Happy New Year!

Conditions at 6:00 am - clear skies and -3'
Expected later - a mix of sun and cloud and +1'

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day - one I truly wished I was off to enjoy. The sun came out in the morning and stayed out for most of the day. The bit of freezing rain we received the day  before was shining in the tree tops as the sun beamed down on them. It was a perfect day for a walk, or ski, in the woods. I'm so sorry I missed it! But at least I got to go outside and enjoy the weather from time to time if only from the comfort of the car.

Last night we had our next door neighbours over for supper. It's been long overdue and it was a pleasant evening. We had a lovely meal prepared by my more than capable husband. It was fairly simple, as I don't think they are quite as used to what my son in law refers to as  'the weird food' I usually serve!  We started off with shrimp cocktail, followed by brown rice, with mushrooms and lemon zest, pan fried cod, baby peas, and corn and finished with warm apple crisp with ice cream.

Tonight however, will be a little different. I was going to post the menu but then that would spoil the surprise! Brenda and Bernie, Marlene and Raymond will be joining us tonight. Lloyd has planned quite a feast. But the up side is it can all be cooked after I get home so he's not left doing it all by himself tonight. He did make the dessert yesterday, and that is chilling as we speak, but the rest will be prepared later. I'm really looking forward to this evening. Although I did have a couple of glasses of wine too many last night and I woke up with quite a head ache around 1:30 but some pain relievers fixed it right up. SO this morning I'm good to go.

Lloyd had coffee with the VanGaals yesterday and he and Meghan(1) are leaving around lunch time on Saturday, stopping in to Grand Falls on the way, and then they plan to drive right through, but it will, of course, depend on the weather. They should be okay. Monday here, could be a different story, once again. For the fifth Monday in a row, we are expecting a storm - this one should bring 15 cms of snow with it. I think we should just declare Mondays as part of the weekend for the rest of the winter and be done with it.

I'm going to spend the weekend taking down the decorations and maybe, just maybe, I'll get into my craft room upstairs. It has sadly deteriorated in terms of it's functionality. I really need to get in there and straighten it up. It became somewhat of a dumping ground over the holidays and then of course, Meghan(2) was doing crafts in there as well, so it desperately needs some attention so I can use it again for it's intended purpose.

I was reading back through a couple of my posts yesterday and there was a lot of things we wanted to do over the holidays that just didn't get done. We always try to pack so much into that little time we have together. Maybe next year will be different. I know the kids won't be here as it's Greg's mom's birthday on Christmas day and next year she turns 60. So, of course, all the family should be together next year for that. I know they'll all have a wonderful time. The best part of it is, it will be a lot less stressful for everyone travel wise, as they can drive to the cottage in a couple of hours! 

Well, I'd better get going, I have a couple of things to pick up at the store on my way to work this morning.

Happy New Year Everyone!

The best Christmas gifts ever

Conditions at 5:30 am - a little windy and -4'
Expected later - mix of sun and cloud and -2'

This year I received two very special gifts that mean a great deal to me.

The first one I received when the kids arrived at the Charlottetown airport. In his hands, James was carrying a handmade centre piece. It consisted of an orange juice can wrapped in bright Christmas fabric, and secured with a ribbon. Inside was an assortment of live evergreen sprigs, accented with a silk pointsettia, and in the centre standing proud and tall was a column of red, green and white pipe cleaners twisted together. At the top of the pipe cleaners was a small square of red construction paper with the words "My grandma is awesome" handwritten on it. When he gave it to me in the airport he reported that there was "the green stuff inside" so that I could add water to it. Apparently he came home from school with this and Patti just assumed it was for Greg's mom, as she lives in town. But no, he announced it was for me. She asked how he was going to get it here, and he said he was going to carry it. "All the way to PEI?" she asked, and he said Yes.
I'm sure that he brought a smile to the faces of many people as he traveled through the Toronto airport, flew to Ottawa, waited for a connecting flight to Halifax, then the plane to Nova Scotia and ending the day going to a hotel. Then the next morning catching the flight to Charlottetown, all the while holding this precious piece of art work. To me, that was the true meaning of Christmas - someone working hard to make something special for someone they care about, then going to great lengths to see that it gets there safely. I displayed it on my desk all day and everyone was delighted with the story. It was a little thing that reminded everyone what Christmas is really supposed to be about.


The second special gift I received was from Meghan. It was a calendar that had

blank pages for the cover and each month, so you could customize each one. The front cover has a carefully drawn picture of me and Meghan. Inside is a hand drawn picture appropriate for each particular month. January has a countdown from 10 down to 1, and the word Party, in big, colourful letters to signify New Years Eve. February has a large red heart for Valentines Day, of course. March has a large shamrock with Happy St. Patrick's Day on it. April has a large and very colourful Easter Egg. May has a big blue mug filled with steaming tea, for Mother's Day and June has a large steaming mug of coffee for Father's Day.  July is my favorite. It has a large polka dot birhday party hat and the big letters spell out "Happy Birthday Grandma!!!!!".  In keeping with the same vein, August has a large chocolate birthday cake with the words "Happy Birthday Meghan!!!!". I am a little curious about the fact there are only 5 candles on the cake though. September has a large book, open to a page with lots of writing, and some juicy red apples to signify back to school. October, of course, has a large candy, a skull and a ghost and Happy Halloween in orange and black letters. November has a beautiful red poppy with green leaves growing in some green grass and the caption for this one reads "Rememberin's Day" and December finishes off the year with a lovely Christmas tree surrounded with candy canes. I know a lot of time and effort went into this gift but I also know she would have enjoyed doing it very much. She has even been kind enough to write in all the kid's birthdays for me just in case I forget.

So for me, it was a very special Christmas with some very precious gifts.

And the snow continues

Conditions at 5:45 am --1' and from the sounds of  things, lots of wind
Expected  later -flurries, freezing drizzle, and not so windy

The travelers should be in Ottawa, although I thought I would have a text message this morning telling me that they got there. I received several messages throughout the day yesterday updating me on their progress. It seems that conditions improved significantly once they got away from the Maritimes. The last message was at 8:54 and they were in Quebec City, and expected to get to Ottawa around midnight. I'm assuming no news is good news, that's all I can do at this point.

The drive around the city yesterday wasn't so bad in the morning but it deteriorated in the afternoon. The drive home was a bit of a challenge. The wind was blowing quite hard and at times you just had to stop dead where you were until the snow cleared and you could once again see where the road was.  In some spots the drifts were at least a foot deep on the other side of the road. It took me roughly an hour to get home from work. I guess the up side of working until 5:30 is that most people are home by that time and there was very little traffic on the road. But then a lot of places were closed yesterday as well. Today may be a different story. I haven't been outside yet to see what conditions are like but I just know it won't be pretty.

When I got home last night Brenda called. She and Meghan had tickets for a concert at the Confed Centre and they wondered if I was interested in going. Not a chance. There was no way I was heading down that road again. I hadn't been home very long and the warm fire in the kitchen and the smell of supper cooking on the stove greeting me as I walked in the door, was just too good a deal to pass up. I have to take advantage of that while I have the opportunity!

It's hard to believe that Christmas is all over and the family has left (well, except for Lloyd).  The house still needs some damage control but I'll have all weekend to do that. It appears that Lloyd will be driving back with Meghan(1)  and I suspect they will leave on Saturday, but that will depend on the weather.  I heard rumours yesterday that there's another storm headed this way for the weekend but the weather network is forecasting above freezing temperatures and sun for Saturday and rain for Sunday so it's hard to say what might happen.

