Everythings where it should be.

Conditions at 7:00 am: 16* and overcast
Later: 22* and a mix of sun and cloud

What a treat to get home last night and both the Bunky and the tree house have been moved. I hadn't heard anything at all and about 3:00 I called Brenda to see what was going on. She reported that she had gone by my place when she went to pick up the lobsters and both buildings were there and both guys were gone.

When I got home I asked how they moved the bunky, and Lloyd replied that they called CAA. WHAT???? Apparently the have the capabilities of moving large vehicles that are not drivable so it only makes sense. Apparently it went much smoother than either of them imagined. The tree house was able to be lifted by the tractor so Bernie drove it down the road, with it totally blocking his view. I wish I had photos but neither of them thought to do that.

But it's nice to have that job done. The other good news is the wood is all cut up. When I got home from work last night I unloaded some stuff from the car first, then went out to talk to Lloyd and he was just cutting the very last piece. What a great feeling for him to have that job done.

The day just got better with a delicious lobster supper at the VanGaal's. Potato salad, fresh baked rolls, beet salad and lobster, followed by strawberry cake. What a wonderful feast! And to add to the joy is a bucket of frozen lobster is now in my freezer for future enjoyment and lobster sandwiches for supper tonight.

Today Lloyd's going to town to get plates and insurance for the Neon, so he can drive it back home. He's hoping he might have a better chance of selling it there than here. He can also take a couple of things home with him that need to get back to Ontario.

I've been a little frustrated with the job search lately. I applied for an admin position downtown but I never heard anything. So yesterday I emailed the woman who the resumes were to go to and asked for some feedback. I questioned if there was something I could improve in my cover letter, my resume or my qualifications that might make the next attempt successful. She was very nice to reply quite soon after. She indicated that she received 160 applications for the position and mine was not considered as I don't have any formal training in office administration. I know when you receive that many responses to a want ad you have to have some basic screening criteria so that makes sense. In the meantime it doesn't really help me. So I will have to focus my search in other areas.

Rumour has it Lloyd is going to meet me for lunch today. I only get half an hour so I think it will be the cafeteria at AVC. Actually that's one of the jobs I am going to submit a resume to, although they aren't actively hiring right now, and that's Chartwells. Everyone complains about the food but it's typical cafeteria stuff - prepackaged, mass produced food but it's only for two more years until I can retire. The other option I have is the call centre. I did get a response in the spring from them and the fellow I spoke with left me his name and phone number to call when my contract ran out so I think I'll give him a call the beginning of the week and see where that goes.

In the meantime, it's time to be off to the job I still have.

The Bunky's coming home.

Conditions at 7:00 am- 15* and light drizzle
Expected later: overcast and a high of 17*


At least that's the plan for today.

The story of the bunky is a complex one. First of all, the name. In Ontario, a lot of folks own cottages, and when you own a cottage on a lake in Ontario, you get lots of company. Many people build a tiny building beside the cottage with just beds to house extra overnight guests and they're called bunkys.

Four years ago, we purchased the property on Five House Road in May. By June we couldn't wait to come back. This time Patti and Greg and the kids came down as well, as did our friend Stephan. We rented two cottages out in Tracadie.
We had a great week touring around, exploring our future home province. After we got home then we really wanted to do something, but we didn't have much money (having just spent it all on the land) and very little vacation time left as well. But we talked it over and decided we could build a little cabin of some sort that we could stay in for short periods of time. The planning began in earnest and after reviewing our options, and visiting RV centres we settled on a plan we thought might work.

We had one week to get from a pile of lumber sitting in the middle of an empty field, to the finished product. (This is one of those time's I'm really happy I document things in scrapbooks as I have the whole process in pictures. )

We came up with a stationary version of a camper trailer - just without the wheels. It's 7 feet deep and 14 feet long - your basic garden shed. But it's totally finished inside with painted drywall and trim, and laminate flooring. It has a small sink with running water and a 3 burner gas stove. The special part is that we did it entirely ourselves (well, really mostly Lloyd)

It's fully insulated which allowed us to come to visit the island any time of the year. And visit we did. We had a lot of wonderful trips to PEI staying in that little structure.

In summer months we would set up a dining tent outside and put the table and chairs out there to allow more space inside and give us a place to eat without mosquitoes. A nearby firepit completed our tiny piece of paradise, and many an evening were spent sitting under the stars gazing at the flames of a bonfire. In winter months we spent many a trip just sitting and reading for hours on end. What could be more relaxing.

On the outside it looks like your typical garden shed, and everyone is totally amazed when they go inside at how much is actually in there.

Today Bernie and Lloyd are going to try to move it to Dromore Road. I think it will be somewhat of a challenge, but they met last night, and took a drive over to size up the situation. They just have to keep telling themselves, it's just a garden shed. I'm sure the job won't be without it's challenges and I wish I was going to be there to help or at least witness and take pictures! I'd love to see it going down the road.

Now when guests come to visit, they have the option of staying in the big house or the 'guest house'. With any luck at all I think the plan is to try to move the tree house as well. It won't be in a tree for while, it will just be on the ground, but at least it will be usable. Tristen will be so pleased. Apparently he tells EVERYONE that he has a treehouse at his grandma's in PEI. Lloyd says he can put it up in the air on his next trip. At least if it's moved, the kids will be able to use it when they're here (so long as they use bug spray!)

If those get moved today, that will be an amazing feat. Most of the wood is cut and I'm off on Thursday so we should have no trouble getting the shelter up and the fence installed when I'm there to help. So it's actually been a very productive week, getting lots of odd jobs done as well as the wood cut up.

Tonight we are off the the Van Gaal's for supper - lobster, potato salad, fresh baked rolls. YUM! Alas Lobster season is almost over so one more good feed before it's done.

It's Monday again

Current conditions: 11* and overcast
Expected later: 17* and 20 mm of rain

It was a beautiful morning at 5:00 am with lovely clear skies but by 6:30 it had deteriorated rapidly. On the radio, the DJ suggested that if you have anything to do outside today to get it done in the morning, but I'm not so sure that's going to last. I just hope it stays dry until at least 9:30 when I have to go out to get the mail and then I have a doctor's appointment at 10:30 so it would be nice to not be in the rain for that as well.

Lloyd made good progress on the wood yesterday. So far about 1/3 of it is cut up and that was really only in about 3 hours. Another two good sessions should finish it. Then we can at least begin to split and stack it. He has to talk to Bernie about the possibility of moving the bunky. If it rains all afternoon, it might be a good time for them to get together, depending on what Bernie's schedule is like.

Yesterday afternoon we went into town to the Old Triangle and listened to some fiddle music then off to Victoria Row for DiverCity, the multicultural festival. It was quite crowded with people but we managed to find some things to eat. We got to try Welsh Cakes, which I'd never had before. Oh my goodness, they were delicious. Fortunately they also had print outs with the recipe on them, so I plan to make some really soon. They look like a pancake and are fried on a griddle but they are made into a batter and cut out with cookie cutters.


