This, that and the other.....

I woke this morning to a bright blue sky - oh heavenly, heavenly...

Soon there was a rosy cloud hugging the mountain tops to the east,

 and the day was beginning to look quite promising.

Well, it was quite promising.

I had a date to go for lunch with Margaret and her daughter Susan, 

who each Sunday drives down from Kelowna to take her mother out and about 

and to a new place for lunch each week.... 

 A splendid daughter!

Margaret is one of my dearest friends from newly married days,

 and farming days, and raising a family at the same time days, 

so we have many memories to share.

Today I was included in their Sunday adventure

 and we set off to Osoyoos, and lunch at Spirit Ridge, 

the wonderful venture that the Osoyoos Indian Band has achieved under the direction

 of their exemplary Chief, Clarence Louie

We set off down through the Lower Similkameen Valley, with the sun shining on snowy peaks, and the meadows suggestive of the colours of spring.

Up over the Pass that skirts the US border

Soon we were overlooking the lake and the vineyards and orchards as we descended into and through the lovely touristy town of Osoyoos.

and up the hill to Spirit Ridge and  the NK'MIP vineyard and resort

Lunch was delicious.  We sat by the window and chatted and admired the view.

we took the back road to Oliver, awash in vineyards,

The sun on the mountains shadowed the contours of the hills and vales

and revealed the small rills and valleys, hidden so gloomily by the last months' 

mists and pewter sky.

 We went past  Macintyre Bluff, whose geological past is

absolutely fascinating -

and I was thrilled to see the shadows cast by eager limbs, the grass turning green

 and the sap rising

spring-time yellow in the willow trees

Around Vaseaux Lake and the Bird Sanctuary, we came at last

to the turn around spot and went westward again towards the Similkameen

and home.

Well, that's the this and that.....

As for 'the other' I have been dressing the loom in left-over cotton,

and now I am weaving!!!!

Very prosaic tea towels, but it gives

me much pleasure and relaxation to have the shuttle moving

from hand to hand, through perfectly lovely sheds,

and the pattern growing

under my hands.

Weaving and Sunshine - what more could one ask !!!!!!

A poem by Robert Bly entitled 'The Third Body' caught my attention today, the chosen poem for

 "A Year of Being (which I read assiduously each day and even commit to memory 

some of those lines that I find especially appropriate to life as it is these days.....

A man and a woman sit near each other, and they do not long

at this moment to be older, or younger, nor born

in any other nation, or time, or place.

They are content to be where they are, talking or not talking.

Their breaths together feed someone whom we do not know.

The man sees the way his fingers move;

he sees her hands close around a book she hands to him.

They obey a third body that they share in common.

They have made a promise to love that body.

Age may come, parting may come, death will come.

A man and a woman sit near each other;

as they breathe they feed someone we do not know,

someone we know of, whom we have never seen.

I mused upon the words and thought, 'yes, that could be who keeps me company through the lonely nights and the sometimes barren days.'.

Since I have lived alone I find myself talking sometimes to the cat, sometimes to inanimate objects, sometimes to various body parts, like back and knees and nose 

and sometimes even bladder.  

And often to this 'someone we know of, whom we have never seen'

 but who was created from all our years together,  

all our contentment, all our passion.

In order to dispel the 'blah' of February I decided I would return to the loom 

with purpose and enthusiasm, 

and so I found a promising looking pattern for tea towels described as "Peacful Rhythm Towels" - just what I needed to keep myself on track and cheerful, 

and to accomplish my goal of using up as much of my wool and cotton stash as possible.

Well, this involves a lot of talking to the Back, which gets weary leaning over the loom,

 threading the heddles. 

 And the Knees, which may creak and groan as I bend them and kneel, 

but are much more recalcitrant when I start to get up! 

 In order to appease the Back I have been threading the heddles in small portions,

which allows for a lot of traffic back and forth along the hall way.

On one journey to and fro I decided half way down the hall that I would go back and get a cup of coffee, and so I turned back to go to the kitchen.  

On my way I thought about a pair of scissors I needed that were in my bedroom.  

Well, - bedroom, yes - that's right by the ensuite, 

and my bladder, over the years, has become quite familiar with this small room

 and often anxious to visit there.  

So, of course, the suggestion was made and that over, we started back for the coffee, 

and then back down the hall to the loom room. 

 I am not sure what 'someone we know of, whom we have never seen' 

thought about all these perambulations,

 but I know that if Charles happened to be looking down

 he would have furrowed his brow and said "I never should have left her alone!!"

