Civilized Pleasures

"'How is it that everyone here is such a good host - always coming up with delicious sweets, cakes and roast meats, a warm fire and good company?'

'Civilized pleasures from an earlier era, Prudencia.'" - The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera

Tasha Tudor

Christian Home

"Every Christian home should be a haven of peace and serenity.  In spite of the small frustrations of daily life, an atmosphere of profound and sincere affection should reign there together with a deep rooted calm, which is the result of authentic faith put into practice." - St. Josemaria Escriva

"Mother Reading With Two Girls" by Lee Lufkin Kaula

Noble

“We become like that which we love. If we love what is base, we become base; but if we love what is noble, we become noble.” 
― Fulton J. Sheen, Life Is Worth Living

Emile Munier (1840-1895)

Compost

Just watched a Vasili's Garden on Channel 31 (for those in Australia) and found out how to recognise the best soil.  Just pick up a handful, clench your fist, open your fist flat, and the dirt should have compacted.  Then poke the dirt with a finger on your other hand and the dirt should crumble.

Another thing I've recently learnt, is how to compost easily.  I've had a tumble compost thingy for years and it's been a waste of time and energy.  However, I now know how to trench compost.  I gather all the kitchen scraps over a week/two weeks in a bowl in the fridge, put it through the blender, dig a hole in my veggie patch and put the scraps in and cover it up with dirt.  My veggie patch has nothing growing in it at the moment.  I did this for the first time three weeks ago and just turned over the ground and only the egg shells are intact (next time I'll crush the egg shell with the veggies).  The next time, I dug a little further along and added the compost.  I don't add meat, dairy or onions.

I did find, however, fat wriggly worms that are great for my garden.

My mother said that when she was growing up, they lived in the country and had no rubbish collection so everything had to be composted.  Her father had three composts going at the same time.

Brighter Garden - Tasha Tudor's illustrated book of Emily Dickinson poems.

St. Michael

St. Michael the Archangel, 

defend us in battle. 

Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. 

May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, 

and do thou, 

O Prince of the heavenly hosts, 

by the power of God, 

thrust into hell Satan, 

and all the evil spirits, 

who prowl about the world 

seeking the ruin of souls. Amen..

Love Our Neighbour

"Do not waste time deciding whether you love your neighbour; act as if you did.  As soon as we do this, we find one of the great secrets.  When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him." -  A Year with C.S. Lewis by C.S. Lewis

The Charitable Gift-Ferdinand Georg Waldmuller

Heads and Hearts

"The man is the head of the house, while the woman is the heart of the house." - Brave New Family by G.K. Chesterton

Norman Rockwell

Good Friday

Isaiah 53:

"Who has given credence to what we have heard? And who has seen in it a revelation of Yahweh's arm?

2 Like a sapling he grew up before him, like a root in arid ground. He had no form or charm to attract us, no beauty to win our hearts;

3 he was despised, the lowest of men, a man of sorrows, familiar with suffering, one from whom, as it were, we averted our gaze, despised, for whom we had no regard.

4 Yet ours were the sufferings he was bearing, ours the sorrows he was carrying, while we thought of him as someone being punished and struck with affliction by God;

5 whereas he was being wounded for our rebellions, crushed because of our guilt; the punishment reconciling us fell on him, and we have been healed by his bruises.

6 We had all gone astray like sheep, each taking his own way, and Yahweh brought the acts of rebellion of all of us to bear on him.

7 Ill-treated and afflicted, he never opened his mouth, like a lamb led to the slaughter-house, like a sheep dumb before its shearers he never opened his mouth.

8 Forcibly, after sentence, he was taken. Which of his contemporaries was concerned at his having been cut off from the land of the living, at his having been struck dead for his people's rebellion?

9 He was given a grave with the wicked, and his tomb is with the rich, although he had done no violence, had spoken no deceit.

10 It was Yahweh's good pleasure to crush him with pain; if he gives his life is a sin offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his life, and through him Yahweh's good pleasure will be done.

11 After the ordeal he has endured, he will see the light and be content. By his knowledge, the upright one, my servant will justify many by taking their guilt on himself.

12 Hence I shall give him a portion with the many, and he will share the booty with the mighty, for having exposed himself to death and for being counted as one of the rebellious, whereas he was bearing the sin of many and interceding for the rebellious."

Santo Cristo de la Universidad de Córdoba, Juan Manuel Miñarro Feito conforme o Cristo do Santo Sudário

Mornings

When I wake up in the morning, I usually say good morning to God.  After that, I get dressed, wash my face, quickly put on some tinted moisturiser, mascara and brush my hair.  It only takes five minutes but then I feel that I'm ready for the rest of the day.

Lady Lilith by Rossetti