Taking Stock : May 2017

I've drafted a dozen blog post these past few weeks, but I find it difficult to get past the first sentence or two. It's so frustrating being wobbly on your writing feet. It's not that I don't have a lot to say, or that life isn't filled with things to write about, it's just hard to know where to start when you're not in the habit of writing regularly.   My intentions to become a regular blogger seem thwarted by the flashing curser on a blank page, taunting me, with nowhere to go.  

To make a start, I thought I'd borrow Pip from Meet Me at Mikes Taking Stock posts.  It's a lovely way to sit, reflect and document what's going on, and just the kickstart I need. Take that blank New Post page!  

Making : Plans, for exciting new projects over the next 12 months. 
Cooking : Lots of jam, quince, strawberry, medlar and lemon. (not all mixed together by the way)
Drinking : Pots of tea, I like this Australian one Elmstock that I buy in bulk from the local ag store.
Reading: The Leopard, by Tomasi di Lampedusa, set in 1860, it's the story of the dying Sicilian aristocracy threatened by the approaching revolution. 
Trawling: Gumtree, I'm looking for the perfect rowboat.
Wanting: My Rayburn cooker back, it's up in Launceston for repairs and the house is freezing! 
Looking: At shepherds huts. I quite fancy one like this. 
Deciding: What to have for breakfast, porridge or toast and marmalade.
Wishing: I spoke Italian. I've been practising with these apps Duolingo and Babbel .
Enjoying: Planning meet ups with instagram friends in Wales at the Sisterhood Retreat.
Waiting: For some drawings from an architect. 
Liking: Cooking hearty winter fare using lots of beloved Savoy cabbages.
Wondering: What Sicily is really like, I guess I found out when I go there next week. 
Loving: Old-school fold out maps of Sicily and Britain. 
Pondering: Where to eat in London, definitely here and here . 
Listening: Hashtag Authentic, Sara Tasker's wonderful podcasts. 
Considering: Another coffee or a pot of tea.
Buying: Travellers Cheques, are they still a thing? (Mr Wong! Mr Wong!).
Watching: War On Waste it's frightening to discover the extent of our garbage.
Hoping: To get through my big to do list.
Marvelling: At my ability to procrastinate. 
Cringing: That I still haven't filed last year's tax return. 
Needing: To lodge said tax return.
Questioning: Why I leave it to the last minute, Every. Single. Year. 
Smelling: Quinces simmering in a pot on the stove (the other stove, luckily we have a big Smeg cooker as well as the Rayburn).
Wearing: Smocks and camis from Cottage Industry Store and basics from Sassind .
Noticing: The fire needs more wood.
Knowing: I have to restack the house pile from the wood in the back shed. 
Thinking: About visiting River Cottage. 
Admiring: People who work hard to make their dreams a reality. 
Getting: Excited about a 20 day "research" trip to Sicily and Wales. 
Bookmarking: Places to stay, eat and play. 
Disliking: Unreasonable negative reviewers on Trip Advisor. 
Opening: Jars of raspberry jam. 
Closing: All the distracting tabs. 
Feeling: Nervous and excited about going away by myself.
Hearing: My dog Patch, snoring in front of the fire.
Celebrating: Winter with its short days and long nights. 
Pretending: That I don't miss summer at all.
Embracing: The challenge of travelling alone. 

A bit about the photos: 
Top: a picture I took of a picture in Fergus Henderson's The Complete Nose to Tail, of a shepherds hut I fancy. I don't know who the handsome couple is, but that will be me and my husband one day! 
Centre: A photo from a pretty supper at the Sisterhood Camp, taken from their website. Can't wait to go.
Bottom: A picture by me of a handsome Savoy cabbage. Honestly they are so pretty!  

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