Well, the heddles are all threaded and now I have replaced the reed and am starting to sley it

- it gives me a lovely feeling of accomplishment, 

even though my body parts may complain tiresomely.

And I know what I am going to do tomorrow!!  

Sley the dent a bit at a time, - tie on to the front beam, 

and start the shuttle going back and forth!!!!

Callie sits beside me as I work, curious as to what I am doing, 

and eager to keep me company, I think.  

Along with that dear 'third person' created by such long familiarity and love.

Lady Ella

ABC Wednesday
February 11th, 2015
The letter is E

for ELLA FITZGERALD

The Queen of Jazz - The First Lady of Song.

Ella Jane Fitzgerald was an American jazz vocalist with a vocal range spanning three octaves!!

She was noted for her purity of tone, her impeccable diction, her phrasing and intonation

and a "horn-like' improvisational ability,

particularly in her scat singing. (Google)

In honour of the season of Love, threee special recordings.....

Enjoy!!

Many thanks to Roger and Denise and all Elegant helpers who keep this meme

 circulating and bring pleasure to all who take part.  

To see more great Es click here for ABC Wednesday

Dingbats and Doggerel

ABC Wednesday
February 4th, 2015

The letter for the week is D
The subject is Dingbats and Doggerel

Starting with the Doggerel I go to visit with my old friend, Ogden Nash, who has huddled on my book shelves for nigh  on to seventy years, entertaining me on many occasions with his humorous verse, - his elegant doggerel.  (Doggerel - light verse, usually of irregular metre, often dealing with nonsensical subjects, and looked down upon by many litur guru' ists  -  not connected with the church but a doggerel word for literary critics)

Here is an example from Nash's 'Good Intentions" which seems especially relevant on these gloomy sunless February days.

Here We Go Quietly Nuts in May

Do you hanker for April showers,

Or a rarefied day in June?

Give me a grade-A May day,

And please deliver it soon.

I am weary of branches naked,

Creaking like lovelorn cats;

The earth underfoot half baked 

And the sun overhead ersatz.

Send me a balmy zephyr

To play me a rigadoon,

And I'll gulp of my grade-A May day

Till my hiccups hammer the moon.

And another little brief verse about the Porpoise

I kind of like the playful porpoise,

A healthy mind in a healthy corpus.

He and his cousin, the playful dolphin,

Why they like swimmin like I like golphin.

As to Dingbats, well, probably the most well-known is Edith,  in Archie Bunker, but Dingbats also refers to a type of font similar to Wingdings that provides the writer with all sorts of signs, symbols and graphics.

And to a 'Paul Sellars'  word game popular in the United Kingdom and in North America, where it is known as Whatzit.

Dingbats are 'cunningly disquised names, phrases and sayings that are turned around, upside-down, sideways or jumbled up.  You need to work out the hidden word or phrase on each card.  It could be the size, position or direction that will give you a clue.  Sometimes the pictures combined with a word or a number will give you your answer'  (thanks to Mr. Google)      .

Examples   -  ALL world.         (it's a small world after all)

                    Q ♂♂♂E2  (three men in a boat)

                    Mail       Male        (postman)
Sounds like a most entertaining way to exercise the brain.

For more Ds drop in at ABC Wednesday, here, - with many thanks to Roger, Denise and all Dependable helpers.

Sunday evening

Well, at one time I could follow a game of football with some excitement, 

but I seem to have lost my enthusiasm, and although the Super-Bowl is on the TV,
 with all its amazing commercials, I am only getting glimpses of it as I pass through 

on my usual happy hour/supper time routine, 

and I am going to switch when the Great British Bakeoff comes on 

as I find it much more fascinating than the Patriots and the SeaHawks 

(though I would like to see the Seahawks win and I think their mascot was most impressive 

as he led the team out onto the field!!!!

.  And when I went to consult Mr. Google about a photo of him I also discovered these facts......

Ryan Asdourian can walk down the halls of his office building 
on Microsoft's Redmond campus and nary a head will turn.
Put him in his Sunday outfit, though, and heads pop out of offices,
smartphone cameras appear and one person after another stops to greet him -
especiall in these days of Seahawks playoff fever.
Such is the double life of Asdourian, 32, a Microsoft employee
who is also the man inside the costume of 'Blitz'  the Seattle 
Seahawk Mascot.
Most days of the year, Asdourian, a ten year Microsoft veteran,
works on getting developers to create apps 
for the Windows platform.