Last night when I got home the snow has all blown into my driveway so I wasn't able to get in. I was able to get the car in off the road but that was it. So this morning I will no doubt have to shovel the snow where the plow has probably gone by. I guess I'll cut this short and go and see what I have to do to get to work again this morning. With any luck, I should have help!

Don't believe everything that you read

Conditions at 5:00 am: -1' and overcast
Expected later - some snow and a high of plus 2

I was reading the news on Yahoo and it was telling about a great storm that hit the Maritimes yesterday. While it was quite messy for a while, it really didn't amount to much. We got a couple of inches of snow before turning to rain then clearing in the afternoon. I'm sure that other parts were harder hit than we were but for us out here, it was somewhat of a none event. In fact in the afternoon the sun was actually out and the kids were able to spend a fair bit of time out playing in the snow.

Sitting in the partially completed fort

Because of the rain, the snow was very wet so was excellent for building a fort around the apple tree. They only came inside because it got too dark to work.Our whole winter so far has been like that. All around us the weather is really bad but out where we are it's not been too severe.

Unfortunately, because of the weather in the morning, the flights were cancelled for a while out of Charlottetown, which backs everything right up and makes it difficult for those flying standby. It's difficult enough for regular passengers to get flights now. So last night the decision was made that the Dennisons are going to drive to Ottawa. They have to be there for Wednesday evening so they are going to pick up a rental car this morning at the airport and head out. It seems like the only possible way for them to get there. Tristen already volunteered to stay behind. He said "Well, Meghan got to do that last year". But that won't be necessary this time.

The fresh cheese ready to be pressed

I think the kids had a good time, in spite of the crumby weather. On Friday, Lloyd and Meghan tried their hand at making a fresh cheese and it actually turned out quite good. We even served it to our guests on Sunday night.

James and I took a little side trip while they were doing cheese and went out to Lakeside Beach to see what damage had been done and to see for ourselves how big

The dunes at Lakeside

the waves were. It was really quite devastating to see. The dunes have been partly washed away and the new stairs that were just built late this summer, are all in pieces. I can only imagine what other areas of the coast look like. The wind damage is quite extensive in several parts of the island but we haven't been out to see them. But at the same time, it was amazing to see the surf and witness Mother Nature's fury first hand. Those are the kinds of experiences I'm so pleased to be able to give the kids.

PS - okay I take it all back - it's now 8:20 and the drive into town was HORRIBLE. It's snowing very hard and the wind is blowing it all around. I really feel uncomfortable sending the troops out in a rental car on a day like today. I pray they have a very safe trip, I know it will be a long one. Although they claim the time they drove back from New York City was worse (all the flights were grounded so they drove home), but they didn't have the kids with them. I won't relax until I know they are safe and sound in Ottawa.

It's finally arrived!

Conditions at 6:30 am - 0' and snowing lightly
Expected later - more snow, then warmer temperatures with the snow turning to rain

It's here but likely won't last long. This morning I've come downstairs to see a think blanket of snow covering the ground but it sure looks like it's not likely to stick around too long, as rain is forecast for later today.  But hopefully the kids will have a chance to go outside and enjoy it for a while this morning. It's not that cold and there's no wind right now so they will have a great time.
Again we have warnings for wind and storm surges later on so it's going to get very messy. But this morning it's quite lovely.

Well, another Christmas day has come and gone and we all survived. However, it didn't turn out quite the way I had planned it. I got up in the morning, or rather Papa and I were awakened by three angelic voices singing "We wish you a Merry Christmas" at approximately 6:00. We got up and went downstairs and spent the early part of the morning opening gifts. Fortunately Santa was able to find everyone here. After breakfast, we cleaned up and around lunch time I put the turkey in the oven. Within a little while it started to smell really good, but unfortunately the smell was turning my stomach. I went and had a bath and then headed upstairs to have a little nap. I didn't feel too bad until I tried to roll over and then it hit me like a ton of bricks - I was going to be sick. And indeed I was, and that was it for the rest of the day. I laid in bed and didn't move as each time I did I felt extremely nauseous. I hear that dinner was wonderful. Fortunately Patti and Lloyd were able to take over and prepared the proper feast for everyone to enjoy. Our neighour dropped by and that put a bit of a wrench in the timing of things, but it all got done and everyone enjoyed it. I finally was able to get up around 9:00 pm but I still felt quite dizzy and although my stomach had settled down a little, it got queasy again when I tried to drink some water, so I didn't attempt any more.
Sunday morning I still felt a little dizzy but my stomach was better. I took the dog out for a long walk and got some fresh air and that seemed to help quite a bit.

After breakfast we called Brenda to see if we could use their lane through the woods to go for a walk. She said that would be fine but to be careful as there was a bit of a stream across the road part way down as it appears the beavers have built a dam and it's backing up the water. So we took the dog out with us and Patti and I and the three kids started down the lane. Before we got to the water hazard, we encountered another obstacle - a large ever green tree had come down in the wind and was right across the road. It was a bit of a challenge to get over it but we managed. The next obstacle of course, was the water. We did not too badly going over that one only to get all our feet soaked once we got to the river. The tide was out so the edges were quite wet and we all got our boots full of water. But we did see mussels along the waters edge that had been exposed by the water going out so we picked up some to take home with us. We haven't cooked them yet - we'll do that this afternoon. While we were picking mussels, we heard a splash and looked over to see Cooper trying to get out of the water. It seems he was poking around too close to the edge and fell in. He did get out but we know he had to be very cold. It was time to head back anyway so we re-traced our steps and went back through the water and over the tree. It was a bit of a challenge getting the car back up the lane. We hadn't driven in very far but it was quite muddy and we thought we might have to call for help, but we did it (although the car got covered in mud) but we all enjoyed our morning out. At one point, when we were walking back Tristen said "I love your house Grandma, it's awesomer than ours", but I'm sure he was referring to the outside adventures that are possible here.

By the time we got home it was time to get ready to go into town to Red Shores Race Track. Our plan was to spend an afternoon at the races. Greg hadn't been to too many races before and wasn't sure how to bet but he caught on pretty quick and actually had a good day. He made enough to pay for beer and he came home with money so that's a successful day at the track. The second biggest winner was Tristen who consistently bet on horse #1 and most of the time he won. James did okay but Meghan and I didn't do so well. But I think everyone had a good time.

We got home and everyone was starving so we hastily put together a meal of hot turkey sandwiches with leftovers from Christmas day and dinner was on the table in no time.

After supper James gave me a guitar lesson and was impressed that I was able to cover in 15 minutes what he did in two weeks. It must be the caliber of instruction I guess.

Later in the evening Brenda and Bernie and Meghan(2) came over and we all sat around and had a few drinks and caught up with everybody, as we really haven't seen them in a while. It was a great ending to a great day.

Twas the night before Christmas!

Conditions at 6:30 -  rainy and windy (what else is new!) and 1*
Expected later - 2* and MAYBE a little snow

Okay, it's the morning before and "The children were nestled all snug in their beds" - well at least that's where they are right now. Everyone arrived precisely as planned yesterday morning at 9:02. Lloyd met us at the airport and the Honda Shuttle whisked them back to pick up the car. Unfortunately I had to stay at work. On my way to work, I dropped Cooper off at the groomers and Lloyd and James went and picked him up later in the morning.

My day at work went pretty fast, actually, as I was very busy. I spent very little time in the dealership as I was running errands all over town for everyone. If I wasn't dropping off or picking up parts, I was delivering Christmas stuff or picking up Christmas stuff. The weather was terrible and the traffic was horrendous but it made the day go by fairly quickly.

