heaven in belgium

Would you?

2009-04-23T01:01:00.002+02:00

Can I ask you something?
Would you still love me if I moved to a different place?

Would you like it if you get to see BIG pictures from now on?
I mean, HUGE ones?
Would you mind if you had to change the URL in your reader?
Would you still love me then?
Would you still want to visit me as much as you did before?
Would you follow me like you used to?

Would you?
Okay?

I've got something to tell you.
Heaven in Belgium, is now called Heaven is in Belgium.
There was no other way.
But you can still visit me, and see my pictures?
I promise, it will be even better than before!

Just come on over ... HERE.

There ... that's right!

Weekly Winners, Let Me Take You There ...

2009-03-22T10:43:00.006+01:00

Today I'm taking you with me and I'll show you Antwerp like no tourist ever gets to see it. I'll show you the hidden places, the tiny streets and the things that made me smile when I was out on a photo walk last Tuesday.

To places where time has stood still ...

Where the name on the door says " Guardian Angel"

Far away from modern life and the big city.
And yet ...

Where the Madonna watches over you from her place in the chimney.

Where just a simple flower makes it even more pretty.

A blessed place, and I'm glad it's still there.

But come ... we have to go.

Ill show you streets with names like Paradise Street, or Princess Street ...

Doesn't it make you smile?

I did!

Well ... it WAS St. Patrick's day?

So if you're hungry or thirsty, we could go here.

We could still have fun with that camera while we're waiting?

I loved that one!

There is still so much more.

Like the old antiques shop.

There is a note on the door.

It says you have to leave a message with your phone number and a description of what you want to buy.
No cell phones though!

And then we could go for coffee.
Served in the old fashioned way.

No neon light pinball machines here!

On our way home we could enjoy a free concert.
What would you like?

I think I prefer jazz ...

That's it from me today.
If you want to see more Weekly Winners, just hop on over to Lotus,
AKA Sarcastic Mom, and visit the other players.

Willow Yellow

2009-03-21T08:32:00.012+01:00

This week's theme for Photo Hunt is "yellow".

This is one of Mother Nature's little wonders.
I took some macro pictures every few weeks, from mid Winter until today.
I thought it would be interesting to share the progress of a tiny Pussy Willow.

Before I started taking macro's, I had no idea.
The first one was taken mid Winter.

A few weeks later on in the season, the furry hairs start to grow longer,

as they turn pink ...

until suddenly a little yellow starts to shimmer through .

Then I discovered hundreds and hundreds of tiny little flowers growing out of the furry hairs.

And only a few days later they look like bottle brushes!

If you click on this one, you can even see the pollen.

Friday's Fave Five

2009-03-20T10:00:00.006+01:00

Friday's favourite five, time to reflect on the week that has passed.
It's going to be very hard picking only five again this week.
It's been a wonderful week.

1. The weather
As I write this I look outside and see another bright sunny morning.
It has been like this all week!
Now, if you lived in Belgium, you'd know that this IS something to be grateful for.

2.The Daffodils and Primulas are in bloom. I love their vibrant colours on my patio.
Buzzy busy bumble bees are gathering pollen from the Pussy Willow flowers.
I spotted the first ladybug of the season...
The Great Tits are trying to make up their mind about which nest to choose.
Wonderful wonderful Spring ...

(Click to enlarge)

3. Spring always seems to give me so much energy.
I painted my kitchen ceiling last week.
It involved a hell of a lot of work, but I'm very happy with it!

(click to enlarge)

4. On Tuesday I had a little St.-Patrick's day celebration of my own.
I went for a photo walk in Antwerp when I came across this pub.
There was a sign outside that said they had Irish Stew on the menu.
It was noon, and I was hungry, so I decided to try it.
There was a delightful ambiance with Irish music I enjoyed so much.
The lady of the house told me how her Irish grandmother used to peel potatoes so thinly the peels that came off were translucent.
The stew was delicious, and so was the dark velvety Guiness I had with it.

(click to enlarge)

5. The best news of the week was an invitation by a befriended blogger friend.
I'm sooooo looking forward to cook for them in that kitchen of hers!

