......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.

We SO have to try this one

Conditions at 5:30 am - 1* and overcast, no wind and no rain!
Expected later - 4* and rain in the afternoon and evening

Oh my gosh! When I left the university, the staff gave me a subscription to Bon appetit magazine. I finally just received my first issue yesterday and take a look at  the cake on the front cover. It's is beyond beautiful and after reading the instructions, Meghan,(1), we totally have to make this when you're here at Christmas. It's gorgeous and from the sounds of it, actually not that difficult to achieve spectacular results. Can you believe those ribbons are made from white and dark chocolate?  After some careful manipulation of the chocolate (adding corn syrup to the melted chocolate then letting it cool) it is kneaded like a dough, then rolled in a pasta roller and cut out. I can't wait to try this and see if it works. If it works as well as they say, that opens up a whole realm of possibilities for decorating desserts.




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Update from Patti on the new Puppy:

The kids are having a fabulous time with the dog.  Her name is Meadow, and Meghan and James love her to bits!  Meghan takes her out at least 5 times a day, and carries her around the house like she's a baby.  That won't last long when the dog weighs 60 pounds!  James has been busy with hockey, and he and Greg went to a Raptors game last night, so he hasn't spent as much time with her, but he's looking forward to next week when hockey slows down a bit.  Tristen is a bit scared of her because she nibbles when she plays, as all puppies do, but he thinks she`s trying to bite him.  He`ll like her better when she gets older and calmer I`m sure.

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There's a big hockey tournament in Guelph this weekend that she's been helping with - 80 teams and 1,600 kids. It starts today so her part is now finished but it sounds like it's been a busy week. They're going to give me a call on the weekend although I'll be surprised if they have time. James' team has 5 games over the next 3 days so they're going to be really busy.

Speaking of James, the new rankings are out from Speedskate Ontario and I just have to boast a little because it's a grandmother's job. He was ranked 7th in the province but now he's 3rd. No wonder his email name is 'speedyjames'.

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Holy Concerts! There's always something to do here and this winter/spring is going to be no exception. Heart, a band I've always really liked, are coming to the Civic Centre in February, and this week they announced Melissa Etheridge and Serena Ryder are playing together at the Confed Centre. Then Brenda mentioned that Sarah MacLauchlan is in concert in Halifax.  So many concerts and so little time (and money - guess I'd have lots of extra money had I not gotten new tires on the car, but.....). I'll just have to budget carefully after Christmas.

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Speaking of Christmas, we are now less than one month away, and only 16 days till Lloyd arrives. Bernie leaves on Sunday so he and Brenda are coming over for supper on Saturday night.  It will be simple, as I work Saturday but I'll still try to make something they'll enjoy. I have a plan!

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It's been a long week, and it's not over yet.

Conditions at 6:00 am - rain and 3* and windy
Expected later - more rain, stopping this afternoon and a high of 5*

The weather right now is exactly like it was last year at Christmas - wet and mild. It makes for good traveling but not so good for sliding down hills or walking in the woods.I'm hopeful we'll have at least some snow for Christmas this year.  But in reality, I don't mind it it waits till the last week in December to arrive!
It's been a long week, sitting at my desk, trying to look busy, with nothing to do. I was meant to be driving again today and tomorrow, but now that's changed. So I just have to keep trying to look busy. Craig is in today and hopefully he can find something for me to do. .
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You must be talking about some OTHER dog.

As I'm writing this, I noticed the dog was missing. He typically sits by the fire while I write my blog. So I just went searching and found him in the living room. I have these little teddy bears, dressed in knitted sweaters that I picked up a few years ago and they're meant to go on the Christmas tree. Apparently he thought they were toys for him to chew on. I went in and there he was with one of them between his paws, trying to pull the nose off. The nerve of some people's dogs! Now that he knows they're there, I may not have any left by the end of the day. I just hope I don't come home to find the house strewn with stuffing out of bears. The real estate fellow who sold us our house, is coming over tonight. He hasn't been here since the day we bought the house, so I suspect he'll notice a few changes. (Note- just rescued two more bears - so now they've  all been moved higher up on the tree).
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I tried calling Patti on her cell yesterday but I forgot she's lost her phone. I know she had it with her last week as I talked to her when she was on her way to work  but Lloyd told me she's lost it somewhere. It's probably on a plane making the daily trip to Fort McMurray, Alberta, so I haven't talked to the kids about their new puppy but I'm sure I'll hear all about it soon. When I talked to Lloyd yesterday morning, he was home sick. He thinks he has the flu and was feeling really poorly. I was going to call him last night but was afraid I'd wake him up if he was sleeping. Hopefully he's feeling a little better today. Speaking of which, I still haven't gotten my flu shot yet this year. Must do that soon. At least it's not like last year with the whole N1H1 panic going on.
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Only three more sleeps till Bernie leaves for New Zealand (well, actually, Toronto and THEN New Zealand). I'm sure he must be getting pretty pumped about it. We were wondering recently if they have kangaroos in New Zealand but I couldn't find any mention of them. They do however, have a lot of whales and boat tours to view them are numerous. I'm a little envious of that as they have some whales that we rarely see here. However, you can't ride a motorcycle to watch whales so that's not likely to happen. I don't know if Bernie found a bike but I know he was looking. Whatever he and Caitlyn do, I'm sure they'll have a wonderful time.I must remember to tell him to pick me up a bell for my collection.