Patti met me at 5:30 at work and we went to Walmart to pick up a few last minute items. She'd already been to the mall and she said it was crazy busy. Walmart really wasn't so bad. Then we headed downtown for something to eat. We found a parking spot right on Queen Street beside the Royal Bank so it was a quick walk (in the rain, of course) to the Gahan House where we sat in one of the lovely little alcoves so it was nice and secluded and we could chat without having to shout at each other. It was a great opportunity to catch up a bit without the kids interrupting.  When we left there, we went to the liquor store to pick up a couple of things that Lloyd had requested, then it was off to the Superstore for one last trip. Fortunately it was late enough that it wasn't so busy. After picking up what we hope is the last of it, we headed back home. It was 9:20 when we stopped in at the Van Gaals to say hello but Brenda was already gone to bed. She'd had a very busy day and another one was coming up today. Meghan was up and visiting with a friend so we chatted with them for a minute then went home. I'll see her this morning when Tristen and I go over to pick up "the big chicken".

The last two years, James has requested we have duck at Christmas, but I hadn't heard anything about it till last night. So when we were at the store I looked at ducks, then decided it was time to broaden his culinary horizons.  I bought him a Cornish Game Hen to try.

I had asked Patti what they did all day and she said she and Greg had a lengthy nap. So when I got home I asked Lloyd how his day was looking after the kids  and he said "I don't know, I had a nap".  Seems he went off to have a nap when Patti was sleeping on the couch. He thought Greg was in the bathroom but in fact, he was upstairs napping as well.  Apparently the kids did an awesome job of keeping themselves amused. They were all still up when we got back from town, so I gave James his quilt that I made for his birthday. He was very happy with it, especially since he has a favorite blanket at home and he was  a little disappointed that he forgot to bring it with him. He was also given his new guitar last night as it's his Christmas and birthday present combined (His birthday was on Wednesday). He was very happy to get that as well.

Now it is Christmas Eve and so far I'm the only one up so it's giving me an excellent chance to spend some quality time by myself. James got a big kite for his birthday, with a span of something like 2 metres. He desperately wants to take it outside but it says on the package not to use it in winds over 40 km. He's so slim, it would probably pick him up and carry him across the river.

I think I hear some movement downstairs so I guess I'd better go and get the fire going.

Have a  happy holiday everyone 

and a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Took a day off

Conditions at 6:00 am - rain and high winds (still) and 4*
Expected later - more of the same

Yesterday morning Lloyd and I left home early in the morning and went to the grocery store at 7:00 and sailed through and got everything on our list. Then later in the morning, I had to drive a lady to Stratford, so a quick stop at the liquor store on my way back, and I'm all done!!! Last night we attempted to finish wrapping everything only to have the power go out. After sitting in the dark for a while, we finally went to bed.
Then, around 11:00 I was woke up by the phone. It turns out the power was back on. It was Patti calling to tell me they were in Halifax. A quick check of  flypei.com this morning shows that so far the flight from Halifax should be on time. It's still really windy but flights were coming and going all day yesterday so I guess those guys can fly in almost anything. It might not be pretty, but at least they'll get here.
I'm looking forward to having everyone here. I wish we had snow but it looks like it might not be raining on Sunday so maybe we can at least go for a walk on the trails in the woods. The weather network is saying - at this point anyway- that we should get 15 cm of snow on Monday. That could be interesting.
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Today is my last day and I have the next four days off. I'm so looking forward to that. It will be nice to have the time off when they guys are here. I hope to bake some cookies tomorrow and we're going to have a special dinner to commemorate James' birthday which was yesterday. Tonight Patti is going to meet me at work and we're going to finish her shopping and then have something to eat in town before heading back. I hope to not have to go into town tomorrow at all because it will be a zoo.

It's a very blustery day!

Conditions at 5:30 am - extremely windy with horizontal rain and 3*
Expected later - more of the same

The wind is howling this morning like I don't think I've heard it before, and we've had LOTS of wind over the past few weeks. The drive in to work should be interesting. But amazingly enough, through all of these wind storms, we've never lost power. (Hope I haven't jinxed anything by saying that!)
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Last night my friend Donna and I were treated to a lovely supper prepared by Lloyd. It was such a treat to come home and sit down in the living room and sip on a glass of wine while our meal was being prepared, then simply get up and go to the table, and be served. It was a delicious meal even though it was, as Lloyd put it "simple fare". We had  a warm spinach salad, as an appetizer, meat loaf, cheesy scalloped potatoes and fresh green beans for our main course and a really interesting dessert. It was homemade banana bread that was sliced, dipped in an egg and milk mixture and fried like French Toast, then topped with ice cream, caramel sauce and whipped cream. It was quite the treat.  All in all it was a lovely evening, although we did miss Brenda.
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Speaking of Brenda, she called around 10:00 to let us know they made it home. I'm so glad that she did because I was expecting they would be coming home today and I was concerned it might not be a great day for traveling. And with the wind this high, there is a real possibility they may close the bridge to all traffic, as they did a couple of weeks ago. But they are home, safe and sound.  Welcome back everybody. I'm looking forward to hearing about Bernie and Caitlin's adventure.
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The other travelers called as well. Patti phoned to tell us that they will all be arriving on the 23rd. The flights out of Toronto are quite busy but so far it looks like they should be able to get a flight to Halifax late on the 22nd so they are going to all fly there and stay overnight and catch the first flight over in the morning. So Lloyd will meet me at the airport and then they will have both vehicles as there's too many to fit in one. Then Patti will come into town to pick me up and we're going to do some shopping and then go out for something to eat. Lloyd and Greg and the kids will be on their own but I think they'll get well fed - Chef Papa will be in charge!
It will also be nice for Patti and I to spend a bit of time together without all the other 'distractions' because they always have lots to tell me. I'll pick up a birthday cake and they can have that for dessert on Thursday night.
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Yesterday was a very quiet day at work. I suppose people are finally clued in to the fact that Christmas is just days away so they are only coming in if really necessary. No one needed a ride in the morning. I didn't drive anyone until after lunch. But I did have a lengthy project I was working on for Craig so it was nice to be able to just keep working on it rather than be constantly interrupted. In the afternoon I took the car in to get the decal put on the sides. Now it is easily identifiable again. The sign shop is right around the back side of the plaza that houses Value Village. So while I was waiting I wandered over there to check out their Christmas decorations. I found a tree on display, 7 1/2 feet tall, that was actually very nice. So I bought it for work. Pam and I talked a bit about trees on Saturday night. They usually put up a real tree in the showroom but now that it's this late, we're not going to bother. She suggested that we look for an artificial one on sale after Christmas to use next year. But this one will be quite nice once it's decorated and the plus side is it was only $25.00. I've looked at the trees there before but usually they are all in boxes but they had several set up so you could see what condition they were in and this one will do the job quite nicely. So I had the boys in the shop put it in storage for me till the beginning of December next year.
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We're going to get a storm so it must be Monday!

