Wednesday, April 29th - Dear Mother Nature - please take note of the date!

Conditions at 5:25 am: overcast and -1'
Expected later: 2' with mixed precipitation - wet snow and/or rain

Okay now, seriously?  It started snowing - again - when I was getting ready to leave for work yesterday morning. By 10:00 am there were several cms of new snow on the ground. I was informed by phone that there was much more out our way, than there was in town. I guess the plus side of it is that it's covered all the ugly brown patches of lawn with a nice thick blanket of clean white stuff.  It did turn to rain mid afternoon but there is still lots of new snow on the ground out here.

Not a pretty picture outside my work window

I think this never ending winter is starting to make some folks pretty cranky. Work has been really busy with people getting their summer tires put on but yesterday I'm sure some were questioning that decision. But it can only get better, right?  On the other hand, we are only a few cms away from the most snow ever recorded here on the island, so we may as well strive to break that record - then we can all say to our great grand kids, "you should have seen the winter of '15". We'll really appreciate those beach days this year!

Still a lot of snow to melt away

I did see a sign of spring yesterday that made me smile and believe that once again Spring will grace us with her presence - at some point. A car drove by the dealership on the by-pass yesterday, with a kayak on the roof.  Now if that's not optimism, I don't know what is.

In spite of the fact that lobster season will NOT be opening on Friday as scheduled, and the Ferries will NOT start running on Friday as they are also scheduled to, we know it will get better. In fact if the long range forecast is to be believed, it should be 16' next Tuesday. That is a long way off but we can hope.

Still lots of ice in the Hillsborough River

It's now just 8 short days till I leave on my trip to Cape Cod and Nantucket. I'm really looking forward to it but with all this wintery weather it's hard to think about packing for somewhere that actually has spring happening.  I need to start digging out some different clothes!

It's going to be a busy weekend so I need to get my act together. There's a church pancake breakfast at the Rec Centre on Sunday morning and then a concert at the same hall on Sunday evening. Some prep needs to be done for both occasions but I've always worked best under pressure anyway. But being as it's now Wednesday, I'd better start moving. I'll check with Brenda today and see when she wants to get together to put together our homemade pancake mix. She does the bulk of the work for this event and this year she's taken it a step further and organized everything on a spread sheet - (some folks think she's been hanging around with me too long - but good on her!) This will make things easier next year because each year we both sit there and struggle to remember just what we did the year before, what worked and what didn't.  Gosh, we're getting SO good at this! Well, she is. I really don't have to do much but I guess many hands make light work. I'd better remind Lloyd again that he has to make the baked beans as he always does such a good job on those.

Monday, April 27th - food, food and more food - again!

Conditions at 5:10 am: overcast and 0'
Expected later: 3' with mixed precipitation as in rain and flurries? Really? Someone should show Mother Nature a calendar. She seems a little confused this year.

Well it was an eating kind of weekend - again.

Saturday was Burger Love's attempt to break the Guinness Record for the most freshly made burgers sold in a 24 hour period. Needless to say we thought it was our duty to help out. So we and the VanGaals headed over to Peakes Tee on Saturday evening to do our bit. It was crazy busy there and we were fortunate to have timed our arrival just perfectly. We scored a parking spot right in front of the door in the very packed lot, and then a table had just left so we were seated almost immediately. Quite a few people came in after us and had fairly lengthy waits. Poor Brenda barely had time to eat her meal as there were so many people she knew there. It was quite the gathering place that night. But a great time seemed to be had by all and what a boost to the island beef industry this promotion has become each year.  Our burger on Saturday was:

 

 The Ultimate Wedge:

12oz. Island Beef, Homemade Spicy Mustard Sauce, Fresh Red Onion, Homemade BBQ Ranch Sauce,
Potato Wedges, Cheese Blend, Mozza, Bread & Butter Pickles, Ketchup, and Bacon Bits on a Toasted Kaiser with Garlic Butter, garnished with a Potato Popper

 All agreed it was a very tasty burger. Only four days left of Burger Love 2015. We haven't had as many as in past years but it's still be a good time (and a tasty one)




Sunday our focus was on dinner. The VanGaals and Hughes were invited to sample Cod Tongues. Raymond had brought them back from Newfoundland for Lloyd so he was very keen to share them with everyone. Not everyone else was as keen but everyone was a good sport about it.

