Okay, so I slept in this morning and this is a few hours later than usual. Hopefully the hand full of readers who visit regularly are late risers this morning as well.
It's now 8:15 am and I'm sitting at work in the bright sunshine, which thankfully, will be soon be above the front window so I'll be able to see my screen a little more clearly. It's a cooler 8' this morning only heading for 14' later but sunny, so it will be a good day for Lloyd to work on the trusses for his roof. The materials should be delivered sometime this morning. He has a small crew lined up for tomorrow morning to try to put the walls up but it's looking like it might rain. Let's hope it holds off for at least part of the day.
We had the great pleasure of being the guests at the Van Gaals for supper last night. Meghan wanted to try out a pasta recipe and we were more than willing to be guinea pigs! It was worth the trip because it was delicious - something I would certainly make again. Of course the homemade rolls certainly helped to make it even more delicious. Brenda made apple pies and Lloyd made an orange cake and brought birthday candles. Needless to say, we were well fed.
It sounds like they had a very interesting, enjoyable and tiring trip but did get to experience a typically Dutch meal - several times! I also received a lovely hand painted bell from Delft to add to my collection of bells, so many thanks for that. I'm looking forward to having an opportunity to sit down and look at all the photos they took. That's the nice thing about digital photography - you can take as may pictures as you like and then sort through them at your leisure. I still remember the days when you almost needed a bank loan to get your holiday photos back from the camera store if you were a little over zealous with the shutter, only to find that many were out of focus, or had some other peculiarity that made them totally useless. How times have changed.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Thursday, September 27th - a quiet day today
It's raining and 16' as I'm letting the dog outside (reluctantly) and it's going to clear up later this morning with just isolated showers but the temperature is going to go down to 13' as well. We can't complain though as it was supposed to go down to 4' in southern Ontario last night! We've not been near that cool as yet. Good thing , because I still haven't gotten my chimney cleaned from last year, although I am on the list so it should happen soon!
Not really much to write about this morning. Yesterday was a busy but productive day at work for me and also for Lloyd. He wasn't expecting to be working for the entire day but in the end that's exactly what he did. He's off now for a few days, probably until next Tuesday or Wednesday so it will give him some time to work on his building. He got a price for manufactured trusses for his roof but has decided to build them instead - gotta love that sweat equity! Now with this new job and the odd bit of time off, it makes it more feasible. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. It's not looking too great right now for the weekend but they were wrong last week so maybe they'll be off again this time.
Yesterday morning I made a salad to have for supper because it needed to be chilled for at least two hours. I came across the recipe online somewhere and thought I would give it a try. It's a lot like a potato salad but uses cooked cauliflower instead of potatoes. I took it out of the fridge when I got home while I got the rest of the meal going. I tried a taste and that was it! I just kept going back for more every time I passed the bowl on the counter. When Lloyd got home, he did the same thing. This is definitely one of those dishes I will make again. Check it out : Cauliflower Salad
I know fall is definitely here. Last night I had a couple of new fall TV shows taped so after supper I went upstairs and got into my comfy fuzzy jammies and curled up in front of the TV with the trusty dog on my lap (of course!) and Lloyd in his jammies in his comfy chair. Yup - fall is definitely here!
Not really much to write about this morning. Yesterday was a busy but productive day at work for me and also for Lloyd. He wasn't expecting to be working for the entire day but in the end that's exactly what he did. He's off now for a few days, probably until next Tuesday or Wednesday so it will give him some time to work on his building. He got a price for manufactured trusses for his roof but has decided to build them instead - gotta love that sweat equity! Now with this new job and the odd bit of time off, it makes it more feasible. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. It's not looking too great right now for the weekend but they were wrong last week so maybe they'll be off again this time.
Yesterday morning I made a salad to have for supper because it needed to be chilled for at least two hours. I came across the recipe online somewhere and thought I would give it a try. It's a lot like a potato salad but uses cooked cauliflower instead of potatoes. I took it out of the fridge when I got home while I got the rest of the meal going. I tried a taste and that was it! I just kept going back for more every time I passed the bowl on the counter. When Lloyd got home, he did the same thing. This is definitely one of those dishes I will make again. Check it out : Cauliflower Salad
I know fall is definitely here. Last night I had a couple of new fall TV shows taped so after supper I went upstairs and got into my comfy fuzzy jammies and curled up in front of the TV with the trusty dog on my lap (of course!) and Lloyd in his jammies in his comfy chair. Yup - fall is definitely here!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Wednesday, September 26th - the end of another era
It's a mild 14' this morning with a pleasant breeze and we're heading for a high of only 18' later but it will feel more like 21' with the sunshine. Clouds may roll in this afternoon bringing with them a chance of some rain overnight.
The world travelers made it home safe and sound. I spoke with Brenda yesterday afternoon and she was just heading off for a nap. It's going to take a few days to get back into this time zone for them. The kids greeted them with carrot cake and tea when they got home at 1:00 so it made for a bit of a late night but I'm sure they were glad to finally get off to sleep in their own bed once again.
Our cooking class last night went okay in spite of Brenda's absence ( I hadn't expected she would be there). We were doing slow cooker meals and it's a difficult thing to do in class as you really can't cook anything in the slow cooker in two hours - kind of defeats the purpose! I put the first one in the cooker in the morning - an Italian Pot Roast, except I substituted a pork roast for a beef roast (budgetary restrictions!) but it turned out delicious. Then there was a second recipe that used the leftovers to make Calzones. So I had the class make pizza dough while we cooked pasta for our first course. So we had the first course - Italian pot roast served on pasta then finished with the calzones. Well, actually we had to take them home with us as they just came out of the oven in time to leave. I had mine when I got home and had everything put away, and they were actually mighty tasty.
I was quite saddened to read on Monday about the passing of Sam Sniderman - aka Sam the Record Man. You have to have grown up in the sixties and lived in Southern Ontario to truly appreciate what an iconic place his Yonge Street store really was. I lived approximately an hour away from Toronto and people just didn't travel like they do now. To go to Toronto for the day was a really big deal. From time to time we would have field trips from school and they always gave us a bit of free time. I treasured those trips more than you can imagine because a trip to Toronto meant a trip to Sam the Record Man. Walking into that enormous 3 story building was like walking into heaven for any music lover. Any piece of vinyl you could dream of was available at Sam's including some you'd never imagine ever finding.Certainly you could get all the latest albums but you could also get obscure discs that you didn't even know existed if you spent some time digging around. After the Beatles broke up and there were no more of those hits coming our way, I gradually shifted over to folk music which was becoming the big trend at the time. It was the late sixties, early seventies and artists like our own Gordon Lightfoot were coming of age, thanks in great part to the likes of Sam Sninderman. I found a copy of an old Lightfoot album called Early Lightfoot that had a very young sounding singer that was barely recognizable as the voice we all came to know and love. Because of people like Sam the Record Man a good number of Canadian musicians were able to become the established performers that we would all enjoy for many years - he truly believed in Canadian music and pushed for the then controversial Canadian content regulations that were established in 1970. and he helped organize the first Juno awards to celebrate Canada's musical talent. Those awards have grown from very humble beginnings to a major event for Canadian musicians. It's ironic that I now live here on the island that he also called his second home. He and his late wife, Janet May, were seasonal residents for many years and was a great contributor to UPEI, implementing the Sound and Film Archive at Roberson Library. But islanders don't understand just how much of an impact his stores had on young music lovers of another era. He will be missed.
The world travelers made it home safe and sound. I spoke with Brenda yesterday afternoon and she was just heading off for a nap. It's going to take a few days to get back into this time zone for them. The kids greeted them with carrot cake and tea when they got home at 1:00 so it made for a bit of a late night but I'm sure they were glad to finally get off to sleep in their own bed once again.
Our cooking class last night went okay in spite of Brenda's absence ( I hadn't expected she would be there). We were doing slow cooker meals and it's a difficult thing to do in class as you really can't cook anything in the slow cooker in two hours - kind of defeats the purpose! I put the first one in the cooker in the morning - an Italian Pot Roast, except I substituted a pork roast for a beef roast (budgetary restrictions!) but it turned out delicious. Then there was a second recipe that used the leftovers to make Calzones. So I had the class make pizza dough while we cooked pasta for our first course. So we had the first course - Italian pot roast served on pasta then finished with the calzones. Well, actually we had to take them home with us as they just came out of the oven in time to leave. I had mine when I got home and had everything put away, and they were actually mighty tasty.
I was quite saddened to read on Monday about the passing of Sam Sniderman - aka Sam the Record Man. You have to have grown up in the sixties and lived in Southern Ontario to truly appreciate what an iconic place his Yonge Street store really was. I lived approximately an hour away from Toronto and people just didn't travel like they do now. To go to Toronto for the day was a really big deal. From time to time we would have field trips from school and they always gave us a bit of free time. I treasured those trips more than you can imagine because a trip to Toronto meant a trip to Sam the Record Man. Walking into that enormous 3 story building was like walking into heaven for any music lover. Any piece of vinyl you could dream of was available at Sam's including some you'd never imagine ever finding.Certainly you could get all the latest albums but you could also get obscure discs that you didn't even know existed if you spent some time digging around. After the Beatles broke up and there were no more of those hits coming our way, I gradually shifted over to folk music which was becoming the big trend at the time. It was the late sixties, early seventies and artists like our own Gordon Lightfoot were coming of age, thanks in great part to the likes of Sam Sninderman. I found a copy of an old Lightfoot album called Early Lightfoot that had a very young sounding singer that was barely recognizable as the voice we all came to know and love. Because of people like Sam the Record Man a good number of Canadian musicians were able to become the established performers that we would all enjoy for many years - he truly believed in Canadian music and pushed for the then controversial Canadian content regulations that were established in 1970. and he helped organize the first Juno awards to celebrate Canada's musical talent. Those awards have grown from very humble beginnings to a major event for Canadian musicians. It's ironic that I now live here on the island that he also called his second home. He and his late wife, Janet May, were seasonal residents for many years and was a great contributor to UPEI, implementing the Sound and Film Archive at Roberson Library. But islanders don't understand just how much of an impact his stores had on young music lovers of another era. He will be missed.