A wonderful week ...

Visit Suzanne's place and read all about other people's Fave Fives!

Sepia Scenes and .... Quivel

2009-03-19T08:45:00.006+01:00

And then
there was nothing
else.
Nothing
but
the man
and his music ...

"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."

Aldous Huxley

I used half sepia to draw all the attention to the man and his music.

Find more Sepia Scenes here.

And now, for something completely different.
Run!
Flee while you still can, and I'll seek a good hiding place.
For it's time for Dr John's Quivel
and Quilly's Three Word Challenge.
Bad poetry and rigamarole,
because there is a paucity of Quivel writers,
and I happen to be one of them ...
Don't take it too serious
I'm only in it
for the heck of it ...

Poetic drivel,
more specifically known as
Quivel,
lifts the spirit.

Also sprach Dr John.

No need for
a rhyme,
just go with the flow
and jot down a scribble.

An anopisthograph
of teterrimous
jargon
or perhaps if you're lucky
some mellifluous
parlando.

But be wary!
Quilly's words can be scary!

Zoilists
and under the weather
pettifoggers
could get
seriously aggravated,
and
irritated.

Their
sternutatory spasms
sternutations
volgivagant sneezes
aspersing
hitonious green dribble.

Enough of this nonsense,
this rigamarole
Basta,
ora basta!
Basta.

That's it.

Melli's ABC ... The Much Dreaded Q and R

2009-03-18T10:24:00.005+01:00

It's time for Melli's Alphabet Challenge, and we've reached the dreaded week.
Today we have to come up with our Q's and R's.

I must have grown an alphabet brain since I got started on this challenge weeks ago.
Finding Q was easier than A!
I found my first Q when we went to Leuven. That was in the second week of the challenge.
It's the one on the bottom right.
All I had to do was to tilt my camera a little to get the right angle.
And once I knew what I was looking for, it was EASY!

There.
Boring huh?

Oooohh, Suzie Q!! Ain't she pretty!

And how about this one?
As for R ... Let's see...
Now wait a minute!

With a little bit of goodwill? That's Q and R in one picture.
Now ...

Two R's in one picture?

Two more?

And now for my little "pièce de résistance"...

Q and R right next to each other.
Okay okay, I can hear your protests!
" Those were probably meant to be!!"
Let me assure you, they were NOT.
Look ...
This is where I found them.

There.

Nothing more to add!

Find more Q's and R's at Melli's place.

Unless?
It looks like I'm going to have to do a little shameless begging.

Have you enjoyed my Scavenger Hunt pictures I published earlier this week? In case you haven't seen them, they're here. They're a great way to get to know Belgium and the way we live a little better. If you like them, would you do me a favour?
Would you vote for them please?
You can cast your vote here.

I hate to beg, but look ...
I'm in fifth place at the moment and the voting continues until the 31st of this month.
It's not that I want to WIN, it's just, I just don't want to drop down?
So please, pretty please?
Thanks!

Ruby Tuesday, Ladybug

2009-03-17T07:02:00.000+01:00

For this week's edition of Ruby Tuesday, Mary suggested us to go "green" in honour of St. Patrick's day. I'm more than happy to oblige. I think I've got just the thing.
This is the very first ladybug I've seen this Spring, ain't she cute?

Find more Ruby Tuesday pictures here.

Macro Monday and a Secret Wish

2009-03-16T09:30:00.016+01:00

Before I show you my Macro Monday post, there is something I want to talk about.
You see, there is this secret wish on my "bucket list".
But in keeping it secret, there's no chance it's ever going to come true, so there ...

My wish is to maybe one day meet some of the friends I've met in this blogosphere.
Welcoming you in Belgium and showing my country would be one step,
another one would be to travel and meet people myself.
One of the places to be to meet a lot of bloggers is the upcoming BlogHer event in Chicago, in July. I would love to be there, but I need to know one thing before I can take further steps.
Is anybody I know going to be there too?
Or am I going to end up a little duckling in a sea of strange people?
After all, it is a big strange city, and I would have to travel alone?
Can anyone advise me on a place to stay that does not cost an arm and a leg?
What paperwork do I need to get to travel to the States?
Is there anybody out there who can help me with this? It would mean so much to me?

