As my alarm was going off, I could hear the wind howling outside in the dark - it's way too early for this. It's not really that cold - 15' that feels more like 13' but it seems colder because of the wind. Of course the bedroom window is open so it was nice and toasty under the covers. It's definitely beginning to feel a bit like fall. It might be wet off and on today and reach a high of 18' but it will feel more like 22' so that's not really so bad. Hopefully the weekend is nice.
Meghan (1) is visiting the island - she was due to arrive around midnight last night. Let's hope there's at least one beach day in there for her to enjoy so Welcome Home Meg!
No big plans for the weekend. Lloyd is going to an auction on Saturday morning that I considered going to. I checked out the website and decided there's not a single thing there that interests me so I'm going to work instead. I had asked if I could take Saturday off but we're short a couple of salesmen so it's better if I'm there. Not to worry - I'll still have Sunday and Monday. We have two functions at the Rec Centre this weekend - Saturday night and Monday night so we'll be busy that way. Other than that we'll just see what comes and what we feel like doing.
I talked to Patti and the kids the other night and Meghan had a great time on her birthday. She had three friends stay over so it was a busy place. Tristen's birthday is on Monday so he'll likely be at the cottage. They're heading out there today sometime. It might be rainy but James is planning to take his kayak and his fishing gear - just in case. Hopefully the weather cooperates for their last weekend of summer.
Patti picked up the sticker for Lloyd's airplane. The planes name is "Little Miss Guided" and he had found a tiny picture of a girl on a rocket of some sort. He commissioned Meghan (2) to reproduce it into a size that would fit on the airplane. She drew it and coloured it in and did a pretty nice job on it. That was taken to the sign shop but it still needed a bit of work. I've tried to insert a copy of it here but it's a PDF so it won't allow that. We'll have to try something else later.
Once it was done it was digitized and made into a sticker. I haven't seen the final product but apparently it turned out amazing. Lloyd had promised to compensate her if she did a good job - now he's happily going to pay up. He told her he needed an invoice so she sent one by email the other night - it's pretty cute and we'll certainly have to keep it. It's definitely scrapbook material.
Okay, on that note I'm going to sign off as I really have nothing else to report on - see you on Monday and have a great long end of summer weekend!
Friday, August 30, 2013
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Wednesday, August 27th - Greetings all around
A couple of belated greetings to go out this morning. First, a big Happy Birthday to granddaughter Meghan who turned 11 years old yesterday. I tried calling last night but they were either out or busy having a great time. I know she had some friends staying over so I imagine it was party central at their place last night.
 | ||
| The birthday girl enjoying an ice cream cone |
 |
| Looking a little more elegant |
 |
| The birthday girl in costume at this years dance recital |
Speaking of BBQ's, there's one out here in our area tonight. Only on PEI ! Our local MP, who has held the position for over 20 years, is having a free gathering at his house tonight. He lives just down the highway a piece. He's invited everyone to come on out and have a bit of fun, something to eat and just generally get together. One of tonight's guests will be the leader of the party - that's right - Justin Trudeau will be hanging out at Lawrence's house along with all the rest of the locals. Like I said, only on PEI!
Not much else going on. We were treated to supper at the VanGaals on Monday evening. Lloyd called and told me he was there, so supper wasn't ready yet - could I get something started when I got home? Not to worry, I knew just what to make - reservations at Brenda's! After he called, she called and suggested that since half of us was already there, I might as well join them. Made perfect sense to me. So many thanks for a lovely supper and a nice evening - again!
And finally - Patti, this one is for you. I was putting out the garbage the other morning and I actually noticed the label on the side - ( she'll understand and it will only make sense to her!) Have a great day!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Monday, August 26th - finally have my bike up and running
What a great weekend it was. Weather was coolish on Saturday but sunny so a pretty perfect day and Sunday was even better. This morning it's a cool 15' and we may see some clouds this afternoon bringing us 21' that could feel more like 25' so the humidity is still sticking around for a bit.
