Monday, April 29th - another very busy weekend comes to a close

After a beautiful day yesterday, it's a very chilly morning. It's currently 1' at 5:30 but it feels more like -4'. Good thing for me that Lloyd was up earlier and has the fire blazing in the stove by the time I got up. It should improve though, going up to a sunny 9' later.

Another very busy but very successful weekend has come to a close. It started Friday with more burgers after work. I met everyone at 5:30 at Mavor's for their offering. Good thing we had a reservation because the place was packed.  We enjoyed the M-1 burger:

9oz Island Beef Burger stuffed with Cow's Clothbound Cheddar, topped with Horseradish Aioli, Grilled Portobello Mushrooms, Maple Candied Bacon, Cracked Pepper Onion Frites, Tomato and Mixed  Greens on a Toasted Pretzel Bun  

A very tasty way to start off our evening. Our second burger reservation wasn't until 7:45 at the culinary institute so we wandered through the underground pedway to the mall and toured around there.  We found some interesting things to look at in the pet store as well as the ladies clothing store. Bernie was mightly impressed with some of the items in one particular store and I'm sure he made that shop keepers evening! Eventually we wandered over to the Lucy Maud's Dining Room to sample The Canadian Legend:  

  6oz of in-house ground Island Beef sirloin stuffed with Gouda, Smoked Tomato Aioli, Confit Cherry Tomato, Bacon Jam, Bib Lettuce, Candied Bacon, Honey Wheat & Chive Battered Onion Ring on a toasted Ciabatta Bun

Another fabulous burger. These two were the perfect choices to end our Burger Love experience with - both very nice restaurants and both really good burgers. There are still a couple of days left but I think we're done for this year. Our waistlines will be thankful for that! 

Another great Friday evening of good food and great company. Thanks guys!

Saturday was cold and overcast so I didn't really mind being at work. It was a very busy day so it went by quickly. On my way home I met Brenda at the Rec Centre to set up what we could in advance for Sunday's breakfast. We had planned all week and were pretty confident that we had everything organized as well as we could.

Sunday morning was cold and frosty but the sun was shining and it promised to be a beautiful day. Brenda called early to seek some help with the beans. They'd been in the slow cookers over night but didn't seem to be cooked through and didn't have the flavour we were hoping for. Lloyd dug out his big pressure cooker and we headed over. We left the boys there to save the beans while we headed over to the hall. We quickly set about getting the rest of the stuff organized and pretty quickly people started arriving to help out. Pam came in and showed us how to light the stoves and we assigned everyone who arrived a job. We had no idea how it was going to work or how many people to expect but it went beautifully. 

We had four people cooking pancakes on grills all around the  kitchen. I mixed the batches of batter and kept their bowls refilled. One fellow was put in charge of cooking the sausages and he did a great job and really enjoyed using the big convection oven. Someone else was in charge of putting the pancakes in the pans in the oven as they were done. 

We had a young fellow helping running the plates of cooked pancakes from the grills to the oven. It was like a well oiled machine. Lloyd arrived with the beans which were now cooked and very tasty and he set about scrambling eggs. 

There were several times that Brenda and I found ourselves with literally nothing to do as it was all moving along like a finely choreographed ballet! Promptly at 9:55 approximately 150 people arrived all at once. While they got their coats off and found a seat, we brought the food out and set up our buffet line. It took no time at all to get everyone through the line. 

We received a lot of compliments from people about the quality of the food so I think it was a success. We had some left over but not huge amounts. We could have fed a few more people but we did a pretty good job of estimating amounts needed. Everything that was left was taken home so nothing went to waste. A lot of people pitched in to help clean up and we were done before noon.  We went to the Van Gaals for a cup of tea and a collective pat on the back for a job well done. For the first effort it was a great success.

After leaving there, Lloyd and I headed into town for a quick trip to the Rockport store that was having a sale. I'd picked up a pair of shoes earlier in the week so Lloyd wanted to see if he could find some. He found a pair of boots and a pair of shoes so he did well. By the time we got home it was sunny and quite mild so we headed outside to putter in the yard. He had some work to do on his tractor and I did some more cleaning up in the yard and the flower beds. Later in the afternoon Brenda and Bernie came over to help Lloyd get my craft table upstairs in the garage. It actually went easier than I anticipated it would. I wanted to get a picture of the table being slid up the ladder but I was too late getting the camera. Brenda and I sat in the sun and enjoyed the show with a glass of wine.  