And now for my Macro Monday post.
Pussy Willows.
First signs of Spring.
I have never before witnessed their week by week development from that close.
It's amazing what your camera can see that you don't.

The first ones are taken a couple of weeks ago.

Some weeks later some kind of yellow sheen started to appear.

Another couple of days later ...

Dozens and dozens of tiny little flowers!
Gorgeous huh?
I never knew?

Find more Macro Monday pictures at Lisa's Chaos.

Now, don't go just yet!!
I have to ask you one more little favour ?

Have you enjoyed my Scavenger Hunt pictures I published earlier this week? In case you haven't seen them, they're here. They're a great way to get to know Belgium and the way we live a little better. If you like them, would you do me a favour?
Would you vote for them please?
You can cast your vote here.
Would you?

Awwww, thanks!

Weekly Winners , Dancing on the Ceiling

2009-03-15T07:18:00.029+01:00

Yesterday was D-day.

Or should I say P-day ?

Painting my kitchen ceiling is a heavy duty chore I had been procrastinating for much too long.

It involves a lot of "stuff" to be cleared out.

Oooh, I have way too much stuff!

One needs tape and tools...

and hubby also needs his tools ...

And then you'll end up clearing up the tools hubby left there

as well as getting the paint job done!

*sigh*

One will need some " stress food" ...

and a little Pastis break

Taping ...

And still manage to take some "artsy" pictures in between it all.

On request: this is how I looked when the job was done. Ahum.

Yep. But I did use paint brushes too, in case you're wondering!

Update!

For those of you who requested an after shot, here it is!
Oohhh okay then ...

Can you see how much it needed to be done?
I did the painting yesterday, and spent most of today cleaning and putting everything back where it belonged. It was a hell of a job, but it's done, and I love it.

Now, don't go just yet!!
I have to ask you a little favour ?

Have you enjoyed my Scavenger Hunt pictures I published earlier this week? In case you haven't seen them, they're here. They're a great way to get to know Belgium and the way we live a little better. If you like them, would you do me a favour?
Would you vote for them please?
You can cast your vote here.
Would you?

Awwww, thanks!

Click here to visit Sarcastic Mom's and find the other Weekly Winners players.

Photo Hunt " Four"

2009-03-14T08:13:00.006+01:00

( Click to enlarge)

quadrigeminal,
quadripartition,
quadrivium,
quadrumvirate,
quadruple,
quadruplet,
quadruplets,
quartet,
quartette,
quaternary,
quaternion,
quaternity,
tetrad,
tetralogy

or just simply ....

FOUR!

Find more Photohunt pictures with this theme here.

Friday's Fave Five, a Rewarding Week

2009-03-13T11:59:00.001+01:00

Friday again, time to reflect on the week that has passed.
Some of the best things happened to us this week, it's been a week of accomplishment.

1. My husband got an important promotion this week, and I'm very very happy for him.
He has put huge dedication into his work since the day he started working there about four years ago. We had suffered major set backs before -not through his fault though- and I always have had a huge admiration for the way he has dealt with it. The past years have not been easy for either of us, but all the hard work seems to pay off and starting Monday he's going to be able to do the kind of job he has aspired all his life. He has earned it, and I'm proud of him.

2. This blog and the things I learn through blogging. I started this blog to educate myself in English language. I have tried to raise the bar a little higher each day.
Like the barre in the ballet class I used to attend as a young girl, pushing my own boundaries and limitations. Reaching for a higher level, and the triumph of attaining it.
Yesterday's post was all about that. Your comments and support give me wings.

3. The Kreativ Blogger award.
Paz gave me one some time ago, and it's been gathering dust in my archives for some time until Libby bestowed me with it again yesterday.
Thanks girls, receiving an award really means a lot to me. It means that somehow in my own humble way, I make a difference to some people, and that's a wonderful feeling.

I am going to pass it on to some of the people who have made a difference to me in this blogosphere.
They have made me explore and push my limits, they are role models to me.

