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| Blueberries Are Starting to Ripen |
Yesterday (Thursday) was visiting day! I woke up a little later than planned and, by the time I had finished saying my morning prayers, showered, looked up driving directions from my cousin's house to friend A's house just in case cousin wanted me to drive, picked lemons, and packed up all the things I was taking with me (mallung, lemons, and two food containers to be returned to A; banana muffins, lemons, and a glass that had held some plant cuttings to be returned to V) I was feeling a bit rushed! I had told cousin V that I'll be there around 1:30 p.m. At 1:15 p.m., I was still closing up the house and getting ready to leave! Then, V texted to say that lunch was ready! I texted that I was running a bit late and just leaving the house! I got to her house a little before 2:00 p.m.
V had prepared a very nice lunch - ghee rice and various curries - chicken, shrimp, salted dried fish (karola), dhal, spicy sauteed potatoes (ala thel dala), and eggplant pahi (the eggplant is first fried and then, cooked into a dry curry). Yogurt and treacle for dessert, although I was so full after lunch, that I postponed having dessert until later. I enjoyed the lunch (V is a good cook) and afterwards, V handed me a container and told me to pack myself some food to take home with me, which I did! Then, we sat and chatted for a bit, until it was time to visit A.
V's husband drove us to A's, so I need not have bothered with looking up driving directions! We had a nice visit with A, too. She seemed a lot better than when I last visited her. I put the mallung in her fridge so she could have it, later. We spent about an hour, visiting with her. Before we left, A gave me the bowl in which I had taken some pudding to her on my last visit.
After the visit, we went back to V's. She offered me tea, but, I declined and had the yogurt and treacle I hadn't eaten after lunch, instead.
I didn't wear a mask when I visited V (it felt strange to be without a mask), but, I wore one when I visited A.
After I came home, I had a cup of tea and spoke on the phone with cousin P (who had moved to Florida).
Then, my daughter called and we had a long chat. She always gives me a very detailed account of her day and, yesterday, one of the papers that she helped to write was published (she does research about food and nutrition programs). This is the third paper that has been published with her listed as the first author and counts towards her professional development. She said she wore a different outfit to work, yesterday, than she had planned and said, "Don't worry, I took a picture for your blog post." LOL!
Thursday's Actual Outfit
The dress is one that cousin P had given her. The beige-pink long cardigan is something daughter purchased, pre-Covid, with a gift card she received. After work, she took another acrobatics class.
Dinner was more of the leftover pasta and sausage stir-fry, leftover from the night before!
Yesterday, I was grateful for:
- Visits with family and friends
- A safe drive there and back
- V preparing a lovely lunch and giving me a portion to bring home, too
- Friend A seems to be recovering well
- Daughter had a good day and another paper published
Yesterday's joyful activity was visiting family and friends. It was nice to be able to do so, without worrying about it too much. But, our new Covid cases daily count is back over 2,500, again, and I doubt I'll go visiting again for some time!
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| The First Blueberries |
Today, Friday, I had a relaxed morning. I picked the first ripe blueberries and some broccoli side shoots:
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| Friday's Harvest |
- A relaxed day
- Leftovers
- Today's garden harvest
- The first blueberries
Sounds like it was a lovely day visiting your cousin and friend and you enjoyed a tasty lunch. I do like your daughter's outfit especially her cardigan. Well done to her on having her paper published, she's a talented young lady. Those blueberries look delicious, I do like blueberries.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed being able to visit my cousin and my friend and lunch was delicious. Thank you, Eileen; I'm rather proud of my daughter. :) The blueberries were wonderful! I wish my daughter was here to enjoy them.
DeleteWhat a lovely day you had Bless. I'm glad your friend is recovering well. You daughter sounds very clever, no wonder you are proud of her.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear of your water shortage as it will make it much harder to grow your home produce and we all need that right now to help eke out the budgets. It's been a very dry April here in the UK . The soil is like dust and we are having to visit the allotment daily to water the tiny plants. We can't afford to lose them. I hope you get rain soon x
Thank you, Pensive; yes, it was a lovely day and I'm glad I was able to visit with my cousin and my friend. Yes, the water shortage is going to have some far reaching impacts as it is going to affect the farmers as well. Several of them will not be growing certain crops which will affect all of us as there will be fewer fresh produce to purchase at the supermarkets! Sounds like you are having to deal with lack of rain, too, Hope your plants will grow well and produce lots of good fruits and vegetable for you to harvest.
DeleteI wonder if I've read any of your daughter's papers. In the nutrition club we regularly do a review of the latest published papers so it's entirely possible that I have. I do like your daughter's outfit, and very nicely modelled as well.
ReplyDeleteThis post definitely should have had a warning. Cousin V's meal sounds absolutely delicious and I am hungry just reading about it. I'm glad you were able to visit V and then see A as well. It's good news that A seemed a lot better than the last time you saw her.
I'm having a quiet weekend at home ... I feel tired from all the work in the garage, and am in need of a rest. We have the May Bank Holiday on Monday but I haven't made any special plans for it.
The majority of my daughter's papers pertain to analyses of the impacts and effectiveness of nutrition policies and programs in California, such as school lunch programs, the promotion of California grown fresh produce, healthier menu options for children at fast food places, etc.
DeleteThank you! She said that she received several compliments on this outfit, too. :)
Ha, ha, yes, V's meal was delicious! Even when we make the same curries, each one's seasonings, etc., differ slightly, and so the end results taste different. She uses a lot more onions than I do and, I noticed, a lot more pandan leaves.
