Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Accidents will happen ... " ♫

There were a couple of plant accidents today.....well, the first was an accident but I think the second was more absent-mindedness!

I spotted this lovely Japonica in a local homes/garden place. I like that some of the stalks are quite long, and bought it to go on top of the dresser in the cwtch, where the longer stalks can drape down.

When I took it to the checkout, and put the basket on the counter (as asked by the assistant), the assistant pushed the handle of the basket down quite firmly, catching one of the longer stalks and chopping off the leaf! Aaaahhh.

It clearly was an accident, but there was no apology about it or anything.

On to a local supermarket for some food shopping, and I picked up this lovely geranium which I think will be fab for the garden.

At the checkout, I put it on the conveyor belt with all my other shopping. When the assistant got to it, she picked it up, and then spent a fair bit of time picking up the bits of earth which had fallen out of the bottom of the pot. After handing me the plant, she then proceeded to empty her hand of the earthy bits - into the bag of shopping I was packing, all over my food!

What a strange shopping experience today was! 😺

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... Call any vegetable ... " ♫

Today I have a new Vegan cookbook to play with!

That is all.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... And when the cupboard's bare ... " ♫

This is another little cupboard I picked up recently on Facebook Marketplace.

Again it needs to be upcycled, although I probably won't paint this one, as I like the wood. It does need some tlc on the door though, because some of the leaded glass has broken. I'm not sure what I'll do about that at the moment. Again it's destined for the back bedroom.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... I went to that cupboard ... " ♫

This is a quirky little cupboard I picked up recently on Facebook Marketplace.

It obviously needs to be upcycled with some sanding and new paint (I'm going to keep it white), and it is destined for the back bedroom.

That is all! 😊

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... And the tide ... " ♫

After work today we popped to the beach for a walk in the evening sunshine.

The tide was in, which doesn't coincide very often with the time of our visit.

......and other people walking on the beach.

......catching it amongst the waves......

The beach is one of my happy places - I love the sounds, smells and the general feeling of wellbeing which the ocean brings me, so it was lovely to see the tide in today.

Today is the anniversary of my Mam's birthday - she would have been 103. She passed over twenty years ago now, but I still miss her so much. Over the last few weeks I haven't been in a very good place.....I was in a situation where I needed to acknowledge a very deeply held negative emotional trauma, which has come to the surface a few times over the years, but which I've suppressed, and is now very much back on the surface. It stems from my childhood - particularly within my early school years - and has been added upon over the years through various relationships and situations,causing dreadful problems within myself and my concept of myself. I now feel that I am at a point in life where I must deal with it, for various reasons, but particularly if I am to heal and feel more positive about myself and my relationships.

Picture of the day...... ♫ "... makes me happy ... " ♫

Today was a lovely, happy day.

It started with bargains at a boot sale! I'm so happy that the boot sales have started up again.

For the grand sum of £5.50, I picked up this lovely lot.....

• ...Two brand new (in their packets) voile curtain panels, which I know will be perfect for the cwtch...
• ...a duvet cover in pink on one side and white on the other, which I will take apart and use the fabric for something else...
• ...a pretty little bowl...
• ...and the star attraction - a foot stool! For £2.00, and it is in such good condition. It just needs to be recovered and trimmed. Perfect for the lounge when watching T.V.

Bob had the kettle on ready, and I enjoyed a cuppa, sitting on the grass outside Bob's studio and chatting with him and his lovely friend Jackie.

......and the complexity of the gowjus Craig-y-Nos Castle, which I snapped nestling in between some lovely trees and with a beautiful blue sky as its backdrop.

I love being up at the park in all weathers, but especially on sunny days like this.

......with this lovely view from the bench where we were eating.

......and the Acer tree next to it knows no bounds!

Picture of the day......"... all your dreams ..."

This is a very large basket!

This very large basket was a very good bargain. Somebody local was selling it on Facebook Marketplace for a really good price, and since I love baskets and I love bargains, I snapped it up!

