Tuesday, Feb 23rd - can this really be winter?

After the snowaggeddon that was last winter, we're all a little gun shy and just waiting for something serious to hit. This week had some really great weather, with mild days and lots of sunshine, mixed in with a bit of rain. Needless to say, most of our snow is gone or is of such poor quality, it's of no use at all for recreational purposes. More rain and mild temperatures coming up during the rest of the week.

Even spring vehicles are starting to come out of hiding - spotted on Saturday afternoon on my way home

The baby goats are growing. We weighed them on Friday and Annie has gained 2 pounds and little Amelia a pound and a half.  They had a very busy weekend, meeting and greeting. Our friends Sharyn, as well as Jens and Linda, came over for coffee on Saturday afternoon when I got home from work. All were suitably impressed with the cuteness level of the two little ones.

After they left, it was just a quiet evening with some finger food in front of the TV.  Sunday morning dawned rainy and I knew there wouldn't be any outdoor activities so I instead got up early and spent  most  of the day out in the craft room. I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't used it very much over the past few months. I decided I needed to work on a project I started over a year ago, and get it finished before I start anything new. I did spend quite a bit of time cleaning and reorganizing so it's back to a useful space once more. It had become somewhat of a dumping ground for various craft supplies and it really needed to be addressed. I'm happy to report that it's a great space once more and I actually got a fair bit of work done on my project.

Part way through the afternoon, our friends Richard and Daralen came over to visit the kids, on their way into town.  Richard admitted he had never seen a baby goat before. 

Because it was quite mild, we made the decision to cook supper al fresco,  so we moved the BBQ over to the back of the house where we grilled some pork chops. YUUUUMMMMMM! Nothing like the first BBQ of the season to help you look forward to spring.

Dark outside, no worries!

Perfectly grilled and ready for some sides

I spent a bit of time talking to Meghan on Face time on Sunday afternoon and Lloyd even brought Amelia into the kitchen for a minute to say hello which made Meg very happy. She was busy getting ready for a dance competition this coming weekend. Their dance team has been working really hard and I'm sure they'll so well. Good luck girls!
 
Monday was a stressful day for both mom and babies. Lloyd took the kids into the vet college to have their horns removed, before they grow any further. I'm not sure how they did it, but I'm sure it wasn't very pleasant. But I guess it couldn't have been too bad as they used anesthetic to put them under during the procedure, and also gave them booster shots and tetanus shots. It was the full medical treatment. Needless to say, mom wasn't impressed and was pretty stressed until they were returned to her later in the afternoon.

We went out to the garage after supper and everyone seems no worse for their experiences. Mom was happily eating her grain and the kids were hopping around like a couple of mad fools (totally normal) so all seems to be well with their world.

After Lloyd went to bed, I called Brenda and got caught up on all the news, as we saw each other on Friday at the rec centre but not over the weekend. Highly unusual!

Wednesday, February 17th - this week it was all about the kids - all of them!

What an exciting week we had.
It started out with Meghan wanting to come down for a visit for the long weekend. Then it was her and James who were arriving. I was very happy about that. Meg wanted to be here when the babies were born but of course, there was no accurate way to determine that. There was a very good chance it would take place after they went home.

They were scheduled to arrive late on Friday night, but because the flight loads were looking not too promising, the last minute decision was made on Thursday afternoon to put them on the late flight that night. That got them here around 1:00 on Friday morning. Great - an extra day with them!

We had tickets for a culinary event out at Island Hill Farm on Friday evening so I emailed quickly and there was no problem bringing them along with us. They arrived a few minutes late (good thing as the driving was not so great so it took me a little longer to get to town than I had anticipated).

I collected the two of them and we headed home. We got to bed around 2:30 Friday  morning but that was fine. I'd had a bit of a nap earlier in the evening and finished it once we got back. Because Lloyd would be home around 8:30, and going to bed, there was no rush for them to get up in the morning.

I was at work and called to see how things were and Lloyd jokingly said, oh, Meghan's out in the garage helping Leah give birth. I knew that couldn't possibly be true as he was in the house. He confirmed that was not the case but she was out there. About an hour later, I received a call from Lloyd advising that this time there really was a baby, and they were just waiting for the second one to be born. What an exciting time for them.  Meg had really wanted to be here when they were born and it turned out just perfect. She helped Lloyd assist, although really Leah seemed to know just what to do and everything went perfectly. She gave birth to two healthy and beautiful baby girls.