On game day Sundays and for charity events, Asdourian dons the blue
fuzzy-headed big-beaked costume, which adds
muscular padding and three inches to his already six foot tall frame.

His weekday presentation patter goes silent
while his physical antics grow bolder and bigger.
"When I'm in the costume there is a character for Blitz...
you transform"  Blitz, he said, "is the Seahawks
biggest fan.  He pumps up the crowd, loves kids, loves to be goofy,
has a lot of fun.  You're excited
and you're representative of the team,
so you end up walking a little bit differently,
carrying that excitement with you."

I really had planned to watch the whole game, while I knitted another lace scarf, but I do miss Charles to comment and cheer with!
Not great sport fans, but we could get quite involved when the stakes were high....
 I remember pacing up and down the garden, outside,
when the Penticton Vs were winning the World Title all those many years ago,
 - it was just too fraught to listen to (radio - before TV)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

It is later now.

I watched the Bakeoff and was fascinated by the sugary carmel creations

and the European Yeast Cake

And then I got lost in Downton Abbey

and watched Lord Crawley scuffle on the floor

with the thin art dealer who was prepared to take advantage

of Lady Cora.

An elegant evening soap opera, I think, although

it does have educational overtones.

I switched back to the football game and was just in time

to see the fantastic fumble recovery and

the heartbreaking end to the game.

At least to Seahawk fans and other westerners. 

And so goes Sunday evening - I didn't get a lot of knitting done.

Lace patterns take a fair amount of concentration

and I found the needles stilled in my hands for

long stretches of time .

Did you remember to say White Rabbits this morning ?

I woke about two a.m. and took advantage of my

wakefulness to call upon the White Rabbit

for a pleasant, sunny February.

I woke at seven to find a light dusting of snow of the ground.

What does that say for the Wite Rabbit;  and

just how much faith should one put in his magic?

Or is it up to each of us to live day by day,

accepting what comes with good will  and gratefulness?????

Enough philosophizing - I think I will spend a bit of time

trying to master Candy Crush which

I have taken up instead of Luminosity.  Much more fun to see the candies

crushed, and just as much of a challenge to the brain.

P.S  I am not sure why Blogger has changed backgrounds in mid stream
but so be it.....

Though we need to grieve your loss

You dwell in that safe place in our hearts

Where no storm or night or pain can reach you.

John O'Donohue

My Sister

July 7, 1930 - January 24, 2015

Dorothy Alice Ruth (Thompson) Duguid

A bright light in my life

A few memories in tribute....

Though our mother bequeathed to us both

her love of threads and fabric

and a portion of her wonderful creativity

my sister received the gift in spades;

and along with it 

my mother's generosity

and giving spirit.

My house, and that of her children and grandchildren, I'm sure,

 is full of her beautiful pottery, her sewing projects and her exquisite needlework.

Out in the garden, for the last thirty years,

a ceramic owl she made has kept stray cats at bay

and has sheltered under the peonies and iris and various shrubs.

and she had a lovely garden

Five and a half years younger than me

we did not have the closeness growing up that

sisters born closer together would have shared,

but later, especially after we lost our mother 

who she had cared for so dearly and patiently in her late teens,

even though we lived far apart there was a

relationship that I cherished.

She was the little one at home when I first started school,

 and for companionship she had a

loyal and loving bull terrier who was with her constantly.

As one of her daughters has remarked she is probably

running free in the fields of Heaven

with Jabby at her heels. 

 I like to imagine that image!

She had such a busy and energetic life -

As a teen-ager she and a friend started a lending library in our home

(school libraries at that time were strictly for research, and not for the 

pleasure of reading)

a wonderful cook, - her recipes are treasured in my handbook of cookery;

she made her pottery skills and her kiln available to the classes she taught; 

and in later years she was a caring health aide and a comfort

to the sick and elderly.

I was in awe of her craft room, where her creativity

abounded in so many different and ingenious ways. 

And so pleased when she took up and mastered the Computer

and we were able to share all sorts of digital endeavours.

She was so proud of her children and her grandchildren,

and took such delight in them, and in conveying tales about

their visits and their accomplishments.

After a decade of suffering and sickness

I think that death, in the end, was a friend to her,

and I cannot begrudge her the release from pain,

but oh, I shall miss her - her laugh,

the news of her family,  our conversations about

politics and religion and children

and just everything that sisters talk about with a dear familiarity.

Rest easy, my lovely sibling.