Now what will I fill it with? Hmmm.....I'll have a think about that one.

Picture of the day......"... all your dreams ..."

This is a very large basket!

This very large basket was a very good bargain. Somebody local was selling it on Facebook Marketplace for a really good price, and since I love baskets and I love bargains, I snapped it up!

Now what will I fill it with? Hmmm.....I'll have a think about that one.

Picture of the day......"... No milk today ..."

......just the churn it came in!

I love milk churns. There's something very pleasing about their shape.

I've wanted one for a little while for my garden, and this lovely one came up on e-bay today, at a really good price.

Upon reflection though, I've decided that it's far too nice to put out into the garden, so I'm going to polish it up and keep it in the house as a feature - probably with plants or flowers in it.

After picking up the wheel, we headed in the direction of Solva, via Newgale, which has the most beautiful view as you drive down towards it. My picture doesn't do it justice, because it was rather misty out at sea. Although the view is really beautiful, the beach itself is a bit plain, which is why we went on to Solva, which is much more picturesque.

There is a lovely grassed area overlooking the beach, with picnic benches, so it was the perfect place for us to eat our picnic lunch......

Solva beach has a row of curious little structures along the left hand side of the beach.

Picture of the day......"... I've read it in books ..."

I read lots....and quite a bit of my reading time is spent in my breaks at work.

Today I finished this book in my morning break. I so enjoyed this book - full of twists and turns. I think I'd like to read more of her books, so I'll be on the lookout for them, especially now that the charity shops have re-opened after lockdown.

Picture of the day......"... Walking on the ..."

I think there might be a law that says a person must walk on the beach after work on a Monday with some Lovelies.

If there isn't such a law, then there should be!

I didn't want to risk breaking the law, so me and two Lovelies (Bob and Ollie of course!) walked on the beach this evening after work, and it was just the badger!

We're home now and have eaten and washed up, and now it's time to sit down with a bit of "Brave New World" on the T.V. I'm enjoying this, but Bob isn't so much. It's a bit like the book, but not a lot.....it has a great soundtrack though!

This is the Acer which is near to Bob's studio and is so beautiful when it is laden with leaves. You can see the beautiful red, orange and yellow colours already in these pictures.

Picture of the day......"... What could it be? ..."

These are two rubble buckets which I bought today.

Picture of the day......"... You're headed that-a-way ..."

It was moving day at work today!

Julie has moved to Nia's old desk, and I've moved to where Julie was.

So I said "farewell and thank you" to this desk which I've worked at for the last two-and-a-half years......

Picture of the day......"... So long, farewell ..."

Today at work we said "So long, farewell" to a lovely colleague and friend Nia.

Julie captured this picture of her when she was opening her leaving gifts and cards from us all.

Nia has worked for the company for almost nine years, and is ready for a change and so is moving on to another job. I've worked with her for the three years since I've been there, and it's been a joy! Nia is such a lovely, gentle, caring lady, who always has a smile on her face. We are going to miss her terribly, but obviously we're all happy for her that she's starting another chapter in her life.

Picture of the day......"... Not a llama ..."

Today has been a very lovely day!

Anybody who knows me, knows that I love llamas and their cousins alpacas.

Today we got to meet these two beautiful alpacas.

The weather today was mostly sunny and dry, so after a bit of a lazy morning we drove up to where they live.

They are surrounded by beautiful countryside, and it was such a lovely place to be on a Wednesday afternoon!

After our lovely alpaca experience, we drove over to Ammanford to pick up a cute little shelf for my bathroom, from a lady who was selling it via Marketplace.

We were intending to go to Gnoll Park for the rest of the afternoon, to have a picnic, but the rain set in, so we popped to Bob's house instead and ate our picnic there.

Then we headed back to my house, and we've had pizza for dinner. I wanted to do something fairly quick, as I have a cake to bake for work tomorrow and I want to watch the first episode of the new series of The Great British Sewing Bee this evening.

