Gearing up for a another busy weekend

Conditions at 5:30: 17' and cloudy
Expected later: 22' and sun and cloud

Well, we've come to the end of a short week. Tomorrow is Canada Day and although there are lots of events taking place in town we'll be staying home. I met a fellow while driving the shuttle a month or so ago who had moved here from Ontario 3 years ago. I visited with him and his wife a couple of weeks back and they are coming out tomorrow afternoon. They live on Blooming Point Road so really aren't that far away. Unfortunately both of Lloyd's hearing aids have quit working so it will be a little difficult for him to communicate but we'll do the best we can.

Saturday evening is the Meatloaf concert in town ...

 (found this video from the original Bat out of hell tour in 1977) http://youtu.be/C4MFxcFofkY
The recent pictures I've seen show a much slimmer, and less shaggy Meatloaf!

,,,and Sunday afternoon is the Village Feast in Souris.  I'm really hoping the weather cooperates so it can be held outside. It's so much nicer when it's not inside the arena.

It's going to be a couple of busy days again this weekend. But we will have most of the day on Saturday so hopefully we can get a few things done while Lloyd is still here. But we'll see how it goes.

Other than that not much new to report. Yesterday Lloyd put up the other shelter so we now have a bit more covered storage space. It makes the yard a little tidier if I have somewhere to put stuff out of the way. Although now with two tents and two sheds, it's beginning to look a little cluttered but that's only temporary, until Lloyd moves here and we can build his garage. But for the time being, it will work.

A gorgeous sunny day

Conditions at 5:30 am: 12' and light clouds
Expected later: 24' and a mix of sun and cloud

Yesterday was absolutely perfect. Lloyd brought his bike into town to get it inspected, insured and plated. In the middle of all that, he came to the dealership and took me to lunch. Fortunately there is a restaurant right next door so we were able to just walk over there. We had Caesar Salad and a lobster roll. Lloyd will be getting bored with the same old thing again two days in a row - lobster sandwiches.

He was very fortunate with his timing at Access PEI where we get our license plates. I has suggested that he go in after lunch once the employees were all back and he had about a 4 minute visit. He has just sat down and they called his number so that was definitely a bonus.
When I got home I called Brenda and the four of us headed to Montague on our bikes.  Bernie was working in the fields but quit in time for us to go. Brenda led the pack, and I was glad of that. She travels at a pace I am comfortable with following and the guys didn't complain so we were happy. We went to the restaurant that had the award winning burger in the contest held earlier in the spring. It was very good but we all agreed the one we'd had at the Olde Dublin was better.
After our burger we headed home but first stopped at a gas station so I could refuel. I was running pretty low and have no idea how far I can go on a tank of gas. So after filling, I reset my mileage counter so I can determine just how far I can go before I need to fill up. I found it a little chilly driving home as I had a short sleeve t-shirt on under my jacket and the breeze was going up my sleeves. I was glad when I did get home. It was a good trip and Lloyd commented that I was doing much better than the last time he saw me on a bike (which would have been about 18 years ago). He noticed that my corners are a little shaky and my starting from a stop is weak but I assured him  it's getting better.All in all, I think he was impressed with the progress I've made in such a short time.

Progress is being made

Conditions at 5:30: foggy and 13'
Expected later: 21' and sunshine!

I've cut grass now for the third day  and I'm almost finished. All I have to do now is the trimming around the trees and the house with the push mower and then the final trimming with the actual trimmer. It seems to take forever when you break it up into little bits. But at least it's getting done and looks much better. It was getting pretty shaggy around the edges as I hadn't done any trimming last time it was cut.

Progress is also being made on the wood pile. Lloyd got lots done yesterday and I would say it's about 50% finished. At the rate he's working he'll have it all split before he leaves. That would be amazing! He even had time to get his bike fixed yesterday so today he'll spend a fair bit of time in town getting it inspected, insured and licensed. As it's such a nice day, we may actually get to go for a bit of a ride tonight. I'll have to check with my friend Brenda and see what her plans are for tonight. I know it will likely be a busy day for them, farming, but who knows.


By the way, Happy Summer Vacation, to Brenda as well as to James, Meghan and Tristen!

 Patti sent these pictures of the boys with some cupcakes they had made into sunflowers. They have an oreo cookie in the middle and flower petals and leaves around the outside. Quite clever on someone's part. Looks like they had fun doing those. We'll have to try them when Brenda and Bernie's sunflowers bloom - a sunflower festival dessert. Look out, the island will be making that into another event! Not a bad idea. Maybe that's what we could host in Fort Augustus  - a sunflower festival! HMMMMM - it has possibilities.

It's not fancy, but it works for now

I had thought we might be able to sit outside for a bit last night but by the time I cut grass it was 8:00 and we still hadn't had supper yet. After lobster sandwiches (on Brenda's bread) and salad, we cleaned up and it was almost 9:00. Time for an hour of TV reruns crashed out on the couch and then off to bed. Needless to say Lloyd's muscles were pretty weary from doing wood most of the day so he was done in. Sitting outside with a glass of wine will have to wait for another evening

A culture filled weekend!

Conditions at 5:15 am: 14' and overcast
Expected later: 18' with a mix of sun and cloud (after some isolated showers in the morning)

Well, Lloyd can't say we didn't keep him entertained over the weekend. Friday night we attended a concert at the College of Piping in Summerside with Brenda and Bernie. We were thoroughly entertained by a pipe band from France called Bagad Cap Caval. It was truly a one of a kind experience. Following the show, we were further entertained by some great island music in the beer tent.
I worked on Saturday and when I got home, Lloyd had some final touches to put on the front step I had requested for the porch door. Well, he outdid himself. He made it large enough that two chairs can fit on it. While he finished that I cut some of the grass, before it was time to head over to the Van Gaals for a delicious lobster feed. We had a great night with them and the Andersons. Caitlyn and Ethan were there as well, but being it was Saturday night, hanging out with a bunch of old folks didn't quite cut it for them so they left shortly after they ate supper, to go into town.