We were both up early on Sunday morning so after coffee we got right to work. We had a bit of work to do to prep our menu and we had a great day working together in the kitchen. Our fishy menu went something like this:

Seafood Chowder with 

Brenda's light and fluffy homemade biscuits

Fish Cakes three ways

BBQ grilled Arctic Char

Deep fried Cod tongues

Pan fried Haddock

Toutons with scrunchions  

(that would be fried pieces of bread dough with 

tiny pieces of crisp pork fat - a newfie specialty)

Marlene's colourful mixed green salad

Twice baked potato casserole

Broccoli Salad

and for dessert, Pavlova with whipped cream and fresh fruit

As usual, we had way too much food, but the up side is we have lots of leftovers. Never a bad thing.

Arctic Char

Cod Tongues before...

... and after

Toutons and Scruchions

Marlene's beautiful salad - needed something healthy to balance it all out!

Pavlova with fresh fruit

Some satisfied diners!

Once again a delightful evening with great friends - thanks guys!

Friday, April 24th - can you believe the "F" word is still in the forecast?

Conditions at 5:25 am: an overcast and wet 1'
Expected later: the same but moving up to 2' with flurries overnight - SERIOUSLY???

Someone should tell Mother Nature enough is enough.  The snow is slowly leaving and we really don't need anymore. I know it will just be a light dusting but it's almost May! I know it's not that unusual here as I've heard some years ago there was a blizzard on Mother's Day so I'll just be grateful if it's just flurries.

I read an article last week that said a lot of birds have been found dead in the Maritimes and when they investigated the deceased they learned that they had starved to death. Apparently there was not enough bare ground for them to find enough food for all of them to eat. So I was at the store on lunch one day and picked up a bird feeder and some wild bird seed. I put it on the front yard on a stake, where I can see it out the kitchen window and it's become a very popular spot.

I was watching yesterday morning and a blue jay came and tried to land on the feeder but fell off. He stood there for a minute contemplating what to do then flew up and grasped the stake and leaned over from there to eat the seeds. It was pretty funny to watch.  We have herons that arrive in the spring and there are usually large numbers down along the river. One afternoon last week when I was on my way home, I spotted a single heron standing on the ice on the river, just looking around. It seemed to be thinking "I know there was a river here last spring - where did it go?"  Haven't seen it since.

The rain the past couple of days is causing some issues on some of our roads as the vast amounts of water running are washing out the shoulders in some areas. It's going to be a big job to get everything fixed up after this winter. Even the number of signs that have been destroyed by snowplows and snowbanks is going to take some doing. I was looking at the bare patches on our lawn (yes, there are actually some there now) and the number of branches that have fallen over the winter. I need some kids to come visit to drive the lawn tractor with the trailer on it and pick them all up!

Great news - I finally received my new passport in the mail yesterday. I was concerned it might not get here in time as exactly two weeks from today I will be arriving in Cape Cod !  We're all hoping that Patti and Meghan can come down for a couple of days over Mother's Day weekend. I've learned that some of our favorite shopping spots have locations in Hyannis. We'll also be able to explore the Cape without the summer crowds. Should be great and I'm really looking forward to a bit of a break from work.

This weekend we're having the VanGaal's and Hugh's over on Sunday. Raymond picked up a bunch of Cod Tongues when he was in Newfoundland recently so Lloyd's been wanting to have everyone over for sampling. I suggested he might like to have some other kinds of fish as well for his fish fry as not everyone is going to like the Cod Tongues. So there's plans for some other stuff and the two ladies are bringing something to add to the feast. Should be a good time!

Wednesday, April 22 - the middle of what could be a very wet spell

Conditions at 5:30 am: Rain and 3'
Expected later: More rain and 4'

After a couple of nice mild sunny days, we're bracing for perhaps up to 60 mm of rain. That should certainly take care of a lot of the snow but could make flooding an issue for some folks. So far we've been very fortunate but the next few days could be a bit tricky.  I noticed in the news that some folks in New Brunswick had to be evacuated from their homes due to threatening flood waters. We still have a lot of ice in the water and it's still iffy at this point if lobster season will get underway on time this year or not. Setting day is only 9 days away so hopefully the current rain will help things along.

The big kids are home and the little kids should be  settled back into their usual routine. By all accounts it looks like Patti and Greg had a great time. We were glad to see they got out and did more than just sit in the sun all day long.

