Robin cake -- photo from recipes.asda.com

Photo of  Robin cake

from  recipes.asda.com

http://recipes.asda.com/~/media/RecipeCenter/Images/2015/Recipes/r/robin-cake.jpg?mw=545

http://recipes.asda.com/Recipes/robin-cake

MurrayMe Christmas Cake with Holly and Robin -- photo from murrayme.co.uk

Photo of  MurrayMe  Christmas Cake with Holly and Robin

from murrayme.co.uk

http://murrayme.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/MurrayMe-Christmas-Cake-Robin-Holly.jpg

http://murrayme.co.uk/gallery/

Rocky robin cake -- photo from bbcgoodfood.com

Photo of Rocky robin cake

from bbcgoodfood.com

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/sites/default/files/styles/bbcgf_recipe/public/recipe_images/recipe-image-legacy-id--1165471_11.jpg?itok=Oak7EIvX

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/889664/rocky-robin-cake

Robin and Snowman Party Fun Christmas Cake -- photo from applecottagecakes.co.uk

Photo of Robin and Snowman Party Fun Christmas Cake

from applecottagecakes.co.uk

http://applecottagecakes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/DSC_0277-600x600.jpg

http://applecottagecakes.co.uk/product/robin-snowman-fun-christmas-cake/

Robin Christmas cake -- photo from letscookathome.co.uk

Photo of Robin Christmas cake

from letscookathome.co.uk

https://letscookathome.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Robin-Christmas-cake-200.jpg

https://letscookathome.co.uk/event/lets-bake-brighton-christmas/

Christmas robins cake -- photo from theenglishbaker.com

Photo of Christmas robins cake

from theenglishbaker.com

https://theenglishbaker.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/christmas-robins-cake.jpg?w=1200

Robin Christmas Cake -- photo from cakes4dates.co.uk

Photo of  Robin Christmas Cake

from cakes4dates.co.uk

http://www.cakes4dates.co.uk/resources//477/007_large_cake_photo.jpg

http://www.cakes4dates.co.uk/general-cakes/10

Start reading Kindle e-books on your computer, smartphone or tablet -- FREE Kindle reading app from Amazon

You don't need a Kindle device to read Kindle
 e-books.

You can read them on your computer 
(Windows and Mac),
and also on your smart phone, e.g. iPhone,
or on your tablet, e.g. iPad.

Just download a free Kindle app.

There are several of these free apps, and you can get them here, directly from Amazon, by clicking on the link below:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=dig_arl_box?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

That means you can start reading any Kindle
e-book today, for instance:

Click on this link for the above book:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007KI5HAS

and on this link for the book below:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008ZPVTCK

Cost:  
♥ a very, very pleasant surprise!! ♥


Plus, you can read free samples of them --
on Amazon -- via the links I've given above.

At the top of the Amazon page,
you'll see the picture of the book,
and can then Click to LOOK INSIDE!

or you can also click on the book cover
at Amazon
to read the free sample of the e-book.

♥ To read a much longer sample -- for free -- 
i.e.  8 chapters of the book 

"I met you in that past life A" 

--  you can click on this link here:

http://serene-journey-to-happiness.blogspot.sg/2013/06/read-them-here-for-free-first-8.html


Additionally, after reading the books,

you could  ♥ write a short  review ♥ -- 

even if it's only 1 or 2 lines -- 

and post it on Amazon --

and on Goodreads

Best wishes, Hugs, and God Bless. 
♥

British Food A to Z -- a fun Kindle e-book by Grace Mathew

British Food A to Z

by Grace Mathew

an Amazon Kindle e-book

http://www.amazon.com/British-Food-A-Grace-Mathew-ebook/dp/B00GWPVGXW

Click on the link above -- it will take you to the Amazon Kindle site
where you'll be able to see the e-book in more detail.
To read a free sample, click on the book cover there.