Sunday morning dawned overcast but not raining so it was back outside. We worked around the yard - splitting and stacking wood, and then I continued with the grass when it dried enough. Before we knew it, we had to get ready to go to New London for the finale of the Festival of Small Halls. It lasted longer than we had expected. It started at 2:00 and lasted until almost 6:00. It was also a great time and it was so nice to see it so successful only into it's third year.

When it was over we were all hungry so ended up at the Olde Mill Restaurant in New Glasgow. Brenda and Bernie had been there once before about 6 years ago. It was very nice and the food was great. The four of us once again had a great time. The dining room we sat in was a glassed in sun porch and it was an inspiration for some future plans on our house. After we got back to drop off the Van Gaals, we checked out the progress on Ethan's boat that he and some friends are working on. Later, a cup of tea and another delicious slice of the carrot cake left over from the night before, and we headed home. All in all it was a really great weekend.

All we need now, is a bit of warm weather. With any luck we may get some this week.

 

Conditions at 5:30 am: 7' and partly cloudy
Expected later: sun and a few clouds and 18'

What a treat yesterday to see the sun for the whole day. Since Lloyd had the car I went for a walk at lunch.I went up to the BMR hardware store and they have some really interesting things in their giftware section for decorating your house. They are quite decently priced and some are quite unusual. Then I stopped at the Habitat store and picked up a few books as I'm running out of things to read. I also found an interesting old wooden planter for outside. So I called Lloyd to pick it up on his way to get me after work. Now I just need some dirt and some plants.

When we got home, we worked together to make supper. Lloyd's been watching what he eats, and I can notice that he has lost some weight. We enjoyed a spinach salad, some pan fried fish, boiled baby potatoes tossed in brown butter and chives and steamed veggies. Dessert was pound cake later on at the small hall.

Due to a change in circumstances, we ended up going with Richard and Daralen to the storytellers evening. What a great time. Roy Johnstone is a brilliant fiddler and David Weale is always entertaining. Our corner was specially responsive when he told a story about something that happened when he lived in Fort Augustus, and  he mentioned Dave Wakelins store and something said by Jerry Kelly. Needless to say, our corner responded much more enthusiastically than the joke warranted. But it was a great time.  The host for the evening was actually filling in and he was a musician from some of the other shows. His name was Rik Barron and he told us he live in Vermont but it turns out he's originally from St. John's so he and Lloyd had quite a discussion after about what schools they went to, etc.

I'd never been inside the McPhail Homestead and it's quite lovely. I walked in and immediately said "I could totally live in this house". It's precisely the old style of house that  I love. It just made me want to get rid of anything modern in my house (okay, not the kitchen) and re-do the whole thing. While that's not practical, I may start looking for the odd old piece that I can re-purpose for other things that are more modern.



Yesterday Lloyd had a chance to get Richard up and running but didn't have the same luck with the VanGaals. He will re-visit that situation again as he has a new plan. He won't be content until he's solved the problem. He also had a chance to work on his bike so he thinks he's also solved that problem. Hopefully he'll have it up and running soon. Likely won't be this week as today's Friday and he still has to get it inspected, licensed and insured, so that will, in all likelihood, have to wait till at least Monday.

I remembered the name of the new place going in downtown - it's called Liquid Gold so I looked it up and it seems there's one in Halifax. It appears that it might be a chain of some sort. It will be interesting to see how well they do - Charlottetown doesn't seem quite the place for something so unique and specialized, but who knows - it just might work. Check it out.

http://www.allthingsolive.ca/

Finally!!!

Conditions at 7:40 am: 8' and SUNNY!!!
Expected later: 18' and some clouds and SUN

What a treat to wake up to the sun streaming into the windows. It's been such a long time since we last experienced that. I slept in till 6:15 this morning as Lloyd's flight arrived at 12:35 this morning. I did catch a bit of a nap before I went to the airport and I yawned all the way there and all the way back. Trouble is once I got home, I was now wide awake and had trouble getting back to sleep. But I did and it's all good. Anything is worth it to wake up to such a glorious morning.
I'll keep this short this morning as I need to get going soon. Last night I was doing a bit of tidying around the house and Brenda called. She was taking a break from pulling up sod in a  new flower bed. So I headed over but unfortunately she was pretty much done. I'm totally sure that she really appreciated that one clump of sod I removed from the bed! But it did give us an opportunity to go for a bit of a walk even though it was quite chilly. When we got back I came home, watched a half hour of TV and then napped, so really, absolutely nothing to report.
Tonight we are off to a Festival of Small Halls venue to hear storytelling by our previous neighbour, David Weale. It should be lots of fun.
Well, better go and get Lloyd out of bed as he has to drive me to work. Since we sold the truck, he has no wheels until he gets the brakes on his bike fixed. I'm sure that will happen pretty quickly!

Crisis averted!

Conditions at 5:20 am: 9' and overcast
Expected later: 15' and sunny with cloudy periods

Well, I narrowly missed a potential disaster this morning. I got out of bed and let the dog out as usual. I got the computer turned on and just happened to look out the front window in time to see a skunk scampering up the yard towards the side of the house.Thank goodness for invisible fencing that kept the dog contained in the back. I was able to get him back inside before he saw the skunk and started barking at it. I'm sure it would have been a repeat of last summers episode with a skunk but this one would have been much worse. Thank goodness, because I wouldn't have had time to deal with that mess this time of the day.

