Home again - nuntium duocentesimum tricesimum sextum

Now back to Minnesota.  It was a marvelous week with many fun things but as always it's a delight to be home too. Here's a little motif that I made with sewing thread while in Birmingham.  It's not my favorite but it was part of a gift.  It's based on something I saw on Pinterest although not nearly as nice.  It was part of gift for our hostess/friend.  I would have preferred to do something else but it needed to fit in a certain space and all my books were at home!  Trust me, the original is lovely!

On Friday night we went to a posh (even has a Michelin star) restaurant in the neighborhood.  It's called Simpsons.  The food is absolutely delightful and the service was outstanding.  (Here starts my career as a food critic- remember when!).  The presentation of the food was quite beautiful although some of it was a bit over-the-top for this North Dakota girl. (You didn't know I grew up in ND, did you?)  Sometimes, I think my ND upbringing gives me a bit of what I call "Emperor's New Clothes" syndrome.  This is where I look at things and think "that's ridiculous" while others around me exclaim about the "beauty", "intensity", "innovation", etc.  Here are some pictures from our amazing meal. 

Starters for my friends- looked beautiful but contained seafood which I can't eat.  See the rock in the back on the right?  It was chilled and the sauce for dipping is that creamy stuff on the top.  Beautiful and yummy, but in my opinion, ridiculous.

My starter- yum!

Appetizer with scallops- for my friends

The bread- the rolls on the right are made with olive tapenade.  I could have eaten just those!

My appetizer- it was delightful

Something called Ox Cheek (dumb name) but WOW!

The lamb course with some veg, both amazing.

The "pre-dessert"- seriously?  But wow- mango crust with lemon curd something and shortbread crumbs. 

And dessert.  Something cleverly named "Dessert around a Peach".  But it was so wonderful.  It had white chocolate and more white chocolate called aero, meaning it was puffed somehow with raspberries and lavender

And with our expresso/cappuccino came a little bag called "pick and mix" which was full of the most delightful candies.

Here's a picture of our (second) Full English.  I did  not have the tomato although it was available.  

And to end, here we are on the terrace of her house with our afternoon Cava.

What a trip!

( I just re-read this post and laughed at all my "delightful"s but truly it was!)

Caught up!!! - - nuntium duocentesimum tricesimum quintum

I'm caught up!  I'm caught up!  I can't believe it- and I didn't run out of thread but it's close.  WIOSNA round 16 is done!

 Since I had more time, I made Joëlle's Le flocon Frivole too (which I love).

Yesterday was significantly cooler in Birmingham.  My friend assures me that London is simply warmer anyway but even so, it was wonderful.  I even put on slippers last night.  Sometimes being "cool" is simply delicious, but for me only if it's natural, not air-conditioned.  I love my air-conditioning at home, don't get me wrong but I don't find it as pleasurable as a cool evening after a warm(ish) day.

My hostess is determined that I shall enjoy all Birmingham has to offer so yesterday we went to The Barber Institute of Fine Arts which has an amazing collection of art and -I think- my new favorite Van Gogh, called A Peasant Woman Digging.  She is such a real person and yet so lovely, the colors are truly wonderful.

A poppy in the Winterbourne Gardens

Then we walked to Winterbourne House, had lunch in the terrace café and leisurely wandered the gardens for the rest of the afternoon.  We didn't go in the house, that's for next trip possibly.

And even the food at "home" is wonderful.  Here is last night's dinner which was a lovely salad of snap peas (cleverly called Mangetout here), peas, radicchio, feta, pine nuts and prosciutto.  It was a delight!

And we started the day with a traditional full English breakfast.  I am so very spoiled.

Caught up!!! - - nuntium duocentesimum tricesimum quintum

I'm caught up!  I'm caught up!  I can't believe it- and I didn't run out of thread but it's close.  WIOSNA round 16 is done!

 Since I had more time, I made Joëlle's Le flocon Frivole too (which I love).

Yesterday was significantly cooler in Birmingham.  My friend assures me that London is simply warmer anyway but even so, it was wonderful.  I even put on slippers last night.  Sometimes being "cool" is simply delicious, but for me only if it's natural, not air-conditioned.  I love my air-conditioning at home, don't get me wrong but I don't find it as pleasurable as a cool evening after a warm(ish) day.

My hostess is determined that I shall enjoy all Birmingham has to offer so yesterday we went to The Barber Institute of Fine Arts which has an amazing collection of art and -I think- my new favorite Van Gogh, called A Peasant Woman Digging.  She is such a real person and yet so lovely, the colors are truly wonderful.

A poppy in the Winterbourne Gardens

Then we walked to Winterbourne House, had lunch in the terrace café and leisurely wandered the gardens for the rest of the afternoon.  We didn't go in the house, that's for next trip possibly.

And even the food at "home" is wonderful.  Here is last night's dinner which was a lovely salad of snap peas (cleverly called Mangetout here), peas, radicchio, feta, pine nuts and prosciutto.  It was a delight!

And we started the day with a traditional full English breakfast.  I am so very spoiled.

Caught up!!! - - nuntium duocentesimum tricesimum quintum

I'm caught up!  I'm caught up!  I can't believe it- and I didn't run out of thread but it's close.  WIOSNA round 16 is done!

 Since I had more time, I made Joëlle's Le flocon Frivole too (which I love).