C is for Curiousity

ABC Wednesday
January 28th, 2015

The Letter is C
The subject is Curiousity

I had planned to write a nice little philosophical essay on the values and importance of Curiousity in the formation of Creativity and Intelligence (which I heartily believe to be true)......

But when I went to find some images to illustrate my points I came across so many wise and pithy sayings, and so many delightfully entertaining illustrations of curiousity, that I lightened my words and decided to share with you......

A little collection of sayings and curious animals and children

 click if you want to look more closely

watch for that man who is inpecting the tonsils of an alligator

for curiousity's sake???

and the voyager of ancient times who is contemplating how far he can go across the ocean

and remember Dorothy Parker's famous saying about boredom

and curiousity and how it applies to our insatiable need

to satisfy our curiousity about the universe.

 A picture of the Mars Rover, so aptly named "Curiousity"

and a little smug cat who revels in the fact that Curiousity is now on Mars and cannot be held responsible for the curious cat's death.....

I would like to add a link  from Tom Stafford, a Neurohack who has written a column questioning

why we are so curious..  I think you will find it interesting

and a small tip of the hat to the essay I first envisioned.

If you are curious about other interpretations of the letter C hop on over to ABC Wednesday 

where Roger and Dennis  and their somewhat curious helpers are hard at work.

On a Mission

When I waken in the night and the dark cloud of worry descends what is it that causes me the most dismay???

Well, I will tell you....

It's STUFF - all the STUFF we accumulated in almost seventy years of marriage,

Starting with just our wedding presents, my trousseau and Charles' uniform, and look what I have arrived with!!  My darling chickened out on this one......

Just a small birds-eye view of the shelves of genealogy information, baskets of wool, pictures on the wall, pictures in boxes because there is no more room on the walls, remnants of cones of weaving cotton, warps and spinning fibres, thirty years of Handwoven and Spin-Off magazines, to say nothing of the Knitting mags that are my passion and folly.

And then there are the files, the music tapes, the DVDs and VSRs, the CDs, purchased and homemade - hundreds of them (it seems) - and the BOOKS!!!  And the snapshots!  Oh, thousands of them,  neatly divided chronologically into families, waiting to be dispersed.

To say nothing of the china and the silver plates and teasets we received as wedding gifts, there being no electrical appliances on the market yet after the war.

And so I am 'on a mission' to simplify.

I started with the books, - gathered up a great box full and a smaller box full of books that I thought others would enjoy and that I will probably never read again, - books that arrived on a whim because they had an inviting cover and books that really have no relevancy to my way of life right now.....(Milton Cross's Complete Stories of the Opera which I purchased from a book club even before I was married).

I put the boxes out in plain view and family bookworms came and inspected them and now I only have a bagful left!!!!

Most days in January have found us in an inverted bowl of fog and mist, so this is a good project, but today I must venture out to the bank and the grocery store and renew my supply of Orange Brandy!

And go to the Church to do the Pew Bulletins for tomorrow's service.

As I go I am planning to dig around in the snow to see how the Hellebores are doing, and if they are sending up little green stubs to bloom in Lent.....

ABC Wednesday
The letter is B
for Brulee, - the Creme de variety!!

Dining is never really complete for me without a sweet and coffee to round it off,

and the dessert that fills me with delight (anticipation and the actually devouring of!) is 

Creme Brulee!!!

Wikipedia tells me (if I must get technical about such a delicious culinary treat) that the earliest known reference to creme brulee as it is known today appears in Massialot's 1691 cookbook, and the French name was used in the English translation of this book, but in the 1731 edition it was called "creme anglaise".

In Britain a version of creme brulee was known locally as Trinity Cream, or Cambridge burnt cream, and was introduced at Trinity College in 179with the college arms impressed on top of the cream with a branding iron.

Creme Brulee is usually served in individual ramekins.  Discs of caramel may be prepared separately and put on top just before serving, but it is much more exciting to have the caramel formed directly on top of the custard immediately before serving, or at the table where the sugar mix is caramlized with a butane torch.  I associate this method with a lovely dinner Charles and I had while in England, attending a Squadron Reunion, and it brings back such delicious memories....

Creme Brulee is available in small ramekins in grocery stores, but somehow it is not the same!

I looked at the heel of my homemade bread this morning, as I cut the last slice for toast, and thought about Bread Pudding, and then wondered if I could turn it into a version of Creme Brulee, - it has the same ingredients.

If you have a yearning for Creme Brulee, here is what you need.