Yesterday I was looking at the schedule for the Small Halls Festival and thought it might be fun for Lloyd to take in a couple of shows. So, tomorrow night we are going to Orwell to hear David Weale and Roy Johnstone and then we are going to the finale on Sunday out in New London. Brenda and Bernie are going with us and if it's nice on Sunday, it would be a great bike ride. I'm glad that  he's going to see at least a bit of it. It's going to be a very busy few days coming up. I got an email yesterday from a lady I met driving the shuttle and we're going to drive up to St. Peter's to see her and her husband one evening next week.

I received a call from Brenda a little before 5:00 yesterday. She suggested we meet at the Globe for a beer and some nachos when I was done work. I thought that was a fine idea. As I made my way over to Queen Street I realized I hadn't been downtown since the last day I drove the shuttle so I'm totally out of touch with what's going on. When I was leaving to go home I noticed that the old Clover Farm grocery store is soon going to be reopening. I've forgotten the name but it also says 'tastings and everything olive'.  Now that's intriguing. I'll be watching that to see what it turns into.

They released the schedule for the royal couples visit and I was disappointed to see that the time they will be spending walking around in town will be on Monday. They arrive on Sunday but no idea when. I'm sure they won't give me the day off to go and see a prince. Too bad. But school will be finished so maybe my friend Brenda will be able to go in my place and tell me all about it.

I have the pictures of the kids on my desk at work. The one of Meghan is on a horse. One of the salesmen came by my desk and asked "Who's the little rider?" I told him who it was and it turns out he has 23 standardbred  horses that he races here and at Mohawk, so he knows the Guelph area quite well.  He also has a couple of saddle horses that his daughters ride. I'm always interested to hear what people do for their 'second' job.

Well, better run and get into the shower.

The first day of summer?

 

Conditions at 5:30 am: 8' and overcast
Expected later: 12' and overcast
The calendar says it's the first day of summer but that can't be - we haven't had spring yet!  Perhaps we are just going to go straight to the warm weather. But this mornings temperature isn't a great start. I've been hoping to do some walking at lunch hours but it's just too darned cold.But as Brenda and I chatted about last night, at least we're not being flooded out and losing our homes or anything scary like that so we really have nothing to complain about - but we will anyway!

Last night we went over to the garden centre in Montague. Brenda picked up a bunch of flowers for her pots and around the garden while I picked up some herbs. I haven't gone out and looked for herbs yet this year so it was nice to be able to pick  some up.I will attempt to get those into the ground tonight. I haven't got any plants yet for my flower bed in the front. I still need to dig it up a bit more and then smooth it all over and ready to plant. My big issue is I'm not sure what to put in so I've been doing some reading about which plants would be best suited there.That side of the house will just get morning sun so I need plants that don't need lots of sun.

Two happy musicians

I got an email from Patti on the Sunday. They had a little fun competition at the kids music school. Meghan won first prize for her piano playing and James won third prize for his guitar. Well done, kids! It's a nice way to give them incentive to keep working and practicing. It's too bad they don't have the opportunities to see and hear all the wonderful musicians we have here on the island. The young people we saw at the school fund raiser were really good and it would be fabulous for the kids to see other really talented kids. That would be a great inspiration for them. We'll have to make sure that some music events get taken in when they are here next time. They're soon going to need a separate room for all the trophies and medals they've won over the past couple of years for skating, baseball, and now music.

Well, one more sleep and Lloyd comes home (hopefully). He won't get here till around midnight again but at least then he'll be here in the morning on Thursday. His list isn't too long this time, just a few little jobs need doing so I suspect he may be able to help with the wood splitting. But if not, that's okay. I just need the tires on my little trailer fixed and a place to put the wood, then I can take it from there. But if he feels like doing some, I won't discourage him.

Another cold, wet weekend

Conditions at 5:30 am: rain and fog and 11'
Expected later: 14' and mainly cloudy

We had a great start to the weekend and then it just deteriorated. Friday night was beautiful as we made our way through the countryside to Indian River for the Festival of Small Halls.What a beautiful spot and a wonderful time.

It's Festival of Small Hall's first venture into historic churches, and what better way to start than with St. Mary's church in Indian River. Known as one of the top 10 natural acoustic halls in the world, it will be host to The Once, a Newfoundland group with vocal harmonies "thick enough to stand on", the 'Lord of the Strings', J.P. Cormier, and Le Vent du Nord, a leading force in Quebec's progressive folk movement. Clean, clear harmonies and winding guitars and fiddles will be the hallmark of this show - it is one not to be missed

What a great time. The musicians were all amazing but the first act, a group from Quebec were especially interesting. They played an unusual instrument that none of us knew anything about and they never told us what it was. James, if you read this, please ask your music teacher cause we want to know! You can see it in the picture. It's the strange looking thing the 2nd follow is holding. The Ones, from Newfoundland were also there. We'd seen them at the ECMA's and J.P. Cormier, whom I've not seen before. He's a brilliant guitarist and plays other stringed instruments equally well. All in all, a wonderful night. During the break we went outside and had coffee and rhubarb cobbler with whipped cream. YUM. It was almost midnight by the time I got home but it was well worth it.

Saturday morning I worked my first Saturday at Toyota. I haven't heard yet what the plan is yet for the rest of the summer but hopefully I will find out soon. On my way home I stopped in to visit with Jens and his wife Linda. I met Jens in the shuttle a couple of weeks ago and was supposed to stop in a week ago but got delayed having a drink with the Honda people. They have a beautiful spot just off Blooming Point Road, actually right across the road from a farm house that some friends rented a few years ago. Small world. We sat outside and chatted until it started to rain then we went inside and sat and chatted at the table. We had a lovely visit and I was there for about 3 hours. We made tentative plans for them to come over for supper one evening while Lloyd is here. When I got home I made something to eat and then just watched some TV for a while - a pretty uneventful Saturday night on the island.

