Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Rainbows and Petit Fours (Rainy Day Bakery)

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Starting point is 00:00:59 Welcome to Get Sleepy. Where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy. My name's Thomas, and it is my honor, as always, to be your host. We made it my friends, this is officially episode 500 on the Get Sleepy Public feed. Wow. When we first started the show I wasn't quite sure what to expect, I certainly would never have presumed we'd reach this point, but here we are and I couldn't be more grateful to each and every one of you that has listened to any or all of those 500 stories. And what better way to celebrate this landmark than by returning to the most quintessential

Starting point is 00:01:55 of Get Sleepy originals, the Rainy Day Bakery. And as an extra treat tomorrow night, we're releasing a long length stitched version of our series of tales about animals living in cities around the world. It will be available to all listeners, both on the public and premium feed, so be sure to join us back here tomorrow night to enjoy that. As with all these stories, it was written by the marvelously talented Shady Grove, and I'll be reading it for you. On this occasion, there's only a light drizzle in the forecast, but Lily has lots of treats to make in preparation for the grand reopening of the bookshop next door.

Starting point is 00:02:54 The first grand opening saw stormy weather and a flood, and the community had to come together to save the books. But they did, and now the little shop has a second chance to shine. As happened with the bookshop, sometimes things don't go the way we expect them to the first time around. Perhaps we don't achieve something we want on the first try, or there's an unexpected hiccup as we're attempting to finish a task. Or maybe when we lie down at night, we aren't able to fall asleep as quickly as we'd like. In moments like these, it's important to treat ourselves with kindness and compassion, the way we would with anyone else struggling in a similar way.

Starting point is 00:04:12 With time and patience come renewed opportunities, more chances to try new and different ways of doing what we hope to do. So remember, whether you're working towards a goal in life, or just trying to get a good night's sleep, if it doesn't happen immediately, that's okay. Be patient with yourself and give yourself permission to try again. Now let's close our eyes, take a deep breath in, and slowly control the exhale by breathing out through pursed lips. One more time, breathing in through the nose and out through pursed lips. Just sense how your body responds to those slow steady breaths. Relaxation is induced throughout your body and the cares of the day begin to quieten in your mind. Now just listen to the sound of my voice as we make our way to a familiar town. It's the wee hours of the morning, the sun hasn't risen yet, and there are rain clouds

Starting point is 00:06:08 in the sky. This is where our story begins. The The rhythmic sound of gentle rainfall ushers Lily out of dreams and into wakefulness. Colors, patterns, sounds and textures mix together in her mind as she drifts in and out of quiet consciousness. Memories of delicate summer sunlight become a curtain of dancing lights behind her eyelids, which fades to grey as Lily blinks her eyes open. Her bedroom is dark and familiar. Lily often rises before the sun in town to get to the bakery and put the first batch of cookies in the oven before her customers begin to arrive. She turns over in bed, pulling the covers up to her chin as she curls into a ball on her side. her side. She snuggles down into their comforting warmth, savoring the last few moments of calm before the day truly starts. With a sigh, she studies the soft folds of fabric near her face. The covers rise and fall

Starting point is 00:08:30 in peaks and valleys, soft and changeable. In these still moments, her mind is able to notice the small things, the movement of her chest as she breathes, the patterns in the rumpled sheets, the cozy tapping of the rain against the window. Once the day begins in earnest, it's easy for these tiny details to go unnoticed. Lily tries to be intentional about slowing down even when things are hectic, but in the early morning it comes naturally. There are no distractions, no surprises, nothing needing immediate attention. It's just Lily, her bedroom, and the rain outside, moving through time slowly and calmly. With a yawn, she stretches and dangles her legs over the side of the bed. She scrunches her toes into the plush slippers on the floor.

