Dining in Philadelphia

Hi Dear Folk,

Working in the City of Philadelphia can has it's advantages, one is fine dining.  So have had the opportunity to dine out when vendors come in and treat us.  Always fun to eat out and not pay the bill.

Tir Na Nog

Del Friscos Restaurant - Philadelphia

The Capital Grille

Bellini Grill

Tir Na Nog is a typical American Irish Pub, friendly and down to earth.

Del Friscos is located in an old bank, and certainly is grand, good steaks, but do not serve a good coffee Americano, which I like to finish up with.  Still very nice.

The Capital Grille is lovely, a little cozier and serve a good coffee Americano.  We went during Philadelphia Restaurant week, so whole lunch was $20.00 soup to desert, I had filet mignon medallions.

My favorite and least expensive of the three and we have been here twice is Bellini Grill, true Italian food, very good and a nice coffee Americano.  Here I have had ravioli de grantee, ravioli stuffed with crabmeat, red snapper with spinach risotto, tiramisu and spumoni, Italian ice-cream desert.

I just realized I've been in the city for just over six months and we've been wined and dined five times,  I'm averaging one meal out every six weeks, some how I don't think this will continue at this pace.

On to our next find.  Yum Yum.

Christy

Philadelphia Flower Show 2017 - Light Show

Hi Dear Folk,

I wanted to finish off my postings on the Philadelphia Flower Show April 2017, the theme was Holland, so dear to my heart as Jean and I visited Amsterdam last year.  Here is a video of the light show.  I have also snuck in a couple of post dated posts, 28th and 29th April.

Hope you enjoy.

Christy

Whinging Words and Wonderful Weekends

Hi Dear Folk,

To intersperse my whinging words I will post some pictures taken in my garden over the last month or more.

It's only 6:00AM and I have been up since about 4:30AM, that's because as hard as I tried I could not keep awake last night and had to succumb to bed at 9:30PM.  This morning I opened the Verizon bill, which is a bundle of phone, Internet and TV, they had doubled our bill, first I thought they hadn't applied my payment, then remembered that the contract comes up for renewal at this time, and of course no notification, just double it.  I will get Mr. B. to phone on Monday because they make my blood boil.  Such arrogance of these corporations.  In the USA we are charged much more for these services than in other countries.  For a basic package we were paying $115.00 per month, the bill came in at $230.00 for one month.  Try and phone, think about wasting at least one if not two hours of your life or more.  My friend Joni wasted three hours of her life on them last week.

I have had two three day weeks at work, and although I'm not knocking the two days I had off work each week, because that is great, fitting five days of secular work into three makes for a very hectic day at my desk.  June is the end of the City's fiscal year and therefore everyone wants to use their left up money, or they won't be allotted that money next year, but why do they always leave it to the last week? My head has been spinning all week.

Enough, had a lovely day and lunch with friends on July 4th, catching up with Steve and Cindy who we had not spent time with in a while.  Just talking about everything,  life, food, work, aging, health care costs, pay cell phones on HSN (Home Shopping Network), and Bible translations.

This summer has been very wet, good for my garden, good for mosquitoes, but bad for me, I was bitten mercilessly while working out in my garden and didn't even know it until later.  That new crazy Zika is spreading north, so when you get bit that is on your mind.  So glad I'm past having children because it is of great concern.  In fact we printed up a whole load of brochures for the City about Zika.  How do you not get bitten by mosquitoes unless you always put on a repellent and who does that all the time?

I bought some pretty white cone flower plants and as perennials they will come up next year.  Those everlasting begonias are so pretty so bought five of those, and put them in pots on the bakers rack that Mr.B. found and I have been using near my back door.  Eventually I'd like to spray the rack, but that's for another time.

I planted one of my fig trees, but did the silly thing of watering it from the top in direct sunlight and I think it burnt all the leaves.  New ones are growing, but it gave it a bit of a shock.  I still have the other fig in a small pot sitting outside now, I want to find a nice large ceramic pot for that and put it by the tree stump with my other pots.  It will be interesting to compare their growth.  On that side of the garden we have a huge oak tree and I think there is a lot of competition for root space.