Conditions at 6:30 am - overcast and -2*
Expected later - 2* and heavy rain and wind starting tonight

For the third Monday in a row we are bracing for heavy rain and strong winds once more. We have THREE weather warnings for tonight - heavy rain, strong winds and storm surges.
Hopefully it won't cause too much havoc for those traveling back to the island ie: The VanGaals and the Dennisons. Fortunately Lloyd made it home with no problems on Friday. He was able to catch the morning flight and caught the bus from Moncton with no trouble. Then I picked him up at the end of the day.
I had to work on Saturday so he  drove me to work then picked me up after so we could go to the Globe to listen to some music and have a beer and an appetizer (or three). Then we came home, got changed and then headed back into town to our staff party. It was a pleasant enough evening but the food really was terrible. Needless to say we won't be going back there again but it was nice to get everyone together. A few of the boys would be suffering on Sunday, that was fairly obvious but I think a good time was had by all.
We left around 10:30. I had to leave while my head could still fit through the door. Everyone kept coming up to us and telling Lloyd how great a job I was doing - it was getting a little embarrassing.
Sunday morning I got up and made a batch of chocolate chip cookies so Lloyd could take them to the store for coffee, then I made a batch of bread. In order to make room for the bread in the freezer, I had to take out a big chicken that was in there so we invited Richard and Daralen over for supper. I baked cookies in the morning then spent the afternoon tidying up the kitchen and getting ready for supper, as well as taking the dog for a little walk out back.. I didn't get as many cookies baked as I had hoped but I did get some done. Maybe the kids and I can do some more later in the week.
We had a lovely evening with the Andersons and now it's Monday once again, but it will be a short week as I have Friday off.  Donna is coming over for supper tonight and Lloyd is cooking for us. He's heading into town this morning to shop.

Nicely done James:
I got an email from Patti with a photo of him playing guitar in his first public appearance with his instructor. He said he has never been so nervous but apparently he did just fine. The photo is a little blurry but it's a wonderful memento of a special occasion. I look forward to having him play for us on Lloyd's guitar when he gets here.

Conditions at 6:15 am:   -4* and partly cloudy
Expected later:  -1* and sunny

Antonia Van Gaal

1921-2010

At Hotel-Dieu of Saint Joseph Hospital, Perth-Andover, December 15, 2010, Mrs. Antonia Van Gaal of Grand Falls (Portage) passed away at the age of 89.  She was the wife of Wout Van Gaal.  Born at Schaijk, Holland in 1921, she was a daughter of the late Theodore and Maria (Van den Hoogan) Benkers.
Mrs. Van Gaal was a homemaker and also was her husband's partner in the operation of the family farm.
She is survived by her husband, seven children, Betsy Coleman (Dave) and Theodore (Lise) of Fredericton, Clymena Brennan (Robert) of Florenceville, Bernie (Brenda) of PEI, Louis (Carmen) of Morrell Siding, Mary Van Gaal (Gary Hughes) of Fredericton and Joseph (Carolyn) of Grand Falls, 18 grandchildren, Jennifer, Christopher, Eric, Jason, Michelle, Ronnie, Jay, Bobby, Anthony, Meghan, Caitlin, Willem, Ethan, Nick, Andrew, Monique, Toni and Morgan, three great grandchildren, one sister, Maria Albers of Schiajk, Holland, nieces and nephews.  She was predeceased by a son, Anthony.
Resting at O'Regan's Funeral Home, 515 Everard Daigle Blvd., Grand Falls with visiting hours Sunday only, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m.  Her funeral service will be held Monday, December 20th at 11 a.m. from St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, Grand Falls (Portage) with Father Gilbert Doddatto officiating.  Interment will be in the adjoining cemetery.  For those who wish, donations to Friends of St. Patrick's or the Food Bank would be appreciated by the family.

www.oregans.ca

Condolences to the Van Gaal Family

Conditions at 6:00 am - light snow and 0*
Expected later - light rain and 4*

Our condolences go out this morning to the Van Gaal family on the passing of Bernie's mom in Grand Falls, New Brunswick. Of course the challenge for Brenda was to get flights changed and attempt to bring Bernie and Caitlyn home from the other side of the world in time for the funeral. But Brenda being Brenda, she plowed through the chaos that is international travel and travel points and was able to make the necessary arrangements. I went over to her house to help but there was really nothing I could do but be there for her and I know she appreciated that.
I've just spoken with her this morning and she's talked with Bernie and everything is going to be fine. They can get to Toronto but from there we're not sure - maybe flying, maybe driving.. But that will work itself out. In the meantime Brenda is getting everything and everyone here ready to make the trip to New Brunswick.
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Travel this time of year is tricky for everyone and even more so for those on stand by. I talked with Lloyd yesterday and it wasn't looking too good for getting to Charlottetown but he's come up with another plan. He's going to try to get to Moncton (apparently it's not quite as popular a destination as PEI) and there appear to be some seats available and if he can get there in time, he can catch a bus over to the island. If he doesn't get there in time to catch the bus, I'll have to go over after work and pick him up, but hopefully plan 'A' will work.
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...and the wind continues...

Conditions at 6:00 am - 9* and VERY windy (still) and light rain
Expected later - light rain and the temperature is going to drop to 3* by this afternoon with the winds subsiding a bit

Yesterday, in town at least, it didn't seem as bad as predicted. The wind didn't seem as strong as the day before and the rain was intermittent and light. Come 5:30, it was a different story as the rain picked up and so did the wind. By last night it was howling and continued on into the night, and still continues this morning.

We had our cookie exchange last night and it was a most pleasant evening. Because there were only five of us, we ended up just sitting around the kitchen table and chatting. It wasn't a late night but it was really nice. Lesa even suggested we do it again, maybe in the spring, and do appetizers or something. I'd like to do something like that every once in a while. I'm really glad to see them so keen. The party broke up fairly early as people had to get home to see what was going on at home - Lesa's kids who are just old enough to be left alone, and Brenda waiting for a phone call made everyone need to leave fairly early. But the up side is I got all the dishes washed up and everything put away before I sat down to watch a bit of TV before going to bed.

This morning I'm trying to get the fire to light and having a bit of trouble. I haven't had a fire going for about 3 days as I really didn't need it. But it's going to get cooler today so I thought I'd get it going so the house will be nice and toasty when I get home tonight.

Tonight I have to stay home. About a year ago, I received this form in the mail asking me to participate in a study on aging. So I said I would. A fellow came out and asked me a whole lot of questions, and input the information into a computer. Now almost a year later, I received a longer form in the mail inviting me to participate in a long term study on aging that will go on for the next 20 years. You had to fill out this form and send it back. All it basically entails is an interview once or twice a year for the next 20 years or so. The trouble is the initial interview takes place on the phone and lasts approximately 20 minutes and every time they call it's when I've just gotten home and I'm usually on my way out somewhere or they call during the day. Sure enough, someone called me last night about 7:15, just as I was waiting for the girls to get here. So again, I had to say no, I can't do it right now. But we set up a tentative appointment for tonight so hopefully it will work out. I feel badly because it seems like I don't want to cooperate but that's not the case.

I can't believe it's only three more days till Lloyd arrives (hopefully). It seemed like such a long time coming and now all of a sudden it's here. I just got my schedule for work and I don't have as much time off as I had hoped. I'm off the 24th to the 27th but then I only get the 1st of January off as it's a Saturday. In an office I would have gotten the Monday after as it falls on the weekend, but because we are open on Saturday that's the day we're closed. It works okay for me as I usually work Saturday but I'd be a little annoyed if I didn't work on Saturdays cause then you kind of miss out on an extra day off.  Oh well, as Lloyd always says, it is what it is. I should just be grateful I have a job, and I am.

Well other than some tidying upstairs, and some laundry and some wrapping, I am almost ready for Christmas. The only thing I'll have to do next week is some groceries. Other than that, I'm done. I must admit it's a nice feeling. I just have one more little thing to pick up to add to one of my gifts and that's it. YAAAAY!

Hold on to your hat - here we go again!

