Well, it's been busy but relaxing at the same time so far..

Conditions at 5:30: -3' with light flurries
Expected later: -6' and up to 5 cm of snow by this time tomorrow morning


I think the girls are having a good time. Friday night we drove into town and had supper at Swiss Chalet before we all went out to the Civic Centre where we met up with Brenda and Bernie, and Raymond. We found a table and by coincidence, Richard and Daralen and Brendan and Georgie were sitting there, so we scrounged up some chairs and joined them. They had a bit of an opening ceremony where all the curling teams were introduced, then Fiddlers Son came on to entertain. That was quite enjoyable. There was a bit of a break before Rawlins Cross came on and at that point the ladies announced they wanted to go home. I've never heard Rawlins Cross, but I'm told they are quite good.  Well, I still haven't heard them but maybe next time...

Saturday morning I went off to work and the ladies were going into town for the opening ceremonies at 11:00 and then the first draw was at 2:30. I left work at 2:00 but I stopped first at the grocery store and did a couple of other little errands so I didn't arrive at the Civic Centre until almost 4:30. I got there in time to see the last hour of the afternoon game. Brenda and Bernie were there sitting with the ladies but they weren't staying for the evening. It had started snowing in the afternoon and the roads were getting a little slick. The Van Gaals left at 5:30 and the evening game wasn't due to start until 7:30. So we went into the snack bar at the casino and had something to eat. While we were eating, Brenda called on my cell to advise we were best advised to skip the evening game and head home as the roads were not very good. So we made the decision to go home and watch on TV. In retrospect I think it was a wise move, as the roads went from bad to worse. By morning we were pretty much snowed in.
One note, after I had gone to bed Saturday night, I was awakened by the phone ringing. I answered it right away and in my half asleep state, I thought someone has accidentally dialed my number because all I could hear was noise and music. After listening for a few seconds and repeatedly saying "hello" it dawned on me that I recognized the music. Then I realized I was listening to Jesse Cook - live! When the song finished there was a lot of clapping and cheering and then Jana came on the line. She said James had an amazing time at the show. Then she put him on the phone. He seems to have really enjoyed it. By that time they were just walking out of the theatre. When I called Lloyd the next morning, he didn't realize it was me they were talking to. By all accounts another great show.

The snowbanks at the end of the drive-taller than the car

Sunday morning Brenda called and came over for coffee. She saw Frank just heading out with the snow blower so she moved the rental car that I had parked at the end of the driveway, just in time for Frank to clear us out.  Then we fed her and made her a coffee.  The ladies only had tickets for the afternoon draw so they left around 1:00 and were due back around 6:30. I spent the afternoon cooking dinner as Brenda and Bernie were coming over as well. I wanted to make everyone at least one special meal while they are here. Our menu for the evening went something like this:

•  Sesame crusted seared sea scallops in an asian vinaigrette (sausage rolls for Pat as she has a shell fish allergy)   Sausage rolls for everyone else as well (but only one each of the above items)
• Curried butternut squash soup topped with a pastry dome
• Salt crusted salmon topped with Salsa verde, risotto and string carrots
• Red velvet cake for dessert

My most accounts it was good, as nothing was left over except for a bit of rice and a tiny container of salmon

Monday, Islander day, dawned a little overcast but no precipitation, so that was good to see. We had breakfast and then watched the curling on TV in the morning. The ladies left around 1:00 again but this time they didn't get home until about 11:15 as they had tickets for both afternoon and evening. I spent a quiet day at home, catching up on some TV I've taped in the last week and while I was away. I did vacuum the carpet in the living room, do some laundry, have a nap and just generally had a lovely relaxing day.

Today, the ladies are just going into town for the afternoon draw so they will be home for supper. I have our meal all ready to be put into the oven when I get home and they should be here around the same time.

I think they're enjoying themselves. I'm hoping the weather holds out not too badly. They've made themselves at home and that is what I want them to do. I don't feel I have to entertain them and they all seem comfortable being here.

I guess later never got here

Conditions at 5:30 am: -6' and bright clear skies
Expected later:2' and  mixed precipitation

Yesterday morning, I was finishing up a few things and didn't get to the blog. Well, Thursday is usually the quietest day of the week, but yesterday was incredibly busy and I spent very little time at  my desk  so I never did get back to it. The up side is the day went by really quickly.

