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A Year At Oak Cottage
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My life as a personal chef on a country estate, living in a cottage and getting to pursue all my culinary fantasies at someone else's expense...
Recent Posts Tagged With 'fruit'
Soaring like an Eagle . . .
Have you ever heard the story of the golden eagle? One day, a man who was a chicken farmer, found an egg which had rolled out of an eagle's nest. He took it home and popped it under a sitting hen, and eventually the eggs hatched out.The young eagle...
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree . . .
One of the things I looked forward to around this time each year was our family's annual purchase of the Christmas Tree. I Loved the way it smelt, and I loved the way it felt, and also what it stood for. Every year my father would go on his own to ...
The Simple Woman\'s Daybook . . .
FOR TODAY, November 30th, 2009 ...Outside My Window... It is dark and very, very still. It's also very, very cold. I think the rain has stopped for the time being. What a dismal month, November has been, with more rain than I have seen in years...
Maries Sunday Six
Welcome to my Sunday Six post. Oh how I love Sundays! It is good to take some time to pause and reflect on all that is good in my life. It would be so easy sometimes to just think about all the irritating and depressing things. I'm only human, an...
Pearls . . .
"I hope for you the very best that life has to offer, but I hope even more for a few simple things . . . things that come of the heart, things that come of the spirit, things that come of the divine within each of us.When all is said and done, when y...
Thoughts for Today . . .
Yesterday has gone forever . . . Forget it, let it be.Who knows what tomorrow holds?Today's for you and me.Another chance to start afreshAnd leave the past behind,Accomplish those unfinished tasks,And seek some peace of mind.A time to write or make a...
Words for a Wednesday . . .
Once upon a time a man named Bill was on his knees in his garden weeding, as a friend passed by."Why don't you take the hoe to them, Bill?" His friend called out. "It would be a lot less work."Bill looked up, gave him a wave, and replied. "Weeds ar...
Saturday This and That . . .
The morns are meeker than they were,The nuts are getting brown;The berry's cheek is plumper,The rose is out of town. The maple wears a gayer scarf,The field a scarlet gown.Lest I should be old-fashioned,I'll put a trinket on.- Emily Dickinson, Na...
The Simple Woman\'s Daybook . . .
FOR TODAY, October 12th, 2009 ...Outside My Window... It is ever so quiet and dark. When I put Jess out for her morning ablutions a few minutes ago it felt soooo cold, but then . . . it is October and it has to turn cold at some point doesn't it ...
The wind doth blow, and the rain does fall . . .
Oh, but the wind is blowing outside our little cottage right now and the rain is against the glass of the windows. It shall be a typical Autumn day here, much like what we have come to expect at this time of year, and Lord knows . . . the rain is ne...
A guy named Bill . . .
I'd like to share a little story with you today about a guy named Bill. Bill is a pretty ordinary guy . . . a college student, very casual, with wild hair. He favours holey t-shirts, tattered jeans and walks around in his bare feet most of the time...
It's not how much you do . . .
"Yet not low my aspirations;High and strong my soul's desireTo assist my toiling brothers,Upwards, onwards to aspire."~Janet HamiltonI bet there are not a lot of you who have heard of Janet Hamilton, and really, I am not surprised, for, although she ...
Flaky Apple Turnovers . . .
My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree Toward heaven still, And there's a barrel that I didn't fill Beside it, and there may be two or three Apples I didn't pick upon some bough. But I am done with apple-picking now. ~Robert Frost, Afte...
When I fall down . . . I get up!
"Someday I hope to enjoy enough of what the world calls success so that somebody will aske me, "What's the secret of it?" I shall say simply this: "I get up when I fall down."~Paul HarveyFirst of all, I want to seriously thank all of you for your ve...
Simple joys . . .
"When I think of happiness or joy in this life, I begin with some experiences that are simple and basic. I see the expression on the face of a one-year-old taking those first steps. I think of a child loving a puppy or a kitten. If the more mature ha...
Meant to be shared . . .
We share our happiness with each other . . .and it becomes greater.We share our troubles with each other . . .and they become smaller.we share one another's griefs and burdens . . .and they become possible to bear.~author unknownOne of the very first...
Saturday morning ponderings . . .
"And let every man esteem his brother as himself, and practise virture and holiness before me."Docrtine and Covenants 38:24I believe it is the simple acts of respect, love and nurture that enable our children to rise high in life and to become the be...
mmmm . . . applesauce, spice and bars . . .
As most of you know, I live in a country cottage, here in the rural countryside of the United Kingdom, surrounded by beautiful fruit orchards. In the springtime it is a beautiful sea of apple blossom and in the autumn the air rings out with the soun...
Friday morning this and that . . .
"In summer, the song sings itself."~William Carlos WilliamsI had a wonderful day yesterday, the best day possible! Many thanks for the wonderful cards and greetings. You all made me feel so very special!I worked yesterday morning but then in the af...
The Simple Woman's Day Book . . .
FOR TODAY, August 3rd, 2009 ...Outside My Window... It looks to be a fine day today. I believe the sun may shine. It hasn't been the greatest of summers here weather wise. The weather has been very unsettled, but then again . . . that is England...
How Will You Fix Your Hair Today?
There once was a woman who woke up one morning,Looked in the mirror,And noticed she had only three hairs on her head.Well," she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today."So she didAndSheHadAWonderfulDay.The next day she woke up,Looked in the mirrorAnd...
A Wonderful Time . . .
Greetings Everyone!We arrived home, safe and sound, from our Austrian Holiday last evening, after almost 24 hour trip! Boy are we zonked! We had a truly wonderful time in this stunningly beautiful country. Clean, gorgeous and very friendly. I to...
Marie's Sunday Six . . .
Here it is the first Sunday of July, 2009! I have lots of smile makers this week, so best get started!Hooray for the "Dog Days" of summer. Yes, we've had a really hot and humid week this week, which might be cause for complaint as I don't do humidi...
A Smell Is Worth a Thousand Words . . .
"Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived." ~Helen KellerThere is something really special about smells. They have the power to grasp your mind and take you back to any memory in your ex...
If you can't be a pine . . .
If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill,Be a scrub in the valley . . . but beThe best little scrub by the side of the rill;Be a bush if you can't be a tree.If you can't be a bush, be a bit of the grass,And some highway happier make;If you can't...
Marie's Sunday Six
It's hard to believe it's Sunday again! The time seems to be just flying by. A week no sooner gets started and it's finishing! I thought it might be fun this week to tell you six different things about me and perhaps maybe make you smile? At any ...
Special Moments . . .
Life is full of moments, both grand and small. Once in a while I like to just sit and close my eyes, and think about what might have been the most wonderful moment I have lived through . . .The most wonderful moment in my life . . .The most wonderfu...
Friday Morning thoughts . . .
So let me liveThat when I dieA tear will comeTo every eye.In every heartThere'll be a spot,An empty placeWhere I am not.So let me liveThat when I'm goneKind thoughts of meWill linger on.And folks will sayWith grief inside,"I sort of wishShe hadn't di...
Tis the little things . . .
A heart full of thankfulness,A thimbleful of care;A soul of simple hopefulness,An early morning prayer.A smile to greet the morning with;A kind word as the keyTo open the door and greet the day,Whate'er it brings to thee.A patient trust in Providence...
La La La Lemon!
Yayy!! It's Tuesdays with Dorie day and finally . . . FINALLY . . . there is a challenge that doesn't involved oodles of chocolate, liquor or coffee! Welcome to my Tuesdays With Dorie post, that one day a week when a boot-load of bakers the world o...
