January Craftings

Green Squares: 27
Mittens/Gloves: 6
Hats: 9
Balls Finished: 7
Items Finished: 15

Utensils Drawers

After ditching the out of date nuts, seeds and various other bits of food stuff we no longer eat, there was almost a whole drawer left in the kitchen. The utensils drawer was almost overflowing, and I do use them all. 

The almost empty drawer was cleared and cleaned. A drawer liner was cut to fit. (This helps reduce the amount of movement of items in the drawer.) Then I started putting the metal utensils in the new utensils drawer. The old drawer was emptied and cleaned, and the wooden and plastic items returned. It's so much easier to see everything. I know where things are! I'll have to have a think about the metal sieve and trivets. The sieve will remain, but what about the trivets? Do I use them? 

Keep Daily Items Within Reach

Whilst listening to an audiobook, I heard, "Keep the things you use every day close to hand. Store the items you use less than once a week on the higher shelves."  It was so simple, breathtakingly obviously, but it hit me hard. I haven't been doing this. Another idea is to have hobby stations. Gather together all of the items pertaining to a hobby, and store them together. When you want to engage in the hobby, you go to the box/area, and everything you need is right there.

With these two principles in mind, I've decluttered and organised the cake decorating supplies that were in drawers in the kitchen. One item remains in the utensils drawer, a rolling pin. This is also used when I'm baking, and so straddles the two activities.

I now have two empty drawers in the kitchen.  What shall I do with them?

Mug-Rug

Back in 2017, I made the Pre-Quilt. Today, I used some leftovers from the quilt to make a little mug rug.

Creamy Parmesan Chicken

10ml olive oil

900g chicken, cubed

25g butter

1 onion, diced

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup chicken stock

170ml double cream

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

100g coarsely chopped spinach

Heat the oil in a saute pan, and cook the chicken cubes. Then add the butter and onion, and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Deglaze the plan with the chicken stock. Reduce the heat, and add the cream and Parmesan. Then add the spinach. 

Serve with lots of veggies.

Clypse Reservoir

This is where we were this morning, but, it was incredibly windy, and rather chilly! There's a path around the reservoir. On the left of the picture, there's a high stone wall. This was an excellent windbreak. Out from the protection of the wall, it was windy enough to cause us to stumble if we didn't keep moving. At the right corner, the water was covering the path to a depth of about 4cm, and the wind was whipping it up a bit.

Cobwebs have been blown away!

Goodbye Sweet Ginger

One of my favourite shops is closing down. Ciara has welcomed a new baby, and Julie has recently qualified as an oncology nurse. They are moving on to new, exciting challenges and periods in their lives. This is wonderful, but also sad for the customers. We shall see them around at crafty things, just not in the shop.

At Christmas I was given a gift voucher, and wanted to redeem it before the shop closed. I'm exceptionally pleased with myself as I only bought the fabric I needed for the back of the Elder Offspring's quilt. I loved two shades of light grey, but even combined there wasn't enough to make the back. A dark 'school uniform' grey was added to the mix, and I'll use some white, and a tiny bit of teal to make a pieced back.

Zero Waste

"Zero Waste" is a concept, a goal, something to aim towards, but I don't think it is possible to achieve it and still live a normal life. However, this doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

I had been wanting to reduce the household waste, and was delighted when the recycling boxes were delivered by the local council. It was great, it was brilliant, look how I'm doing my bit and protecting the planet... And then I realised how much non-recyclable plastic was going into my kitchen bin, not to mention the veggie scraps. The veggie scraps were easy to deal with as all most all of them could be tossed into a compost bin, as could some paper, egg shells, and garden weeds.

The switch to Lush shampoo bars was great. One bar lasts us about 3 months, and the packaging is one paper bag. A little while later, a local shop started a re-fill service. You bring your empty bottles, and they fill them. We are now using this for conditioner, body wash and washing up liquid. We've bought some gluten-free flours this way too.

This month, I wanted to try get through the month without buying any plastic bottles. This was revised slightly to 'no single use plastic bottles'. I had been trying to get the lid of a plastic bottle to refill it, and was failing. The shop had some bottles designed for re-use, and the easiest thing to do was buy a couple of them. The hard-to-open bottle ended up in the recycling. This has been a little tricky as so many products are sold in plastic bottles. We've tried a new sauce, simply because it was a sauce in a glass bottle. I prefer my previous sauce, but haven't seen it in glass. We had a few fizzy drinks from cans instead of bottles.  We'll see how this works out.

