Horsing Around...

Here is Sonny, a Dales Pony (top photo, right) enjoying his winter holidays with some friends in Teesdale. He has had a few weeks off work due to the snow which has given him, along with the other neddys in the pictures, the chance to roll around in the mud and snow and be themselves eating lots of hay.

These native ponies are hardy and unaffected by the weather as they grow long, warm, hairy coats and even beards(!) which protect them against the harsh westerly winds. As the days draw to a close, they know where to go to find shelter in a lower-lying area of the field, when the temperature drops.

The ponies like each others company , they are not always happy alone and are content within a small group, peacefully getting along with each other.

The Moving Finger.

The Moving Finger by Agatha Christie.

I don't feel as though I am in 'my stride' with reading this month. There seems to be have been so much going on at home; the bathroom has been redecorated and the tremendous snowfall only helped to make me uneasy and it hard to escape into a book. So I am pleased to have finally finished this Agatha Christie. I am entering it as part of the 'Agatha' carnival.
A Miss Marple mystery although she didn't appear to near the end , making her detection skills even more amazing.
It is all based around Lymstock, an English country village. A series of anonymous hate letters are posted around the village ; each with it's own personal details . These messages scare the inhabitants , some more than others and when one letter is received and then the recipient is found dead, suicide is questionable.
A good read as usual, I felt transported into the village , the characters quickly became familiar although the murderer did keep me guessing.

Musing Mondays

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about borrowed books.

Where do you keep any books borrowed from friends or the library? Do they live with your own collection, or do you keep them separate? Do you monitor them in anyway.

I don't borrow books from friends my only borrowed books are from the library.These are kept with my own books. To keep track of return dates I keep a note on the calender and as I often renew them online they are listed on my library page online.
More discussion can be found here.

TEN QUESTIONS...

click on arrow to start at number 1.

Giselle

Last night we attended a performance of the Russian State Ballet of Siberia at our local theatre.
This touring company were performing 'The Nutcracker', 'Swan Lake' , 'Sleeping Beauty'over the next few weeks, and last night 'Giselle'. A love story ; following a peasant girl's love for a nobleman. Giselle is loved by the villagers with whom she lives. Her mother is a superstitious woman and frowns on Giselle's love for the pretend villager Loys, a high born Count whom Giselle loves.
The dancing and costumes all added to a highly emotional ballet. Lovely.

On the farm in January.

Well this month started with bad weather and it is still lying around here and there.
Due to the depth of snow the sheep have been given more silage than normal as their ability to graze any grass has been greatly reduced.All the feeding takes much longer in these weather conditions as field gates don't open so easily and just the effort needed to travel to and from the fields takes more time.
Hopefully this will be the last of the 'white stuff', we don't want anymore especially none in March and April when the lambs are due.
Photo courtesy of this site.

Teaser Tuesdays

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Tuesday again, so here is my teaser ---


'She dropped it on to the fire. With a quick gesture that hurt my back I jerked it off again just before it caught.' page 118 , 'The Moving Finger, by Agatha Christie.

More teasers can be found
here.

Musing Mondays.

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about tidy reading around people.

When is it inappropriate to read in front of others? Is it ever appropriate?

If I didn't read in front of other people I wouldn't get much reading done. However, after saying that, I am not rude ;I don't read in the middle of a conversation or when in someone else's home.
My own family in my house are readers and to read in the family setting is quite the norm. As we all read different types of books this habit sparks off some interesting conversations.

More book 'talk' can be found
here.

Buon Appetito!

This was our lunch today, quite delicious ----

Lasagne.

Fry 3 quarters of a pound of mince in a large frying pan.
When browned all over add 1 tablespoon of plain flour, cook for 2 mins.
Add 1 chopped onion and 3 sticks of celery, cook for a further 5 mins.
Then to the mixture add 1x 400gm chopped tomatoes with half a pint of beef stock and 2 tablespoons of tomato puree. Cook for 5 mins and then add 1 teaspoon of sugar with salt and pepper to taste.
Add 1 small glass of red wine.
Simmer slowly for about 1 hour.

To make the white sauce---
Melt 2 ozs of butter in small pan add 1 and a half ozs of plain flour.
Remove from heat and gradually stir in 1 pint of milk. Return to heat and stirring continually till the sauce thickens. Remove from heat and add a pinch of nutmeg and 1 teaspoon of wholegrain mustard.
It using fresh lasagne prepare as instructions on packet.

Starting with the meat sauce layer the dish ---- meat sauce, white sauce , then add grated parmesan and cheddar cheese , lasagne and then repeat layers till all sauces and pasta are used. Sprinkle cheeses on top of dish and bake at approx. 375 degrees for 45-60 mins.

This gives 4 large portions.

