I just finished my last day of work and I am now on vacation. I'm happy about it so I am telling everyone. Thought I would stop by the lounge for a pre-dinner cocktail or two followed by some good food. Whats everyone having?

Oh good on you Pagan!

By all means let's open a bottle of wine if you are up for it....

Got a good sourdough baguette and some chipotle olive oil and some good olives....

How about we start with that....?

I would kill for some chipotle oil but i cannot get it here! i can't find it anywhere - nowhere seems to stock it anymore and i love it. i use chilli oil but it is not the same. i am so jealous!!!

Good Monday to you all!!... Have a great vacation Pagan and a fabulous day my DS sweeties!!....xo

Hi everyone!

I'm having Trader Joe's frozen butternut squash risotto for my Monday morning breakfast. I'll bring bowls and we can all have some. Hot and savory.

All the food that's appeared in here theist few days that I'be been gone sounds amazing, what fun to read about it.

Hope everyone is well and has a nice week.

I'm bringing out the Chipotle Olive Oil again with some Lemon Balsamic Vinegar and a sourdough baguette...

Appetizer time...

I'm up for a late night snack and baguette with chipotle oil and balsamic vinaigrette sounds just delicious.

Y'all know how to eat in here. This is better snacks then any psych ward or detox lounge I've ever been in, and I've been in a few. I suppose because it's all imaginary and thus free.

Nothing wrong with imagining wonderful things. I'm going to imagine up a nice big cup of coffee for myself. Might even make one IRL here in Hollywood as that's all I've got in my pantry right now.

Next up, okay, it's time to burn some incense in here, light some candles, and I'm going to curl up on this nice couch much as I am curled up on my couch at home watching CNN about the Brussels attacks. Did you guys hear about this yet? It sucks. More terrorism. Shit.

first thing I woke up to this morning when i checked the news feed on my phone - the brussels attacks - horrendous - what can I say? It makes me, and I am sure, us all feel totally impotent in the face of these atrocities. nowhere seems to be safe anymore. the disregard for human life and people's own choices is difficult to get the head around. how can a whole group of people be so blinded by hyperbole and brainwashing. do we learn nothing from history - from the slaughter of the native americans, the slaves worldwide, whole nations by the british empire, the spanish inquisition, the jews, gypsies, etc by the nazis, the aborigines by the irish, the oppressed soon become the oppressors. none of us are blameless and so it continues while nobody it seems will just sit down and talk. nothing seems to stop the death of the millions who keep being slaughtered usually in the 'name' of some 'god' or other when really it all boils down to money in the end and who has it and who controls it. in the meantime we have to live in fear of the person walking down the street, the abandoned shopping bag, the furtive looks, the odd looking individual - it is no way to live a life. I despair at it all. we can only try to make our own little oasis of peace in our lives and in virtual reality (here in the lounge) and hope that it makes some little difference in the daily slog through the mire and try to find the glimmer of hope that humanity will win through somehow in end and see the beauty of the world and each other and stop trying to annihilate it. apologies for the rant!

having a big pot of coffee now and being very grateful for my warm house and the peace and quiet and appreciating the freedom i have to enjoy it and grateful to the men and women who fought 100 years ago that i might be able to do these simple things and speak without repercussions. we are so blessed in so many ways to live in freedom.

I'll join you in a cuppa....

good to see you May, there is a need for good human contact in the face of tragedies like this..we cn only reach out to each other and try to make the difference that makes a difference in some small way!

I whole heartedly agree I think I'm going to hang out for a good long while...

i put on the woolies and drove to the shore and took a lovely walk on the beach. it was about 10 degrees celcius so it was nice and mild. i collected some beautiful stones and the sea was just perfect. it was all so calm and i had the whole place to myself. the colours of the stones were pinks, purples, oranges, whites, greys and yellows so i am looking forward to arranging them when i collect some new baskets. something beautiful to create to counteract the ugliness somehow. I also brought an empty bookshelf downstairs when I came home and filled with angel books that a friend gifted me with the other day and it looks lovely in my hallway (although I am being over run by books!).
I brought a big cottage pie to the lounge this evening for dinner with carrots and peas and lots of mashed potato and gravy and a very nice red wine and we can sit on the couch by the fire and have big platefuls of it. there's ice-cream and chocolate mousse with baileys cream liqueur in it for dessert if there are any takers. enjoy...

I came back from and extended absence to find you had added a lounge and are doing remodeling, I like what you have done with the place. :)

Hi Firefly welcome...

I'm going to hang out by the fire drinking a camomile tea and reading...

I'll probably fall asleep in this recliner....brought a quilt and my bunny slippers...don't mind me....I put on the colored lanterns...

Oh, guys. The roads are rough but road trips are FUN! (When you actually WANT to go somewhere....lol).

I've got bagels and cream cheese, lox & tomatoes -- any takers?

Hope everyone has a great day!