Welcome to this week’s edition of my weekly roundup of posts…Especially for you just in case you missed a few posts during this last week…It a sunny but rather brisk and bracing morning here…The tree and everything Christmas has been packed away until next year…The last of the red cabbage has been eaten…I do love that as a vegetable and I always vow to cook it more often as it keeps so well and then I don’t but sometimes I just want foods that are special to the time of year …

So many foods which I remember as a child that we only ate at Christmas and on special days during the year are available all year round and they are not special anymore…The same as Hot Cross buns I remember the trip to the bakers on Good Friday Morning and those warm Hot Cross buns…such a treat…

They will be available in the shops very soon if not already in the  UK…to me now they are just a bun with a cross on…Does anyone else feel like that ..that our traditions are becoming everyday occurrences and not special any more or is it just me???

I digress let’s look at last week and I am not even going to get started on what a week that was…

Normally I don’t partake in challenges or at least daily ones BUT  I thought everyone needs a holiday and although its a virtual one it is a holiday none the less…It is a 10-day challenge just an image no words(unless) your name is John Rieber..hehe…x

Sharon at the awesome Gum trees and Galaxies blog, just the title which I think is so cool just makes me want to pop in for a read nominated me to participate in the Travel picture challenge. I mean do I have travel pictures…haha… Gum trees and galaxies blogs about travel, adventure, books, life and stuff especially if your passion is all of those plus the environment it then makes this blog a must-read who knows what little gems you may find…

The challenge is about visual images so we need to post a favourite travel picture for 10 days without explanation and nominate someone else to participate.

If I nominate you and you don’t want to participate, please do not feel obliged, but if you do, please link back to me so that I can see your post, in these curtailed times vicarious travel is a lovely escape, I would love to see what you choose to post.

Tuesday: The 1st Tuesday of the New Year 2020…

A New Year is always exciting a time when our thoughts look to what lies ahead…I will be doing no recaps on last year this year as while there have been many positives invariably the negatives always sneak in…

I am making no resolutions just lifestyle changes which will be determined as and when…and subject to change as and when…there will be many changes and hurdles a bit of an obstacle course ahead of us this year not all pleasant or without challenges but there will also be those special moments those once in a lifetime moments of joy and hope…

I am not going to dwell on what I cannot hope to ever change I am going to focus on what I can change and where I can make a difference however small that difference is I think we are going to have to play it by ear to make sudden decisions be spontaneous…Dance in the rain…

My this year’s diary cover reminds me of that every day… My word this year is …Improv…xx

https://carolcooks2.com/2021/01/05/its-tuesday-the-1st-tuesday-of-the-new-year-2020/

Wednesday: The Culinary Alphabet with a little twist…P (soursoP)

I love this challenge set by Pete…It is fun and I am learning so much as I hope you are as well…How I am going to follow this Is anybody’s guess…Suggestions welcome…

https://carolcooks2.com/2021/01/06/the-culinary-alphabet-with-a-little-twistp-soursop/

Thursday was the day for Sally’s  Health Column a look at how we can get the New Year off to a Healthy Start…

I love Sally’s no-nonsense approach to dieting it is non-judgemental and factual…not a diet but a lifestyle change and if you lose weight that’s a bonus…after all the Christmas Cake I am (still) consuming..no one is helping me…it will also be a miracle but hey…who doesn’t love a miracle and a piece of Chrismas Cake…hehe…

https://smorgasbordinvitation.wordpress.com/2021/01/06/smorgasbord-blog-magazine-the-health-column-getting-the-year-off-to-a-healthy-start-part-two-by-sally-cronin/

Friday: Time to make a Fish Pie…

Fish Pie is a traditional British Dish and has a long history…it can be said that it has similarities to shepherds pie of which meat is the main ingredient and topped with potatoes…A fish pie or fisherman pie which it is often named can contain most sorts of fish a white or cheese sauce you may add hardboiled eggs or leeks there are very many regional versions…Cornwall’s traditional version is known as a stargazy pie decorated with the heads and tails of pilchards protruding through the crust…Looking at the sky…

I was surprised though how many of my US cousins had not eaten or heard of a fish pie…although it is popularly made with pastry topping in Baltic countries and made with salmon which I adore…very nice they are…

https://carolcooks2.com/2021/01/08/its-friday-its-fish-pie/

Saturday Snippets:

One of my favourite posts of the week to write although I have been struggling of late with Saturday Snippets…

https://carolcooks2.com/2021/01/09/saturday-snippets-9th-january-2020/

Today is also my favourite rockers birthday…Rod Stewart is 76 today…

Happy Birthday…Sir Rod…

Well, that’s it for today…I hope you have enjoyed the read…if you have please head over and leave a comment it makes my day to hear from you …Love Carol xx