Day 18 Your yummiest dessert. What is it? How can we make it? @_PVBOnline Daily Challenge

 

Thought this one may go down OK for this weekend if you are getting the BBQ out.

I’m quoting Brandie hear from Home Cooking Memories it’s a great recipe site and the pages are very pinnable if you feel like saving a few for another day.

Feel free to leave your links to your yummy recipes in the comments – its always good to hear from you.

Grilled Banana Dessert Bar #SundaySupper

Putting together a Grilled Banana Dessert Bar is simple and sure to be a hit with family and friends at your next summer BBQ! I’ll show you how to make grilled bananas, plus give you plenty of topping ideas.

Grilling is a major part of our summer. We do grill year-round, but the summer is when we kick it up a notch. Dessert isn’t always part of our grilling (much to the disappoint of my kids), but on holidays, like 4th of July and other random times, it’s fun to make a dessert that can be made on the grill.

Follow the link to the site to read more. It's a great site to have in your cooking collections.

Grilled Banana Dessert Bar #SundaySupper - Home Cooking Memories

Day 17 How do you relax and wind down? @_PVBOnline Daily Blog Challenge

I could so easily give the wrong answer here! At first glance it would seem that creating graphics and fiddling about re-skinning 3D models would be the thing to state. Others around me may even suggest that too. I often get part way through the week and after having a hard slog at the social media, SEO, the website, setting up databases to carry out repetitive tasks I will state out loud – “I’m going to have to make something or I will go crackers!” Then I do that and I feel better. But that isn’t winding down and relaxing that is just getting rid of the anxiety of the fact that I haven’t got to the favourite part of my job.
When you are setting up a new business there is a ridiculous amount of things to tackle, learn and slog through. If you don’t know how you tick and how to do that vital winding down you will burn out rather rapidly. It’s good to know yourself and be honest about it if you are your own boss.
I do feel a great sense of soothing through My Quiet Man, he rarely speaks so he does not aggravate and more than that, where I am fidgety and flamboyant, even flappy (despite actually not wanting to be any of these things) he is peaceful, quiet and calm. His very presence serves as a wonderful salve to my flighty spirit and that is great, however for self preservation I cannot claim that as my answer. I don’t think it is wise to pin a basic life necessity on another person, find them in yourself no one can take them away then!
So to wind down and relax I drink and talk rubbish. I can do this with anyone it doesn’t have to be established friends. Just talk about the big things, the small things, the funny things and do a bit of gentle friendly arguing. Have fun! That’s how I do it.
On the whole this generally happens with friends because they are around you already but as I have said in previous posts I travelled extensively when programming and it was mostly on my own and could be for weeks rather than a weekend. Learning to cope on your own and find social settings that work is a great thing and it has brought me much joy, learning and laughter.
How do you relax and wind down?

Day 16 Life lessons, one tip you stick by in life. @_PVBOnline Daily Challenge

Develop the ability to forgive.
The ability to forgive, I think can be a huge element in a happy life. It is sadly something that a lot of people fail at. Harbouring a grudge only creates more misery to those who hold them and preventing good relations not only with the target but also with any relationship that may bare some resemblance to that target and yourself.

We all makes mistakes, all of the time so why not have mercy when others do? Remaining angry feels horrible and is a negative waste of energy. However forgiving someone brings a refreshing sensation to the mind and healing to the relationship and it’s one less negative emotion that you need to feed.

Day 15 My most cherished belonging? @_PVBOnline

My most cherished belonging is my computer, not a particular computer but whatever I have to hand that serves the purpose I am trying to fulfil.

I wasn’t geeky straight away in life, it came to me in 1992 when I took a 6 month programming course in C. That was from a standing start and only from using other peoples word processors to do my degree in a not so geeky theology course. I had taken some aptitude tracking things that apparently showed that this sort of study in programming would suit me.

I cherish the ability I have to learn and communicate with computers. I now cherish the fulfilment I get through creating with my computer – I honestly feel a bit lost and lonely when I don’t have it near by.

Day 14 Take us to your favourite place.

My favourite place is the North Yorkshire Moors. This area of the country and it’s landscape I find profoundly moving. There are some stunning little villages and cosy nooks but I really love the desolate looking bleak parts.

I have rounded up a few pictures so you can have a look for yourself.

 

Day 13 Film review: Harvey– Daily Challenge @_PVBOnline

Today’s task is to review a favourite film.
I watch a lot of films and I may have a favourite of the month, or year but this film has been a favourite since childhood and returning to it never diminishes that.

Harvey 1950 – James Stewart
The film is based around a middle aged brother and sister and the sister’s daughter who is of a an age where she should be finding a husband.
Elwood P Dowd, the brother, is our main character, he is a slightly bumbling but clearly intelligent man with a wonderful view of life. He is played by James Stewart. Elwood has a Pooka – which manifests to himself as a large white rabbit – called Harvey.
We do not see Harvey in the film but we are very aware of his presence, as indeed many others are.
I like this film because it very cleverly combines a range of emotions.