I'm hoping to be inspired by this, which is one of my favourite programmes, to get lots of sewing done over the next few weeks, and I've decided to sew every day to put on my '365 Days of Creativity' posts.

Right, I'm off to bake cake! Toodlepip!

Picture of the day......"... And I say it's all right ..."

Tomorrow is Day Off! Yaaay!

I get to spend it with my Lovely Man, Ollie and the kitties. More Yaaay!

There are lovely things planned, so I hope I'll have lovely pictures to post here tomorrow. That is all!

Picture of the day......"... to get yourself a bargain ..."

After work today I popped to Dunelm.

I needed some cushion pads, and had a bit of a browse at their sale items.

They didn't have the cushion pad sizes I need, so I bought a bag of stuffing and will make my own - I have plenty of fabrics to do so.

This is also a reduced ex-display curtain panel, and again is quite large, and lined.

I've been wanting to make new drapes for the ends of the sofa - just to go over the arms of the sofa, to stop them getting marked (well, any more marked than they already are!). The current drapes have been in use for a few years now, and they're getting a bit tired, and lots of the threads have been pulled by pussycats who like to 'play piano' on the end of the sofa and get their claws caught in the fabric!

Anyway, this panel is absolutely purrfect (see what I did there?) for this purrpose (ok, I'll stop now!), so I snapped it up.

The new series of Great British Sewing Bee starts on Wednesday of this week and I want to spend the next six weeks (the duration of the series) getting lots of sewing done, so I'm getting stuff ready.

Picture of the day......"... In this garden, this lovely garden ..."

I haven't been out into the garden for quite a few weeks.

Today I was up at Craig-y-Nos Country Park with my Lovely Man. Weather-wise, it was a mixed bag - sunshine and warmth one minute, arctic temperatures and snow the next! It was still lovely up there, but I didn't get the chance to do much outdoors.

When we got home though, the weather was lovely and the sun was streaming down, so I popped out into the garden to have a look what's been going on in my absence. I had some pleasant surprises!

The ivy I planted at the base of the wheelbarrow, near the wheel is looking lovely, and is quite a bit bigger than it was originally, with lots of new shoots.

I'm hoping that it will spread across more of the ground. I love ivies and want lots of them in my garden - there are already lots growing up and around the trees, and hopefully I can also train this one to climb up the wheel.

Last Autumn I managed to sow some grass seeds on about a quarter of the area where I want there to be lots of grass.

At the same time I also planted some spring bulbs, and scattered some "Bee Bombs".

Another daffodil came up blind, as did a few other bulbs, which I was unable to identify, as they were basically just leaves.

However, as you can see from the pictures, the grass itself is absolutely thriving!

I'm hoping to sow the rest of the grass seed I have over the next few weeks, and I will plant the remaining bulbs at the same time, and hopefully they'll all make an appearance next spring! The way time seems to fly, that will soon come around! Haha.

There are lots of other plants sprouting and looking lovely all through the garden.

I know that this is a Heuchera. I bought it towards the end of the summer last year when Lydia and Lewis were visiting, and just popped it, in its pot, near to the herb garden. It has lots of new growth and I love the colour. I'll have to decide where to either plant it, or keep it in its pot and position it somewhere it can be happy. More research!

Picture of the day......"... And I have to choose ..."

These are very norty books!

I went to Tesco to get some shopping and they hopped into my basket......one after the other!

Lupus makes my skin terribly dry. In fact, it makes everything dry - hair, skin, nose, throat, mouth, etc.

A while ago I picked up a bottle of this lovely moisturiser from Tesco. It's only a pound a bottle and it's by far the best moisturiser I've found. I use lots of it and it does help to keep the dryness at bay.

Another thing I've been concerned about lately is my hair. Again, because it's so dry, but also it's doing a strange thing.

