Thursday 2 October 2014

Little things


I'm in the mood for a simplistic post. And lately I've been writing down, in a little notebook, details from each day which give me reason to smile.

There are a surprisingly large number of them.

Of course, all the thoughtful comments posted here of late have been a great help and I'd like to say thank you to everyone who sent their best wishes this way.

And here are some of the things which have brightened up the past few days...

Offerings: A hand-tied bunch of flowers, brought over by a friend who came to visit yesterday. It contained a beautiful bronze bloom chrysanth and I do love those.


Recent kitchen activity: baking (spiced apple cake, recipe from here); stodge of the Polish variety (bigos, or hunter's stew, and pierogi: parcels filled with cheese and potato, which are boiled but leftovers are generally fried in butter); healthier eatings in the form of fresh figs and crunchy Spartan apples; and a treat of chocolate, almond and cherry granola - I'm not sure whether that comes under the category of breakfast cereal or dessert but I don't care because it tastes so good.


Joe rummaging through the kitchen cupboards. Generally quite annoying but when he unearths an old (and still sealed) bottle of sloe gin and (don't worry) hands it straight over to me, I'm very grateful.


The recent spell of beautiful sunshine. Plenty of walks to be had, treasures to be found (Joe's current favourite game involves loading conkers onto a little tipper truck) and nature's seasonal gifts to be admired. The light is wonderful right now.


The painterly flowers growing in people's gardens at the moment: asters, dahlias and rudbeckias. And the sunset colours which seem to be predominant too in the purple heather, deep pink sedums and rich orange crocosmia.


Gardening: we've been planting more containers up and have planted some bulbs already, in anticipation of spring: dwarf narcissi, muscari and snowdrops. I bought a few amber-hued miniature chrysanthemums too and they look very autumnal against a backdrop of dark purple heuchera.


Apparently the weather's set to turn after today. So one more little pleasure: a line full of washing. Which means a fresh bed. And in the interests of enjoying the little things, tonight I may watch an episode or two of Gardener's World (recorded from the past few weeks) with a glass of that sloe gin.

Recent events have made me realise even more the importance of small pleasures - a definition of which, by the way, reads: 'A source of enjoyment or delight'. They're everywhere if you look, and you don't need to look very hard.

I hope you have a great weekend full of small enjoyments and delights.

18 comments:

  1. You're right, there are lots of little pleasures as we wander through life. All of that food sounds delicious, your kitchen is a good place to be I think. Especially if there's sloe gin. CJ xx

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    1. It's very good. We don't have sloes growing around here I don't think so may have a go at making my own damson gin instead.
      S x

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  2. taking a moment to appreciate the small pleasures is very wise advice. take care x

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  3. I am glad that you are finding time to enjoy the small pleasures, gardening is a great help for that isn't it. xx

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    1. It is indeed! I find it very absorbing and always lose myself in it.
      S x

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  4. Yes, and now he's got the hang of it we can move onto potty training.

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  5. It's good to enjoy the seasons as they come and go. Autumn is really lovely. I find it is just a time to breathe a sigh of relief and relax a bit.

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    1. It's just so mellow, isn't it? Cliched I know but true. The light is so soft, I love it.

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  6. The weather has been glorious recently, hasn't it? That spiced apple cake sounds deliciously autumnal and you've reminded me that there are packs of bulbs in the shed waiting to be planted.

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    1. The cake was good but took way longer in the oven than the recipe suggested... As for bulb planting, we're going to do that in my mum's garden next week (it would have been her birthday on Wednesday). A sad time but there's something hopeful about putting things in the ground to grow over the winter...

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  7. I have sloshed some of my sloe gin in a crumble before now. And a beef stew. It's very versatile! And yes those little things. They are always there, even if you have to dig deep to find them. Have a lovely weekend.
    Leanne xx

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    1. You too!
      The gin is in a narrow bottle. There isn't too much of it left. I'm getting a bit worried...
      S x

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  8. I just happened to chance find your blog, and just having a read through it. I saw that pic of the pierogi (mouth watering instantly!!!) and thought...........I wonder if this person is Polish or has Polish heritage? I would love a good recipe for bigos and for pierogi too, as I make them a lot for my dh. Looking forward to more reads here!

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    1. Hello! Nice to meet you.
      Yes, I do have Polish heritage: my maternal family are from Poland (having moved here via New York after the Second World War). So I've had a big Polish influence in my life - hence the love of stodgy food!
      The pierogi recipe is from a book called 'Rose Petal Jam' by Beata Zatorska. As for the bigos, I tend to use whatever's to hand but keep the base the same: stock with a mixture of white cabbage, (soaked) sauerkraut, onion and carrot. I season and add dill and sometimes juniper berries too. Then maybe Polish sausage and leftover cooked meat. My preference is pork but it also works with chicken.
      S x

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    2. Hi again... thanks for the reply, I also have the book rose petal jam by beata and her second one too - sugared orange, which I also use a lot. Our latest craze here is to make placki, omg they taste so good, although stodge+! doesnt do much good for the old weight either!!!

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  9. I want to know more about your Polish heritage and especially the Polish food! You've tantalised us there. The small, simple pleasures are the best kind, and always worth noting and celebrating. x

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  10. So glad to see you're enjoying the little pleasures all around! I love the sound of your Polish cuisine. Very tempting! Bee xx

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