Can You Blame Me?

Seriously, what better way to start my day than a brisk bike ride to see an eagle take off, heading for parts unknown? Sort of like my days--I usually never quite know in advance where they will take me!

Do you know what the first thing Matt did once he got up Wednesday morning? Of course you don't, because most of you have no idea how great his passion is for bread baking, but, yes, that's what he did, after a quick trip to Publix for the whole wheat flour, along with yeast, and rye flour.

Can you even believe how pretty that is? Pretty yes, more importantly, delicious! His bread baking passion has taken off, so much so that Tom gave him a one day baking class as a Christmas gift. The teachers are some guys in London, who have gone from using their very advanced degrees in financing and the like, to baking bread in a shop near Matt and Tom's flat. Successfully, I might add.

Both Tom and Matt like to be in the kitchen; Matt with his baking, and Tom creating vegan dishes for dinner. Turns out, in the cupboard I had these little molds to make a tortilla bowl with which I'd never used, however they did:

Grilled, seasoned and diced tofu, black beans, fresh corn and onions were sauteed, topped with pretty little diced onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. I'd forgotten what big appetites young men have--if this were my plate I imagine I could eat only one, but they managed to scarf it all down, leaving enough room for a desert of coconut and raspberry sorbet layered in a cute little ice cream sundae dish. Should have gotten a picture of that!

Tom has been enjoying our Florida sunshine, spending most of his free time sitting by the pool, soaking it all in. I was mistaken, the winter in London thus far has been milder than usual, however, their sunshine quota is nothing like ours, no matter how warm it has been. Plus, at this time of the year they only have daylight for 7 1/2 hours! Yikes! Yesterday they drove over to Ormond Beach, and although I've not heard the tale firsthand, Matt sent a little text saying Tom SWAM in the Atlantic! More on that later...

Overnight rain came in, signaling a cold front. As I type, it is a mere 50 degrees, quite a drop from yesterday, however, the sun is shining brightly in the perfectly blue sky, which is good enough for me. My bike ride this morning, was, to put it mildly, a bit chilly. 20 mph winds are a bit much, but this time I remembered to wear my gloves for the first time. Much better!

Because it is Friday, let's take a little peak at some Christmas displays of note:

Hark the Herald Angels Sing!!! Or, blow their trumpets I suppose.

What an ingenious use of an old awning below:

The angel above was hovering over the manger, blowing this way and that in the wind.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town:

Make that two. The reindeers, however, seem to be a bit weary, or perhaps overburdened? Where's Rudolph when you need him?

Only Santa is allowed to park at this "Beach Bungalow."

While on the subject of Christmas displays, I thought you might find it interesting to learn that two out of the top ten search terms in my blog stats were--"blue octopus with santa hat." Who are these people searching for a blue octopus in santa hat?

Jonathan and Alissa arrive tomorrow afternoon! Where they are going to sleep is another matter. One thing I do know is they will need to use the room I am in now for their things, so I best be getting the table cleared of the holiday wrapping! Although I wrapped a bunch more gifts the other day, they need some sprucing up with ribbons and bows. Poor Bruce has a cold and doesn't feel much like doing it, so onward I go....

The light sure is pretty this time of the year,

There now--something pretty to close with. :)