- Quilly: Her clever way with words has made me reach for dictionaries ever since I met her.
- Lisa: Her stunning (macro) photography has inspired me to try harder each week.
- Mary The Teach who has made me explore Photoshopping skills with her Sepia Scenes.
- Secretagentmama: Where great words and amazing photography go hand in hand.
- Louceel: He has me googling interesting things all the time when I'm reading his blog. I have a deep admiration for his writing skills.
- Lilacspecs. She's the one who dragged me into English blogging in the first place.
I know some of them don't care for awards, but I'm giving them anyway, as a way to say thank you. All of these people are role models to me, in photography as well as in writing.

4. A compliment for my hairdo.
New shoes ( Yay!!! a girl and her shoes huh? )
Some more weight loss ... It made me feel like a million dollars!

5. A new recipe I tried this week. It was a papillote of seafood and it was delicious!!
You can find the recipe here if you're interested.

(Click to enlarge the collage.)

It's been a great week as you can see.
A lot of happy moments to cherish.

Find more Fave Five's at Susanne's Living to tell the Story.

Quilly's Three Word Challenge "No Quitter"

2009-03-12T00:03:00.003+01:00

This post is my answer to Quilly's Three Word Challenge and Dr John's Quivel.
All you have to do is write bad poetry,(or something that resembles poetry) using Quilly's words.
Dr John says anyone can do it.
So I thought I'd give it a try, and I had a blast.

You 'd better run while you still can.
And I'll go hide myself now, okay?

For weeks now I have set my sights
on Quilly's
Three Word Challenge.
I was at a loss,
for the words she puts forth
sounded
double Dutch to me.
At first
I decided to steer clear of
this dare.
For
my volgivagant vocabulary
would never be
adequate.
She called me "no quitter"?
Well ...
saying is one thing,
doing
is another.
I knew I'd have to
strain my every nerve
and get myself into this state of apanthropinization
to be able to deliver
a mellifluous piece of writing.

There is
a paucity of
good dictionaries.
Famelicose for words,
I am, that's true.
But my quondam school dictionary
is about as useful
as a chocolate teapot
with this.
Vocabulary
is a hecatologue
of shades of meaning.
You should know
I'm the kind of person
who wants to dot all the i's and cross all the t's.
Joining this challenge
feels like I'm biting off more than I can chew.
But I have been known
to jump in at the deep end before.

It's time to beat my brains
and deliver
isangelous poetry
instead of opprobrious Quivel.

Gaudiloquent voices
speaking words of praise.
Ingeniculations
and standing ovations
for my
awe inspiring
magnum opus tour de force.

Rather than
teterrimous scribbly.
Or
hitonious
balderdastic ( yeah, I made that one up!)
fiddle-faddle
written by a phlyarologist like me ?
I think I'll call it a day
before this oracle
becomes
fallaciloquent.

Maybe I'd better
take up
playing the zither?

Find the other player's stories at Quilly's.

Melli's Alphabet Challenge

2009-03-11T08:25:00.010+01:00

We have reached O and P this week in Melli's Alphabet challenge.
O was not that hard, O's are everywhere.

P on the other hand is a little bit harder ...

This is a detail of a gate I saw last Saturday.
It held yet another interesting detail.
I think Melli will like it, but I'm not sharing it just yet ...

Find other Alphabet Hunters at Melli's

Nicole's Scavenger Hunt

2009-03-10T00:01:00.001+01:00

NicoleB's Scavenger Hunt.

I'm participating in NicoleB's Scavenger Hunt today.
The idea is to post pictures representing different aspects of your own country.
People from all over the world are participating in this challenge.
It will be a very interesting trip around the world.

And what does the winner get?

can choose between either 8 postcards, 3 Greeting Cards, 2 magnets or 2 key chains
Shipping is included

Here’s the list (it’s a bit focused on the “local” theme):

1) local currency

People in Belgium pay in Euro.

2) local flag

3) local food

Belgian waffles.

4) something rusty

5) local wildlife

Well, it IS wild and it's local. ;-)

6) local nature

7) local stamp

This was in the window of a stamp auctioneer.