I take Florisene to combat hair loss (another thing caused by Lupus - isn't Lupus a joy?), and I've noticed that lately my hair seems to be growing back with more of a kink/curl to it than it ever had. This is fab, because I've always wanted curly/wavy hair (it was previously quite straight).

However, it seems to be all over the place, and very often I look in the mirror and see what resembles a haystack! Haha.

So I wanted a hair product to inject a bit of moisture into my hair, and at the same time calm it down a bit. Also, I have a sensitive, itchy and sore scalp most days. After talking to a colleague at work, she suggested the "Ultimate Blends" range from Garnier, so I went to investigate. These hair products are a vegan formula and are cruelty free, which is fab.

There were a few different ones to try, depending on hair type, etc., and in the end I chose a 'soothing shampoo' - rice cream and oat milk - designed for a sensitive scalp and fragile hair, and am combining this with the papaya repairing hair mask for damaged hair. We'll see how it goes.

I then went on to read this one, which I did in a few days.

Again, I really enjoyed it, and now Bob and I are watching the T.V. series, which we are enjoying. Even though it is the gist of the book, as with all T.V./film productions, it's also quite different from the book....but that's the way things are, and you just have to view them as separate art forms to enjoy each of them.

When we've finished the series, we'll probably watch the 1980s film too.

Picture of the day......"... And if I could make days last forever ..."

Of course over the last couple of weeks there have been lots of visits to the beach. This is one of my favourite things to do, with my favourite man and favourite dog. Two of my Lovelies.

The scenery is so lovely.

......and of course I had to take the obligatory looking-up-at-the-sky-through-the-trees pictures!

We walked right across from the entrance over to the sea, and sat on the top of a hill, watching (and listening to) the ocean whilst we ate our picnic.

The weather on Easter Sunday was so beautiful, and I was able to have tea & chapters in the sun, and take Ollie for a walk around the park, accompanied by Bob's lovely friend Jackie, and her equally lovely dog Amber.

It was so nice.

......and I indulged in a yummy vegan Easter egg, which of course I shared with Bob.

There were lots of signs of spring at the park too - the daffodils looked amazing.

I haven't been to Craig-y-Nos early in the spring before, because last year we were in lock down, and the year before, I had only just started seeing Bob, so it was a couple of weeks before he introduced me to the delights of Craig-y-Nos!

Easter Monday was sort of 'rinse and repeat', although the weather wasn't nearly as nice, so our walk with Jackie and Amber required coats and at times gloves too! There were even a few flakes of snow at one point!

On our walk I spotted this lovely ivy circlet, dangling from the branch of a small tree. I am sure it was left behind by a fairy!

On 7th April, Bob and I celebrated our anniversary - two years together!

I say with all honesty that they have been two of the loveliest years of my life.

Bob bought me some beautiful flowers, which are sitting vibrantly on the chest of drawers on the landing, which is my regular view when I am at the computer, so I am looking at them now as I type this. They fill me with warm fuzzies!

......they had childrens' names on them.

It's such a pretty walk along the canal there.

I also love this time of the year, when the trees and plants are actually coming into new life.

Of course, Spring is beautiful when she is out in all her magnificence, with the wonderful colours.

However, there is something magical about knowing that the life was there all the time, when everything looked so dead and bleak.....yet here it is bursting out. Nature is truly wonderful.

Beautiful spring flowers!

Picture of the day......"... in the mail ..."

I had something lovely in the post today!

Lots of years ago, I had quite a few pen pals, from all over the world. One of them lived in Cardiff and as well as being pen pals we were friends - meeting up for outings, coffees, birthdays, etc. We lost touch for a while, but have been in touch again - mainly via Facebook, for a number of years now.

Anyway, when I got home from work today, there was a lovely letter waiting for me from her! Just like old days, and it really made me happy. The main letter was written inside a Tim Vine card, which made me chuckle, and she also included a really pretty little card, saying how much she enjoys seeing my arts and crafts posts. Both cards currently have pride of place in my lounge, and soon I will pick up my pen and reply!

