The New Normal: My Week

We have a beautiful blue carpet of bluebells in the woods behind the house, I can even see a little of them from my bedroom window.

There is a blue tit family visiting, the baby bird is flying about 2 feet off the ground and not very good at it so we are trying to keep Mollie cat away.  

I thought you might like to see a few more things I found on my Brighton day out....I was up the North Laine end of town to a plant shop that is tiny but worth the walk as she always has plants you won't find anywhere else, its called Between Two Thorns and not far away on the opposite side is a house with a 'museum window' where the owner displays items of taxidermy and suchlike quirky bits and bobs.....

People send or bring her things to add to here window collection so it is often changing.

Another place that tends to get ignored is the seating area at the Churchill shopping centre outside the shops. The seats are a sculpture called 'Twins' .  The sculpture uses sunlight moving across sensors to create sound...  I sat on it this time and can honestly tell you that, despite being partially deaf, there is indeed music going on inside - I bet few people are aware, it's just a murmur to my hearing level so you do have to 'tune in to it and concentrate'. Public Art: Twins (brighton-hove.gov.uk)

Would you love to live in one of these dear little mews houses, right round the side of the busy shopping area - tucked out of sight.  All the tiny gardens are lovingly maintained.

It was a bit nippy and windy but I always get my feet in the water and then give them a little rest whatever the weather, the wind soon dries them off :) and it's good for the circulation. I learned to swim just here as a child with three cackling aunties and my granny watching from deckchairs as I discovered the dip like a deep shelf that is further out...

Snoopers Paradise - more of their beautiful vintage silks and kaftans....

My favourite seat in Waterstones bookshop - I confess I take a picture of all the displays then find the books and reserve them from my local library but if not in stock I do then buy one - honest!

I have a glass bottle garden and am interested to see they are currently a bit trendy, this shop had made their collection part of the window display....

I came home with a recycled sari silk skirt (I had a credit on the account at this shop, so a no spend day).  Lunch was a wholefood ready meal from the supermarket, eaten on the beach.

I had a bit of fun putting all my summer clothes in a heap - colours jumped out and things I hadn't considered wearing together found each other - like this skirt I haven't worn yet (Ebay 2019 which I got for under a tenner - recently seen one the same selling for fifty quid!) and this old favourite purple silk top - it comes and goes with fashion, I have owned it since the 80s tand it was languishing in a drawer....

it also goes well with my new silk skirt:

I bagged up lots of clothes for the charity shop (not selling on EBay  now as they want to hold bank card details and I don't like doing that)  .. 

Apart from work I have been swimming at the gym and on my rowing machine, evenings were spent exploring Trip Advisor travel forums.  I watched a very good film last night (sci fi) The Fourth Kind, Netflix.

I dabbled with Ancestry after my lovely blogging buddy Vix kindly started me off on my family tree (thank you!), I picked it up on a free trial and explored a bit then decided to explore further later in the year when I am indoors more and have more time to research.

So that's my week - today I have marinated chicken tandoori  for the men: here's my easy recipe: 

• 1 1/2oz garlic (that is a LOT of garlic but we love it)
• 2oz ginger
• 3 green chillis with seeds
• 3 drops red food colouring
• 3 fl oz yoghurt
• 2 tsp tandoori masala powder
• 1tsp salt
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 and a bit pounds of chicken breast fillet cut into large strips
• (if you use less chicken you can always freeze some marinade for next time - if you marinate fresh chicken and then freeze it in bags you have saved a lot of work for yourself :)

Whizz it in a blender (I have a small bullet blender) then coat the chicken, leave for 8-12 hours in fridge, lay on baking tray, brush with oil, oven 180 for about 20 mins or when it looks golden, turn up for last 5 mins to dry the marinade coating off if necessary. Serve in tortilla wraps with salad leaf or on a bed of lebanese potatos (younger sons speciality of 1 inch cubed potatos with herbs, lemon juice, more garlic! chilli flakes baked in some olive oil in the oven until crispy).

I'm off now to see if I can feel inspired to get my paint brushes out.......