The plan had been to try one new way to combat waste each month. Those that made the grade would be included. It's only the beeswax wraps we haven't kept. 

Earlier this month I realised our washing tablets were wrapped in plastic, two to a packet. Why I had never thought of it before, I don't know, but now I had noticed, I wanted to do something about it. A recommendation for 'soap nuts' was made. I've used them in seven washes. Nothing has been washed twice, so we are still in the testing period. 

The soap nuts were meant to be February's change, but I was impatient. I'd also been wanting to try using vinegar as a surface cleaner. In the pantry, there's currently a jar of citrus peels steeping in vinegar. This will be March's test.

Zero Waste is a pipe dream for us. But I can honestly say these little changes have been adding up, and I've barely been noticing. They are simply the way we do things now.

A Rainbow of Fat Quarters

Why did this not occur to me before!  This is a brilliant way of storing fat quarters. It's almost how the shops display their fat quarters. With a little re-folding, I can get two lines of fabric in one box. 

It's neat. It's tidy. I can get a general impression of the fabric at a glance. If the fabric is wibbled slightly see more of the pattern can be seen. There will be space for 40 fat quarters per box. 

I'm feeling inspired already.

Now, I just have to work out what to do with the pieces that have already been cut. How should they be stored?!

Cake or Homework

L’orco ruggì “Dov’è il mio tributo?” “Il tributo?” sussurrò la donna. “IL MIO TRIBUTO! IO VOGLIO IL MIO TRIBUTO! Dove sono i verbi coniugati? Dove sono i tempi? Dove sono i compiti?”

La donna tremò di paura.“Sono stata occupata a riordinare la mia casa. Stavo lavorando i cappelli a maglia. E, ho fatto una torta. Una torta al limone.” L’orco ruggì, “La torta al limone sarà il mio tributo!”

“Ma, ho scritto la storia.” disse tranquillamente la donna. “La torta è meglio dei compiti.” L’orco mangiò la torta al limone. Tutto andava bene.

----

Anna, my tutor, set homework of writing a few paragraphs using different tenses. She was expecting diary entries, but that's not really my style. Instead, she received a story about an ogre demanding tribute. The 'tribute' is conjugated verbs, tenses and homework. The quivering woman replied she was busy tidying the house, knitting hats and making lemon cake. Apparently, lemon cake is better than homework. The orge ate the cake, and all was well. 

Anna read out my story, laughing as she did so. At the end, I reached into my bag and brought out lemon cake. This resulted in a howl of laughter. I do like it when my stories and cakes are appreciated.

Frogging Bees

This might look like a pair of black and yellow socks, but they're not. The one on the right was made with my standard sock pattern, but proved too small in circumference. The sock on the left was made to be wider. Before the matching sock was knitted, she moved away, and I didn't see her any more.

Two mis-matched socks have been sitting in my yarn stash for a good few years. It's time they morphed into something useful. These socks are going to be frogged.

"Frog" is a word knitters have been using for quite some time, and it is being added to the Oxford English Dictionary in March. When knitting is 'frogged', it's ripped out. "Rip it, rip it, rip it."

Dark Skies

I forgot to write about the first new place I visited this year. On New Year's Day, the Beloved and I walked Ava along a closed section of cliff road, Marine Drive. I had walked part of the way from the Douglas side, but not from the Port Soderick end.

It was a beautiful crisp, sunny day, and it was a pleasure to be out walking. I was amazed by the geology on display. There are so many layers, and folds and re-folds. It's as if Escher design it! And, it's all on display, so easy to see, easy to reach too. Part of Marine Drive has been close to vehicle traffic as parts of the cliff have suffered storm damage, and the road on the top has some serious cracks in the surface. However, it is still open to pedestrians and cyclists. The forces on the road surface due to vehicles is quite different to the slower moving creatures.

Marine Drive also boasts one of the Dark Skies sites on the island. There are 26 official Dark Skies site, but the reality is we can stargaze so very much more easily than many in Europe. Even in the middle of the capital city, you can still see a great deal.