It's all over except the party!

Conditions at 6:00 am - light rain and1*
Expected later - more rain and a high of 3*

The whole crew!

We had such a good time last night. We worked with chocolate and it was incredibly messy but lots of fun. I think we tried to pack too much into one night, so the results were not quite as good as they might have been been but I think they were all still pleased. We made truffles, chocolate almond bark, peppermint bark with both white and dark chocolate, molded chocolate suckers and painted chocolate boxes.  At least everyone got the idea of how to do some of this stuff. I was very surprised when Lesa presented me with a lovely card with a gift card inside for the Kitchen Store at the mall, so I can go and buy another new toy. They've sure got me figured out! They're a great group of people and I truly enjoyed working with them these past ten weeks.  They feel they've learned something and I love getting reports each week on what they went home and made. Their confidence level is much improved and I wish them well.
I'm looking forward to next week. It should be a lot of fun. We can just relax and enjoy each others company and it won't be the mad rush it's been every week up to now. Eleanor came into the class and talked to Brenda to let her know that the evaluations all came back very positive and everyone had a wonderful time, and they hope we will consider doing it again next year. We talked about it on the way home and the bottom line, we'll see what's going on in our lives come next summer before we make the decision.
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Patti picked up the new puppy yesterday. I haven't talked to her since she got it. She was going to take it with her when she went to pick up the kids after school. James has his guitar lesson on Tuesdays after school so he had to leave, and he was a bit torn. He was the only one who knew the dog was arriving yesterday and really wanted to be there, but he really didn't want to miss his lesson either. That says a lot about how much he's enjoying his lessons. So because Patti was busy, Lloyd took James to his guitar class.  I'm glad that he gets to be involved in the little day to day things from time to time. He's filling in a little for me.
I'll have to call them this morning and get the kids reports! I'm sure they're all really excited and probably arguing over it already! 
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 Patti also sent me a picture of the prize winning float from the Guelph Santa Claus Parade - Guelph Montessori School. Their theme was The Polar Express so it was an easy one for costumes - just pajamas over top of their warm clothes. Unfortunately the quality of both of these pictures isn't very good so hopefully we'll get better ones soon. I suspect they may have been taken with a cell phone.

Our snow isn't going to last

Conditions at 5:30 am - over cast and -2*
Expected later - mix of sun and cloud and +2* with rain expected overnight

Yesterday morning after I'd posted my blog, and gotten ready for work, I took the dog for his morning walk. It was still dark out but the sky was clear and the moon was full and the wind was gone. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning. It's too bad it hadn't been like that on Sunday, it would have been nice to have gone for a walk in the woods again. The walking trails just down the road from us are great. Hopefully we can get out there again soon. But it was good to be forced inside, as it motivated me to get some stuff done that badly needed doing.
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Have I mentioned before how spoiled I am?  Yesterday I called Brenda to see if I could perhaps store my summer tires at her place. I needed them out of the car - three in the trunk and one in the backseat- so I could put stuff in the back for tonights class. Turns out Brenda needs my car this morning as well so they really had to go. But she was going to fitness class, which starts at 6:00, so she wasn't going to be home when I got there, but she said either Ethan or Bernie would be there. When I arrived at 6:15, Bernie insisted I come in and sit down and have something to eat. He and Ethan were finished but just barely. Brenda had made a delicious casserole with potatoes, and sausages (and I'll need to get the recipe cause I know it's something Lloyd will really like). Anyway before I had time to even say anything, a plate was filled with food and put down on the table. So I sat and ate, quickly, as I hadn't been home yet, and chatted with Bernie. I finished my food, we went outside and I moved my car so the guys could take out the tires, and then Bernie also cut a quarter inch piece off of one of the back panels to my island, which was slightly too long.(and just happened to be in my car).  I was in the car and driving out the driveway at 6:30. Lots accomplished in a mere 15 minutes!  But it was nice to have had a nice hot meal so when I got home I was ready to work. I had to bring in wood to the porch, a job I usually do on Sunday's when it's daylight. But because of the weather, and I'm such a wimp, I didn't do it. But it was 1* so it wasn't as cold and there was no wind so it was an easy task. I just parked my car facing the wood pile, put on the headlights, and away I went. Ironically enough, not ten minutes after I came in, I went out to the car to get something I'd forgotten, and it was snowing quite heavily.  Talk about timing!
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I still don't have parade pictures yet, as Patti flew Sunday night and again last night so she hasn't had time to send them yet. But apparently their float won first prize.  The school puts one in each year but they've never come in first before so they were pretty pleased. I imagine it was in the school float category.Watch for that coming soon.
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Tonight is our final class at community school. We're doing all things chocolate. We're doing two kinds of bark, one with dark chocolate, white chocolate and crushed candy canes and another with chocolate and toasted almonds.
We're doing truffles with various coatings on them - toasted coconut, cocoa, toasted walnuts, and sprinkles and of course, some with just chocolate. I made the truffle filling last night and it's all ready to go. I'm also taking some chocolate moulds so we can make chocolate boxes as well as suckers and we're going to try some filled chocolates. I heated a can of sweetened condensed milk but unfortunately I put it on the stove and left it longer than the required 3 hours, it was more like 4 1/2. It's still good but is thicker than it should be. But we'll give it a try anyway. I''ll provide the recipe to everyone but it's a classic case of do as I say, not as I do.
I bought a big bag of chocolate so we should have lots of treats for everyone to take home.