The kids are busy as well. I was talking to Meghan on Saturday and she had dance practice at 6:30 on Sunday morning. They're gearing up for the recital which will be here before they know it. I'm really looking forward to going up to see it this year.  They've finished their first year of dance competition and it went very well. Congratulations girls! (Our Meg is the short one in the middle!)

Monday, April 20th - it was another dining out kind of weekend

Conditions at 5:30 am: clear skies and -4'
Expected later: 5' and sunny

Weather wise it was a great weekend, although a tad chilly at times, but still pretty pleasant.
Friday evening my neighbour Margie came over and we had a lovely evening chatting and really getting to know each other. We've known each other for probably 9 or 10 years but not really well. We had such a nice time we plan to get together more often, even if it's just to watch a movie or something. 

Saturday while I was at work, Lloyd called to advise he was heading off to Moncton on an impromptu road trip with the guys - Bernie and Raymond. In the end the decision was made for the girls to meet them in town sometime after 6:00 for a burger. Brenda had a driving commitment that we had to accommodate, which  we very happy to work around. We all ended up at East Side Mario's to sample their PEI Burger Love offering:



Sweet and Slawpy:

 

8oz. Island Beef, Cheddar Blend, Candied Bacon, Horseradish Dijon Slaw,
Arugula, and Jalapeno Aioli on a Roll toasted with Garlic Butter and garnished with a Grape Tomato and Pepperoncini Pepper

It was mightly tasty and everyone enjoyed the evening.

Sunday was sunny but a wee bit chilly. I was working out in the craft room on some window treatments for the bedroom window to block out a bit more of the light for Lloyd's daylight  naps, when Brenda called. She came over and we went for a lovely walk. Now that the pavement is finally clear, I have absolutely no excuse for not doing it more often. It's still light for a fair bit of time after 7:00 so I hope to drag my sorry butt out onto the road more often.

Later in the afternoon we made our way out to visit Charles and Laura. They had invited us to supper as a bit of a thank you for Lloyd taking care of the farm. They were very grateful that they could both get away together and know that the farm was in good hands. 

We had a lovely meal with them and they were also very pleased that Lloyd, aka Inspector Gadget, has come up with a homemade antenna that allows them to receive three TV channels. He played around with it at home until he came up with a plan that works then recreated it for Charles.

When I got home on Friday afternoon, there were wires strung all about the place and this peculiar contraption sitting on the table at the top of the stairs. He refined it a bit and made a more permanent enclosed wooden box filled with wires and tin foil, put it in the attic, and low and behold, we now also have three TV channels. As Charles once said, inside Lloyd's head must be a pretty scary place, but sometimes it truly comes up with something great!
 
It looks rather primitive but it totally works. We watch most of our favorite  TV programs online anyway so this is just fine. We love the idea of being as self sufficient as possible, especially once we retire and don't have the extra income. In fact after eating some of the pork that Charles and Laura raised, which was absolutely delicious, we are giving some serious thought to perhaps keeping a couple of pigs over the summer as well as some chickens to fill the freezer for next winter.By the middle of June I'll have used up all my vacation time anyway, so it's not like I'll be going anywhere!

Friday, April 17th - Farmer Denny will soon be home

Conditions at 5:30 am: 2' but feeling more like -3'
Expected later: 7' and cloudy, perfect for more slow melting of the snow

Well, we're at the end of the week so that means Lloyd will be home soon - in fact, he'll be home after work this morning. He's quite enjoyed his time caring for the animals at our friends place. He's now looking even more forward to the time when we're retired and we can have a few of our own. It's just too difficult when we're both working.

Things are pretty quiet and I'm actually getting some good spring cleaning done upstairs. It certainly needed it. I was digging out a jacket the other day from the spring clothes stored under one of the beds in a vacuum bag. Needless to say there were a couple of large dust bunnies under there. So I've been hauling everything out and vacuuming. It's a good opportunity to get at some of these jobs. I won't  have it all done before Lloyd gets back but at least I'll have a good start on things. The trouble is when you take out something, then it takes a while to go through and sort and divide. If something has gotten put away the past two winters and never got worn in the summer, perhaps it's time for it to go on to a new home. That's where I'm at right now. It's a slow process but a process just the same.