8) part of your neighbourhood (it can be a very small part )

View from my patio.

9) traditional house

10) a local person

11) local weather

Capricious.

12) local transportation

13) traditional local clothing

14) night sky

Christmas lights in Bruges.

15) sunrise

16) local product non food

Art at the local garden show.

17) something furry

Yeah well, I just could NOT resist this! ;-)
It IS furry, right?

18) something feathery

19) a sign of the season

20) a part of you

21) your main hobby

Photography.
Just in case you're wondering, this has not been photoshopped.
The reflection is a real reflection. I took a zillion pictures before I got it right!

22) a local shop

23) a local restaurant

24) a street sign

No dogs allowed.
Even those on a leach.

25) a local mail box

Macro Monday Texture

2009-03-09T09:22:00.009+01:00

One of my favourite challenges for macro shots ... textures.

Find more Macro pictures at Lisa's Chaos.

Weekly Winners How Funny?

2009-03-08T10:16:00.002+01:00

How Funny...
I've been playing Weekly Winners every week before I even started this blog.
Lotus was the one who invited me, we "met" through Nablopomo.
And in a way she has been the drive I needed to take up photography in the first place.
Before that, I took some pictures now and then while on holiday or something, but that was it.

Through Weekly Winners I have started to look for things to photograph.
I am thankful for the encouragement and the inspiration I got through this meme.
Making photo walks and visit places just to get enough pictures to publish each Sunday became a new and fascinating habit. Looking at other people's photographs both inspires and educates me.
A year and a half later, I take pictures of just about anything.
And I love it.

But what amazes me the most, is that now I can see things I would never have seen before.

Great textures in an old tree trunk.

Or an exotic palm tree in Antwerp city?
I would never have known it was there before!

Some things make me smile, like this display in an antiques shop.

Or this bike. Fully equipped for Belgian weather.

I do take pictures of just about everything. I do.
I caption this one " Anticipation".

Colours at the local market.

Always remember to look up.

Because if you do, you discover even more.
This is the logo of the railway company, it's at the train station in Antwerp.
I had never seen it before. Even my husband did not know it was there!

And sometimes things can make me smile ...

And wonder...
Dangling shoes?
I don't know why they're up there.
Does anybody know?
I've seen it on other blogs from other parts of the world.
It always makes me wonder why on earth people would hang their shoes outside?

"Now where do you think you are flying off to? "

Go on over to Lotus' place AKA Sarcastic Mom and discover more Weekly Winners.

Photo Hunt "Space"

2009-03-07T08:32:00.003+01:00

This week's theme for Photo Hunt is "space"
Like ever so often, I used my dictionary to look for inspiration for this post.

Among the many definitions of "space" I have found in there, this one caught my eye because I knew I had the perfect picture to go with it:

"Reserved or available accommodation on a public transportation vehicle."

And while I was at it, I found a quote that made me smile:

"Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away if your car could go straight upwards." [Sir Fred Hoyle, "London Observer," 1979]

Find more pictures with this theme here.

Fave Five

2009-03-06T00:37:00.002+01:00

Time to reflect on the week that has passed and share five favourite things from it.

1.There was the return of the sparrows. I don't think I've seen it happen before, but they have been gone for a couple of weeks this year. It was probably a little bit too cold here.
I really really missed their quarrels at the birdfeeder. But they're back!

2. Had tea with a friend yesterday afternoon. It's nice to have someone dropping in in the middle of the afternoon and share the latest news and gossip!

3. My favourite TV program is back. It's the Belgian edition of "my restaurant", and I love watching it. Some of the participants have an awful lot to learn still. It will be interesting to watch their progress throughout the series.

4. The Hyacinth on my kitchen table. It was supposed to be a blue one according to the label,
but it turned out pink. I think I told you about that one last week didn't I? Well, here it is, as pink as pink can be! But it smells great!

5. A good night's sleep. I was wondering why on earth I was feeling so tired until I noticed it was WAY past midnight already!! I like to get up early in the morning, it's time to get the lights out!