Lloyd and Bernie were up really early on Saturday morning to catch the first boat over to Nova Scotia. They had plans to attend a Challenger Fly-In event over there somewhere. It was quite late when they got home but a great time was had by all apparently. I had worked in the morning and met Brenda downtown afterwards. Maureen and Helena were meant to join us but it didn't work out, so it was just the two of us. It was pretty chilly in the shade so we had the restaurant move us to a table in the sun on the patio, which was also conveniently located beside one of those outdoor heaters. Perfect. There were several bands playing and it was a great afternoon. I left around 4:00 as I had a project on the go at home. Brenda came over later and brought a bag of mussels. We steamed those and enjoyed them with some wine - of course!
We watched a video later while waiting for the boys to get back but it seems they missed the boat they were racing for - an ages old island tradition - and had to wait for the next one. Needless to say we gave up waiting and Brenda went home.
Sunday morning dawned warm and sunny, just as promised, so we took advantage of the fact that my bike was now up and running. I've only been out once this year and that was just for about half an hour as my lights weren't working but thanks to Lloyd that problem has been fixed. We headed out to Cardigan, then
back country roads out to St. Peters and a stop for ice cream in Morrell, before heading home.
The bike rental shop in Morrell, where we got our ice cream, has some really funky tables and chairs made from old bicycle parts - perfect for the shop and made by a local welder with a lot of imagination. They were all different and pretty awesome.
What a great day we had. The VanGaals were busy later so our friends Richard and Daralen came over for supper. Fortunately they arrived in their convertible, which is apparently for sale. After supper we headed into town for some ice cream so I could take it for a test drive - just in case I win a lottery over the next several weeks! Unfortunately I had to give it back when we returned :-(
It was dark when we got home and we spent a fair bit of time just sitting in the car looking at the stars. It was a lovely clear night and nice to gaze at the sky like a bunch of teenagers - and yes Brenda, that was us who passed you like a crazy bunch of kids!!!- but you probably already knew that.
Patti and the kids were busy this weekend. Meg is attending a ballet camp in Toronto so she and Patti took the opportunity to go and see Cats on Saturday night. Meg loved it and it was especially appropriate as they're doing the same play at school this year. I'm sure her performance in the school version will now be very inspired. Patti took the boys back with her yesterday and they are planning to go to the CNE today while Meg is at camp. It looks like they took a bit of time yesterday after picking Meg up, to visit the CN tower and it looks like a great time was had.
One last note: I was talking to James on Skype on Friday night and asked if he'd seen the pictures of the chickens and how big they were. He pointed out that it's hard to gauge the size without some reference in the photo so here's a picture of one on July 1st weekend...
... and here's papa with one of them now...soon to be relocated to their new home - in the freezer.
Lloyd and Bernie were up really early on Saturday morning to catch the first boat over to Nova Scotia. They had plans to attend a Challenger Fly-In event over there somewhere. It was quite late when they got home but a great time was had by all apparently. I had worked in the morning and met Brenda downtown afterwards. Maureen and Helena were meant to join us but it didn't work out, so it was just the two of us. It was pretty chilly in the shade so we had the restaurant move us to a table in the sun on the patio, which was also conveniently located beside one of those outdoor heaters. Perfect. There were several bands playing and it was a great afternoon. I left around 4:00 as I had a project on the go at home. Brenda came over later and brought a bag of mussels. We steamed those and enjoyed them with some wine - of course!
We watched a video later while waiting for the boys to get back but it seems they missed the boat they were racing for - an ages old island tradition - and had to wait for the next one. Needless to say we gave up waiting and Brenda went home.
Sunday morning dawned warm and sunny, just as promised, so we took advantage of the fact that my bike was now up and running. I've only been out once this year and that was just for about half an hour as my lights weren't working but thanks to Lloyd that problem has been fixed. We headed out to Cardigan, then
 |
| Gas stop in Cardigan |
What a great day we had. The VanGaals were busy later so our friends Richard and Daralen came over for supper. Fortunately they arrived in their convertible, which is apparently for sale. After supper we headed into town for some ice cream so I could take it for a test drive - just in case I win a lottery over the next several weeks! Unfortunately I had to give it back when we returned :-(
It was dark when we got home and we spent a fair bit of time just sitting in the car looking at the stars. It was a lovely clear night and nice to gaze at the sky like a bunch of teenagers - and yes Brenda, that was us who passed you like a crazy bunch of kids!!!- but you probably already knew that.
