Monday, March 11, 2013

52 Weeks of Happy - Week Ten

I have lots of happy memories from the last week  not least our outing to Castleton on Tuesday and our visit to friends in Nottingham on Wednesday but as I've written a post about Castleton and will write one soon about our lunch out at Felley Priory, I've chosen four 'happy' moments from closer to home for week ten.  Here's what made me smile this week......


1.  Happy cats - I love it when they start cleaning themselves down and then look up forgetting to put their tongue away!

2.  Pale Blue Dwarf Iris -  in a pot.  We rescued them last year after a squirrel had taken all the crocus bulbs we'd planted at the same time, it didn't touch these but we dug them up and popped them in a pot just in case.  I'd forgotten all about them but they grew and flowered in their pot this year.

3.  Home made Welsh Cakes - made on a cast iron griddle which, after searching loads of kitchen shops,  was ordered from the internet. When it arrived it was delivered by the regular post man.  He knocked on the door and took it out of his bag  'It's heavy!' he exclaimed.  'It will be, it's cast iron' I replied.  The look on his face was priceless, poor chap having to carry it until he reached our house as he didn't have one of those trolley things some postmen have now.  Wouldn't you have thought it would have been sent by parcel post with a van driver?

4.  Frog Spawn - lots of pond activity this week culminating in eleven frogs spotted at one time and seven clumps of frog spawn,  I do hope it survives the colder weather that has been forecast for the next few days.

Link to  Little Birdie  where  '52 weeks of Happy' started. Each week you find just four things that have made you happy to share.

28 comments:

  1. Some lovely happy moments, Rosie. The home made Welsh cakes look delicious and I think I see a 'The Botanic Garden' plate, which is my favourite. Our cat, Gino, is interested in the snow whirling around in the gusts of wind today, but watching from the window indoors!

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    1. Cats know all the best places to avoid the weather don't they? Yes it is a Portmeirion plate! We are lucky to live just a 15 minute walk from their factory shop where you can snap up some wonderful bargains:)

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  2. Welsh cakes look very tasty. I haven't seen any frog spawn yet but have seen a squashed frog in the road so I suppose that means they are on the move!

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    1. Poor frog! I think ours have spawned to early encouraged by the warmer weather of last week! the pond is frozen over again:)

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  3. My welsh grandmother used to make welsh cakes in a very heavy pan. I love them and must give them a go myself one day.

    Love the irises too. Presumably as they grow from rhizomes rather than bulbs they escape the attentions of Mr Squirrel..

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    1. I have to confess that Paul made them not me. He makes all the bread whilst I make cakes and scones. He has added Welsh cakes, bagels and hot cross buns to the bread making but I always make the bara brith. No the iris weren't to Mr Squirrel's taste he just dug up a few and left them so we dug them all up and put them in the pot in the greenhouse:)

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  4. A lovely montage of photos Rosie! Four lovely memorable happy moments. I bet it was really satisfying cooking the welsh cakes on the griddle. I can smell them sizzling away right now! x

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    1. I love the smell of them cooking and Paul is an expert now at making them, we took some to friends last week:)

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  5. The dwarf irises are such a glorious blue and must have been a lovely surprise. I grew up just over the border from Derbyshire and remember visits to Castleton as a child. Beautiful spot.

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    1. It is a beautiful spot isn't it? I bet you have some happy memories of your visits:)

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  6. A lovely collage, I hope the pondlife doesn't suffer with this cold weather. Poor postman, I'm surprised it wasn't sent by a van too!

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    1. Thanks, Louise - we rescued one of the clumps into a bucket and put it in the greenhouse - we'll put it back in the pond again when it gets warmer, the other clumps are frozen over this morning which is a shame:)

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  7. Lovely photos Rosie. I made some Welsh cakes last year but they didn't look as nice as yours. Mine were a bit black - haven't made them since! I haven't seen frog spawn for years.
    Patricia x

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    1. Paul made them and he has done them a few times now so he has mastered the technique, we use the recipe from the BeRo book and add a little cinamon or mixed spice. do have another go at them:)

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  8. Oh my - I'd forgotten about frog spawn - must look in our little pond tomorrow! Lovely irises - I love it when bulbs pop up and surprise us! The Welsh cakes look very professional! X

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    1. I wonder if you have frog spawn? Thanks, Paul makes the Welsh cakes and he had made quite a few batches over the last year since we had the griddle and he's mastered the technique now:)

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  9. I saw my first frog spawn of the year too - so its officially spring in my book then!! Loved your Castleton post - I love the place xxx

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    1. Always a good sign! I think they have spawned too early though encouraged by the warmer weather last week - unfortunately after all their hard work the pond is frozen again this morning:)

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  10. Love the cat photo! The welsh cakes look delicious - poor postman - hope he doesn't get a hernia!
    June

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    1. Thanks, June - Chloe was sitting on my kneee when I took the photo! I bet he had an aching shoulder later that day:)

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  11. Lovely photos- its nice to see what makes everyone happy- I haven't seen frogspawn for years, i do remember having some in the classroom as a child though:)

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    1. Hello Amanda, thanks for visiting - we used to have frogspawn on the nature table at junior school too:)

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  12. Lovely happy posts and when spring comes bet you have too many to chose from. Bet its a bit nippy up The Hill.

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    1. Thanks, Amanda - yes it is definitely more than nippy up here!:)

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  13. You are well ahead of us with the frog spawn. We have none yet!

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    1. I think our frogs were anxious to get started this year after that couple of warm days we had, just a shame it was all in vain as the frogspawn is now frozen. We have saved a clump in a bucket to put back in the pond when it gets warmer:)

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  14. Hi Rosie, nice to 'meet' you. I followed your link from the 'Write Idea' where I've been a member for years, but don't visit often enough these days. Always nice to meet another 'Brit' writer. Your Welsh Cakes look lovely - I love 'em, being Welsh myself, although currently 'exiled' in England.

    I couldn't find anywhere here to 'follow' you, but if you'd like to visit my blog it's www.hywelalyn.blogspot.com

    Have a great Easter,
    Lyn

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    1. Hello Lyn, I think I remember you from 'Write Idea' - I haven't been on the forum for years I used to enjoy it but got involved in a creative writing group at the local library and then WEA then did OU Creative Writing - time just flies by. I do have a followers bar at the very bottom of the blog, I will pop over and visit yours:)

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