It's winter!

Conditions at 6:00 - -6* and overcast
Expected later - 1* and more flurries

Well, like it or not, the snow has arrived. Fortunately it held off till later Saturday afternoon. It started snowing just before I left work and by the time I left the Bulk Barn, it was a blizzard!  Well, not really but it was snowing pretty hard. The drive home was uneventful but the roads were slippery and snow covered. I was so grateful to the guys in the shop for putting my winter tires on last week.  It snowed off and on throughout the  evening and by Sunday morning we had a couple of  inches.  Sunday was the same - snow and windy most of the day. I have to admit I never set foot outside the door all day. Even the dog just went out to do what he had to do, then wanted back in right away. He spent most of the day lying in front of the wood stove. I think it just takes a few days to get acclimatized, then we'll be fine.
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Friday night was our first curling experience, and what an experience it was. It was much more fun when you were dressed for the cold. We curl for 90 minutes and absolutely no one on our team or the other team had ever curled before so it was pretty much a level playing field. Unfortunately our team lost but we did score some points near the end, once we figured out what we were doing (or we just got lucky!). Regardless, it was fun. The unfortunate part of the evening is one lady fell on the ice and broke something. We don't know if it was her hip or her leg, but one of the girls in our group thought it might be her leg. They had to call an ambulance and it took quite a while for them to get there. You don't often hear of major curling injuries.
Because we can't be there for 6:30, we have several times when we have to be there for 9:30. It's going to make for a very long evening. But that's okay, it's only once a week. Lloyd is arriving on the 17th so he'll be able to go with us. I suggested to him that he could curl with us but he declined. He'll just feel bad if he really enjoys it and wants to keep coming and knowing he can't. Oh well, he'll just have to sit upstairs in the warm, comfy seats (and they are VERY comfy) and drink beer while he watches. I'm sure he can handle that.
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I got some sewing done on Sunday, but was unable to finish it off completely as I ran out of fabric, but then this morning I woke up and it dawned on me that I have some fabric left from another project that will be fine, I just never thought of it. So I should be able to get that finished this week, but I can't post a photo until after James' birthday.  So since I thought I was out of fabric, I spent the rest of the day doing some much needed cleaning. I dusted, vacuumed, cleaned the bathroom, fun stuff like that. I also baked a loaf of bread for my lunches this week, and made a fruitcake. There was a recipe in the Bulk Barn flyer that looked like a dark cake and only makes one small cake, so I picked up what I needed on Saturday. Once I got it mixed together, I realized that it was actually a light cake. But that's okay. I'll make another batch, using Brenda's recipe from last year, but using just cherries as that's Lloyd's favorite. It went over well last year and he did take some home with him (although he forgot it at Christmas and had to pick it up when he came back in February).  It will soon be time to start thinking about cookies.  Brenda and I had such a good time last year baking cookies together, I'm really looking forward to doing it again this year.
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Bernie leaves for New Zealand this coming weekend. It seemed so far away when he first made the reservation, but now it's here.  And by the time his three weeks is up, Christmas will be here. Speaking of Christmas, I was feeling very festive on Saturday, what with the snow and all, so I bought myself a small artificial tree. I always used to put the tree up the weekend of the Guelph Santa Claus parade. That was yesterday. Patti and the kids were on the school float but they haven't sent any photos yet. Hopefully I'll have something for tomorrow. So last night, I watched a movie on TV and decorated my tree at the same time. I think I also need that daily reminder that time is running out and I've got to get my act together and get stuff done. I also really love to just sit in the living room with all the lights off except for the tree - that's always been one of my most favorite things. It's a little tree - 6 feet tall but quite slim. The nice part is it doesn't take up half the room. I'd like to still go and cut one down over at Five Houses, with the kids but I'd like to put that one outside and I want to make things with the kids to hang on it that supply food for the birds so that will be one of our projects one day while they're here. I'll have to do some investigating to see what our options are. I know we can make suet ball, with seeds, etc, but I need more ideas.Any suggestions will be gratefully received.   I'd like to put the tree outside one of the front windows so we can look out and see what birds we attract. I think the kids will enjoy that.
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A sign of the times

Conditions at 5:30 - 2* and overcast
Expected later - a high of 3* and cloudy - it's going down to -3 tonight

A sure sign that the Christmas season is soon going to be here is the trees. Yesterday morning when I was driving up University Avenue there were work crews out putting up trees on all the street corners downtown. I was totally amazed at that when I saw it last year for the first time. There on every corner, actually at every street light, was a real , lit and decorated Christmas tree. They add so much more to the seasonal landscape than just wreaths hung on the light standards that I'm used to seeing. Where I lived in Southern Ontario, you could never do that - they would all be stolen by the next day. It speaks volumes about the people and the way of life here, that they are able to do that every year. We may have our own issues here, but it truly is a kinder, gentler way of life. This weekend is the Santa Claus Parade in Toronto and that always signaled the start of the Christmas Season. It's also the Guelph parade so Patti and the kids will likely be on the float that's put in by their school. That will also mean lots of running around for Greg, picking up bales of straw for everyone to sit on. I forgot to ask her what the theme is this year when I was talking to her last night.