♥  Cost:    aah, a lovely surprise!!  ♥

Angels on horseback,  Bara Brith,  Iced Gems,  Kedgeree,
Queen of Puddings,  Scouse,  Tipsy Laird,  Xness, and  Zhmm --
ooh, whatever could they be??!!

Plus many other scrumptious dishes from the United Kingdom.

Unusual and delicious.

A short and sweet little  e-book.

So, take a chance, try your luck,
and set off on an adventure with 
British Food A to Z.

Enjoy!  ♥

Here's the Kindle link again:

http://www.amazon.com/British-Food-A-Grace-Mathew-ebook/dp/B00GWPVGXW

Further, to give a  rating  and/or  a review of
British Food A to Z 
on the Goodreads site,
please click on the link
given below:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18967441-british-food-a-to-z

♥

Vegetarian and healthy: a no-fat Christmas pudding

Something a bit unusual I came across on the internet recently:
a vegetarian, no-fat Christmas pudding.

Your health and your waistline will heave a sigh of relief
and thank you for it.  :-)

What's more,  this Christmas pudding does not need
to be made so many weeks in advance.

Links:

For the Christmas pudding photo:

http://www.essentially-england.com/images/christmas_pudding1.jpg

For the www.essentially-england.com site:

(scroll down its page to get the  photo and the  recipe
for the No-Fat Christmas Pudding)

http://www.essentially-england.com/christmas-pudding.html

The site, by the way, also has various traditional English recipes
and other interesting things.

Christmas cake with pecan marzipan and brandy butter icing, by Dan Lepard -- photo from bbc.co.uk

Long, long ago, and far, far away,
I was given a Christmas cake
that looked a bit like this one...

That's why I'm adding this very nice photo here --
it brought back some good memories...

Please note that the cake in the photo is called
Christmas cake with pecan marzipan and brandy butter icing,
by Dan Lepard.

The cake certainly looks pretty and delicious.

It's from a BBC site in Britain,
and links (including a recipe link)  are given below.

Links:

For the cake photo:

http://ichef.bbci.co.uk/food/ic/food_16x9_608/recipes/rich_christmas_cake_with_41416_16x9.jpg

For the cake recipe:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/rich_christmas_cake_with_41416

For the BBC site:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/christmas_cake

World Food A to Z -- fun quiz in a Kindle e-book

World Food A to Z

by Grace Mathew


Amazon Kindle e-book

http://www.amazon.com/World-Food-A-Grace-Mathew-ebook/dp/B00GMXQ0AI

Click on the  link above
to go to the Amazon Kindle e-book site
where you'll be able to read a part of the book
by clicking on the book cover there.

♥ Cost:     you'll be pleasantly surprised!! ♥

Bobotie,  Char Siu,  Dosa,  Injera,  Laksa,  Mohinga,
Okroshka,  Scotch Egg,  Tabbouleh,  Ugali,
Waterzooi,  Xacuti,  Yakisoba,
and many other delicious dishes from
every corner of the world...

Go on an adventure all around the globe
by trying your luck with  World Food from A to Z.

It's a fun quiz of 26 questions --
from Antipasti to Zabaglione --
all in a nice little Kindle e-book!

Multiple-choice questions
with answers provided.

So, make yourself a nice cup of
whatever you fancy, relax, and
enjoy this interesting quiz e-book.

Take a chance  and guess the answers!

Afterwards, go on another adventure --
try one of these unique, yummy dishes
at a restaurant...

You could also look online for a recipe
for one of the dishes, and try cooking it
at home in your own kitchen...

Enjoy!  ♥

Here's the Kindle link again:

http://www.amazon.com/World-Food-A-Grace-Mathew-ebook/dp/B00GMXQ0AI

Plus, to rate  and/or  review
the  World Food A to Z  e-book
on Goodreads, click on the link below:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18804836-world-food-a-to-z

 ♥

Interesting quotes from Pride and Prejudice -- an Amazon Kindle e-book by Grace Mathew

Interesting quotes from Pride and Prejudice

by Grace Mathew

A Kindle e-book

Here's another short little Kindle e-book -- 
it has fun  fill-in-the-blank  quotations
from Pride and Prejudice --
the beloved classic novel by Jane Austen.