Patti and the kids were busy this weekend. Meg is attending a ballet camp in Toronto so she and Patti took the opportunity to go and see Cats on Saturday night. Meg loved it and it was especially appropriate as they're doing the same play at school this year. I'm sure her performance in the school version will now be very inspired. Patti took the boys back with her yesterday and they are planning to go to the CNE today while Meg is at camp. It looks like they took a bit of time yesterday after picking Meg up, to visit the CN tower and it looks like a great time was had.
 |
| Hamming it up at the CN tower |
One last note: I was talking to James on Skype on Friday night and asked if he'd seen the pictures of the chickens and how big they were. He pointed out that it's hard to gauge the size without some reference in the photo so here's a picture of one on July 1st weekend...
... and here's papa with one of them now...soon to be relocated to their new home - in the freezer.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Friday, August 23rd - warm and sticky weather is on the way out - hopefully!
It's 19' outside this morning but feels much cooler than that. It's not raining yet but we are expecting rain today and only a high of 20' - a little more pleasant than the 29' we had yesterday. It was VERY warm.
Yesterday Lloyd spent the day out on the water oyster fishing with our friend Jackie. He'd been invited numerous times but just never took advantage of the opportunity. On Wednesday evening the two of us went for a drive up to Savage Harbour and toured around. At the wharf all the boats were tied up and no one was around so we spent a bit of time just enjoying the peaceful scene. As he was inspecting all the boats he remarked that he should call Jackie and go out fishing. I reminded him that Thursday was going to be a hot day so being on the water might be a good thing. Jackie returned his call yesterday morning and off he went. They didn't get back until around 5:00 so it was a full day. It was lots of work but I think he really enjoyed it and would like to go out again sometime.
Got this photo from Patti. The boys won the championship again this year - for the fourth year in a row! Well done guys. They all look pretty happy and proud of their accomplishment.
Not much else is going on right now. The Jazz and Blued festival is on this weekend. I've never been and Brenda and I were hoping to take in some music tomorrow afternoon but then I realized we have a wedding at the Rec Centre so I'm not sure that's going to be happening - too many things to do and not enough time!
Yesterday Lloyd spent the day out on the water oyster fishing with our friend Jackie. He'd been invited numerous times but just never took advantage of the opportunity. On Wednesday evening the two of us went for a drive up to Savage Harbour and toured around. At the wharf all the boats were tied up and no one was around so we spent a bit of time just enjoying the peaceful scene. As he was inspecting all the boats he remarked that he should call Jackie and go out fishing. I reminded him that Thursday was going to be a hot day so being on the water might be a good thing. Jackie returned his call yesterday morning and off he went. They didn't get back until around 5:00 so it was a full day. It was lots of work but I think he really enjoyed it and would like to go out again sometime.
Got this photo from Patti. The boys won the championship again this year - for the fourth year in a row! Well done guys. They all look pretty happy and proud of their accomplishment.
Not much else is going on right now. The Jazz and Blued festival is on this weekend. I've never been and Brenda and I were hoping to take in some music tomorrow afternoon but then I realized we have a wedding at the Rec Centre so I'm not sure that's going to be happening - too many things to do and not enough time!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Wednesday, August 21st - welcome home Lloyd
It's 19' at 5:15 this morning and we are expected to reach a high of 26' later that's going to feel more like 35' - okay, summers not done just yet. Tomorrow might be even warmer. What great beach weather for those still on vacation!
Lloyd made it home safe and sound yesterday. It seems he left or lost his phone somewhere. He got to Kingston, ON when he realized he didn't have it. He may have left it in Guelph or he may have lost it along the way somewhere so I had no idea where he was. When I got back from lunch yesterday I called the house to leave a message and he answered. He'd just been home around 15 minutes so that was good timing. I wasn't at work when he went by so he didn't stop in. A safe and uneventful trip - the best kind on a motorcycle.
I had spent the past week cleaning and organizing my pantry and all he could say was "Holy organized!" He was duly impressed. Now we just have to make sure we keep it that way.
After supper he went out to feed and inspect the chickens and check out the garden. Some things didn't grow and I didn't replant them, although I suppose I should have. But those things that are growing seem to be doing well.
