Wheaten Bread

It finally all came together for me today.  Wendy posted about baking, I got Graham's book in the mail and I had gotten all the ingredients together, the weather was kind of on the cool side this morning. I made my first Wheaten Bread.

I was introduced to Wheaten Bread when I visited Northern Ireland earlier this autumn. It is part of the definition of "ubiquity" there. From the first dinner at Orme's to the last lunch at Alison's mom's I was offered, and accepted with open arms, Wheaten Bread.

I really don't understand why I had never come across it before.  It's whole wheat, it's quick and easy and it is so good. I asked John's mom how it was made and when she described it to me I said, Oh, so it's whole wheat soda bread, and she agreed. Since it is not a yeast bread, the process of making it is only a matter of measuring ingredients and shaping it a bit and putting it in the oven for an hour. It also doesn't rise very high, so the slices are long skinny ovals. It is easier even than Dorothea bread.

I'll just have to guard against the urge to eat it all before tomorrow!

Reasons to be Thankful

There are many reasons for us to  be thankful most days, but it's nice to be back in a country where there is a whole day set aside for thankfulness.  Personally, I have a roof and enough food and clothes to get by and I have friends and family. My friends now are found in many different places around the world which makes for variety and interesting experiences and sometimes the opportunity to visit somewhere I've not been before.

To many Americans the holiday means:

• a day off work, or if your fortunate, a long weekend
• the beginning of the real shopping frenzy before Christmas
• football (American)
• FOOD - turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberries and pumpkin pie

Here in Florida some years it is quite warm, I can remember more than one year when I wore shorts to dinner. This year it's only in the low 70's, which I think is quite refreshing.  This is our dry season and the sun shines brightly most days.

Are you able to think about what you're thankful for today, even if you aren't American or in America? Many families here will spend a few moments before their meal to ask each one around the table to name one thing they are thankful for.  If you found yourself at one of those meals, what would you say?

Welcome!

If you have been a faithful follower of my Jyojia's Japan Journal - welcome (both of you!) to my new blog.  I felt that I really needed to bring the old blog to a close. After all it was set up to document my fourth journey in Japan. That finished a couple months ago. Life does go on. I am back in Florida and exploring things like Medicare and Retirement Benefits.

I welcome the chance to keep in touch with friends from all over and to keep you updated on any interesting things that come my way. 

So, Welcome! Feel free to sign up as a follower.  There's no obligation, but it does make me feel good to think there are some of you out there reading.  Also feel free to leave a comment or to email me with any response or question.  There should be an option to sign up for email notification of new posts for those of you who don't want to bother checking to see if I've said anything new.