I'm glad you are taking it easy and resting, this weekend. Enjoy the holiday on Monday. It's not a holiday, here.
Numbers are up here, but we're still in the low range on all indicators. I feel like we should go somewhere before the numbers go up a lot again, but maybe that won't happen. That would be nice, wouldn't it?
ReplyDeleteYes, it would be nice if the numbers continue to stay low. :) I hope the numbers will continue to stay low and you will be able to go places without worrying too much about it.
DeleteCongratulations to your daughter on being published (again!) and listed first - what a big accomplishment for her career and status in her field.
ReplyDeleteHer outfit looks very nice. I like it a lot.
I am glad you were able to have some nice visits this week. Your meal at V's sounds very good. Is V a relative? I don't recall.
Nice to hear that friend A seemed better then the last time you were with her. I'm sure having her friends visit was good for her.
Your daily harvest is a nice amount of food. Is that another one of your new dish towels? It's a pretty color :)
Thank you, Debra. :) My daughter says most of her colleagues continue to dress more casually - sweaters instead of jackets, etc., so she feels she can manage to put together outfits from her closet for now, with the addition of a pair of pants, which she has ordered online.
DeleteYes, it was nice to go visiting. V is my cousin; her father and my mother were siblings. Cousin P's mother was also a sibling.
It was a nice little harvest, wasn't it? I gobbled up all the blueberries, but, the broccoli florets are in the fridge! Yes! It's one of my new dish towels! Very observant of you! :) I am finally starting to use them! :)
Congratulations to your daughter on the publication! And also first author! Covid cases are going up here as well, I am continuing to wearing mask whenever I go out. It does sound like you had a good day visiting. I also checked out your Spring photos, all very lovely flowers. Your blueberries picture could be part of that too!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Celie. Yes, I think she has another paper she's first author on that was just submitted for publication. :)
DeleteI'm glad you are continuing to wear a mask when you go out. How are you feeling after your 2nd booster?
I forgot to include the blueberries in the spring photos. :)
Sounds like a lovely time with two social visits. Something like that can give you a nice boost for a while afterwards - specially if you have a souvenir in the form of leftovers! After 27 months, I am planning a meet up with a good friend in a couple of weeks, not because I feel I should be "getting back to normal", but for something to look forward to and something to look back on. I don't much care for blueberries (I think they taste soapy!) but they look very pretty in your photos. Glad you are getting such nice harvests. Would you consider supplying UK supermarkets with frozen broccoli? It's the latest thing to vanish from the shelves! Very mysterious ... unless it's grown in Ukraine!
ReplyDeleteIt was a lovely day of visiting and cousin's lunch was a treat! I'm glad you are finally able to plan a visit with a good friend. I hope your visit will go as planned. It's good to have something like that to look forward to, isn't it?
DeleteThese blueberries were delicious and I think it is partly due to the fact that I ate them within minutes of picking them! Sorry to hear about the shortage of frozen broccoli - I shall put the ones I picked yesterday in the freezer for you to take back with you, after your visit!
Very kind, but hang fire! Today I found a supermarket with a few bags still in stock, so I bought some! Hurrah! I need to check country of origin and see whether the war is indeed a factor. Flour and vegetable oil are already scarce.
DeleteGlad you were able to buy some. If not war, then, climate change and supply chain issues! With our ongoing drought and new water restrictions scheduled to go into effect soon, some farmers here in California are saying they will not be planting melons and tomatoes and other crops, this year! I have some kind of unidentified melon and watermelon growing where I buried some kitchen scraps to compost...I shall try to get them to grow as if I had planted them on purpose! :D
DeleteI always love the subtle colours of blueberries as they develop into ripeness. You had a busy day and what a lovely lunch! So pleased that A seemed a lot better. So good to hear of your daughter's latest accomplishment in her career, and I like her outfit. Your avocado should be safer now that M has planted it in the ground,
ReplyDeleteWe have had two days of sunshine and today was quite mild so we could eat lunch outside. I had a bone density test yesterday so we were in another town, and it was a pleasant drive. Today we were present at the interment of a dear neighbour's ashes, and thankful for the sunshine and warmth.
The ripening blueberries are beautiful, aren't they?
DeleteYes, it was a full day of socializing and felt a bit strange! But, I was glad to visit with both my cousin and with A.
Thank you, Bushlady; my daughter really enjoys the work she is doing. :)
I'm glad you are enjoying some nice weather, again. Hope your bone density test results are good; I'll probably have to do one sometime this summer.
Your daughter's outfit is lovely. And congratulations on her publication. You must feel very proud. X
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jules, and yes, I am very proud of her. :)
DeleteCongratulations to your daughter! That is so impressive, getting published for research! That is so incredible. I'm really glad that you were able to get out and about. It sounds like you had a wonderfully social day.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lyssa. :)
DeleteYes, I enjoyed my day of visiting. Now, I'm staying home and hoping that there weren't any repercussions from being out and about!
Congratulations on your daughter being published, I bet you are a proud mama! That outfit of hers is lovely. Those blueberries look so nice and plump, my bushes only produce tiny berries, but they are only 18 months old so hopefully....
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sharon. :) Yes, I'm a proud mama! :D
DeleteThe blueberries were delicious! The berries are a good size; I hope your bushes will produce plump berries for you, next year. :)