8 egg yolks

6 tbsps of white sugar, divided

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups of heavy cream

2 tbsps of brown sugar.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, then beat the egg yolks, 4 tbsps of white sugar and the vanilla extract until thick and creamy.

Pour the cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it ALMOST comes to a boil.  Remove immediately from the heat and stir the cream into the egg yolk mixture, beating until combined.

Pour the cream mixture into the top pan of a double boiler and stir over simmering water until mixture lightly coats the back of a spoon (about three minutes).

Remove from heat and pour into small shallow heat proof dishes.

Bake for thirty minutes in the overn - cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least an hour.

When you are ready to serve, if you don't have a butane torch handy, combine the remaining 2 tbsps of white sugar with the brown sugar and sift the mixture evenly over the custards.  Place under broiler until sugar melts and carmalizes - watching carefully so as not to burn.

If you do have a Butane Torch, or a Salamander broiler, take it to the table and do your thing!

Extravagantly and with flair.

Very impressive.

For more Bs visit here at ABC Wednesday, with thanks to Roger, Denise and all Busy helpers.

Out and About

After a quiet week indoors that involved a little weaving, a bit of knitting, some baking and a new book it was lovely to get out two days in a row. 

Yesterday the weather was glum and gloomy, but today there was blue sky and sunshine as I went for a drive and a wonderful lunch at the Hooded Merganser with my one good friend from early days who is close by, and her kind and attentive daughter.  

We are lucky, both of us, to have daughters and daughters-in-law who are sweet and caring.

Saturday it was my regularly scheduled monthly day to go to Penticton with my DIL from Summerland.  It mattered not that the clouds encompassed the whole valley, skirting the bottoms of the mountains.   

We carried on, - found a new restaurant that serves an exotic collection of Bennys (Eggs Benedict) and lunched with our oldest son.  This was immediately after having coffee and muffins with a granddaughter who lives close, so it was a full-filling morning!

 A little shopping  sent me home with a new coffee pot that makes a steaming aromatic brew, pre-programmed the night before,  I can see that it will be inclined to influence the time I rise if I want that first hot cup before I am really wide awake.  Maybe I will pass on the pre-programming and go about morning ablutions while the magic happens......

The weatherman forecast great drifts of snow overnight in the Okanagan

and I feared it would cancel today's outing,

but the snow only fell on the ski hills, which made everyone happy!

As the morning wore on the clouds began to disperse and by late morning, 

time of departure, the sun made a rare and welcome appearance.

We had seen great numbers of ice fishermen on Yellow Lake yesterday.

Easy chairs, bonfires and the lake dotted with bright red tents

around many of the fishing holes.  Christmas presents perhaps?

No red tents today, but still lots of enthusiasts out for the day.

Along the Channel Parkway going into Penticton I saw a lovely sign of spring -

the sap rising in a willow tree,

the colour brilliant against the blue sky!

A last delightful outing - a shower for the new great-grandson, who was passed

around the room and slept in everyone's arms,

 while the next smallest

GGSon entertained all the ladies  with his sweet smile and

adventuresome ways.  A true Finch!

ABBA

ABC  Wednesday
Off on another jaunt through the Alphabet
The letter is A

A is for ABBA

Wonderful background music when our family was full of teenagers

And now I find great pleasure listening and reminiscing.

Hope you enjoy this favourite

"Fernando"

or this.....

"Take a Chance on Me"

Life goes on and the Band broke up

but their songs are still popular and familiar

and make one want to Dance!!!

For more interesting As visit here at ABC Wednesday

with thanks to all the Able souls who energize this meme

The hothouse Hellebore

brightens my window

and speaks to me of early spring.

Its cousin, in the garden

pulls the white blanket of snow

even closer....

Sunshine, blue skies, whispy clouds

Blue skies and sunshine

Lift my spirits

and delight my heart

and send me scurrying

for dustmop and broom

Beautiful day.  I am banishing dust, but as I work my eye is drawn

to shadows on the snow, whispy white clouds

and water dripping from the evergreens

as those great drifts of snow disappear.

As I tidy and dust I also listen to a new David Garrett CD

"Timeless" - the music of Brahms and Bruch

played with the Israel Philharmonic and conducted by

Zubin Mehta !!!!

Beside my chair lies the latest Alan Bradley novel

following the adventures of Flavia de Luce .

When Alan Bradley first started this series he lived just miles away,

in Kelowna, B.C.  It tells the tales

of eleven year old Flavia's detective skills as she lives

with a most eccentric family residing at Buckshaw, the old and fast

deteriorating family estate.

