Coffee

Tea is my preferred cuppa.

It's G who is the coffee drinker here.

So he was the ideal person to go out for a coffee with T this morning, that is after they had been to the post office to get his car taxed.

Two things there.

1. Who knew selected post offices were open on a Sunday

and 

2. T passed his driving test yesterday at the first attempt.

He was smiling from ear to ear.

So very pleased for him and so very proud of him too.

Although I don't tend to drink coffee I do like the flavour of it in food.
So my nod to it being coffee day was to treat myself to this little pot of coffee mousse.
After standing and ironing for an hour I sat with my feet up and slowly ate it, savouring every mouthful.

Brooches, Biscuits and Cake

Every day may not be good, but there is some good in every day.

I try and remember this when I feel like I'm not having a great day.

Taking a step back from the situation you find yourself in and thinking 'ok this part of the day isn't the best but what good things have already happened' is something I attempt to do when I find myself thinking what a rubbish day I'm having.

Although I don't to it every single day, I do try really hard to keep to the habit of writing down one thing that day I am grateful for.

Yesterday was World Gratitude day.

There are so many things I am grateful for in my life.

Friends for starters.

People with whom I am still friends after being at school with them over 30 years ago.

Friends in blogland which is why I wore Kezzie's brooch on my lapel to remind me of all I met through the wonders of the web.

Friends at work.

I took a box of shortbread into work with me and explained that not only was I grateful there that was something as delicious as shortbread in the world, I was also grateful I could share it with some lovely work colleagues.

My boss has been so supportive when I have needed a bit of time off here and there with S that I bought her a separate pressie as she hasn't much of a sweet tooth.

She eats breakfast at work and most day this consists of some kind of yogurt, so I bought her a big tub of this gourmet raspberry which she said was very scrummy indeed.

Another little brooch was worn today for Ice Cream Cone day.

Last night I baked these cakes in a cone and then popped them in a tin overnight then they would be ready for me to finish off this evening.
Now the point of them being in a cone is that the buttercream icing should look like a Mr Whippy ice cream but as you can see that part was a massive fail.

I set to this evening and then found I didn't have as much icing sugar as I thought I did and so I decided to just go with half the amount quoted in the recipe. But I mis-calculated the other ingredients and it ended up as runny icing instead. 
Blame it on being impatient to finish them, a bit tired after a tiring working week and just a general lack of concentration.
Never mind, the point is I tried and I'm sure they'll taste just fine.

Walking

A walk along the shore this morning.
Just the two of us.
Fresh air to blow the cobwebs away and sun and blue sky to delight the soul.
Which sums up a line I read in Romancing the Ordinary 'seeking the splendid in the simple gift of the everyday.'

Lots of Good Things

I knew when I said I wouldn't be able to blog everyday about my 'good in very day' I was being realistic but I didn't think it would take me this long to post again!

So here follows a good thing or two from everyday so far.

2nd January

I finally got around to sorting out the huge haul of presents from my sister which all came inside this Christmas pudding decorated sack. My favourite item of clothing from among the various tops, cardigans and t-shirts is this dark green knitted top decorated with polka dot bows.

The family sign is now living on the mantlepiece in the dining room.

                                                             3rd January
Two things from the third and each a Christmas present. First up was a couple of rounds of a game which we gave T for Christmas called Who, What, Where. You draw three cards and you have to draw the person doing the thing in the place named. This was one of G's drawings which we had as Dawn French, playing badminton at Gracelands. 
Turns out it wasn't Dawn French but Mother Theresa!

Second happy is the delight on S's face when she ate a ice pop from a whizz pop. The frozen pop twirls as you eat. Simple but fun.

                         
                                                           4th January
A small bag of donations were dropped off at our local branch of Barnados and as they have recently changed their pricing policy so everything is only £1.99 an item I had a quick look round and found this pretty cotton Monsoon skirt which will be fab in the summer.

                                                               5th January
Time spent outdoors! A walk through town but going the scenic route through the parks gave S an opportunity to run along walls, at what age do we stop in delighting at walking along walls?

You can't really tell from this photo but the bread roll this bird had snaffled was as big as his head and he was doing it's utmost to keep it away from the other birds!

A sad sight was this magnificent tree broken into three pieces by the recent weather conditions.

We were quite surprised to see the water flowing in the fountain and it always reminds us of the time one boiling hot day we went there with T when he was little. He was determined to go in and get soaked even though he didn't have a change of clothes, but in he went anyway and we have a photo accidentally taken at such an angle so it looks like the water is spurting out from his behind!

The angel on the memorial to the Titanic engineers.
Don't blink, whatever you do don't stop looking at them........... 

A new plaque dedicated to Craig David spotted on the wall outside a music venue near the Guildhall.

                                                          6th January
G and I completed a jigsaw S gave him for Christmas.

                                                             7th January
The first purchase made towards my sister's birthday present. I had to pop to the Co-op and saw that one of the many charity shops I had to pass on the way was having a half price sale. It would have been rude not to have popped in I reckon. 50p spent on this Apple Sauce dish.

                                                8th January
Each Christmas we send a card along with a letter and some photos to each of our children's foster carers. This last Christmas it was one of the things I didn't get done and I felt bad for not doing it, so I purchased a couple of Happy new year cards and eventually sent those off instead. When I got the photos printed I made sure I got one that had both T and S in to go inside a new frame I was given by friends for Christmas.

                                                              9th January
Clean plates after trying out a new recipe is always something which makes me happy.
I cooked a roasted butternut squash and chicken risotto. It also contained leeks, pepper and sweetcorn. I love it when the children eat veg and don't complain.
Only thing is I didn't take a photo but it was a good moment all the same.

A Good 2014

Everyday may not be good, but there's something good in every day.

I like these few words of wisdom.
And I want to use them to help me record a little snippet from my day for everyday this year.
I'm not going to say I will blog a photo everyday as I know I'm just setting myself up to fail with that one, but I hope this challenge will encourage me to get into the habit of picking up my camera more often, blogging more often and also helping in the development a more positive way of thinking.

Today's good thing is getting changed into my Christmas PJ's and new slippers then settling down with this months book club read. 

Lastly for today I want to wish everyone who visits here a Very Good New Year.