Conditions at 5:30 am - 12* and light rain and VERY windy
Expected later - 12* and lots of  rain and VERY windy

Once again we are being pummeled with really strong winds and rain. We had some rain yesterday but not very heavy but today we are expected to receive up to 35mm of the wet stuff.  And that wind! I nearly blows the car off the road sometimes. You really need to be diligent about keeping both hands on the wheel as you never know when a gust is going to hit you. It's really noticeable when crossing the Hillsborough bridge.
People must be concentrating on holiday stuff because we were quite slow in the morning yesterday. I only drove two people to work, and one lady out to Wheatley River (not sure that's what they had in mind when they started the shuttle service), but then the salesman involved (who shall remain nameless) suggested, "oh don't worry about it, it's only ten minutes up the road."  It's actually 15 but that's not the point.
I did make up for it later in the day as several people I hadn't dropped off in the morning called to be picked up, so it made the afternoon go by pretty quickly.
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Tonight is our cookie exchange and I know the girls are really looking forward to it, as I am. It will be fun to have them over and get to know them better in a social setting. This morning I'm just finishing up a couple of little things for tonight. I'm putting meat balls in the slow cooker and assembling the ingredients for the punch so I can just pop the things in the oven that need to be warmed and put together the punch. They aren't coming over till 7:30 so I've got lots of time.
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Someone tell mother nature that the first day of winter should be here soon!

Conditions at 5:30 am - 5* with rain and wind
Expected later - more rain, high winds and 11*

This weather is crazy. We had a bit of snow on the ground last night but this morning it's totally gone. Yesterday afternoon was absolutely gorgeous. It had to be at least 5* and the sun was shining and there was absolutely no wind anywhere. I took the dog for a walk to get some evergreen branches and it was a beautiful day. It's going to be the same tomorrow and only going down to 10* overnight. Crazy!
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Congratulations to James on another fine performance at speedskating. He came home with a bronze medal. He was quite excited to learn that there were a bunch of older skaters participating from PEI. He's compiling quite the collection of medals this year. Well done, James!
Lloyd dog sat for them while they were away. I think he quite enjoyed doing that. He took Meadow with him to the airport and he says the dogs feet never touched the ground, as everyone had to take turns holding here. She was a big hit.

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Well, we didn't do so well at curling on Friday night. We got severely beaten. But the upside I suppose is the winners buy the beer and we had time to stay and drink it as we curled at 8:00 instead of 9:30.  But we had fun and no one fell and got injured so that's all that matters.
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Sunday morning Brenda called and suggested we go out for breakfast so we headed over to Mount Stewart and had breakfast at Kristie's.  The front part of the restaurant was very busy so we went into the back where we met Marlene and Raymond and some of their family so we joined them as they hadn't eaten yet. I spent the day getting ready for Tuesday and at supper time I went over to Brenda's and we tried a recipe she's found for a stir fry using chicken with a teriyaki sauce and udon noodles. It was really quite good, I'd definitely make it again.
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We're all set for our cookie exchange on Tuesday night. Unfortunately a couple of people can't make it so there will only be five of us, but that's fine. I think we'll have a wonderful evening just the same.
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Patti sent me this picture of a gingerbread house that Greg made with the kids. I have to say, I'm really impressed. Nicely done Greg!

It's really quite sad

Conditions at 5:30 am - snowing and -6*
Expected later - windy, flurries and -2*

As we are busy getting ready for Christmas and collecting all the right gifts, the radio station is collecting gifts for children who may not otherwise have any. At this point it appears they are in need of gifts for teenagers so each day they read off what individual kids have asked for as a gift for Christmas. I have to say, it brings tears to my eyes each time I hear one of them because our kids have NO idea how lucky they are. Last week one boy was wishing for  a hockey stick, another for a winter coat. Yesterday a teenage girl wanted a pair of slippers (size 6 please) and a curling iron. I want to go out and buy all of these things and more. I will be going shopping today to get something from the radio station list.
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This morning we have a slight skiff of snow on the ground and snow is falling. But that is going to be short lived as we are expecting rain and 7* and VERY HIGH winds on Monday again. They've just said on the radio that it might be another storm surge and the bridge could get closed again, so if you have any travel plans on Monday, you might be better to go on Sunday. Sunday is supposed to be sunny and 3* so it should be nice, but I really need to stay home and work. Last night I cleaned up my sewing stuff, so that's a big step.  I just need to finish the rest of the cleaning, finish the Christmas decorating, as I only have the tree up, and bake my cookies for Tuesday. I had hoped that Craig could work for me on Saturday but he has an exam on Monday so that's not an option for him. But it will get done, it usually does. I also have to figure out what to make for food for Tuesday night. I have a couple of finger food ideas I'll use. We'll also have some punch and of course, cookies! I'm really looking forward to it and seeing everyone again.
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I was talking to Lloyd yesterday and advised him that I've invited Donna and Brenda over for supper on Sunday  the 19th. He asked what we were having to eat and I told him it depended on what he wanted to cook. I suggested that the three of us plan to sit in the living room and sip wine, while he cooks supper for us! He was more than happy to agree to do that. In fact, by the end of the conversation, he even had the menu planned. Flights are looking a little sketchy at this point, but hopefully he'll be here by then. If he doesn't get here, we'll just have to cook it ourselves, but that's okay. Hopefully he'll make it on Friday as planned.
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It's such a small world, especially here on the island.

Conditions at 5:30 - partly cloudy and -6*
Expected later - mix of sun and cloud and -2*

I can't believe when  I go online to the weather network and see how much snow has fallen in London Ontario.That's insane!  Everyone thought I was crazy for  moving here because of the winters, but so far we're doing much better than other parts of the country.We have only had snow twice and both times it was only about 2 inches, and it was gone in a couple of days. I know it's coming but for now we are enjoying the lack of.
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Yesterday I was driving a young man to the Sherwood Medical Centre. Turns out he is a doctor and he's only been on the island for one month. He moved here from Guelph. He was there for 3 or 4 years and also worked in Buffalo, New York. He said he came here to see what life was like in the Maritimes. He said he thought he is single and it's the best time to travel around and experience the whole country. Right now he's filling in for another doctor and is looking after his patients. When I picked him up we chatted a bit more and he asked if I knew Dr. Ben in Guelph. Well, I've never met Dr. Ben but I know him by reputation. I know he is very well respected and very popular with his patients. Turns out this young man is Dr. Ben's nephew. 
Small world.
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Yesterday morning I had three people in the car, one man and two women. Of course lately I always ask people if they're ready for Christmas and yesterday it launched into a lively discussion about he difference between what women have to do and what men have to do to get ready for Christmas. But it was all fun and laughter and I hope that in some small way I'm delivering people to work in a happy frame of mind and starting their day off on a high note.
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Last night when I got home I had some sewing to do to finish up a couple of little projects I'm working on to add to my Christmas decorations. So I changed into my comfy pajamas  and started sewing right after work. Needless to say the house is still a huge mess with stuff everywhere. Around 8:30 Brenda called to see if I was still up and could she come over for coffee, on the way home from her meeting. I said yes, but I would only let a true friend in the door under those conditions. I did warn her that the house was a mess and I was in my PJ's but that was okay with her. So she came over and we had some nacho chips and salsa and a glass of wine, just because we could. She has talked to Bernie and Caitlyn and it gets quite cold at night where they are so they've been staying in hotels  as it's too cold to sleep in the camper. But it sounds like they're having a great time. It's hard to believe it will soon be two weeks since he left and before we know it, they'll be back.
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Yesterday morning while driving some customers, there was a John Lennon tribute on the CBC radio station. One of the customers in the car mentioned that one of the bars downtown usually gathers a collection of local artists and they have a Lennon tribute night on the Friday night of the week of the anniversary of his death. I told him I was sorry to hear that as I have curling on Friday night at 8:00 and won't finish till 9:30 and it would be after 10:00 before I'd be able to get into town. He said they wouldn't likely start playing till at least 10:00 or 10:30 so I'm a little tempted but I do have to work on Saturday morning, so it's probably not a great idea, but........

