Saturday Snipppets…13th February 2021…

Welcome to this weeks Saturday Snippets…in many ways, my favourite post of the week as I can indulge my whimsy…The healthy eating is..it is…starting slowly……My exercise routine has kicked up a notch…I have walked 10,000 plus steps each day for 3 days on the bounce and my lazy mutt aka Saangchai has finally got his butt into gear… he lapped me last night and this morning he was waiting so I had to do 2 laps before he was happy then get him back inside the gate and then set off on my walk …as he normally walks off the lead that is fine in safe places but I would not trust taking him off lead when I walk to the market etc and he doesn’t like the lead too much  …that wouldn’t work for me or him but laps around where we live in the early evening is a great exercise for him as well…I have cut his rice down so hopefully, he will lose some of the excess fat…My total steps on my morning walk were 4327(3.12)km…hopefully with my late afternoon and early evening walks it will be 4 days on the bounce…

My sunshine Breakfast…

My sunshine breakfast today was live natural yoghurt, coconut meat, passionfruit and a satsuma with coconut water to drink…I need that after my walk…it was lovely and refreshing…

February is National Chocolate lovers month which is quite apt as we have Valentines Day on the 14th, tomorrow actually and that is synonymous with chocolate and roses…I do hope you boys have got something nice for your other half…Just saying! x

Valentines ...there are so many tales both true and false…During the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the thought that it should also be a day for romance.

The English poet Geoffrey Chaucer was the first to record St. Valentine’s Day as a day of romantic celebration in his 1375 poem “Parliament of Foules,” writing, “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day / Whan every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.”

Why Roses?

The tradition of giving Valentine’s Day flowers dates back to the late 17th century, during the reign of King Charles II of Sweden. During a trip to Persia, King Charles II was exposed to a new art—the language of flowers. This expressionist art focused on one’s ability to communicate using flowers without uttering any words at all.

The red rose, as you may have guessed, translated to deep love.

The rose took on this meaning because of its affiliation with Aphrodite, the goddess of love. In Greek mythology, it is said that rose bushes grew from the ground through Aphrodite’s tears and the blood of her lover, Adonis. The Romans, who turned Aphrodite into their goddess Venus, kept the rose as her symbol of love and beauty. So when Valentine’s Day became the mainstream holiday as we know it today, the rose was an obvious choice for the most fitting gift.

Let’s have some Music…

music notes

There have been many songs associated with Valentines some great and some for me cringeworthy…Here are just a few…with Perfect and Bleeding Love being my cringeworthy ones…

  • “Perfect” – Ed Sheeran.
  • “All of Me” – John Legend.
  • “Just The Way You Are” – Bruno Mars.
  • “Make You Feel My Love” – Adele / Bob Dylan.
  • “Stay” – Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko.
  • “Come Away With Me” – Norah Jones.
  • “Gravity” – Sara Bareilles.
  • “Bleeding Love” – Leona Lewis.

Did you know that on this day…in 1982 Pink Floyd’s album “Dark Side of the Moon” marks 402 weeks in the album charts? This is a fabulous track from that album…

What are you cooking for a valentines dinner? Don’t want to cook? Do you really want to treat the love of your life and have 61,000 dollars to spare…

World’s most expensive Valentine’s Day dinner

Or pennies tight? But you still want to impress? Still, quarantined? …

Such a cute dog…I also know which one I would prefer…

Yesterday was the Lunar New Year Day it is also the Year of the Ox…none of the bright cheerful celebrations here just some fireworks… very muted because of the Covid…But what does the year of the Ox signify…The Ox, in Chinese culture, is a hardworking zodiac sign. It usually signifies movements so, hopefully, this year the world will get moving again in the second half of the year.

Many people take this 60-year calendar very seriously and believe each persons own birth sign will be affected differently by the year’s heavenly stems and earthly branches.

Which means the calendar plays an important role in making life decisions for the year ahead like marriage or starting a business.

Followers believe that for each of the Chineses zodiac signs that luck will depend largely on the position of the Tai Sui…the stars directly opposite Jupiter.

Hence if your zodiac sign clashes with Tai Sui in a particular year you may find yourself dealing with disruptions. For people born in the Year of the Ox, there will be more changes and instability in general.