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| Even though it's been gone for years, this picture stirs up so many memories for so many people! |
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Tuesday, September 25th - 3 months to Christmas Day!
It's a cooler 11' this morning and we should reach a sunny 17' later - perfect weather for those who are working outside. It looks like it rained most of the night - it was raining when I went to bed and it was still quite wet but had stopped when I got up at 5:00. Now things are drying up quite nicely.
Not much to report today other than Brenda and Bernie are home! They arrived in Halifax last night and the text message I received around 9:15 was "in the car, on our way to Tim's". Welcome home guys.
I'm looking forward to hearing all about their trip and seeing the pictures but I know that will have to wait for a few days to let them get over a wee bit of jet lag they will no doubt experience.
Tonight is our second cooking class but I'm not expecting Brenda to be there. If she does turn up, that will just be a bonus. Tonight we're doing a slow cooker meal that the left overs can be used to create a totally different meal - cook once, eat twice. It's pretty hard to demonstrate a slow cooker meal in class just by the nature of the beast. So we're doing it this way instead. The first meal is simmering away all day and ready to eat when we get there, then we will work on the second one so small portions will be the order of the evening.
I received a link to my friend Jana's blog yesterday. She and Scott are having a wonderful time touring Ireland. The scenery looks wonderful, I can't wait to visit one day.
Okay, I'm going to end off here because a) I have to get ready for work and b) I really don't have anything to write about this morning.
One thing I did miss yesterday but he wouldn't have seen it as it was a travel day so I've put it in today
Happy Belated Birthday to Bernie!
Not much to report today other than Brenda and Bernie are home! They arrived in Halifax last night and the text message I received around 9:15 was "in the car, on our way to Tim's". Welcome home guys.
I'm looking forward to hearing all about their trip and seeing the pictures but I know that will have to wait for a few days to let them get over a wee bit of jet lag they will no doubt experience.
Tonight is our second cooking class but I'm not expecting Brenda to be there. If she does turn up, that will just be a bonus. Tonight we're doing a slow cooker meal that the left overs can be used to create a totally different meal - cook once, eat twice. It's pretty hard to demonstrate a slow cooker meal in class just by the nature of the beast. So we're doing it this way instead. The first meal is simmering away all day and ready to eat when we get there, then we will work on the second one so small portions will be the order of the evening.
I received a link to my friend Jana's blog yesterday. She and Scott are having a wonderful time touring Ireland. The scenery looks wonderful, I can't wait to visit one day.
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| Jana and Scott in Ireland - it's so wonderful to see them have this opportunity |
Okay, I'm going to end off here because a) I have to get ready for work and b) I really don't have anything to write about this morning.
One thing I did miss yesterday but he wouldn't have seen it as it was a travel day so I've put it in today
Happy Belated Birthday to Bernie!
Monday, September 24, 2012
Monday, September 24th - missed her by 17 minutes!
I opened up the blog and saw that a visitor had been here from Iceland just 17 minutes ago - BRENDA - COME BACK!!!
It's a coolish 11' this morning at 5:40 and we should reach a high of 17' later today with perhaps the odd isolated shower.
So the travelers should be back sometime late this evening. Hope they have an uneventful trip to Halifax and then over to the island by car from there. Looking forward to seeing and hearing all about their experiences.
It was a quiet but productive weekend after all. We were supposed to get heavy rain all weekend but that only came in spurts in the end. Lloyd was able to work outside pretty much all day on Saturday. I worked until 2:00, attended a sewing class in town from 3:00 to 6:00 and then raced back to Fort Augustus to serve at a wedding. It was dicey whether or not I was going to make it on time. They were scheduled to eat at 6:15 but we know these things are never right on time. That's what I was hoping for this time. I made it just in the nick of time as they were just getting ready to say grace when I got to the kitchen. There was a distinct almost cheer when I walked in because there aren't very many people who like putting out the plates. But we're finally getting them educated. This time I had 3 helpers to clear plates so that was really nice to see. I didn't stay to have a drink, I just took my carrots and rolls and left. I was home around 9:30.
Lloyd told me he had been able to work outside until around 5:00 before it started to rain so that was a good thing.
I know this sounds crazy, but I spent Sunday excitedly doing laundry for pretty much the entire day! I did all the clothes, then bedding, then blankets that had been stored, pretty much anything I could find that needed washing got the treatment. What a pleasure to have enough water again! Like I said before, it's the little things we take so much for granted.
Again it was a bit wet early in the morning but was starting to dry up early. So Lloyd headed outside to finish up the last two walls. It still doesn't look like much but all the walls are finished. He worked out there pretty much all day then came in and had a shower and something to eat around 2:30. Then he went back out to cut some grass and I split a little bit of wood but had to quit when he needed to cut the back yard as my extension cord was in the way. I got a few little jobs done that have been waiting around for a while so it was a pretty productive day for both of us.
It's a coolish 11' this morning at 5:40 and we should reach a high of 17' later today with perhaps the odd isolated shower.
So the travelers should be back sometime late this evening. Hope they have an uneventful trip to Halifax and then over to the island by car from there. Looking forward to seeing and hearing all about their experiences.
It was a quiet but productive weekend after all. We were supposed to get heavy rain all weekend but that only came in spurts in the end. Lloyd was able to work outside pretty much all day on Saturday. I worked until 2:00, attended a sewing class in town from 3:00 to 6:00 and then raced back to Fort Augustus to serve at a wedding. It was dicey whether or not I was going to make it on time. They were scheduled to eat at 6:15 but we know these things are never right on time. That's what I was hoping for this time. I made it just in the nick of time as they were just getting ready to say grace when I got to the kitchen. There was a distinct almost cheer when I walked in because there aren't very many people who like putting out the plates. But we're finally getting them educated. This time I had 3 helpers to clear plates so that was really nice to see. I didn't stay to have a drink, I just took my carrots and rolls and left. I was home around 9:30.
Lloyd told me he had been able to work outside until around 5:00 before it started to rain so that was a good thing.
I know this sounds crazy, but I spent Sunday excitedly doing laundry for pretty much the entire day! I did all the clothes, then bedding, then blankets that had been stored, pretty much anything I could find that needed washing got the treatment. What a pleasure to have enough water again! Like I said before, it's the little things we take so much for granted.
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| The last nail in the last wall, now all waiting to be put upright |
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| When Lloyd was cutting the grass, he discovered dozens of these bright yellow mushrooms out on the lawn. Some of them were at least 5 or 6 inches across the top. They were huge! No idea what kind they are but there were certainly lots of them. |
Friday, September 21, 2012
Friday, September 21st - maybe a new beginning
It's going to be a rainy day today. The current temperature at 5:15 am is 17' and we should reach a high of 20' that will feel more like 26' but rain for most of the day. But who knows. We were meant to get rain yesterday for most of the day but other than a bit of a drizzle out here in the morning, we didn't receive any in town. Lloyd was able to work through it before coming into town to take me for lunch on his way to the truss factory to get prices. Not that we're ready for those yet, although he did get another section of wall built yesterday. Several are done but at this point none of them are standing yet. That's likely a good thing because the wind we had the other day may have brought them crashing back down and that wouldn't have been a good thing! It's supposed to rain all weekend so that's not so good but we'll see.
Not much going on right now. I'm going to keep it short this morning as I have a meeting this afternoon I need to get dressed for. Can't go into details yet but may have some news on Monday. Stay tuned.
Not much going on right now. I'm going to keep it short this morning as I have a meeting this afternoon I need to get dressed for. Can't go into details yet but may have some news on Monday. Stay tuned.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Thursday, September 20th - new beginnings
Right now (5:30 am) it's not raining and the pavement outside is dry but it rained quite a bit last night. The wind was pretty high yesterday but it seems to have eased off for now. It's 12' this morning and we're only going to reach 15' later with lots more rain expected over the rest of the day and maybe right up till Sunday.
Not much going on right now at our house, at least. Lloyd ended up working yesterday even though he thought he might have the day off as they were between jobs and it was expected to maybe rain but it turned out okay. We're not sure about today at this point. He doesn't find out till 6:00 am.
I received a text message from Meghan last night. Each year her mom goes on a shopping trip with her mother-in-law, sister-in-laws and some other ladies. The mix varies from year to year. I used to have to pleasure of being part of that group when I lived in Ontario. This year Meghan is going with them for the first time so she's pretty excited about that. So in an effort to raise some spending money for the trip, the first week of November, she's trying her hand at Dog Walking and also dog sitting, should someone need that service. In her text message she mentioned that she even has a 'sing', but I'm assuming she means 'sign'. I asked her how much she charges for Dog Walking and she replied $5.00 for 20 minutes or maybe longer. So I've put in my order for 6 dogs walks the next time she's here on the island. She's to send me some gift certificates so I can redeem them when she's here. Cooper will be very happy with that. So this will be a new adventure for her.
I also received a video a couple of days ago from Patti, of James who is back at guitar lessons again this fall. He wanted to know if I could recognize the piece he was working on and I knew it after about 3 notes:
Here's James' version:
... and the original:
As Patti said, It's a work in progress but a good start.
Not much going on right now at our house, at least. Lloyd ended up working yesterday even though he thought he might have the day off as they were between jobs and it was expected to maybe rain but it turned out okay. We're not sure about today at this point. He doesn't find out till 6:00 am.
