~Simple Pleasures~

Saturday night Simple Pleasures...
Chicken, leek and ham pie ( and a glass or two of white wine!)

Pie filling recipe from 'The Hairy Dieters' by Dave Myers & Si King

...and Strictly Come Dancing! xx

~Simple Pleasures of the week~

A few things from my week...
A cup of Earl Grey - particularly liking the taste of this brand at the moment (Waitrose £1.99)

A few flowers from the garden in a jug - chive flowers, alliums and mint and the first bloom of this year from my 'Life Begins at Forty' Rose...

Reading the latest issue of Coast in the garden.

I love the cover of this month's issue.

Sorry I've been scarce around these parts; hopefully back soon x

~Simple Pleasures - Rainbow of Cookbooks~

At breakfast I decided that I'd like to put my cookery books in the kitchen in colour order...

A    R A I N B O W   of cookery and baking books!
(Sometimes it's the little things that please you or cheer you up!)

~Simple Pleasures - Old Books~

I know that like me,  a lot of you fellow bloggers also find your books thriftily at car boot sales and charity shops.  I am a member of the library in the village, which is good for reference and craft books, but apart from that on my last visit I felt there were shelves and shelves of chick lit and I came away empty-handed.
One of my Simple Pleasures is searching out old books. I am inspired by old book covers - the nostalgic typography, illustrations and colours are so pleasing- and I also love the smell and feel of old book pages.
This image would stress a mimimalist; but I could live surrounded by books like this...

Image reproduced from Country Living March 2012

My recent finds have been a 1969 Pan Classic of Persuasion by Jane Austen for 20p (you can see where the charity shop staff have written 20p in blue biro near the title - why would you do that?). I've just finished it and I enjoyed it as much as Pride and Prejudice, which is my all-time favourite re-read.

...also this 1974 copy of Daphne du Maurier's My Cousin Rachel. I've read a fair bit of D du M recently, and this is wonderful, I highly recommend it.

We're off to the Yorkshire coast near Filey for a few days away in Chateau H, fingers crossed for decent weather! See you when I get back. Have a lovely weekend x

~Simple Pleasures of the week~

As the pennies are tight at the moment I say *hurrah* for the simple pleasures of day-to-day life (the ones that don't cost the earth and make you smile even though you feel stuck wading through the treacle of life...)
My simple pleasures of the week....

Having a chutney-making day - using ingredients I already had plus some green tomatoes from the garden...

Knitting a tea cosy for a small teapot ...

Teapot 50p charity shop, wool from my stash

Blooming roses in the garden, not decimated by 

rain...

Rosa 'Life Begins at 40'

Rosa 'The Pilgrim'

Baking my favourite double-chocolate brownies on the cheap...

Sainsbury's Basics Chocolate 30p a bar

I used 3 bars of chocolate, which cost less than a pound. It's Belgian chocolate with 52% cocoa solids and tastes as good as always (there were tears fighting over it I can tell you!)

And...

...getting all the washing dry on the line.
(Sad but true; it's a simple pleasure for me.  In my opinion tumble-dryers should be un-invented. As should plug-in air fresheners...grrrr....just open your windows and get some fresh air circulating...whinge over...)

Hope you're finding some simple pleasures in your week too...x