Port Grenaugh Beach

I'm part of a group called Sigma 19. We have each set for ourselves 19 challenges for the year. One of mine is to visit 11 new places. I've already been to Marine Drive on New Year's Day, and today we travelled a little further along the coast to Port Grenaugh. We didn't check the tide tables before we went, and there was a only  small section available for walking whilst remaining dry. We'll go again another day when there's more beach to play on.

My Sigma 19 challenges are: 

19 make hats

18 make more hats

17 make mittens

16 make more mittens

15 make fabric gift bags

14 make finish or frog WIPs/UFOs

13 make gloves

12 new recipes to try

11 new places to visit

10 areas to declutter

9 read new books, rather than re-reading old ones

8 make quilts

7 techniques to learn or practise

6 and make more gloves

5 new items of clothing to make for me

4 stones to lose

3 make sweaters

2 make hooded blankets

1 new language to learn (British Sign Language)

Strikket Lue

"Strikket Lue" means 'knitted cap' in Norwegian. This is a pattern for a knitted hat loosely inspired by Norwegian designs. 

Using colour 1, cast on 100sts. Join. Work 15 rounds in (k2, p2) rib.

On the 16th round, k1, kfb, p2, then (k2,p2) 12 times, k1, kfb, p2, and (k2, p2) to the end.

Switch to stocking stitch.

1. Knit in colour 2.

2. Knit in colour 2.

3. KK1 in colour 1, k1 in colour 2, repeat to end of round.

4. Knit in colour 2.

5. Knit in colour 2.

6. Knit in colour 1.

Repeat these 6 rounds a total of 4 times.

Decrease for the crown.

1. Knit in colour 1. (Repeat this instruction in each odd round.)

2. (K1 in colour 2, k1 in colour 1) 7 times, k1 in colour 2, k2tog in colour 1) 6 times.
4. (K1 in colour 2, k1 in colour 1) 7 times, k2tog in colour 1) 6 times.
6. (K1 in colour 2, k1 in colour 1) 6 times, k1 in colour 2, k2tog in colour 1) 6 times.
8. (K1 in colour 2, k1 in colour 1) 6 times, k2tog in colour 2) 6 times.

Fingerspelling

At sign class I was delighted that I was able to remember some of the signs we used last week. The ones I can remember are accountant, addition, subtraction, accident, help, Christmas, see, access, and after. Yes, there are a lot of 'a' words in there!

We played the Fingerspelling Game. I was on the slowest setting. My first attempt was a pitiful 5 words in 2 minutes, but I was having problems with the touchscreen device. My second attempt was a much better 18.

Over the last 25 years, when I have had a cold, throat or chest infection, my voice disappeared. First I taught fingerspelling to the Beloved, and then later to the children. It has been a really useful way to communicate when my voice has gone. Unfortunately, this means I got to be quite good at signing the letters, but not so good at reading what someone else was signing. 

A great, and more fluid means of communication was one of my reasons for wanting to learn BSL. I could learn, and then teach my family the signs I would most commonly use. But, now I stop to think about it, the last time I lost my voice was Easter 2018. My doctor put me on a hefty dose of steroids. Whilst it brought my asthma under control, cleared the chest infection, and brought my voice back, it also did weird things to my taste buds. Everything tasted metallic and saccharine. It was horrible having everything tasting so sweet.

As I was weaned off the steroids, the first things I could taste, and enjoy were vegetables. We ended up buying a large fridge to house all of the vegetables. Our tiny fridge was no longer sufficient. It was at that point we started eating more vegetables. In September last year, this was kicked up a notch when white carbs all but disappeared from our diets. Our weight started reducing, and our health improved. My original reason for learning BSL seems not to be needed any more. 

However, it is interesting, it's fun, and I'm enjoying myself.  If more people had a basic understanding of BSL it would make life a great deal easier for those who are deaf and use BSL to communicate.

Misty Mittens

Yarn: Deramores Studio Anti-pilling DK
Composition: Acrylic 100%
Colour: Mist 70025
Pattern: Flip Top Mittens
Size: Adult
Needles: 3.75mm
Started: 8th January 2019
Finished: 13th January 2019

Flip top mittens for the Elder Offspring. These match the Brioche Scarf I made for her just after Christmas.