I received a text message from Meghan last night. Each year her mom goes on a shopping trip with her mother-in-law, sister-in-laws and some other ladies. The mix varies from year to year. I used to have to pleasure of being part of that group when I lived in Ontario. This year Meghan is going with them for the first time so she's pretty excited about that. So in an effort to raise some spending money for the trip, the first week of November, she's trying her hand at Dog Walking and also dog sitting, should someone need that service. In her text message she mentioned that she even has a 'sing', but I'm assuming she means 'sign'. I asked her how much she charges for Dog Walking and she replied $5.00 for 20 minutes or maybe longer. So I've put in my order for 6 dogs walks the next time she's here on the island. She's to send me some gift certificates so I can redeem them when she's here. Cooper will be very happy with that. So this will be a new adventure for her.
I also received a video a couple of days ago from Patti, of James who is back at guitar lessons again this fall. He wanted to know if I could recognize the piece he was working on and I knew it after about 3 notes:
Here's James' version:
... and the original:
As Patti said, It's a work in progress but a good start.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Wednesday, September 19th - it's going to be an interesting community school session
It's a balmy 16' at 4:30 this morning, heading for a humid 23' that may well feel like 28' later. Just when we thought we could put away the summer clothes, Mother Nature decides it's not time yet. It will be cooler over the next couple of days and we should get some rain later this afternoon (well, more like evening out here on the eastern end of the island - 20 to 30 mm perhaps).
So registration for Community School was last night and I'm once again left shaking my head and wondering what the heck are they thinking? I arrived at 6:25 and there were 10 people registered. I had specifically requested that we limit to no more than 8 but the person who was taking names wasn't told that. Nor were they told to advise all potential students about the $20 material fee. I know that might impact some peoples decisions. We also have two teen aged boys in the mix so not so sure how that's going to work. But we have some new ladies, and some are from Stratford because they aren't doing Community School this year. So we'll just have to make the best of it and see how it goes. It's going to be a pretty crowded space and difficult to find enough things to keep everyone busy in that short time but we'll so what we can.
Last night I had the previous students work on a soup while I sat at the other table with the new students and we talked briefly about food safety and did some knife skills. I took a bag of carrots with me that we used to dice using the sharp knives that I have. They were amazed at what a difference it makes to work with a really sharp knife and all went away with a new appreciation for the care and maintenance of their tools. We took the break with everyone else then went back in to eat our soup, which was delicious, by the way. The recipe came form an email I received from the Ace Bakery site. Once we were cleaned up we sat at the table and tossed around some ideas of what people would like to see covered this year. I have some ideas now that I can build on.
I see this morning that the travelers are in Gouda - hope they get to eat lots of yummy cheese! It's hard to believe they will be home this time next week - a little jet lagged perhaps, but at least sleeping in their own beds. Just an FYI for Brenda, I received an email from Jana Monday evening telling me she and Scott were at the Toronto airport, waiting on their flight to Ireland. They've never been, but are heading there for a couple of weeks. I told her that was on our radar for sometime in the future.
So registration for Community School was last night and I'm once again left shaking my head and wondering what the heck are they thinking? I arrived at 6:25 and there were 10 people registered. I had specifically requested that we limit to no more than 8 but the person who was taking names wasn't told that. Nor were they told to advise all potential students about the $20 material fee. I know that might impact some peoples decisions. We also have two teen aged boys in the mix so not so sure how that's going to work. But we have some new ladies, and some are from Stratford because they aren't doing Community School this year. So we'll just have to make the best of it and see how it goes. It's going to be a pretty crowded space and difficult to find enough things to keep everyone busy in that short time but we'll so what we can.
Last night I had the previous students work on a soup while I sat at the other table with the new students and we talked briefly about food safety and did some knife skills. I took a bag of carrots with me that we used to dice using the sharp knives that I have. They were amazed at what a difference it makes to work with a really sharp knife and all went away with a new appreciation for the care and maintenance of their tools. We took the break with everyone else then went back in to eat our soup, which was delicious, by the way. The recipe came form an email I received from the Ace Bakery site. Once we were cleaned up we sat at the table and tossed around some ideas of what people would like to see covered this year. I have some ideas now that I can build on.
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| This is the soup we made (but not our picture) - we used green peppers instead of red |
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Tuesday, September 18th - first day of Community School - without my helper!
It's a cool 13' this morning and heading for a sunny 21' later. What fabulous weather, but we may get rain Thursday, Friday and Saturday but we'll have to see on that one. We likely will as I notice that Ontario is getting cooler temperatures and rain today. Time to put the open toe shoes away, Meg (1)!
So I think I'm ready for tonight's class. It just doesn't seem right not having Brenda to bounce things off of or to offer suggestions. We lost one of our previous students yesterday. Yolanda emailed that she's starting a new job and won't be able to attend all the classes so she decided to back out for this year and let someone else have her spot. That's really too bad, as we will miss her sense of humour and vibrant personality. She really added something to the class. But she asked if I could keep her informed with the recipes each week and I said I would, as well as leave her on the guest list for any after school extra curricular activities that might involve wine or food!
I'm going to do some food safety and knife skills with the new people and let theold timers previous students make a Sweet Corn, Leek and Potato Chowder (coming soon to a food blog near you!). We're also going to do a bit of menu planning and ideas on how to organize our pantries and freezers a little better. I have to admit it's mostly for my benefit but if I tell people I'm going to do it, then there's a bit more incentive to actually get it done and it might actually be beneficial to the others as well. It's a work in progress so we'll see how we all fare by the end of the ten weeks.
It's good to get back into the fall routine again and I am enjoying cooking regular meals again. Last night I made a Mushroom and Leek Quiche that was in the Sobey's magazine this month and it was really delicious. Of course it didn't look exactly like the picture - it was meant to be made with Swiss cheese but I only had cheddar so that altered it slightly but it was still really good.
Lloyd is only likely working till around lunch time today as they are almost finished the project they are working on so he may have tomorrow off. That's not a bad thing as it will give him a chance to work on the garage walls. Then we are supposed to get rain - Thursday, Friday and Saturday so he would likely be off then anyway. That will be a good thing as he has a huge blister on his hand that really needs some time to heal before it gets infected. Guess he'll wear gloves the next time he uses a rake to smooth out the surface of the garage floor!
So I think I'm ready for tonight's class. It just doesn't seem right not having Brenda to bounce things off of or to offer suggestions. We lost one of our previous students yesterday. Yolanda emailed that she's starting a new job and won't be able to attend all the classes so she decided to back out for this year and let someone else have her spot. That's really too bad, as we will miss her sense of humour and vibrant personality. She really added something to the class. But she asked if I could keep her informed with the recipes each week and I said I would, as well as leave her on the guest list for any after school extra curricular activities that might involve wine or food!
I'm going to do some food safety and knife skills with the new people and let the
It's good to get back into the fall routine again and I am enjoying cooking regular meals again. Last night I made a Mushroom and Leek Quiche that was in the Sobey's magazine this month and it was really delicious. Of course it didn't look exactly like the picture - it was meant to be made with Swiss cheese but I only had cheddar so that altered it slightly but it was still really good.
Lloyd is only likely working till around lunch time today as they are almost finished the project they are working on so he may have tomorrow off. That's not a bad thing as it will give him a chance to work on the garage walls. Then we are supposed to get rain - Thursday, Friday and Saturday so he would likely be off then anyway. That will be a good thing as he has a huge blister on his hand that really needs some time to heal before it gets infected. Guess he'll wear gloves the next time he uses a rake to smooth out the surface of the garage floor!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Monday, September 17th - I knew it was your birthday, so I baked a cake!!
It's a cool 12' this morning but we should reach a sunny 19' later this afternoon. It turned out to be a beautiful weekend.We were supposed to get rain on Sunday but it turned out we just got a bit of a downpour on Saturday night and it ended by midnight so we had lovely sun, although a coolish breeze on Sunday.
Friday after work Linda and Joyce dropped by with some Cod they had caught when they went deep sea fishing on Friday afternoon. They had already eaten on their way home so didn't stay to enjoy it with us. Good thing because we managed to demolish the whole works!
Saturday morning I worked and when I got home after grocery shopping Richard was here helping Lloyd. They have one wall almost completed and ready to go up. I know that now they are at that point it may go a little faster. He really only has Saturdays to work on it so it's going to take a while but he'll get there. His muscles are still pretty stiff and sore from getting used to the new job so it's going at little slower than he might like but it will get better. By the time I got the groceries put away, they were ready to quit for the day. After Richard left, we headed into town and enjoyed something to eat and drink at the Old Triangle. The Shell Fish Festival was on but we just didn't really feel like battling the crowds that would no doubt be there by then. Then it was home to a hot bath for Lloyd to soak his poor aching body.
Sunday morning he went for a bike ride with Raymond, while I stayed home and caught up with a few things. Now that I have water, I set about doing a bunch of catch up with laundry. I also had a bin of tomatoes that needed something done with them so I tracked down a recipe for Chili Sauce. It's got a bit of heat but that's not a bad thing at our house! While that was simmering, I grated some cucumbers and set them to drain to make some tzatziki as I also had some yogurt and cucumbers that needed to be dealt with. While I was on a roll, I also had some over ripe bananas sitting on the counter that also needed to be transformed into something useful - voila - Chocolate Banana Cake dusted with icing sugar. Very easy, very moist and very delicious. I thought it most appropriate that I bake a cake on Brenda's birthday! She wasn't here to celebrate it with her, but we did think of her as we ate it. So, a Belated Happy Birthday my friend!
Lloyd had promised to take Linda and Joyce fishing in Cardigan on Sunday. When he arrived home, he wasn't feeling too well but he had promised so he kept his word. The ladies came over and they all took off to fish. I, on the other hand, headed into town. It seems that the two of them had been in town at the Shellfish Festival on Saturday afternoon. Chef Michael was there with copies of his newest cookbook. Joyce bought one for herself and one for one of her sons, and of course, her other son wanted to know (via text message) where was his copy? So the panic was on to obtain another signed copy of said cookbook. That's where I came into the picture. Since I don't fish, I was delegated to go into the Festival and get another book. So while they sat out and froze on a windy dock, I was inside the big tent, enjoying the music and chatting with Chef Michael. Easy to see who the winner was in THAT one!