Sunday was predicted to have rain for most of the day but it held off until later. I got some jobs done in the house and then Brenda picked me up and we joined the bikers at Kristi's for breakfast. They had been into town for coffee at Tim's but it was threatening rain so they came back. We had a lovely leisurely breakfast and chatted for quite a long time before heading back home. Brenda dropped me off and I finished up some laundry. By then it was thundering and lightening and raining quite heavily so I watched a movie  between loading the washer and dryer. Then suddenly the sun came out and it was very warm outside. So, I headed out and did some trimming then decided it would be a good time to start splitting some wood. I managed to wrestle the splitter out of the shed (that thing is VERY heavy) and did a little bit before the big black clouds moved in once again. I packed everything up and headed inside just in the nick of time. I spent the next little while lounging in a nice hot bath with a good book while the thunder and lightning rages outside. A lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

So no biking, no kayaking but at least I got a couple of things done around the house so it wasn't a total waste!

Rescued ....... again!

Conditions at 5:15 am: 8' and overcast
Expected later: 21' and a mix of sun and cloud - I can't wait to see that sunshine!

Well, yesterday afternoon was one of those days. I've only had maybe 3 of them in the last 2+ years. It was cold and cloudy and when I drove into the yard, I just sat in the car for about 5 minutes looking around me. I was feeling a little overwhelmed. The grass was so long, the wood is still waiting to get split and the weather sucked! So I came inside and just tried to forget it was there (not that this was the solution). Then about 7:00 I noticed a trick and trailer backing into the driveway. I thought at first it was someone just turning around but then the driver got out and it was my great friend Brenda. In the back of her trailer was her huge lawnmower. She advised that Bernie was on his way over to look at mine but in the meantime she would start with hers. Let me tell you, her machine is quite the beast. It is very fast, much wider and can spin around in circles. I headed over to Mount Stewart to get some gas and on my way I passed Bernie on a bike. He was on the ground under my mower when I got back with the gas.  He thinks the problem is the belt has gotten stretched a bit and that may be why it keeps coming off. He got it back on and if I don't cut the grass too short it seems to be okay for now. Lloyd will have to investigate further when he gets here. By the time we got mine up and running, Brenda had finished the front, the side and the immediate back yard and had started on the back field with the trees. I started out there as well and we flew through it. She had arrived at 7:00 and by 8:30 we had finished all the lawn and had a glass of wine in the house. Amazing. Once again, I  don't know what I would do without those people to come to my rescue. I really and truly appreciate it.

Tonight we are going to Indian River for the Festival of Small Halls. Brenda did suggest that was partly in her mind when she decided to come over and help with the grass. It also helped that the mower was already in the trailer and the trailer was already hooked up to the truck. Like I always say, timing is everything.  Because it's supposed to be nice today, I had planned on continuing with the push mower after work.

Well it's Friday and I've almost made it through my first week.It's interesting when people come in and they know me from Honda. First the Purolator driver came in and asked if I was in the wrong place, and then yesterday the shuttle driver from Hyundai came in. We chatted a bit and he said it was too bad, he would miss waving to me on the road. It's kind of like the motorcycles that wave to each other as they pass on the road, so do the shuttle drivers.

Time to go and get ready for work. Have a great weekend.

A no news kind of day

 

Conditions at 5:30 am: 9' and overcast
Expected later: 13' with rain in the morning

It's been such a cool, damp spring that everyone is beginning to wonder if it's ever going to warm up. It has to soon. Yesterday when I got home from work the house was very cold and damp so I lit the wood stove and turned on the fireplace in the living room. After making something to eat, I sat down to read my book and before I knew it my eyes were slamming shut. When I checked the clock it was 9:20. Needless to say it was a totally relaxed/wasted evening. It started raining on my way home so working outside wasn't an option. It was the perfect night for curling up in front of the fire with a good book and I guess that's exactly what I did.

I went over to my previous employers at lunch to pick up my pay cheque and it's quite a different perspective after coming from my new place of work. I know the building I now work in is shiny and new but the other one is just so old and dingy. I chatted for a while with a few people and then left.

Before I went there, I had stopped in at Tip Top Car Wash on McAleer Drive. What an amazing place. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are ladies days so we get a discount off the already low price. It's regularly $20 but on ladies day it's $16 for us girls. They wash the outside of the car, by hand, vacuum the inside, clean the dash and the windows on the inside. And all of this takes about 15 minutes. I had called earlier to see if I needed an appointment and the lady told me you just come over and get in the line. She advised it's usually quite busy on sunny days but on cloudy days it's pretty quiet. There was no one there when I arrived so I  got in right away. I was totally impressed. And, if you go 8 times, you get a free one and they keep track of it for you. The people who own it are from Glenfinnan but I don't know their names. No doubt Brenda knows who they are.

Well, I brought Caitlin's resume in to the boss yesterday but he is undecided as to what to do about Saturdays. I suspect he will try it first and see if someone is needed on Saturday. I let him know that Caitlin was there waiting for me and he did come down and meet her and he told her he will let her know next week.  Unfortunately for her, the car wasn't ready yesterday so I gave her a lift home and I'll pick her up this morning. I was able to get the shuttle to pick her up yesterday afternoon but that might not always be the case. They don't have a driver in the afternoon, just one of the parts people goes out and picks up whom ever is out there. So they don't like her to be too long as she's away from the parts counter. The shuttling is not nearly as extensive as it was over at the other place. Over there it was on demand all day long and that's just not the norm.

Well, better go and get ready. I don't want to be late picking up my passenger!

Everything happens for a reason!

