I keep my blog as a personal record of what I'm up to, which might be seen as working towards "An elegant sufficiency, content, retirement, rural quiet, friendship, books, ease and alternate labour, useful life"

I'm certainly not there yet.  There is quite some way to go!

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Entries in friends (421)

Monday
Mar062017

Creative days like these

 

I have a new post on the Bernina English language blog today about the inspiring demonstration of some new Bernina accessories and software I went to last week.

 

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I took my amazing machine to Frank’s with me, because of late it’s been misbehaving and not responding to my gentle touches as it usually does.  I left it for his technician to investigate and learned that the bobbin sensor was not working as it should.  A new replacement part was ordered, arrived within 24 hours and hopefully, my machine will be home again in a couple of days, complete with a firmware update and refreshed from a little TLC!

 

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I keep looking at the large space where it normally sits in my studio and feel quite bereft, even though I know I could get my older, Bernina 1630 out to play…or the even older still, Bernina 1030 (do you see a pattern here?)  I know, however, I am not in the same league as many when it comes to collecting sewing machines!  (You know who you are Winking smile )

 

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Speaking of Maggie (!)  who came with me on Thursday and shared all the Quilting Ruler fun, on the way home we had a small errand to run for our dear friend Jordi, who had seen a couple of things online which she liked the look of.  I immediately followed the link to Sue Brown’s blog and discovered that she’s just up the road from me, in Cheltenham.  No need for mail order there, then!

 

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So on the way home, Maggie and I spent a fascinating half hour looking around the yard ARTspace and just knew that we’ll be back there before long.  There’s an interesting programme of workshops and classes, right up our alley, and Sue herself creates some amazing work.

 

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So much inspiration on our doorstep and lovely friends to share it with. 

Now, if only I could stop being bothered by that bird up there…

Tuesday
Feb282017

A night at the Old Havana Cafe

 

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February can be a dreary month and so usually, we try to get a bunch of friends together for some fun, even though finding a suitable date for eight busy people is a challenge.  This year, they sorted it out between them and when we arrived home from our travels, I knew where we’d be going.

The Old Havana Cafe.  (It bears a passing resemblance to our garden room btw)

We’d enjoyed the spirit and atmosphere of Little Havana whilst in Miami, so with the aid of a few Pinterest boards (what did we do without it!?) I began the planning.  To begin with, I knew how much we all like a bright invitation to put up somewhere, so did a bit of Photoshopping to an old travel poster and hopefully set the scene.

 

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I came across this website and remembering the online class I took to make these I made something similar for the menu.  I’m not sure it’s *that* authentic but for a February evening in Gloucestershire, it was good enough.

Lagom, people Winking smile

 

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We had a few things tucked up our sleeve from our journey – not from Cuba of course, but from “that part of the world”.  Well, Costa Rica is near enough, isn’t it?  (Don’t answer that question)

 

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The cooking was fairly straightforward too, once I’d sourced my ingredients.  Plantains in Gloucestershire?  No problem!  Dulce de Leche ?  A piece of cake!  (or make that two..)

 

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With few bright colours around and a great Spotify playlist on the Sonos, the scene was set.

 

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Fuelled by a few Mojitos (and Nojitos for the drivers) we had a great evening.  I was having far too much fun to remember to take photos, so you’ll just have to believe me when I say how delicious the Lechon Asado was, but the star of the show were the (mexican style) corn cobs which we will forever associate with the Calle Ocho restaurant where we had them first.  Really easy to make,  it was only when we ordered them in Miami that we remembered how much we love to eat corn that way!  We just had to try making them at home and share them with our friends.

 

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Plus, I kept a little surprise to have with coffee Winking smile

Tuesday
Feb142017

with love

 

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(The Sofitel always has amazing flowers)

Monday
Jan302017

Moving along

 

All good things come to an end and as my Mum would say, we have to leave one good thing in order for the next good thing to begin.

 

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Our last day on board Explorer got off to an excellent start with Sunday Brunch in the restaurant.  The choice was overwhelming, the service was legendary.  Sweet Darle, from Myanmar was there to help us choose and we were glad of an opportunity to say thank you and hope to see you soon!  One thing we really love about Regent is the way young staff are engaged, trained and enabled to progress and it’s so good to meet them time and again and watch their career develop.

 

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It’s good to meet chefs face to face and be able to thank them for their fantastic work.  Even better to see how proud they are when an event like this involves them at the front.

 

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Happy though we were to linger as long as we could over Mimosas and crepes, there was the essential business of packing to consider.

 

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I had the door open as we worked and turned around just in time to see the Harmony of the Seas pass us by.  One of the largest cruise ships in the world, she carries almost 6000 passengers and more than two and a half thousand staff.  Wow.  But you know, I’ll bet everyone on board is having just as great a time as we are enjoying!

