Groundhog day

Everybody, let's pretend it's Groundhog day and we are repeating yesterday for just a while. I had every intention of posting yesterday but there was just too much going on! So...may I present Saturday...once again!

First enjoy these shots of the neighborhood featuring a glorious sunny sky.

As I revel in this beautiful weather, let me toast all of you with a Shandy. My friend Cheri told me about this drink that is simply equal parts beer and sparkling lemonade. She described it as refreshing and she is absolutely right! I googled shandy and there are actually recipes that put you through a lot of trouble but what could be easier to remember than equal parts? You definitely need to try it.

Just two simple ingredients to create a refreshing afternoon drinky poo!

Here is the Shandy in a pretty pitcher I purchased for $2 at a yard sale. I have a thing for this type of Mexican glassware and I’ve pictured it with some glasses I got from Marshall’s when I moved here back in 2000. Blue is my favorite color so these make me very happy. But what makes me even more happy is a calamari taco and some onion rings. Perhaps not the most caloric conscious of lunches but oh so tasty!

The little side table was a gift from a friend, I love it!

Well, despite the gorgeous weather, we are expecting a temperature drop and some drizzles tomorrow night and into Monday morning. Oh, summer can you be far away? Whenever it gets cold here I find southern Californians fall into one of two categories. They are either in deep denial continuing to dress in shorts, tank tops and flip flops or they are dressed for a trek in the arctic. There doesn’t seem to be a happy medium with us!

In the meantime, I continue to plow through the Amelia Peabody books as I sip my Shandy. The Amelia Peabody series is a series of mystery novels written by Elizabeth Peters featuring Egyptologist Amelia Peabody Emerson. The novels are part mystery and spy thriller with glimpses of Egyptian life and interspered with a little comedy. The series spans a thirty-eight year period from 1884 to 1923 and is primarily set in Egypt with some installments including action in England and Gaza.

The author Elizabeth Peters - ok, I want a pith helmet!

The book features a number of things I find fascinating like Egyptology, the Victorian and Edwardian periods and the early 20s. I find Elizabeth Peters to be a wonderful writer who knows how to draw the reader into a good story. If Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code), Stephenie Meyers (Twilight) and JK Rowling (Harry Potter) are authors considered to have drawn people back to reading, Elizabeth Peters would be the author who never got you to leave in the first place. That's my two cents!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Hi, hope you are all reveling in the New Year!

Some fun news, I found a yard sale in the neighborhood yesterday while on my morning walk and came away with a great little stash! A fabulous crochet handbag, a pair of comfortable slippers and a wonderful framed poster to add to my collection of travel posters.

The bag is totally lined and has a zipper top and quite roomy.

These were very comfy, wore them all day yesterday, and at only $2 they were better than anything I could have found at Target.

Gorgeous! A fabulous find at only $7 (down from $10) and a worthy addition to my collection of travel posters (see Art of the Casa).

The woman who was holding the yard sale was retiring and planning a move to Portugual for about a year and then to her native Scotland, which as you know is also home to my boyfriend, Gerry Butler.

Hi honey!

My big plan for the day is perhaps to do a little grocery shopping but mainly I plan on spending the day outside just chilling and enjoying some sunny weather, FINALLY! I'll catch up on some reading while outside. Right now I'm plowing through the Amelia Peabody series written by Elizabeth Peters.

A totally bask worthy day!

And speaking of reading, I would be remiss if I didn't mention my trip yesterday to the Friends of the Library yesterday. I purchased a chicklit for $1 but Bob, one of the volunteers, sent me home with a mess of magazines for free. I couldn't believe the haul, I almost felt guilty.

Which should I read first?

I'll get to them later. First the Sunday paper and dining al fresco. The weather is delightful and warm and you're welcome to join me!

Have a gorgeous day!

Happy New Year!

When last I left you…back in October that is…it was raining the proverbial cats and dogs.

Though we’ve had a few sunny spots in between, California has been soaked to the gunnels. Personally, I’ve had enough of rubber rafting as transportation every time the San Diego River crests. It’s the New Year and I’m ready for some new weather!

This is NOT the three hour cruise she signed up for!

Here’s a shot of the weather we woke up to on Christmas morning. Funny, it doesn’t look like sunny SOUTHERN California does it? Whenever the weather gets this soupy I always pretend I’m in foggy London town!

The sun trying to peak through the Christmas fog

A soupy mess

Though we are now into the New Year, I am still basking in the afterglow of Christmas. It was a relaxing, lazy day and I watched a few DVDs, the Dr. Who Christmas special and watched Elf a million times! I also created a new drink I call Bonnie’s Jingle Bells, just some vodka, cranberry juice and sparkling lemonade.

Get your Tardis in gear - it was a great episode!

Elf!

I had it with a late lunch/early dinner holiday fare of roasted chicken, roasted veggies, mashed potatoes and cranberry from the can. Just the basics and - I know – it was the jellied cranberry that comes out shaped like a tin can! I haven’t had that since I realized how easy it is to make homemade cranberry sauce. Somehow it just seemed nostalgic.

I was visited by the ghost of Christmas Past - cranberry shaped like a tin can!

New Year’s Eve and day just seemed to fly by in one big woosh! I decided I didn’t want to cook so I went for some takeout Chinese food. It seemed somehow apropos and reminded me of the movie A Christmas Story. Remember when the crazy dogs from next door ate the Parker family’s turkey resulting in dinner at a Chinese restaurant dining on duck or what they called Chinese turkey? Anyway my dinner was delicious and I am particularly fond of a dish that features eggplant and tofu. Not traditional but yummy all the same.

I love that TBS runs A Christmas Story marathon every year!

And speaking of the New Year, I wish you all the very best in 2011!

Happy New Year!