 

Conditions at 5:15 am: 10' and overcast
Expected later: 14' and showers - again

Is it ever going to warm up?  We get odd nice days just to tease us and then we're right back into the cool, wet weather again. Oh well, we will really appreciate it when it does get here.
Well, I chatted with Kurt on Monday afternoon and it's difficult to find someone to work only Saturdays. Then yesterday I drove Caitlin to and from work and during the course of our trip, I mentioned that it was hard to find someone to work just Saturdays and she said she would like to do it as it would give her some extra money and she would have her afternoon and evening free for going out with friends or to the beach. So, I'm taking her resume in to work with me this morning and hoping for the best. I don't think there should be a problem. Like I said, everything happens for a reason. If we weren't spending that time in the car chatting, it might never have come up.

A scene from Sunday afternoon's drive

Last night when I got home I started on the front yard with the push mower. I can't believe I cut all  the grass for the first two months with that one. It takes forever. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately) both the lawn mower and I ran out of gas at about the same time and I didn't have anymore. I guess I could have gone to the Irving and gotten some but I started when I got home and hadn't had supper yet so it seemed like a good time to stop for the night. Hopefully  the weather will cooperate and I can continue tonight.

I had another great day at work yesterday.  It's funny when someone calls or comes in who knows me. The Purolator driver came in Monday afternoon and looked at me and smiled and said "Aren't you in the wrong place?".  Then I got a call from the body shop and after I hung up I realized that Dave had said "Thanks Sandy" when he hung up but I hadn't said my name when I answered the phone.

It is such a different atmosphere that I can't believe it. I'm sure there are issues - every company has them but at least here it's more spread out and I actually don't see anyone from my desk. The service people are around one corner to my left and the sales peoples offices are around the corner to my right so I'm there all by myself and it's great. There's always someone coming by or looking for things but stuff doesn't get dumped on my desk like it did before. It's by far a much healthier environment mentally.

It was very nice yesterday at lunch. I took the car and went over to the mall. In my hour lunch I had time to go in and try on some pants as I needed some for work. I picked up a black pair as most of the ones I have are getting a little shabby as I've been wearing them for a number of years so it was time for a new pair. I think one of these evenings I need to take all my clothes out of the closet and re-evaluate what I have, get rid of the ones I don't/won't wear and make a list of what I do need and then go from there.

Quite a difference

 

Conditions at 5:30 am: 10' and partly cloudy
Expected later: 15' and the same clouds

I must say, there is a very big difference between the car dealership I'm working in this week than the one I worked in last week. Oh my gosh! This one has email, and voice mail, and all those things that most companies have been using for a number of years. But I shouldn't speak badly - it was an experience and I did come away with a bit of knowledge about car dealerships and that certainly made it easier to start at a new one. I'm already doing way more than I was doing before and I've only been there one day. But in all fairness, it does make a difference not driving the shuttle. I will miss that part of the job but there are so many other things that will make up for it. There's lots to learn but that's a good thing.

It rained pretty much all day yesterday so I stayed in at lunch. I'm planning to try to get out and do some walking at lunch time. I'm going to take a pair of running shoes and leave them at work so that I can just go whenever it's decent weather.

On Sunday when Brenda and I were out on our bikes, we met up at one of the lights on the by pass, with a group of Blue Knights from the island. The vests are not the same colour anymore. I was talking with one of the guys last year when Ralph was here for a rally, and they've moved to a deeper blue rather than the Robins Egg Blue. They are very nice but not quite as distinctive as the old ones were. You could see those ones coming a mile away. Perhaps that's why they changed.

When I was on my way home from Brenda's on Sunday, I noticed that the farm gate trailer has been moved from Goods and some machinery is up for sale. When I asked Brenda, she informed me that they are not farming this year. I was disappointed to hear that. I loved the fact that I could stop and pick up veggies on my way home for supper. I guess I'll just have to find somewhere else to get them. There seems to be a spot on the Bunbury Road that has some. They've had the field covered with white fabric type stuff for a while and now it's been removed to reveal a field full of something that looks like cabbages and other vegetables. There's a wagon set up in the middle of the field near the road so it looks like they may be selling some produce from there. That would be great.

I talked to Lloyd and to Brenda last night then went to bed early. I had been up really early yesterday morning and it caught up with me.  I woke up this morning at 3:00 but I was able to go back to sleep after a little while. I'm picking Caitlin up this morning so I'd best get going and get ready. Don't want to be late!

What a difference an hour can make!

Conditions at 2:24 am: 13" and some clouds
Expected later: 11' and rain for most of the day

If you read my blog on Friday, You'll remember that I was a little disappointed because I didn't expect to be able to attend the McCartney concert in NYC. Of course if you know me at all, I will always find a way. It kind of nagged at me all the way to work and in the end, I called Toyota and suggested that I would need the 15th of July off and it was no problem at all. Fast forward to a few hours later, and.....
I'm going to see Paul McCartney in New York City!
What a great thing to have to look forward to.  I'm really happy it worked out. Every time I go to a concert I think to myself, okay, this will likely be the last time I go due to cost, distance, etc. But we all know that's not the reality of the situation, is it? Anyway, I'm very excited to be going.

Now back to the real world! What a great past few days. Friday afternoon was warm and sunny and I stopped at the grocery store on my way home to pick up stuff for Saturday's dinner with the girls. I assumed that because we planned to go for drinks after work on Saturday that we weren't going on Friday and no one mentioned it. So you can imagine my surprise when I checked my phone before heading out to the country at 6:20 to see that I had a several text messages, wondering where I was. It seems after they'd been there for a while, someone asked if I was coming and then they all assumed that someone else had invited me. So of course I sent a message back that it figured - I wasn't even out the door and they'd already forgotten about me. I probably would have went for one drink but I'd just bought ice cream and had no choice but to go straight home. But we made up for it on Saturday. A few people came out and we had a lovely time. In fact I didn't get home until 5:00 so it was a good thing I had done most of the tidying up on Friday night.