Picture of the day......"... How can ..."

My back has been painful for over a week now. Sometimes the pain is horrendous, and I even have trouble staightening up.

I really want to avoid pain killers. First of all, they don't even kill the pain - they just take the edge off if I'm lucky. They also add to the fatigue which I already have....and I'm concerned about the possible effects of using pain killers long term.

So I've been looking at alternatives, and one of them is heat. After work today I bought a few things for this - a regular hot water bottle, another hot water bottle specially shaped to use around the neck/over the shoulders, and a couple of wheat packs to heat in the microwave.

I'm still trying to keep as mobile as I can, and we managed to fit in a lovely walk on the beach early evening. This large piece of wood really reminded me of a pair of reindeer antlers!

The beach was lovely - the sea air is so fab...the tide was out, and Ollie had lots of fun splashing in the pools and chasing his ball.

Picture of the day......"... These boots ..."

I love boots! Well actually, I love footwear, but especially boots.

A colleague came into work today with two pairs of Marks and Spencer boots. Her daughter (I think) had picked them up for her in the sale, but she either didn't like them, or they didn't fit, so she was asking around if anybody fancied taking them off her hands, for the price her daughter paid.

Julie and I are both the same size (size six) and she definitely fancied one of the pairs.

Then I turned them over and looked at the labels on the soles, to find that they're actually vegan! Wow, how fab!

I tried them on and they look and feel great! Originally they were priced at £45.00, and the sale price was £4.49. It made my day to get such a good quality, stylish footwear bargain and for them to be vegan too! Yaaay!

Thank you Angela for offering them to us!

Picture of the day......"... I can make you ..."

Today has been all about feeling good.

I suffer with depression and anxiety and over the last few weeks I haven't been feeling that good. I know this must be worked at because to give in to negativity is just not an option.

So today (and most of the weekend actually) I've been trying to focus on things which I know make me feel good. They're not in any particular order on this evening's blog - I've just taken pictures as they've occurred and tried to capture the good feeling they've given me.

First up is a lovely cuppa, in a favourite mug, with a yummy biscuit (or two). This mug always makes me feel happy - The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of my favourite children's books ever! Also - tea! I am a proper tea pot, and a decent cuppa is always a feel-good thing. Then of course - the Jammie Dodger - one of my favourite biscuits. I didn't eat them for a long time after I gave up dairy, because they contained milk, but not any more - the recipe has changed to make them vegan. Yaaay!

These daffodils are the bee's knees when it comes to cheer!

Sadly they are not from my garden...I picked them up from Morrisons when I went to do the food shop! They brightened up my shopping, and now they're doing an excellent job of brightening up the bedside cabinets, and making me smile every time I look at them.

They also have a beautiful perfume!

Talking of clean, dry washing....another favourite thing is a freshly changed, cwtchy bed.

The only problem is, that when the bed is freshly changed, it's hard to resist the temptation to go back to bed right then! I found myself actually saying out loud "Step away from the bed!" Haha.

......as does Basil Bumface, who has spent quite a lot of today going around the house and finding the sunny spots to snooze in.

This particular spot was on the sofa, and I'm not sure he was best pleased to be woken up when I took his photograph!

I wanted to change my Facebook cover photograph today, and when looking through my pictures decided to put this one up from August 2019. It was taken on a trip down to Kent to see Lydia and Lewis. Bob and I had been together for just over four months, and it was the first time we'd had a weekend away together, and the first time for him meeting L2 (my little nickname for them!)

It was such a lovely weekend and I absolutely love this beautiful family photograph of us. Looking at it today has definitely brought a huge smile to my face.

Picture of the day......"... You look like you're lots of fun ..."

This is a spinning wheel! Bob's latest addition to his weaving/spinning hobby......although he says it's for both of us to use, after I mentioned a little while ago that I've always wanted one!

Bob has spent the last week taking it apart, cleaning & sanding it down, waxing it and then putting it back together with great care, whilst at the same time sorting out any little niggly problems it had (there weren't many apparently).