On our way back home I mentioned about the cottage at the bottom of Patti Lane and Lloyd said he hadn't seen it. We were over there at Christmas but we didn't go down the hill, so he had no idea it was there. So we toured down the hill, then stopped at Richard and Daralen's on our way back. They had been at Campbell Cove all weekend and had only been back a couple of hours. We had a glass of wine and a nice visit with them.

By the time we got home it was around 8:30. I had cut most of the grass in the back field in the morning but still had some to cut between the trees, so I went out there for a little while but it was starting to get dark and I couldn't tell where the trees were, so it was time to quit. The grass (make that weeds!) had gotten very long over the past couple of weeks and some of the trees were hard to spot so I had to be ever so careful in spotting them in the weeds as I mowed. Now that my lawn mower is fixed, I have to keep on top of that back field or it will get way ahead of me much to easily.

Patti called and left a message - the flight to Paris was packed and some of the stand by's didn't get on the flight so we made a good call in deciding not to go this weekend. Everything happens for a reason!

Happy Sunday!

Conditions at 11:00 am - occasional sprinkling of rain and 14*
Expected later: cloudy and a high of 22*


It's Sunday morning and all is well. It's been a nice weekend so far but today the rain is trying really hard to dampen everyone's spirits but it's not really trying hard enough. Every once in a while we get a little sprinkle and then it's gone again. Lloyd is outside cutting wood and I'm waiting for cookies to bake in the oven. Does it get any more Norman Rockwell than that?

Friday night Lloyd picked me up after work and we went downtown for supper. We walked along Victoria Row and decided on a little Italian place that had a special that appealed to both of us. So after a lovely dinner of seared scallops, osso bucco on risotto Milanese, washed down with an Australian Shiraz, followed by tiramisu and cappuccino, we waddled back to the car for the trip home. We had contemplated going out after dinner but we were just too full. And it had been a very long day for Lloyd, so we just came home.

Saturday morning we got up early and headed into town to the Farmer's Market. While there we ran into Chef Michael Smith, and I chatted with him for a minute. Lloyd was in a hurry as he was pressed for time. He was going to the COPA event in Summerside. So after a quick tour of the market, he headed out and I was off in search of a blade for the lawnmower. After stops at 4 places to find one, I finally got lucky at the Home Hardware in Stratford. Another stop at Sobey's and the Liquor store and then home to make dinner. Brenda and Linda were coming over and I wanted to try my hand at Seafood Linguine. We had a salad first, with an asian influenced vinaigrette, topped with sesame crusted seared scallops (cooked by Brenda ) and then the linguine. We had crepes with a cream cheese and fresh strawberry filling, drizzled with chocolate sauce for dessert. Again all washed down with white wine, then tea and coffee.
A splendid time was had by all!
I hadn't seen Linda since last fall and there have been some MAJOR changes in her life. Let's just say some men can be SUCH jerks, and leave it at that.

Yesterday on my way home, I stopped by my neighbours place to pick up some strawberries. They're not yet ready for picking your own, but they've been picking a few. I have to just say I feel so foolish for complaining last weekend about a sore knee. This woman has recently had her second leg amputation due to complications from diabetes. It's a humbling experience to see her wheel around her kitchen in her wheelchair, going about her everyday tasks. Sometimes we just need to be reminded how truly lucky we are.

Well, my second tray of cookies is ready so I'd best get outside and cut some grass!

If I can't go to Paris...

Conditions at 7:00 am: Sunny and 16*
Expected later: 25* and a mix of sun and cloud later in the afternoon

....at least I can support a good cause. The past few weeks Timothy's have been selling draw tickets to raise money to buy a beach wheelchair for Camp Gencheff. This morning the proceeds from the sale of all small coffees and any baked items will also be donated. The coffee shop is donating the coffee and their bakery suppliers donated the baked goods. So, only in the interest of supporting a good cause, of course, I'm enjoying a Cinnamon roll with my coffee. I decided to forgo my usual oatmeal that I have each morning. They have a draw later today for a coffee maker and several other prizes.

Yesterday afternoon I attended one of the sessions at the Lucy Maud conference. What an interesting time. But at the same time it makes you feel pretty stupid because I don't have the kind of mind to pull all this stuff out of a novel. It made sense when I heard it but I can't begin to imagine coming up with all this stuff by myself.

The session I went to dealt with the domestic life and somewhat about the old time kitchen.
It did raise some interesting points about what life was like at that time and how very compartmentalized life was. Woman looked after the children, cleaned, cooked, tended the garden and did the canning, while the men tended to the livestock, farmed, cut and split the wood for the winter, and rarely did the two cross into the others areas. They talked about how a community was generally somewhat isolated from the outside world, and each woman usually has their own special talents. They supported each other by trading, bartering, doing things for each other. They had little need for outside influences or help. Each community was pretty much a self contained unit and were very supportive of each other. Then they talked about how progress came in the form of magazines, newspapers, radio, etc that opened up the outside world and the younger people began to feel they were missing out or there were other things they needed. Thus began our consumer driven society. Once advertising told us what we had to or needed to have, it changed the dynamics of our whole society, to what we have today.
But on the other hand, it also talked about the new 'trend' to locally grown, locally produced products when in essence that was the reality of life.

Now one hundred years later, we are desperately trying to get back to that way of life but have we gone too far in the other direction?

So ended my first foray into the world of academia. Having never gone to University this was an experience.

On my way back to my office I ran into the President of the Student Union, who just happens to be working in our department for the summer. He was on his way back from AVC where they were having an Ice Cream Social = free ice cream across the way. So off I went and of course I passed several department members on their way back. Loaded up with ice cream topped with fruit, whipped cream, caramel AND chocolate sauce, made for a pretty tasty afternoon.

Last night I did some tidying up and some laundry and now it's FRIDAY - and our 21st anniversary to boot. Lloyd is arriving (hopefully) around 11:30 so I'll pick him up and he can take the car for the rest of the afternoon. When he picks me up, we'll decide where to go for supper.

Conditions at 7:00 am: drizzle and 14*
Expected later: mix of sun and cloud and 23*

Just when we thought summer was here, mother nature pulls the plug - again! Yesterday was a beautiful day and now this morning it's cool and drizzly. But it is supposed to get nicer later so I hope they're right.

Last night I spent a couple of hours at the Welcome reception for the Lucy Maud Conference. It was actually quite a lot of fun. I'm not sure I totally understand the concept and many of these ladies have come great distances to attend. There were at least two from Melbourne, Australia - and ironically enough, they didn't know each other. Suna, the other volunteer and I put the name tags together on Tuesday and we both commented that we would have liked to tags to indicate where the person was from. So when they came to our table to pick up their conference bags, we asked them all where they were from. We asked the second girl who was from Melbourne if they were together as the first girl was standing nearby, and it turns out they didn't know each other so we introduced them to each other and they were still together later at the reception.
There were several from Japan, one lady who arrived on Wednesday and is leaving on Monday to go back. Now THAT'S dedication! (for lack of a better word!)