Starting point is 00:10:14 And, putting her palms on her thighs and pressing slightly, she stands up. she stands up. Though her mind is a little sleepy, Lily enjoys these quiet minutes to herself. Her morning routine is both comfortable and comforting, though she doesn't mind mixing things up every once in a while. But this morning, she'll keep to her usual pattern, she thinks, into the kitchen for a cup of tea and a few moments watching the still slumbering neighborhood through her window. She pads softly out of the bedroom. She puts on the kettle and shakes a bit of loose black tea into her tea bowl, screwing on the metal cap with the tiniest of squeaks. When the water is boiling, she pours it over the tea, watching as a deep, rich brown color

Starting point is 00:11:41 seeps from the leaves, spilling out in swells and fans. A splash of milk goes in next, and the tea turns cloudy. Lily carries the cup over to her favorite place by the window. Sitting down, she peers through the glass. The sun rises earlier at this time of year. The faintest hint of buttery yellow illuminates the edges of the ever-present rain clouds. Soon, everyone in the nearby houses will be waking up. But as always, Lily is the first, aside from the few neighborhood cats patrolling their homes in darkness. She sips her tea, her mind blissfully clear. details as they appear, but spends no time mulling over them.

Starting point is 00:13:10 A green leaf dances in the street. Streams of rainwater trickle down the glass and into one another like lace. The refrigerator hums quietly in the background. Her clock, in the shape of a cat with a moving tail, ticks rhythmically. A gentle breeze delicately rustles the branches of the tree in the yard. She hears herself take a sip of tea and swallow it. Her free hand moves gently on the wooden seat, making a soft shushing sound. When she readjusts, the seat creaks slightly. This is what her morning sounds like and looks like quiet, uncomplicated, rhythmic and serene. It's only when she realizes her cup is empty and the tea is gone that Lily is moved to start the rest of the day. It almost feels like her mind clicks on,

Starting point is 00:14:50 ready to think about what needs to happen next, rather than simply experiencing what goes on as it happens. as it happens. She stands up and walks to the sink where she washes out her cup and leaves it to dry on the bamboo rack. Then she makes her way into the bedroom and picks out what she'll wear today. Siding her feet into comfortable boots and pulling a raincoat around her shoulders, she is ready to head out the door. Lily locks the front door with a click. out the door. Lily locks the front door with a click. She takes her umbrella with the handle shaped like a duck's head and pops it open.

Starting point is 00:16:00 Gentle raindrops make a hollow pattering sound on the fabric as she walks down the road towards the bakery. As she passes by the neighbor's house, she looks in the window and sees two familiar familiar faces gazing out. A black cat and a white cat sitting side by side. Their eyes follow her as she ambles down the road, the tip of the white cat's tail twitching slightly back and forth. Lily waves to the cats, who blink slowly and then turn to find other amusements inside their home. Before long, she arrives at the bakery. Its colorful door issues a bright welcome, especially on this drizzly morning. wipes her feet on the mat and leaves her umbrella to dry in the stand. After these routine tasks are complete, she takes some time to appreciate her surroundings.

Starting point is 00:17:40 She has a special place in her heart for this particular moment, when she first opens the bakery in the early hours of the morning. The scents of yesterday's baking linger in the air. There's the yeasty aroma of fresh bread, There's the yeasty aroma of fresh bread, the sharp tang of lemon and blueberry from a batch of muffins, and the warm, familiar undercurrent of cinnamon. She can also smell the wood of the furnishings and the dampness left by her boots on the floor. It's a cozy mix of aromas that tells Lily she's in one of her favorite places, the bakery. the bakery. Taking a deep breath, Lily heads over to a cord hanging on the wall. She reaches for it and plugs it in, watching dozens of fairy lights twinkle to life above her. Now the day is truly ready to begin, she thinks to herself.

Starting point is 00:19:13 And what a special day it will be. If you can get everything done in time, a little voice in the back of her mind nudges her. She smiles and shakes her head. Sometimes that little voice is helpful, but other times it's best to just trust the process and know you have the experience required to do what needs to be done, she tells herself. What needs to be done today is a lot of delicate work with fine details. That's because she's making dozens of small treats for the official second grand opening

Starting point is 00:20:08 of the bookshop next door. Lily thinks back to the first grand opening months ago. It was a stormy autumn day. It was a stormy autumn day. She'd made a number of carrot cakes and was in the process of frosting them when the power went out. In fact, the storm knocked out the power to the whole block, and torrential rainfall flooded the bookshop. Lily's customers ran next door to help gather books off the floor and bottom shelves to save them from the water. And once they had, everyone came back to the bakery for some carrot cake by the light of candles Rose had set up all around. It was quite a night, she recalls. Since then, Simon, the new owner of the bookshop, had been working diligently to fix it up. It had the water-damaged carpet taken out, revealing revealing beautiful old hardwood floors. An unexpected but nice surprise, he'd told her. And he'd replaced many of the old bookshelves with newer, sturdier ones.

