A Taste for Living at The Hearth and Soul Link Party

Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Link Party!  Having a taste for living means enjoying all life has to offer.

I am fascinated by homonyms, words that have more than one meaning. For example the word “taste” can refer to our sensory ability to distinguish flavours or it can refer to having an experience of something as in “an uplifting taste of victory”. It can also mean you enjoy something as in “She has a taste for luxury”, and of course it can also refer to the ability to judge things that are suitable as in “He has such good taste, he always knows what gifts to buy.” All of these meanings can refer to the things we share at Hearth and Soul, whether it’s the taste of good food, ideas for the home, travel or the arts. I hope that you find lots of inspiration to help you get the most out of life here at the link up each week.

The Hearth and Soul Link Party welcomes blog posts about anything that feeds the soul. Things that feed the soul may include (but are not limited to) recipes, decorating, crafts, family, home, DIY, organization, travel, book reviews, the arts and self improvement.

What’s Been Happening

How are things going in your corner of the world? It’s a Bank Holiday Weekend here in the UK, so Monday is a national holiday! Yay! Although our movements are still quite restricted, we are enjoying some of our new freedoms like being able to shop in non-essential shops, dine outdoors in restaurants and have outdoor visits with up to five other family members or friends (from no more than 2 households).

Spring has definitely sprung here, the bluebells are out and the woods near our home are a sea of blue. It’s such a gorgeous time of year when the sun shines, although next week it looks like we could see a fair amount of rain, which complicates outdoor visits and dining! Roll on 17th May when, if we are able to stick to the road out of lockdown timetable, we will be able to visit with small numbers of family and friends indoors. I can’t wait!! We have a trip planned to visit our son and his partner. It will be the first night we have spent away from home in six months.

In the UK, having our vaccinations does not set us free from national restrictions. Restrictions do vary between England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland, but within each country everyone is subject to the same national restrictions, whether they have been vaccinated or not.

A Taste For Living On The Blog

Last week I shared a visit to a beautiful Tudor-built home that offers a glimpse into family life amongst England’s upper classes.

Don’t miss this virtual Visit To Greys Court near Henley on Thames. The house is closed to tours at the moment due to lockdown restrictions but I have photographs from visits we made before the pandemic so you can have a peek inside, as well as take a virtual walk in the garden.

We have all been spending so much time in our homes, it’s no wonder many of us are wanting to freshen them up for spring. If you are looking for inspiration, these Easy Low Cost Decorating Ideas for Spring could definitely come in handy!

On the food front, I’m featuring one of my favourite pound cakes.

A warming triumvirate of gingers – fresh, dried and crystallised – make this gently but richly spiced Triple Ginger Pound Cake recipe one I make again and again. Whether you serve it at teatime or with a scoop of ice cream for dessert, it’s sure to please!

Thank you all for sharing your wonderful content each week.

A Taste for Living Featured Posts

A taste for living featured posts, from top left, clockwise:-

Lauren, Miz Helen Adam’s granddaughter, shared some of her family’s Outdoor Adventures in Germany, reminding us how important it is to explore the place where we live. I found this particularly inspiring now, as most of us will be staying in the country where we live for at least the next few months.

Cindy, from Cindy’s On-Line Recipe Box, shared a taste for living with this delicious family recipe for her Gram and Aunt Irene’s Kolaches, large or small yeasted dough rounds with fruit and cheese toppings. Cindy even has a sugar free version of the recipe if you are cutting back on sugar. You can have a taste for living and be healthier too!

Pat of Mille Fiore Favoriti brought a little glimpse into her beautiful corner of the world in Early Spring in Colorado. I always enjoy learning more about where you all live, and it is especially inspiring now when we can’t travel outside of the United Kingdom.

CJ, from Morsels of Life takes banana bread to a new level with this very tempting Caramelized Banana Bread. It has less sugar than many banana breads and you can use half whole wheat flour so it’s healthier too.

On with the party!

The Hearth and Soul Link Party

• Please do not link to anything except blog posts. Please share the permalink to your blog post, and not to the home page of your blog.
• Linking your blog posts here means you consent to me sharing as many of them as I can on Pinterest, Twitter, and both my blog Facebook page and  The Hearth and Soul Facebook Page and featuring them on my blog with photographs from the post. By sharing here, you assert that you own the content and photographs and can give me this permission.
• It’s easier for me to share if you have share buttons on your blog, and if you put links to your social media on your home page. 
• Please consider sharing the party with your friends and followers. There are share buttons at the top and bottom of this post to help make it easy.

What will you share with the party this week? I wish you a happy, healthy week!