Retire in Style with Lolita

Yi Xing teapots are made from zisha clay found only in the Jiang Su province of China. The clay's unique composition has long been renowned for its ability to take on the flavour of tea with each consecutive brew. Because of this unique characteristic Yi Xing teapots should be reserved for only one type of tea. I use my Yi Xing teapot strictly for brewing Pu-erh tea. Please click picture to enlarge. I like Pu-erh tea at breakfast. It is said that drinking Pu-erh tea at breakfast helps rev up the metabolism. That must be the reason why there are some claims that it helps with weight loss :) It is also the tea of choice after heavy meals and usually served with dim sum meals. It is believed to help digest fatty foods. Pleaase click picture to enlarge. Tea is one of those rare treasures, enjoyed throughout the world, that actually benefits health.

Please click picture to enlarge: The Green Tree In My Heart and the Singing Bird Poem written by: Dr. J. Riego de Dios.md 18 Sept. 2013 The green-green grass of home, The melody I sing, as I stroll In the midst of green trees I dream about. In my solitude, I see a yellow bird, Soaring above as if to comfort me; Spreading its wings and dives upon me, As if in prayer to take my loneliness away. I shut my eyes; the yellow bird flew away. Too late to bid good day And sad not to say good-bye. Yet the green leaves of trees sway As if to blow my blues away To let me come to reality. Like a dream, the melody ends. I see myself in green dress In search for the green tree I dream about. Gone is the singing bird yet, In my hand, I hold a yellow flower That shapes like a bird. I know then the singing bird came along To stay in the green tree ...

Yesterday we went to our favourite Fall destination. The Applebarn and Pumpkin Barn in nearby Abbotsford. Please click picture to enlarge. The varieties ready for picking are Gala, Honey Crisp and Cox Pippin. We chose to pick Honey Crisp because we just finished a bag of Gala and Cox Pippin did not sound attractive. So the troop descended on the long line of Honey Crisp Apple trees. Please click picture to enlarge. We picked 50 lbs of Honey Crisp Apples. Aside from snacking I like to cook recipes with apples... sausages and pork chops with apples are great. And of course there are so many baked goodies using apples. My favourite is Apple Crisp and Apple Streusel coffee cake. Love glazed apples on pancakes too! And we went home with 3 gallons of Fresh Apple Cider. Delicious!

I picked these vegetables this morning. Please click picture to enlarge. Kale is a nutritional powerhouse and a versatile vegetable. It is the Queen of greens. Rich in anti-oxidants. I use this instead of spinach and bok choy. We planted golden zucchini this year. Nutrition wise, Zucchini is a low calorie vegetable. The peel or skin which we do not remove is a source of fiber. Zucchini is also rich in potassium and vitamin C. Zucchini is great eaten raw with dips or cooked in a variety of dishes. Most of the nutrients are found in the skin. If you haven't tried it yet, here is a recipe for Spaghetti with zucchini. A great recipe to use up all those zucchinis. It is freeze-able. Vegetable Spaghetti Sauce 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 3 cups finely chopped zucchini 1 cup chopped onion 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot 2 garlic cloves, minced 28 ounces tomatoes 8 ounces tomato sauce 8 ounces mushroom stems and pieces 2 teaspoons dried oregano ...

Blueberries are our favourite berry year round. We are blessed with a bountiful source of this berry because there are so many blueberry farms in Maple Ridge (where we live) and in nearby Pitt Meadows. Blueberrry picking is one summer activity that our family love. This year my daughter received a tip from a long time resident of Maple Ridge as to where to pick blueberries at a dollar per pound. Please click picture to enlarge: We picked some 25 lbs of blueberries. Here is my favourite Blueberry Muffin recipe. Extra big blueberry muffins are topped with a sugary-cinnamon crumb mixture. No. of servings: 8 Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup white sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 egg 1/3 cup milk 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries Crumb topping: 1/2 cup white sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/4 cup butter, cubed 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Gre...

I like making Smilebox photo albums. Trips, family events, scenery, etc. I like going through my music collection or buying from iTunes songs or music that I feel would be nice as background music for the album. Now and again I sit back and watch them. Enjoying the memories that come with those pictures. Many times my grandchildren sit with me and watch them. Here is a photo album entitled "Superstars ng Buhay ko". The title means Superstars of my Life. The photo album contains pictures of my six grandchildren at home, at play, at special events, etc. Every year I make a photo album of my Superstars. This photo album are a collection of their pictures taken in 2012. Digital slideshow generated with Smilebox “Grandchildren are God's way of compensating us for growing old.”