♥ Cost:   a very pleasant surprise!!  ♥

You can view a free sample 
by going to the Amazon Kindle link given below
and clicking on the book cover there:

http://www.amazon.com/Interesting-quotes-Pride-Prejudice-Mathew-ebook/dp/B00JBFSGNS

or simply:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JBFSGNS

Further, here is the goodreads link,
where you can rate and review it too:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21950849-interesting-quotes-from-pride-and-prejudice
 ♥

To Darcy -- Kindle e-book by Grace Mathew -- re. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

To Darcy


by Grace Mathew

An Amazon Kindle e-book.

A nice little book  re. Mr. Darcy
from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

♥ Price:    a wonderful surprise!!  ♥ 

The following link will take you to Amazon
where you can read a free sample of the e-book
by clicking on the book cover there:

http://www.amazon.com/To-Darcy-Grace-Mathew-ebook/dp/B00GFE295Y

And here's a link to Goodreads
-- you can rate  and/or review  the above book
 at the Goodreads site:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18798781-to-darcy

Darcy and Elizabeth -- a Kindle e-book by Grace Mathew -- re. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

A book you may like to take a look at:

Darcy and Elizabeth

by Grace Mathew

A short and fun Kindle e-book
about Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet 
from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. 

♥ Cost:  you'll be very pleasantly surprised!!  ♥

A nice little gift for yourself or a friend.

Please click on the link below to go to the book's page on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007KI5HAS


or you could try clicking on this link too:

http://www.amazon.com/Darcy-and-Elizabeth-ebook/dp/B007KI5HAS

Plus, here's the Goodreads link
where you can rate the book
or write a review of it:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16039967-darcy-and-elizabeth

♥

A Mary Cassatt painting and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Here is a painting by Mary Cassatt called
"Two women seated by a woodland stream".

What a lovely, serene picture.

When I saw the painting, it made me think of the two elder Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

It made me picture Jane Bennet and Elizabeth Bennet taking a rest after a walk by a stream in a garden at or near Longbourn,  or perhaps in the parkland at Pemberley (after Elizabeth married Darcy)...

http://www.wikiart.org/en/mary-cassatt/two-seated-women-1869

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Cassatt

By the way, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen is available to read online for free at the Project Gutenberg site.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1342/1342-h/1342-h.htm#link2HCH0061

Project Gutenberg is a wonderful site where you can read thousands of books for free online.  Do take a moment to visit it.

https://www.gutenberg.org/

What is an anagram? Plus, how many anagrams from the word “anagram”?

First things first.

Let’s begin by defining an anagram.

What exactly is an anagram?

As per the Macmillan dictionary, an anagram is 

“a word or phrase that you can make 

from another word or phrase

 by putting the letters in a different order. 

For example ‘mean’ is an anagram of ‘name’.”

http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/anagram

Next, how many anagrams can be made 

from the word “anagram”?

I looked it up on the internet, and here’s the result:

'Anagram' is an anagram of:

· Agraman

· amargan

· Anagram

· Arangam

· Argaman

· Armagan

· Gamaran

· gamarna

· Garaman

· Garmana

· Maar Gan

· magrana

· Managar

· Managra

· Mangara

· Maranga

· Margana

· nagaram

· Rangama

http://anagram-solver.net/anagram

Curious as ever, I searched online for the meaning

of some of the above words, and here’s what I found:

Arangam

A word from the Tamil language of India, 

the meaning of “arangam” is “a stage”, i.e. a stage in a theatre.

“Arangam” forms part of the word “Arangetram” 

which is a well-known word in India.  

"Arangetram is the debut on-stage performance of a classical art student, after undertaking years of training.