So after saving the day for Joyce, I picked up some mussels on my way home and then started supper. I got a phone call to say they had fish for supper so that part was taken care of. I tried two recipes out of the new book to go with our fish and they were both a hit - Bacon smashed potatoes and Moroccan Carrots. Chocolate Banana cake for dessert and we were done. A lovely evening with the ladies, and now it's back to Monday morning again!
I've been watching the feeds from around the world and I can tell when Brenda has been in to read. She beat me to it this morning, having been in to view the blog about 45 minutes before I sat down to post it. Love the technology that lets me keep in touch with someone half way around the world up to the minute! Have a great day travellers!
PS for Brenda - Yesterday there was a Strawberry Social at the Park in honour of the Queens Diamond Jubilee from 2 until 4. There were a lot of cars there when I went past on my way into town a little after 2:00 and it was 3:50 when I passed on my way home. There were still lots and lots of cars there at that time and I thought about stopping but I figured it was almost over so I didn't. But it was nice to see such a large turnout for the entire time it went on.
Friday after work Linda and Joyce dropped by with some Cod they had caught when they went deep sea fishing on Friday afternoon. They had already eaten on their way home so didn't stay to enjoy it with us. Good thing because we managed to demolish the whole works!
Saturday morning I worked and when I got home after grocery shopping Richard was here helping Lloyd. They have one wall almost completed and ready to go up. I know that now they are at that point it may go a little faster. He really only has Saturdays to work on it so it's going to take a while but he'll get there. His muscles are still pretty stiff and sore from getting used to the new job so it's going at little slower than he might like but it will get better. By the time I got the groceries put away, they were ready to quit for the day. After Richard left, we headed into town and enjoyed something to eat and drink at the Old Triangle. The Shell Fish Festival was on but we just didn't really feel like battling the crowds that would no doubt be there by then. Then it was home to a hot bath for Lloyd to soak his poor aching body.
Sunday morning he went for a bike ride with Raymond, while I stayed home and caught up with a few things. Now that I have water, I set about doing a bunch of catch up with laundry. I also had a bin of tomatoes that needed something done with them so I tracked down a recipe for Chili Sauce. It's got a bit of heat but that's not a bad thing at our house! While that was simmering, I grated some cucumbers and set them to drain to make some tzatziki as I also had some yogurt and cucumbers that needed to be dealt with. While I was on a roll, I also had some over ripe bananas sitting on the counter that also needed to be transformed into something useful - voila - Chocolate Banana Cake dusted with icing sugar. Very easy, very moist and very delicious. I thought it most appropriate that I bake a cake on Brenda's birthday! She wasn't here to celebrate it with her, but we did think of her as we ate it. So, a Belated Happy Birthday my friend!
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| Happy Birthday Brenda |
So after saving the day for Joyce, I picked up some mussels on my way home and then started supper. I got a phone call to say they had fish for supper so that part was taken care of. I tried two recipes out of the new book to go with our fish and they were both a hit - Bacon smashed potatoes and Moroccan Carrots. Chocolate Banana cake for dessert and we were done. A lovely evening with the ladies, and now it's back to Monday morning again!
I've been watching the feeds from around the world and I can tell when Brenda has been in to read. She beat me to it this morning, having been in to view the blog about 45 minutes before I sat down to post it. Love the technology that lets me keep in touch with someone half way around the world up to the minute! Have a great day travellers!
PS for Brenda - Yesterday there was a Strawberry Social at the Park in honour of the Queens Diamond Jubilee from 2 until 4. There were a lot of cars there when I went past on my way into town a little after 2:00 and it was 3:50 when I passed on my way home. There were still lots and lots of cars there at that time and I thought about stopping but I figured it was almost over so I didn't. But it was nice to see such a large turnout for the entire time it went on.
Friday, September 14, 2012
It's another pleasant morning with 16' moving up to 23' later that will feel like 27'.
Pretty much a carbon copy of yesterday. Amazing weather for this time of year.
The weekend is almost here and it's looking like a nice weekend coming up. There should be some progress on the garage this weekend, at least a start. He's hoping to get at least one wall done tomorrow.
The new job is going very well, although he's pretty tired when he gets home but it's a good tired. A couple more weeks and he should be a little more used to it.
Earlier in the week James went to school early in the morning for football tryouts. Patti and I both got a bit of a chuckle out of that one because he's such a skinny little kid. But it's touch football so maybe speed will be his friend. Then yesterday I got a text message from Patti that they had suspended all extra curricular activities due to a dispute between the government and the teachers. Unfortunately the students are the ones that get caught in the cross fire. This was a great welcome to the public school system, after having spent all his life in private school.
But we can see that the private school up to grade six has been worth every penny. Patti sent me this message:
"I had to laugh, though because apparently at recess some of the kids were blaming Stephen Harper, so James said he felt it necessary to point out to them that the education system is run by the provincial government, which is led by Dalton McGuinty, a Liberal. Harper is a Conservative, so they should all go home and suggest to their parents that they should vote Conservative in the next provincial election."
Did I mention that James is 11 years old???
Patti said "Yeah, he was telling me this like it was the most normal thing in the world. I didn't want to point out to him that he is probably well on his way to being labelled a nerd"
So be it - he might be a nerd but he's our nerd and we love him. And let's face it, the nerds will pretty much run the world one day - I just wish he was here to help me with the learning curve that is my iphone! I could use a resident nerd (oh, wait, I have one of those now!).
Yesterday, I was talking with one of the customers who regularly comes in for service. While he's there he usually stops by my desk to chat for a few minutes. He's an older gentleman and is very active. He's an avid bicyclist and always brings his bike on the back of his car and goes biking while the car is being serviced. Yesterday we somehow got onto airplanes and it turns out he owns a bed and breakfast up near St. Peter's and is the only fly-in B&B on the island. He knows the Guelph airport quite well and has flown into it many times years ago. When I was telling Lloyd about him, he thinks he met his son in Guelph at the airport, so we'll have to go for a visit sometime so they can compare notes.
Pretty much a carbon copy of yesterday. Amazing weather for this time of year.
The weekend is almost here and it's looking like a nice weekend coming up. There should be some progress on the garage this weekend, at least a start. He's hoping to get at least one wall done tomorrow.
The new job is going very well, although he's pretty tired when he gets home but it's a good tired. A couple more weeks and he should be a little more used to it.
Earlier in the week James went to school early in the morning for football tryouts. Patti and I both got a bit of a chuckle out of that one because he's such a skinny little kid. But it's touch football so maybe speed will be his friend. Then yesterday I got a text message from Patti that they had suspended all extra curricular activities due to a dispute between the government and the teachers. Unfortunately the students are the ones that get caught in the cross fire. This was a great welcome to the public school system, after having spent all his life in private school.
But we can see that the private school up to grade six has been worth every penny. Patti sent me this message:
"I had to laugh, though because apparently at recess some of the kids were blaming Stephen Harper, so James said he felt it necessary to point out to them that the education system is run by the provincial government, which is led by Dalton McGuinty, a Liberal. Harper is a Conservative, so they should all go home and suggest to their parents that they should vote Conservative in the next provincial election."Did I mention that James is 11 years old???
Patti said "Yeah, he was telling me this like it was the most normal thing in the world. I didn't want to point out to him that he is probably well on his way to being labelled a nerd"
So be it - he might be a nerd but he's our nerd and we love him. And let's face it, the nerds will pretty much run the world one day - I just wish he was here to help me with the learning curve that is my iphone! I could use a resident nerd (oh, wait, I have one of those now!).
Yesterday, I was talking with one of the customers who regularly comes in for service. While he's there he usually stops by my desk to chat for a few minutes. He's an older gentleman and is very active. He's an avid bicyclist and always brings his bike on the back of his car and goes biking while the car is being serviced. Yesterday we somehow got onto airplanes and it turns out he owns a bed and breakfast up near St. Peter's and is the only fly-in B&B on the island. He knows the Guelph airport quite well and has flown into it many times years ago. When I was telling Lloyd about him, he thinks he met his son in Guelph at the airport, so we'll have to go for a visit sometime so they can compare notes.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Thursday, September 13th - and the warm weather continues
It's a pleasant 15' this morning and we should reach a warm 23' later that will feel like 26'. More of the same as we had yesterday.
It was a gorgeous day and I really hated to have to leave for work at 10:30 although it was nice to have the morning. It would have been great to have had the whole day. The repair man came by and it turns out there are two plugs that plug into each other at the back of the stove, underneath near the bottom drawer. It appears they came apart somewhat and weren't connecting properly.Probably a result of trying to cram too much into the drawer. Once they were back in their rightful places, everything was fine. Good to know it wasn't anything too serious.
When he walked in he said, "Why two stoves?" I just looked at him and said "Why not?" I'm sure he's seen stranger things than that going into peoples homes to make repairs.
On my way home, I stopped in at my hairdressers, who is also a member of our cooking class. We were talking about the upcoming season and she suggested a couple of things that she might like to see us cover this year. Brenda had made the suggestion a while ago that I contact the existing girls and find out what they would like to see investigated this year. I thought that was a great idea, but being the procrastinator that I tend to be sometimes, I forgot and now it's a week away. So last night I finally sent out that email and hopefully I'll get some more ideas.
Speaking of cooking, yesterday one of my email messages dealt with cooking and cookbooks. It had a list of cookbooks I can order for the Kindle. Now I have both a Kindle and a Kobo and I love reading on my ereaders. But I can't imagine a cookbook on there. There's just something about a paper page with a recipe and a colour photo (sometimes). I like nothing more, when I need inspiration, than sitting down and reading a good cook book. I've been known to read them from front to back like a novel. How pathetic is that? But some cookbook authors have such a literary style to them and they make such an interesting read, not to mention the additional information that is given in the stories that can accompany a recipe.
