Cows, Cows, And More Cows

Bright and early this morning whilst out walking Barley, our rescue dog, we decided to walk in a different direction for a change of scenery.

It turned out to be a good decision as we ended up by a field of cows overlooking the sea. The cows seemed very eager to pose for photos.
We'll that's what we like to believe, but it's probably more likely that they wandered over to us because they thought we had food for them.

We do appreciate that we have some really good walking area by our house, it's nice to be right next to the sea and the countryside.

It's a perfect area for dog walking, and for us to get some exercise out in the fresh air.

Obviously, having a dog in the family means we walk quite a lot.
I say we, but in reality it's Mr.R who does the most walking with Barley.
I usually only go out twice a day, once in the morning and then in the early evening.
Mr.R does these two walks too, and a few others.

Anyway, this morning we felt like a change for our usual route, hence our venture in to cow country.
Having said that, our usual route is not the same every day, we do like to mix-it-up and walk in various local areas because we like to keep Barley interested in what's going on around here. Not that there's much of anything going on. It's a pretty peaceful area, and even the cows were quiet and chilled. As we stood taking photos of them, and chatting to them (me, not Mr.R or Barley) they just returned our gaze, silently - not so much as one single good morning ''Moo!''

The morning walk started off cloudy and dull, as you can see from the photos.

The sun did make an appearance later, but not until we'd returned to the house.

It was mainly because of the lack of sunshine that I chose to mess about adding various filters and effects to my photos. Well, the crappy weather and the fact that I thoroughly enjoy playing with my many photo apps.
Hope you like the photos!

Do you enjoy walking in the country? Or strolling by the sea?
What's your local area like?

Sloggi - Double Comfort Top

Sloggi Double Comfort Top.

I don't like wearing bras, as in proper bras that lift, shape, and do many other things to my boobs, all of which I find uncomfortable and unnecessary.
I am so against bra wearing that I don't usually wear anything. Thankfully my boobs are small so I don't need to wear a bra.

Lately though it's been cold, and mainly as an extra layer of clothing to keep my boobs warm I thought I'd buy a bra top. More accurately for warmth, and to stop my nipples being so prominently on display, I thought I'd buy a bra top.

Sloggi - Double Comfort Top

Having lost all of my lovely Donna Karen lingerie, (thanks to Catania airport) which was not only lovely but also quite expensive, I thought I'd buy something basic this time. No frills. Low price.
I do like pretty feminine lingerie, but I also like not wearing any underwear, and as I rarely leave the house except to walk the dog, I'm not in the mood to buy or wear lovely lingerie. So Sloggi is fine for me, for now.

As I've said in various other blog posts I don't like shopping, as in actually going out to the shops, which is why I purchase almost everything I want or need online.
Amazon UK is usually where I start my search for anything I want to buy.
I've purchased Sloggi products in the past, many many years ago when I was a teenager, and I found them to be good quality, decent prices, and they lasted well. In fact I never threw anything away because it had worn out, I simply stopped wearing my Sloggi underwear because I fancied a change.

Anyway, I decided I wanted a bra top, something that felt comfortable to wear and would give me a little nipple protection.
A quick search on Amazon UK and I found something I thought would be suitable. I ordered a Sloggi Double Comfort Top Women's Vest. I chose the black one. I think it's also available in white, pearl, and purple. I paid £11.05 with free delivery.

Front of the top. I lightened the photo to try and show the detail.

Having spent a couple of years travelling round the World, by which I mean drinking my way round the World, it's probably not surprising that I've gained weight. I have never been as fat as I am now. It was with that in mind that I ordered what I thought was my size.
Plus a lot of the customer reviews said that the top came up small, so it was advisable to order a larger size.
The Sloggi double comfort top arrived, and as soon as I took it out of its box I could see it was very large, way too big for me. It was so large I said to Mr.R that we could both fit in it, and probably our dog Barley could fit too. Although this didn't seem like a practical option, so I returned the bra top, asking for a much smaller size.
I'm not writing the sizes I ordered because one, I can't remember, and two, I found the way the sizes were written on Amazon to be confusing, so they're not really relevant to this post.