Humour

The humour is delivered mainly by the sister character Veta, superbly performed by the Josephine Hull. She is a whirlwind of energy, opinions, worry and care. Placed in situations near Elwood the extremes of character couldn’t be more profound.
A big comedy of errors occurs when Veta tries to have Elwood committed to a mental institute after he commits one too many social gaffs which she is unable to tolerate while she is trying to find a husband for her daughter Myrtle Mae.

Pathos

We are led to genuinely like Elwood P Dowd we are totally convinced of his deep goodness and charm. If we had an afternoon in his town we’d love to spend it sitting and having a drink with him and Harvey - well I would. We like him despite the film pointing out his flaws. Elwood drinks and we know he hangs around bars a lot, and he sees things that people don’t normally see. We understand that he has sidestepped what would normally be presumed to be a normal life in the society in which his sister lives. Or do we like him because of these flaws?
Elwood P Down is a small philosopher and thinks he has himself sussed out. Some great quotes.
Elwood P. Dowd: Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it.
Elwood P. Dowd: Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, "In this world, Elwood, you must be" - she always called me Elwood - "In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant." Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. You may quote me.

Self Analysis

There is the bite and the rub in this film though and it leaves us to question ourselves. See this
Elwood P. Dowd: Harvey and I sit in the bars... have a drink or two... play the juke box. And soon the faces of all the other people they turn toward mine and they smile. And they're saying, "We don't know your name, mister, but you're a very nice fella." Harvey and I warm ourselves in all these golden moments. We've entered as strangers - soon we have friends. And they come over... and they sit with us... and they drink with us... and they talk to us. They tell about the big terrible things they've done and the big wonderful things they'll do. Their hopes, and their regrets, and their loves, and their hates. All very large, because nobody ever brings anything small into a bar. And then I introduce them to Harvey... and he's bigger and grander than anything they offer me. And when they leave, they leave impressed. The same people seldom come back; but that's envy, my dear. There's a little bit of envy in the best of us.
So the point is – the same people seldom come back, there is a knowledge we have that Elwood hasn’t realised, some of those people don’t come back because when they have sobered up they find that they think him crazy and dare not return. Would I be one who came back to talk to the man who sat in a booth with a large white rabbit that I was unable to see? I think I would! I think I do!
That is where I must end it because I am now going out to support our pubs, hang out in some bars and share big things, because nobody brings anything small into a bar.

Day 12 Create something. Take photos and show us what you have created. @_PVBOnline Daily Blog

Today is about creating so I could have cheated and just pointed at nearly every product I have on my website as many of them include pictures and they state how it’s done. I haven’t done that though and it was out with the scissor’s, glue and child. It’s no good doing clever crafts and not sharing them with your child, that is part of the fun.

So I started with a new digital scrapbooking kit that I am making in collaboration with @babylonblu who makes jewellery. I mentioned in a post last week that I had managed to forge business connections on twitter and the work had been progressing nicely and today marked the day I wanted to do some prototype boxes from the kit that has been put together with @babylonblu.

So I opened up my BabylonBlu mixed kit (to be released soon) in Serif CraftArtist. then I opened a box template.

I used some of the backgrounds and embellishments to start making some box designs. With a kit like this you could honestly hand the controls to a drunk, colour-blind chimp and the chances are they would make something appealing. Its a case of drag and drop and woop de doop.

Yeah that’s not describing it very well is it. When I haven’t got everyone here I will be adding some videos on my YouTube channel that shows how that goes. In the meantime have a sneaky look in the kit.

Then it was off to the printer (trot over to another desk) with the designs. After that I went shopping and left Blurt to do the cutting out and folding. I reappeared having foraged locally and stuck them together.

Ta-da 3 Prototype Boxes.

Day 11–Funniest Moment Ever–Daily Blog Challenge with @_PVBOnline

I’m just not feeling the funny today – I feel rather tired and a tad burnt out – it’s probably a touch of the creator blues – its a natural ebb and flow that has to happen when you use creative power.

 

You can’t have that much energy and enthusiasm without a little lag. I have learned to handle that now and have a few hours wallowing and and getting cosy to reenergise. If you do not accept this flow you will suffer big fallout at a later point.

I nearly tried to wriggle out of blogging – but no I’m too stubborn. However I am going to cheat because thinking of me laughing when I have these type of blues actually make me sadder so I will recall the times that my friends persecute me, this somehow I find warms me more.

