A Creative Spirit
If we were having coffee, I'd tell you I've had another busy week. There were many highs, and then came a jaw-dropping low. Monday, I returned from my first pain hypnotherapy session on a high. With the right mindset, we can overcome certain pain and situations. Fortunately, I have found a doctor who thinks outside... Continue Reading →
My six for this Saturday includes a random selection as I dodge the showers and mosquitoes. Rain, glorious rain. I never thought as a Brit I'd be praying and then celebrating the heavy downpours we've experienced recently. Designed to retain moisture with slow drainage, my raised vegetable beds are flooded, but that's okay. First Seed... Continue Reading →
Let's talk about food. I love that oats are so versatile and offer an enjoyable substitute for flour. The more I trawl the internet for healthy recipes, the more I enjoy experimenting and researching new ideas to avoid ultra-processed foods. However, whilst researching, I have discovered there is a lot of conflicting advice. Who do... Continue Reading →
It's all about the background and lighting... This is subtle. This is waaay too busy Back to nature, I position the vase in the birdbath using the leaves of the strelitzia as the background. I'm not sure ... Seeing the photographs uploaded to my blog, I'm not sure about the vase, which is actually a... Continue Reading →
A Surprise Visit If I thought keeping certain aspects of Mr Piglet's actual birthday DAY a surprise, nothing prepared me for the WhatsApp message I received from our daughter (who lives in France), asking if it was okay to drop in for a surprise visit for a couple of days. I knew it would be... Continue Reading →
... in my opinion. Yes, that's right. They look great when small but grow way too quickly and ultimately to a height of 40-80ft. The tree in our small urban garden is now nearly twice the height of our single-story villa and still growing. When we planted the Washingtonia many years ago, we had no... Continue Reading →
For this week's 'In a Vase on Monday, ' the freesias I'd planned to use were still not in bloom. Stumped for ideas, I looked around for a theme inspiration. Bees. Bees are attracted to certain plants. Next, I needed a receptacle. I spotted a Portuguese terracotta shot mug and a log. Thought. Purple, yellow... Continue Reading →
If we were having coffee, I'd tell you I've had a hectic week with hardly time to pause for breath. Move Over Roses on Valentine's Day I bet I can count the fingers on one hand for the number of women who received a red bromeliad rather than roses or a bouquet of flowers for... Continue Reading →
Let's talk about food! I've been busy baking. This oat bread recipe came courtesy of a friend of a friend who is not only gluten intolerant but also likes to avoid UPF (Ultra Processed Foods). Anyway, I gave the recipe a whirl, and I wasn't disappointed . The bread tasted delicious, especially when served with... Continue Reading →
I missed the vase on a Monday last week as it rained most of the day and was blowing a hoolie. Let's just say it was one of those days you just wanted to snuggle up in front of the log fire with a good book and shut out the world. As rain was forecast... Continue Reading →
If we were having coffee, I'd tell you I'd have another busy/interesting week. Games Night On Sunday, friends joined us for a games night, and I cooked a simple supper of spaghetti bolognese. We then downloaded a quiz app called' Knowledge is Power' and a trivial pursuit game onto our TV via our PS4 and... Continue Reading →
Nothing much at the moment because I've not got my butt into gear. No, seriously. There are plenty of brassicas, onions, carrots, etc, for sale at the local monthly market, but after the drought last summer, I've decided to restrict what I grow. The caterpillar, slug and snail population only munch their way through any... Continue Reading →
Let's talk about food. This week, I focus on oranges. Mr Piglet picked a bowl and a shopping bag full of oranges from our tree—about 12kg. Unfortunately, they are waaaay too sour this year to juice, so I decided to get creative and make ... Iced Oranges I've made them before, and they were seriously... Continue Reading →
If we were having coffee, I'd confide this week I had three social engagements, which also involved food therefore adding a further strain on my already bulging waistline. Fortunately, I have only grown about 1kg since the 18th of December (checks mirror for growth of Pinnocio's nose). Considering all the naughties I've consumed over the... Continue Reading →
For this week's Six on Saturday, I was torn between featuring my bedraggled vegetables or happy flowers. I chose the latter. We have enjoyed a mixed bag of weather, from strong winds to rain, thunderstorms, and night-time temperatures dropping to around 6C, far lower in the valley. Cyclamen I have been so delighted with the... Continue Reading →
Let's talk about food and healthy options. Recently, I've noticed an increasing number of cookie and cake recipes on my FB feed that use oats instead of wheat flour. Keen to discover more, as part of my quest to reduce the number of ultra-processed foods in our diet and replace with healthier alternatives, I dived... Continue Reading →
Rain, glorious rain, but not when you are tasked with producing a display for the In a Vase on Monday member organised by Rambling in the Garden. This morning, during a brief respite, I dashed into the garden and grabbed a handful of foliage, some Bermuda buttercups, three dead succulent flowers, and some bottle brush.... Continue Reading →
This week, we've enjoyed rain—gallons of it—and, as the old saying goes, it's raining cats and dogs. We desperately need more rain to replenish the depleted reservoirs, so I am not complaining. The only downside is that I need one day's grace to catch up on all the laundry, get all the washing out on... Continue Reading →
For this week's Six on Saturday, I decided to focus on some plants growing in the bed on the east side of the house. The bed is a challenge because everything I attempt to grow has to compete with the thirsty roots of the melaleuca hedge. The hedge man also needs easy access to cut... Continue Reading →
With a name like Piglet, you've probably gathered I love food, whether it's growing, cooking, or eating out. More recently, as part of my drive to get fit, I have been researching the health benefits of different ingredients, experimenting with new recipes, and logging some of my successes and disasters on Foodie Friday. ARE HARD-COPY... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 