1.Happy Wintering! Let’s wander into nature’s wonderland with Laivi Põder’s enchanting art.
Originally from Estonia, Laivi currently lives and works in London. She derives most of her inspiration by visiting nearby and distant woodlands, forests, meadows, lakes, botanical gardens and parks.
She loves creating dreamy and peaceful atmospheres with Procreate, adding details digitally after painting backgrounds in watercolor.
Laivi initially worked for several years as a nurse, but in her twenties she quit her job to pursue her dream of becoming a full-time artist.
I especially love her moonlight scenes, especially this one with bears partying outdoors.
See more of Laivi’s work at her Official Website and Instagram. Don’t miss her gorgeous autumnal scenes with their exquisite colors and details.
“It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn’t use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like ‘What about lunch?’” ~ A.A. Milne (Winnie-the-Pooh)
Why, hello . . . and brrrrrrrrrr!
Have you been hibernating? Must say your freshly brushed fur looks stunning!
Since we’re feeling quite bearish after our holiday break, today we’re serving up some tea, cookies, and huggable poems to help us get back into the swing of things.
All art by Ernest H. Shepard.
Our friend Pooh is joining us in remembrance of his creator A.A. Milne, born 140 years ago this week.
You probably know the world first “met” Pooh in Milne’s poem, “Teddy Bear” (initially published in Punch Magazine and then republished in his first book of verse, When We Were Very Young (1924)).
“Teddy Bear” as it appeared in Punch with Shepard’s illustrations (1924).
Though he wasn’t yet named ‘Winnie-the-Pooh,’ there’s no doubt whom Milne was referring to. Though at first worried about his size, Edward Bear comes to embrace his adiposity after a chance meeting with the King of France, who’s not only stout but handsome!
They stood beneath the window there,
The King and Mr. Edward Bear,
And, handsome, if a trifle fat,
Talked carelessly of this and that . . . A bear, however hard he tries,
Grows tubby without exercise.
Our Teddy Bear is short and fat,
Which is not to be wondered at.
But do you think it worries him
To know that he is far from slim?
No, just the other way about --
He's proud of being short and stout.
Don your kilts and pour yourself a wee dram. Today we’re serving up a little festive cheer à la Outlander.
Sláinte Mhath! Cheers!
While others may be channeling elves, sugarplum fairies, and red-nosed reindeer, we in the Alphabet Soup kitchen are getting our Scots on.
Je suis prest. Et vous?
Ever since experiencing a long Scot summer binge-watching the Outlander TV series and taking a deep dive into Diana Gabaldon’s novels, all we can think about is men in kilts fascinating Scottish history time traveling between the 18th and 20th centuries.
Central characters Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and Jamie (Sam Heughan) contemplate potatoes.
You can really work up an appetite falling through the stones and zipping around places like Boston, Inverness, Edinburgh, Paris, Jamaica, and North Carolina. Thank goodness for the fortifying recipes in Theresa Carle-Sanders’s Outlander Kitchen cookbooks.
Based in Pender Island, Canada, chef and diehard Outlander fan Carle-Sanders has done a wonderful job of creating cookbooks true to the series with a blend of historical recipes adapted for modern palates, along with her own creative, period appropriate dishes that reflect two centuries and the cuisines of several different countries (no small feat!).
Whenever whisky appears in this post, you must sip!
Suffice to say, Gabaldon’s generous bounty of culinary references in the series is a literary feast par excellence. Characters wet their whistles with ale, grog, tea, hot chocolate, brandy, wine, cider, and of course, lots and lots of whisky.
The Fraser family at the Ridge, North Carolina.
They feast on pheasant, venison, beef, ham, oysters, hares, lamb, chickens, mussels, boar, fish, eels, and haggis, as well as Hershey bars with almonds, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruitcakes, crumblies, tatties, pasties, sausages, nightingales (!) and rolls stuffed with pigeon and truffles, to name a few.
Claire Fraser serves 20th century PBJ sandwiches to her 18th century family (via Outlander Cast). Jamie eats his with a knife and fork (via Outlander Cast).
Whether a bowl of restorative cock-a-leekie soup cooked in a big kettle outdoors at Lallybroch, or an elaborate, multi-course supper at the Palace at Versailles, Outlander food is its own character, telling stories of people, places, history, culture and heritage. Truly sensory-rich and satisfying!
Dining at Versailles.
So, are you up for a few poems, a nourishing breakfast, a modest afternoon tea? Relax, enjoy, and give your bagpipes a good squeeze!
“Seeds,” says Nanni, prompting the girl to ask, “How can seeds be inside the pot?”
Nanni explains that the seeds grew up to be vegetables, adding that there are also gardeners in the pot. This further arouses the girl’s curiosity; she can’t imagine how gardeners could also be inside the pot.
Winking, Nanni says, “Gardeners, with their gentle hands, planted the seeds that grew up to be vegetables and ended up inside the pot.” Of course Nanni then adds even more ingredients: “soil and rain.”
Their conversation continues in this cumulative tale fashion, as Nanni mentions how rain and sunlight helped the vegetables grow, with honeybees pollinating the flowers.
Then, of course, there are the farm workers who harvested the vegetables, as well as the delivery drivers who transported the veggies to market. They mustn’t forget roads, highways, traffic lights, bridges, waterways, or even the electricity that keeps the town running.
Jama's Alphabet Soup 