It was getting quite close to supper time so we decided to head over to a local restaurant for something to eat. We enjoyed a lovely meal together and an all round great evening - thanks Brenda. 

It had been a very busy weekend so after a nice hot bath and a little TV it was time to call it a night. 

Friday, April 26th - it's not very spring like this morning

At 5:30 am it's a chilly 5' that feels more like 0' and that's as good as it's likely to get for the rest of the day. We really enjoyed some mild temperatures the last couple of days, and they will return again on Sunday so the chill won't last long.

Not too much going on - Brenda and I met on Wednesday evening to finalize most of the preparations for the Church Breakfast on Sundy. It's not been done before but I think she's well prepared and has everything under control. It should be a good time ( or utter chaos ) but it will be an experience.

Rumour has it there might be burgers in our future - it is after all the last weekend for Burger Love and it is Friday...
As a group or individually we've sampled 11 burgers. Not too bad as we haven't really put a lot of effort into it.

Not sure what we'll be doing on Sunday, after the breakfast. We'll see what the weather is like and just how tired we are.

Lloyd is tickled with his old tractor. Turns out it's actually older than he is and he's found all kinds of information on them online. He's literally like a kid with a new toy.

Perhaps it will look like this one day:

Wednesday, April 24th - Happy Admin Day to my IAAP friends

It's a milder 4' this morning but overcast. We are due to reach a high of 14' later but we can expect showers for most of the day.

Today is Administrative Professionals Day. When I was in Ontario it meant lots of work but lots of fun as well. Last year the local racetrack and casino sponsored a luncheon but I don't think they're doing it this year. It's too bad because it was a great day. Today I'll just eat my lunch and remember all the great times I've had in previous years.  Things change and life moves on.

Speaking of moving on, Tristen has moved one more step ahead in his quest for his black belt in Karate. He's now achieved his advanced green belt, while Meghan has received her purple belt. Being as that's her favorite colour I wouldn't be surprised if she just stopped there so she could continually wear the purple belt! Congrats to the both of you.

On Sunday they all went to a Blue Jays game and I'm assuming it was some kind of special event. The kids got to go out on the field and run the bases,  sit in the dugout, get autographs from players and just generally have a great time, and from the  pictures I received, that's just what they did.

Lloyd has been working very diligently over at Bernie's for a few days on his new toy. He's ever so proud of his new piece of equipment. I had yet to see it but when I got home last night it was parked in the garage - probably the only vehicle that will ever see the inside of the garage! When I first pulled up it reminded me of a combination of "Green Acres" and "Beverly Hillbillies". (You'll have to be of a certain vintage to appreciate those two programs)  He insists that over the winter it will get painted and look like new - so watch for the after photo in the spring!

Monday, April 22nd - it's mighty chilly this morning for Spring...

It's a cool -6 this morning but we should reach a high of 7' with lots of sunshine later today.  Evening lows are expected to be not quite so low for the rest of the week.

It was a busy weekend all round. Not much accomplished but it was fun. We started out Friday evening because it was sunny and mild, by grilling the first steaks of the season! Nothing better than a nice juicy steak cooked to perfection over the coals (okay, they aren't real coals, but it works). We plan to build a wood burning BBQ at some point so that's something to look forward to.

On Saturday, after work, I came right home to help with Saturday nights dinner. Our new friends Charles and Laura were coming over and we had a lovely evening. It was their first visit to our house and I think they enjoyed it. Our menu went something like this:

Homemade Lobster Ravioli in a White Wine Saffron Cream Sauce

Caesar Salad

Red Wine Braised Lamb Shanks

Whipped Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Medley of baby vegetables

Tarte Tatin with French Vanilla Ice Cream

Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of everything when it was plated. But everything turned out great and we all enjoyed it. We had a lovely evening and chatted till quite late. 

Sunday morning dawned nice a sunny, although with a cool breeze so we took the opportunity to go outside and spend a bit of time cleaning up the yard. We gathered and raked up all (or at least most) of the the loose branches that have fallen off the trees over the winter.  It makes things look much tidier. Then after some breakfast we were off to a local event promoting the Pisquid River. Since we look at it every day out our window we thought we should attend. Brenda and Bernie had gone into town to take Meghan(1) into the airport. Sadly her visit has come to an end. I called Brenda and told her our  plans and we would get together later.