It's looking really good, and it seems to be all working. So, again I say......watch this space!

Picture of the day......"... I get tired (just a little bit) ..."

Sometimes I am a little bit tired.....and sometimes I'm a big bit tired. Right now, I'm very tired, and need to give myself some serious self-care.

So that is what I'll be doing this weekend.

I'll be taking time to do all the things on this list, which I know will be good for me.

Picture of the day......"... Thank You ..."

I didn't really take any decent photographs today, and in any case, I feel it's time for a "Thankful Thursday", so I pinched this lovely image from t'interweb!

I am feeling thankful today. Thankful for the good things in my life.....and the not-so-good things, to provide balance.

I'm thankful for love (in all its forms), for the people I love and who love me, for hope, for family & friendship, for furbabies, for the beautiful world we live in, for my talents, for health (even when it's not so good - I still have air in my lungs!), for food & drink, for my home, for my job, for my memories, for freedom, for my education, for stability, for safety, and so much more......

......especially my faith, which has held strong for me all my life in both good times and bad. Today has been a day when I've called on that faith and prayed so very hard for something. My prayers have been answered in a very positive way, and I am so thankful for that. I know that there is still a long way to go and many more prayers will be said, but for now - for this evening - I am truly thankful!

Picture of the day......"... Show, show, show, show ..."

Finally a daffodil which decided to show its face! Two weeks late for St. David's Day, but bang on time for St. Patrick's Day! Haha.

By the way, a very Happy St. Patrick's Day to anybody reading who celebrates it.

The other two daffodils were destroyed in the wind last week unfortunately, so I hope this one is going to stand proud for at least a few days! In any event this beautiful flower is most definitely worth embracing on my 'embracing' Day Off!

We went to the beach very late afternoon. The sun was close to setting and she looked so beautiful.

Such lovely, intense, rich colours in the sky.

Ollie loves to run into the water pools and roll around and he had great fun chasing the ball in there and fetching it back for more.

In this image you can just about make out the shape of an excited, ball-fetching, water-rolling, Springer Spaniel, right near the centre of the picture. He's such a joy to watch!

Picture of the day......"... Living In The Moment ..."

Tomorrow is Day Off....and Day Off needs a list!

It's an embracing list - to embrace whatever the day brings really (the weather is forecast to be good).

My Lovely Man and Ollie will be here with us, so that's definitely the first thing to embrace!

Today my back, although still really painful, has been less so than yesterday, so hopefully after another Epsom Salts bath tonight and some decent sleep, we can see that pain off!

We finished watching "The Killing" (American version) last night - thoroughly enjoyable! Tonight we're going to make a start on "The Fall" with Gillian Anderson.

Right - off to embrace that bath!

Picture of the day......"... Had a ..."

When getting dressed for work this morning, I jarred something in my lower back whilst putting on my tights, which sent pain like a lightning bolt right through me!

This is something I get now and then. It seems to be the most silly movement (like putting on my tights!) which can trigger it, and it is so painful and incapacitating! Fortunately it doesn't happen very often though.

I didn't want to call in sick for two reasons. Firstly, because apparently the current thinking on back pain is to try and stay mobile, and secondly because it would have looked very bad, calling in sick on my first day after six weeks off on Furlough!

So, I somehow managed to get through the day, with the help of lots of painkillers, slow movements, and some norty words! When I got home, I felt pretty rough - not just from the pain, but rather spaced out from medications - so I went off to bed for an hour to try and get some sleep. Then I found it almost impossible to get out of bed and couldn't straighten up for a while.

I did manage to cook dinner (again, I wanted to stay mobile) and then disovered the delights of Epsom Salts. I had a hot bath, the heat of which gave instant relief to my poor, sore back, and added some of these little gems to the water. Wow, they're good! I'm experiencing considerably less pain.

Off for some T.V. now and then hopefully a good night's sleep, and I'm praying to feel less pain tomorrow!