Proud mama and newborn babies

They sent me some photos at work but I wouldn't be seeing them until we got back much later in the evening. They met me in town at 5:30 and we headed out to Island Hill Farm. Unfortunately it was the coldest night we've had all year. It was a very casual event taking place in the barn among the animals and had it been slightly warmer, it would have been great fun. It was still a good time but we were all too cold so we didn't stay till the end. We missed some of the food but what we had was delicious.

When we got home we immediately headed out to the garage to see our own new additions. They are so very cute and Meghan just fell in love with them.

Amelia is Meghan's favorite but how could you tell?

Lloyd had taken Friday night off so he was home on Saturday morning. He and James headed out early to the flying club breakfast and to do their airport thing, while I dressed Meg really warm, packed her a lunch and dropped her off at Island Hill to volunteer for the morning while I was at work. It was still frightfully cold but I bundled her up and she was off  to help with the chores, and then they were visiting the local cheese maker, before heading back to assist with the public visitors at noon.  I think she really enjoyed her morning but it would have been much better had it not been so cold.


Lloyd and James picked her up and we all met at Boom Burger at 2:00 when I was finished work. From there we headed home. Lloyd had a new TV to install and James went off cross country skiing out in the back lane. I stopped and ran a few errands and then when I got home Meg decided she was missing out on the fun, so decided to give my snowshoes a try. She headed off across the yard following her brothers ski tracks.

It was a quiet evening. James and Lloyd watched a war movie downstairs while Meg and I watched some Netflix on the TV upstairs, along with popcorn for all.

Sunday was Valentine's day so we had invited Brenda and Bernie over for brunch. We tried out a few new recipes and by all accounts it was a success.  Once we were done, Brenda and Bernie headed home and the kids and I took a chance that the Souris trails would be open. It was still very cold but we were all dressed warmly. Once we got out onto the trails, and in the woods, it was a very nice day indeed as we were out of the wind. A great time was had by all, even Meg, who managed to faceplant into the snow on more than one occasion!

A stop in Souris for hot chocolate and tea and we were on our way home.  Sunday was another quiet evening. The kids were upstairs communicating with their friends via electronic devises and we just relaxed. They were scheduled to go home on Monday afternoon so it was a relaxing kind of time.

Monday, Islander Day, was still very cold. The kids slept in and then got their stuff packed up to go home. After breakfast of crepes, at James' request, it was time to head into town. Unfortunately there is nothing worse than being all packed up and ready to go and then not going anywhere. The flight was full and nobody go on. So it was back home to try again in the morning. Because it was still daylight, James decided to head out for one more run on the skis, while we got supper ready.
Lloyd had taken some turkey and gravy out of the fridge so it was mashed potatoes, veggies and turkey and gravy for supper. It was the most I'd seen James eat all weekend.

We were all up very early in the morning to get to the airport for the early flight to Montreal. They had no trouble getting out of Charlottetown but getting out of Montreal proved to be a bit of a challenge. After several unsuccessful attempts they were finally on a plane and on their way back to Toronto. As Meghan remarked when we were leaving our house that morning, "How many kids can say they've been to Charlottetown, Montreal and Toronto, all before going to school in the morning".
At one point Patti was afraid she might have to drive to Montreal to pick them up but there was very stormy weather between Ontario and Quebec and it would not have been a great choice. There were lots of flights cancelled and perhaps it was those who couldn't make the connection in Montreal that freed up some seats. Whatever the reason, we were very happy to get the text from Meg "We're on an airplane".

 That's Anne Shirley on the left, in honour of our first kid born on the island, and on the right is Amelia 'Ear'hart in honour of those in the family with a personal interest, or connection to, flight and those lovely floppy ears!
All in all it was a great weekend and Meghan just fell in love with Amelia. She has requested regular updates on her progress. Unfortunately I've realized I didn't get any photos of James this trip. He was usually gone off doing his own thing and I don't think he really minded, but he WAS here!

Tuesday, February 16th - check back tomorrow for this weeks update

Monday, February 8th - no babies yet...

It's been quite a week with yet another snow storm on Friday. The past couple of years our storms seemed to usually arrive on Wednesday. The other morning on the radio it was speculated that Friday is the new Wednesday. Let's hope that's not the case this Friday for several reasons.

1) We're set to attend an interesting evening out at Island Hill Farm. It's a first for them - a Winterlude dinner in the barn complete with bonfire outside.
2) Meghan and James are arriving for the long weekend. They won't get in till a little after midnight on Friday night but we have them to enjoy until early Tuesday morning.