Our neighbour, Margie, from down the road, was in the dealership the other day to get some work done on her car. We were chatting for a few minutes and made a date to get together on Friday night at our house. She's a really interesting lady and I always enjoy spending time with her. I invited Brenda to join us but, alas, she and Bernie have other plans so we'll have to invite her to join us next time.She came over for a little visit  and a cup of tea last night so we were able to catch up on our weeks activities.  

The big kids seem to be having a great time in Mexico. Patti tells me the pictures don't do it justice but it still looks like a lot of fun. For most of the time they were approximately 300 feet in the air - what a rush that must have been!

The mules were to take them back up the mountain at the end. She says it was very steep and narrow and ever so slightly scary.

Wednesday, April 15th - a study in contrasts

Conditions at 5:20 am: 3' but feeling more like 0'
Expected later: staying right where it is with a mix of sun and cloud

It's a far cry from the 10' and 12' we've experienced over the past couple of days. Monday did indeed turn out warm and sunny.  Lots of melting going on but when you stand in our lane it's definitely a study in contrasts.  If you look to the side of the house, little signs of spring are evident:

The crocuses are just peeking through at the side of the house

But, if you turn your head in the opposite direction, it's a different story:

But the good news is, that large branch was completely buried and you can now see the top part of that shed that was completely buried a few short weeks ago - so it IS coming, albeit slowly, but that's a good thing.

While we were enjoying some warm sunny weather earlier in the week, the Dennisons were also enjoying some nice weather. It was apparently 25' in Guelph on Monday afternoon, although I'm sure it was even warmer where they were in Mexico:

When she emailed me, they had just finished having massages, then a quick swim 

and were just waiting for their lunch.  NICE ! Enjoy, you guys deserve it.

I saw on facebook yesterday afternoon that last night was the very last meeting of the Grand River Chapter of the IAAP.  I wish I could have been there but then again I would think there were a few tears shed and I don't do that very well.  I sent a message for them to think of Ms.Vista and I was assured  that Ms. Crazy would definitely be part of the program.  It was a wonderful group of ladies and it will be a terrible loss to a lot of people. I know you always plan to keep in touch and I know some will, but still it's a sad day for all.

Even though I'm no longer a member, I still feel as though another chapter of my life has come to a close.

Monday, April 13th - it was a burger kind of weekend

Conditions at 5:30 am: clear skies and -4' that's feeling slightly more lie -8'
Expected later: sunshine and 5', quite a drop from the 13' they were predicting a few days ago but we'll take it. Our snow is slowly going and that's the best way.  We had a bit of rain on Friday but nothing too serious so things aren't too flooded as yet. I checked my basement yesterday morning and all is fine down there so far.

**********************

It was indeed a burger kind of weekend. It started at lunch on Friday when I met my friend Christine at Outriders for lunch. We shared  a very tasty "Caribbean Heat" :

8oz. Seasoned Island Beef patty, Spicy Sauce, Fire Roasted Red Pepper, Mozza, Smokey
Bacon, Romaine Lettuce, Fresh Tomato, and Sweet & Spicy Mango Sauce on a grilled Rustic Bun, garnished with Mango Slices, Cherry Tomato & Green Olive

************************

As Lloyd is still farmsitting, I met him at Timothy's on Saturday morning for coffee before work, and we decided to meet up again after I was done work and he was done napping and doing chores. We met up at
The Brick House for "The Brick Mac":

Two 3 oz. Island Beef patties, Jalapeno House Sauce, Fenugreek Gouda, Homemade Mac & Cheese Patty, Maple Jalapeno Peppered Bacon, and Pea Shoots on a toasted Traditional Cornmeal Bun with Garlic Butter

*************************

When I was at work on Saturday, I spoke to Brenda on the phone and she advised they were going into town with some friends for........ a burger. Did I want to join them? Of course! So I called Lloyd and he agreed to meet us downtown. Our next destination was The Merchantman for "The Old Fashioned":

 6oz. Island Beef patty, Homemade Chipotle Ketchup, Crispy Dill Pickles, Peppercorn Bacon, Red Chili Gouda, Sir John A Honey Mustard, Iceberg Lettuce, Fresh Tomato, and Caramelized Onions on a Grilled Sesame Seed Bun, garnished with Hickory Sticks

***************************

From there we wandered across the street to the
Delta for the "Burner and Hooch":

 6oz. Island Beef Patty with Cajun Seasoning, Braised Beef with Brakish Moonshine BBQ Sauce, Red Chili Pepper Cheese, Sweet & Spicy Housemade Corn Relish, Crispy Onion Strings, Smokey BBQ Mayo, Romaine Lettuce, and Fresh Tomato on a Garlic Buttered Brioche Bun, topped with a Jalapeno Popper and Brakish BBQ Chicken Wing

  *************************

It truly was a burger weekend. I suppose we could have continued on Sunday but instead I made some food to take out to Lloyd and we spent a quiet afternoon.