I actually wasn't expecting to receive a smaller replacement bra top, because I sensed that the one I'd sent back would go missing in the post. But my psychic feelings were obviously incorrect because surprisingly a few days later the post lady knocked on the door with my new bra top.
This smaller size was much better. It fitted me, and only me.

I've worn the Sloggi bra top a few times, it's comfortable, I don't know I'm wearing it for most of the day. It's only in the evening that I feel its presence, which is easily solved by whipping it off.

I only ordered one of the Sloggi bra tops because I am rarely successful when shopping for clothes for myself. I thought that if I liked it, I'd order more at a later date.
I do like it, but I'm not ordering any more.
I thought that as I've managed for nearly a year (that's how infrequently I bother to wear a bra) with just the one Donna Karen bra that the airline didn't steal lose (the one I was wearing when I boarded the flight) I probably don't need more than one bra top.
Also I don't think bras are good for my health, or any womans health. I have many thoughts about that subject, but that's for another blog post.

So, I purchased a Sloggi Double Comfort Top from Amazon UK. It is a bra top, not a proper bra, which means it doesn't give you much support, but then that's not its job. It slips over your head, it doesn't have any fastenings.
It's made of 95% cotton and 5% elastane. I like cotton clothing, or natural fibres, because I get terrible static shock off of manmade fibres. Plus cotton feels nicer against my skin.
The Sloggi bra top is soft, comfortable, washes well, and I know it will last for a long time. I'm sure it will last much longer than even Sloggi would expect, because I've had it for a couple of months now, and I've only worn it a few times.

Back of the top. I lightened the photo to try and show the detail.

What are your thoughts, feelings about wearing a bra?
Do you like bras?

Damiano Organic Raw Almond Butter

Almond Butter!

It seems everywhere I look online, Instagram, twitter, facebook, and various food websites, people are raving about how delicious almond butter is.
I wanted to know why almond butter is so popular, so I bought some.
Then I decided to write about my thoughts on almond butter.

I always use 100 words when 10 would suffice, so I'd written an extremely long blog post on this blog about almond butter.
Who knew almond butter could be such an interesting product? Hehe!
I was re-reading what I'd written because I couldn't remember as the post had been waiting in drafts for ages, when the screen flickered, went black, then white, and then nothing.
My long post with millions of words, that's only a slight exaggeration, had vanished. Feck!

Blogger autosave is excellent.
But in this instance it was a little too efficient. It saved my blank blog post page before I had the chance to hit the back button, which then would have saved my almond butter post.
Oh well, c'est la vie!

The ramblings about almond butter were not important, but I was pissed-off that I'd lost everything I'd written. Actually it wasn't the words vanishing that pissed me off, it was that as I was reading through what I'd written I was also uploading photos. Twelve photos to be exact.
Yes, twelve photos of almond butter. Excessive? No! I enjoy taking photos, and I especially enjoy messing about editing with photo apps.
So, I'd successfully added ten photos to my words, and only had the final two to upload, when the page went blank.
So it was my time being wasted, as I uploaded the photos, that irked me more than my words disappearing.

I say my words disappeared, but I am aware that that's not entirely accurate.
I know that nothing is ever truly deleted once it's online.
But as I'm an eejit as far as technology is concerned, I have little to no idea how to find my blog post about almond butter. I did ask Google, and tried everything I found as possible ways to reinstate my blog post, but alas no joy.

So, this morning I thought I'd write a very short and precise post about the almond butter, just so I could get rid of the photos of the almond butter off of my phone.
Obviously I could delete them, but I don't like doing that, despite the pictures being digital, it feels wasteful to delete them.

As is now blatantly obvious I have not managed to keep this blog post about almond butter short. And I haven't even got round to saying what I thought about the almond butter.

Right, I am focused.
I am tempted to try and write roughly what I wrote before, or what I can remember of it. It was quite amusing, honestly it was, but I'm too tired, and having trouble concentrating because the dog next door is barking - a lot, and the wind is howling down the chimney. So I will keep it short - this part of the blog post anyway.

