It's been a very busy time, especially last week. We had a pre-wedding BBQ to cater and it was our biggest challenge yet. After many long weeks of cutting, welding and lots and lots of research, our big BBQ was finally ready for it's first try out.
We had a few people over a week or so before, so he could test it out. We BBQ'd about 20 lbs of pork and a whole turkey. By all accounts it turned out well. Now the big test. A 70 pound pig was picked up and dropped into our bathtub full of ice to keep cool till the next morning. It was a challenge the night before the BBQ to get the pig loaded onto the spit and attached with various clamps, etc. Once it was suitably secured, it was covered in a flavourful rub and then wrapped in plastic. Did I mention that it weighed 70 pounds? It took all our strength to get it wrapped and then put back into the tub till morning.
2:45 am the alarm went off on Wednesday morning. Time for a quick coffee and then load said pig onto the back of the truck. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Lloyd was barely able to walk by this time. He'd woken up on Monday with a left leg that would not bend and a very painful knee. We got him into the car and off to the doctors office, where it was decided he had bursitis. Meds were prescribed but we had no idea how long it would take for them to kick in. It was a little better by Wednesday but still not great. Once again the VanGaals to our rescue. Bernie was still away so we were able to borrow his truck which is an automatic. No way he was able to drive a standard.
So, load the pig onto the back of the truck and he was off.
Brenda was helping (thankfully) and we headed up to Wheatley River with the rest of the meal around 11:00. They had tables all set up outside and beautifully decorated. There was a huge tent set up for the wedding, which was the next day. Fortunately for us there was a smaller tent attached where the food was going to be prepared on Thursday. It was the perfect spot for us to set up and prep everything. Things went smoothly, but it's always a learning experience and I did learn a couple of things that I would have done differently but all in all it went very well. The best part was the pig. After spinning around slowly for 9 hours it was golden brown, juicy and delicious. It was absolutely perfect.
(I don't have any photos, but some will be coming to us from the hosts)
A lot of the guests present were from Holland and had never seen such a thing so they were quite intrigued. Needless to say, the pig was an important part of the day's entertainment.
All in all, I would say the day was a success, as did the hosts. Again, many, many thanks to the VanGaals for Brenda's help and the use of Bernie's truck. We could not have done it without you guys.
Speaking of Bernie, he returned on Sunday from his very long trip to Edmonton. While out there he also managed to visit Alaska! Needless to say, he put a lot of kms. on his bike this summer. He arrived back on the island on Sunday afternoon. Lloyd drove over to New Brunswick and met up with him in Salisbury. Brenda, Meghan, Ethan, Will and Amanda all rode over to Borden to meet them when they came across the bridge. Well done Bernie!
We have another pre-wedding BBQ this Saturday but it's quite a bit smaller and doesn't involve a whole pig, so it will be much easier!
Our guys have all been very busy. James had Maxville highland games right after he got back from our trip. He hadn't played in over two weeks but still managed to place 4th out of 19 in one of his pieces, and 6th out of 13 in his more complicated tune. Well done.
This year in Maxville, they also held junior heavyweight events: discus, shot put, caber toss, sheaf toss, and tug of war There were 170 kids in the events. He got 3rd place in the caber toss in the 9-12 year old division. Well done, T.
Meghan spent the past two weeks at Diabetic Summer Camp. There's no contact with the kids while they are there but judging by the photos that are posted online, it looks like she had a great time again this year.
And finally a couple of photos to share from my 65th birthday. Besides getting to walk across the Abby Road Crosswalk with James, we also had dinner at Jamie Oliver's restaurant in London called 15. It was a nice evening with both Patti and James and I was thrilled that my friend Petra, who lived in London, was also able to join us.
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