I took Cooper with me and he was quite intrigued with the lambs.  It was a beautiful sunny day so we went for a drive up through Cavendish, along through the national park and back around to Rustico and New Glasgow, before heading back.   We weren't really paying attention to the time and all of a sudden it was 5:30 and I still hadn't put the chicken in the oven to cook yet. Needless to say I didn't make it to the Rec Centre to help out with the hockey banquet. Sorry folks. It had indeed been a great weekend.

A quick text message on Sunday morning from Patti as she and Greg were waiting to board their flight to Mexico. Greg's mom and dad are staying with the little kids so the big kids can have a nice relaxing week away.  Enjoy yourselves, you guys!

Friday, April 10th - just a reminder about how spoiled I really am!

Conditions at 5:30 am: -7' that's feeling a little more like -12
Expected later: a high of 2' but some freezing rain changing to rain later this afternoon - the good news is the drive to work will be just fine

It's mighty quiet out here on the hill, with Lloyd away. When I got home on Wednesday afternoon, it was all too familiar as memories of those three years on my own came flooding back. Firstly, the fire in the wood stove was pretty much gone out. First thing was to empty my ash bucket, so that I could empty out the stove, which was also full of ashes. Once that was done, then it was out to the shed to bring in some wood. Then it was time to cook my supper. I don't usually have to do ANY of those things anymore, so I really have become quite spoiled !  And realistically, who's fault is that?  Not that I'm complaining mind you. But it's good to have these little reality checks from time to time.

We're really enjoying the nice bright sunshine the past couple of days and it's helping slowly melt the snow. There are still massive amounts of it around so slow melting is a good thing. The temperatures have remained cool so that's slowing things down but we should be seeing some milder temperatures next week. During the day, the bottom of our lane is a mass of slush that freezes overnight and becomes an icy mess by morning. The plus side of the overnight cold is that the mud in the centre of the lane is solid when I drive out. It's a bit of a challenge to come in after work. Wednesday evening two fellows came by to confirm data for the voters list. I was surprised to see them and they indicated that the drive up the lane was indeed a bit of a challenge. It does have to get much worse before it gets better but we've become used to that. I suppose the worse it gets, the closer to spring we are, so it's all good...

Brenda stopped over last night to catch up and make sure I was staying out of trouble. She had been out in the woods for a little ski right after work. It seems conditions haven't deteriorated too badly just yet for that, but the rain later today may make a mess of things.  I think I'll spend some time tonight and tomorrow out in the craft room. I have a couple of sewing projects I'd like to undertake before I go away in May. Now seems like a great time to do that.  Then on Sunday I'll go out to Wheatley River to visit Lloyd. He could come here for the day but one of the lambs needs to be fed by hand three times a day so that makes it difficult. So I'll go and see him instead. 

Maybe we can meet in town on Saturday evening and go for a burger somewhere??? There's lots to choose from.

Wednesday, April 8th - it's Wednesday so I must be single - again, but only for 10 days!

Conditions at 5:20 am: a chilly -5' with clear bright moonlit skies
Expected later: -3 and sunny

The temperatures have been cool but sunny so the snow is slowly melting - and that's a good thing. There is still so much out there that a quick melt would not be good. Next week we should see some warmer temperatures so that will help. Right now the challenge in our lane is the increasing slush at the bottom and the gradually appearing mud in the middle.

Lloyd is away for the next ten days, but not far. He's over in Wheatley River. We have some friends who moved here from Kitchener a couple of years ago and purchased as small organic property and they are trying their hand at organic farming. They have 40 acres and a bit of livestock. Right now they have 3 sheep, 6 new baby lambs and 30 chickens. They're leaving this morning for Ontario for 10 days so Lloyd is farm sitting for them. I would have gone with him but it's still cold enough that someone needs to be here to keep the fire going. After living in separate provinces for 3 years, 10 days in another town is no big deal.  I'll probably go out and spend the day with him on Sunday, just to keep him company.  And as in days gone by, if he wants to know what's going on out here, all he has to do is read the blog!