Parsnip and Apple Soup

Ingredients
25g butter
700g parsnips
1 large Bramley cooking apple, cored, peeled and chopped
1.1L vegetable stock
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 cloves of garlic

Method
Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the chopped parsnips and apples. Cover and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the stock, garlic, curry powder and cinnamon. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 minutes until the parsnips are soft.

Cool slightly, and then puree in a blender. Return to the pan.

Serve hot garnished with parsley, chives or pancetta.

Misty Hats

Yarn: Deramores Studio DK
Composition: Acrylic 100%
Colour: Mist (70025)
Yarn: Patons Nylox
Composition: Wool 80% Nylon 20%
Colour: Petrol Marl 1939
Pattern: Hat
Size: Child, small Adult, large Adult
Needles: 4mm
Started: 12th January 2019
Finished: 14th January 2019


Cast on 96(104, 108)sts. Join.

Work in 2x2 rib for 16 rounds. Then switch to stocking stitch for 26 rounds. 

Decreases for crown.
1. (K14 (15, 16)sts, k2tog) repeat to end.
2. K.
3. (K13 (14, 15)sts, k2tog) repeat to end.
4. K.
5. (K12 (13, 14)sts, k2tog) repeat to end.
6. K.
7. (K11 (12, 13)sts, k2tog) repeat to end.

Continue in this manner until there are 6sts on the needles. Break yarn, leaving a tail. Draw the yarn through the remaining stitches, and weave in the ends.

Bye Bye Recipe Books

Over the last few years I have been reducing the number of recipe books I have. At last, I have come to realise, I don't use paper recipe books any more. The books I had saved in the last declutter have sat untouched for a year. It's time to set them free and inspire other people.

I've checked through the books, just in case there's something to spark my interest. Somerset Chicken was one such recipe. Goodbye books. My inspiration will now be coming from the interwebs.

British Sign Language

"fit/well" and "Are you fit/well?"

I've been wanting to learn BSL (British Sign Language) for quite some time. Various things have prevented me from doing so, but at last circumstances have conspired, and I can attend a sign language class in a convenient location, at a convenient time, and for a reasonable price.

It had been my goal to restrict my spending on physical things to only food, toiletries and emergencies. But, now I need 'the big book of signs'. My desire to learn BSL is greater than my desire not to buy. Therefore, the book has been ordered.

Somerset Chicken

This is an adaptation of the Hairy Bikers' recipe.

Ingredients
6 chicken breast
75g butter
3 Tsp olive oil
2 onions, peeled, sliced
4 Tsp plain flour (Dove Farm Flour for gluten-free)
2 Tsp wholegrain mustard
2 dessert apples
110g button mushrooms, sliced
250ml chicken stock
300ml cider
250ml double cream
300g cheddar cheese

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C.

Heat a large skillet, then add half of the butter and oil. Fry the chicken breasts in batches,for 1-2 minutes on both sides, or until golden-brown all over. Transfer the chicken breast to a deep-sided roasting tray and roast in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Keep warm.

Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining butter and oil. Add the onions and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until softened but not coloured. Add the apples (cut into batons), mustard, and mushrooms. Cook for a further minute, then pour over the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then add the cider and return to the boil.

Mix the flour with some water, and slowly stir it into the sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then lower the heat and stir in the cream. Simmer for a further 5-6 minutes, then season, to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken so that it is completely covered.

Preheat the grill to high.

Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the chicken and place under the grill for 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, golden-brown and bubbling.

Singer Machine

A friend came over for coffee this morning, and I was showing her my purchase from Christmas Eve, treadle irons from an old Singer sewing machine. I explained I'm going to take a wire brush to certain bits, oil stuff, and paint it. Then, I'll have a table made for the top.

She stared into the distance for a few moments, and said she had an old sewing machine she wanted to declutter. When I saw it I thought it was an old hand-crank. It can be used in that way, but it is really designed for a belt to attach to the wheel and the machine operate by the treadle!

My plans are changing. I'm now thinking about having two tops made for the irons. The first would be a smooth, flat top, and the other would have a housing for a sewing machine!