Click here to find more Fave Five participants at Suzanne's blog.

J for Jientje

2009-03-05T13:13:00.001+01:00

Libby hated to do it, she said ... but she did it anyway.
She tagged me with this meme.
Here are the rules ...

1. Copy the questions from my post and paste them in a new post on your blog. Then type over my answers with yours.
2. Use the first letter of your first name to answer ALL of the following questions.
3. If the first letter of your name is the same as mine, use your middle or last name.
4. You CANNOT use any word twice, and you CANNOT use your own name for the boy/girl questions.
5. After you are done, tag 5 people.......

So, here we go:

1. What is your name?: Jientje. People often ask me how they should pronounce it.
Like the boy's name Gene, followed by "chu". "Gene-chu", that's how you say my name.
2. A four-letter word: joke
3. A boy's name: John
4. A girl's name: Joanne
5. An occupation: a janitor
6. A colour: Jade. Or would you prefer "Jaune de Joucas"?
Some of my early readers might remember this. I did this meme before.
It was in my early blogging days and I could not think of any colour starting with a J, so I made this one up!

7. Something you wear: .Jeans There's a sale going on at my local jeans store. Maybe I should buy a new one. I've lost some weight lately and I can remove the one I'm wearing now without even opening the zipper!!
8. A Food: Jumping Jackets, it's a recipe I've found with jacket potatoes and chicken. Click on the link to see the recipe. I thought the name was kind of cute and the recipe looks delicious, maybe it's worth a try huh?
9. Something found in the bathroom: Jill Sander bodylotion. I think it has been there for fifteen years, and I don't even like it. Maybe it's time to say goodbye to it.
10. A place: Joucas, it's a little village in the south of France near Gordes and Roussillon.
Click this link for a little virtual tour of this beautiful place.
It's certainly going to be on my visiting list this summer.
11. A reason for being late: just as I wanted to leave the house the phone rang.
12. Something you shout: Jeeeez!
13. A movie title: Jaws. One, two Three, Three D, you name 'm!
13. Something you drink: Juice
15. An animal: a jaguar
16. A song title: Just the way you are, by Billy Joel, or Barry White. I love both versions.
17. A verb: to jump

That's it from me today.
I'm breaking rule number five though.
While I love doing meme's, I don't mind BEING tagged but I hate to tag someone.
Feel free to pick it up if you feel like it, just let me know so I can visit you, okay?

Melli's Alphabet Hunt, M and N

2009-03-04T09:16:00.009+01:00

Wednesday already.
For this week's alphabet hunt, Melli wanted us to look for M and N.
So here we go again ...

I think this character on a Chinese calendar holds just about the whole alphabet if you search long enough, that's why I took the picture in the first place!

And if you flip the picture, ...
there's your m, see?

You should always remember to look up.
Anywhere.
I saw this beautiful house in Leuven,

and this is a detail of a balcony in Antwerp.

As for N ...
I saw this one when I returned from the supermarket where I found my A.

But I did not think it was pretty or interesting enough, so I kept looking.
There's one on this teapot.
There is ... look!

And now I'm off to Melli's to see what the others have posted!
Click here to get there!

Ruby Tuesday Spring Rubies

2009-03-03T00:01:00.000+01:00

Those of you who might think I live in a tropical forest I'll have to disappoint.
These were not taken on some tropical location.
I live in Belgium.
The pictures were taken at the botanical garden in Antwerp.
These are merely tiny new sprouts on some kind of a a shrub.
I forgot to look what the name of the bush was, I'm sorry.
All I was thinking was that it would make a great Ruby Tuesday subject!

But I did remember to take a look at this one ...

Because of it's blossoms ...

I thought they were gorgeous.
I think I may want to go back in a week or two to have another look?

Find more Ruby pictures at Work of the Poet.

Macro Monday, Close to Spring ...

2009-03-02T08:11:00.011+01:00

I'm joining Macro Monday again today.
This past weekend I have made so many close ups with the first signs of Spring
it would be a real shame not to use them ...
Enjoy ....

Look for more Macro Monday pictures at Lisa's Chaos.