I bought some almond butter.
I don't enjoy proper shopping, as in going to a real shop, so I buy almost everything online.
I looked on Amazon UK and after reading a few reviews on several brands of almond butter I chose Damiano Organic Raw Almond Butter. I ordered a pack of 2 180g jars, for £9.10.
When the almond butter arrived I opened one of the jars, it didn't look particularly appetising, and it had no aroma at all.
I put the jar in the fridge, and that's where it stayed for a couple of weeks, because I forgot all about it.

Eventually I remembered the jar of almond butter, and decided to try it.
What I hadn't remembered was reading that the contents of the jar need a thorough stir before use. This explains why my first taste of almond butter was not an enjoyable experience. The contents had separated in to oil and gloopy almonds.
The next time I tried the almond butter I remembered to give it a really good stir.

I wasn't overly excited by the taste of the Damiano Organic Raw Almond Butter, not because there's anything wrong with this brand, but probably because I'm not a fan of nut butters. I mainly ordered it because I fancied something different to smother on top of the delicious home-baked bread that Mr.R lovingly makes for us.

I was looking forward to finishing the jar of almond butter, as I wasn't enjoying it that much. It was quite drying, supping all the moisture from my mouth as I ate.
I didn't have anyone to give the unopened second jar of almond butter to, and as I don't like to throw food away, I knew I was going to eat it myself.
One day as I spread the almond butter on my toast, I thought I'd go American. I had pb&j, or ab&j to be precise.
I've never eaten peanut butter, or in this case almond butter with jam in my life. Despite, in a different lifetime, working for several American families who all scoffed peanut butter and jam on bread like it was going out of fashion.
It's not that I don't like sweet and savoury foods together, I love cheese and jam.
Yes, I said jam, it's not jelly, it is jam. I am not American, I am a Brit. Jelly is the wibbly-wobbly stuff we eat at childrens parties with ice-cream.
I digress.
Anyway, I thought I'd go American, so I topped the almond butter with cherry jam. The sweet fruity addition definitely made my breakfast more tasty. And after my first foray in to the nut butter and jam experience, I never went back. I ate the rest of the almond butter with jam, never on its own.

So, what did I think of the Damiano Organic Raw Almond Butter?
It's alright.
It didn't taste particularly of almonds, it was quite subtle, but the texture was nice and smooth, and it was filling.
I doubt I'll be ordering any more though. I can't understand why so many people rave about how moorish almond butter is, and how they enjoy eating it straight out of the jar, even eating a whole jar in one sitting.
I'm pleased to have tried almond butter, to have satisfied my curiosity, but I think I've had enough - for now.
If I do ever fancy eating almond butter again, I shall make my own.
That's another thing that seems to be everywhere on the web, nut butter recipes. If that's what they are, I mean whizzing up some nuts in a blender isn't really a recipe.

So, yeah, the Damiano raw almond butter was ok, but in the future if I get a craving I'll simply make my own. I'll have to buy a blender first though as I don't have one.

Do you like nut butters? Almond butter?
Do you make your own?
Have you got a spare blender looking for a new home? ;)

Lovely Dog - Barley the Lurcher

It's been about 4 months since we adopted our lovely dog, Barley the Lurcher.
He seems to have settled in with our family very well, he's healthy and happy.

It's thanks to Barley that Mr.R and myself are getting lots of fresh air and exercise, mainly on our morning walks in the countryside by our house overlooking the sea.

Barley loves to go out, he's always eager for 'walkies', but he's also more than happy to nod off in front of the fire.

We've never had a rescue dog before, and the experience is definitely different to the one we had with our last dog - a Great Dane which we got as a puppy.
Barley is about 2 years old, and as the rescue centre didn't have any information about his background we can only guess what his life was like before he joined our family.

Mr.R cooks lots of tasty foods for Barley, which he scoffs down crazily fast.
He's a very food orientated boy, at least he is when he's in doors, when he's out and we're trying to teach him recall; wildly waving bits of sausage or other tantalising treats in the air, Barley seems much less food obsessed, and far more interested in zooming round the fields like a dog possessed.
Thankfully he does come back to us eventually, when he're ready, not when we we are.

It's weird how it feels as though Barley has always been with us, neither of us can remember our house without him in it.
Adopting Barley, our lovely Lurcher, was one of the best things we've ever done. We hope he feels the same way.

I love dogs!
Do you like dogs? 
Do you have a dog?