I do love my hosta, above is Mighty Mouse and Blue Mouse Ears.  Below is Praying Hands.

I need a Peony Poem, about their beauty and exquisite scent that only comes a short while once a year, but such glory.

Canterbury Bells.

Joseph's Coat Rose.

Her majesty, Tuppence aka Tiger Lil.

Hard work but worth it, I reset all these edging bricks, to stop the soil washing onto the path, and get rid of all the weeds.  Here are my grape vines and my blackberries, now if only I can get to eat them before the squirrels, who probably espy them from their Rodent Railway overhead.  That's what I call all the phone wires and things that they run along.

Remember I said we had to buy two new cars after fifteen years with each of our old cars, I was expecting at least another five out of each.  My car above, but I'm still not sure it's me, I've always had a hatchback.  Still in another fifteen years I will need some comfort in my old age.

Below is Mr. B's mid life crises car.  Yes a total choice of the Boys.

Not new cars, but new to us.  In fact two new cars for just a tad more than we bought my car fifteen years ago.  Pays to have cash.

After finding the Last Act area in Macy's department store, I did succumb to buying a couple of other outfits.  The summer coat above $21.00 you can't even make it for that and the dress below $20.00.  I fell in love with those big splashy roses and who doesn't love a red number.

Taken by the pond patio.

Not sure what today holds weather wise, I did see the sun, but clouds are drifting over.  Mr. B. has a pot of coffee on now and a dreaded American donut.

Have a great weekend and thank you for all your comments I love to read them.

Christy

Bowman's Hill Wild Flower Preserve

Hi Dear Folk,

Bowman's Hill Wild Flower Preserve, is not far from New Hope, PA.  It certainly is worth a visit.  From us is a little less than an hours drive.  I went a couple of Wednesday ago with my friend Janice.  We had a wonderful day, taking a guided tour in the afternoon.  Her favourite woodland flower is Jack In The Pulpit  I remember as a child my dad's mum, had a whole dinner service with the Jack In The Pulpit pattern on them.

Just a mile up the road is the Bowman's Tavern and Restaurant.  We had asked our guide to recommend a local restaurant.  We both had Ruben's which I would recommend because they cure and smoke their own meat, it was delicious.  Would definitely go again, I think Mr. B. would like it.

After, we drove on down to New Hope and spent a little time there, finishing off with ice-creams.  I saw a beautiful inlaid necklace in a very modern style crafted by a Zuni crafts person, but the price tag was over $2,000, so I enjoyed looking and of course the guy tried it on me and I thought he would never take it off me, but that's their ploy, but no ploy would make me spend $2,000 on a necklace.

This is the preserve.  Next time we'll backpack a little picnic, or at least snacks.

Christy

May In Retrospect

Hi Dear Folk,

Keeping up with life can be a game of catch up, trying to hold the memories down before they flit away.  So just remembering May.

Rob and Tierney

Mourning doves that chose the most silly places to nest.  She sat here through many a rain storm, while Mrs Robin was dry, warm and cozy under the eaves.

Pink tinted lily of the valley, my friend gave me some to plant in the garden.

Gifts from a friend, after a lovely day out at The Village Teahouse  They had a Titanic Dinner which I wanted to go to.  Six course meal, dressing in the style of the era, and roll playing.  Unfortunately the date clashed with other arrangements, so could not make it.  Do hope they do something else.

Totally addicted to this cinnamon tea with orange, it is the most deliciously sweet tea and I highly recommend it, I like it with milk.  It comes in teabags and loose tea and can be ordered on Amazon as everything else in the world can.  Maybe I'll ask for drone delivery.

The largest peppers I've ever seen.

Two fig trees given to me by a friend, one is now planted and the other one I want to buy a big ceramic pot for.

Dinner on the patio.

My May.

Christy