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Apparently there were some problems viewing the photo of Patti's puppy. I was able to see it when I opened it, but that was when I was signed in. Here it is again, and hopefully it works this time. She still doesn't have a name but will get one once she's home and they can see what her personality is like. 

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Today our coffee machine is being installed. I've gotten interesting reactions from some of the salesmen. Most are astounded and make comments like "We've been trying to get coffee in here for years".  I just tell them they didn't have the right approach. You have to do the research, put the data on a spreadsheet and present it with recommendations. Works like a charm!
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So,  tonight we curl for the first time.  There are three starting times - 6:30, 8:00 and 9:30. We told them we can't possibly be there by 6:30 so hopefully we won't have to do that one. If we do, I'll just have to miss it. They change the times every week for everyone. The 9:30 one will be interesting as well with working in the morning but we'll see how it goes. I just won't get up as early on those Saturday mornings. I've got my warm clothes all ready for tonight.
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One more week and Bernie leaves for New Zealand.  He and Caitlyn will be back just before Christmas. Brenda figures Christmas will be a pretty low key affair at their house, as no one will be home except Ethan until a couple of days before and no doubt there will be some serious jet lag for a few days. Meghan and Brenda will be the only ones wanting to do anything. Lloyd will be arriving on the 17th so he can cook dinner for Brenda and I .  What a treat that will be - the two of us spoiled rotten.
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The other chef in the family is keeping VERY busy!

Conditions at 5:30 -9* and drizzly
Expected later - mix of sun and cloud and 10* (according to the radio) but dropping  to 6* later in the day

Every once in a while they have a pot luck lunch at Lloyd's office. He always makes a special effort to make something wonderful. He's quite a good cook and in the last few years has been happily pushing himself in the kitchen. He especially likes to share his talents with the people he works with. They put up a list and everyone writes down what they plan to bring He promised to bring in Boeuf  Bourguignonne (beef stew a la Julie Child). He made a huge pot - to give you an indication there was 7 pounds of beef, 2 pounds of mushrooms, 4 pounds of onions, 2 bottles of red wine, etc. It was a LOT. By the end of lunch, it was all gone and he had accumulated 2 marriage proposals, 1 catering request and 1 offer of a woman's body if he would cook for her. These people don't get out enough!  Good thing he doesn't have a jealous wife. WELL DONE LLOYD!
He gets that the best part of cooking is doing it for other people. I'm looking forward to the day when he can cook for me again. I kind of got used to coming home from work and supper was cooking, the table was set, the wine was poured, the candles lit and the music on the stereo. I was so spoiled! But that day will come again and after a couple of years of eating dinner in front of the TV with the dog, I'll truly appreciate it.
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Today I get my shuttle back. YAYYYY! After spending 3 days chained to my desk with very little to do but answer the phone, I'm looking forward to being back on the road. It's raining right now but is supposed to be a better day later. To be honest, although it was boring, I was glad to not be in and out of the rain the past two days.  This year I have the added bonus of being able to start my car with the remote starter at work. I couldn't do that last year because the car was parked too far away but this year I can just point out the window and start it up before I leave. It's been nice these past few wet days when it's been chilly.
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Tonight I plan to work a bit on my sewing project so I can finish it soon so I can clean up my mess. I have bits of fabric all around and stuff everywhere. The cutting board is on the island, the ironing board is on the counter and the sewing stuff is all over the table. It's somewhat of a messy process but that IS one of the joys of living alone, you can just leave it all over the place until you're done! The dog doesn't complain.
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I just heard a report on the radio that a new program just launched allows people to call 911 if you suspect a person is driving impaired. That would have been handy last year when we saw a woman driving erratically and ultimately ended up hitting a truck head on. Fortunately no one was seriously hurt but as we followed her , we felt helpless to do anything to prevent a tragedy, but now there is an option. In her case we suspect it was a health issue and not alcohol, but either way it would have been nice to have that choice.
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OOOOOOPS!

Conditions at 5:30 am -a balmy 7* and overcast
Expected later - light rain and a high of 12*

First I need to apologize to Patti. While the cake yesterday was lovely, I didn't notice the sparkly '50' s on the sides of the plate. OOOOOPS! But then think how old that would make ME - no, lets not go there! I noticed it in the afternoon and by then everyone had seen it so I left it, then Brenda pointed it out, and of course, Patti couldn't help but notice. Fortunately she's not there yet



She did send me a picture of her birthday present. Although I think it's for the entire family - so she's going to have to share. She's the blonde one in the middle and doesn't have a name yet.

 I know Lloyd will be looking forward to 'babysitting' from time to time.

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Last nights class was lots of fun. We did our three

Michaela was having WAY too much fun with the torch!

soups and the girls did an awesome job. They're all good cooks, but some just lack a bit of confidence in their skills. We divided the group into three groups of two and gave them each a recipe. Brenda and I were just there mainly to answer any questions, and help out if they hadn't done something before. They liked all the soups, but I think the favorite was the Mushroom Bisque. Even Brenda really liked it, and she doesn't like mushroom soup, so that's saying something. I think the addition of the tarragon gives it another dimension and the fresh mushrooms are so much better than the canned ones. Of course the pressure is on now, to do the class again next year. I think we might run into some trouble though, as most of the class want to come back and I know there are others out there who want to join up next time so it might be tricky to have to tell people no.  And, we really can't accommodate any more than the 6 that we now have, it would just be too crowded. We could do more students if we just did it as a demo class and everyone sat down but it's the hands on experience that makes it

"Carrot Top" Peggy

much more valuable as well as fun, as you can see by the shot of Peggy, cooking carrots for Lightly Curried Carrot and Ginger soup, and Paul who thought she needed a carrot top! We have way too much fun in this class, and then of course, there's Michaela, who makes everyone laugh each week, although not  intentionally, But she's a good sport and we're pleased that someone in high school wants to learn to cook. 