There were many from various parts of the US and across Canada. Not everyone registered last night and I suspect some of the more academic types will be in today. For the most part, they were quite a fun group of women, and not all of them older, as I had thought they might be.
Many are school teachers and several librarians (makes sense).

I had the pleasure of finally meeting Elizabeth Waterston. What a lovely person she is. We spoke briefly when she registered and then we had a chance to chat for while at the reception that followed registration. It was quite a lovely affair, with live musicians, a variety of finger foods and a bar. There was even a huge punch bowl for those of us who were driving.

This afternoon I'm session assistant (translate=gopher) at one of the workshops. I got to choose the one I wanted to attend, so I found one that I thought I might find interesting.
I could not imagine what these people talk about for 4 days but the session I'm attending is:

Genealogy and the Domestic Sphere:
1) "The Old Time Kitchen": Domesticity, Nature and Avonlea's Transforming Rural Economy
2)"The Nature of Nurture: Food and Tradition in Emily of New Moon
3) Emily of New Moon and the Uncanny Nature of Genealogy

That will probably be enough higher education for me for one day! I haven't actually read Emily of New Moon, so maybe I'll be prompted to after today.

Well, I'm writing this at home this morning as I forgot to plug in the laptop last night to charge, so I'm writing this before I leave for work.

Have a great (and hopefully sunny) day!

Change in plans

Current conditions at 7:00 am: Overcast, 15*
Expected later: Partly cloudy, high 23*

I talked to Patti last night and it looks like we're not going to Paris this weekend. The flight is pretty much full, and while there is always a chance that we might get on, it's not the same when you don't live in southern Ontario. In the old days (pre-PEI) if you didn't get on the flight, you just went back home. But now I would be stuck there till the next day, and I'd have to get James home. I know James is a little disappointed but I told Patti to tell him I'm not going without him. So we are going to try again in July.
At least then, Lloyd will be in Guelph, so if James and I don't get on the flight, I can just drive Patti's van back to Guelph, drop off James, and I can spend the weekend with Lloyd, then simply drive the van back to the airport on Sunday so Patti can go home, and so can I. Either way, I get to spend my birthday in Paris, or with Lloyd in Guelph. Talk about a win/win situation!

I called Lloyd last night and told him I would be here for the weekend and he was actually pretty pleased about that. So like I always say, everything happens for a reason. So as a result of my being at home, Brenda is ordering lobsters for our feast on Saturday night. I'm doing dessert and she's doing the potato salad and rolls. Yum !!!

Yesterday afternoon I helped put together the name tags for the Lucy Maud Montgomery Conference. This evening I'm helping at the registration table from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. I'm leaving work at 4:00, going home to change and then back in town by 6:00. It should be really interesting (or incredibly boring, who knows!) As Brenda said last night, it's good to be involved so they all know who I am. I haven't heard anything yet about the position I applied for in Student Services so I'm going to call HR this morning and just inquire where it stands, or even if they still plan to fill the position.

In the meantime. I'd best be off to work. Have a great day everyone!

It feels like a giant weight has been lifted

Current conditions at 7:00 am: foggy, 12*
Expected high: this afternoon is supposed to be sunny and 22*

Finally some welcome relief from knee pain. I feel like such a whiner, and I suppose I have been. But this morning I just have some stiffness, not the sharp pain with every step I've been experiencing the past few days.

Yesterday after work, I went over to the walk in clinic and was given a prescription for some anti-inflammatory drugs. Those and an ice pack on it all evening seem to have worked wonders! What a great way to start my day!

I actually did some tidying up this morning, stuff I should have done on the weekend.

I just opened an email from Lloyd and there are pictures from, I assume, an airshow that was in Waterloo on the weekend. It looks like James was able to go with him. What a nice treat for both of them and from the pictures I think James had a great time.
I'd heard about the air show on a Toronto radio station I was listening to online last week. I called Lloyd to see if he was going, and he knew about it, but wasn't sure if he was going or not. He didn't think anyone else at the airport was very keen on going, but it looks like he found someone who was!

This afternoon I'm helping put together name tags for the Lucy Maud Montgomery Conference that's being held at the University this week. Tomorrow night I'm helping at the information table from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and them on Thursday I'm going to be a Session Assistant. My job there will simply be to solve any problems that arise, or at least find someone who can. It will be interesting to hear what these brilliant minds have pulled from the stories.

One of the speakers is a woman I know of, but have never met. Her husband is a shareholder at my old company and he and I have had many chats about PEI. His family was from here originally. His wife is retired but she was a professor at the University of Guelph. She has written several books about Anne and Lucy Maud, and she wrote a new one a couple of years ago that her husband had told me she was working on. I asked him to let me know when it was released so I could purchase a copy. The next time he came to a meeting, he brought a copy for me with a very nice note inside from his wife. So I'm really looking forward to finally meeting her this week.

Well, I'm keeping it short this morning. I have to go and get some blood work done so nothing to eat or drink except water after midnight. Needless to say, I skipped my coffee this morning, so I'm writing this from home. I'm leaving later and it will take longer, as I usually end up behind one of those pesky school buses!

Let's try this again

Conditions at 7:00 am: overcast, a little fog and 16*
Expected high: 17* with sunny periods, and a chance of showers


Friday's post was all over the place (in terms of formatting) so much so that when I went in to try to fix it, it was a mess, so I just deleted it.
This morning seems to be better again. I think it's the site and not something I'm doing. Just every once in a while, it doesn't work.

Friday was a really fun night. Brenda and I went into town to Fishbones and had dinner, then we headed over to the Confed Centre to watch the kids arrive for the prom. This was a totally new experience for me. Hundreds upon hundreds of people were milling about outside the back entrance to the centre. Various vehicles arrived from horse drawn carriages, to harbour hippos, to busses, dropping off hordes of kids dressed in their very best. Eventually everyone files into the hall, via a red carpet and an arbour of balloons, and as they arrive, their names are announced and they stop and pose for a photo before going in. Along the sides of the entrance way, are cement steps that the families of the kids crowd onto to get a better view. Thomas, from the store graduated this year and was there with a friend, as was Devon, from the Rec Centre. Brenda and I sat with Susan and her husband for a while, and watched the festivities. It was quite the event.

Earlier in the evening, when we were sitting outside at Fishbones, I happened to overhear a fellow at the table next to us talking about this motorcycle club called Blue Knights, and that they were having an event on the island. It turns out he was in the band that was playing at their banquet on Saturday night. So early Saturday morning I got up early and checked the Blue Knights website. Lloyd and I used to be very active members of the Ontario XI chapter. I found out they were at the Rodd Royalty and since I was planning to go into town anyway to get groceries, this seemed like a good time. So off I went to the Royalty, and was greeted by a parking lot full of Blue Knight bikes. It immediately brought back fond memories of so many bike trips we had taken with the group so many years ago. I went inside and met a member of the PEI chapter who was directing members to the buffet breakfast. After chatting for a while, he suggested that I go inside and see if there was anyone that I knew. So in I went, and as soon as I entered the room I saw a familiar face. One of the members from our old chapter, Ralph, was there. What a nice surprise. So I went in and said hello, and at first he looked at me, wondering who I was and in a flash he realized it and asked if I was there with Lloyd. You can imagine his surprise when I told him no, I live here. So we sat for about an hour and chatted and he filled me in on where the other members are now and what's happening in their lives. It was a great morning. But eventually it was time to go, as they were all headed out to tour the island for the day. So we said goodbye, and off I went to get groceries. I told him to say Hi to everyone in the chapter for us on his return.

