requirements, delicious but not really
healthy, we had this salad for dinner. made with
cous cous, kidney beans, red peppers, spinach
and cauliflower it definitely fitted the healthy
requirement and both looked and tasted good
too.

New Year, New Knitting

Now that the Christmas knitting is over, time for
some new knitting for a new arrival expected later
this year.

Debbie Bliss pattern, Cotton & bamboo wool.

Snowy Scotland

This was the view from our hire car window
on Saturday morning. N. had to borrow a
shovel from the Travelodge and dig us out
of the car park - didn't look as if we would
be going further than the nearby breakfast
cafe.
However having lived in the south of England
for the last twenty years we had forgotten the
efficiency of the Scots when it comes to snow.
Roads had all been cleared and we were able to
drive North with no problems and some picture
postcard scenery to admire.

Last chance

Last chance for taking pictures of
the tree as today is the day for
taking it all down. This year's tree
was huge 7 feet tall and though I will
miss it, the lounge will definitely
feel bigger when it is gone!
This year the decorations were all
white mirroring the snowy trees we
had at the beginning of December.
Heading to Scotland tomorrow
where it looks like we may be
seeing some more snowy trees as
we drive north.

Tiny trees

Slowly the decorations are coming down and as
there was no time to take photos as we put them
up, I'm trying to snap a few before they all disappear.
These tiny trees are made from old music books.
Cut out tree shapes, layer them up (maybe three
at a time) and stitch down the centre. Fan out the
sheets of paper to form a 3D tree.
These come from a blog I read last Christmas - sorry
can't remember which one!
They have survived two Christmases now which is
pretty good recycling I reckon!

Better late than never

In the busyness of preparing for
Christmas with six weekends away
between mid September & Christmas
day, I first forgot to buy the paper white
bulbs and then having bought them forgot
to plant them. Three weeks before
Christmas they were hurriedly stuck in
water and while we were out on Christmas
day the first flower unfurled. Less than
two weeks later they are looking all
flowering beautifully.

Going going gone part two

As the cookie and cake tins empty so it is
time forthe decorations to disappear too.
These little birds and hearts have decorated
our stairs this Christmas along with some white
fairy lights. We leave the lights there all
year but tonight the birds and hearts have
been taken down ready for packing away
till next year.
I've been reading lots of comments on blogs
today from people who don't like Christmas.
They are, of course completely entitled to
their point of view but in the interests of a
balanced view can I just say I love Christmas
and everything about it from the Nativity
which reminds us what Christmas is really
all about to the decorations, family reunions,
yummy seasonal food.......