Brenda, Lesa and Charmaine came over around 7:00 and we had a lovely time. It was just about 11:00 when they left and I think they enjoyed themselves. I'd love to get together again but just do a pot luck and sit around and chat. Charmaine brought some shrubs she dug up from her garden so I was motivated to actually try to finish my flower bed now that I have the beginnings of things to plant. Brenda also says she has lots I can put in when I get it ready.

On the West River

I worked a little bit on it Sunday morning and then decided I would cut some grass, while I was waiting for Brenda to get back from church. Unfortunately I only cut about 5 feet when the belt came off again. It was a little frustrating. So instead I sat outside and read my book after getting dressed.  When Brenda called, we headed out on our bikes. We went over to West River and participated in the Sporting Intentions Kayak Demo Day. There were quite a few people there and they had been quite busy earlier on. They had suggested to Caitlin that we show up around noon. We tried out a much longer and narrower kayak than what we have. It was very stable and quite maneuverable and once you got it going, could go quite fast. But I'm not going to look at the web site because I know they are very pricey. I'm happy with what I have for now, and certainly the motorcycles are cutting in to our kayaking time. I really need to retire - this working for a living is getting in the way of my social life!

We had a wonderful ride. The sun was warm, once it came out to stay, and we toured some absolutely beautiful roads. Lloyd would have loved it. Some of the scenery was gorgeous and every time I'm reminded how very lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place.  On our way back home we stopped at a little place on the highway and had a burger and milkshake. When we got back, Brenda went home and changed and then came over and helped me with the flower bed and thanks to her it's now got all the sod taken off. I need some manure and she's going to help out with that when they are all done planting. I was so happy to get that done and it went so much faster with two people working on it.

When we were done, we grilled a couple of steaks on the bbq and boiled some mini potatoes then tossed them in some butter and fresh chives. A little coleslaw on the side made for a really quick and easy supper. We were both a little sunburned and tired after a busy day so she went home and I called Lloyd to check in. He was out for supper and said he would call me back, so I read my book until he returned my call. Then it was bed time for me as well.

 Must be nerves, I suppose, due to starting the new job this morning. because I woke up at 2:00 and couldn't go back to sleep. So I took the dog outside and it was gorgeous out. Now I'm writing this and will try to go back and get a little more sleep when I'm done. This will give me more time to decide what to wear when I do get up. Wish me luck!

Oh wow - talk about poor timing

Conditions at 5:30 am: 10' and drizzle somewhere but not here
Expected later: Sun and cloud and a high of only 12'

It seems we get these nice days every so often just to tease us. Yesterday was really quite nice but now today is cooler again.

I opened up my email this morning and there it was - an opportunity I don't think I'll be able to take advantage of  because of timing. Jana forwarded the following and advised she was free on the 15th  - she'd received it from Kristi who suggested Jana should bring me down to New York with her...

Having trouble viewing this email? Click Here  Follow Us
	Just Added | This Week's Shows | Upcoming Shows | Venues Paul McCartney Fri, Jul 15 Yankee Stadium On Sale Mon, 6/13, 11am More Info

Unfortunately I'll only be a month into my new job so it's highly unlikely that  I'd be able to get the time off and  that's too bad because I'd love to go and see Kristi and go to the concert with them.
Talk about a disappointment!

But on the other hand, I heard something on the radio yesterday that confirmed I've made the right move. I was on my way to work and I heard the DJ talking about this little kid in Stratford who is raising funds for the Japan relief. It mentioned that the father of the child had called the radio station to inform them that our company had donated $1,000 to the child's efforts. That was very generous. On the other hand I was not able to get permission to organize a company team to put into the Relay for Life in support of one of our staff members who is currently  fighting cancer. That just seems wrong to me on so many levels. It's the little things like this, that really make me question the values of some people.  So I really felt good about my decision after I heard that.

Well, I spent so much time looking at email and stressing over the fact I can't go to New York to see Sir Paul, that I've used up my allotted computer time so I'd better get going. Have a great weekend everyone.

A very keen eye

 

Conditions at 5:30 am: 15' and overcast
Expected later: 21' but showers

Yesterday afternoon was really nice for a change - warm and sunny. It gave me the chance to cut some grass when I got home. I'm extremely happy to say I was also able to get the trimmer started. Thanks for the tips Bernie. He had suggested I hold the cord handle close to my body and then push down on the motor section and let gravity and the weight of the motor do the work rather than trying to pull the handle. By golly, it worked. I was just so happy. The grass around the sides of the house was at least a foot high and getting totally out of control.

Brenda and Meghan's keen eye noted that I indicated yesterday that we were having supper with Lesa and Charmaine on Friday night, but that is not the case. It's Saturday!  Good thing they mentioned that or it could have been very confusing to have some people show up on Friday (Brenda) and the rest showing up on Saturday. Just goes to show I really need to work on my proof reading skills - or at least use them. Most mornings I'm rushing to get done so don't always take the time to read back through.

In answer to Meghan's question, I will be doing reception duties at Toyota. There will be no shuttling involved. I will miss that part of it but let's just say it's time to move on. I've always been of the mind that if you aren't happy doing something, then find something else to do. Don't make everyone else's life miserable by complaining and I'm afraid that's what I was becoming. It's time to leave. Interestingly enough, I did email the owner on Monday night and advised that I have decided to leave and when my final day would be. I never received a response but Abbey did. It was very short and sweet - call Carol to fill in next week and post the ad right away. End of story. The ironic thing is one of the service advisers had an interview on Monday night at another dealership and he gave his notice yesterday. That's four staff leaving in the past 3 months - doesn't that tell you something?
Anyway, enough said. It was an interesting experience and I did learn some things about the car industry and that's likely what helped me get the job at Toyota. I also met some really great people as well.

I'm excited but also a little nervous. Changing jobs is always a bit stressful - meeting new people and learning a new set of duties - but I'm sure it will be fine.