Declutter Under Stairs Cupboard

The combination of decluttering small kitchen appliances and decluttering/putting away Christmas decorations meant there were only two shelves left undone in the cupboard under the stairs. This has been done, and the place is looking a huge deal more organised now.

It is however, a very unloved area of the house, and it is very much in need of re-plastering, and then painting. Part of me would love glass-fronted doors for the area. This would help me keep it very tidy as it would be on display all of the time. However, this is where we store our Christmas tree, decorations, storage boxes for baking, and our recycling. None of them would be good to have visible all of the time.

Taking Down the Tree

Put away Christmas decorations
Whew! That was a lot of work! The decorations have been decluttered, and sorted. It's my turn to decorate the tree next year, and I'm going for a rather rustic feel, with wood and straw decorations. The colours will be ultra traditional, red, gold and green. There will however be a single TARDIS decoration.

The lower section on the under stair cupboard has been cleared out and decluttered. I now know what's in there, what's staying, and what needs to go. There's a box of Christmas things (decorations, Christmas tree stand, and unused Christmas cards) to be given to a charity shop in November. There's a small artificial tree we no longer want. Also, there's two sleeping bags, a backpack and a sleeping mat. The later items will be donated to the next collection for refugees.

I'm hoping to get the sitting room back to it's normal layout tomorrow. With the two sets of decluttering I am feeling a tad tired.

Declutter Shower Room

Declutter the shower room
Everything that can be moved from the shower room has been moved. The items I want to keep have been placed back inside. These are shampoo bar, soap, conditioner, shower gel, bath mat hand towel, squatty potty, and loo rolls. The rest have been left on a counter top in the kitchen. The family will be asked to put back the things they want to keep. The rest will be ditched.

Andalusian Raspberries

Yarn: Deramores Studio DK
Composition: Acrylic 100%
Colour: Raspberry (70005)
Pattern: Andalusian Fingerless Mittens
Size: Adult
Needles: 4mm
Amount used: 30g
Started: 6th January 2019
Finished: 

Purple Hat and Mitten set

Yarn: Deramores Studio DK
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: Purple

Yarn: random sock yarn
Composition: 80% merino, 20% nylon
Colour: blues, pinks and purples

Pattern:  Child's Hat and Mittens for a Child

Size: child
Needles: 4mm
Started: 3rd January 2019

Finished:  5th January 2019

Mittens for a Child

Yarn: Deramores Studio DK
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: Aubergine 70010

Yarn: random sock yarn
Composition: 80% merino, 20% nylon
Colour: blues, pinks and purples

Pattern: Mittens for a Child

Size: child
Needles: 4mm
Started: 4th January 2019

Finished:  5th January 2019

Cast on 32 (36) stitches using 4mm needles. Join.

Work 13 (15) rounds of 2x2 rib. Change to stocking stitch. Increase two stitches evenly over the next round. Knit 12 (16) more rounds in stocking stitch.

Right mitten: K1, k7 with scrap yarn, place these 7 stitches back onto the left hand needle, and knit to end using non-scrap yarn.

Left mitten: Knit to 8 sts remain. K7 with scrap yarn, place these 7 stitches back onto the left hand needle, and knit to end using non-scrap yarn.

Continue knitting in stocking stitch until 32 (38) rounds have been knitted after the cuff. In the last round, knit 17(18), place marker, knit 17(18).

Decreases:

1. K1, ssk, knit to 3sts before marker, k2tog, k2, ssk, knit to 3 sts before marker, k2tog, k1.

2. Knit.

Repeat these two rounds until there are 14sts remaining. Graft the top of the mitten.

Thumb: Pull out the scrap yarn and pick up the open stitches (7+6 sts). Pick up 1 additional st in each side (15 sts). Knit 17(19) rounds. In the next round K1, then k2tog to the end of the round. Break yarn, pull end through remaining sts and tighten.

Weave in ends.

Declutter Kitchen Table

Declutter your kitchen table 

The first of the tasks I can't do. We don't have a kitchen table. Instead, I have cleaned a shelf in the kitchen, bleached tea towels, removed cookery books from a cupboard, and tidied and decluttered the linen cupboard.

The Migration Begins

My goal was to use my old computer for as long as possible, and then when it failed I'd redeem my Christmas laptop voucher. The Beloved had a quiet word with me and explained that his criterion for switching to a new computer would be when the old computer was regularly causing hassle. With that in mind, here's my new computer, an HP Stream 11. 

