Simply Sunday

| TravellinPenguin
Although a stock photo, this is what it looked like.

Another week has passed and I can’t believe Christmas is at the end of this week. I have had a quiet week at home though I finally got to get out yesterday for a brief woodland walk with Ollie and my camera and tripod. I have also been reading all week. I have noticed my concentration is returning and I can actually tune into a book now for more than 30 minutes at a time.

Throw in some cooking in our lovely kitchen and the week rounded out nicely.

The range hood was installed over our stove top Friday. We still have the flooring to be installed and the ceiling to be painted. The painting will happen Monday but I think the flooring has to wait until January.

The other night I made a big pan of enchilladas. I used one of those El Paso kits that have the tortillas and two packets of sauce but then added the cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado and sour cream at the end. Splash a little tabasco sauce across the top and it was very good. I cooked the first 25 years of our marriage and Mr. Penguin cooked the last 25 years of our marriage. August will be the 50 year mark. Now we are both cooking. It has been fun. Twenty five years was a good break.

82 % finished

The books I continue to read are The Gifts of Reading, a series of essays about gifting and receiving books. I’ve read one essay a day. I am now heading towards the finish line. Edited by Robert MacFarlane I am enjoying it very much and one essay a day is just right.

I have finally settled into the mystery that is Ann Cleeves “Vera” book called The Darkest Evening. I am loving the snowy setting of the winter scenes around Newcastle, England. I’ve not read a Cleeves book before and I must say I’m enjoying it.

56 % finished

I am also listening to My Life in France by Julia Child read by Kimberly Farr. I would not recommend this book to vegans or vegetarians as Julia Child was a serious carnivore. I can picture her sitting down, tucking into geese, pheasants and all manner of meat, with blood dripping down her chin. She was a very eccentric woman and quite arrogant at times. However she did know her French cooking. There is a great deal of reading recipes in French so if you cannot understand French you miss a bit. She seems to assume almost everyone would know what she is talking about. However I enjoy her recollection of the people she met, the school of Le Cordon Bleu she attended and the many cafes and restaurants with vivid descriptions. Much of her book involves the description of how she wrote her book French Cooking for Americans that took several years and needed to be revised many times over. She recounted one episode where she sat down and cooked two whole geese, two different ways, then sat down and ate both of them in order to write up a correct description of the recipe. Mind you, she was a large woman, height wise and large boned but to eat two geese at one sitting was a bit much for me to comprehend.

55 % finished

I have learned a great deal about her and overall am enjoying it. I should be finished with this book before too long. It is a bit longer than I think it needs be but then I think that about a lot of books.

I will now leave you with some photography I did in the reserve behind our house and finished up in our backyard. Ollie and I were standing deep in brush and leaf litter focusing on a mossy tree that had fallen and suddenly Ollie gave a deep growl. I could only think “snake” and hurried back to the main trail. I still don’t know what he was growling at but I’d had enough and went home. We only have three varieties of snakes in Tasmania but all three are very poisonous.

I hope you enjoy the three photos I did settle on in the end. Until next week.

I hope all of you have a lovely Christmas, whether in lockdown or not. Remember, it won’t always be this way and next year MUST bring better times.

All the best for 2021 ! ! !

22 thoughts on “Simply Sunday”

  1. My attention span has been suffering too. Find it hard to summon the energy to post, too. Still, I enjoy cooking. Me and Mrs TD more or less share the evening meal task, though she’s a far better cook than me – used to run her own restaurant in the family hotel. But I did bake my first cake this month.

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    1. Thank you for dropping by. I enjoy hearing what is going on with other bloggers. Congratulations on your cake. I always feel one can never have too much cake. All the best for Christmas and the coming year.🐧🤠🎄🎁

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  4. I like the Vera and Shetland series, but I like Ann Cleeves’ books even more. There’s more depth to them, and I love the way she makes the landscape almost into another character.

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  5. Like the bush/flower photos. Just wear boots and long pants, you’ll be ok.
    I’ve been a bachelor for 12 years. I used to cook a bit, but I’m down to porridge and sandwiches now, and no tea at all unless I go out.

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    1. Porridge and sandwiches don’t sound too bad. I’ve been looking at all these complex and rich Christmas dishes in magazines and they look very stodgy. I’m just looking forward to a new year🐧🤠🐦🐦

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  6. When you tire of Mr Penguin there’s a home awaiting him in Wales – he just needs to bring his chefs apron ….
    I’ve ever read Cleeves or watched Vera but with Wales now back in full lockdown I’m in need of some distraction

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        1. Great idea. Since retirement I think I have one shirt that needs an iron and I never wear it. But ironing to the tv sounds a good plan. Happy New Year!🐧🎂🫖 Some cake and tea for you from the Penguin.

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  7. I love Vera, I’ve got almost all the series now, and we are re-watching Series 1 at the moment with our neighbour now that joining us for dinner once a week is restored.
    Fingers crossed that NSW gets things under control or we will be back where we were…

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    1. I hope for the best too. One of my friends lives kn the northern beaches and is in lockdown going stir crazy. A fellow photographer taking daily photos off her balcony. I have seen all the Vera shows at least 3 times. I just love her. The scenery is gorgeous too.

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  8. great contract! our deal has always been that Mary cooks and i do the dishes and that’s worked pretty well… sometimes we switch. glad to hear the kitchen’s coming along; but i’m curious about why the wait for the floor… maybe to let it dry out? i liked the photo of the ferns; or bracken. we have lots of it and i am quite fond of it… Merry Christmas to both and there’s no question that 21 will be a vast improvement over 20 no matter what happens!

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    1. The floor just needs to wait on the builder who has a couple of other jobs and now with Christmas everything is delayed as most people have a 10 day break here over the holidays. The ferns are varied and pretty. I always enjoy them and you’re right about 2021. How could it be worse?? Dare I ask😃😃

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  10. Hi Pam Thanks for this. I am retiring this week from December 24. I have taken an Early retirement scheme offered by the University after having worked for 43.5 yrs. The upshot of this is that I will no longer have access to my utas email address. Can you please send your Travellin’ Penguin blog to my home email address: debbieploughman@outlook.com Thanks Deb

    Sent from my Galaxy

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