It takes all kinds..

Conditions at 5:30 am - 0* and even though the weather network says it's overcast in Charlottetown, I have a beautiful star filled sky this morning

Expected later - 1* and mix of sun and cloud

Yesterday we had some nice sunny weather. It was a little cooler but the wind was gone and sun was lovely. Quite a change from the day before.
Most days I love driving the shuttle. Some people are quiet and when you try to engage them in conversation, you get one word answers so I take that as my cue that they don't feel like talking and that's okay. Others are quite chatty and a pleasure to talk with. Once in a while (actually this is only the second time) you get someone you can't wait to get out of the car. This fellow is originally from Ottawa and is in the military - at least that's the assumption I made as he was dressed in camouflage clothing and I dropped him off at the armouries. He was very opinionated and started ranting about islanders and how if you're not from here, they treat you really badly. They won't give you a job, etc, etc, etc.
After about five minutes I really wanted to say to him "They don't like you because you're a jerk, not because you are from away". He had nothing but criticism for everyone and everything and stated that he was waiting for his contract to finish to he could "get to hell out of this place". I asked if he was from here or his wife was from here and he stated that the only reason they came here was because it was cheaper to live but then he said, it's more expensive here than anywhere. I was so disgusted with him I just wanted him to get out of the car.
I thought about him throughout the day (as I dreaded the time I had to go back and pick him up). On the way back he was ranting about his cell phone carrier and how they have lousy service and shouldn't be in business. It seems our service department had tried to call him and he didn't get the call but then by his own admission he said he was in the basement of the building with concrete block walls. I suspect that may have been more the source of the problem and not the lousy service provided by his carrier. Gosh, some people!
I said to him that I was sorry that his experience on the island hasn't been a positive one because my time here has been extremely enjoyable and that kind of shut him up. He struck me as the kind of person who won't be happy no matter where he lives. I can't imagine going through life with a chip that big on your shoulders.

Later in the morning a customer came up to me and thanked me for getting coffee in the dealership, so that more than balanced my day.
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Last night I went to visit my friend Donna in Montague. We were going to go out but instead she made lasagna and Caesar Salad and garlic bread. Her mom was there and we had a lovely time - good food, good friends and lots of laughs. Donna has been my connection to the island for about 5 years now. Neither of us are involved in IAAP anymore so we will have to make an effort to keep in touch from time to time.
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 "It was thirty years ago today..."
 And finally, today I am reminded that it's thirty years ago on this date that  John Lennon was murdered. It's one of those moments in life where everyone remembers where they were when they heard the news. I was driving a small bus, picking up kids for our day care in Timmins. It was a snowy day and the roads where a little slippery so I had to concentrate on my driving and it wasn't till I got back that the news could really sink in. Hard to believe it's been that long ago. There's an article in the current McLean's magazine that Brenda very kindly shared with me. There was also a lengthy radio program on the CBC early Sunday morning and fortunately she called me at 7:30 to let me know.

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Not sure what happened yesterday

Conditions at 5:30 am - clear skies and a mild 4* and NO WIND!

Expected later - 6* and sunny!

I wrote up my blog as usual, and published it but all that showed up was the weather network information. No idea why. When I went into the area where I can edit the HTML, everything is there. I need my computer guru to look at it and try to figure it out.
Yesterday, I wished a big congratulations to Meghan (1) for passing her CA exam. I know she's been working very hard and I'm sure she's very happy as well as relieved that it's finally over. Well done, Meghan!

I also reported that our team won our curling game on Friday night. The first week we lost, the second week we tied and last week we won. Apparently the rule is the winners buy the beer and I didn't take any money with me because I just figured it wasn't likely to happen (and also because I forgot to go to the bank machine!). So it seems we are improving a little more each week (or just getting luckier).

Saturday afternoon after I was done work, I met Brenda at the Globe, a restaurant downtown. Her friend Bob is a drummer and was filling in on Saturday afternoon for their blues jam session from 3:00 to 5:00. It was a great afternoon. Half price appetizers, cold beer and great music - a winning combination for a rainy fall afternoon. I have a feeling we may just be there again a few times before spring gets here. When the music was finished we strolled through the mall for a few minutes, as they were closing soon, then headed out to Papa Joe's for, you guessed it, more food. We met up with her biker friends for dinner. A lovely time was had by all. It wasn't a late evening but it was fun.
Sunday morning I got up early to work on my sewing project until Brenda called me and suggested it was time for a break. We headed down the road for a walk in the woods to look for boughs for Christmas arrangements. We had a lovely walk as the temperature was a balmy 7* with sunshine. It was absolutely gorgeous in the woods. In fact all the ferns and such are still nice and green so it was beautiful. We took Cooper with us and he had a great time exploring. He stuck with us all the way until we got back to the cars and then kept going. He had no intention of ending his adventure. He only came back when I started the car and started driving away. That made him come back pretty quick. The drive in and out to the trails was quite an adventure - lots of mud and big puddles, but we made it. If I'm going to be following Brenda into the woods many more time, I'm going to have to get Bernie to look for a Jeep for me!

Yesterday was incredibly windy. So much so, that they closed the bridge to ALL traffic. I read online that they've only done that 8 times since it was opened. They said that the winds were gusting at 145 km/hour. I thought for sure my little portable garage would be over in the next county by the time I got home, but it stood it's ground.

Tonight I'm getting together with my friend Donna, whom I've known now for over 5 years. We don't get together very often, especially now that I'm no longer involved with the local IAAP chapter. I think they were disbanding in October and as my membership was due then, I just didn't renew my membership. At this point, my only reason for joining would be to go to the Canadian Conference and I can do that as a guest, should I wish to. It's in Moncton this year but I won't likely get the time off and it certainly won't be paid for so there's not much point. Besides the Grand River girls are coming here so we'll have our own little mini conference but just the fun bits!

A happy coincidence

Conditions at 6:00 am - overcast and 6*
Expected later - light rain and 7 or 8 * (depends which source you check)

Last night I was looking through a pile of papers that has managed to accumulate in my address index folder and while sifting through the business cards I came across one for a hair dresser. When I looked at the address, it looked familiar, and then it dawned on me that it was Charmaine, from our cooking class. I knew the address as I had dropped off a cookbook to her one evening. I badly need a hair cut and some damage control done on my overgrown eyebrows, and it seems she does that as well. It looks like her hours are pretty flexible so I think I'll give her a call. I'm having trouble fitting those kinds of things in to my work schedule so she just might be the answer. I know several women that  go to her shop so I think I'll give it a try. I'm going to call her today.
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I was talking to Lloyd yesterday and he was extremely excited about a restaurant he has just discovered in Mississauga. He's spending all his free time cooking and working on new recipes in his new apartment. He has a microwave and a counter top range but no oven. So he went out and bought a small counter top convection oven (similar to the one I sold in the garage sale - figures!). He's been cooking up a storm. He was also raving about some different ingredients and things he's been able to find. I told him he's going to find PEI pretty boring when he gets here - we just don't have all those exotic things, but on the other hand we really are starting to get little places that are catering to the newcomers from other countries. Maybe by the time he gets here, we'll have even more. There is one little store that has ethnic ingredients that Brenda heard about, in the Owl's Hollow plaza, that I haven't yet checked out. I actually forgot about it and I need to visit but maybe I'll wait till Lloyd gets here. Brenda and I will be looking forward to a couple of Lloyd meals when he gets here, before Bernie and the girls arrive.
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This mild weather has been amazing. Yesterday was supposed to be rainy but it was clear all day. Wednesday was also clear and for part of the morning the sun was shining and it was beautiful. In fact when I went down to the bank, I just wore a sweater, it was that nice out. Of course I was just going in and out of the car and not outside for long periods of time, but I had taken my winter coat that day and it was just too hot with the sun shining in the car windows. Hope this weather hangs around for a while.
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Yesterday morning I had to drive a man out to Cornwall, out past the Tim Hortons and the grocery store in the little plaza. Just past there, on the left, there's an antique place, that is closing for the winter and they had a sign out that everything in the store was 50% off. So on my way back I stopped in. I found a whole bunch of ladies handkerchiefs. I use them for a craft I do for baby and wedding shower gifts, and they are almost impossible to find these days. I was able to pick up 11 of them for $1.00 each so I was extremely pleased.  They also had some old doilies and table runners that were in excellent condition for $2.00 each. I'm such a sucker for old linens - I love those things so I came home with a whole bag full of stuff. There was a lovely old hall stand that I loved but I just have no where to put it. Considering the damage I could have done in there, I think I did well. The regular prices of some of the stuff was not bad so at 50% off, it was quite tempting.
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I finished my Christmas cards last night and can now get them into the mail. I'm not usually this organized when it comes to the cards but this year it helped to be working on Saturdays. I did those last Saturday. I need to find something to work on tomorrow. I think I'll ask Pam this afternoon if it would be okay if I brought in some hand sewing I have to do and work on it at my desk. I think she might be understanding about it so close to Christmas. We'll see.