Apart from that, the best part of picking up an old recipe book are the notes in the margins sometimes made to clarify something, or modify an ingredient or a temperature or a cooking time and the stains and splatters on well loved pages that indicate, without at doubt, that THIS recipe is a winner, judging by the number of times it's been taken off the shelf and used. I have over 200 cookbooks in my 'collection' (or some would call my obsession!) and I can't imagine how boring it would be to have to look at all of them electronically. Some of them are gifts given to me by friends or family who truly understand how much I love a new cookbook and many have a story behind them. Not only are they a source of information, they can mean a walk down memory lane. A favorite book or a favorite recipe can bring back memories of memorable meals and good times with friends. So I'll just have to clean off another shelf because I'm running out of room.
It was a gorgeous day and I really hated to have to leave for work at 10:30 although it was nice to have the morning. It would have been great to have had the whole day. The repair man came by and it turns out there are two plugs that plug into each other at the back of the stove, underneath near the bottom drawer. It appears they came apart somewhat and weren't connecting properly.Probably a result of trying to cram too much into the drawer. Once they were back in their rightful places, everything was fine. Good to know it wasn't anything too serious.
When he walked in he said, "Why two stoves?" I just looked at him and said "Why not?" I'm sure he's seen stranger things than that going into peoples homes to make repairs.
On my way home, I stopped in at my hairdressers, who is also a member of our cooking class. We were talking about the upcoming season and she suggested a couple of things that she might like to see us cover this year. Brenda had made the suggestion a while ago that I contact the existing girls and find out what they would like to see investigated this year. I thought that was a great idea, but being the procrastinator that I tend to be sometimes, I forgot and now it's a week away. So last night I finally sent out that email and hopefully I'll get some more ideas.
Speaking of cooking, yesterday one of my email messages dealt with cooking and cookbooks. It had a list of cookbooks I can order for the Kindle. Now I have both a Kindle and a Kobo and I love reading on my ereaders. But I can't imagine a cookbook on there. There's just something about a paper page with a recipe and a colour photo (sometimes). I like nothing more, when I need inspiration, than sitting down and reading a good cook book. I've been known to read them from front to back like a novel. How pathetic is that? But some cookbook authors have such a literary style to them and they make such an interesting read, not to mention the additional information that is given in the stories that can accompany a recipe.
Apart from that, the best part of picking up an old recipe book are the notes in the margins sometimes made to clarify something, or modify an ingredient or a temperature or a cooking time and the stains and splatters on well loved pages that indicate, without at doubt, that THIS recipe is a winner, judging by the number of times it's been taken off the shelf and used. I have over 200 cookbooks in my 'collection' (or some would call my obsession!) and I can't imagine how boring it would be to have to look at all of them electronically. Some of them are gifts given to me by friends or family who truly understand how much I love a new cookbook and many have a story behind them. Not only are they a source of information, they can mean a walk down memory lane. A favorite book or a favorite recipe can bring back memories of memorable meals and good times with friends. So I'll just have to clean off another shelf because I'm running out of room.
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| Just some of the collection - I really need to organize these a little better. That's a great job for a rainy Sunday afternoon or someday when I retire! |
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Wednesday, September 12th - a short day today
It's 6:25 am and the sun is just starting to rise across the river. The days are so quickly getting shorter. It was a beautiful sunny warm day yesterday and will be the same today. Right now it's 12' and we should reach a sunny 22' later.
Yesterday was the anniversary of the Twin Towers attacks and I remember that morning several people calling me to ask if Patti was flying that day and was she safe. Ironically, she ended up flying to New York yesterday. She was supposed to fly to St. John's NL but all flights in and out were cancelled because of Hurricane Leslie (well, I guess it was just a tropical storm but it still managed to do lots of damage). So she was rescheduled and sent first to Boston and then to New York.
We were texting back and forth and reflecting on trips we've taken to New York and decided we need to take James there some year on his birthday to experience the same Christmas trip he had when he was almost a year old. Patti had a layover in NYC so James and I tagged along and we had a great trip. She says Meghan also wants to go to New York but I think that should be a different trip. I think she would prefer the warm weather and strolling down 5th Avenue with her shopping bags. That's how I picture Meghan's first trip to the Big Apple. I still have very vivid memories of my trip there last summer and the other night I was watching the season finale of Glee. At the end, Rachel is in New York in front of the Plaza Hotel. She's standing in front of a fountain and I thought, that looks really familiar. Then as the camera panned around I realized it was the exact same spot that Jana, Kristi and I waited for our tour bus. You could even see the street where our tour bus parked. It was great to have that memory so suddenly brought back. It was a great time.
One of my ovens has decided to quit working so the repair man is coming this morning to look at it. As a result, I'm taking a few hours off work until he's been here. I could have gone in and he was willing to drop by and look at it without me be having to be here, but what the heck. I'll enjoy my morning at home for a change in the middle of the week.
Lloyd had a really great first day on the job yesterday. He feels his new boss was suitably impressed with his skills and that he's not a kid just out of school. He actually came home in a great mood, albeit a bit tired and I suspect he'll have a few aching muscles for a number of days until he gets used to using those muscles again. But it went well and he's pleased.
After supper we went over to check out my poor little garden. It's not as badly overgrown with weeds as I expected, and I suspect the hot dry weather is to thank for that. But I have lots of tomatoes, 3 cucumbers, a couple of zucchinis and at least 5 or 6 great looking butternut squash. I'm really pleased about that. We picked the ripe tomatoes and a few green ones, and will likely make some salsa with some of those. There are still quite a number of green ones still on the vines as well. There are some beets still in the ground, and that's pretty much it. There are a couple of tiny peppers but they really didn't do that well. It will be much easier next year when we have the garden here in our own yard.
Yesterday was the anniversary of the Twin Towers attacks and I remember that morning several people calling me to ask if Patti was flying that day and was she safe. Ironically, she ended up flying to New York yesterday. She was supposed to fly to St. John's NL but all flights in and out were cancelled because of Hurricane Leslie (well, I guess it was just a tropical storm but it still managed to do lots of damage). So she was rescheduled and sent first to Boston and then to New York.
We were texting back and forth and reflecting on trips we've taken to New York and decided we need to take James there some year on his birthday to experience the same Christmas trip he had when he was almost a year old. Patti had a layover in NYC so James and I tagged along and we had a great trip. She says Meghan also wants to go to New York but I think that should be a different trip. I think she would prefer the warm weather and strolling down 5th Avenue with her shopping bags. That's how I picture Meghan's first trip to the Big Apple. I still have very vivid memories of my trip there last summer and the other night I was watching the season finale of Glee. At the end, Rachel is in New York in front of the Plaza Hotel. She's standing in front of a fountain and I thought, that looks really familiar. Then as the camera panned around I realized it was the exact same spot that Jana, Kristi and I waited for our tour bus. You could even see the street where our tour bus parked. It was great to have that memory so suddenly brought back. It was a great time.
One of my ovens has decided to quit working so the repair man is coming this morning to look at it. As a result, I'm taking a few hours off work until he's been here. I could have gone in and he was willing to drop by and look at it without me be having to be here, but what the heck. I'll enjoy my morning at home for a change in the middle of the week.
Lloyd had a really great first day on the job yesterday. He feels his new boss was suitably impressed with his skills and that he's not a kid just out of school. He actually came home in a great mood, albeit a bit tired and I suspect he'll have a few aching muscles for a number of days until he gets used to using those muscles again. But it went well and he's pleased.
After supper we went over to check out my poor little garden. It's not as badly overgrown with weeds as I expected, and I suspect the hot dry weather is to thank for that. But I have lots of tomatoes, 3 cucumbers, a couple of zucchinis and at least 5 or 6 great looking butternut squash. I'm really pleased about that. We picked the ripe tomatoes and a few green ones, and will likely make some salsa with some of those. There are still quite a number of green ones still on the vines as well. There are some beets still in the ground, and that's pretty much it. There are a couple of tiny peppers but they really didn't do that well. It will be much easier next year when we have the garden here in our own yard.
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| The tiny cherry tomatoes are especially good |
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Tuesday, September 11rh - I HAVE WATER!!!
It's a breezy 15' and it's still quite wet outside. although the rain appears to have stopped. The weather channel is telling me that it's going to remain cloudy for the morning but the sun should come out later and the temperature should rise to 18'. Newfoundland, however may be waking up to a whole different situation as Hurricane Leslie heads for the Avalon Peninsula. We'll have to keep an eye on that one and hope for the best.
What a lovely surprise to come home and find that the water is all fixed! We've been struggling with a severe water shortage for most of the summer and it was getting mighty frustrating. Lloyd had called the local plumber the end of last week but he hasn't gotten back to us, but we know he's a very busy man.
Turns out it was just our luck that Lloyd's first day at the new job got rained out. So he decided to tackle the job himself. We knew what the problem was but it was going to take some doing to fix it. And fix it he did. He said it took him most of the day but it was time well spent, let me tell you. What a joy to turn on the washing machine and have it fill and then start up without having to shut it off two or three times and wait just to get enough water to do a small load. It's amazing what can really make us the happiest - you can keep your jewellery and flowers, just give me the basic stuff that works and I'm a happy girl!
He also had time to make some pickles yesterday, something he's been dabbling at for a few days so we should be well stocked for winter.
It was a pretty rainy day for most of the day, although it did clear up later in the afternoon to a light drizzle and pretty much stayed that way for the entire evening.
In the midst of all that, he was in communication with his nephew in Newfoundland, about his brother. He'd already let people know that he didn't want any kind of service when he passed away and he wanted his ashes spread in several specific locations in the province. So the brothers and sisters have decided they will all get together, just the four of them, with their nephew and spread the ashes together. It's been a really long time since they were all together. It's just unfortunate that it takes the death of one of them to bring them together. But I suppose that's just human nature and we all get so busy living our lives, we sometimes forget what should really matter.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Monday, September 10 - And it's still raining
It's a rainy 15' this morning and it might make it to 16' later. It rained pretty much most of yesterday although there was part of the morning that was dry, before it really started, then it cleared for a bit in the afternoon. Lloyd was able to go out and work a little but rain eventually forced him inside.
