Happy Monday everyone!

Conditions at 6:00 am - overcast, windy and 8*
Expected later - sun and cloud and a high of 8*

It was quite windy overnight and continues this morning, It appears we've reached our high for the day, so this is a good as it's going to get! But, a bit of sun will help.
We sure could have used some of that sun yesterday morning at the PEI Marathon. Boy, was it cold and wet at that water stop.  I arrived at 8:10 to find the table there,  a large jug of gatoraide, two big bottles of water and a plastic bag filled with paper cups. I was partnered with a young woman named Amanda who moved here a year ago to go to AVC. Our job was to fill the glasses before anyone arrived so we could hand it over to the runners on the fly.  That in itself was a bit of a challenge as the wind was  blowing everything around. So we put the jugs at one end of the table to try to block the wind a little, then filled the glasses and  and lined them up on the table. We were told there were approximately 300 people taking part. The first runner came through around 9:00, which amazes me as we were at the 20 km point and they had started at 800.  I can't imagine running at 20 km an hour non stop for an hour. 
The task was to hand over the water and/or gatorade as they flew by. Not an easy task with a damp paper cup. A lot of them lost most of the water from them as they squeezed them trying to grab them. Then a few steps down the road they would toss the cup aside on the road. With the wind, you can imagine how long it took to walk down the road and pick up over 300 paper cups, that were somewhat of a challenge as the wind would invariably pick them up just as you bent down to reach for it.  But we finally collected everything and got packed up. I was home by 11:00, and that was after a stop at two stores to find coconut for the dessert I was making for supper. Had I only known...
Anyway, when I got home I plopped myself down into a nice hot bath - the greatest cure for  many of life's little problems.
After warming up, I proceeded to prepare supper as Brenda and Bernie were coming over.  I finished putting together the cake I was making for dessert. It was truly a thing of beauty. It was called a Pina Colada Cake, incorporating all the flavours of the drink - coconut, pineapple and rum. It started with four layers of white cake ( two layers baked then split in two), with pineapple filling sandwiched between layers of cake brushed with a rum glaze first. Then the whole thing was iced in coconut buttercream icing and it was garnished with toasted coconut on top.  I set it in the sun porch to keep cool. Unfortunately I forgot it was there, and about an hour later I opened the door to let some cooler air in, totally forgetting it was there. Needless to say, I happened to look up and see the dog licking his lips, with a very satisfied look on his face.  My heart sank, as I knew what I would find when I went into the porch, and sure enough, half of the cake was gone. He did have the good grace to eat half from the side, rather than off the top, so I was able to trim away the disturbed part and there was enough left that hadn't been touched, that we could still have it for dessert. I had planned to send the leftover cake home with Bernie and Brenda so I know Bernie was especially disappointed. But at least we did have a bit of a taste. It was quite good so I will make that one again.
We had curried carrot and ginger soup, topped with a puff pastry shell, followed by goat cheese stuffed chicken breast, rice pilaf and carrots. I did manage to cook the chicken a little too long so a lot of the cheese bubbled out, but the sauce that was served with it was quite tasty. It was a combination of caramelized onions,  cremini mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, chicken stock and cream, all simmered together till thickened. It certainly added flavour to the chicken.
All in all, I had a lovely afternoon in my kitchen, one of my favorite ways to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon - cooking for good friends.

I've once again moved the table into the living room for the winter. (I'll move it back for Christmas). Yesterday with the oven(s) on and the wood stove burning, it was too warm in the kitchen to sit and eat supper so I moved it into the living room again. It works well there for now. I also need to get working on Jame's quilt for his birthday so I can sew and watch TV while I work.

I might be home early today as I have some minor surgery at the dermatologists this afternoon.  My appointment is at 12:20 so I'm hopeful to be done early and get home early. I want to move some wood around this afternoon.  I built a sort of rack outside in my back porch and it works very well. Even Bernie was impressed with it.  I think it will hold enough wood for at least a Monday to Friday, so I'm not having to look for wood in the dark. It worked well last year, filling up on the weekend but I didn't have enough room inside for more than two days worth, so it should work better this year. Each year will get a little more efficient as I work out the things that maybe don't work so well, and make changes. My wood rack is a good example, and my new island is another. Last night the three of us were looking at where I might be able to put in a dishwasher. It would be nice once Lloyd is here and we eat more meals at home, or when company does come over.  As Bernie said, where there's a will, there's a way! And I know there has to be a way.