Starting point is 00:22:02 The flood had really just encouraged him to do an earlier than expected renovation, he said, so it turned out alright. But now, it's time for the second grand opening, the grand reopening, and Lily has baking to do. Her plan is to make seven dozen Petit Four little bite-sized cakes for the party next door. She's only previously made Petit Four once. Delicate confections aren't usually what she's drawn to. But they really are the most perfect party treat, she thinks. Small, elegant, appealing, small, elegant, appealing, and delightfully decorated. When she first heard the term Petty Four as a child, she thought they always came in four

Starting point is 00:23:28 rather than three or five. But when she was older, she learned that the name actually means small oven in French. In the 18th and 19th centuries, baking was often done in large coal or wood-fired stone or brick ovens. It was harder to control exact temperatures in those types of ovens. So, when the fire was roaring and at its hottest, Cooks would prepare things like meats and main dishes. That was called grand four or big oven. And once it had begun to cool down, it was called petit four, small oven, and they would make more delicate items like pastries. Lily plans to make white chocolate dipped vanilla Petit Four with piped rosettes on top. They'll look like tiny boxes, snow-white in color, with elegant pink frosted flowers on top. Lily has read countless Petit Four recipes.

Starting point is 00:25:00 Many of the more traditional ones call for the little cakes to be covered in fondant, but she prefers the taste of white chocolate, even if it means they don't look quite as picture perfect. Trying on an apron, she heads to the pantry to gather the shelf-stable ingredients. There, she finds sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, as well as white melting chocolate, coconut oil, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. And from the refrigerator, she gathers butter, eggs, and milk. She'll begin by making the cake. It will have to chill for several hours before she can cut it and dip the pieces in chocolate. And finally, once the chocolate glaze has set, she'll be the oven. Then, she takes the ingredients over to her large stand mixer.

Starting point is 00:26:36 Lily starts by creaming together the butter and sugar and adding the eggs one by one until they're fully incorporated. Next, she sifts together the dry ingredients. She uses an old-fashioned sifter given to her by her father many years ago. sifter given to her by her father many years ago. She turns the handle on the side, and the sifter makes a gentle grinding, rumbling sound as the flour, baking powder, and salt tumble through the mesh, mixing together in the process. When the dry ingredients are combined, she adds them to the butter and sugar mixture, alternating with the milk. Wet, dry, wet, dry, she whispers to herself as she makes the additions. Finally, she adds the vanilla at the very end. It's not an elaborate recipe by any means, but it makes the perfect vanilla cake base

Starting point is 00:28:10 for the white chocolate glaze. Sometimes, simple is best, Lily thinks with a smile. She wipes her hands on her apron, her palms leaving behind streaks of white flour on the black fabric. Grinning, she pats her apron a bit harder, sending up a small cloud of flour. It's something she used to love to do as a child when baking was half play. And it always makes her happy now to fall back into those memories by doing something a little silly as she wags. With the oven ready, she pours the cake batter into a greased sheet pan. It will bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. There is something so relaxing about making an easy cake I've made a thousand times before, Lily muses as she gazes

Starting point is 00:29:37 out the window. It's still drizzling outside, tiny droplets splattering against the glass when the breeze picks up. There are no exceptionally large puddles on the street outside, but several small ones dot the pavement here and there. The sun has finally risen now, though it's mostly hidden behind the grey clouds. Every now and then, a sliver of sunlight peeks out from behind gloomy wisps of cloud. In those moments, the puddles on the ground are rimmed with gold, and the water droplets on the leaves of the trees shine and sparkle. It's a magical sight, as though the whole world has been sprinkled in fairy

Starting point is 00:30:51 dust, Lily thinks to herself. And then, as quickly as it came, the sun disappears once again behind the clouds. As she's considering the changeable weather, a sound at the door pulls her from her thoughts. It's Seamus, here for his morning coffee and cinnamon roll. He's often the first customer of the day, but I reckon it'll shape up to be a fine day by afternoon. Lily grins, handing him his coffee and roll. She hopes it will be a nice afternoon, she tells him, especially since it's the grand reopening of the bookshop. I'll be sure to stop by and pick something up to read. After all, I could use some new poetry," he says, patting his coat pocket.