The program involved a 2 hour hike from 11:00 till 1:00 which would end up at a local organic farm. The beginning of the hike was at the south end of Dromore Road but unfortunately when we tried to get there, we ran into some serious mud, that would have been a challenge for a truck, much less my little car, so we turned around and headed to the other end of the road, but unfortunately I couldn't remember what road to take off the highway, so we gave up. We headed over to the farm (which is quite close to our house) to see what was going on there. The plan was to leave there and head out on the trail and meet up with the walkers and come back with them as the BBQ and smelt fry weren't scheduled to begin until 1:00. There were already a number of people there but we headed out on the trail instead. 

Unfortunately we took a wrong turn somewhere and ended back at the farm. So I suggested we go back and see if they needed any help with the food. That turned out to be a good choice as we both ended up cooking. Lloyd was trying smelts in a cast iron pan on one BBQ along with hot dogs and hamburgers and I was doing dogs and burgers on another grill.

We didn't stop cooking until 3:00. Then we went inside and helped a bit with the clean up. It turned out to be much more than we bargained for but we had a great time and they estimate there must have been close to 300 people who attended.  It was a bit cool with a slight breeze but it was sunny and a wonderful day to spend outdoors. We even had the pleasure of a young man who played the fiddle for a while and then the bagpipes. I think I've found my piper for the conference in 2004!

We were much later getting back than expected so when we got home I called Brenda. They were just returning from a bicycle ride. We met at their place shortly after as we had all earned a cold beverage. Along with some cheese and crackers and wine and Jack Daniels, we heard all about Bernie's trip to Boston - an eye opening experience given the recent events at the Boston Marathon.

We didn't plan to stay really long but Brenda had some leftovers and after they were heated we were happy to enjoy a delicious  meal with them. Lloyd had other places to be so he left after supper and Brenda and I got down to the task of more organizing for the church breakfast next Sunday. We're now one step closer to being prepared but still lots to do in the coming days but I think it should be a lot of fun. 

Friday, April 19th - a bit warmer today

It's currently 5' and overcast but we should reach a sunny high of 15' later this afternoon. Guess it's remnants of what Ontario received yesterday - some places almost up to 24' with it feeling like 30' with the humidity - they can keep that part, especially the severe thunderstorms some areas have experienced.

Lloyd's been using the nice weather to get a bit of work done on his garage. It's a slow process but it's getting there. The biggest issue sometimes is the wind. It's not really great working on the roof when it's really windy, and being as he's by himself, I really rather he didn't anyway.

Last night we were treated to a lovely supper at the Van Gaals. Meghan and Brenda had us over for one of our favorite meals - ham and scalloped potatoes - YUM.  Bernie has gone to Boston to deliver tulips. Certainly not a desirable place to visit just now but on the other hand, it's likely one of the safest places to be at the moment. I'm sure security everywhere will be much tighter than usual. Hopefully it won't impact his travels.

Quiet weekend planned. Saturday evening we have some new friends coming over for supper. They moved here from Waterloo, ON last year and I met them at the dealership. We had a meal with them a while ago at their temporary place,  where they lived while they were waiting to move into the property they purchased. They have 50 acres and are looking forward to being hobby farmers. They were helping with the pancake breakfast we were at on Sunday so they've certainly got the idea of how to get accepted into island life in a hurry - get involved and meet people. Letting them know you're willing to be part of the community goes a very long way here.

The weather may not be so great for the weekend so Sunday will likely be spent fine tuning the breakfast next weekend. Meghan (1) leaves on Sunday morning so we'll have the afternoon to work on it. Lloyd was helping her with some computer 'clean up' last night and left her with some homework. He'll be over there today working on another project (more on that at a later date) and will be available if she needs any more help. It seems like she just got here and now it's almost time to leave again. Hope you enjoyed your time home, Meg.  See you when you return.

Wednesday, April 17th - another tragedy in the USA

It's a milder 6' this morning but quite windy, so it feels much chillier. We should reach a high of 10' later  but it will feel a little cooler than that with the breezes blowing. The last couple of days were really lovely with milder temperatures and lots of sun but we'll have mostly cloud today.

The TV has been pretty much overtaken with news this past two days of the two bombs that exploded at the finish of the Boston Marathon. Such a terrible thing to have happen to those innocent people with no idea of who or why would do such a thing, at least so far.