After getting groceries, and poking around town, my sore knee was really bothering me. So when I got home I soaked it in a hot bath then had a nap. When I woke up, it was the worst it's been so far. I was meant to help at the rec centre with a wedding on Saturday night but I just couldn't do it and it finally got the best of me. Sometimes when something is painful for a while, it just wears you down, and I think that's where I was with it that day. So I made the decision to get it looked at, and at least get some kind of prescription for pain. It wasn't such a successful trip. I got to emergency a little after 4:00 and was checked in right away. There were about 5 people ahead of me so I thought it shouldn't take too long. By 10:30 I was still sitting there. More people had come in and when I asked, I was told I was on the non-urgent list so I had 7 or 8 people ahead of me. That was pretty much everyone in the room. So basically everytime someone new arrived, they were put on the list ahead of me. By this time I was in a lot of pain, I was cold (from the air conditioning), I was hungry (cafeteria closed at 8:00) and I was just plain cranky. So I told the nurse to take me off the list, I was going home. They suggested I could go to the walk in clinic on Sunday at noon, and sent me on my way. I was just so frustrated when I left that I was in tears on my way home. The worst part of the knee pain is sleeping. It is the most painful at night and it wakes me up 5 or 6 times a night, and I have trouble getting back to sleep.

On Sunday morning, Brenda came over to see how I was. It was so thoughtful and kind of her. Later in the afternoon, she dropped over again with a movie and some drugs that the kids had for various reasons. One was very good. I was going to try to sleep without it, but at 11:00 I gave in and took one pill. I slept right through till 5:00. What a welcome relief. I think that was part of my problem over the weekend, just too many nights without enough sleep finally caught up with me. It's still quite painful this morning but at least I had a good night's sleep and it's made all the difference.

So I didn't get as much done on the weekend as I'd hoped but not to worry. These things have a way of working themselves out. Last night after I'd gone to bed, the phone rang. It was Linda, my friend from Ontario who has a cottage here. She sounded like she was right next door. I asked if she was here and she said no, but she will be arriving on Friday afternoon. I told her I was going away for the weekend but would be back on Sunday so she's going to call me on Monday night. We have a lot of catching up to do. I haven't talked to her since she was here last summer and there have been some MAJOR changes in her life. There may be wine involved.

7.2 km

Conditions at 7:00 am: 14 *, cloudy with sprinkles of rain
Expected high: 18*

7.2 km - that's the distance around the block from my house. It's not quite as far as the walk from Brenda's to my house but it's close. Having said that, I can't believe she did that walk in the cold rain and up that awful big hill, as well. I've got my work cut out for me to catch up to her. I was surprised, however, to find that the trip to Joey's road corner and back in the morning is a total of 1.4 km. I really didn't think it was that far.

When we got back from our trek last night we had cheese quesadilas and strawberries and whipped cream, washed down with a cold glass of a lovely German Reisling. Not a bad way to end the day.


I have to wish a belated Happy Birthday to Meghan (1) - I didn't know you had celebrated a birthday this week till your mom told me last night. It sounds like you had a great time with your friends.

When I was going around the block this morning to measure the distance, I was just turning off Joey's road onto Route 22 when a big truck with wood piled on the back came around the corner and I thought "That must be Benny". So I continued around the block and by the time I got back to the house he was backing up the driveway. So I went in and introduced myself. I've been dealing with him now for 2 seasons buying wood but I'd never met him. It's nice to put a face to the voice. I paid him then left.

So now Lloyd can relax, the wood is here! I did look up the information he needed on the chain saw last night but I forgot to bring it with me so I'll send it tonight.

This morning while I was looking for a picture of a birthday cake, I stumbled upon a blog that has a very similar feel to mine - mostly just family news and "life" stuff. Like mine, nothing of any great literary significance but fun for some. I loved the title of it - Ramblings of a Crazy Woman. Seems appropriate some how and also nice to know there are others out there like me!

Big news on Compass last night about the two girls from PETA who were showering on Queen street yesterday. It appears their message received mixed reviews. First and foremost they were tossing around all kinds of statistics but none were Canadian and they knew even less about PEI. But I'm sure it made for some interesting conversation downtown yesterday.

Personally I was more interested in the whale that washed up on the shore near St. Peter's. It's a Minke whale and they are going to be doing an autopsy on it to see why it dies. There is extensive damage to the tail section that looks like it's been cut, as though it was caught in some kind of restraint. The high winds on Tuesday apparently washed it ashore. If I knew it was still there, I'd take a drive out, but it's a ways to go on a whim.

Maybe it's finally here...

Conditions at 7:00 am: Sunny, breezy, 12 degrees
Expected high: 22 degrees

What a glorious morning. Today I actually got my act together and took the dog out for a nice long walk (okay, it was only 1/2 an hour but it WAS 5:00) before I had my shower and got ready for work. It's such a beautiful morning, hopefully I can get myself into this routine. It's great for the dog and also good for me as well.

I haven't talked to Brenda so I don't know if the guys got away yesterday. They were headed to Laconia to a bike rally but the winds were so high yesterday that they had restrictions on the bridge and the ferries were also canceled. They would have been disappointed to not get away as planned but I suppose you're accustomed to that if you've lived here a long time.

Brandi and I were chatting yesterday and she asked when I was going to Paris and when I told her the 25th, she said "That's next Friday". I realized she was right, I only have a week and a half or so before I go. When I get back Lloyd will be here and then a couple of days after he leaves, Meghan arrives. Then a few days after that everyone else is arriving, so anything I need to get done for company has to be done very soon! So last night I tackled my stairway. When we first looked at the house, that was the one thing that I looked at and said immediately, that has got to go. One wall is a combination of really ugly pink wallpaper stripes alternating with stripes of stucco. The stripe are about 7 inches wide. It's pretty awful. So a couple of weeks ago, on a rainy Sunday afternoon when we couldn't go out to play, I tried to take the wallpaper off one strip. What a challenge that was. There are at least 6 layers (that I can identify) of paper and the glue is very well stuck on. Wetting it didn't really help a lot and it came off in tiny little pieces. This is going to be one heck of a job. Then yesterday I looked up homemade wallpaper removers and all I needed was one part vinegar and one part warm water. It said to thoroughly wet the paper first with a sponge then spray the solution on and let it sit for 15 minutes. It was still a bit of work but it worked very well. By the end of the night, I had all the paper off and it already looks much better. The stucco parts are quite dirty so I'm just going to put a fresh coat of white paint on the whole wall, as I have some left from the upstairs bedroom project. It will still be stucco stripes but all being one colour makes it look just like a monotone wall treatment. I'll just claim that's the look I was after. It should be a huge improvement. And that pretty much finishes the bits of the house I really didn't like. The upstairs carpeting is now all gone, and the back bedroom has new paper, and now the stairs are done.
The hallway upstairs needs new paper as well but what's there is in good shape and I really don't mind it, so it can stay for a while. The craft room has funky striped paper but it's also okay for now. Neither of those are high priorities. They can wait till I retire. That can be a winter project once I don't have to go out to work every day.

