Hi Dear Folk,
I just love Autumn, and this one is spectacular, my drive to work in the morning light is beautiful. I always want to capture this in a photo, but never have time. Shafts of light beam through the golds, rusts and oranges and leaves one in an euphoria of joy at the beauty.
Today is Saturday and has been beautiful now it is just clouding over, but has been sunny most of the day. I've had two Saturdays this week, because yesterday I woke up and thought it was Saturday. Not just that minute moment when you wake up and are confused for just a second, no, I was totally convinced it was Saturday. Laying in bed thinking what I would do, make apple chutney from the apples we gathered at my friends house, and how I wish I had come across an apple peeler in the thrift and maybe I should look into finding one.
On I continued to pick up the book I'm reading, a Writer's Diary, Virginia Woolf, edited by Leonard Woolf, and then suddenly I thought didn't I go to the meeting last night , and that is always a Thursday, then if that was last night, today must be Friday and if today is Friday I should be at work. No maybe it was the night before and I'm still trying to come to some conclusion on this, when I decide to go downstairs and look at the calendar on the clock radio and it says 23rd, oh my goodness, I am now very late for work. I had to phone in and explain what had happened, I was an hour late. This has never happened to me before.
So today being Saturday I am half way through making my apple chutney, from a tried and true recipe, while listening to Book at Bed Time on BBC Radio 4. Reading Europe a series of Continental writers, Germany - The Truth and Other Lies and Austria - A Whole Life, plus Flush by Virginia Woolf.
I popped out to the cleaners to pick up my J. Jill jacket that I bought at a thrift while up in Ithaca, I did debate hand washing it, but in the end opted for the dry cleaners and it was only $5.00 to clean, so think it was worth it, as it has a lot of embroidery on it and is a linen. It reminds me a little of a Fu Man Chu jacket with wide bell sleeves and a big Chinese designed circle on the back, in shades of blue. Then on to Joanne Fabrics, for which I had a 60% off coupon and bought a yard of quilted fabric to line a basket which I bought in the Amish country.
While my friend Jean was over from the UK we took a day trip up there and at the very end of the day we came upon a lovely Amish shop, where Jean bought two pillows which open up to quilts and fold back inside, and I happened upon these Amish made baskets. I love baskets, but most seem to come from China, so was thrilled to find a lovely oval basket. The bottom is wood, so I'm going to line the bottom with quilt fabric. I have enough over to make a cover for my Mac.
From here to Aldis to buy things for dinner tomorrow, as I'm having over four guests for dinner. I'm sticking with a traditional English roast dinner, well roasted chicken and stuffing, roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pud and vegetables, plus gravy of course.
So now I'm actually here and back to a little blogging. I have lots to blog about with my two weeks off work and our travels together.
I met Jean up in NYC at my corporate HQ, it's a very central location to meet in Manhattan, unfortunately I was well over an hour late, having miscalculated how long it would take Jean to get there from Newark airport and I was definitely running late. But all was well and we made our way from there over to our digs in Brooklyn.
Have you heard of Airbnb? Well this was our first time trying it out, I had booked us a place in Brooklyn. We went down into the subterranean dungeon of the NYC Subway system, not the easiest to work out. Jean had down loaded some directions, so we were doing well, well that is except for the tickets. OK you buy a ticket at the machine and to get through the turnstile you swipe the bar code on the ticket, here lays the cusp of the problem, however we swiped that card we were unable to get the turnstile to turn. Well after you have swiped it a couple of times, you no longer have any money on it and have not been able to turn the turnstile. Off we trot to find an actual person, they amazingly do have manned booths somewhere at each station. Eventually we found one, with a person, we decided that it would be best for Jean to ask, as she has the stronger British accent, and we can plead total ignorance of the system. So they open the gate for us and let us through; this did not happen once but every time we used the Subway, you see you just can't practice your swiping, because the money is lost off your ticket. First it says, swipe too slow, and then it says, swipe too fast, we could never get it right.
Up we come from the Subway, and follow the directions. I only have a small case, but Jean has a large suitcase and a smaller one, so quite a haul. We are the correct numbered street and have walked quite a few blocks to the correct one, but when we get there, there was no house for the number we were looking for. Now I'm wondering is Airbnb legit? I phoned the number I had and fortunately Emma answered straight away, it seems we were East numbered street and we shouldn't have been. So back to the Subway and a couple of stops back, here we emerge in the right sections of Brooklyn, Park Slope. Up steps and several blocks we eventually locate the Brown Stone house that we are staying in, and let ourselves in. It is absolutely lovely, and here are some photos of where we stayed.
The kitchen where we were able to have a nice morning cuppa tea, also one morning Joe treated us to Danish pastries from a wonderful Jewish Bakery.
Just at the bottom of the street is an Italian restaurant and this is where we ate dinner, we were well and truly ready for a nice sit down meal. I think this photo almost looks like a Renoir.
Sorry mine is half consumed here, but you can see how good it is.
More to come on our two weeks of travel.
Our apple picking was at my friend Cindy's house, and she had dinner for us which was totally unexpected and very nice. After which she showed me her latest jewelry creations, which combines her love of jewelry making with her love of essential oils; which her and her husband use in their Deep Muscle Therapy business.
Cindy gave me what you could call a hinged pendant in which she added very small lava balls, onto which you drop essential oils, that soak into the very porous lava rock and make them smell wonderful.
The essential oil I like is called On Guard by Dotera, it contains wild orange, cloves, cinnamon, eucalyptus and rosemary, I am in love with this fragrance. It seems grave robbers used to use this combination and is meant to help with keeping colds at bay. In any case I am addicted and have worn my pendant all week on a long silver chain I had. Like having one of those smelling balls the ladies of Regency times used to carry around, all day I'm drinking in the aroma.
Good things and more to come.
Bye for now,
Christy