Not a lot going on but we did have our first burger love experience for 2015. It was on Monday after work at Phinley's in Stratford. All four of us (the VanGaals and the Dennys) were each coming from different directions so Stratford seems like a good meeting spot. We were not disappointed. Their burger, the Sucker Punch was very good and enjoyed by all present.

                           SO MANY FLAVOURS, YOU WON'T KNOW WHAT HIT YOU!”

Two 4oz. Seasoned Island Beef patties, 

Housemade Crispy Onion Tanglers, 

Whipped Garlic Goat Cheese, 

Sweet & Smokey Cream Sauce,

Cajun Chocolate Covered Bacon, 

Lettuce, House Made Chipotle Molasses 

BBQ Mayo on a Cheddar Jalapeno Kaiser, 

and topped with a Chuppa Chups sucker 

 

We all agreed it was a mighty tasty burger but then we haven't had any others to compare it to. I'm sure there will be more in our future.

 

Monday, April 6th - back to work after a great weekend

Conditions at 5:30 am: -9' with a wind chill of -15' , skies are clear and starry with a large bright moon
Expected later: mainly sunny and -3'

What a busy weekend!
We left home on Friday pretty much right after Lloyd got home, with travel mugs in hand. We dropped the dog off at the kennel and hit the road. A brief stop in town for gas and we were on our way. The weather was cool and a bit drizzly from time to time but for the most part it was good for traveling. We hit heavy fog part way but only for a short distance, then it began clearing and getting warmer. By the time we got to Halifax it was 6' and the sun was shining. We checked into the hotel a bit early, then headed downtown. Fran and Katy very graciously gave up their afternoon of curling to join us. We took a walk along the waterfront and ended up at The Gahan  for a bite to eat and a drink.  We spent our time catching up and generally having a great time. I was surprised Lloyd did as well as he did as he'd had virtually no sleep save for about 20 minutes in the car. When we were walking around the Historic Properties, the temperature had risen to 11' and with the sun, we didn't need coats. In fact we saw two motorcycles out and about. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, enjoyed so much more after the winter we've had. After seeing the ladies back to

their hotel, we headed back to ours. We spent a quiet evening, watching some TV and snacking on some food we'd brought with us from home for the trip in case we got hungry.

After a beautiful day on Friday, Saturday morning dawned a little chillier and raining. We were up early and headed downtown to the Farmer's Market. We toured around and enjoyed the sights and sounds of the bustling activity. Then it was off to pick up the girls at their hotel. We were meeting Fran's relative, John and his wife Lorene and John's daughter Sidney. We met them at a restaurant near our hotel. We had a lovely time and before long it was time to take them back to their hotel as they had curling to attend in the afternoon.  We said our goodbye's and headed out to do some long anticipated shopping Lloyd was looking forward to. Our first stop was Busy Bee in Dartmouth.  He had a list and spent a considerable amount of time browsing. Then it was off to Princess Auto for more bits and pieces for his workshop. Last stop was Le Valley Tools. I picked up a couple of things in there as well.  By now the day was pretty much wrapping up so it was off to supper at Montana's.  All too soon our day was over. Being it was Easter Saturday was the only day anything would be open. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing!
Sunday morning was much cooler, below freezing but sunny so our drive home was good. The roads were clear and dry and traveling was a pleasure. On our way we stopped in at Masstown market to pick up some fresh fish and some veggies. We also picked up a couple of sandwiches and were just sat down to eat them when I received a text from Brenda inviting us to supper.  A perfect end to a great weekend.

When we got home, we discovered it had snowed a bit and it was now all piled in our lane. We had to wait for Frank next door to come over and clear it out for us so we could bring the car in. Then it was unpack and relax a bit before heading out for the VanGaals. Meghan (1) is home for the weekend so it was really nice to get to see here before she heads back to Toronto tomorrow. Will has also arrived back from his long trek to California and back.

They weren't the only kids who were busy this weekend. I received this photo from Meghan(2) on Friday. She had made some Easter cupcakes because, as she put it

" My whole family has kinda been doing their own little thing today so I decided to make cupcakes. I baked them, made the icing and coloured it, made the decorations and finished off with cute little chocolate eggs. I hope you like them".