Last night I was watching TV after I came inside and had supper and Brenda popped in. So we had a glass of wine, chatted about our day and then she left. When she was leaving I took the dog outside for a few minutes. It was a beautiful evening but there were a large number of June bugs buzzing around. It was the funniest thing to watch the dog leaping into the air to try to catch them. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get any pictures of the leaping but it was pretty hilarious.

Another new chapter

 

Conditions at 5:15 am: 11' and foggy
Expected later: 18' and - dare we say it? - sunny

It's been such a while since we saw the sun we may not know how to react.  We were supposed to get some yesterday afternoon but all we got was drizzle for most of it. It was really depressing when I checked something online before I went to bed. The little weather network icons on the bottom of my screen told me that at 10:00 it was 23' in Toronto and 9' here, What I won't be sad about is when it's 30' in Toronto and the humidex reading is 39'.

After a bit of consideration, I have decided to take a new job. I had an interview at Charlottetown Toyota yesterday morning and at 2:00 in the afternoon they called me and offered me the job. As with any decision, there are pluses and minuses to both positions but I think it will be a good move. There are a lot of factors that contributed to my decision but the fact that the position showed up on Jobs PEI on just the day I decided it was time to look elsewhere, had to be some kind of omen. I will miss the shuttling as it was a great opportunity to meet people but it is getting a bit tiring. I will still be working Saturdays but they are going to bring in a student for the summer. That will make a lot of difference if I have a two day weekend to allow me to keep up with everything. Next summer Lloyd will be here and I won't feel quite so overwhelmed at the amount of stuff that needs to be kept up with in the summer.

So my boss is away, a fact I didn't find out until I called upstairs to see if his wife had come in yet. I sent an email  giving my notice for this coming Saturday. I expect I may have a reply by this morning. It's unfortunate that this position hasn't worked out as hoped but I did meet some great people (and some not so great, but we're not going to go there-every job has at least one!)  I do hope that those I've connected with keep in touch. I will truly miss some of them. But they are just a few blocks away.

This Friday two girls from our cooking class are coming over for supper. We're going to cook the entire meal when they get here and then sit down and eat it. It will be lots of fun. Both Lesa and Charmaine insisted they need to bring something but I really don't need them to so I suggested to them that I have food, I don;t have plants. I know Charmaine has plants in her yard and Lesa probably does as well. I suggested to them that they both bring a small piece of a perennial out of their gardens instead of food and that would be a great addition to my flower bed (if I ever get good enough weather to get out and work on it some more). The sod is taking a lot of time and effort and sometime in the next couple of days I also need to cut the grass - again. It amazes me how it can still flourish so well with no sunshine. It's pretty hearty stuff. Although I did talk to Brenda last night and she suggested that we might go over to the school tonight if it's nice and work on our starting from a stopped position and cornering on our bikes - something I definitely need help with. Not to worry, the grass will wait till I get to it!

Another rainy Tuesday

Conditions at 5:15 am: 11' and light rain
Expected later: 14' with sunny breaks


I guess we shouldn't complain about our weather - I read yesterday that they received snow in Alberta. Now THAT would be really depressing for us here, who are already complaining about the cool weather. It did get a little warmer for a little while yesterday afternoon so it is slowly getting better.

I talked to Lloyd yesterday and he loved the Pisquid Airport Lounge. All he needs now is the garage to put the sign on. I did a little research last night and came across the clip that the skit was based on and the two guys did an amazing job on Sunday night. The original, featured here, featured Dean Martin and Foster Brooks.




 Another really funny thing I received by email yesterday morning. Lloyd sent me this commercial and he's right - you have absolutely no idea where it's going and how it ends. Some really creative minds out there.

http://www.noob.us/humor/you-will-never-guess-what-this-ad-is-about/

A well done must go out to Greg and James and their baseball team. They did really well in their baseball tournament on the weekend. They didn't quite win but they did a great job. It's early in the season so it will only get better!

Well, must run as I have an important appointment this morning so must get ready. More on that later.

It was a fun and laugh filled weekend in spite of the weather

Conditions at 5:15 am: 9' and overcast
Expected later: 15' and maybe some sun

(I love signing in on Monday mornings as my friends don"t view it on the weekend since they know I'm lazy on Saturday and Sunday - and I'm amazed at all the world places that have dropped by)

It was a dull, cool weekend with the odd sprinkling of rain so not much fun weather wise but it was okay anyway. Friday after work, 7 of us went out for a beer. I was a little longer than planned and I had to hurry home as my friends, the Van Gaals, had received some lobsters from a grateful customer and they needed some help with those. I was more than happy to oblige. Saturday after work, I came home and started on a flower bed at the front of the house. It's a slow process pulling up the sod so it's still on-going. I still hadn't tried the new trimmer because I had to get gas but ran out of time. Well, actually I didn't run out of time, I got tired and cold and went inside and sat by the fire in the living room and read a book for a while.

We had to be at the Rec Centre for the members supper at 8:30, followed by trivia. We once again enjoyed lobster and all the fixings. Bernie left after eating but Brenda and I stayed for the trivia portion. We played with Marlene and her husband Lornie. We didn't win but at least we didn't come in last. (okay, second last but we weren't the VERY worst!) and we had a lot of fun and laughs.

 It was midnight when I got home and it was a beautiful evening. A bit cool but the air was still and the stars were brilliant. As I drove up the driveway under the canopy of leaves, and saw the bright stars when I got to the top I thought, can you imagine if this is what we'd seen when we first viewed the house? There would have been no 'offer', just "We'll take it!".

