MAGPIE'S MUMBLINGS

A blog about my interests, which include fabric landscapes and various and assorted other artsy pursuits and sometimes known to contain mumblings of a random nature.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

One never knows....

Yep, one never knows what you'll find over here at Chez Magpie! Today it's this...


... our latest venture into the unknown.  

#2 son and daughter-in-love sent us kefir grains so we can make our own probiotic kefir.  We now have a couple of jars percolating on the back of the cupboard and a further couple of jars in the fridge ready for drinking and/or baking.  This morning we had some for breakfast with the addition of a little bit of Hazelnut  Coffee Creamer. We were told it tasted like ice cream and it's true!
In the top picture you can see the 'grains' in the bottom of the measuring cup and the bowl.  The jar holds the drained, and now drinkable, product.  The lower picture is a close-up of the grains.
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For those who might be interested, my little tablet is now up and running and connected to the internet (after a little hiccup that Computer Guru Ian dealt with).  Now I have another little black box (with sexy flashing blue lights) sitting on my desk that does mysterious wireless 'things' that magically lets my tablet access the internet.  Amazing!  Not only that, I am now re-training my fingers to type on a new (wireless) keyboard....funny how the letters can be in the same place but it feels totally foreign.  Oh yes, and there's a wireless mouse now too.  Phew!   Talk about advancing into the latest technology in one go.  Oh yeah  - and I had to go and buy a new power bar to be able to run all this 'stuff' and guess what?  It has blue lights too.  Cool.
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Here's another of the old family photos for you
to use in your art...


This is my great-grandmother.
Isn't that chair amazing?

Here's another of the entries in the old autograph book, dated Aug. 19, 1938.... "If instead of a gem or even a flower we could cast the gift of a lovely thought into the heart of a friend, that would be giving as the angles must give"

14 comments:

  1. That chair got my attention right away! Great photo of your Grandma. Congratulations and welcome to modern wireless technology...that I still know nothing of! I do love blue lights! Interesting food item. Sounds like it is good for our healthy bodies.

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  2. Our "granddaughter-in-love" used to work in a meat shop that was all about healthy, natural and organic food. She used to come home with a small bowl of Kefir for my grandson. I never asked what it actually WAS and I never tasted it. Your post sent me to google. Cool stuff!!

    I love my tablet..I have a Nexus 7.

    We have become so accustomed to a standard keyboard that the keyboard for my phone and tablet ARE strange. I am always amazed to see the kids type so fast with only their thumbs!
    xx, Carol

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  3. Wow Mary Anne, you are getting up-to-date! I hope you are enjoying all your new gadgets!! Love this photograph and the chair is absolutely fabulous! Does someone in the family still own it? Christine x

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  4. Oh, love your saying...and sharing the photo.
    xxx

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  5. Oh MA, these old photos are wonderful!!! I'm on a mission to find a photo of my great, great grandma Phoebe! I'll be emailing my mom's cousin today to see if she has any. I have got to know what Phoebe looks like!

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  6. I have bought Kefir in Lidl and Asda supermarkets and love it!
    Didn't know you could start your own though, where do you buy the grains from then?
    Your fast becoming a techno whizz hun lol

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  7. the gift of a lovely thought, what a rare gem that is!
    Kefir sounds like it would be good to eat and good for you.
    I'll try it too.

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  8. Is the photo setup a studio one? You'll see the same furniture, backgrounds, plants and so on in many pix from a studio. They staged the scene then the subject, in best outfit, this was an occasion, posed as if on a stage. Some people even borrowed clothes from the studio to look smart, if they didn't own formal kit.

    I wonder if she was widowed in this pic? The chair might have honored her late husband, rather than have her sit.

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  9. Have fun with your new wireless toys! The photo is great and the chair is amazing. What a wonderful quote. :)

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  10. A lovely old photo you've shared today - Thank you MA!
    Am I right in thinking you're allergic to cows milk hence the probiotic kefir.
    Great that you've found a replacement that agrees with you.
    Great that you have an IT guru in the family!

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  11. My hubby has Kefir - he loves it. He often makes a smoothie with it and a banana. Says it tastes yummy!

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  12. My comments don't seem to be getting through. Wondering if it's a tablet issue? I wrote two which haven't appeared. Not a big deal, just wondering if you'd noticed.

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  13. Good morning, I just found your wonderful blog. You know this is a mourning photo, right? Your Great-Gpa must have passed before she did. She is still standing by his side which is represented by the empty chair (which is indeed beautiful.) I hope this doesn't offend you in any way - have no intention of doing such a thing, nor do I want to insult your intelligence. But where it is your family, if you didn't know, I just thought you might like to know she was faithful to him after his passing.
    Blessings

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  14. Oooooh......that chair....which descendant was this pretty passed down to?? Good luck with all that modern technology! You will have it down pat in next to no time. =)

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Thank you so much for leaving comments! I appreciate you taking the time out of your busy life to talk to me. It's wonderful to know that someone is actually reading my mumblings and even more fun if I can connect with you and visit your blog.