I woke  up in the morning and I was really excited that the ladies were finally arriving, so being really busy made the day fly by. I left work right at 5:30, stopped off at the grocery store to pick up a couple of things and then still had to wait at the airport for the flight to get in. What a hub of activity. There were several volunteers from the Scotties standing around waiting for curlers to arrive. They all had pieces of paper with hand written notes on them: ie Team Saskatchewan, Team Manitoba, etc. I was chatting with one of the guys and told him I was waiting for three friends and I wish I'd thought of it and I would have had a sign as well. So he suggested I go and speak to the fellow in the parking booth and ask for some paper. So I did, and he kindly obliged with a blank piece of paper and a pencil to write "Team Rockwood" on it.

Well, I'm standing there waiting for them to come in and this woman comes over and says "I want to give you a hug first, before your friends" Turns out it was my quilting teacher, Janice from Stratford. I seems the girls had run into her in the lineup at Tim Hortons in Toronto Airport. Of course, they were telling her they were going to stay with their friend Sandy Denny. What a coincidence that they would run into the one person on the plane who knew who I was. Told you this was a small place!  So they had a great time chatting with her while they waited to get on the flight.

They also ran into Jeff Hutcheson from Canada AM and of course, they sent Fran over to chat with him too.  Apparently he was quite obliging but I saw him get off the flight and had this strange 'get me out of here quick' look on his face as he entered the terminal !

We got the luggage, made the long trek out to the parking lot, and made our way home. Before we left town, I called Brenda and suggested that she come over after supper and have tea and cake with us. We were a little late getting to the food so we hadn't eaten yet when she arrived. But she had Korean food for supper and was still a little hungry so it all worked out. We had our supper, and our tea/coffee and dessert and an adult beverage or two, before Caitlin came and picked up her mom and we all headed off to bed around 11:00.

If we're not careful, this COULD turn into a party!

PS- got an email from Scott Pollard with  a poster attached (it wouldn't let me copy and paste it in here)
but the bottom line is Chef Michael will be in the Guelph area participating in a local Chef event on June 25th

	Did I mention that June 25th is our anniversary??

Running late - check back later.

What a ride!

Conditions at 5:30 am: -12' and still VERY windy
Expected later: -9' but no more snow and the winds dying down

I've driven in lots of snow before but nothing like the white out conditions I drove through to get home last night.  From Mount Herbert to past Mermaid, you had no idea where you were driving. I've driven in whiteouts before but usually if you just stopped and waited for a couple of seconds, it eased up enough to see the road. That was NOT the case yesterday. You could just barely  make out the snow banks on the right side so you had to follow those and hope you were a) on the road,  b) not in the middle of the road, c) hope the snow wasn't too deep to drive slowly through and d) pray no one was coming the other way.  Once you got through Mermaid, it was considerably better, although quite slippery. But boy, what a ride! On the plus side, you also felt an extreme sense of pride in your accomplishments for having gotten safely through. 
Caitlin left town not long before me and she made t home safely as well. I called them when I got home to let them know I'd made it. It's very comforting to know that I have someone I can call under these conditions and let them know I'm on my way, and then again when I get home. That way there is a least someone who knows if I don't make it. I don't feel so alone out there.

Now I'm still hearing the wind howling and wondering what conditions will be like this morning.  It should end later this morning, according to the radio - lets hope they're right. It will be interesting to see if the school buses run today.

I'm so glad the ladies are not here and having to drive through that. It would just be too stressful waiting for them to get home.  One more sleep and they will be here. The weather should be nice for the next couple of days so that will be a good thing.

There's a fan appreciation night on Friday with some great local entertainment. Everyone has a ticket but me, as it's part of the package, but I called yesterday and you can still buy them individually as well. I went by the Civic Centre yesterday but it was too early  - the box office doesn't open till 11:00 so I will go back today sometime.

The next two weeks are going to be VERY busy, and I hope the girls have a good time.

Okay, gotta go. I still have a couple of things to do before they get here so I'm using all the time I have. That includes a bit of time in the morning.

What the heck is freezing fog?