The cabbages are filling in quite nicely. Something has been munching on the outer leaves but the inside seems to be doing well
We only had two bean plants so there were enough beans for one meal -
sorry Lloyd but you missed it
I thing I'm going to have lots and lots of tomatoes
The swiss chard is doing nicely - we've been eating some of that already - fresh out of the garden with butter and salt and pepper - YUMMM
The cucumbers and squash seem to be doing well too.
There are some things we'll do slightly differently next year but for our first time, we're pretty happy with it. There are also some onions and turnips. The turnips are still quite small but I may harvest some of those on the weekend and give them a try.
Lloyd made it home safe and sound yesterday. It seems he left or lost his phone somewhere. He got to Kingston, ON when he realized he didn't have it. He may have left it in Guelph or he may have lost it along the way somewhere so I had no idea where he was. When I got back from lunch yesterday I called the house to leave a message and he answered. He'd just been home around 15 minutes so that was good timing. I wasn't at work when he went by so he didn't stop in. A safe and uneventful trip - the best kind on a motorcycle.
I had spent the past week cleaning and organizing my pantry and all he could say was "Holy organized!" He was duly impressed. Now we just have to make sure we keep it that way.
After supper he went out to feed and inspect the chickens and check out the garden. Some things didn't grow and I didn't replant them, although I suppose I should have. But those things that are growing seem to be doing well.
The cabbages are filling in quite nicely. Something has been munching on the outer leaves but the inside seems to be doing well
We only had two bean plants so there were enough beans for one meal -
sorry Lloyd but you missed it
I thing I'm going to have lots and lots of tomatoes
The swiss chard is doing nicely - we've been eating some of that already - fresh out of the garden with butter and salt and pepper - YUMMM
The cucumbers and squash seem to be doing well too.
There are some things we'll do slightly differently next year but for our first time, we're pretty happy with it. There are also some onions and turnips. The turnips are still quite small but I may harvest some of those on the weekend and give them a try.
Monday, August 19, 2013
Monday, August 19th - a great Homecoming Weekend
It's a warm 17' at 5:15 am and we should reach a much warmer 25' later that will feel more like 29' = pretty much a carbon copy of what we had all weekend long.
It was a busy but somewhat relaxing weekend all round. Friday morning I was up bright and early to clean up my pantry. It's been needing it for quite some time and had become somewhat of a dumping ground. I have it all neat and organized again and hopefully we can keep it that way. When that was done I sat down to have some lunch and work on finishing a book I'm reading. The trouble with a book on an e-reader you really can't tell how far you are from the finish. I feel like I've been reading it every spare moment for over a week and I'm still not sure how much is left.
Late in the afternoon Brenda came by and we went out to Panmure Island to take some pictures at the beach for a project I'm currently working on. Just before you cross over the causeway, there's a little restaurant called Sand Bar and Grill. I had read an article about it in the paper at the beginning of the summer so we checked it out. It was really good and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We will definitely recommend it. It was a beautiful day and we had the option of eating inside or out on the patio so of course we chose the patio.
Saturday morning I was up early as I had a few things I decided I really didn't need and could put into the garage sale Richard was having. I arrived there at 7:00 and got all set up. It was another beautiful morning and we had some customers, although it really wasn't too busy. I sold a few things and made a bit of money but I think I spent all that I made on Richards stuff! Half of our proceeds were donated to the food bank so financially I didn't fare so well, but on the other hand it cleared some stuff out of the pantry - a win/win for us all. Richard had advertised his sale on facebook and among other things he promised was male strippers - he didn't falsely advertise...
I stayed there till noon then packed up and went home. I wanted to get some of the grass cut before I had to wander over to the Rec Centre for a wedding. I got the grass that's visible from the road cut so that was the important thing. All that was left was the back field by the time I had to come in and get ready.
We were done at the wedding and home by 10:00 - a full day.
Sunday morning was another one of those days - beautiful and sunny once more. I was up early and made some new curtains for my pantry and then read some more of my book. It seems every time I had a bit of extra time or just needed a bit of a break, I sat and read - not a bad thing.