They are more commonly known as Hens and Chicks. I became interested in succulents last year. I started with the familiar Hens and Chicks a.k.a Sempervivum. Gosh, are they ever so prolific. I love them on the ground and in containers. I even have them planted on a 4 tier planter. They are the answer to lazy gardening. They really thrive on NEGLECT. I planted them on 3 parts Sea Soil mixed with 1 part sand. Now this particular plant is the Mother Hen of hundreds of Chicks in my collection. I was pleasantly surprised to find it in bloom.... finally! It is two years old. Many of the Chicks from this Hen are now fully grown Hens themselves and producing their own Chicks. Please click pictures to enlarge.

This year is the first time we planted Kale. This queen of greens is so easy to grow. I have incorporated it in many dishes. I have heard of Kale Chips but never really tasted it. Now that we have so much kale in the garden I decided to try making Kale chips. Please click to enlarge pictures. Kyle and I picked some Kale from the garden. Preheat oven 350 F. Wash Kale. Remove stems and ribs. Tear into bite size pieces. Air dry in salad spinner. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Drizzle very lightly with olive oil and seasoned salt. Bake in 350 F oven for 15 minutes. Enjoy crispy, crunchy Kale chips. I did well on the second batch of Kale Chips. I snipped carefully stems and ribs and was careful that I drizzled the leaves very lightly with olive oil and seasoned salt.

We have a bountiful supply of Swiss chard from our garden this summer. I have used it in many dishes in place of spinach and bok choy. Today I tried it on Tiger prawns simmered in Cocoonut milk. I added the chopped Swiss chard after the tiger prawns have been cooked in coconut milk. Sriracha hot sauce added kick to the flavor of the dish. Please click to enlarge pictures. Swiss Chard is a fantastic easy to grow vegetable. It is a versatile ingredient to a variety of dishes. Swiss chard is not only one of the most popular vegetables along the Mediterranean but it is one of the most nutritious vegetables around and ranks second only to spinach following analysis of the total nutrient-richness of the World's Healthiest vegetables. Just chop Swiss chard and add to salads, soups, pasta and vegetable dishes for an extra boost of iron and vitamins C, E and K.

It has been years (maybe 10) since my last visit to Stanley Park. And so it was with happy anticipation when I booked to join Sunwood Retirement residence friends on a tour of Stanley park and lunch at The Fish House. Stanley Park is Vancouver's urban oasis and one of the top city parks in North America. In our early years in Vancouver, Stanley Park was the destination playground on weekends. It has always been a destination tourist attraction to take visiting friends and relatives. Yesterday we toured Stanley park on a horse-drawn carriage with a fantastic and entertaining tour guide. Except for a few tourists from San Francisco all eighteen of us from Sunwood group has been to Stanley park years ago and so yesterday was a sentimental journey to re-visit and enjoy the scenery as our carriage took us around the 1000 acre park. At the end of the hour long tour we stopped for lunch at The Fish House. Amongst the spectacular gardens and forests of Stanley Park in Vancouver sits ...

Every year we join others in celebrating Canada Day. We are happy and grateful in our adopted land. Canada. Please click pictures to enlarge. I came to Canada from the Philippines in 1971. Became a Canadian Citizen in 1976. Taliya is one of my six grandchildren in Canada.

Westminster Abbey is located in Mission, British Columbia. It is a community of Benedictine Monks. The Abbey is also home to the Seminary of Christ the King. The monastery sits atop a hill in Mission, surrounded by 80 hectares of lush ­countryside. Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/life/monk+life+Westminster+Abbey+Mission+Benedictine+Monastery/8403802/story.html#ixzz2XoMT0jOp I came with a group of friends, all members of the Legion of Mary. Having familiar faces around me helped me go through the silent hours spent during the retreat. The retreat started on Friday evening ( June28th )and ended at noon on Sunday ( June 30th ). This experience is one off my Bucket list. I feel privileged and blessed to be given this opportunity. Here are some pictures taken on the last day of our retreat. Please click pictures to enlarge. Group picture with our Retreat Master Rev. Elton Fernandes, S.J. The bell tower. The Abbey church. The altar in the Abbey church. Blessed wat...