It is a public graduation performance for any art form. 

The word arangetram is from the Tamil language 

and means ascending the stage by a dancer

on the completion of formal training.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arangetram

Maranga

Jackline Maranga is a well-known runner from Kenya, East Africa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackline_Maranga

Maranga Island

Maranga Island is part of the Anagram Islands, 

located in Antarctica (the South Pole).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maranga_Island

Nagaram

Nagaram is in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Nagaram (Nagaram Marupakkam) is also the name

of an Indian Tamil movie made in 2010.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nagaram_(film)

Rangama

Rangama is a place in Sri Lanka.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangama

“Agraman”, by the way, made me think of Agra in India. 

 Agra is where the world-famous Taj Mahal is located.

As for the other words on the above list, 

I’ll try to check the internet 

for them on another day...

Plus, here’s the link to a free online anagram solver.  

It’s a good one and I use it quite often.  

http://anagram-solver.net/ 

Kintsugi -- material and spiritual repair

Kintsugi is a word which should be written

on everyone’s heart -- in gold.  

(By the way, here’s a rough guide to the

pronunciation of  Kintsugi:

Kint rhymes with hint or with the wint part of winter.

Su is like the su of super.

Gi is like the gi of give.)

For those who want to hear the word, 

please click on the link below 

to get an audio pronunciation: 
(when you get to the forvo site,
click on the little blue arrow
in front of "Pronunciation by
strawberrybrown")

http://forvo.com/word/kintsugi/

Well then, let's continue.  What is Kintsugi?

In general terms, Kintsugi is a method of repairing 

broken things in such a way that the damage 

is highlighted -- celebrated -- not hidden.

In more specific terms, Kintsugi is the art 

of applying gold, lacquer, and glue
to repair broken pottery. 

A type of art from Japan, Kintsugi means

 “golden joinery”.  

Further, this art form also has meaning 

as a philosophy.

“As a philosophy, it treats breakage and repair

 as part of the history of an object, 

rather than something to disguise.”

Kintsugi is “an embracing of the flawed or imperfect.”  

It “encompasses the concepts of 

non-attachment, acceptance of change 

and fate as aspects of human life.”

Food for thought indeed.  And speaking of food, 

the holiday season is here: the time for reunions

and parties.

Some of your special plates or dishes may get broken.  

If they do, there’s no need to throw them away. 

Consider mending them with Kintsugi.

Or, if you’re planning to take a quiet moment 

to look back on 2015, or indeed examine 

the journey of your life up to now,

remember to keep the philosophy
of  Kintsugi in mind.

Further, if you have a scar or other journeymark, 

why should you hide it?  
Highlight it.  Blazon it with gold powder.  

If you’re not yet ready to do it literally, 

do it at least in your mind and in your heart.

Plus, instead of  “Talk to the hand”  

or “Talk to the tail,”  

how about “Talk to the Kintsugi.”

Maybe, for short, “Talk to the Kint.”  

Or, even shorter, “Talk to the K.”

Kintsugi says “So what?”

In such a golden, carefree way. 

It says “Whatever”.  
Such a gallant “Whatever”.

Kintsugi. 

It can help us move on in life. 

It can encourage us to continue our journey. 

Bravely.  Serenely. 

Information link:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kintsugi

Further links:

http://www.wedojapan.com/kintsugi/

above image:  http://www.wedojapan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/11Kintsugi24JAN14_DSC7232.jpg

Kintsugi event, London, Jan 2014 - Images by Tony McNicol

Above from http://www.wedojapan.com/kintsugi/

http://makerlibrarynetwork.org/projects/new-kintsugi-workshop/

above image:  http://makerlibrarynetwork.org/ml-content/uploads/2014/10/2014-10-12-16.03.56.jpg

Plus, here’s a very interesting article to read:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/val-jon-farris/from-broken-to-beautiful-_b_5903994.html