Starting point is 00:32:30 Lily isn't sure why he pats his pocket. Perhaps he used to carry a book of poetry with him. Those books are often smaller than the other kinds she recalls. Books are often smaller than the other kinds, she recalls. She likes to think of Seamus as a bit of an old romantic. A book of poems at hand certainly fits the bill. Maybe she'll ask him another day, but for now she has to make the frosting. As Seamus takes his usual seat by the window and pulls out his newspaper to read, Lily Lili combines powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla and whips it together until it's the right consistency. It has to be thick enough to hold its shape when it's piped onto the cakes, but not so thick that it has trouble coming out of the piping bag.

Starting point is 00:33:50 Once the frosting is done, she carefully adds a few drops of food coloring. It seeps into the white frosting, turning it a soft, rose petal pink. Perfect, she thinks. Just then, the oven timer beeps. Lily sides on a pair of oven mitts and pulls out the cake. of oven mitts and pulls out the cake. She tests the center with a toothpick, which comes out clean. As the cake cools on a wire rack, Lily gets to work preparing some of the other goodies she'll be offering at the bakery today. Almost without thinking, she puts together a double batch of chocolate chip cookies. She's made thousands of cookies over the years. I could probably bake these start to finish with my eyes closed, she thinks with a grin. Once the cake is cool enough, she cuts it into small cubes.

Starting point is 00:35:21 These she places in the freezer to chill for a couple of hours. That way, they'll stand up to the melted chocolate coating. While she waits for the cake to chill, she makes blueberry muffins and a savory yogurt and herb quick bread. Several regular customers come and go. They order hot chocolates, lattes, and cappuccinos. Oat milk, coconut milk half and half is poured over and over again. Lily falls into the rhythm of making espresso drinks, grinding the beans, flicking the little lever to dispense the grounds, tamping them down in the round holder and knocking it gently into the machine, filling the cold metal cup with milk and lifting it up to the steamer which hisses and splutters as it heats the liquid. Then finally, pouring the frothy milk into the espresso shots and watching them swirl together in soft patterns. Her fingertips always smell a bit like espresso she's noticed over the years.

Starting point is 00:37:12 No matter how many times she washes them with soap and lemon, there's always a hint of it there. She doesn't mind though, it's just part of who she is through and through. The hours float by Lily as she does the tasks she loves to do. Before she knows it, it's time to take the cake cubes out of the freezer. Before she does that, she pours out her chocolate and a bit of coconut oil. She stirs them together and watches as they liquefy. It's the typical mid-afternoon lol, which is helpful for Lily. Minutes go by without any new customers, and the ones already inside are engrossed in reading or enjoying their treats and drinks. drinks. She can relax a bit as she stirs the melting chocolate, savouring the perfect consistency.

Starting point is 00:39:13 She removes the chocolate from the heat and pulls the cake cubes from the freezer. Quickly and methodically, she dips the cake in the chocolate, covering it on all sides other than the bottom. She sets the cubes on a wire rack one by one to cool and harden. When she's done, there is a flock of snow-white treats perched on racks like birds on a wire. Just then, a familiar face appears on the other side of the counter. Lily smiles as Simon asks for a hot chocolate if it wouldn't be too much trouble. No trouble at all, Lily assures him. He notices the nearly finished cakes behind her. His smile mirrors her own. He hadn't asked her to bake anything for his grand

Starting point is 00:40:31 reopening, but she'd told him it was only right to have a little special something for people who stopped by. Besides, she'd made carrot cakes for the first grand opening, so it really made sense for her to do something doubly special the second time around. After a bit of protesting, he'd relented. After a bit of protesting, he'd relented. Lily could tell he didn't want to be a bother, but it made her genuinely happy to think of him being able to celebrate his bookshop in style, especially after a flood. Handing him his hot chocolate, she gestures to the petty four behind her. I'll bring them over as soon as they're decorated, she says. Simon nods and thanks her, before hurrying back to the bookshop to prepare for the opening.