Conditions at 5:10 am : -1' and freezing fog
Expected later:-2' and more flurries

I must say, freezing fog is not a term I've ever heard before. We received more snow yesterday afternoon and when driving home it was blowing and drifting around. We are due for more high winds today as well. When I got home last night the lane was drifted in quite heavily so getting in was not happening, so I just parked at the end and left it there and hope it's not drifted in too badly around it. Shoveling is a bit of a challenge but we'll manage.

I looked ahead on the weather network and we're getting another 10 cm of snow on Sunday (maybe). That should really add to the wall of snow running down the sides of the lane. It's beginning to resemble a tunnel. But March will be here before we know it and it will start to get better.

Everyone had theories at work yesterday regarding how I injured my wrist. The ideas they came up with were much more colourful than the real story. I asked at work if I could bring the shuttle home at night until my wrist is better, but was told no because of the liability. But, they did offer to pay half of a rental car with an automatic transmission so that's what I'm doing. I found a rental for $23.95 per day and will be picking it up today. I'm picking Brenda up at 9:00 in town when she's done her run, and she'll take my care back to her place. It will all work out. I have no idea where I would be without the assistance of the Van Gaal's. I really am fortunate to have them as friends.

The new reed for my loom arrived yesterday. When Sheila gets back I'll get her to help me put the parts on that I bought, and then maybe I can figure out how to use it. I now have three books (one on loan from Sheila) so hopefully I can figure it out. Of course, if she helps me the first time, then the info in the books will make sense.

Well, I'd better  get ready for work so I can go out and see just how messy it is outside. (It's also a slow news day and it takes ages to type this!)

Back to normal (almost)

Conditions at 5:30 am:-8' and some new snow
Expected later - going up to 0' by this evening and up to 5 cm of new snow

I'm going to try my best to do this but it's a tedious process.
I am back on the island and I must start with a huge thank you to my great friend Brenda. After I dropped her off yesterday from picking me up at the airport, I arrived home to a warm fire burning in the wood stove and a nice clear driveway. She had come by before she went to town and lit the fire, turned up the furnace and ensured my driveway was blown out. I am so grateful to her for that. Stepping into a nice warm kitchen was a very welcoming thing.

Well, we all made it through the week, and we managed to get everyone where they needed to be, most of the time, anyway. I also have to give Lloyd a huge thank you because I couldn't have done it all without a lot of help from him. 

It was great to get together with everyone. I hadn't seen Helen and Peter or Cathy since I left almost two years ago. I can't believe it's been that long already. Time flies when you're having fun!
My wrist is less painful and the swelling has gone down in the hand so the fingers work a little better but it's still a tedious process. 

For those who haven't heard my tale of woe, I was taking Meghan  to her dance class on Wednesday night and there was this ridge of ice along the outer edge of the walkway in front of the building. I went to step up onto the walk and my foot slipped and I went down. I had a book in my right hand and I guess I put the hand out to break the fall and with the book in my hand, it was on an awkward angle. I picked myself up and brushed the snow off of me, and we went inside. I knew something was wrong with the wrist but I figured it was just sprained. I sat inside while Meg had her dance class, then we went home, after a stop at the store to pick up a tensor bandage. When we got  home I put ice on it for a while then wrapped it loosely in the bandage to stabilize it before heading off to bed at 10:00. I woke up at 11:30 in a lot of pain and decided my days were much too busy to function well like this. So I got up and dressed and took myself off to emergency. I was really fortunate. I arrived at midnight, was exrayed at 2:00 am and home by 4:00 - the quickest trip ever to emerg in Guelph, at least for me. Turns out there are two small bones broken but not displaced so that makes it much quicker and easier to heal. It does make life a little more difficult here - just things like bringing in wood, shoveling snow, etc but I'll manage.

Tristen looks very proud of his big brother

James had a provincial speed skating meet this past weekend.  Lloyd was there with him for Saturday morning and I was there for the afternoon. Lloyd was there  for the morning yesterday as well. I got an email from Patti last evening with this photo of James and Tristen with the silver medal he won overall.
Congratulations James!  Well done.

Meghan missed it as she was at a birthday party at Guelph Grotto for one of her school friends.

A brief holiday

Good morning followers

Due to technical difficulties (a cast on my right hand) there will be no posts until further notice. My typing skills with only one hand are poor and it takes forever!

Island Grandma