Weekly Winners, First Signs of Spring

2009-03-01T10:30:00.002+01:00

How would you know that Spring is in the air?
Let me take you with me ...

There are of course the Spring flowers at the local market.

We could have a drink or even eat outside again ...

The street artists are back ...

More colourful than ever it seems.

Or not so colourful ...
But he's handsome, isn't he?
Or ...
I could take you to the botanical garden,

and we could look for signs of Spring there ...
Not much ... at first sight?

There would of course be some Spring cleaning going on ...

New sprouts .

The old and the new ...

Hamamelis blossoming.

Crocusses of course.
Click to enlarge this one, there is a bee on that leaf, can you see it?

Primula's .... aaahhhh ...

So sweet ...

Don't you just love Spring?

I know I do!

Find more Weekly Winners at Sarcastic Mom's.

Photo Hunt Thankful

2009-02-28T08:35:00.010+01:00

This week's theme for Photo Hunt is "thankful"

I'm thankful for all the happy things, great and small, happy and sometimes sad ...
that have made my life what it is now.

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Fave Five Little Every Day Happy Stuff

2009-02-27T10:25:00.012+01:00

Time to look back and reflect on the good things from the past week.

1. Home baked bread. I love to bake my own bread. It's been a while since I last baked one until last night, when I realized how I had missed it. It's aroma slowly spreading through the whole house while it's in the oven. The rustic look of it when I put it on my wooden cutting board.
That crunchy crust, and the taste of that first slice when you have hardly given it the time to cool down thoroughly... It needs nothing more.
Hmmm, unless ... some real butter, some marmalade or home made jam ... strawberry jam mmm yes! A hand cut thick slice of that bread, with some Parma ham, a little salad on the side and some mustard and pickled onions to go with it? I think it would be a great idea for lunch!
Eww, I must be hungry? Or seen to many Nigella Lawson cooking shows on television this week?

2. The days are definitely getting a lot longer now. The last day of February already today, now where has that month gone to? March will be on the calendar as of tomorrow.
Next week is the tenth week of the year, and for some reason, I don't know why that week has always been some sort of wake up call, when new energy starts to flow. I think I carry the genetic heritage of a hedgehog inside of me! Oh well, it could be worse!

3. Coffee. Yeah I KNOW I talked about coffee last week too, but that was about the first coffee in the morning, which is very different to the coffee I treat myself to some time in the afternoon.
That's when I make myself a little espresso. My latest treat is some foamed up milk to top it off.
I add some flavour to the milk, ( cinnamon, vanilla, sweetener, or that new orange - star anise sugar I bought yesterday) heat it in the micro wave and stir it with my aerolatte milk frother.
( You can find recipes through this link)
It works great to get a terrific low fat creamy layer on top of the coffee! Yum!

( You can click to enlarge this collage)

4. The new things I learn through blogging. I learn something new every day, and I love that.
Sometimes I have to Google stuff I don't quite understand, but that's what makes it interesting.
It can be fun! Having to Google stuff sometimes makes me feel stupid, but then I discover that I am not the only one to never have heard of "a dog and pony show" before.
But I'm afraid it will still take some time before I'll be able to participate in Quilly's Three Word Challenge though! Or do a Haiku, or a 100 word challenge ... **Sigh**
Still. I've come this far, and I'm grateful for what I learn each day.

5. I was feeling a little lonely yesterday, so what does a girl do? Yes, I went shopping at the mall! Not that I spent that much money, nor did I spend it on clothes.
I ended up in one of those shops for foodies like Oil and Vinegar, and a trendy tableware shop.
I KNOW I do not NEED more new plates, but I could not resist, besides, they were a steal!
Beautiful plates always inspire me to create a new recipe to use them for.

Mind you, these are just a few highlights of the week that has passed.
There was also that deliciously creamy Veal Goulash I made, the Blue Tits inspecting the nest on my patio, the blue Hyacinth I bought and it turns out to be pink, the first good lace design I have finished this week ( No, no pictures of that just yet, I'm building up some tension here!)

Find other people's Fave Five's at Suzanne's, on Living to tell the story.