We know that some great heroes have their fatal weakness – like superman and kryptonite – well I have a couple of words that if anyone says them I am nearly sick right there and then. I have to use all my powers of mind to prevent this. My mind control methods consist of thinking “fluffy bunnies, fluffy bunnies, fluffy bunnies” rapidly and that stops other things getting in.

If someone decides to use the words – which I am obviously not going to publish – as a cruel weapon then they may repeat them – this then requires that my fluffy bunny action in my mind has to be reinforced with some hand action above the head, to represent bunny ears – I may even wiggle them!

So that’s what happens, occasionally when my friends have run out of other people to persecute, I get it, which results in them crying with laughter and me chanting fluffy bunnies and doing ears.

This may seem harsh but my friends are also utterly ridiculous at times and this has me in stiches – it’s one of the things that friends are for.

OK – time to get the cocoa on and put on a pretty frock for no reason at all – it’s time to be blue – in the morning I’ll bounce back and be as chirpy as ever.

See you then!

Day 10 The best holiday I have ever been on. Daily Blog Challenge @_PVBOnline

I was just replying to Lindsey (also in the blog challenge) as she had left a comment on yesterday’s post, that I keep looking at the title for todays post, attending to other matters and then forgetting. I don’t mean keep forgetting to do it – I mean keep forgetting the subject – that is unusual even for me.
However as I keep returning I know why it is. I have only had 2 organised holidays, at least what I think other people would call holidays.
I went to Lanzerote with a husband I had in another life and I did a 3 week trip across Canada and took a young man with me. Floozy that I am!
Don’t get me wrong I have travelled the world to do previous jobs, Australia, New Zealand, America, Europe and Birmingham but I have not repeated the sort of holidays my friends look forward to.
All of that though does not mean that I am unable to answer the question.
The best holiday I have been on was a weekend with my daughter a couple of winters ago she was 6.
The snow started the day before we were due to go away to “London”.  We had nipped off on a day trip to London a few months before on the train but this time we were driving the whole way and staying in a Hotel in Watford. (Hence the quotes around “London”). It was just before Christmas and the snow started to fall the day before we were due to leave – it stopped in the night but then in the morning as I was casually packing things up it started to snow and it was really mad, it was laying so thick and so fast!
So that was it – “Blurt – get up if we don’t go now we won’t make it! It could get a bit scary, are you willing to give it a go? We might not get far the snow has gone mad!”
Blurt gave it a bit of thought and declared she was up for it and then she got up and made sure she had her essential cuddly companions all tucked in a sturdy bag.
We waded through the snow (in our chafing work boots) and got to the car which I had fortunately not left on the hill outside my house (I wouldn’t have got out) The car was parked on a little street with shops on it. The local shopkeepers were already out with brushes and shovels, clearing steps and cars.
Myself and Blurt were hailed by name and spotting my snowploughing suitcase that I was about to put in my car they got to work digging it out and sweeping it off. (Yes that’s the kind of town I live in – who would want to go on holiday!?)
With the car prepped by my friendly community and them waving us off, we set off into rather poor conditions, I had checked the status of the roads that I wished to travel by and I knew if I could get to the main roads we would not be at any real risk. Please don’t think I was being fool hardy with myself and my child. I also had safety equipment and shovels in the car as my normal journey to work was extensive anyway at that time and I am a be prepared sort of lassie.
This is Blurt and Connie Car at dawn a few months before the snow on our previous trip to London. Parked near the shops with the nice shopkeepers.

We were off and after the first 20 miles which were pretty rotten then things eased up and it was fairly good.
We had a great time in London for a lovely long weekend.  We went to see the ballet (Beatrix Potter – Royal Opera House) and went to the German Market to see Santa and it was all lovely. We had our nails done to match our dresses. Blurt was a rich red and I was silver.  Blurt got shouted at in the street for being beautiful!
There was some other chaos that ensued on that holiday with Blurt and I that involved fire escapes, us inching round the side of the hotel in the dark and a grouchy taxi driver but I’ll leave it there for now. The chaos of course is normal because as I have said before – Chaos does follow me like a little piddly puppy, but it also helps Blurt and I distinguish one trip from another in our memories.
It was an adventure, we saw new things and we had good company – the best sort of holiday.

Day 9 Outfit of the day. What are you wearing today? @_PVBOnline

Well I work in a workshop so today I was wearing overalls, hard hat and goggles. I don’t like the boots – they rub so I go bare foot.

Actually this blog post title sounds so much like some rather odd calls I’ve been receiving lately that ask the same thing.

Project Isabella Graphic Workshop is in my home and some days I do dress up for it because I like it. Sometimes a ball gown and a trench coat other times my overalls.

I never wear hi-viz though that would be just silly – no one to see me!

I also like to answer the door with a running chain saw in my hand  – it keeps people guessing on what the hell goes on in here and keeps the post man polite when there are customs charges.

Some of this is true – it’s up to you to decide which bits!