Cooking With My Boy

This Christmas Day was the most chilled out I have EVER known

 (apart from one year when we were on holiday!)

My Son had really gotten into the spirit of things, organising the menu and who was responsible for which course, laying the table & preparing the food.

It was great!

I loved that everyone was so relaxed & shared in ensuring everything went smoothly - 

everyone just got on with it!!

So here's my boy at work - preparing 'devils on horseback', 'pigs in blankets' & asparagus wrapped in crispy bacon - delicious!

It's not just about the food, it's the memory -

 we had such a good time cooking together!

Thank you 'L' - Love Ya's!

XX

52 Weeks Of Happy (10/52)

Still enjoying curating four moments from my week which have 

made me smile, often the simple things!

This blog hop was started by Jen who writes the lovely Little Birdie Blog which I drop by regularly! Jen has finished her 52 Weeks Of Happy but I really liked the idea and as

 I'm late to the blogging party.......

• Coming home from work to find a lovely parcel from my lovely 'C' (aka you know who!) containing not just this lovely pewter tray but this picture too! I am so thankful to have such an amazing friend!

• As we approach a new season it's time for a new Melt Candle! They are my favourite candles,  this one is Violet & Black Pepper (also jasmine, lily, cedar, patchouli, vetivert, sandal, amber, tolu, labdanum & elemi). Rhyme at the end of this post.

• It's starting to look a lot like Christmas & I am waiting for my big boy to come home tomorrow! I just can't wait to hug him so hard! *LOVE*

• This beautiful plant has worked so hard this year!! It has flowered all year & still clings on despite the cold weather we are having - every day I look at it & think *wow* How?

"There's magic in a Winter's night.

Purple velvet skies over a dark fragrant stillness."

XX

Weekend Wanders...

I had the most chilled, much needed weekend, partly due to no work on Saturday. 

YAY for full weekends!

 The weather was beautiful on Saturday and I felt the need to make the most of it, so with some cajoling we headed off for Stickle Tarn at Great Langdale in the Lake District.

Mr.L took off on his bike to meet us there - mad bean!!! 85 miles

It's a BIG climb up, hard work in the hot weather, but oh, when you get there and see the lovely cool water waiting for you to dip your feet (or swim!!) it's wonderful!

We had Olly with us, so all around the sheep were peeping through the ferns at us!

The Boy & his lovely young lady 'S'

Started off fairly easy - don't be fooled...

 Stopped along the way - LOTS!

Getting rockier!

Almost there...

& here we are - beautiful - nature at it's finest?

Olly.did.not.stop.ONCE.

At the bottom was this place - nice cold drinks waiting following our descent!

Great atmosphere - we were hoping for live music after our food (not great!) but sadly the Heaven's opened.

Had to include this lovely pic ;-)

& this!

Sunday was showery & wet - spent it drinking tea from these lovely cups from NEXT

& reading - best escapism in the World!

 I have never read a Joanne Harris book & not been gripped within the first few pages, a magnificent story teller, she's a 'Yorkshire lass' but everything I have read has been set in France. 

In this latest book, a bottle of wine conveys the story - don't let that put you off. Her books have real depth to them - unputdownable (if that's even a word??)

Back soon to share what I learnt at my first ever Festival!

XX

Leaving His Teens

On Thursday Mr.L and I travelled to Leicester to celebrate Big Boy's 20th Birthday.

He's been at the University of Leicester 2 years now and how he's changed.

An appreciation of money and the cost of living - lights off in his apartment, short showers and shopping Sainsbury's and Tesco @ 8.00pm for daily bargains like a 10p loaf of bread!

But not just that, he's developed a maturity, an awareness of people's feelings, a strong sense of justice and an appreciation of his upbringing and the opportunities he's had.

20 years since the little Taurean came charging in to our lives - all 10lb 4oz of him popped on my chest, have gone in the blink of an eye. I remember the first time I set eyes on him and the instantaneous, protective love I felt for him - and felt again 18 months later when his sister 'A' was born.

I say to both my children "No matter how old you are you will always be my baby!"

Big Boy & his little sister 'A'

So, on Thursday I looked at him in wonderment that we have produced this fine young man.

Did I mention I'm *proud?*