 

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All packed and our suitcases locked and put out, we are left with the sweet message that reminds us it’s our last evening.

 

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We have one more dinner with our friends, the Clueless Trivia Team: Sue and Don, Vince and Joyce, my Hero and myself.  We engineer a table for six in our favourite spot and share an evening of fun stories and much laughter.  The wine flows freely, the food is great and the company even better.  Each of the three couples begins the next stage of their adventure tomorrow – all six of us will stay in Florida a little longer before returning to our homes.  But for one last night, it’s great to celebrate our good fortune, our success (one win and several second places) and wish Vince good luck in spending his on board credit before the Boutique closes shortly.

Tomorrow, Part 3 of our adventure begins.  The fun just keeps on coming!

Thursday
Jan192017

Salsa, Salsa

 

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We were not due into Cabo San Lucas until lunchtime today, so we spent a lazy morning doing not very much. 

 

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At some point, however, we heard something going on outside and looked out to find the boats being launched.  We were going to be tendering ashore in Cabo and three of the ship’s lifeboats were being lowered into the water.

 

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As we watched the goings on, the Captain waved from the bridge and our neighbours looked out from their balcony.  It’s always interesting arriving in a new port, especially one we haven’t been to before.

 

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There was added interest here too, because the Seven Seas Navigator was anchored there too.  We’ve not sailed on her before, but have an adventure booked for next year.

 

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Anyway, for those who like a map (that’s me and my Hero, needless to say) this is where we were today.  One of the excursions was to Lands End, though we had chosen something a little different Winking smile

 

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The view from our verandah was quite interesting and not feeling terribly hungry (it didn’t seem long since breakfast, after all), we decided we’d order a couple of sandwiches from room service for our lunch.

 

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And so, it was with a view of party central that we made ourselves comfortable and enjoyed a light lunch chez nous.  We seldom eat anything in our suite, normally preferring one of the various restaurant options, but seeing a full size table and chairs on our verandah, we thought we’d give it a try.

 

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We could hear the goings on over the water, but couldn’t quite work out what was happening.  Still, we’d be over there soon and be able to see for ourselves.

 

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Our tour wasn’t until 1.40pm, so I did a bit of needlepoint before going down to the theatre to collect our tickets for the tender.

 

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As we made the journey over, we considered how the scheduled number of passengers could be squeezed onto those uncomfortable little boats in an emergency.  OK, I guess we’d not care in those circumstances, but oh my, the lack of legroom makes us very glad indeed when we arrive.

 

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Now, we’d heard of Cabo from watching American TV shows and we always pictured it as a classy sort of place. 

 

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I’m sure there are indeed classy resorts here and there, but in the downtown area it was much like seaside resorts the world over – cheap and tacky souvenirs and T shirts alongside the million dollar yachts moored in the harbour.

 

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We drove for maybe fifteen minutes to a restaurant perched high above the ocean, to spend the afternoon learning Salsa and Salsa –a bit of cooking, a bit of dancing and a lot of fun, we hoped.

 

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Everything was laid out ready; the ingredients and tools all set out for each of us to work in pairs.  Oh, and just to get the ball rolling, Margaritas were handed round. Ayyy!

 

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Now these three had their work cut out, warming everyone up and getting their class into the spirit.  The “ole” bell was their call to order, because when it sounded, we were all supposed to call “ole!” – but this was not a party group at all and to begin with, their efforts fell on stony ground.  I’m sure the hen parties and the groups from downtown are more easily coaxed into letting their hair down that this one and the idea to get everyone to conga around the restaurant was not altogether successful!

 

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More Margaritas needed then!  The ingredients for two different drinks were on our tables and we quickly followed the instructions to create a fresh Lime Margarita.  Mmmm….tasted good and yes, with two drinks inside, most of us were getting into the spirit.  (I was glad we’d had those sandwiches!)

By now, things were getting a little louder and by the time Barbara was asked to measure some Cointreau for a Strawberry Margarita, the fun had begun. 

 

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So creating of three different salsas to taste with a variety of bits and pieces (tortilla chips, quesadillas and chicken corn rolls) went more smoothly, because needless to say, glasses were filled on request and those margaritas just kept flowing for those who had the head for them.

 

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Having completed the salsa cooking lesson with another three, less complicated salsas, it was time for the “other sort”.  Fifteen minutes of “uno dos tres, quatro cinco seis” and the majority of the group were dancing some kind of salsa, though whether or not it would be recognised as such by anyone else is questionable.  Still, it was a giggle and a fun way to spend the afternoon!

 

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The sun was setting as we drove back to the harbour, to make the tender crossing back to the ship.  The Navigator had already left, so there was just one, beautiful white ship there in the bay waiting for us.

 

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A beautiful evening, too, to make a Margarita-fuelled sail away towards our next destination, Acapulco, the day after tomorrow. 

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