It looks like we're in for some serious rain all day today so needless to say Lloyd's first day on the construction job isn't happening. Maybe tomorrow. Not to worry, he's been busy making pickles and will likely do some more today.
The weekend actually started out pretty good. We stayed in town on Friday after work and picked up a case of wine at the liquor store and then headed over to Victoria Row for a bite to eat. I had told Lloyd about the fabulous hot lobster dip that Brenda and I had enjoyed at the Globe so we thought we'd give it a second try. It was a beautiful evening and my recommendation totally lived up to our expectations. We followed that with some nachos. When we were done those, Lloyd still wanted something but decided on another order of the lobster dip instead of desert - now THAT'S a first! There was a really great band playing on the Row and the music was fabulous. We ended up staying there for quite some time enjoying one of the last warm nights sitting outside on a patio and enjoying a beer and some great food.
I worked on Saturday and when I got home Lloyd took a break from building to come and have a cup of tea. It was actually very warm and sunny so he found it hot working out there. I set about making supper as Linda and Joyce were arriving at 6:00. They had postponed their deep sea fishing so it was on to plan B. I put a chicken on the BBQ while I steamed some new baby potatoes to finish off in a pan with butter and chives later. Some new carrots from the farmers road side stand and some peppers, tomatoes and onions tossed with some BBQ sauce in a closed container on the BBQ finished off a pretty simple meal that had started off with Julia Child's extremely simple (and very frugal) Potato and Leek Soup.. We ended with some home made Banana Cream Pie. A really nice time just sitting at the table and catching up as we haven't seen Linda since 2010. Too bad about the weather for the rest of the weekend though, especially when you're on holiday.
Sunday was a really quiet day. Lloyd had gotten up insanely early, then went back to bed for a nap after I got up. I set about making a batch of Brenda's fabulous multi-grain bread and the loaves are now in the freezer (all except the sample loaf!)
When he woke up, we had brunch and then spent the rest of the day just lounging around reading. It was just that kind of day. (well except for a bit of time working outside while dodging rain drops at the end) It occurred to me that this will be our life once we retire and you know what? I can't wait. I put some pork chops and potatoes and baby onions into a cast iron pot and let them simmer slowly in the oven for the afternoon. The delicious smells wafting from the kitchen and the rain falling outside made for the perfect afternoon to just sit and read. There were a million other things I could have been doing, but that just seemed like the perfect afternoon. I also folloowed up on the Van Gaals adventures in Holland by checking Lloyd's facebook account. It looks like a great time has been had so far and I see that Holland has dropped in for a visit to the blog - coincidence? I think not! (especially since Brenda did leave a message!)
Lastly, we received a call last night from Lloyd's sister advising that their brother, Everett, who lived in St. John's Newfoundland, had died suddenly on Sunday morning. Lloyd always takes a trip out there every fall to spend some time with him and hadn't had the chance to do that yet this year. It was quite a shock and we don't have any details as yet, but it's suspected it may have been a heart attack. Lloyd will find out more today when he talks to Everett's son.
It looks like we're in for some serious rain all day today so needless to say Lloyd's first day on the construction job isn't happening. Maybe tomorrow. Not to worry, he's been busy making pickles and will likely do some more today.
The weekend actually started out pretty good. We stayed in town on Friday after work and picked up a case of wine at the liquor store and then headed over to Victoria Row for a bite to eat. I had told Lloyd about the fabulous hot lobster dip that Brenda and I had enjoyed at the Globe so we thought we'd give it a second try. It was a beautiful evening and my recommendation totally lived up to our expectations. We followed that with some nachos. When we were done those, Lloyd still wanted something but decided on another order of the lobster dip instead of desert - now THAT'S a first! There was a really great band playing on the Row and the music was fabulous. We ended up staying there for quite some time enjoying one of the last warm nights sitting outside on a patio and enjoying a beer and some great food.
I worked on Saturday and when I got home Lloyd took a break from building to come and have a cup of tea. It was actually very warm and sunny so he found it hot working out there. I set about making supper as Linda and Joyce were arriving at 6:00. They had postponed their deep sea fishing so it was on to plan B. I put a chicken on the BBQ while I steamed some new baby potatoes to finish off in a pan with butter and chives later. Some new carrots from the farmers road side stand and some peppers, tomatoes and onions tossed with some BBQ sauce in a closed container on the BBQ finished off a pretty simple meal that had started off with Julia Child's extremely simple (and very frugal) Potato and Leek Soup.. We ended with some home made Banana Cream Pie. A really nice time just sitting at the table and catching up as we haven't seen Linda since 2010. Too bad about the weather for the rest of the weekend though, especially when you're on holiday.
Sunday was a really quiet day. Lloyd had gotten up insanely early, then went back to bed for a nap after I got up. I set about making a batch of Brenda's fabulous multi-grain bread and the loaves are now in the freezer (all except the sample loaf!)
When he woke up, we had brunch and then spent the rest of the day just lounging around reading. It was just that kind of day. (well except for a bit of time working outside while dodging rain drops at the end) It occurred to me that this will be our life once we retire and you know what? I can't wait. I put some pork chops and potatoes and baby onions into a cast iron pot and let them simmer slowly in the oven for the afternoon. The delicious smells wafting from the kitchen and the rain falling outside made for the perfect afternoon to just sit and read. There were a million other things I could have been doing, but that just seemed like the perfect afternoon. I also folloowed up on the Van Gaals adventures in Holland by checking Lloyd's facebook account. It looks like a great time has been had so far and I see that Holland has dropped in for a visit to the blog - coincidence? I think not! (especially since Brenda did leave a message!)
Lastly, we received a call last night from Lloyd's sister advising that their brother, Everett, who lived in St. John's Newfoundland, had died suddenly on Sunday morning. Lloyd always takes a trip out there every fall to spend some time with him and hadn't had the chance to do that yet this year. It was quite a shock and we don't have any details as yet, but it's suspected it may have been a heart attack. Lloyd will find out more today when he talks to Everett's son.
Friday, September 7, 2012
Friday, September 7th - the sausage making career comes to an end
It's still a little drizzly this morning and the temperatures is hovering around 16'. It should clear somewhat later and go up to 21'.
So, it turns out today is Lloyd's last day as a sausage maker. He's taking tomorrow off, which was to be his last day, and begins his new job on construction on Monday morning bright and early. He starts at 7:00 so he'll be leaving home now before I will and getting home around the same time as he is now, around 6:30. They'll be longs days and he'll be really exhausted for the first little while but he'll get used to it. The hours are longer - 7 to 6 but he'll have Saturday and Sunday off so he can work on his garage. Hopefully this will work out for him. I know he'll be busy and the time will go by much faster.
The Van Gaals should be arriving in Iceland sometime this morning so I'll have to sign onto Lloyd's facebook account to see how things are progressing. We don't actually have access to facebook at work but I should receive my new phone today with wifi capability so I'll be able to check facebook at lunch time on my phone, and of course, when I get home.
Not much else is new here. I stopped by a neighbours on the weekend to drop off a card and I was given several very large zucchinis. I spent a good part of the early evening on Wednesday grating them and I ended up with 22 cups. So I packaged it all in 2 cup portions and froze all but one of them. Last night I tried a recipe for a chocolate zucchini cake that turned out well, but it's very rich so a little goes a long way - which may not be a bad thing. I'm going to spend some time doing some baking of things like that this weekend so I can portion them and put them in the freezer then they are ready to take in a lunch box. Lloyd has to bring his lunch to his new job so we'll have to adjust to packing his lunch each day. I suppose he'll also have to have breakfast before he leaves in the morning as well. That might be a good thing to start some healthier eating habits.
Our friend Linda, who is the sister of our friend Stephan, is on the island. She and her friend Joyce arrived on Wednesday and are here for just under 3 weeks. We connected by phone yesterday and they're coming over for supper on Saturday. She hasn't been here since the summer of 2009 so she may notice a couple of changes around the place! They are going deep sea fishing on Saturday during the day and hope to bring some mackerel for our supper. She had really good luck the last time she was here so hopefully the same will happen this time. The weather should be good on Saturday. But I'll have a back up plan just in case the fishing doesn't go so well!
So, it turns out today is Lloyd's last day as a sausage maker. He's taking tomorrow off, which was to be his last day, and begins his new job on construction on Monday morning bright and early. He starts at 7:00 so he'll be leaving home now before I will and getting home around the same time as he is now, around 6:30. They'll be longs days and he'll be really exhausted for the first little while but he'll get used to it. The hours are longer - 7 to 6 but he'll have Saturday and Sunday off so he can work on his garage. Hopefully this will work out for him. I know he'll be busy and the time will go by much faster.
The Van Gaals should be arriving in Iceland sometime this morning so I'll have to sign onto Lloyd's facebook account to see how things are progressing. We don't actually have access to facebook at work but I should receive my new phone today with wifi capability so I'll be able to check facebook at lunch time on my phone, and of course, when I get home.
Not much else is new here. I stopped by a neighbours on the weekend to drop off a card and I was given several very large zucchinis. I spent a good part of the early evening on Wednesday grating them and I ended up with 22 cups. So I packaged it all in 2 cup portions and froze all but one of them. Last night I tried a recipe for a chocolate zucchini cake that turned out well, but it's very rich so a little goes a long way - which may not be a bad thing. I'm going to spend some time doing some baking of things like that this weekend so I can portion them and put them in the freezer then they are ready to take in a lunch box. Lloyd has to bring his lunch to his new job so we'll have to adjust to packing his lunch each day. I suppose he'll also have to have breakfast before he leaves in the morning as well. That might be a good thing to start some healthier eating habits.