Big happenings in Charlottetown today! I heard on the news this morning that two members of PETA are staging an environmental 'statement' today downtown. They will be encouraging people to help the environment by going vegetarian by standing naked behind a banner on the corner of Queen and Richmond Streets at noon. Not sure what being naked has to do with anything but I suppose it will attract attention. No doubt that will be front page news in the Guardian tomorrow morning.

Hurry up Summer!

Current conditions at 7:00 am: Sunny and cool with expected
winds gusting to 80 KM, and a chance of rain or hail this afternoon
Expected High today: 13

It's chilly again this morning but at least the sun is shining for now. You know when something dawns on you and you think "What was I thinking?"I was putting the weather network information into my blog on a daily basis so readers can see the weather. But my reasoning for putting it in was to look back and see what the weather was. DUH - it's a live feed. Okay so I'm not always the sharpest knife in the drawer! So now I'll put in the weather info as well so I can look back next year and see what it was like in the past.

I saw Brenda out walking this morning on my way to work. I'm so looking forward to the day when I can do that. I suppose I could do it now if I was that organized but I'd have to be doing it at 5:30 in the morning. I'm not that committed. So I'm really looking forward to the day I can retire and spend my time doing things I want to do, not just what I have to do. But I can't really complain, it's just this 9 to 5 thing is really getting into the way of having fun!

The biggest news for me in the past few days is I finally have a doctor. It's a little bit convoluted how you get one here. You have to be on a registry waiting list. I was under the (mistaken) impression that when new spaces opened up, they contacted the next person on the list. Apparently that's not the case. I learned at a party a month or so ago, that there was a new doctor in town and you could go to his web site to sign on as a patient. I heard about this because the girl I was speaking to works in immigration and he came here from another country. So when I got home I went to the website and it indicated that he was not taking anymore.

On Friday, Brandi and I were chatting because I was calling around to find out hours for an after hours clinic as my knee was really bothering me again. We got talking about the doctor shortage and she mentioned that someone she knew had just go onto this new doctors website and signed up. The frustrating part is that he wasn't on the registry list, and that's one of the criteria. So he then went online and put his name on the registry list and now he could become a patient. So I went back into the Dr's site and sure enough, they were again taking new patients. So I quickly signed myself up. Anyone can sign up so long as they are on the registry list. That hardly seems fair to folks who don't hear about this. You would have thought they would take the patients directly from the registry or at least the registry would contact you to let you know this option was open. It doesn't seem right somehow and I feel badly that I might now have a doctor while some older person or someone experiencing health issues, may have been waiting longer than me. But that's the system and I am pleased to finally have one. It's yet another piece of the puzzle falling into place.

He has an interesting website. It appears that he will not limit the number of patients he takes (I think the initial stop was to get organized). As his patient numbers grow he is increasing staff. He has already moved into a larger location from where he started, although the first one may have been temporary anyway. He seems to make extensive use of nurses and also has several LPN's on staff. In the office is a sign with a list of the procedures that will be performed by staff other than himself and these include things like PAP tests, etc. That makes perfect sense to me, I don't think it's always necessary for a doctor to perform some tests that are just routine and are being sent out for analysis anyway. That frees up the doctor to look at people that really need a doctor. Good for him (and for the rest of us).

I went into the office yesterday to drop off my paperwork to have my medical records sent from Ontario and he has two signs up in his office. One says that he believes that every person on the island has the right to have a family doctor and if that means a little bit more waiting time for patients, then you should find another doctor if you aren't okay with that. He also will not put up with rude or obnoxious people. If you are going to be like that, then find another doctor. His signs put it more diplomatically but that's the bottom line.

I have an initial appointment (required to set up a file and do a history) on Monday so we'll see how it goes. One of the interesting things about his website is a live feed telling you the wait times for each clinician. This gives you the option of leaving your office a few minutes later if you go in and see that it's 20 minutes behind schedule. They also have WIFI in the waiting room so you can bring your laptop and be productive while you work.
A very progressive thinking doctor, I think. It will be interesting to see how this impacts other doctors practices. Take a look at his website. www.coull.net

Other than that, it's just a typical Tuesday. Last night we had our IAAP meeting at a restuarant in Montagure called Windows on the Water. It was quite nice. They had a special of Almond Crusted Sole and that's what everybody else had. I had the Seafood Linguine and it was perfect. It had big chunks of lobster and scallops and had steamed mussels arranged on the top. I know I can re-create this one and will likely do that when Patti and the gang are here.

Did I mention that there are possibly ten of them coming at one time??? I was panicking a little about it but I think I have it sorted out so we'll all be comfortable. I think it might be a fun time. I haven't spent that much time with Doug's side of the family for a very long time so I think it will be nice to make those connections again. Jean (Patti's aunt) has certainly had some health struggles this past year and she and I were quite close when Doug and I were married so I'm looking forward to maybe re-establishing that relationship.

I just hope the weather is nice for them as I don't think any of them have been to the island before.

Busy times on the island!

What a busy, but productive, few days it's been. We bypassed Friday Feast so I planned to spend the evening splitting the few logs that we couldn't split last year. The idea was once they were cut into smaller pieces, they might be better split in the spring. Such was not the case. I tried 5 pieces and not one will split. I don't know what kind of tree this was but it sure is hard! Brenda suggested it might be possible to cut them up with the chain saw, but I'll leave that to Lloyd.

Saturday was pretty productive. I got up early and got lots of laundry done, and I finally finished Meghan's quilt. The only thing left to do was the binding around the outside and now it's done. I laid it out on the floor to take a picture of it, and when I turned around after getting the camera, Cooper had plunked himself down in the middle. Apparently it passes the comfy criteria.

In the afternoon Brenda and I went out to Mount Stewart to participate in the Lady Slipper Walk. On the way we stopped by the Trailside which was having a Yard Sale inside. It appears the place has been sold. Rumour has it that a chef from Ontario and her husband, a bit of a handyman, are in the process of buying it. The hope is they plan to do the same type of venue that Doug was doing. We wish them well (whoever they might be).

The Lady Slipper Walk took us back out our way. We drove down a forest road and came to a stop in the middle of trees. I have no idea how he knew where to stop. But we did and after a brief trek through the woods we came upon Lady Slippers. I'd not seen them before so it was quite a thrill. I was surprised to see that there are Trilliums here as well, although they were finished blooming. On our way back we stopped at the Spirit Spring, which just happens to be on my road.