It's almost sad that we have only one more class. There is so much they want to learn and the more they learn they more they want to know. I think that's a good thing. I'm very proud of the fact that they are not only coming out to class, but also going home and making the dishes at home. That  puts lots of responsibility on me and Brenda to make sure that we do in class, in easily replicated at home.  

Here's the recipe for last nights  favorite Mushroom Soup, as taken from one of  the Ann Lindsay cook books

Mushroom Bisque with Tarragon

Easy to make, this creamy soup tastes so much better than anything out of a can

½ lb mushrooms

1 tbsp margarine

2 tbsp minced onion

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 cup hot chicken stock

1 ½ cups 2% milk

1 tsp dried tarragon

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

Thinly slice 4 mushroom caps and set aside; coarsely chop remaining mushrooms.

In saucepan, melt margarine over medium heat; add onion and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chopped mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes, stirring often; sprinkle with flour and stir until mixed. Whisk in hot chicken stock and bring to boil whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and add milk, tarragon, parsley and reserved sliced mushrooms; simmer, uncovered for 4 minutes.(but we found took about 10)

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 4 servings, ¾ cup each.

 

Happy Birthday Patti!

Conditions at 5:30 - 4* and overcast
Expected later - 8* and showers


 A big Happy Birthday to Patti today! 

 I don't know what plans she has for today, or if she's even home but Happy Birthday from PEI!








Yesterday was the first day that someone else was driving the shuttle. It was a VERY long day for me. Usually the accounting people give me jobs to do that are boring but at least pass the time. I had none of those yesterday. It did give me ample opportunity to type up the recipes for tonight and email them to Brenda. Other than that, I had absolutely nothing to do, although the phone was quite busy. Today should be better as Craig will be in and he can usually find something for me to do.

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On the weekend I went to Walmart and picked up some long sleeve tops that I'm getting embroidered with the Honda logo and I'll wear those instead of the ones from the dry cleaners. It makes good economic sense to me. The shirts from the cleaners cost $24 a month which I think will be much better spent elsewhere.That's almost $300 a year!  I don't take the shirts in to get them laundered, I'm doing that myself, so what am I actually paying for?  The fellow who did some work for us recently at Honda is going to embroider the logo on them for me.

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Still lots to do

A couple of weekends ago, I actually did a bit of work on my dollhouse. It has sustained a fair bit of damage in the past few years and it needs a little tender loving care. For the first time in a long time, I actually have a place to put it. I'd like to get it at least partially done before Christmas. I have a little decorated tree that goes in there so it would be nice to have it furnished when the kids get here. But I still have lots of do, and Christmas is soon going to be here.
I'm working to get other projects done and I just might run out of time, but I'll try my best. In two more weeks, our cooking classes will be finished and that will free up two more nights - Monday for prep and Tuesday for the class.

Speaking of our class, this week we are doing three Ann Lindsay soups.Watch for the recipes tomorrow They are all quick, tasty and very healthy.  As a treat for everyone, I made Creme Brulee last night. It takes too long to do it in class so I made it at home and will bring it in with the recipe. We'll brulee the sugar in class just before we eat it. And yes, there is an extra one for Bernie!

This is going to be interesting

Conditions at 5:30 - clear starry skies and a VERY frosty -1*
Expected later - mix of sun and cloud and 8*

This is the first morning we've had temperatures below 0 and we've made it to the middle of November so we can't complain at all. ESPECIALLY after the weekend we had! Oh my gosh, what a gorgeous day we had on Saturday.  When I left work on Saturday afternoon it was 18* and the sun was shining in a clear blue sky with NO wind. It was absolutely like a beautiful summer day.  I had meant to go to the grocery store on my way home but instead I headed home and took the dog for a nice long walk. It was wonderful.  On my way home I stopped by Brenda's but there was no one around and I was really hopeful that she was out on her motorcycle, and it turns out that's exactly where she was. She couldn't pass up that opportunity.
Then Sunday dawned just as sunny but much chillier, with a high of only 5*.

Well, Friday night, we went out to Belfast to check out the recreational curling. They had a huge turnout, much better than I think they were expecting. We had the opportunity to go out onto the ice and get a bit of instruction and try to throw some rocks and do a little bit of sweeping. It's not nearly as easy as it looks, and I had all the grace and finesse of an elephant. But all the people in our group were the same so you didn't mind looking really awkward.  We did sign up at the end of the evening so we'll see how it goes. I wasn't dressed warmly enough so it will be better next week. I was freezing very quickly so eventually I got off the ice and warmed up, but the others soon followed. I had time to drink half a beer by the time Brenda came in.