Picture of the day......"... I'll be there with a love that's strong ..."

A beautiful Mother's Day card from my Gowjus Girl.

I haven't seen Lydia since last August, and I miss her so much, so it was extra lovely to receive such a beautiful card, with beautiful wording on the inside and out, and in the message she had written in it for me.

I'm so looking forward to when restrictions are lifted and I can go and visit her down in Kent.

It's been quite a laid-back day. I've mainly spent the time catching up with this blog and doing other bits and pieces towards catching up with my 365 Days of Creativity posts. I do feel more positive this evening than I have for a while, although I am really tearful at the moment. I think it's hormonal and I hope it will pass soon.

Picture of the day......"... True care ...""

Small things count, and add up to big things.

I'm trying to reduce my single-use plastic use, one small thing at a time!

I've been using bamboo toothbrushes for about eighteen months now, and find them fab.

I use a brush for washing up, and want to stop using plastic ones, so I've been looking at alternatives.

I know these things aren't strictly single use, but they are throw-away items, and I feel I can do better.

The main reason I went to Kind Earth today though, was to get some more of this lovely coconut milk powder.

Bob has been using it in his home-made bread, instead of dried cow's milk, and it works a treat!

Picture of the day......"... Something ...""

On Monday I'll be coming off Furlough and going back to work four days a week.

So Weekend is going to be all about enjoying stuff - time with my Lovely Man and the furries....chill time.....craft time....T.V. time.... catching up on a few things....and anything which helps me to lift my mood, which of late, has been a bit crappy.

Picture of the day......"... Today's the day ...""

...when the daffodils in my garden are going to burst forth!

Not quite in time for St. David's Day......

Picture of the day......"... I need some ...""

I fancied trying another new recipe this evening, and so I made tofu tikka masala from Fern Cotton's book "Happy Vegan"

The last time I tried cooking with tofu, I wasn't impressed at all. The tofu was rubbery and tasteless.

Picture of the day......"... If I can't ...""

Ooh, yummy book post today!

A lovely friend put this book on her Facebook wall, as a suggestion for a good book to read. I said I would add it to my list, and she offered to post her copy out to me....which she did, and I got it today. She only posted it yesterday! Thank you Sue.

Picture of the day......"... We want our ...

...piece of the pie."

This evening we fancied a pie.

When I make vegan pie, I usually use a packet of plant-based 'meat balls' for the filling. However, I had none in the freezer, and I'm trying to use processed stuff up from the freezer, so I used a couple of packets of "Meatless Farm" burgers and just chopped them up, before frying them lightly, then putting them into the pie with the stock and veggies.

Picture of the day......"... I've been washing dishes ..."

Yep! It's a bottle of washing up liquid.

I don't have a dishwasher - by choice, I might add - and so therefore wash all our dishes by hand. I like to do a thorough job - everything gets a pre-wash, and then a proper wash. I like a good washing up liquid.

I also like to buy products which haven't been tested on animals, and if they are plant-based, then all the better. I was quite overjoyed when, around about two years ago, Tesco launched their "Eco Active" range of household cleaners, including a washing up liquid. At around £1.50 it was fairly expensive, but the bottle was quite large, and when I tried it, I really liked it. Cruelty free, plant-based, lovely fragrance, recyclable packaging, and it did a cracking good job of the washing up. Then they stopped making it, and sold off all their left over stock on the reduced shelf. As I happened to be in the store at just the right time, I managed to bag about six bottles, all reduced.

Inevitably though, my supplies ran out and I was back to the drawing board to find a decent washing up liquid. I did go back to the ordinary Tesco range, but I wasn't impressed. So, a few days ago I bought this bottle of Ecover, and I have to say I like it very much. Again, it was quite expensive, and it's a smaller bottle than the plant-based Tesco one, but I don't really mind that if it does a good job, which it is doing. Yaaay for Ecover!