Our friend Linda, who is the sister of our friend Stephan, is on the island. She and her friend Joyce arrived on Wednesday and are here for just under 3 weeks. We connected by phone yesterday and they're coming over for supper on Saturday. She hasn't been here since the summer of 2009 so she may notice a couple of changes around the place! They are going deep sea fishing on Saturday during the day and hope to bring some mackerel for our supper. She had really good luck the last time she was here so hopefully the same will happen this time. The weather should be good on Saturday. But I'll have a back up plan just in case the fishing doesn't go so well!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Thursday, September 6th - now this is really embarrassing
It's a drizzly 17' this morning but should clear up soon and make it to 20' later. There's a chance of showers this afternoon but nothing too significant. Yesterday it poured all day so hopefully it was enough to drench the crops that are still in the ground.
Well, this is very embarrassing. I've always thought Greg's birthday was on September 6th. I even have that date in my calendar on my email account. For some reason, I sent Patti a message yesterday to confirm that it was indeed the 6th and she replied, ha ha ha - no it was on the 4th. I was going to blame it on post traumatic stress syndrome from my swim across the eel infested river, but that's really not the truth - I just got mixed up. So, a very big belated Happy Birthday to my son in law, who celebrated a special birthday on Tuesday! Apparently he wasn't really thrilled to see this one come along but look at it this way - some things improve with age - fine wines, great cheese, etc - you're approaching magnificent! Hope it was a happy one!
Well, this is very embarrassing. I've always thought Greg's birthday was on September 6th. I even have that date in my calendar on my email account. For some reason, I sent Patti a message yesterday to confirm that it was indeed the 6th and she replied, ha ha ha - no it was on the 4th. I was going to blame it on post traumatic stress syndrome from my swim across the eel infested river, but that's really not the truth - I just got mixed up. So, a very big belated Happy Birthday to my son in law, who celebrated a special birthday on Tuesday! Apparently he wasn't really thrilled to see this one come along but look at it this way - some things improve with age - fine wines, great cheese, etc - you're approaching magnificent! Hope it was a happy one!
We had some delicious raspberry pie and ice cream with tea at their house last night and Brenda says they'll be able to follow the blog while they are away. Trouble is I'll be scrambling to find something to write about while they're away as I won't have anyone to go out and play with! But there should be some construction going on and Lloyd will be starting a new job next week so we'll try our best to keep them in the loop.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Wednesday, September 5th - be careful what you wish for!
Right now it's an overcast 17' heading for 22' later on but the big news is the rain. There's a warning on the Weather Network this morning indicating that the eastern end of the island could potentially receive up to 65 mm of rain. That's a lot of rain! We were wishing for rain, but perhaps not quite this much.
Not much to report this morning. I finished hemming the kids pants for a girl at work last night so that job can be crossed off my list. Lloyd picked up his new compressor yesterday as our old one had something wrong with it and the part he needed to fix it cost almost as much as a new one, so that's what we decided to do. Of course, now that he has the tools needed to get started on the garage, it's likely going to rain for days on end. But hopefully not. It's so far looking like the weekend might be a little better.
I finally got all my bank and credit cards replaced - or at least in the process. Most have to come by mail but at least my PC bank card could be replaced at the kiosk so all is well. I tried to cancel my cell phone yesterday and realized that it's virtually impossible. Each person who tried to talk you into another plan, gave up and passed you up the ladder to the next one. By the time I got to the last one, I ended up with a far superior phone to the one I have, for less money than I'm paying now. I may have been able to do even better if I'd kept saying no, but I had to get back to work, as I was on my lunch hour.
I talked to the kids last night and it sounds like they all had a great first day of school. James was excited about starting at a new school but also a little apprehensive as well. He says it went well, and was surprised at how many kids he actually knew so it sounds like he got off to a great start. Tristen and Meghan also had great first days as well.
They enjoyed their trip to Washington in spite of getting drenched by rain one evening. Hopefully they took lots of pictures. James enjoyed the view from the airplane, as he could see all the sights at one time.
One more sleep and the Van Gaals head off to Holland. It's going to be a great time for them but a pretty quiet time around here! Maybe we'll get some work done if we don't have anyone to go out and play with! Hopefully we'll have some progress to show off when they get back.
Not much to report this morning. I finished hemming the kids pants for a girl at work last night so that job can be crossed off my list. Lloyd picked up his new compressor yesterday as our old one had something wrong with it and the part he needed to fix it cost almost as much as a new one, so that's what we decided to do. Of course, now that he has the tools needed to get started on the garage, it's likely going to rain for days on end. But hopefully not. It's so far looking like the weekend might be a little better.
I finally got all my bank and credit cards replaced - or at least in the process. Most have to come by mail but at least my PC bank card could be replaced at the kiosk so all is well. I tried to cancel my cell phone yesterday and realized that it's virtually impossible. Each person who tried to talk you into another plan, gave up and passed you up the ladder to the next one. By the time I got to the last one, I ended up with a far superior phone to the one I have, for less money than I'm paying now. I may have been able to do even better if I'd kept saying no, but I had to get back to work, as I was on my lunch hour.
I talked to the kids last night and it sounds like they all had a great first day of school. James was excited about starting at a new school but also a little apprehensive as well. He says it went well, and was surprised at how many kids he actually knew so it sounds like he got off to a great start. Tristen and Meghan also had great first days as well.
They enjoyed their trip to Washington in spite of getting drenched by rain one evening. Hopefully they took lots of pictures. James enjoyed the view from the airplane, as he could see all the sights at one time.
One more sleep and the Van Gaals head off to Holland. It's going to be a great time for them but a pretty quiet time around here! Maybe we'll get some work done if we don't have anyone to go out and play with! Hopefully we'll have some progress to show off when they get back.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Tuesday, September 4th - short and sweet this morning
The sky is pink and hazy over the river this morning with 14', heading for a sunny 24' later that will feel like 28' - I thought we were finished with all of that!
Lloyd made it home at 1:30 this morning and as a result I've slept in a little bit ( well, actually a lot!). Fortunately after our adventures on Sunday, Monday turned out to be pretty quiet. Brenda arrived bright and early yesterday morning and what a perfectly gorgeous morning it was. So we made some coffee, put it into travel mugs and went for a walk - we figured we were pretty safe with that activity!
After she left, I did a couple of little things around the house, laundry and stuff, then set about hemming some kids pants for someone at work. I have most of them done, just three left, but I didn't have the right colour of thread to finish them so they'll have to wait till tonight. Good thing for me school doesn't start until Thursday for the kids here on the island. Today and tomorrow are professional development days for the teachers.
Last night we had a function at the Rec Centre and they wanted us there at 4:00. We dutifully arrived and ended up sitting on the steps outside until 4:45 before we could get in. Not to worry, we still had ample time to get everything ready in time. Because it wasn't a wedding, they were all gone by 8:00 and we were finished cleaning up by 10:00.
I thought Lloyd was coming in on the 12:30 pm flight and when he wasn't home by 1:15 I shut off the lights and assumed he hadn't made the flight. I'd gone to bed around 10:30 but woke up several times, checking to see if he was home yet. Then at 1:30 I heard the car pull into the driveway.
He had a good trip, fairly productive and he was happy with the progress that was made. Patti and Greg and the kids got back from Washington around lunchtime yesterday and apparently a good time was had by all, although I haven't talked to any of them yet. I did have a message from Meghan on the phone when I got home at 10:00 but I didn't call her back. I'll likely talk to them tonight. Lloyd says that James hung out with him at the airport all afternoon observing the assembly of the plane. I'm sure he enjoyed that, then he went out for supper with Lloyd and a couple of friends. Lloyd said they were very impressed by James - but who wouldn't be! Okay, maybe my opinion is a little bit biased, but it is in the Grandmother's Job Description!
Lloyd made it home at 1:30 this morning and as a result I've slept in a little bit ( well, actually a lot!). Fortunately after our adventures on Sunday, Monday turned out to be pretty quiet. Brenda arrived bright and early yesterday morning and what a perfectly gorgeous morning it was. So we made some coffee, put it into travel mugs and went for a walk - we figured we were pretty safe with that activity!
After she left, I did a couple of little things around the house, laundry and stuff, then set about hemming some kids pants for someone at work. I have most of them done, just three left, but I didn't have the right colour of thread to finish them so they'll have to wait till tonight. Good thing for me school doesn't start until Thursday for the kids here on the island. Today and tomorrow are professional development days for the teachers.
Last night we had a function at the Rec Centre and they wanted us there at 4:00. We dutifully arrived and ended up sitting on the steps outside until 4:45 before we could get in. Not to worry, we still had ample time to get everything ready in time. Because it wasn't a wedding, they were all gone by 8:00 and we were finished cleaning up by 10:00.
I thought Lloyd was coming in on the 12:30 pm flight and when he wasn't home by 1:15 I shut off the lights and assumed he hadn't made the flight. I'd gone to bed around 10:30 but woke up several times, checking to see if he was home yet. Then at 1:30 I heard the car pull into the driveway.
He had a good trip, fairly productive and he was happy with the progress that was made. Patti and Greg and the kids got back from Washington around lunchtime yesterday and apparently a good time was had by all, although I haven't talked to any of them yet. I did have a message from Meghan on the phone when I got home at 10:00 but I didn't call her back. I'll likely talk to them tonight. Lloyd says that James hung out with him at the airport all afternoon observing the assembly of the plane. I'm sure he enjoyed that, then he went out for supper with Lloyd and a couple of friends. Lloyd said they were very impressed by James - but who wouldn't be! Okay, maybe my opinion is a little bit biased, but it is in the Grandmother's Job Description!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Monday, September 3rd - Happy Labour Day!
It's a chilly 13' this morning heading for 22' later on. The weather forecast says isolated showers but I don't see that happening here anytime soon. The sky is clear and the sun is bright coming up over the river. It's going to be a lovely day!