Yesterday was significantly cooler in Birmingham.  My friend assures me that London is simply warmer anyway but even so, it was wonderful.  I even put on slippers last night.  Sometimes being "cool" is simply delicious, but for me only if it's natural, not air-conditioned.  I love my air-conditioning at home, don't get me wrong but I don't find it as pleasurable as a cool evening after a warm(ish) day.

My hostess is determined that I shall enjoy all Birmingham has to offer so yesterday we went to The Barber Institute of Fine Arts which has an amazing collection of art and -I think- my new favorite Van Gogh, called A Peasant Woman Digging.  She is such a real person and yet so lovely, the colors are truly wonderful.

A poppy in the Winterbourne Gardens

Then we walked to Winterbourne House, had lunch in the terrace café and leisurely wandered the gardens for the rest of the afternoon.  We didn't go in the house, that's for next trip possibly.

And even the food at "home" is wonderful.  Here is last night's dinner which was a lovely salad of snap peas (cleverly called Mangetout here), peas, radicchio, feta, pine nuts and prosciutto.  It was a delight!

And we started the day with a traditional full English breakfast.  I am so very spoiled.

Caught up!!! - - nuntium duocentesimum tricesimum quintum

I'm caught up!  I'm caught up!  I can't believe it- and I didn't run out of thread but it's close.  WIOSNA round 16 is done!

 Since I had more time, I made Joëlle's Le flocon Frivole too (which I love).

Yesterday was significantly cooler in Birmingham.  My friend assures me that London is simply warmer anyway but even so, it was wonderful.  I even put on slippers last night.  Sometimes being "cool" is simply delicious, but for me only if it's natural, not air-conditioned.  I love my air-conditioning at home, don't get me wrong but I don't find it as pleasurable as a cool evening after a warm(ish) day.

My hostess is determined that I shall enjoy all Birmingham has to offer so yesterday we went to The Barber Institute of Fine Arts which has an amazing collection of art and -I think- my new favorite Van Gogh, called A Peasant Woman Digging.  She is such a real person and yet so lovely, the colors are truly wonderful.

A poppy in the Winterbourne Gardens

Then we walked to Winterbourne House, had lunch in the terrace café and leisurely wandered the gardens for the rest of the afternoon.  We didn't go in the house, that's for next trip possibly.

And even the food at "home" is wonderful.  Here is last night's dinner which was a lovely salad of snap peas (cleverly called Mangetout here), peas, radicchio, feta, pine nuts and prosciutto.  It was a delight!

And we started the day with a traditional full English breakfast.  I am so very spoiled.

Caught up!!! - - nuntium duocentesimum tricesimum quintum

I'm caught up!  I'm caught up!  I can't believe it- and I didn't run out of thread but it's close.  WIOSNA round 16 is done!

 Since I had more time, I made Joëlle's Le flocon Frivole too (which I love).

Yesterday was significantly cooler in Birmingham.  My friend assures me that London is simply warmer anyway but even so, it was wonderful.  I even put on slippers last night.  Sometimes being "cool" is simply delicious, but for me only if it's natural, not air-conditioned.  I love my air-conditioning at home, don't get me wrong but I don't find it as pleasurable as a cool evening after a warm(ish) day.

My hostess is determined that I shall enjoy all Birmingham has to offer so yesterday we went to The Barber Institute of Fine Arts which has an amazing collection of art and -I think- my new favorite Van Gogh, called A Peasant Woman Digging.  She is such a real person and yet so lovely, the colors are truly wonderful.

A poppy in the Winterbourne Gardens

Then we walked to Winterbourne House, had lunch in the terrace café and leisurely wandered the gardens for the rest of the afternoon.  We didn't go in the house, that's for next trip possibly.

And even the food at "home" is wonderful.  Here is last night's dinner which was a lovely salad of snap peas (cleverly called Mangetout here), peas, radicchio, feta, pine nuts and prosciutto.  It was a delight!

And we started the day with a traditional full English breakfast.  I am so very spoiled.

Now what? nuntium duocentesimum tricesimum quartum

And today's dilemma is...
I'm out of thread.  It's "vintage" which is of course code for "really old".  It was my Aunt Rose-E's so at minimum it's 40 years old.  The label says $.15 but with an actual "cents" mark.  Do they even make that anymore?
But in the stash, there is another, made by a different company with a different number.  Could it work?

Oh boy.

Let me explain how/why I'm in Birmingham.  I have a very dear friend who is a Brummie who grew up here and then lived for many years in Greenwich.  Two years ago, she moved "back home" and had me over to help her unpack.  She felt bad last time because we "worked" the whole time and wanted an opportunity to show off her town.

Today we went to the Back-to-Backs which were fascinating, although quite cramped to these modern eyes and stifling in this heat!  I swear it wasn't this warm in Italy!

It's been a very relaxing trip, staying in a home, rather than a hotel and not trundling 17 middle schoolers about.  My friend is an author and recently finished her latest book in June.  For the last several years, I have been the lucky "first audience" as she reads her new book aloud.  I do get to make suggestions here and there and I tat while listening, hence the great "productive" nature of the last week.  Plus I couldn't sleep on the plane to save my life so I got a lot done then!

Tomorrow we are going to London for the day (doesn't that sound quite pompous?).  We are going to the British Museum to see an exhibit of archeological remains from Alexandria (Egypt).  We went to Egypt together in 2007 to specifically see this stuff (as research for her book then) only to find the museum there was CLOSED!  So, 9 years later, we finally get to see the collection.   Of course I drag the poor woman through the Roman galleries for as long as she can stand that too.

And I get to tat on the train, there and back!  Perfect.