(Using cheddar cheese in this dish is probably a criminal offence in Italy, so 'Spiacente' to any Italian readers, but it tastes so good!! )

Winter comforts...

Can't believe another week has flown. The last few days have found me searching for comforting ideas, scenes etc. The 'white stuff' is still here, although not as deep as the photo, and it is thawing today despite having snow showers this morning.

Anyhow enough of all that depressing topic, hopefully the sun will shine again soon and we can look forward to summer days at Windermere. The photo above was taken two years ago on a beautiful August day.

Till then I need warmth and that is where my wristwarmers come in handy, after finding Lucy's blog I found that she had a pattern for these cozy accessories so using up a few odd balls of wool and a crochet hook, viola! I now have something to keep my hands warm when driving.

I'm not a person reknowned for my 'green fingers' so to keep the Poinsettia and Cyclamen alive is quite a feat for me. The cyclamen was given as a present in September 09 and I bought the poinsettia at Christmas. I must say the latter is not too good, since the photo was taken it has shed a few healthy leaves, not sure of the cause ? too much/little water. Maybe some green fingered readers can shed some light on it.

So we come to the last photo , surely my best comfort I hear you say, and yes she is , good old Mog ---- a delight any any day of the week , whatever the weather. We all love her.

A Secret Alchemy

A Secret Alchemy by Emma Darwin.

A novel of two widows. One lived in the 1400's the other present day.
Elizabeth Woodville's first husband was killed in battle , her second husband was the ruling monarch, Edward 1V. She lives in troublesome times, the Wars of the Roses is at it's height and both Elizabeth and her brother are caught up in the intrigue and betrayal these battles create. She was the mother of the heir to the throne and the Duke of York , this status did not help her as she was cajoled into handing over her sons to enemies masquerading as friends.
Running parallel throughout the book one week in the life of Una Pryor. A professor, who is researching into the life of Elizabeth and the effect of the Wars of the Roses on the English people.
During this one week Una arrives from Australia , her new homeland. She is visiting England for research but more importantly to conclude her late husband's affairs in property and business. In undertaking this task she visits her adoptive family(both her parents having died many years before) and thereby opens up old wounds regarding their relationships.
These two stories show the loneliness and desolation that widows feel and highlight the importance of the family.


'Alchemy'--- 'a method of transmutting base metals into gold...'(Collins English Dictionary)

'True alchemy is more than melting gold. Even as the sinful human spirit is refined in holy fire,... so we alchemists refine base matter that it, too, may become the purest gold.And the touch of an anointed king...' page 306.

A great read, highly recommended.

The first challenge ...

... of the year.
Here is the information of the Agatha Christie challenge. There don't appear to be any rules other than reading Agatha Christie books, not a hard challenge for me.

Winter in Teesdale

Winter-Time
by Robert Louis Stevenson




Late lies the wintry sun a-bed,
A frosty, fiery sleepy-head;
Blinks but an hour or two; and then,
A blood-red orange, sets again.

Before the stars have left the skies,
At morning in the dark I rise;
And shivering in my nakedness,
By the cold candle, bathe and dress.

Close by the jolly fire I sit
To warm my frozen bones a bit;
Or with a reindeer-sled, explore
The colder countries round the door.

When to go out, my nurse doth wrap
Me in my comforter and cap;
The cold wind burns my face, and blows
Its frosty pepper up my nose.

Black are my steps on silver sod;
Thick blows my frosty breath abroad;
And tree and house, and hill and lake,
Are frosted like a wedding-cake.


Poem courtesy of this site.

Such talent...

I first saw this lady
on a local news programme and I was so amazed at her work I wanted to share it with you. She makes all the costumes using machine and sewing the jewels by hand. I think they are wonderful!
Photos courtesy of this site.
Do check out her video too.

The Sittaford Mystery.

The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie.

A small country village is isolated by a tremendous snowstorm, therefore the residents must find ways of entertaining themselves. The two ladies who live in Sittaford house invite their neighbours to a social evening where a seance is begun.
As the table rocks to and fro and spells out names of neighbours not in attendance the group begin to panic . Continuing in this atmoshere the name of one gentleman is spelled out and then the word MURDER.
Running scared the party is concluded but when the said named gentleman is found dead at exactly the time of the seance people really do panic . To add to the excitement an escaped convict is on the prowl soon after...

A great 'Agatha' book, it kept me guessing right to the end. Highly recommended.

I'm a winner!

Having read 13 books last year for the Jean Plaidy reading challenge I have won an a prize. This is my choice of 2 books from the Jean Plaidy 'Arrow' books. I'm checking them all out on Amazon before I make my decision.
This was a great challenge, quite easy for me as I started collecting these books in the 1970's when they were 35p each.They are all fantastic books!
If you are keen to learn more about Jean Plaidy, check out this site.

Happy New Year!