Of the three people who died, one was an eight year old boy who was there with his mother and sister to watch his father run. His mother was seriously injured and required brain surgery and his sister lost a leg. I can't begin to imagine the horror that father must be feeling now.  It's such a senseless act of violence - what on earth is the world coming to?   To bring it a little closer to home, one of the boys on my grandson's hockey team was there with is mom, who was also running.  We know they are safe but we can only pray that he was no where near the site and to have to witness the carnage. I can only imagine the impact that sort of thing will have on the people who were there.  Those who might not have been physically injured, the experience will certainly leave emotional scars for a very long time, I would think.

On a much happier note, Meghan (1) should be back on the island, for the week anyway, so welcome home Meg! She and her dad were due back last evening.   Hopefully the weather will cooperate for your visit.   Brenda had picked up a large number of tulips on Friday so Bernie could deliver them to his sisters in New Brunswick. I'm ever so pleased that they also thought of me. I really did enjoy when he was driving the tulip truck last winter and I pretty much always had a bunch of lovely fresh tulips on my table. They add such a bright burst of colour and give you the feeling  on a cold snowy day that Spring will truly be here soon.

The tulips on my kitchen table

Monday, April 15th - it was an eating out kind of weekend

This morning the sun is just starting to break through the cloud cover and we should be in for a nice day. We had a little snow on both Saturday and Sunday morning and again this morning there's a light dusting of the white stuff. It's -1 right now but we should reach 3' later with some sunshine. Just what we need to get our week off to a great start.

Friday night was another burger night. The four of us started out at the Old Dublin where we sampled the Stuffed Leprechaun:

Hand Ground 6oz Island Beef Burger stuffed with braised Pork Belly and Pepperjack Cheese, topped with Potato Chips, Pickled Vinaigrette Slaw, Guinness Bacon Jam, and topped with Dill Pickle and Cherry Tomato on house-made Milk Bread Bun    

From there we wandered next door to Daniel Brennan Brickhouse for The Wallstreet Heat:

6oz of Island Beef, Red Chili Remoulade, Spicy Red Pepper Relish, Leaf Lettuce, Double Smoked Bacon, Jalapeno Havarti Cheese, Cilantro & Celery Slaw, more Remoulade on a Potato and Caramelized Onion Bun stuffed with Fire & Ice Sausage, and garnished with a Fire & Ice Sausage Bite    

We declined to try a third burger this time and opted instead to have tea and dessert at Terre Rouge. The special Baked Alaska and the dessert sampler tray were what finally put us all over the edge. Once again, a fun evening with good food and and great friends.

Over supper it was decided that Lloyd would accompany Bernie to an equipment auction up west on Saturday morning. That meant that Brenda and I could do to the Globe for the blues jam session that's held every Saturday afternoon during the winter. We hadn't been for quite a while so it seemed like the thing to do.  I met her after work and we enjoyed some cold beer, warm food and hot music. The afternoon was complete when two hot guys strolled in just as we were getting to leave so we had no choice buy to leave with them ! 

Sunday morning Bernie left early to go to Moncton to pick up Meghan (1) so after church Brenda came over and the three of us travelled up to Wheatley River for a Pancake Breakfast. We figured we could get some ideas for our breakfast. Our new friends Charles and Laura were helping with it and we got some good ideas about what we'd like to do with our venture in two weeks. On the way home we stopped at the grocery store and checked out some prices. When we got back we made two batches of pancakes - one from a mix and one from scratch. They were both good but in the end we decided to go with the home made. We'll just measure everything out in batches ahead of time so we just have to add the required amount of wet ingredients.  We finished up our to-do list and cleaned up in time to go the the Rec Centre. It's a sure sign of spring when things gear up in Fort Augustus. So after serving dinner, we sat down to our chicken dinner and completed our dining out weekend! 

Friday, April 12th - more winter on the way

It's -2' this morning at 5:30 and we should reach a high of 3' later with a mix of sun and cloud. The snow is still slowly leaving but apparently old man winter isn't finished with us just yet. We have a snow fall warning for tonight and tomorrow - possibly up to 15 cm of the white stuff. Of course, they told us that last weekend as well and it turned out to be more like 10 to 15 flakes instead. Here's hoping the same thing happens again this time around. But who knows. Southern Ontario was lambasted with freezing rain yesterday and the school buses were all cancelled. What happened to Spring???
Work has been extremely busy this week as just about everyone has been having their winter tires taken off. I just might be glad that I haven't done that yet when tomorrow comes.