After Brenda dropped me off, we had a tight window of time to get ready for the Festival of Small Halls at the Rec Centre. What a great evening! We really enjoyed some wonderfully talented musicians. I especially enjoyed the fact that when I walked in all the women who work at the rec centre were there and everyone greeted me very warmly. It's nice to feel like you're a little part of something, to go into someplace where people know your name.

Sunday morning dawned bright and beautiful, although a little cool to start off. Brenda and I headed out to go to the Winter River, over in Tracadie. On our way we stopped at the Trailside again and Brenda picked up one of the mugs for her aunt, and I found a couple of kids bicycles. They may need new tubes in the tires but they were only $5.00 each so if I can get them rideable, the kids will have a great time with them.

We arrived at the river and put our boats in the water. It was a gorgeous morning and we were treated to a spectacular show by the eagles in the area. We must have seen at least 2 dozen. What a magnificent sight. We followed the river to it's source, a journey of roughly 2 hours. Just before we reached the end, we came across a log cabin that Brenda had last visited about 15 years ago. The fellow who owns it leaves it open for anyone to use, so we went inside and looked around and while we were there we had our snack. There's trails that wind all around the woods in the area. We went on a short walk but neither of us had appropriate shoes and we'd left the bug spray in the boat. But that will be something we'll need to explore again before the summer is over.

When we got back and loaded the truck, it was almost 5:00 so we stopped at Rob Roys on our way home to have something to eat. Not a great choice. We decided we won't go back there again. Let's just say the food did not live up to our expectations.

Thus ended another busy weekend.

Technical difficulties

I'm a little late this morning as the internet connection at Timothy's didn't seem to be working this morning. That happens every once in a while, no idea why. But better late than never.

It's another glorious morning here on the island. The temperature is meant to go to 24 degrees this afternoon. Yesterday was beautiful and last night was amazing. I cut the grass around the trees when I got home and then headed out to sit and enjoy the evening for a while when it dawned on me - it was perfectly still. Just the perfect night to burn the small pile of brush I had beside the shed. I needed to clear it away before Benny brings my wood so the timing was great. I was able to burn all of it and enjoy a nice evening sitting by the fire.

While I was out there I spent quite a long time on the phone with Lloyd. We discussed work opportunities and retirement plans and the bottom line is he is going to have to stay put for a year and a half, until he turns 60, but that will go by quickly. I can't believe how fast the past year has gone. I suggested to him I'd like a small deck on the front of the house but when we calculated how much it was going to cost, I think we decided against it for this year. But in reality, I would really rather he worked on moving the bunky while he's here. I know that will be a big project and if he can get that done along with cutting up the wood, that would be great. I'm going to need the extra sleeping space in July and I now know exactly where I'd like to put it.

After I got off the phone with him, Patti called. She had been trying to call for a very long time so she thought the phone was off the hook. She told me she mentioned very casually to James that Paul McCartney was coming to Toronto and his response was "I really wish I could go". When she asked him why he wanted to go he replied "I'd love to see Grandma at a Paul McCartney concert". Nice one James.

This weekend will be busy. I just got an email about the Lady Slipper Walk. It's taking place from Mount Stewart tomorrow at 4:00. Then in the evening we are going to the Mount Stewart Rec. Centre for the Festival of Small Halls (check out the website at http://www.smallhalls.com/ It promises to be a very entertaining night.

With any luck at all, we'll be able to get some kayaking in on Sunday.

Anyway, I'm late getting to it this morning, so I'd best get to work!

Honey, can I buy a lighthouse???

I've always had a fascination with lighthouses (I think lots of people do). Now there will be 40 up for sale on the island. What a cool thing that would be. Can you imagine turning one into a bed and breakfast? I know it would cost a bunch but boy what a great project that would be. (see the article at the end).

It's a beautiful morning this morning, lots of sun and the promise of a warm day. Last night on my way home I noticed another sure sign of summer - the lupins are blooming. They are so beautiful when you get huge clumps of them.

I''m supposed to be going to an "Administrative Support Retreat" this morning at the Rodd Charlottetown but I bowed out last night. There are two other girls in my department going so we'd be very short staffed and my student assistant, Brandi, was hoping to leave a bit early today, so that gave me an excuse not to go. It's billed as a 'retreat' but it's really more of an educational day. Since I've already had a couple of admin days this spring, I think my time is better served in the office. One of the presenters was at our team meeting yesterday so I've already seen that one. And it's going to be such a nice day I'd love to be able to just go out once in a while and walk around in the sun. I always have stuff to do in other buildings so today will be a great chance to get out and enjoy the sun.

I don't really need to worry much about what's happening on campus as I am pretty sure my days are numbered. We don't know yet when Linda will be back, but she WILL be back. The general feeling among the managers I've spoken to is that because of the whole human rights ruling that came down, the university has to reinstate 3 retired people and pay them back pay and damages and the cost will be over a million dollars. As a result, they expect that we will soon get the announcement that any job postings that have not yet been filled, likely won't be. I have applied for another job outside but so far these attempts haven't been so successful. But something will come up, I'm sure. I did get a response from a call centre I applied to a while back. It might not be an ideal job but at least they did call me. I was given someone's name to call when my contract runs out, so at least I won't be left with nothing. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye out for other things.

DFO declares 40 Island lighthouses surplus RYAN ROSS The Guardian The Point Prim lighthouse is slated to be divested by the Canadian Coast Guard and 40 lights on the Island will meet the same fate. The Point Prim light is the only round brick lighthouse in Canada and the oldest in Prince Edward Island. It was designed and built in 1845 by Isaac Smith, who also designed Province House. Guardian photo by Brian McInnis Many of P.E.I.’s lighthouses may change owners after the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans declared 40 of them surplus. P.E.I. Lighthouse Society president Carol Livingstone said she wasn’t surprised when she heard the news because in 1996 the government said it wanted to get rid of some of them within 10 years. “It didn’t happen within that frame but they weren’t too far off,” she said. About 480 active and 490 inactive lighthouses across Canada are considered surplus, but under the Heritage Lighthouse Protection Act they can be transferred to new owners who want them for their heritage value or tourism potential. Livingstone said she is aware of 63 lighthouses and another form of navigation light called a range light on the Island and she hopes some communities will take them over. With most of them accessible by car, she said some of them could be used as businesses or heritage sites. “It gives the community a chance to use their past to build their future.” On the list of Island lighthouses declared surplus are some well known structures, including the Point Prim lighthouse, which is the oldest on P.E.I. and the only round-shaped one in the province. Livingstone said with the popularity of lighthouses on the rise worldwide, they are something people have come to associate with P.E.I. “I think they’re a part of the whole Island landscape.” Livingstone said there is a two-year window for people to submit an application to take over a lighthouse, but she didn’t know how many might be lost after that time. “I’m hoping that most will be preserved.” In the case of the Wood Islands lighthouse, which was moved in 2009 to save it from erosion, the process of taking it over from the government was already under way before the announcement. Heather MacMillan is part of the group working to take ownership and said the plan is for the Wood Islands and Area Development Corporation to keep and maintain the lighthouse. “We’re sort of in the final stages and we’re just waiting for the final contract to come.” Although the government’s plan to declare some lighthouses surplus may not be a bad idea in every case, it still means an uncertain future for some of them, she said. “What are you going to do with them afterward?” It’s that uncertainty that has well known P.E.I. heritage activist Catherine Hennessey worried because she said the lighthouses are part of the P.E.I. landscape. “Landscape is our visual memory.” Hennessey just returned from a trip to B.C. where she said people are upset about the announcement. It was a sentiment she shared. “The lighthouses are too much of our landscape to be lost.” P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association representative Ed Frenette said potential closures wouldn’t affect their navigation because of the modern equipment they use. “In terms of fishermen it doesn’t matter any more,” he said.