Saturday evening, I went to a concert at a church in town. Dave, from our service department was singing and playing his guitar. He used to be in a band and hasn't ever done this sort of thing by himself before, but it was actually quite good. He has a big, rich voice and it seems really funny coming from this short, balding older man. It was totally surprising and quite enjoyable. He two daughters also sang some songs and they had a group of people join in on a couple as well. I'm not sure it they were actually the choir from the church or not. But the whole evening was very good.

Sunday morning I got up and started sewing. I worked away until after lunch when Brenda arrived, and suggested we go for a walk. So we dressed warmly, and headed out to the trails that are down the road from me. It was lovely when you got into the woods, as it was sheltered.  I haven't been out on these trails before and it was beautiful.  It's interesting to see the Pisquid River up that far. It's barely more than a stream. When we were out there, we saw the biggest pine tree I've ever seen in my life. The trunk was massive. We didn't try it (cause we didn't think of it till later) but if we had stood on opposite sides, and reached around the two of us would not have been able to fit our arms around it. It was amazing. I wonder how old it would be.

By the time we got back, we had earned a glass (or two) of wine.  We sat and watched the second part of Oprah and munched on nacho chips and salsa and enjoyed our wine. It was a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Tonight I have to do some housework after I get everything gathered for our class tomorrow night. I at least got the dishes washed last night but tonight I need to do some sweeping and tidying. It's way too easy to find more fun things to do that housework. It's especially dangerous when you live alone. The dog never complains if the house is a mess!

It feels like Monday and Friday at the same time

Conditions at 5:30am -2* and clear
Expected later - 9* and SUNNY!!!

What a beautiful morning this morning. It's cold but he sky is clear and the stars are brilliant and it's very calm - not a breath of wind anywhere.  It's going to be a beautiful day today.  I spent part of yesterday afternoon restocking my wood pile inside, and re-securing the tarp on the pile outside. When we get lots of wind for days on end, it takes quite a beating and I need to secure it again when it's over.

I did some sewing in the morning but ran out of thread so I'll have to get more today. It was such a treat to have a day off in the middle of the week. I did some odd jobs around the house, a couple of loads of laundry, and tried my hand at a pot of baked beans. But these beans weren't baked, they were simmered on top of the stove. The recipe came from a book I have on cooking in cast iron and was meant to be used in a large cast iron pot over a camp fire. Golly gee, I just happen to have a large cast iron pot with a lid, that's never been used. So I soaked the beans overnight Wednesday, and they were ready to simmer yesterday morning. I had some smoked sausages in the freezer that I added as well. They didn't have the deep flavour that comes from baking in the oven for many hours, but they were still pretty tasty - this coming from someone who really doesn't like brown beans! The recipe make quite a bit so I called Brenda and we collaborated on lunch. I brought over my pot of beans and she made fresh biscuits.  Everyone was out and about so the two of us ate lunch and the others ate as they arrived. After a cup of tea and viewing Brenda's amazing pictures of the zip line she went across in New Brunswick (that looks like so much fun - I really want to try it!) I came home. I got a few little jobs done around the house and Brenda arrived later in the afternoon to tell me she was going to the new playground in Fort Augustus to try out the equipment. So, being as that seemed like a good idea, I followed in my car. We were actually quite impressed with the adult exercise equipment that's there.  If a person were to do these things every other day, they would have a good workout. At least one piece is not as easy as it looks and really provides quite a work out.

Last week I was watching Alton Brown and he was making a smoothy with lots of good things in it.  Then the next morning I turned on the TV to set up a couple of things for taping, and there was an info-mercial on for the Magic Bullet and they were making smoothies.  I know Brenda has one and I called and asked if I could borrow hers for a few days to try it out. Then later in the day I received a coupon in my emal for 20% off anything at Bed, Bath and Beyond. So I checked their website to see if they had them and sure enough, they did. Long story short, I ended up buying one for myself. I have to say I love it. I've used it everyday for smoothies for my breakfast. Sometimes in the evening I feel like something sweet, so I've been making a thicker smoothy, using more frozen fruit and the texture is like a sorbet. It's a great little treat that's fat free and totally healthy.  The one on TV is $99.00 but the one at the store was only $39.99. It came with all the stuff the TV one has except for a blender attachment and juicer piece but I don't need either of those. The TV one also includes a second Magic Bullet for free, but I only need one, so the TV offer isn't really a great deal. So now for my breakfast I have a fruit smoothy and a small bowl of homemade granola - lots of healthy stuff to start off my day. My eating habits by myself sometimes aren't the best, but they're improving.
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It's Friday today, and tonight I think Brenda and I are going to go ................get ready for it......................... ... curling.  There's a place she read about in yesterdays paper that has basic instruction for beginners so you don't feel or look like an idiot. We can't fathom going to the Charlottetown Curling Club and slip sliding around with the likes of Cathy O'Rourke or her girls watching from the sides! Brenda figures it will be good for me to at least have an idea what's going on next February when Fran and the girls are here for the Scotties tournament. 
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A couple of years ago I discovered a program called 'Elf Yourself" and the results are quite funny. I spent part of yesterday playing around with it.  Click on this link to get a glimpse of what you might see when we all get together at Christmas to cook, especially if there's alcohol involved.
http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/euNTiCUxfn0sClaT4HmV

Talk about your windy city!

