Happy Valentine's Day, dear Reader
Despite the de-cluttering, these heart cushions came out for their annual appearance...
and my little marble 'Si' from Rome...
Mr Cardinal took me out to lunch at the local Garden Centre -
where there is always a selection of sculptural art on display.
We liked these giant leaf-like forms..
A beautiful lunch with all vegetables and herbs grown on site..
Later I made our traditional heart-shaped sponge cake, festooned in pink.
As you do..
The humidity had lessened, after days of record-breaking heat, which allowed the eggs to beat beautifully and the cake to rise to the occasion...
I found these at H&M - a bit Picasso, don't you think?
and a little red velvet bag, because when the temperatures go above 40c, we like to dream of Winter..
Last Sunday, we are told, the Eastern part of Australia was the hottest place on the planet...
It does make normal life difficult to organise..we had a long power blackout, due to the overloading of the State's power grid..
Last night, there was a massive thunder-storm, lots of lightning and thunder although not a lot of rain, but what we had was very welcome for our parched lawn and plants..
Did you like Kate's new floral gown for the BAFTAS?
I loved the bunches of violets all over the skirt,
and don't these two look like happy little Valentines..
Take care...
XXXX
Happy Valentine's day to you too!
ReplyDeleteGlad you got some rain at last.
And we have some little green blades of grass popping up now - Magic!
DeleteHappy Valentine's Day dear! so enjoyed seeing your Valentine decorations! Isn't lunching in Garden Centers just the best! We finally had our local one add a wonderful restaurant! Stay cool darling!!! xox
ReplyDeleteThank you Tamera. Wonderful that you Garden Centre has seen the light, adding a restaurant. I always enjoy the experience. Trying to stay cool..xox
DeleteGlad you had a happy day Patricia - we have just returned home from lunch at our favourite local restaurant so a non cooking day for me - Austrialia on fire, I bet that you are pleased that you got your air conditioning sorted out.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the added gift when doing lunch - no need to cook later in the day (except for cake :)
DeleteYes, so pleased we went ahead with the air conditioner and a new fan in our bedroom - it has been much worse this Summer than we had expected. Even the long-range forecasters have given up on predicting when the heat waves will stop.
I'm glad you've got a bit of a respite from the heat. The cake looks delicious. If it was here at the Hammond cottage it wouldn't last for very long! I like Kate's dress, but I would think wearing those sleeves would feel very strange. If it was me I would spend the whole time trying to pull them up, thinking they were a slipped bra strap. :-)
ReplyDeleteA couple of days with max only 32-33C, which is actually quite a relief. It will go up again by the weekend. I think if our kids were still here the cake would have disappeared the same afternoon too! Good point about Kate's dress - not having ever worn that style, I think I'd be doing the same thing, trying to hitch them up. It looks quite stable on Kate though, and I am sure beautifully constructed.
DeleteHappy Valentine's Day, Patricia! I'm glad you had such a nice day. Your cake looks delicious. It must have been nice to have a cooler day. The flaming map of Australia made me chuckle, but I know how unpleasant it can be when the weather is so brutal. I hope you're moving into a cooler season very soon. Hope you're having a good week!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jennifer. I was pleased with the cake. Sometimes that recipe can produce something as flat as a pancake, it really does depend on the atmosphere. I suspect you get some torrid heat over there at times in Summer. btw, an exhibition of Georgia O'Keefe paintings from Santa Fe are coming soon to our gallery. Can't wait to work on those :)
DeleteHappy valentines! Hope that the weather gets a little cooler and damper for you!
ReplyDeleteThank you Amy, Happy Valentine to you also. Cool and damp would be nice, thank you...
DeleteWith all the de-cluttering, you kept some very unique and pretty items. That tea pot is gorgeous! And I love the silver tray and pink rose box. Your little red purse is sweet, and the sponge cake looks fantastic!
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's Day to my very special blog friend.
love, ~Sheri
Glad you enjoy my favourite pretty pink pieces Sheri. The tea pot is now for show only, but I really love it. Can't wait to take the red purse for an outing, but it will need to wait for a cooler day.
DeleteYour lunch looks delicious and healthy. That cake would be very popular here too!
ReplyDeleteHope you get some relief from the hot weather soon...I find that the heat affects me more now than it did when I was younger. Hydration is probably the best thing to keep in mind. That and a dip in your pool! Happy Valentines Day💖
The lunch was very healthy - I had the vegetarian option, which had black carrots, and an interesting grain salad. We are still enjoying the cake..
DeleteHydration is so important, and quite a problem for me. I have water glasses in every room to keep myself drinking, but still dehydrate some days. The air-con contributes to this, and I do much better when we don't need to use it. Thank you, Happy Valentines!
Lovely post Patricia...and that lunch! Fabulous!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the rest of your week...
Cheers!
Linda :o)
HI Linda, thank you. I loved the lunch and then enjoyed coming home to whip up the cake. Saw your lovely Valentine dinner on IG - it looks amazing there. Cheers.
DeleteBeautiful pictures of Valentine's day...
ReplyDeletePlease visit: http://from-a-girls-mind.blogspot.com
Oh, love your Valentine pretties, Trish! And Kate always dresses so classic and beautiful, doesn't she?
ReplyDeleteI never see such cute accessories at our H&M, where I only buy ankle socks. Here in the States their clothing and accessories have gotten so cheap. But when the store first opened, I often found cute summer cotton dresses and hair things. Now I know the store is shipping the cute stuff to Australia. :)
H&M is quite cheap here too, but I am loving the cheap summer dress I found this year for about $20; it has little crocodiles all over it, and is so cool on a hot day.
DeleteHappy belated Valentine's dearest Trish! Your card is lovely and your cake looks so yummy and beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteI hope things cool down for you there. That is awfully warm and beyond my wildest imagination for where I live this time of year.
I absolutely LOVE that handbag and those cool earrings!! You stylish Chica you! ;) You could give Kate a run for her money (I loved that dress she wore too).
Blessings on the fast approaching weekend and stay cool!
xoxo
Hi Carrie, it gets a bit beyond my imagination here too some days. Glad you like my red handbag - it is waiting for a suitable occasion to make a public appearance.
DeleteHappy weekend to you too.
Good for you two celebrating Valentines Patricia - love the cake!
ReplyDeleteI've felt for you during the extreme temperatures - we watch out for the Australian map each night before the news.
No doubt your pool has been a lifesaver.
We've had dreadful fires in Christchurch so the rain of the last week has been more than welcome.
Yes I love Kate's dress - where do you find these photos P?
Take care
Love
Shane
Might as well celebrate Valentines while we can! I saw about Christchurch, that poor city, so many tragic events. I found Kate's dress on Google images - although it helps to know what you are looking for (saw her on TV). Enjoy your moderate temperatures and the roses Shane. x
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