Well, I find it charming and I can hardly wait to open the book,

forsaking Wallace Stegner and Loren Eisely for a romp

through a thoroughly relaxing read.

These delights, along with a desk diary that provides an awesome fact

for each day of the year

are the result of a lovely Amazon Gift Certificate birthday present

and I have to say, my son-in-law Frank's kindness

in going to get my mail on the icy roads.

Here are a few more pictures of a nice winter's day in the Similkameen!

If you look closely you can see that the pussy willows are starting to swell,

but alas, no small bits of greenery where the bulbs were planted, and the Lenten roses 

are under a foot of snow...

Off to catch the last rays of the sun before it falls behind the mountain.

Have we advanced more than three seconds a day 

as daylight increases, nearing spring?

Surely.......

P..S.    I forgot to mention the name of Alan Bradley's new Book

'As Chimney Sweepers come to Dust'

quote from Shakespeare....

A rather indolent day.

I woke, enclosed in mist and fog and darkness

and more or less confined to barracks because of snow and ice

These great drifts of snow that engulfed us on the week-end are piled high beside driveways and sidewalks, as folk try to clear a way through.

The temperature rises, and occasionally it rains, and then freezes.

My son, on the Chilcotin Plateau, told me last night that there were at least five levels of ice buried in the snow drifts there, which makes snow removal by hand treacherous on the heart and muscles, but not too bad if you have some heavy equipment handy (which they have).

  I have a video to show you just how easy it is up there in the Caribou!!  A piece of cake.....

I spent the first part of the morning devising a makeshift bird feeder that I could hang from the railing on the porch, there being too much snow for me to reach the regular feeders which now look like a cross between a ski chalet and an asian pagoda.

A long length of linen from my weaving stash and a deep aluminium pie plate that I could use the hole punch on, and the little birds were once again frequenting the food bar.

That finished, the fog began to lift a little, and as I had mid-morning coffee

I could see trees on the mountain, outlined faintly.  The air a quarter of a way up the mountains 

is a pretty blue, but beyond that all is overcast in grey.

The rest of the day I have been spinning. disciplining myself to finish the 

brilliant green roving before I start on the last indulgence

at the Naughty  (Knotty)  Knitter, - 

a plait of varigated mauves and greens and rose merino that I hope

someday will be a lovely lacy pair of socks.

Wallace Stegner's early book, Remember Laughter,

sits on the table beside my chair along with my knitting,

and so January will idle its way into a February thaw

and eventually Snowdrops and Lenten Roses,

and I will give up indolence and begin to poke around for first green shoots....

ABC Wednesday
January 7th, 2015

The letter is Z
for Zucchini

When I gardened in earnest - long rows of peas, corn and carrots,

I tried to be sensible about the number of zucchini I planted,

but invariably I was left in the fall

trying desperately to give away zucchini 

to other earnest gardeners (who had their own ZZZZs to dispose of.

I ended up putting lots of grated zucchini 

in the freezer

and making loaves and muffins and cupcakes

and the most scrumptious chocolate zucchini cakes

(recipes were as numerous as the veggie itself)

If you have grated zucchini languishing in your freezer

here's a recipe....

Grease a tube pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together 2 cups flour, 2 tsps cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsps baking powder

and a tsp of baking soda.

Beat 4 eggs with 2 cups of sugar in a bowl and mix in 1 cup of vegetable oil.

Add to the dry ingredients and beat vigorously.

Stir in an 8 oz can of crushed pineapple (drained),  2 cups of grated zucchini,

2 tsps of vanilla and some chopped nuts, if you like them.

Pour into pan and bake for 80 minutes.

Cool for 30 minutes before dislodging from the pan.

Make a nice glaze from a cup of icing sugar and a couple of tbsps of milk

and dribble randomly over the top of the cake.

And this all reminds me that I do have grated zucchini in the freezer,

given to me by a desperate friend!

When all the Christmas goodies are eaten..............

For more interesting Zs visit here at ABC Wednesday with

thanks to Denise and Roger and ZEALOUS helpers.....

I take the Christmas decorations down, randomly, - 

just a few at a time so that Christmas can withdraw its outward trappings

 but hopefully the spirit will live on all through the year.

January is a birthday month for our family, - and probably for many other families too.

A lovely family celebration for my 90th 

(I still wince a little when I say that, but then get overcome by gratefulness

 for wonderful years and good health)

To make the day even more exciting and memorable and delightfully precious, 

the arrival of a beautiful new great-grandson.

A heart full of thankfulness!!!