Conditions at 6:30 am - VERY WINDY - still, 4* and overcast
Expected later - 7* and sunny

Yesterday and today the wind has been fiercely howling.  Last night I attempted to take the dog for a walk and we got as far as the mail box and we were both nearly blown away.  It was so strong, and lasted well into the night and continues this morning.  But at least it's not snowing and it will be really nice to see the sun later today. There are many Remembrance Day services and ceremonies around the island today so at least everyone won't be drenched with rain.

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Yesterday was an incredibly busy day, and if I hadn't known better, I would have thought it was a full moon. I had several weird things happen yesterday, that were a little unusual for the run of the mill day. The most bizarre was when I was driving down North River Road by Queen Charlotte High School and there was another car traveling in the opposite direction. Just as we almost met each other, a tree blew down right across the road, smack dab in between the two approaching cars. One more second for either of us and it would have been on top of us.  It wasn't a huge tree but the trunk was about 5 to 6 inches in diameter so could have done a little damage. Students were outside at the school and they came running over and moved it off the road - it was the strangest experience to see this thing come flying down right in front of you.

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Both Paul and Pam are in involved with the soccer championships that are being hosted by the University for the next few days and they are really busy with that. Yesterday afternoon I was scrambling to find someone to come in and finish my shuttle runs for me so I could go out and run errands for Paul.  Not an easy task to call someone at 2:50 and get them there by 3:00.  But I did it and was finally away from work at 5:45 after much running around.  We have a list of retired guys that come in and drive for us as needed, usually dealer trades and such. I can see Lloyd getting his name on this list when he gets here and is finally retired.  Heck, I wouldn't mind doing it myself.  Needless to say I was a little tired by the end of it, and what a treat to have Brenda call and invite me for supper. But it was late and I didn't want to hold everyone up, so I declined. I just wanted to go home, put a few logs on the fire and veg.  I did, however, have to stop by her place to drop off her groceries that were in the trunk of my car. I was very spoiled when I got there, to be given a casserole dish filled with piping hot rice and stir fry.  When I got home, it was minutes before I was able to sit down and enjoy a nice hot meal, that someone else prepared for me. So many thanks to Brenda, it was delicious and a much welcomed way to end a very busy day.

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Today is Remembrance Day, and we here on PEI have the day off.  As a recognition of the occasion, I will end with this item I received by email last week, as a reminder of how truly fortunate we are to live here in Canada.

You reach for the cell phone  in your pocket.    He clutches the cross hanging on his chain next to his dog tags.   He knows he may not see some of his buddies again.  You walk down the beach, staring at all the pretty girls. He patrols the streets, searching or insurgents and terrorists. He's told he will be held over an extra 2 months.   You call your girlfriend and set a date for tonight. He waits for the mail to see if there is a letter from home.  You hug and kiss your girlfriend, like you do everyday. He holds his letter close and smells his love's perfume.  You roll your eyes as a baby cries. He gets a letter with pictures of his new child, and wonders if they'll ever meet.  You criticize your government, and say that war never solves anything. He sees the innocent tortured and killed by their own people and remembers why he is fighting.  You hear the jokes about the war, and make fun of men like him. He hears the gunfire, bombs and screams of the wounded.  You see only what the media wants you to see. He sees the broken bodies lying around him.  You are asked to do some thing by your parents. You don't. He does exactly what he is told even if it puts his life in danger.  You stay at home and watch TV. He takes whatever time he is given to call, write home, sleep, and eat.  You crawl into your soft bed, with down pillows, and get comfortable. He tries to sleep but gets woken by mortars and helicopters all night long.  REMEMBER our Troops, and do not forget them LATER Lest we forget -

It's a humbling experience

Conditions at 5:30 - 5* and very high wind but NO RAIN!
Expected later - 6*, overcast and more rain this evening

The rain is getting a little tiresome but at least it's not snowing. As someone pointed out to me earlier in the week, if all the rain we received on the weekend had been snow, we'd still be digging out.  I think I'd better speak to the boys in service about my winter tires cause one of these mornings it's going to be snowing.
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We had our fish class last night and it was a great success once again. We cooked fish three different ways. We pan fried it in butter, we cooked it with a bit of vegetables and oil and seasoning in parchment, and we also dipped it in milk, then flour, then beaten egg then crushed potato chips,  drizzled with a bit of butter and baked in the oven. It was delicious. This recipe is one of Brenda's families favorites and it sure was a hit last night. We oven roasted some potato wedges but they could have cooked a little longer. They were cooked but they weren't brown like we would have liked but we didn't have time to leave them in too long. However they still tasted good. We finished off our fish feast with the world's most dangerous chocolate cake. It was a surprise to everyone but it was also well received by the entire group.

The World's Most Dangerous Chocolate Cake 
(I may have posted this one before but I don't have time to go back through and look and some readers may not have seen it)


4 tbsp flour
4 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp cocoa
1 egg
3 tbsp milk
3 tbsp oil
3 tbsp chocolate chips (optional)
A small dash 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 in the microwave and cook for about 3 minutes at 1000 watts. The cake will rise over teh top of the mug but don't be alarmed. Allow to cool a little and tip out onto a plate if desired.


Eat! (this can be serve two if you want to feel slightly more virtuous)


And why is this the world's most dangerous chocolate cake? Because we are all now only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

I'm really impressed with the girls in our class, and last night I was really flattered when some of the girls suggested they would love to come to my house and pay me to teach them cooking classes. I'm really happy to see so much enthusiasm. If we wanted to accomplish anything, it was to ignite that interest. I think we've done it.