This lunar festival lasts 15 days the highlight comes on the last day (February 26). In ancient Chinese society, it was the day when young girls could go out to admire lanterns and meet boys. Thus, it’s also been dubbed Chinese Valentine’s Day.

There are however and for those of you who don’t live in China, you can breathe a sigh of relief…There are 6 Valentines days in China per year…this is one of them the Qixi Festival…

That’s all for today…

Thank you for popping in today I hope you have enjoyed Saturday Snippets …as always I look forward to your comments as you all know I love to chat…Thanx Carol xx

58 thoughts on “Saturday Snipppets…13th February 2021…”

  1. Jennie

    I really need to start moving so I will fit into my shorts this summer. Sigh. You do inspire me, Carol. I hope you had a lovely Valentine’s Day. I learned so much from this post. Thank you. I especially enjoyed listening to Norah Jones.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Ahh Valentines day comes and goes here we have never got into that ourselves… my hubby is the least romantic man I know.. Lol.. I like listening to Norah Jones… I’m sure your shorts will fit just fine, Jennie… I am enjoying my walking though the sunshine helps… ☀️☀️🚶‍♀️🚶‍♀️

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Victoria Zigler (@VictoriaZigler)

    Ha! Saangchai will have you getting some great exercise now he’s gotten the idea. 😉

    I’m a bit late, but… Happy Lunar New Year, and Valentine’s Day!

    If you’re interested: my sun sign is Scorpio, my Moon sign is Cancer, and my Chinese zodiac sign is the Wooden Rat.

    We don’t do much as regards gifts for Valentine’s Day… It’s not really a big deal to us, since we think you should show the people you love that you love them all year round. Although, we did buy each other a little something (something we’d have done regardless, but Valentine’s Day was a good excuse). Also, hubby got up early with me to make me vegan pancakes and a nice cup of tea for my breakfast (normally I’ve had my breakfast by the time he gets up) and that means more than any amount of flowers and chocolates anyhow; I’d rather a nice gesture with obvious love behind it than any amount of flowers and chocolates.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      As would I Tori…Yes, he should albeit he gets choosy as to wether he will follow me for the duration or just a couple of times and sit and wait me to come round …My Sun is Virgo and my moon is Capricorn and I am a Rabbit…Have a lovely weekend Tori x

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    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      Always great to boogie even in the kitchen.. Thank you for putting in the blogger daily x.. Day off from walking today well apart from my nightly one which I do faster get my heart rate up.. Burn my evening meal off quicker.. Thats the plan anyway xx

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  10. Tabula Rasa

    Have a look at the Roman festival Lupercalia for the original origins of Valentine’s Day 😀 gradually replaced by the Church by the much more sedate feast of St Valentine.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      You and me both, Clive …The Floyd to me are far superior than most on that list some are cringeworthy but they sell to the masses…sigh..just don’t get airtime on my blog 🙂 x

      Liked by 1 person

      4. CarolCooks2 Post author

        I had forgotten living here, Clive they don’t have pancake day and its early this year but unfortunately I have been nominated to make them…sigh…so have had to give in gracefully x

        Liked by 1 person

  13. Jim Borden

    congrats on getting into an exercise routine! now you can really treat yourself on Valentine’s Day.

    I wish I had known about that expensive meal, it’s probably too late now. 🙂

    and what a great song by Norah Jones…

    have a great weekend!

    Liked by 2 people

  17. beetleypete

    I was born in 1952, which according to the Chinese was a year of The Dragon. This is what my Dragon personality is supposed to be like.
    ‘People with Chinese zodiac Dragon are born with superb leadership. Because of their knowledge, power and capability, people are willing to take orders from them. They are also ambitious, and have a strong drive to realize their dreams. They are adventurous.’
    Pretty much wrong on all counts, Chinese Zodiac. Sorry!
    I am going to get a Thai takeaway for Valentine’s night. We will exhange cards, but no longer do flowers or gifts. Luckily, the only restaurant in Beetley is a Thai one, and the Thai owners live in the house opposite us, so we know them really well.
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. CarolCooks2 Post author

      I don’t put too much store on horoscopes, Pete… I know people who do and die by them…but no one size fits all as we know maybe a more personalised one taking into account of dates and times and place of birth but even so I have never bothered I think we make our own destiny…I know how you enjoyed your Thai food due to a good samaritan…x

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