Starting point is 00:41:52 As Lily is turning around, her elbow catches the bowl of frosting. It clatters to the ground, its contents splattering all over the floor and nearby cabinets. Seamus looks up from the book he's reading. He's long since finished his morning paper. Need any help over there? he asks. Everything's fine, she tells him. I've just had a little mishap with my frosting. Lily bends down and begins to clean up the mess. She scrapes out the bowl and wipes down the floor and cabinets. When she's finished, she heads to the pantry to gather more ingredients.

Starting point is 00:42:56 She'll have to remake the frosting. Hopefully there's enough time to get it all done. The little voice in her mind nudges again. Inside the pantry, Lily frowns. She thought she had another bag of powdered sugar, but the place on the shelf where she keeps it is empty. She knows there's not enough time to go out to the shop and buy more, and she can't leave the bakery unattended. Perhaps she could make another kind of frosting, she wonders. But she either doesn't have enough time or enough of one ingredient for any of them.

Starting point is 00:43:59 Heading back behind the counter, she looks at the little cakes. They seem so incomplete, she thinks, sighing. Seamus hears the sigh and stands up, walking over to the counter. He asks her what's wrong, and she explains that she needs to decorate the petty four in time for the celebration next door. It wouldn't be the worst thing to serve them as they are, she tells him, but they'd look so much better with pretty little flowers like she'd planned. Seamus looks thoughtful. I'll be right back, he says as he walks out the door. as he walks out the door. A few customers come and go as Lily contemplates the plain cubes of cake. She'll have to make do, she tells herself. They'll still taste good, she knows, but she can't help but feel disappointed.

Starting point is 00:45:32 The clock above the oven ticks, and the time of the grand reopening grows nearer. The light rain patters against the glass outside, and the dull grey clouds hang low. It looks like Seamus was wrong this time, she thinks to herself. It's not turning out to be a very nice afternoon. Lily begins to pluck the tiny cakes from the wire rack and set them on decorative plates. As she's resigning herself to serving white cakes on white plates, Seamus returns, grasping something carefully between his palms. He winks at Lily and opens his hands, sending dozens of tiny, rain-kissed purple blooms tumbling over the counter. Lily gasps. They're violets, she realizes. And violets are edible, Seamus says, as though reading her thoughts.

Starting point is 00:47:14 They'll be absolutely perfect, Lily says, taking his hands in her own. She thanks him over and over again, but he brushes off the praise with a wave. We can't have our favorite baker disappointed on such a special occasion now, can we? he says. Lily smiles broadly and gathers up the flowers. She heats up a little more white chocolate and uses a toothpick to dab a tiny amount on each cake. Carefully, she places a single violet in every drop of soft chocolate. Before long, the simple white petit four look absolutely beautiful. Rather than being plain, they've transformed into something truly elegant. Glancing at the clock, Lily realizes it's time to be heading next door. She calls out to Seamus, inviting him to join her. After all, he was the one who saved the day. He'd be happy to, he tells her as he picks up a plate of petit four. Together, they walk through the connecting door between the two shops. When Simon sees them, his eyes crinkle at the edges, and he beams.

Starting point is 00:49:14 They're beautiful, he says, pointing to the petty four. Lily and Seamus set out the plates on a table nestled between two large oak bookshelves. Lily looks around the shop. the simple cakes, it's been transformed into something truly lovely. Dark hardwood floors gleam in the gentle light of antique glass lamps. Books of all sizes and styles line row after row of sturdy shelves. In every corner, there are comfortable chairs, perfect for cozying up with a good book. But while Lily's attention is inside the shop, Seamus looks outside. Since they left the bakery, the rain has stopped, and through the panes of the glass, a beautiful double rainbow spreads over the town. I thought so, he says, catching Lily's eye. It really has shaped up to be quite a fine day. And together, they watch as Simon begins to welcome the first guests at the front door. You You You You The I'm going to go ahead and close the video. You You You You Music You You You I'm going to go ahead and start the video. The You You You You You. you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Rainbows and Petit Fours (Rainy Day Bakery)

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