Not a lot going on this weekend. We are going out tonight to once again sample some burgers. Lloyd and Bernie went to Phinley's in Stratford on Wednesday and had their offering so that's one more to cross off the list - The Smokin Fox:

Two 5oz Island Beef patties, Mayo, homemade Onion chips, homemade Sweet & Smoky BBQ Sauce, Sweet & Spice Jalapeno infused Bacon, 2 yr old Smoked Applewood Cheddar, Tomato, and Leaf Lettuce on a Poppy Seed Roll, garnished with Baby Gherkin Pickles, Thai Chili and Cherry Tomato    

Other than that, the weekend is wide open. Bernie is heading to Moncton to pick up Meghan (1) who is visiting for a little bit so that will be nice for them. Brenda and I will likely spend some time planning a breakfast that the church is having at the end of the month. It's the first time we've done a breakfast so it will be an interesting project.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10TH - GREAT TREES OF THE ISLAND

It's -1' this morning with a chance of some flurries but we should reach 6' later with a mix of sun and cloud, The snow is slowly disappearing although there is still a considerable amount along the tree line. A few days of rain and wind are needed to clear those away, and I'm sure it will come. Of course, with it will be more mud, but if that's what we must do...

On the weekend Brenda and I took a short drive down the road from my house to look at, and take a photo of an old tree. It's not just any old tree - it has some very special significance to her family.

There is a very talented story teller on the island named David Weale and he publishes a  large magazine type of book simply called  'Red'.  It contains all kinds of stories about current as well as past events here on the island. In a recent issue there is a large picture of an old tree and underneath is this story:

"Almost twenty years ago a student, Laura Ann Downey, told me an amazing story about a tree that is of great significance in her family.  Her great, great, great grandfather, Owen Coyle, emigrated to PEI from County Monaghan, Ireland in 1842.  He and his family spent the first winter in Tracadie but moved to Dromore the next spring, and on May 12th of that year slept under the sheltering branches of a large tree. Apparently, these many years later, the children of Own's decendents, in a powerful rite of passage, are still taken to see the tree, and told the story of their intrepid ancestors - of what was left behind, and what was yet to come. When I visited the tree this past summer with Laura Ann, her two daughters, and mother, I met Liz Statts, and a cranky donkey, who presently reside on the property where the tree is located. She informed me that the last Coyle to live there was buried with a photograph of himself standing beside the 'family tree'. DW."

And what,  exactly, is so very interesting about this story? Owen Coyle also happens to be the great, great, great grandfather of my good friend Brenda. Having moved around a lot during my life time, and really not knowing very many of my relatives, I find it fascinating that she can trace her ancestry that far back to this very spot.

The tree is looking a little poorly now, but of course, at this time of year all trees do. It will be interesting to see what it looks like once the leaves come out, and imagine those people sleeping under it, beside what would soon become their new family home for generations.

And we also met the cranky donkey, but he really wasn't very cranky at all. As a matter of fact he was quite friendly and immediately walked over to investigate who was at his fence when we arrived. Other than trying to chew the front of my sweatshirt, he was very amiable and let me pet him and scratch his head. Perhaps he's mellowing.

Monday, April 8th - it was a food lovers weekend for sure

It's currently 1' at 5:30 a.m. and overcast. We should reach a high of 6' later this afternoon but we may have some mixed precipitation this morning.  It was a pretty nice weekend weather wise. Saturday was cold and windy but with some sun and Sunday was milder and very sunny.

It started out Friday after work when I met Brenda, Bernie and Lloyd at The Maple Grill for the first taste of Burger Love. We ordered two burgers and split them. The burger here is called The Goddess and is a:

Maple Glazed 7oz Island Beef Burger with Double Smoked Bacon, Goat Cheese, creamy Spicy Asiago Aioli, Spinach and Tomato on a House-Made Herb & Spice Bun

Our second burger of the evening was at the Dundee Arms. I hadn't been to this restaurant before and it's very much like a place we used to go to in Ontario - a lovely old house converted into a fine dining restaurant on one side and a pub on the other.  The burger here is called the Griffin and is an:

8oz seasoned Island Beef Burger with Date BBQ Sauce, Smoked Gouda Cheese, Crispy Pancetta, house-made Caramelized Onion Goat Cheese and Cranberry Spread, topped with Lettuce and Dill Pickle on a house-made Roasted Onion & Sage Bun with Sesame Seeds    

After some discussion and another beer, the boys decided they should try one more.  So off we headed to the Rustic Redwater Grille to sample The Butchers Block which is:

8oz Island Beef Chuck-Brisket Burger stuffed with Pulled Short-ribs, topped with Sweet Corn & Bacon Aioli, Cherry Tomato Jam, Apple Moonshine BBQ Sauce, Baby Arugula, Island Aged Gouda, garnished with Deep Fried Bacon Wrapped Chipotle Cream Cheese Stuffed Pepperoncini Pepper on a Vidalia Onion Brioche Bun    

Brenda and I declined the third burger but we did have a bite. We opted instead for a cup of tea and a shared piece of Margarita Cheesecake. It was delicious but the main reason we ordered it was because the proceeds from it's sale was for charity - that's our story and we're sticking to it! 

In the end the burgers ranked thus: 

1. The Goddess
2. The Butcher's Block
3. The Griffin

We'll have to do some more research next weekend. 

Bernie was going away for the weekend so we invited Brenda over for supper on Saturday. I was at work and Lloyd spent the day planning and executing the menu. I got a call part way through the morning with a shopping list of things to pick up on the way home.

We started with a Caesar Salad then followed with a Roast of Pork with an apple sauce, rice pilaf, spiced carrots and steamed asparagus.  Dessert was something he found called a Ding Dong Cake- chocolate cake in four layers filled with whipped topping and then iced in chocolate frosting. Will was apparently quite happy to see the left over cake arrive at their house.  All in all a very delicious meal.  Many thanks to Chef Lloyd, as Brenda and I sat at the end of the island sipping our wine while he worked. 

Sunday was very sunny and above freezing so we decided to try one more ski outing. I had suggested that there was still lots of snow on the road into the Dromore Trails. We took the kids there last weekend and since we really hadn't had a lot of rain this week we thought it might still be okay. The snow had gone down quite a bit but we were still able to get through. The main road had large ruts in it where someone had gone in with a truck but part way we found a side road that hadn't been touched. So we headed off there where the skiing was much better. We eventually ended up at the bridge. The sun was warm and there was no wind - it was a gorgeous day and we were so happy to have one more chance to get out on our skis.  When we got back we enjoyed some Hot Spinach and Artichoke dip with nacho chips and rice crackers. A little white wine to wash it down worked well too. We had worked hard and felt we earned it! All in all it was a great weekend. On our way home we stopped to take a photo of a very special tree - more on that Wednesday. 

Catching a few rays on the bridge

Friday, April 5th - more winter to come?

It's currently 2' at 5:30 am and we should reach a high in the 6 to 8' range later with some sun. But overnight we may get some snow mixed with rain. Earlier in the week they were calling for 10 - 15 cm of snow but now it's down to 1-3 cm. Quite a difference. We still have a lot of snow along the fence rows but higher temperatures and rain on Monday should help with those.

Last night I began work on the baby quilt that I'm attempting to make. It's not that difficult but there's lots of little seams and lots of pressing. Of course I sewed one block in that was turned the wrong way so the pattern didn't work. Then I had to take out several rows of stitching to get to it to fix the problem.  At least I learned to double check before I stitch. In the end it took me most of the evening after supper to sew together one block. If I do one per night I will have them done in a little over a week. But it got me thinking about women generations ago who made numerous quilts, mostly by hand. How did they do it? They had larger families, none of the modern conveniences we have and in the country, multiple chores outside as well as in. Not to mention baking bread and those kinds of things they did from scratch. But I suppose they didn't spend hours per day parked in front of the TV or the computer like we do today.  But I still admire their perseverance and hard work.  I guess also it was a necessity for older generations rather than a pleasant pastime or a hobby.  I definitely have a greater appreciation for their talents.

Well, it's that time again - PEI Burger Love has begun once more. This year there are 31 restaurants participating. It's really taken off from the first year, just 2 years ago when I think there were only 14 burgers to sample. Each year it grows in numbers and definitely in participants sampling the burgers. By last year, the second year, the number of burgers sold had more that tripled, from just over 5'000 to over 16,000.  We haven't sampled any as yet but I'm sure there will likely be at least one sometime over the weekend.  We'll let you know what we find.