It's almost the same as my old one. The major differences are: it doesn't fall into a coma when it's meant to be going to sleep; there's double the RAM and storage; the keyboard layout is ever so slightly different (I'll be hitting # when I mean to press 'return'); the touch pad has a different texture. Oh, and it's grey and black rather than blue and white. The new machine is just as light as the old one, and I'm expecting the battery to be just as long lasting.

Declutter Small Kitchen Appliances

Declutter small kitchen appliances
Every day appliances are stored on the work tops. These are the kettle, coffee maker, and microwave. Stored in the kitchen cupboards are the gluten-free toaster, ice cream maker, and mixer/blender. Immediately outside of the kitchen is a cupboard that was probably a pantry at some point. In there are the glutenous toaster, a glutenous sandwich toaster, a small deep fat fryer, and a gluten-free grill/sandwich toaster.

The work top appliances will definitely be staying, as will the gluten-free toaster and mixer/blender. The ice cream maker hasn't been used for at least a year. The glutenous toaster was used at Christmas, but by the Elder Offspring. Will it be used before she visits us again? The fryer hasn't been used in ages, but I'd quite like to resurrect it. I'll clean up the glutenous sandwich toaster and let the gluten-consuming family members decide.

To be totally honest, I'm not ready to ditch any of these appliances. But, I'm going to put a note on them with today's date, and if they haven't been used by Easter I will say goodbye to them.

Toddler Hat and Mittens

Yarn: Deramores Studio DK
Composition: 100% acrylic 
Colour: Lapis

Yarn: random sock yarn
Composition: 80% merino, 20% nylon
Colour: blues, pinks and purples

Pattern:  Toddler Hat

Size: toddler
Needles: 4mm
Amount used:
Started: 1st January 2019
Finished:  2nd January 2019

Lapis was used for the ribbed cuff. When switching to the stocking stitch section, the random sock yarn was brought into play. The lapis and random were used on alternate rounds.

Instead of working the double central decreases in the patter, I chose to make 4 evenly spaced decreases every round.

Yarn: Deramores Studio DK
Composition: 100% acrylic
Colour: Lapis

Pattern:  Mittens for Toddlers

Size: toddler
Needles: 4mm
Started: 31st December 2018
Finished:  1st January 2019

Clean, Clear Worktops

Clear off kitchen counters and kitchen island

We don't have an island, so that part was incredibly simple. The worktops have been cleaned and cleared of items that should not be there. The compost caddy has been emptied, everything wiped down, and it's looking great! I walk into the kitchen and smile.

January Goals

Personal

• exercise my anti-procrastination 'muscles' - 'Just do it!'
• lose weight (5kg)
• exercise every day
• don't buy single use plastic bottles

Home

• decorate the internal porch
• create filing system for household documents

Craft

• knit a pair of mittens each week (not green)
• start Lavender and Lace quilt
• ask Tracy to embroider names for  family tree quilt
• finish 5 UFOs
• make snuggly hooded baby blankets from white fleece and cotton outer layer (1m square)

Decluttering Brings Me Joy

Declutter and organise kitchen sink area.

A new year, a new round of decluttering. Each year I do this other areas of the house get involved in the declutter. It's brilliant. More and more things get pulled into the orbit of serenity. I love it!

Items decluttered today are celery and spring onions. Both were sitting in pint glasses on the windowsill. They have been introduced to the compost bin. The kitchen cleaner and bleach have joined the other cleaning products in the laundry, and a ramekin has joined the dishes. A little bit of order has been created.

A Happy and Creative 2019

Setting monthly goals really worked well for me last year. I'm also going to include my goals for the year.

• declutter and organise more
• lose 25kg this year
• finish 100 items this year
• finish 100 balls of yarn this year
• knit a total of 360 green squares for the refugee Christmas tree

We had a fantastic walk this morning at Port Soderick, and the Soderick end of Marine Drive. The cliff rock formations were outstanding, and it was exciting to see a section of cliff face showing the transformations between the top soil, and the rock below. 

The area was so incredibly peaceful, and the weather beautiful. It truly was glorious. I wanted to stop, sit, and drink it all in.