Picture of the day......"... And down to the seaside ..."

This is Knab the seagull!

I bought Knab in a little gift shop in Mumbles - well Knab Rock to be precise, hence his name - about three years ago when I met up with three lovely friends from Cardiff, who I was in school with.

One of the things I love about living near the sea is the sound of the seagulls, and when I saw Knab I couldn't resist him - I love the colouring on his wings, which goes perfectly with the colour scheme of the lounge, and I love his little seagull face. I knew that he would always remind me of lovely times by the sea with friends, and he does!

......and I hope Knab will love his new home, amongst the ivy!

......and when they're not arguing about who should have the cosiest spot, Joe likes to join him!

In the meantime I'm getting stuck into this one by Margaret Atwood - another author which I really like.

This particular book seems really quirky.

Picture of the day......"... Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing ..."

My Lovely Man does indeed do the sweetest things!

I mentioned on St. David's Day that I don't make Welsh Cakes at home, because I don't have a bake stone to make them on....and that for one reason and another I've never got around to getting one.

I came home from work today to the loveliest surprise - a bake stone in the post, courtesy of My Lovely Man.

Now to find some yummy Welsh Cake recipes. Watch this space!

Picture of the day......"... Read It In Books ..."

Today is World Book Day!

If you've been following my blog, you'll know by now that I love books. Reading is one of my favourite things to do.

This is the pile of books currently on the bedside cabinet - a few less than there were at the beginning of the year, and I hope to get through the rest over the next few months.

I do belong to a local reading group, but obviously because of Covid, we haven't met up for a year now. We have a Facebook group though, and enjoy connecting on there and sharing posts about the books we've read, etc.

After I finished "The Little Bed & Breakfast by the Sea" I started this one, and I can hardly put it down, and am already about half way through. I've read one of J.P. Delaney's books before ("The Girl Before") and really enjoyed, so I didn't think this one would disappoint.

Anyway, I'm off now for some.....yep, you've guessed it - tea and chapters!

Picture of the day......"... hey (hey), you (you) ...

...get off of my cloud!"

Or in the case of Basil and Joe, get out of my basket!

This basket has found a new place on the floor next to the T.V. I use it to store some accessories and bits and pieces that I'll be using in the lounge at some point, and I have a lovely woollen throw over it and a couple of cushions on top. Both cats have made a bee-line for it, and at the moment there's a bit of a battle of wills going on to see who can get to the basket to cwtch up in it first. It's quite funny. Currently Joe seems to be winning the contest.

Picture of the day......"... Soup of the Day ...'"

Today is my 200th day of blogging! Wow, that's flown!

We had some lovely Welsh food today, in honour of St. David's Day yesterday.

Welsh cawl (soup) is traditionally made with lamb. However, I made a (hopefully) vegan version. I used leeks, potatoes and carrots and made a stock from a Colman's lamb hotpot mix. Lots of the Colmans mixes are vegan and it's stated on the packaging. This one doesn't have it stated, but checking through the ingredients, I'm sure there's nothing untoward in it, so I took my chances!

In other news today, we went to the beach for our daily walk, and I couldn't resist photographing this perfect little Ollie paw print in the sand! You're welcome.

Picture of the day......"... And bright, bright, bright, ...'"

I don't think there is anything in this world which is quite as cheerful as a bunch of daffodils!

Today is St. David's Day, which we celebrate here in Wales. As part of our celebrations, we buy daffodils, and eat cawl (soup) and Welsh Cakes. Today though, the cawl and Welsh Cakes are being postponed until tomorrow, because my Lovely Man is working - PAT testing - until quite late, and I do want to share the lovely Welsh food with him.

The daffodils however, were not postponed and they look very lovely on the lounge windowsill. They overlook the garden, where three daffodils have popped up near one of the tree bases, where I planted them last autumn. As yet though, they haven't bloomed and are still in bud. I'm hoping that my windowsill daffodils will encourage them to show their beautiful yellow faces!