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On the podium again!

I'd be a really bad grandma if I didn't say congratulations to James, aka Speedy James, for his third place finish in the speed skating match last weekend. Now he has a bronze medal to add  to the gold one he also has. The picture isn't really great but he's the boy on the right. He was quite happy with his results.
Well done James!

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Recently Lloyd sent me an interesting email with a bit of history trivia that is especially pertinent with tomorrow being Rememberance Day.

If you look at the back right-hand side of a Canadian $10 bill, you will see an old veteran standing at attention near the Ottawa war memorial. His name is Robert Metcalfe and he died last month at the age of 90.

 

 

That he managed to live to that age is rather remarkable, given what happened in the Second World War. Born in England , he was one of the 400,000 members of the British Expeditionary Force sent to the mainland where they found themselves facing the new German warfare technique - the Blitzkrieg.

He was treating a wounded comrade when he was hit in the legs by shrapnel.  

En route to hospital, his ambulance came under fire from a German tank, which then miraculously ceased fire. Evacuated fromDunkirk on HMS Grenade, two of the sister ships with them were sunk.

Recovered, he was sent to allied campaigns in North Africa and Italy . En route his ship was chased by the German battleship Bismarck .

In North Africa he served under General Montgomery against the Desert Fox, Rommel.

Sent into the Italian campaign, he met his future wife, a lieutenant and physiotherapist in a Canadian hospital. They were married in the morning by the mayor of the Italian town, and again in the afternoon by a British padre.

After the war they settled in Chatham where he went into politics and became the warden (chairman) of the county and on his retirement he and his wife moved to Ottawa . At the age of 80 he wrote a book about his experiences.

One day out of the blue he received a call from a government official asking him to go downtown for a photo op. He wasn't told what the photo was for or why they chose him. 'He had no idea he would be on the bill,' his daughter said.

And now you know the story of the old veteran on the $10 bill.

It's Tuesday again

Conditions at 5:30 am - overcast and 8* and the wind is picking up again
Expected later - light rain and 10*

Yesterday turned out to be not such a bad day. It was very mild - 15* in the afternoon and for a brief time, we saw the sun. In fact I actually saw three motorcycles out and about at different times throughout the day. Today is going to be still mild but more rain, which will continue for most of the week.  But we're not complaining - at least we don't have to shovel it and we may have a sunny weekend! 
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Tonight is fish night at school.  We're doing three kinds of fish: pan fried in butter, oven baked coated in crushed potato chips (Brenda makes this one and it's very tasty) and finally fish baked in parchment paper.  We're also going to do some oven roasted potato wedges to go with them. Watch for the fish recipes tomorrow.

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Yesterday I drove an amazing woman.  She had just returned from a trip to Europe where she toured France and Italy.  She had a wonderful time and was telling me that 9 years ago she was diagnosed with cancer and didn't expect to be around for too much longer but she bought a new car at that time anyway. Nine years later she's still bringing in the new car and is traveling and enjoying life. Did I mention that this woman is 87 years old?  Quite remarkable. It's nice to hear a happy story about that dreaded disease from time to time. It turns out she is the neighbour to another fellow I drove a couple of weeks ago. I can't believe how much of an overlap there is between this job and my old job at the University. Michael Liu had been a professor at the university for over 30 years and had graduated from St. Dunstan's university. He is chinese and I asked him if he had been there at the same time as anothe student of some prominance, named Albert Yeung. Turns out they were room mates. The sports centre at the university is named after Albert's father.  Albert returned to Hong Kong and became very successful but he always loved PEI.  I wouldn't have had any reason to know all of that except for having worked at the University and now it makes for some very interesting discussions in the car.





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Well, I did it!  I got a coffee machine for the showroom.  The service guys are astounded. One of them said yesterday that they've been trying to get coffee for ages and have not had any luck. It's being installed next week.  Next I'm going to work on getting a vending machine installed with pop, juice and water.  Now that will be a major accomplishment. Yesterday when I went to Pam with my research, I had all the options, prices etc. on a spreadsheet so it was all right there for comparison.  She was very pleased and said "We're going to keep you for a really long time" so I guess I'm in!  I still have three more months of probation before I get benefits, etc, but I think I'll be fine. 


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I received this from my friend Nancy this morning and I thought it was quite cute and more than a little truthful:

Will I Live to see 80? ~~~~ something to think about.

I recently picked a new primary care doctor. After two visits and exhaustive Lab tests, he said I was doing 'fairly well' for my age. (I just turned 60.)

A little concerned about that comment, I couldn't resist asking him, 'Do you think I'll live to be 80?' He asked, 'Do you smoke tobacco, or drink beer or wine?' 

'Oh no,' I replied.. 'I'm not doing drugs, either!' 

Then he asked, 'Do you eat rib-eye steaks and barbecued ribs? 

'I said, 'Not much... My former doctor said that all red meat is very unhealthy!' 

'Do you spend a lot of time in the sun, like playing golf, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?' 

'No, I don't,' I said. 

He asked, 'Do you gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lot of sex?' 

'No,' I said.       

 He looked at me and said,... "Then, why do you even give a shit?"