So how has the weekend been so for? Funny you should ask! It's certainly been an adventure. Friday afternoon, Brenda called to advise that Bernie and Caitlyn wouldn't be home till late so I dropped over for nachos and beer. What better way to finish off a busy week!
Saturday was pretty uneventful - I worked in the morning, picked up a few things at the grocery store on my way home and then went to the Rec Centre to help out with a wedding. Brenda called me after she got home and found out that Bernie and the boys were going biking on Sunday morning so we were free to do something together as well. We decided on kayaking. We didn't want to take the risk of going on our bikes and having something happen that might impact their departure for Holland on Thursday. A broken bone or worse, might not be a good thing so we weren't going to take any chances.
Sunday morning she came over around 10:00 and we headed over to Mount Stewart. There's a little road the goes up past the old rail way bridge and there's a boat launch area there. Perfect! So we unloaded our stuff, and then moved the truck out of the way. We headed up stream and it was a beautiful day. We came upon a fellow that Brenda knows who was in a boat, emptying some sort of traps. We thought it might be fish so we paddled over to investigate. Turns out he fishes eels. They aren't used here very much these days, and he was telling us these ones get packed and shipped to England. They were quite large and he was telling me that the minimum size is 21" long. Anything shorter and they have to go back into the water. By the third trap he had 43 in the hold that were big enough to keep and he has 12 traps out there on that part of the river. Who knew the water in the Hillsborough was teeming with eels! Glad I don't swim in THAT water! But it was interesting to see how they catch them and get them into the hold. They were very large and slippery so it's a lot of work to deal with them. I had some great pictures but...you're getting this one from online, instead.
From there we paddled further up stream till we couldn't go any further. On our way we saw some Bald Eagles perched on the tops of trees. One of them even took off and flew back and forth and all around in front of us before once again alighting on a tree top. It was almost like it was putting on a little show for us. As we got back to the boat launch, we were not very far from the railway bridge, and there's a narrow opening underneath it so when the tide is coming in or out, the water really rushed through there because it's so narrow. We paddled over to take a closer look and get some pictures. This is where it got really interesting.
There are no rocks, just some swirling water so we thought we could point our boats into the water and enjoy the ride. Fortunately we didn't go together. I just got into it when water came rushing up over the right side and into my boat. Before I had a chance to counter balance a rush of water came up on the left side and with the water still sloshing inside, it was enough to overturn my kayak. Because of the large opening in our kayaks, I just fell right out so that wasn't an issue, but of course I was down under the water and not able to reach the bottom. Did I mention that I can't actually swim and that I'm actually somewhat afraid of the water??? Fortunately I WAS wearing my life jacket, something I would never be without when out on the water. There was a moment of panic on my part, but then I thought, no, if I just stay calm, the life jacket will do what it's meant to, and it did. I decided to just let it bring me to the surface and the rushing water would push me further upstream to calmer water. This is exactly what happened and with paddling my arms, I was able to get close to shore to a place where I could actually stand up. I was very proud of myself for not panicking too much. By then Brenda had paddled over to where I was. I still had my paddle in my hands and I could see my kayak, still overturned downstream. But the water was slowly pushing it towards me and eventually I could reach it.
Now we have a bit of a problem - we're on the opposite side of the river to the truck and my boat is upside down and full of water. What to do? So we discussed the situation and decided that I could hold on to the handle at the back of Brenda's boat with my left hand, and hold the handle on the front of my boat with my right hand. We put my paddle in her boat and she started paddling, towing me and my kayak behind her. I kicked my legs as much as possible in order to try to help with the momentum a bit. I don't know if it really helped or not, but I felt like I was at least doing something useful as I was towed across. Thanks to her, she got us both back to the other shore.
The really funny part was, there was a fellow just launching his motor boat as we were half way across. We thought perhaps he might be coming out to help us. Turns out that wasn't the case. In fact, once we got to the shore, he had anchored his boat, which was in the water, but he couldn't reach the rope that was attached to it and he asked Brenda, who was towing me and my upside down boat, if she could reach the rope for him as he didn't have his long boots and didn't want to step into the water. Obviously we must have looked like we had the situation totally under control.
Once I could stand on the bottom, we got the boats in to shore, and used a water bottle to bail the water out of mine, since it doesn't pour out of a kayak too well. That's when it dawned on me that my small backpack was also in the boat, and of course was long gone. Unfortunately inside was my cell phone, my camera, my change purse (with $40.00, 2 debit cards and 2 credit cards) and my glasses!
But I guess in reality it's all just stuff that easily replaced - and I didn't drown. I was ever so glad of that because I would have really hated to see Brenda miss her trip because she had to stay for my funeral!! We can laugh about it now but for a couple of minutes it was a little scary.
I have to admit I was a little unsettled for the rest of the afternoon and I think Brenda was probably the same. She had company at home and had to go and entertain them but she called me at 9:00 to make sure I was okay - it had been quite an experience for both of us but it turned out okay in the end!
Just goes to prove - don't fool with Mother Nature!
So how has the weekend been so for? Funny you should ask! It's certainly been an adventure. Friday afternoon, Brenda called to advise that Bernie and Caitlyn wouldn't be home till late so I dropped over for nachos and beer. What better way to finish off a busy week!
Saturday was pretty uneventful - I worked in the morning, picked up a few things at the grocery store on my way home and then went to the Rec Centre to help out with a wedding. Brenda called me after she got home and found out that Bernie and the boys were going biking on Sunday morning so we were free to do something together as well. We decided on kayaking. We didn't want to take the risk of going on our bikes and having something happen that might impact their departure for Holland on Thursday. A broken bone or worse, might not be a good thing so we weren't going to take any chances.
Sunday morning she came over around 10:00 and we headed over to Mount Stewart. There's a little road the goes up past the old rail way bridge and there's a boat launch area there. Perfect! So we unloaded our stuff, and then moved the truck out of the way. We headed up stream and it was a beautiful day. We came upon a fellow that Brenda knows who was in a boat, emptying some sort of traps. We thought it might be fish so we paddled over to investigate. Turns out he fishes eels. They aren't used here very much these days, and he was telling us these ones get packed and shipped to England. They were quite large and he was telling me that the minimum size is 21" long. Anything shorter and they have to go back into the water. By the third trap he had 43 in the hold that were big enough to keep and he has 12 traps out there on that part of the river. Who knew the water in the Hillsborough was teeming with eels! Glad I don't swim in THAT water! But it was interesting to see how they catch them and get them into the hold. They were very large and slippery so it's a lot of work to deal with them. I had some great pictures but...you're getting this one from online, instead.
From there we paddled further up stream till we couldn't go any further. On our way we saw some Bald Eagles perched on the tops of trees. One of them even took off and flew back and forth and all around in front of us before once again alighting on a tree top. It was almost like it was putting on a little show for us. As we got back to the boat launch, we were not very far from the railway bridge, and there's a narrow opening underneath it so when the tide is coming in or out, the water really rushed through there because it's so narrow. We paddled over to take a closer look and get some pictures. This is where it got really interesting.
There are no rocks, just some swirling water so we thought we could point our boats into the water and enjoy the ride. Fortunately we didn't go together. I just got into it when water came rushing up over the right side and into my boat. Before I had a chance to counter balance a rush of water came up on the left side and with the water still sloshing inside, it was enough to overturn my kayak. Because of the large opening in our kayaks, I just fell right out so that wasn't an issue, but of course I was down under the water and not able to reach the bottom. Did I mention that I can't actually swim and that I'm actually somewhat afraid of the water??? Fortunately I WAS wearing my life jacket, something I would never be without when out on the water. There was a moment of panic on my part, but then I thought, no, if I just stay calm, the life jacket will do what it's meant to, and it did. I decided to just let it bring me to the surface and the rushing water would push me further upstream to calmer water. This is exactly what happened and with paddling my arms, I was able to get close to shore to a place where I could actually stand up. I was very proud of myself for not panicking too much. By then Brenda had paddled over to where I was. I still had my paddle in my hands and I could see my kayak, still overturned downstream. But the water was slowly pushing it towards me and eventually I could reach it.
Now we have a bit of a problem - we're on the opposite side of the river to the truck and my boat is upside down and full of water. What to do? So we discussed the situation and decided that I could hold on to the handle at the back of Brenda's boat with my left hand, and hold the handle on the front of my boat with my right hand. We put my paddle in her boat and she started paddling, towing me and my kayak behind her. I kicked my legs as much as possible in order to try to help with the momentum a bit. I don't know if it really helped or not, but I felt like I was at least doing something useful as I was towed across. Thanks to her, she got us both back to the other shore.
The really funny part was, there was a fellow just launching his motor boat as we were half way across. We thought perhaps he might be coming out to help us. Turns out that wasn't the case. In fact, once we got to the shore, he had anchored his boat, which was in the water, but he couldn't reach the rope that was attached to it and he asked Brenda, who was towing me and my upside down boat, if she could reach the rope for him as he didn't have his long boots and didn't want to step into the water. Obviously we must have looked like we had the situation totally under control.
Once I could stand on the bottom, we got the boats in to shore, and used a water bottle to bail the water out of mine, since it doesn't pour out of a kayak too well. That's when it dawned on me that my small backpack was also in the boat, and of course was long gone. Unfortunately inside was my cell phone, my camera, my change purse (with $40.00, 2 debit cards and 2 credit cards) and my glasses!
But I guess in reality it's all just stuff that easily replaced - and I didn't drown. I was ever so glad of that because I would have really hated to see Brenda miss her trip because she had to stay for my funeral!! We can laugh about it now but for a couple of minutes it was a little scary.
I have to admit I was a little unsettled for the rest of the afternoon and I think Brenda was probably the same. She had company at home and had to go and entertain them but she called me at 9:00 to make sure I was okay - it had been quite an experience for both of us but it turned out okay in the end!
Just goes to prove - don't fool with Mother Nature!
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