Friday 3 April 2020

A Postcard A Day - Friday 3 April 2020 - Friday Smiles

Hello lovely ladies, 

Is it Friday again? Oh I lose count of the days.

Another week has passed, another week in isolation (well, for most of us anyway). Things have not changed much for me as I'm retired and can please myself.  I do find that I am cooking and baking a lot more and yummy things. I think I will put on a lot of weight, which I am not aware of as I am living in track suits and comfy stuff.


OK, this is the last virus joke. It's not funny! I hope everyone is safe and healthy and not needing medical care 'cause the hospitals are full as it is. 

Let me show you my postcards. Here is one from Brasil. It is a replica of an old Italian postcard sent from Venice to a lady in Udine. 

 The stamps are so colourful, and if you look carefully, there is one specially for Annie!
 The second card is King Ludwig II of Bavaria (1864-1896). This painting is on his coronation day. He was only 20 years old. 
 From what I have read, Ludwig was more interested in music (Wagner) and art and architecture, than ruling the country. He spent his personal fortune on building castles, like the famous Neuschwanstein:
His enemies tried to get him declared insane because of this. He died very young, so say suicide by drowning. But it is thought that he was murdered.
After his death, from diaries and personal correspondence, it was discovered that he was homosexual. Perhaps that was another reason to kill him. An interesting character certainly.
The stamps are interesting, especially the yellow one about 500 years purity laws for German beer.


In keeping with the 1516 requirement, German beer is still a natural product. The basic principle of brewing has not changed to this day. To date, German breweries are not allowed to use artificial flavors, enzymes or preservatives. Brewing German beer is essentially limited to the use of the four natural ingredients water, hops, malt and yeast.

Now let me tell you what my week was like (perhaps a bit boring, but I'll tell you anyway).
I am enlarging these daily collages so my mum can see them too. Her eye sight is very bad and even with a special computer program that magnifies everything, she still has difficulty seeing these.
I discovered another Andre Rieu concert on YouTube that I hadn't seen yet (from New York), so I was playing that and singing/humming along with it. Definitely a highlight!

Last Friday we had a video conference with our friends, and we pretended to go out for a meal like we do every last Friday of the month. It was real fun and good to catch up with our friends. I made a pizza from scratch, and we 'dressed up'. Hubby wore a fun T-shirt:

Saturday we had a bit of sunshine and I was able to sit out on the terrace to read my book. 
Before the shutdown, my friend Dian had given me a pack of Lumaconi pasta (lumaconi means big snails). And I had fun cooking those with a sort of pesto. It should have been split peas, but I couldn't find them. So I used red lentils and the basil leaves that were still on a very sorry looking plant I had in the kitchen. (I did find the split peas a few days later)
Sunday was sunny too, so hubby took the opportunity to take down the chimney and cleaning it as we suspected (correctly) that there was quite a lot of soot clogging the pipe.
 Monday the rain was back, but I managed to dodge the showers and pop to the post office. Hubby went to our plot and harvested a lot of spinach! So I made a tortilla de patatas with some spinach.


 I have rigged up my Wii Fit and I do my routine every morning before breakfast (hubby makes the tea meanwhile). He went to our plot again and more spinach arrived. I spent most of the day washing and picking over the spinach.
 On Wednesday I made real Dutch pea soup. I found that packet of dried peas in the pantry and I bought a nice piece of pork and off I went. It was delicious! I made a small loaf of bread of the dough that was left in the fridge from the day before. 
But the rice pudding was a disappointment. I tried to make it in my Remoska (Electric pan) and I think I should have put more milk in. It was very dry. I used paella rice (no pudding rice here) but I will definitely try again.
Yesterday was another successful cooking and baking day. Our main meal was 'toad-in-the-hole' with chipolata sausages. There was a recipe in the Daily Mail (29 march), and it was perfect! 
There was this photo on Facebook of our village medical team saying thank you to the population for cooperating in these difficult times. The guy in green scrubs on the left is our GP Pedro. He speaks English and is ever so kind.

That is all from me today. As usual there will be some funnies at the end. (nothing virussy).
And then I will visit (and link in with) Annie at A Stitch in Time and with Virginia at Rocking your World Friday.

Take care everyone, 
stay safe,
Hugs,
Lisca















10 comments:

  1. I'm glad you enlarged your collages....I used to have to click on them to read them too :-) You've had a busy week even though you're in shut down. I'm a little like you in that life hasn't changed a lot.....except for my lack of customers...cos I always have plenty to keep me busy.
    Loved the sewing stamp :-)
    Hugs,
    Annie x

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  2. Hi Lisca, loving the clock. We actually got my parents a modern one that does the same thing which is fine until it decides to stop working properly and then it drives them mad! Gorgeous stamps and cards which you know I love. Love to see your baking, I tried to get some flour yesterday but no luck at the supermarket. Enjoyed the funnies especially the Hokey Pokey Clinic. Take care and have a safe weekend, Angela xXx

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  3. Hi Lisca, we have sun, did you hear us cheering!! isn't it strange to have light nights, it was after 8.45 last night before it was dark, makes you feel happier feeling that spring is on it's way at last.
    I love your collage of photos, very cheerful and the jokes are so funny, love the bra one, ha,ha,
    Enjoy your weekend and Stay Safe
    Jan x

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  4. A fabulous post that had me smiling from beginning to end! I now want to make Toad In The Hole and rice pudding - and I still have pudding rice somewhere! Love those funnies! Hugs, Chrisx

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  5. Lovely postcards. Too bad our thoughts on homosexuality haven't changed much over the years.

    I really enjoy your daily scrapbook pages. I wish I was that ambitious. Stay safe and take care of yourself through this lock down, dear Lisca.

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  6. Ah hun, you seem to be managing fine, the larger collages are great! I loved your virtual meal out, that's brill. We are struggling to get yeast at the moment, so hubby can't be in bread making mode currently.

    The funnies definitely raised a smile and I am definitely envious of you being able to sit out in the sunshine, it is still a little on the cool side for us.

    Have a good week, stay safe

    Hugs

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  7. I loved the story of the king! very interesting chap for sure ~ the way you did your pictures was great and a lot of fun to read. I shared your idea of having "dinner out" with my friend and we both thought that sounded like a fun idea. I also loved your added smiles at the end ~ Blessings

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  8. Great post Lisca, sounds like a perfect time to cook and bake up favorite comfort foods-that's what I have been doing too. that's wonderful you have garden veggies.
    I always love seeing all the pretty stamps on your postcards-that castle is amazing-must have taken allot of time to build back then. Beautiful-enjoyed the funnies too-hugs Kathy

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  9. I could do with that clock too Lisca. The days are all the same but they sure pass quickly. Can you really shop daily? The police check random bags at the supermarket checkout to make sure you are buying enough for a week and not using it as an excuse for a daily outing!
    I also have used a remoska for many years - I am on my fourth one that was new this Christmas. I have a smaller one now I am not feeding the family. I haven't tried rice pudding in it but I cooked a good batch of scones in it last week.
    I love all those pages of memories. I am still on my first page!
    It does look as though Spain may just be turning the corner with the virus. I do hope so. Kate xx

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  10. Great clock, that would be the perfect gift for my Brother!
    What a treasure you got there with the first card!!
    Sad story about Ludwig - sadly times haven´t changed enough.

    We do have "un-German" beers now, too, finally!! But you are right, they require different names.

    Hmmm, that pizza looks YUMMY!
    And that T-shirt, wonderful!!

    Hmm, spinach!

    Cupcake :-))))

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