In Other Cultural News - Bryan Ferry's 78th Birthday

Totally delicious.

Frans Hals Exhibition National Gallery

I'm a huge fan of Frans Hals and will be hot footing it down to London in November to see this exhibition. Two of the paintings on show I'm very familiar with as they are on loan from my local stately home. They are mesmerising and I have stared long and hard at them many a time. I'm excited to see more of his work. This little film is well worth a watch, go on, immerse yourself in a little bit of magic.

This & That

This is kinda how I feel about positivity and gusto. Strength of mind is a wonderful thing but we are all susceptible to things beyond our control I know. Something I'm desperately trying to control is precision sock making. I'm making socks as gifts for friends this year to keep their tootsies warm and snuggly. I've finished the first pair. The yarn is marketed as a vintage yarn because of the colours. This is powdered egg. Made from Exmoor Blueface and Bluefaced Leicester sheep wool. They are I feel perfectly imperfect.

Here they are drying on their slim wooden blockers in the sunshine. I think they will look very tempting when wrapped and ribboned. Especially with a little parcel of home made chocolates for company. Are any of you already starting the present making?

Torre Abbey Torquay Visit

One of the places we visited whilst in Torquay was the 12th century Torre Abbey. An ancient scheduled monument founded in 1196. It is set in 18 acres of gardens, which includes an area of potent plants, (poisonous). It was the perfect setting for a talk on the poisons used in the Agatha Christie stories. Unfortunately we couldn't get tickets for that event but we did have a nice wander round. The Abbey now houses an art collection and puts on various exhibitions through the year. The 'Spanish' Barn, a huge tithe barn which sits directly next to the Abbey itself is also used for events, weddings and is the refreshment area for visitors. I felt the barn had a strange vibe about it, I couldn't help but 'feel' the wretchedness of the poor Spanish prisoners who were kept captive there. On a lighter note, parts of the Abbey have some fab interpretation areas. You can hear voices deep in discussion as you approach one of the family rooms used during the 18th century early nineteenth century, by the Carey family who lived in the Abbey as a family home from 1662 for over 300 years. As you approach the table you can see the dinner plates have talking heads on them. I loved it. Unfortunately naughty blogger wont let me load up my little film of the dining room, BAH! A very warm welcome to another follower, Susan, thank you very much for dropping by and clicking on the follow button.

Disappointing Trip

I've been away for a few days to the English Riviera, Torquay to be exact. The International Agatha Christie Festival was on. I was expecting lots of old world charm and folk in period costume sprinkled throughout the streets and waterside. Sadly not. The two events I attended were great fun and some of the heritage buildings were nice, but I'm afraid everywhere else was past it's best. The Mr stayed at home and his two brothers came to visit with him. They had a great time together. The Mr beat both his brothers on the golf course, he's the eldest so he was most pleased.

The Agatha Christie Gallery in the Torquay Museum was a highlight. With costumes and props from the TV series.

Meet Rationbook Rebecca

She is such a joyful down to earth gal, I adore her. Watching her chat away it's like talking with an old friend. I wait every week for a post from her and have managed to view her musings on the tellybox now, most splendid. A very warm welcome to Sue my latest follower, thank you for dropping by and following.

Sunday's Joyous Things

Hearty Lentil Soup

Gosh I've had this recipe for years. It alters of course every time I make it depending on what is kicking around the fridge and garden. This time I added courgettes which are pretty much being added to everything at the moment so they are not wasted. Also some roasted butternut squash left over from my vegetable lasagne.

I had some delicious British Brie and crackers with the soup yesterday lunchtime. Yum. RECIPE: 1 & half mugs red lentils, 2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped, 1 medium onion chopped thinly, chopped celery leaves, 2 sticks chopped celery, 2 carrots chunky chopped, third mug of brown rice, chopped parsley, 1 parsnip chunky chopped, tin of drained and rinsed butter beans, olive oil, dried tarragon, to taste, salt & pepper to taste. Rinse the lentils several times then soak whilst sauteing onion, celery, carrots, parsnip, rice, parsley, celery leaves and garlic in some olive oil. After a few minutes add drained lentils, butter beans, tarragon, salt and pepper and stir thoroughly. Top up with water until all ingredients are well covered. Bring to boil then simmer for about 45 minutes. This makes about 7 good portions. It can be frozen, defrost before heating. Apologies for the bunched up text but blogger doesn't let me space it out for some reason.