Around lunch time Brenda and Bernie came by to pick me and my kayak up. Bernie was going to drop us into the lower end of the Morrell River and then pick us up at the next bridge. We did this trip a couple of years ago in the kayaks with Caitlin and Bernie in the canoe and it was a lovely trip.
This time was also quite lovely in spite of the fact the water level was considerably lower than the last time and we kept getting hung up on the rocks. We now know the meaning of the phrase 'still waters run deep' because that's where we needed to be - in the still waters. Some spots were fast moving and that meant lots of rocks. Brenda got lots of practice getting in and out of her kayak. She would get me pushed off the bottom and then get back in so thanks so much for that. It was quite a workout, that's for sure. But it was a gorgeous day and we were out on the water so it was all good - except we had told Bernie to pick us up at the second bridge in an hour, which turned out to be 2 hours and 15 minutes. He stayed on the bridge pretty much the whole time as he wanted to get a picture of us coming down the river. We felt really badly that we'd made the poor guy wait so long for us.
From there they dropped me off and I got back to work on some of the lawn. I was invited for supper later but I had already put something on to cook for supper and I still wanted to tackle my fridge, that badly needed cleaning out. I knew if I went out for supper it wouldn't get done. Can't believe I chose cleaning the fridge to a chicken supper and homemade blueberry pie. But in the end I was glad to have it done.
All in all a pretty good weekend. I talked to Lloyd last night and he's leaving on his bike sometime this morning to head back so he should be home sometime tomorrow.
It was a busy but somewhat relaxing weekend all round. Friday morning I was up bright and early to clean up my pantry. It's been needing it for quite some time and had become somewhat of a dumping ground. I have it all neat and organized again and hopefully we can keep it that way. When that was done I sat down to have some lunch and work on finishing a book I'm reading. The trouble with a book on an e-reader you really can't tell how far you are from the finish. I feel like I've been reading it every spare moment for over a week and I'm still not sure how much is left.
Late in the afternoon Brenda came by and we went out to Panmure Island to take some pictures at the beach for a project I'm currently working on. Just before you cross over the causeway, there's a little restaurant called Sand Bar and Grill. I had read an article about it in the paper at the beginning of the summer so we checked it out. It was really good and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We will definitely recommend it. It was a beautiful day and we had the option of eating inside or out on the patio so of course we chose the patio.
Saturday morning I was up early as I had a few things I decided I really didn't need and could put into the garage sale Richard was having. I arrived there at 7:00 and got all set up. It was another beautiful morning and we had some customers, although it really wasn't too busy. I sold a few things and made a bit of money but I think I spent all that I made on Richards stuff! Half of our proceeds were donated to the food bank so financially I didn't fare so well, but on the other hand it cleared some stuff out of the pantry - a win/win for us all. Richard had advertised his sale on facebook and among other things he promised was male strippers - he didn't falsely advertise...
I stayed there till noon then packed up and went home. I wanted to get some of the grass cut before I had to wander over to the Rec Centre for a wedding. I got the grass that's visible from the road cut so that was the important thing. All that was left was the back field by the time I had to come in and get ready.
We were done at the wedding and home by 10:00 - a full day.
Sunday morning was another one of those days - beautiful and sunny once more. I was up early and made some new curtains for my pantry and then read some more of my book. It seems every time I had a bit of extra time or just needed a bit of a break, I sat and read - not a bad thing.
Around lunch time Brenda and Bernie came by to pick me and my kayak up. Bernie was going to drop us into the lower end of the Morrell River and then pick us up at the next bridge. We did this trip a couple of years ago in the kayaks with Caitlin and Bernie in the canoe and it was a lovely trip.
This time was also quite lovely in spite of the fact the water level was considerably lower than the last time and we kept getting hung up on the rocks. We now know the meaning of the phrase 'still waters run deep' because that's where we needed to be - in the still waters. Some spots were fast moving and that meant lots of rocks. Brenda got lots of practice getting in and out of her kayak. She would get me pushed off the bottom and then get back in so thanks so much for that. It was quite a workout, that's for sure. But it was a gorgeous day and we were out on the water so it was all good - except we had told Bernie to pick us up at the second bridge in an hour, which turned out to be 2 hours and 15 minutes. He stayed on the bridge pretty much the whole time as he wanted to get a picture of us coming down the river. We felt really badly that we'd made the poor guy wait so long for us.