They 've both made it !

Conditions at 6:00 am - overcast and 7*
Expected later 8* and drizzly


After much stressing, and lots of emails and facebook postings, Brenda can now confirm that Bernie and Caitlyn are both in New Zealand. When she last spoke with them last night before we went out, they hadn't yet met up, but at least they were both in the same country. Mission accomplished. And, Brenda quite skillfully proved that men can run, but they can't hide - we'll track them down wherever they are. She was calling all around trying to find Bernie to give him Caitlyn's flight information and wasn't having much luck. Finally she spoke with an office administrator who said that Bernie's cousin wasn't in the office, but was out with someone. Brenda described Bernie - big and tall with a beard, someone who won't be hard to miss, and the woman said, wait a minute, I think that might be who he's with. So she put the phone on hold, and headed outside and a few minutes later came back with Bernie. Bet he never expected the phone call coming in would be for him!  But by now, all should be good. Now they're on their own, and hopefully she can get on with things here.
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Well, the dance in Lorne Valley last night was quite the experience. I think you'd be hard pressed to find something like it anywhere. The Community Centre was once a one room school house. In fact, Donna went to that very school when she was younger. It sat empty for quite some time and was in danger of falling down and someone in the community took it upon themselves to rally people around and do something about it. It's quite small, but a very nice and usable space. Donna told me many people use it to host wedding and baby showers, family gatherings, etc. During the spring, summer and fall,  they hold the square dances there every Wednesday night.I'd been to square dances when I was much younger in Ontario, but there was always a caller, who talked you through the steps, but this is different. I learned this is called a square set.  The music is provided by a couple of Chaisson's, a family famous for their old time fiddling.  One fellow was on fiddle and one on keyboard. The crowd was small last night but very enthusiastic. A lot of older people were there and also many our age. It's a very traditional type of square dance with very specific movements that don't change. You go through the whole progression from start to finish and then later on the whole thing is done again. I think even Lloyd could do this one, once he'd done it a few times. It was really a lot of fun, but I found I got dizzy from all the swinging around. I hope that improves over time. By the time I sat down I felt a little nauseous. Then I had lunch and the thought of swinging around really didn't appeal to my stomach at all. Maybe I need to take some gravol next time in advance!  Brenda says she hasn't done it for many years but she was a natural. Right from the minute she got up there she  looked like she's been doing it for years. Donna arrived shortly after we did and the three of us had a great time. Someone passed a guest book to us to sign and then later they introduced the guests. When I was dancing one lady asked where we were from and I said Fort Auigustus. She was surprised because they thought we were tourists. I guess that's why they gave us the guestbook to sign. They are all finished now for the season, although they did decide last night to have one more dance on the 22nd of December but neither of us are able to go that night. They will start up again in the spring. We will definitely be going back, it was such fun.
As I sat there and watched this group of strangers going through the steps of this old fashioned dance, I felt like I had taken a step back in time, to a kinder, gentler era.  I felt fortunate to be part of it and wished that my grandchildren could have been there to witness a piece of rural Canadian history that they'd never get in school.
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It was really nice to see Donna again, and we plan to get together next Tuesday night. We  invited Brenda to join us but she has a meeting that night and can't make it. Hopefully next time. The three of us had a lot of fun.
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 This morning  when I opened up the blog,I noticed that there has been a visitor log in from Christ Church, New Zealand. A coincidence? I think not! If that was you Bernie, don't forget my bell! Ha Ha

There's good news, and there's bad news...

Conditions at 5:15 am - partly cloudy and 1*
Expected later - mix of sun and cloud and 6*

Brenda called me yesterday in a bit of a panic. What else should she be doing? It seemed that Bernie was due to arrive in Aukland in a few hours, expecting to meet Caitlyn's flight, when Brenda learned that her flight out of Bali had been cancelled. How to get word to Bernie? She had emailed his cousins in New Zealand, called the Air New Zealand folks, and posted a message on face book. I suggested to her that she had done all that she could from this end. The up side is that he had her flight details and he would be in an English speaking country, so it would probably be fine. By the time I went to pick her up at 6:30, she had heard from him and all was well, or in Bernie's case "it was all good". He did let her know that the flight was very long and not as roomy as the Air Canada flight. But he's there safe and sound. So he had picked up his rental car, and was going to do some touring around as she wouldn't be getting in for at least another 24 hours. Poor Bernie, quite an adventurous start to his first major trip alone!
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We had our pot luck at the school last night and it was great. So much food, and so small a plate!  You wanted to just try everything. My little tarts went over well - there was only one left out of 96 so that's a good thing. We decided as a group that we are going to have a cookie exchange so everyone is coming to my house on the 14th and we're going to have some punch and cookies and toast the Christmas season. They're very keen and I'm really looking forward to it. I was quite surprised last night when they called up the instructors and gave us each a nice certificate of appreciation and a gift certificate for a restaurant in Charlottetown. Brenda and I both received one and ironically, we were planning to go to that very restaurant on Saturday night with the motorcycle folks. Brenda had invited her other friend, Bob, who sometimes bikes with them but he plays in a band and is playing so couldn't go, so she invited me. Now we both have our meal paid for - how great is that!
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The fellow who teaches guitar at Community School happens to be the husband of one of our students and a fellow school bus driver to Brenda. Anyway, I was chatting briefly with him after the show and he teaches guitar so I'm going to get together with him after Christmas and see what we can work out. I had talked to Margie and she was willing but she's never taught before and I think she expects I know some and I really don't. I did take lessons years ago but I have to start back at the very beginning. Wayne will be able to do that for me. So after Christmas, when it's not quite so busy, and I have more free time in the evenings to practice, I'll start lessons - then one day I can chord along with James as he plays, as I  suspect he'll be miles ahead of me, but I'd still love to do that.
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As I've said before, there is always something going on here - both in town and in small communities around the island. I received the following email from my friend Donna yesterday:

I am sending you a 'blurb' that I have been sending out this morning . . . .
The last square dance of the year will be held at the Lorne Valley Community Centre tomorrow night, Wednesday, Dec. 1 from 8:00 - 11:00 p.m.  We hope to have a great crowd for this and after a rest for the winter come back in the spring bigger and better than ever!  Join us for a fun evening and the great entertainment of Kevin & Peter Caisson (Rollo Bay Fiddle Festival).  Other entertainers include Ward MacDonald, Alan MacDonald, Bonnie Campbell, Suzanne MacDonald and possibly some surprises!  Admission is $5.00 per person which includes a delicious lunch . . .  hard to beat that deal! 