Lloyd and I attended the monthly tea party at Island Hill Farm last Thursday. This is the farm where we bought Leah. We were treated to various teas in lovely china cups as well as an assortment of delicious tea sandwiches and sweet treats. Flory's goat cheese and goats milk soap were also available for purchase as well as the various flavours of teas.  It's an event that's held once a month and it was a lovely evening out.

Friday was yet another snow storm (although we really haven't had ANYTHING that compares to last year.  Unfortunately for me, it didn't start snowing until after we got to work so no snow day for us.  I was a little late getting in on Saturday as we waited for our road to get plowed but after that it was a lovely day.

Forging the trail

Because of the storm on Friday night, Lloyd wasn't able to get in to work at midnight so he had all day Saturday. Good thing as he needed to do some research. Our TV suddenly died on Friday night so Saturday was a search for a replacement. He met me after work and we headed out to get a new one. Once our choice was made, he went off home to hook it up and I went off to do some grocery shopping.  A quiet evening with some finger food and a glass of wine in front of the new TV was a perfect way to end the week.

Our trail was not without it's challenges!

Sunday dawned with perfect weather for a stroll in the woods. So, Brenda, Meghan and I were dropped off at Dalvay while Lloyd and Bernie went off in search of a bandsaw with instructions to pick us up in an hour and a half.  There haven't been any skiers out when we arrived and only a few snowshoes.  The trail seems to have had a few changes since our last visit and we were forced to forge our own trail through part of the way, but then isn't that the point of snow shoes?  The sun came out while we were in the woods and it became quite warm as we trudged through the snow. We finally chose a spot to stop near the road and called the guys to let them know where to pick us up.
We had worked up a thirst and a bit of an appetite so the five of us headed up to Morrell for a bite to eat and a beer.  A great end to a great day.  I had planned supper but we ended up not making anything as neither Lloyd nor I were hungry.

Lloyd headed up for a nap when we got home  and I tried my hand at my first batch of soap.
I'm quite pleased with the results. It's amazing what you can do with a few simple ingredients - lye, olive oil, coconut oil and some water. I used make shift molds for my first effort and they came out of those tonight. Then I played around with some cookie presses I have as the soap itself was still fairly soft. Now they just have to sit for approximately 4 weeks to cure and harden and then it will be ready to use.  Looking forward to making my next batch.  Perhaps I'll make some when the kids are here. I'm sure Meg would find it interesting. 

Monday, February 1st - the wait is over, but most of you know already..

Last week I mentioned we were expecting twins (at least we think so).
Meet the newest addition to the Denny family. Her name is Leah and she's a purebred Alpine goat. We're told to expect maybe twins in the next couple of weeks, but that was a week ago, so really it could almost be any time.

She has a comfy warm and cozy temporary home in the garage until she and the kids have a permanent place to live. She's very sweet tempered and really enjoys when we go out to visit. Goats are by nature herd animals so it's only natural she's not particularly happy being alone, but that should change soon.

We're keeping a close eye on things although my greatest fear is that she'll give birth one night while Lloyd is at work. I have no idea about all of this and even though they usually manage on their own, I'm afraid that something might go wrong.  I'll be really glad when all this is over because it's very stressful!

Today we enjoyed some mighty fine weather for the first of February. Almost 10' and sunny. Not too shabby. It was slightly cooler on the weekend which, after a dumping of snow on Friday night, made for some great ski conditions.

On Sunday Brenda, Sharon, from Fort Augustus and I headed up to Souris to their great little ski club. It has a very functional club house where you can rent skis if needed and various groomed trails.  It was a perfect day to be out enjoying some fresh air and exercise. It was even more perfect when we headed into town for a light snack after our excursion.

Brenda's keen eye spotted this birdhouse along the trail

On the way into town, we were reminiscing about when we were all kids and the thing to do was pile the whole family into the car on a Sunday afternoon and go for a drive. No particular destination was needed - just the open road and a car full of family members. You never knew where you would end up and that was the joy of it.  Brenda remembered that when her family went on these drives, they often would pass by churches and it was necessary to go inside and take a peek. When Sharon remarked about the church in Souris, we had no choice but to go inside and 'take a peek'.  What a lovely building, both inside and out.

Today was also a very memorable day for young James. He had his first flying lesson at the Waterloo airport. He tried unsuccessfully last week to get up there but the weather just wasn't cooperating. Today it was finally a go. I haven't talked to him about it yet, but I'm sure he really enjoyed it. Before we know it, he and Lloyd will be heading off, and sharing the piloting duties!