Sunday morning dawned cold and damp again, so I set to work to try to finish off my weaving. I didn't have a lot left to do so was able to finish, sew the edges and get it washed and dried by the time Brenda called after church. Since it wasn't fit for either biking or kayaking, I suggested we take a drive out to Belfast to the Mini Mills as I had a couple of questions for Sheila. So I picked her up and we headed out. I took one of the placemants and the runner with me to show Shiela as well a my instruction book with the questions I had. I had run into her in the grocery store last week and she told me that they were not open 7 days a week for the summer and the tea house was in operation. So after visiting the store and getting the instruction I needed, we were given a tour of the mill then went over to the tea house for some lunch. I had the Macaroni and Cheese and Brenda had the pea soup and we decided our soup is better. The Mac and cheese was quite good and the cole slaw that came with it was delicious.

I dropped Brenda off at home as she was feeling a little under the weather. I went and got gas then home to try my new "Simple2Start" trimmer. It wasn't. I spent a lot of time and effort trying to get the thing started and had no luck at all. Finally I got very frustrated and packed the whole works up and took it back to Canadian Tire. I exchanged it for the same one but with a choke. I thought perhaps that might make a difference. Unfortunately I couldn't get that one to start either. So I worked away a bit more on the flower bed. When I got too cold and tired I went inside and made something to eat. Brenda called and she was feeling much better after a nap and we decided to go to a fund raising concert they were having at the school. So I took my trimmer over to their house and got Bernie to try it. He says it's just too new and everything is still very stiff on it (let's hope). Anyway, he was able to get it to start and gave me a couple of suggestions that might be helpful.

The concert at the school was great fun. It was a combination of music and little skits put on by local folks and it was  hilarious. There are some very talented young people in the community who we will be hearing more from in the future I'm sure. One boy is just graduating from grade 12 this year and he played the fiddle and was absolutely amazing. Another  girl sang a song she wrote and won a spot with at the East Coast Music Awards. She's 13 years old. Amazing,

The skits were extremely funny and one was about two guys in an airport based on an old Dean Martin routine that I'm told is online somewhere, But the funniest bit of all was the sign they had made to indicate where this skit was taking place. Richard has his Barcalounge, Bernie has the Doog House and Loafers Lodge. I can see the sign over Lloyd's garage one day -I laughed so hard when I saw that and I just know we'll be seeing it again


Pisquid Airport Lounge. .

Another slow news day

Conditions at 6:00 am: 12' and overcast
Expected later: 11' and rain for most of the day

Once again, not much to report, Yesterday was pretty uneventful at work, The weather was cool in the morning but it got really warm in the afternoon. I probably could have biked to work yesterday but it would have been a pretty chilly ride in the morning. Besides I stopped at the grocery store on the way home to pick up a couple of things, (although I suppose it would have all fit in  my new tail bag). Oh well, hopefully there will be lots of opportunities to bike to work.

The last of the pile of branches - up in smoke

After the grocery store I dropped in to Canadian Tire and picked up a gas powered trimmer.(Now that would have been an challenge with the bike). The rechargeable one we have really doesn't do a very good job and it runs out of juice before you can get the job finished. When I got home it was very calm so I decided to finish burning the rest of the pile of branches that were still hanging around from last year. Now that spot is nice and clear and hopefully something will grow back . While I sat outside monitoring the fire, I had a glass of wine and some cheese and crackers and read my book. I took a minute to check in with Brenda and by the time I went in it was pretty much time for bed.

One thing that was really nice yesterday is that in both the grocery store and Canadian Tire, I ran into people I knew. It's nice to have made some acquaintances that you can stop and have a chat with.

Well, I slept in a little later this morning so better get going. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we can get out and do something on Sunday. Have a great weekend everyone. Maybe I'll get to those cookies I was going to do last night. I do get so easily distracted sometimes!

It sure didn't feel like June 1st

 

Conditions at 6:00 am: overcast and 15'
Expected later: mix of sun and cloud and 20'

It was so cold yesterday morning that it was the only topic of conversation. It did finally warm up some but with the wind, you had a hard time knowing it was milder. It's still windy this morning but nothing like yesterday. It should be much nicer later today.  It was quite chilly in the house when I got home so I built a fire in the stove when I returned from Charmaine's. That pleased Cooper immensely.

Once again my little blog has solved a problem. It seems yesterday Brenda was trying to get hold of  Marlene to ensure she called me, but then when she read the blog she had her answer. Once again, a public service provided! There's really not much going on today so this will be short.

I received an email from our friend Zesty the other day and there's a cookie recipe in there that I want to try. It's a combination of sweet and salty, one that I really enjoy so I will try these, maybe tonight. I can always test them on the guys in the shop.

• Zesty's Sweet & Salty Cookies

As you can guess from the title of the post I decided to share the Sweet & Salty morsels of goodness.  These fellas were delicious.  Packed with pretzels, m&m, smarties and a few potato chips… I could eat these all day.   Super easy to make and check out my packaging idea(s) – Mrs. Zesty really thinks I am a bit over the top sometimes. Ha!

Ingredients

• 1 Cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 Cup Granulated white sugar
• 3/4 Cup Brown sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tsp.  Vanilla
• 2 1/3 Cups All-purpose flour
• 1 Tsp. Baking soda
• 3/4 Tsp. Salt
• 1 Cup chopped candy coated pieces
• 1 Cup crushed or jumbled savoury snacks such as pretzels and potato chips

Method

1. In a large bowl, beat butter, and both sugars until fluffy.
2. Beat in eggs, one at a time; beat in vanilla
3. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into butter mixture.
4. Stir in candy and crumbled snacks.
5. Drop balls onto parchment paper- lined baking sheets
6. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes  rotating the pan halfway through.

7. Makes about 30 cookies
8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: Make these cookies ahead and store in an air tight container for up to 3 days.  Good luck having them last that long.

Alright, I hope you have a great start to the week and I really hope you give these cookies a try.  I think we can call this cookies…. “clean out your pantry with whatever goodies you have cookies”.  I will talk to you all on Wednesday for another sweet treat.

Take care

zesty

I'll let you know how they turned out.