Let's hope it works today!

Yesterday morning I typed up my whole 'thing' and when I published it, the result was one long continuous sentence that didn't wrap around the text box like it should. Therefore when I published it, you saw only the first few words and the rest were off the screeen. It seems to be working okay this morning. I was afraid it might have been something I did by mistake and couldn't fix but I called my 'guru' and he suggested it might be a problem with the site, so we'll see how it goes this morinng.

The sun is shining brightly this morning although it's still a bit cool. More of the same tomorrow but a little warmer. At this point they are promising warm and sunny for Sunday but it's way too early to get our hopes up for that.
Yesterday I was commenting on the signs of spring/summer that are here, so where is the warm weather? We have the flowers in bloom (I have a large bouquet of lilacs on my kitchen table), the leaves are out on the trees, I've seen a couple of herons, and the most unmistakable sign of summer has arrived - mosquitoes!

Now for the really exciting news (okay, only for me). A few days ago, it was announced that Sir Paul will be doing a concert in Toronto and one in Montreal in August. Trouble is these things sell out in minutes, and they pre-sell American Express cardholders. So by the time they go on sale for the rest of the world, they're gone literally in minutes. I found out they were going on sale yesterday morning at 10:00 am Ontario time so I got on the phone to Patti early in the morning, to call me back right away. But I just kept getting voice mail, so I thought she might be working. Then I called Jana, because I thought she might be interested in going. She also wasn't at her desk. Of course it was only 7:30 her time, but it wouldn't have been unusual for her to be there that early - more the norm really. But no luck, so I tried her cell, and alas, still no luck. So I left her a message that she needed to call me right away. Finally at 11:30 Ontario time I got her call. So quickly onto the Ticketmaster site and just 1 1/2 hours in, we were not able to get any good seats together - we had put in for 4. So we divided and conquered. By requesting only 2 seats we were able to at least get seats at the floor level. So we got 2 sets of 2 tickets. I emailed her to thank her and to let her know that I will put a cheque in the mail today for my two, and she emailed back that she had gone in and purchased another 2! What have I created??? Now we just have to find someone else who wants to go. I know Lloyd is willing to go and I have one more person who might want to go but I'll see if Jana has anyone else in mind first.
So, I'M GOING TO SEE PAUL McCARTNEY!!!!!

Technical difficulties this morning - will be back soon

And it's still raining!

We ended last week with rain and we're starting out this week with more rain. We had high hopes for Saturday and we did get a little nice weather in the morning, but then back into the downpours again in the afternoon. I was able to get some of the grass cut but not all of it. I finished the back and the front, now I just have to do the side. But that will likely have to wait till sometime later in the week. I did manage to dig up a small patch at the side of the house to plant some herbs. I want to pick up a few more plants for that spot this weekend.

Friday was our weekly feast. I had a large piece of salmon in the freezer I wanted to use so I took it out on Thursday night. I got to Brenda's around 6:00 and we wrapped the fish in parchment paper, sealing in the whole thing with some veggies. Then we put some rice pilaf into the oven to cook first. The result was very good, but the best part, at least for me, was the delicious rhubarb pie that Brenda had made. It was slightly tart and was beautifully balanced with cold, sweet vanilla ice cream. YUMMMMMM!

Saturday night we helped with a wedding at the rec centre and by the time I got home it was around 10:00. After bouncing around on the lawn mower for half the day, and then being on my feet for most of the evening, I was ready for bed.

Sunday morning dawned overcast and dreary. For a brief few minutes it looked like the sun was going to shine, but that was short lived. I had been planning to try Brenda's bread recipe for quite some time, but just hadn't gotten around to it. So yesterday was the day. I got up at 6:30 and started a fire in the kitchen first, to warm the place up. Then I got right into the bread, and by lunch time it was all finished. I used smaller pans than Brenda uses so I think I have 15 loaves. I baked some and put them into the freezer, and some I put unbaked into the freezer. Now all I have to do is take a pan out, let it thaw and rise, then bake. At least that's the theory anyway. It works for mini hamburger buns so I don't see why it won't work for these. I'm going to try it later in the week.

The rest of my day was pretty lazy. I did some work on my resume and cover letter for a job I saw online on Friday. I plan to drop that off today. Then I had a wee nap, and then I baked some cookies I had made earlier in the week. They were the slice and back variety so it was pretty simple. I was waiting for Marlene to call me about something she has for sale she thought I might be interested in but it depended on her schedule. I'll email her today and see what works for her this week.

I gave Brenda a call and she came over a little after 7:00 and I was just making Carrot and Ginger soup with carrots that were left over from the wedding. So, we had coffee (cappuccino) and soup with some of my homemade bread. Then we followed this up with the World's Most Dangerous Chocolate Cake, and here's the recipe. Meghan (1), if you haven't already seen this, (it was going around the internet a year of so ago you have to try it! Here's the recipe:

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cocoa
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp chocolate chips (optional)
a small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.
Put your mug into the microwave and cook for 3 minutes (1000 watt oven - may take a few seconds longer with a lower wattage oven).
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed. Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT! (I find this will actually serve 2 very nicely).
(I like to mix the ingredients in a small bowl first then put into the mug, which I've sprayed with cooking spray first)

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world?

BECAUSE NOW WE ARE ALL ONLY 5 MINUTES AWAY FROM CHOCOLATE CAKE AT ANY TIME OF THE DAY OR NIGHT!!!

I'm sure spring will get here any day now.

It's another cool, wet morning but we're hopeful it will be nicer tomorrow. I sure hope so or I will soon need a bigger tractor to get through the grass in my back yard! I suppose that's the price to be paid for slacking off for a weekend and going away.

But nothing can dampen my positive spirits these days. For those who know me well, it's been a really tough winter for me and my nasal system. But recently I got a nasal spray from Daralen, that she wasn't going to use. I had tried this particular brand when it first came out many years ago and I had no significant change in my stuffiness so discontinued using it. Mind you, at the time, it was new, so it may have had some changes made to it over the years, and my sinus condition was much worse at that time (if you can imagine that). But this time it has worked like a charm. I can breath through both nostrils (something that was quite rare) and I'm not stuffed up at all. It wasn't something I consciously followed, it just hit me a couple of days ago, hey, I can breathe and my nose isn't running all the time. It's like a minor miracle. You can't believe the difference it has made to my life.