From there they dropped me off and I got back to work on some of the lawn. I was invited for supper later but I had already put something on to cook for supper and I still wanted to tackle my fridge, that badly needed cleaning out. I knew if I went out for supper it wouldn't get done. Can't believe I chose cleaning the fridge to a chicken supper and homemade blueberry pie. But in the end I was glad to have it done.
All in all a pretty good weekend. I talked to Lloyd last night and he's leaving on his bike sometime this morning to head back so he should be home sometime tomorrow.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Friday, August 16th - a double reason to celebrate today
It's a pleasant 15' this morning and we should reach a sunny high of 24' later that will feel like 28'.
What a great day! It's going to be sunny and warm and I have 3 days off in a row - how great is that? Today is Gold Cup and Saucer Parade Day. We get this day off instead of the first Monday in August like they do in Ontario. Last year we had to work on the Saturday which really messed up our long weekend but this year they've given us Saturday off as well - YAAAAAY!
It's also Will Van Gaal's birthday today, so Happy Birthday Will.
What do I have planned for my 3 days off you ask? My big task for today is to tidy up my pantry. It's become such a mess so I've taken everything out and will put it back today in some kind of order, hopefully. I know there's some stuff in there that probably hasn't been used since I got here over 4 years ago so maybe it's time for a few things to go. But guess what - friend Richard is having a garage sale at his office location on Saturday morning so I may just ask him how much he charges to put a table in his sale. I'll see just how much stuff I can get rid of - and no Lloyd, I won't touch any of the things you brought with you last year. I just need to thin out some of the small 'stuff' and organize things a little better. So that will be my big accomplishment for the day AND the weekend. My only other job is cutting the grass. The weather is promising to be really nice all weekend so that shouldn't be a problem. But you just never know what plans may crop up. We have a wedding at the Rec Centre on Saturday so that will take up the evening portion of the day.
I talked to Lloyd on Wednesday evening and his plane inspection went very well. There were a couple of little minor things that he needs to do but nothing serious. He's pretty pleased with how it's all turned out and I know he's really proud of his accomplishment in finally getting it finished. I had a brief chat with one of his airport buddies the other night and you can just tell they all feel a real sense of ownership with this project and they're all pretty proud of the result.
Other than that not much going on, so have a great long weekend everyone here - have a nice day at work if you're in Ontario! I'm off to clean and organize - wish me luck!
What a great day! It's going to be sunny and warm and I have 3 days off in a row - how great is that? Today is Gold Cup and Saucer Parade Day. We get this day off instead of the first Monday in August like they do in Ontario. Last year we had to work on the Saturday which really messed up our long weekend but this year they've given us Saturday off as well - YAAAAAY!
It's also Will Van Gaal's birthday today, so Happy Birthday Will.
What do I have planned for my 3 days off you ask? My big task for today is to tidy up my pantry. It's become such a mess so I've taken everything out and will put it back today in some kind of order, hopefully. I know there's some stuff in there that probably hasn't been used since I got here over 4 years ago so maybe it's time for a few things to go. But guess what - friend Richard is having a garage sale at his office location on Saturday morning so I may just ask him how much he charges to put a table in his sale. I'll see just how much stuff I can get rid of - and no Lloyd, I won't touch any of the things you brought with you last year. I just need to thin out some of the small 'stuff' and organize things a little better. So that will be my big accomplishment for the day AND the weekend. My only other job is cutting the grass. The weather is promising to be really nice all weekend so that shouldn't be a problem. But you just never know what plans may crop up. We have a wedding at the Rec Centre on Saturday so that will take up the evening portion of the day.
I talked to Lloyd on Wednesday evening and his plane inspection went very well. There were a couple of little minor things that he needs to do but nothing serious. He's pretty pleased with how it's all turned out and I know he's really proud of his accomplishment in finally getting it finished. I had a brief chat with one of his airport buddies the other night and you can just tell they all feel a real sense of ownership with this project and they're all pretty proud of the result.
Other than that not much going on, so have a great long weekend everyone here - have a nice day at work if you're in Ontario! I'm off to clean and organize - wish me luck!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)