Say cheese!

I give thanks for a decicious supper of mini red onion and goats cheese pastries They are the sort of thing I make when I'm doing food to share not least because they're so simple and hard to mess up...but of course it also means I can run up a few for myself at short notice if the ingredients are to hand. I give thanks for all butter ready rolled puff pastry. Yes I do know how to make my own, enjoy the process and am actually pretty good at it too I reckon, but it would be a lot of faff for a few mouthfuls...and of course I'm only supposed to eat a few mouthfuls of cheese!

I give thanks for enjoying this plate of delight (I had them with a small crisp conference pear) while watching a programme on whether beauty products are worth it. As you might have noticed these don't feature a great deal in my routines, and as I don't intend to change my ways I wasn't expecting to find the subject very enthralling but it certainly was, especially the psychology behind our perceptions of appearances - of ourselves, of others and of the packaging and marketing.

This morning despite lots of sleep I could have still lazed in bed an hour or two more, and I gave thanks I didn't have to be rushing around cleaning and tidying for a viewer. I gave thanks I managed to get ready in time to catch the bus and meet Mima who had a Christmas voucher to spend. I didn't of course but was happy to spend time enjoying the view from the top deck of the south wind stirred up sea, and my half of a veggie sharing platter which had way too much of a delicious cheese selection. It also came with the friendliest and best service ever including trips to the kitchen to find out more about the menu, whisking away a cup that wasn't quite right while laying the table (too quickly for me to see what was wrong), offering us a free plate of the lovely warm bread to help us eat up all the cheese and a top up for the teapot too, all with very genuine seeming smiles and good humour. I don't know how they pick and train their staff there but it certainly works!