 Well, Meg, I loved them. You did an amazing job with them. I was very proud to see the beautiful results of all your hard work. Wish I could have been there to sample one.

Some last minute adjustments

I would imagine that while Meghan was baking and decorating cupcakes, James was practicing piping. Saturday was his competition and was up against 13 other pipers in his section. He finished in third place out of 14 so congratulations to him on a job very well done.  I think I have some very talented grand kids (but then I could be ever so slightly biased in my opinion, but I think not!)

Check out the youtube video of his performance here:

 http://youtu.be/tOMUu-E34j0

Good Friday - April 3rd - another snowy morning

Conditions at 5:45 am: a couple of cms of snow has fallen over night and it's currently -2'
Expected later: it's going to be 5' here but a much balmier 9' in Halifax today with a mix of sun and cloud

This morning we're finally traveling to Halifax. It seems like such a long time ago this trip was planned and it's finally here. Lloyd has some places he wants to visit and we have to make sure we fit it all in on Saturday as everything will be closed today as well as Sunday. Perhaps Easter weekend isn't the best time to plan a shopping trip. On the other hand, maybe it's the BEST time as it limits how much you can actually spend.

A big welcome home this morning to Meghan (1) who was due to arrive in town late last night. Her mom was here for a little visit last evening after church. They don't have any definite plans but there might be a burger in their future.

Yes, it's that time again  - 
PEI burger love.
Sixty burgers up for tasting this year. It only lasts for the month of April so if you consumed 2 burgers every day for the entire month, then

•  you'd have tried them all
•  it would be very difficult to choose a favorite
•  your family doctor would not likely be impressed!

Lloyd's been doing very well with his efforts to manage his weight so this promotion comes at a very bad time.  But if we split them like we usually do, it might not be quite so bad.

Other than that, not a lot is going on. It's officially Red Tag Days at work, a promo that runs for the next three months. We've had the radio station in for remote broadcasts the past two days and along with a new month and some sun, it's totally transformed the place. The energy level in the building is increased by 1,000 %.  I was talking with a gal from the radio station and she said the same thing. It seems that once April. 1st got here, everyone suddenly came alive. This terrible winter is finally coming to an end (although you wouldn't think that if you look out this morning). But some rain later will take care of helping us feel more Spring like. 

This month our dealership is running a special promotion - unlike any I've ever seen. It's strictly our shop and it's amazing. Everyone who buys or leases a new car in the month of April will be put into a draw to win $20,000.00 - that totally blows me away. Needless to say, anyone who was thinking about maybe buying a new vehicle in the spring will certainly benefit from this little push.   It could get quite busy over the next couple of weeks.

Speaking of busy, James is off to his first ever piping competition in Toronto. Patti will be sure to take some photos for me. Good luck buddy. I know it's not cool to admit you might be a little nervous but you'll do great!  Can't wait to see you all dressed up in your Scottish gear.

Wednesday, April 1st - need we say more?

Conditions at 5:10 am: overcast and -3'
Expected later: a mix of sun and cloud and staying at -4'

Well, old man winter just doesn't seem to want to give up. We woke up yesterday morning to more new snow that continued  most of the day. So much so that our neighbour had to come over and blow snow - again. So much so that the schools at the eastern end of the island were all closed.  But the good news is the sun came out later in the afternoon and temperatures were slightly above freezing so a lot of the new snow melted.  The snowbanks are slowly shrinking and you can actually almost see around some of the corners now so it's getting there.

It's quite a different scenario this year for April fools day than we've had in the past few years.
It just happens to be Easter this weekend and these were all taken very close to April 1st over the past few years

2010

 2010 Easter weekend was really mild - Van Gaals were in Toronto where it was very hot. I used the weekend to clear out some of the brush at the side of the house and sat out by a bonfire in the evening..

2011

 Easter 2011 - Tristen visited for a few days and we had our first bonfire of the season.

2012

 Although there were still bits of snow around, the beginning of April was mild and perfect for drying sheets on the line

2013

 2013's visit was cool with snow still plentiful in the woods. But the sun was nice and we were able to get some hiking in as the snow wasn't too deep

2014

 Last year we were greeted to a major storm at the beginning of April. So much so that it was the day the plow became stuck at the end of the lane early in the morning and the grader wasn't able to get him out. It wasn't till much later in the afternoon before it was finally moved away

And of course we all know what this year looks like. Do you see a trend forming here? Let's hope not.