A sure sign of spring is the hummingbirds return. I put the feeder out before I went to Regina and they are back. I love to watch those little birds out the side window. They are truly amazing. My lilacs are almost ready to burst out and my apple trees are loaded with blossoms this year. Last spring there were only a handful of blossoms on them so I'm wondering if they only do well every second year or if there was something about last year's conditions that limited production of flowers. But there are sure a lot of them now. Unfortunately the apples are not great as nothing has been done with the trees for years and I don't know anything about them. I'm not sure if spraying them earlier in the year would help or not. But then I would prefer to use the apples unsprayed. If nothing else, they will work for apple sauce.

Last night as I was coming home from work I saw Richard at the store taking some things out of his car. I'm wondering if he has revived the Sunday morning coffee routine. I'll have to ask Brenda when I go there for Friday Feast tonight. I had a piece of salmon in my freezer I needed to use so we are doing "Salmon en papiotte" basically salmon steamed in a parchment bag with veggies. Quite tasty and very healthy. That will be served with Alton Brown's Rice Pilaf. I've tried many recipes for Pilaf and his is the one I like best. It's a little unorthodox in it's method but it seems to work. Brenda is making a rhubarb pudding for dessert - I can hardly wait!

One other thing that's a little different this year is a chipmunk. I didn't see a single one last year and this year there's one that I often see scampering across the front yard. I have to figure out how to get some nuts out to him so I can feed it. We had one on Inkerman Street in Guelph who would come right up onto the porch and take peanuts out of your hand. Unfortunately "Chippy" as the kids named him, got hit by a car. That shouldn't be a problem here.

A late start to my morning

Well, actually it was an early start. I did signs last night at 9:30 here at the office and then came in at 7:00 to put them around the campus to direct people to our seminar. I had called Conference Services looking for the A-type frames that are usually used for this purpose but they only had 3 (they used to have 16) so they don't lend them out anymore. The problem of signage then becomes my problem. So, being the ever resourceful person that I am, I sourced out the wire frames for holding up the corrugated plastic signs and ordered a bunch of frames and pieces of plastic. I then printed off the information I needed onto legal size paper, and had them laminated (as I knew it was going to rain today) and taped them all together. Fortunately for me it hadn't started raining yet when I was out putting those around.

The seminar was over in one of the other building and my

job was to coordinate the food, the registration table, etc so it's been a busy morning.

This whole week has been crazy busy so I'm really looking forward to the weekend, although I need to do a lot of grass cutting on Saturday. But that's okay, I can put my MP3 player into my ears and rock around the yard. There's a wedding at the Rec Centre on Saturday night so I'll be helping out with that as well.

Sunday is meant to be rainy again so I may just stay in and catch up on some stuff. I want to try Brenda's bread recipe - I haven't done that yet, so a rainy Sunday might just be the perfect time to do that. I may also work on the binding on Meghan's quilt as it's still not finished. Once that one is done, I can start on the next one, but I promised myself I wouldn't touch the new one till the first one was done. I also want to do one for each of the boys but theirs won't be nearly as involved as Meghan's was - that one was a huge amount of work. I don't think the boys will care that theirs wasn't as labour intensive, as long as they get one. They seem to really like something that someone has made for them.

I went with some girls last night to see Sex and the City 2. The reviews were terrible but I liked it. It may have been a bad movie by some counts, but for me it was like catching up with some old friends you haven't seen in a while. They live a lifestyle that none of us will ever know so it's fun to dream about visiting those exotic places with a group of friends, and wearing all the awesome clothes. It's just meant to be fun, so just leave it at that! I now own a copy of the first one and I'll buy a copy of the second one when it comes out. They make for light entertainment on an evening when there's nothing on TV.

Well, it's almost time for the second session of our seminar so I'd better get going.

It's such a small world

When I was in Regina an interesting meeting occurred. The College of the North Atlantic from Newfoundland, has a campus in Qatar, in the middle east. The past three years there have been four students and two instructors attend our conference from there. The girls are all dressed in the traditional garb , but underneath, they are typical teenagers - literally. They wear jeans and running shoes under those long black robes and they love to shop while they are here.
This year one of the instructors, Sandra, caught up with our group on Thursday night because we were wearing our "Anne" hats. This was her clue that perhaps we were from the island. Turns out she went to school with a cousin of one of the girls in our group. Later on in the weekend, the girls from Qatar had a display of treats from their country to share with everyone and they were doing Henna tatoos. I was busy with the Grand River girls so wasn't able to participate, but later on Saturday night Sandra was doing one for another participant. I went over and asked if I could also get one. As we chatted we discovered that she is a good friend of Belinda, who works in accounting at UPEI. So Tuesday morning I went over to see Belinda and show off Sandra's handy work, that had been done in Regina.
It truly is a small world!

Yesterday it rained all day but we really needed it. When I was watching the local news on TV they indicated that may was much, much drier than usual. Now that most of the crops are in, we needed the rain to get them going. I don't have a garden yet (I'm still hopeful) but I did plant some more rhubarb so this will be helpful. I don't know if it will grow or not, it sat around in the package for quite a while waiting for warmer weather and the roots looked pretty dry but I'm optimistic that it will grow. I'm going to see what I can get done this weekend about getting a little patch of ground dug up. Even just enough for some lettuce and some beans and radishes - just enough to make my own fresh salads would be great. But my first priority on Saturday will be cutting the grass again.

Brenda came over last night and we had nacho chips and salsa (she brought them with her as she hadn't had any supper yet). We had tea and got caught up on all the happenings in the area while I was away and discussed what concerts we should attend this summer. I just got he Buzz yesterday and it's going to take a while to get through it, there is SO much going on this summer. One of the ones we have to go to is Nancy White at the Victoria Playhouse. Lloyd and I saw her a few years ago in Ontario and she was absolutely hilarious.

Yesterday was an extremely busy day at work and today will just as much so. Tomorrow morning (Thursday) I have to be at work by 7:00 to put out directional signs for the people attending our seminar. It's going to be a long day, but something different so that will be interesting.

Tonight I'm going with the girls to see "Sex and the City". I'm looking forward to it. I found out on the weekend that Kristi (Jana's daughter) has been accepted at NYU and starts in the fall. She had applied to a school in London and Australia as well so she had some choices to make. She's going to be living the whole New York experience. What fun for her, although I'm sure it's probably a little scary as well. But on the up side it gives Jana an excuse to visit New York more often. I may have to meet her there sometime!

Speaking of which, it looks like I'm going to Paris for my birthday ( or at least that's the hope). Patti has a flight there at the end of June to check it all out and find out where everything is. Then she'll try to get one the weekend of the 30th of July and James and I will join her. I'm really looking forward to that. I love travelling with James - he's so much fun to travel with. He loves to see new places and just wants to see everything. He never gets bored and never complains. I know he'll want to see the world when he gets older (or at least what he missed as a kid). I don't think he realizes that not everyone can just take off for Paris for the weekend!