Hope you can make it!

So I sent it to my friend Brenda, who replied:

yes for sure
 So that's what we're doing tonight.  It should be fun. I don't know exactly where it is but I KNOW Brenda will know. I'm pretty sure it's not that far from here. I've been to Lorne Valley once before with Donna, a long time ago and it's in the area. Brenda mentioned last night that she knows several people who regularly attend so I suspect she'll know lots of people. It should be a fun evening.

......In Marina del Rey....

Conditions at 5:30 am - partly cloudy and 0*
Expected later - mix of sun and cloud and 4*

Brenda heard from Bernie last night and he was in Marina Del Rey. He had a 13 hour layover in Los Angeles and was wondering what to do with all that time. He's not into visiting the stars homes, so he wasn't sure what to do with his time. But it sounds like he found something to do. I've only been to one beach in L.A. - Redondo Beach, but there are some amazing beaches in that part of California. Whatever it is, it's a warm, sunny beach, so in Bernie's words "It's all good!"
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I was so happy yesterday to be back driving the shuttle. The day went so much quicker.
I drove one little girl over to the vet college and she was quite chatty, and very animated. Turns out she's from Tucson, Arizona. She is so excited about the upcoming winter. She's never lived anywhere that has snow in her life so she is just so looking forward to it. I told her we'll ask her again in March and see how she likes. But she loves Tucson, and is looking forward to going home for the Christmas break and seeing her family. I was curious about what would bring her all this way to go to school and she told me that it's hard to get an interview at vet schools as they take such a limited number of students each year. Of those she did get interviews for, she liked this one the best. She did have an interview in Guelph but liked the people here better and felt this school had just as much to offer. She's met two people in Arizona who came to AVC and they claim it was the best four years of their lives. She likes the smaller class size - only 60 to a class where other schools have well over 100 in each class. So she was quite an interesting young woman. She had a travel mug with her with snow designs on the outside and mentioned as she got out that she needed to get a coffee. I laughed and told her I didn't think she needed any more caffeine, and she agreed but did say that she is normally a bit hyper. But she was a lot of fun and I'm sure we'll see her again, as this is the start of her 4 years on PEI. That's what I missed about shuttling - the interaction with the customers.
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The Christmas season has officially started. Yesterday we had two small bushel baskets of apples dropped off with a gift card, from Apple Auto Glass - one for sales, and one for service.What a clever idea and so much healthier than chocolates. I suppose this is just the start of many more treats to come.
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Tonight is our pot luck supper at the school. I made little boxes of chocolates for everyone in our class and a little hand made Christmas card to go with them. It really was a fun group and we all had a great time. Tonight will just be a time to sit back and relax and watch the other groups - the guitar class, the fiddlers, and the belly dancers.The scrapbookers will have their books on display and the quilters will have their projects on display as well. Unfortunately we don't have anything to put on display. Maybe we should do cake and cookie decorating next year then we could do some artificial cakes and put them on display.  That might be a fun thing to do, but I'd need to take some courses first as I'm mostly self taught and could use the pointers. I'll ask the class tonight and see if that's something they might be interested in doing next year. We could bake cakes and cookies as well as just decorate them.  The prep for that class would not be nearly as intense. I think I was inspired by the photos that Brenda sent me of Meghan's creations she's made at her class.
Nice job, Meghan! I'm sure the folks in your office are much appreciative of your talents.  Looks like a great fundraising option for your office. Lots of people don't bake anymore and will willingly pay for something so pretty and I'm sure very tasty.
Several years ago we were  at a fund raiser in Guelph and they had a cake auction at the end of the night. A lot of restaurants and bakeries in the city donated beautiful cakes for the auction. Lloyd being Lloyd, bought the first one, bidding it up over $40  and that started the ball rolling. From there they went for huge amounts and he was the one pushing the bidding but I think people just didn't want to see him go home with all of them so there was quite the bidding wars going on. But it was a lot of fun to watch and fortunately we only had to take one home. ( I think we were going somewhere for supper the next night and that was our contribution to dinner).

Can't imagine what they were doing

Conditions at 5:30 - overcast and -1*
Expected later - mix of sun and cloud and 2*

Saturday afternoon, I came home from work and was bringing wood inside when I heard this loud booming airplane sound. It sounded much closer than any plane that would normally be flying over here. When I looked up there was this old looking military type plane approaching from across the Pisquid river. It headed my way and came right over the house, made a big turn and circled back to the river. It was flying quite slow and very low. I stood and watched as it circled around again and came back. It continued these big circles over the river and just to the back of our property and then back again for over an hour. At one point, about 1/2 hour in, two people parachuted out of it into a field on the other side of the river and it continued circling. I have no idea what they were doing- some sort of maneuvers I suppose but no idea why they were in this area.
I eventually went inside as Brenda and Bernie were coming over for supper. I came into the house just as the phone rang, and it was Brenda inquiring as to what time they should arrive. I told her anytime but I was a wee bit behind schedule. Fortunately it was a simple menu. Curried chicken crepes (but I had already made the crepes ahead of time), potatoes, carrots and green beans. I made pears poached in red wine for dessert and we had hot artichoke dip with nacho chips to nibble on before supper. It wasn't fancy but I figured they would be busy getting last minute things done before Bernie left and would appreciate not having to make dinner.

He did finally get away on Sunday. Apparently there was a delay in the flight getting in from Ottawa and then there was some kind of mechanical delay. But eventually they were on their way. He was spending the night in Toronto at Meghan's then he flies to L.A. today where he has a 10 hour layover before his 13 hours flight to New Zealand.
On Friday night when Brenda and I were at curling, he was on the computer trying to find a car rental. I mentioned Wicked Campers to Brenda and she looked it up when she got home, and it looks like they may go with that option. Bernie was questioning what they were like and if they were clean. I told him they were not new or fancy but ours was fine when we used one Australia.  Hopefully they will have as good an experience as we did.  We really had a lot of fun in the camp grounds we stayed in. The beaches were spectacular and it was quite comfortable, and being able to do our own cooking at the end of the day was a nice option. Not sure how that will work for Bernie.
When I stopped in to pick Brenda up on Friday night, Bernie was making icing to put onto a cake that he'd baked from a cake mix, all by himself!  As he was stirring the icing,  he told he he "doesn't do kitchen". He'll have to spend more time with Lloyd - then he'll do kitchen really well!

Brenda and I had planned to make dark Christmas cake last night, but we talked ourselves out of it. She's not driving the bus this week so it's just easier to do hers at home rather than carting everything up here. So instead, she picked up some movies and came over and we had a glass of wine, and finished the dip and chips from the night before, then she went home to put her feet up and just veg. I pretty much did the same thing. I finished off some Christmas cards that I was working on, then  had a nice hot bath, put on my PJ's and watched one of the movies she had rented.I had done some work on my sewing project for James' birthday and it's almost done - just the hand sewing but I can do that when I'm watching TV in the evenings. Then I just have to do the binding on the outside. With any luck at all, it will be done by the 22nd.

It feels funny not to be stressing over what to prepare for cooking class on Tuesday night. There's no pile of stuff on the island in my kitchen, there's no endless lists of things to buy, things to pack, things to prep. It's great!

Abby is back at work today and I'm very glad. I was so bored the past two weeks. Sometimes I had little jobs to do but for the most part, I had nothing to do and that makes for a very long day. I'll be glad to get my shuttle job back today.