Wednesday, April 3rd - was our weekend the calm before the storm?

It's currently a chilly -4' and we'll only reach a high today of 0'. Right now the wind is howling and there are some scattered big black clouds in the sky. We may get some flurries later today but watch out for the predicted 10-15 cm of snow on the weekend. Seriously? It's April - what happened to an early spring that was suggested not so long ago?

Hiking on the trail on Sunday

It looks like it's not letting up in Ontario either as they are getting that weather right not. I'm so glad that we had that nice sunny and mild weather on the weekend when the kids were here. It can be so unpredictable this time of year.

It's pretty quiet at our house now. I dropped everyone off at the airport yesterday morning and they made the 6:00 flight. I went downtown to the coffee shop I used to visit every morning and had a coffee and read the paper. I walked in and Michelle said to me - dropping off at the airport?  That's the only time I go there anymore.  It was a really busy day at work so I didn't have time to get tired. It was an early night for me. Brenda dropped by after her meeting to pick up some things I'd gotten for her at the store at lunch and then she headed out. I went right to bed after that.

Stopping for a drink of water on the bridge

When I got home Lloyd had the house all tidied up and put back in order again. The kids and I do tend to create quite a mess when they're here.

Tonight I'll do a little laundry and catch up on that then I need to get started on the baby quilt I need to have finished by the end of May. It it snows all weekend it might be a great time to work on it. Unless of course, the snow stops and we can go skiing, but we'll have to see about that.

Monday, April 1st - Happy Easter Monday

It's currently 9:30 am on Monday morning and I'm ever so pleased to have the day off! It's overcast this morning and 1' heading for 4' later but we should see rain around lunch time, for the remainder of the day. But we can't complain because it's been a beautiful weekend - lots of sun and milder temperatures.

The kids took advantage of the sun to play outside quite a bit. The sleeping outside was quite an adventure. Meghan lasted until 10:30 and James would have been quite happy to stay out there but he came in at 11:30 so he could go to the airport with me to pick up his mom.  Their dad was able to sleep knowing everyone was inside.

Patti finally got here and all was well.  Saturday morning we got up in shifts so by the time everyone was fed it was after lunch.  Patti and I headed into town to do a bit of shopping without any help from the kids!  After supper we pretty much just got ready for the Easter Bunny's arrival.

Sunday morning was the usual chaos that comes with the arrival of said Bunny. Before we could hunt for eggs, Meghan insisted the cupcakes we'd made the night before get iced appropriately.

 Of course Tristen came dressed for the occasion

Once everyone settled down - Tristen was playing with his new Lego, and James was reading a new book, Meghan and I set out to make some old fashioned mint candies. I'd seen the recipe in the newspaper earlier in the week and they turned out great. Today we're going to cover some of them in chocolate to make our own peppermint patties.

In the afternoon the sun was blazing and it was a gorgeous day so Patti and I and the kids headed down to the Dromore Trails. We had planned to go in down at the southern most point but the road hadn't been plowed at that end so we turned around and parked at the usual place. The road into the trail head was packed with snow so we walked in. We had the dog with us and he enjoyed having the kids to run with. It's 1.5 km to the bridge and that's as far as we went. The snow was too deep to walk on the actual trail but the road was good. The snow in the centre was firmly packed and easy to walk on.  It was a great day for a walk in the woods.

Tristen had brought his favorite walking stick with him and was in a bit of a panic when he dropped it through the slots in the bridge. Fortunately it caught on a rock on the side so James ventured down to try to retrieve it. Meghan held his feet while he stretched out to grab the stick. The rescue mission was a success and the stick was saved.

We made out way back home in time to have a bowl of papa's home made turkey vegetable soup and  start supper cooking, while the boys  played outside.  Due to a delay in departures, Greg was forced to change his travel strategy and had to leave at 5:00 - unfortunately just as supper was ready. I'm glad he'd at least had soup. Patti drove him to the airport and the kids had supper with Lloyd and I. We set aside a plate of food for Patti when she got home.

After supper, Patti, James and I  headed over to Lakeside Beach to gather some sand for a sample centre piece for each table at our 2014 conference. We now have a new and better plan.

It's been a busy few days so today is kind of a veg kind of day. Because it will likely rain this afternoon,  swimming might just be in the plans for today.