It's a calm 15' right now heading for a much balmier 26' later this afternoon, but the humidity won't kick in till later in the week.
Last night I spent the evening working on using the new food colouring paints Lloyd brought me from Ontario as well as the food colouring felt tip markers. I wanted to try them out on some scrap pieces of fondant before I attempt to put them on a cake. I've finally finalized the plan for Mike and Willow's cake and that's a big part of the project. Even though I had a basic idea, there were some changes Willow wanted to make so that made a difference in the overall design. But I think I have it down now.
The big challenge is the golden dragons and phoenix around one of the layers. But I've got that figured out as well. After trying the paint, I think it will be easier and look better for me to make the figures in a flat sort of three dimension and glue them on the sides of the layer and then paint them once in place. That way it will go on much smoother and I won't have to worry about mucking it up in the assembly. Once it's on I won't need to touch it.
The challenge this week will surely be the weather. It's looking to be very warm and humid later in the week and you can't really refrigerate the cakes once the fondant is on them but at the same time you don't want them subjected to too much heat either. But I'll figure it out.
So after a few texts yesterday, it was determined that Lloyd was indeed right, that Brenda won't be home until later tonight. They've had some great weather and some really wonderful experiences judging from the pictures she's sent via phone.
Also texting yesterday was Patti. She and the boys will be arriving sometime this weekend for Tristen's visit next week. Some timing details need to be worked out yet but we will work with them however they end up. There are several options for Saturday but we'll sort that out once we know who is going to be where, when.
Other than that it's a pretty quiet day. We were both pretty tired last night after a really busy weekend. A couple of small steaks on the BBQ and a salad for supper with fresh strawberries and the left over crepe filling made for a decent supper and the rest of the evening was just relaxing. Lloyd watched a program on his Ipad while I played around with my paint and fondant. Now it's getting down to the crunch and I need to get some solid planning in place to pull it all together for Saturday's wedding. Stay tuned for pictures along the way.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
Monday, July 9th - another successful Village Feast
It's a cool 15' this morning and we're heading for a balmy 24' later but no humidity to make it feel hot and sticky. From the looks of it the temperatures should stay around this level for the rest of the week - very pleasant when you read about weather conditions in the rest of North America. We really do seem to be living the dream this year!
Well it was a pretty packed weekend. Saturday afternoon we drove out to Borden to visit some cottages on the south shore. One of Lloyd's co-workers from Great Gulf was staying there with his wife and two daughters as well as another couple and their daughter. We arrived shortly after 5:00 and what a beautiful spot. The tide was going out and the three girls were having a great time digging for clams and checking out the very long expanse of ocean floor that was exposed. Meanwhile, the adults sat inside a very nice cottage and had wine and chatted. I'd not met them before but they were very easy to get to know and of course, Lloyd and John enjoyed catching up (although it has only been two weeks!). They've never been to the island before so they had lots of questions. While we chatted the two ladies got supper on the table and what a feast - we enjoyed a delicious homemade potato salad, tossed green salad, BBQ steak and lobster (again?). I had suggested that I would bring dessert, which was Strawberry Cream Cheese Dessert Crepes, made with strawberries from the neighbours.
What we didn't know was that they arrived on the island approximately 45 minutes before we got there. I was astounded that they managed to pull together this feast in such a short time. Well done ladies! It was a most enjoyable evening but by 11:00 we really needed to hit the road. Sunday was going to be a long day.
Sunday morning dawned clear and sunny, a perfect day for a village feast. We loaded up the pot and headed out about 10:00. Things were well underway by the time we got there. Rika, the volunteer coordinator had suggested we didn't need to arrive until 1:00 because we were both serving but because they were going to use our pot to cook potatoes, we arrived early. This was the fifth year and as a lot of the volunteers have been with the group since the beginning, it just gets more organized each year and everyone knows exactly what to do and what needs to be done. The documentary on TV about last year really helped boost volunteer numbers as well. Other than a few minor tasks, there really wasn't that much left to be done. I helped with the pizza's for the volunteer lunches and they were mighty delicious. They were cooked in the Speerville Flour brick oven, and take no time at all. They then used the oven to finish baking the bread for the meal. Lloyd was assigned to the beer tent, to sling beer and wine. Not a bad gig as it's out of the sun. I was on one of the serving lines and it was hot and sunny but a light breeze (sometimes very breezy) helped a lot, especially with the heat and smoke from the BBQ pits right behind us.
This year they sold 1200 tickets and as usual, it was sold out. It was a busy day, and by the end of it I was exhausted. My feet were very sore from standing in one spot for 3 hours, and I was hot and grimey so all I really wanted to do at the end was go home and have a nice long bath, and that's precisely what I did. All in all it was a great day, and already it's Monday, again.
Brenda has been texting me over the weekend. They are having a really great time out in Vancouver and I'm sure she'll be sorry to see it all come to an end. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it when she gets back. I know she arrives on the midnight flight tonight so I suspect most of today will be taken up with travel.
Well it was a pretty packed weekend. Saturday afternoon we drove out to Borden to visit some cottages on the south shore. One of Lloyd's co-workers from Great Gulf was staying there with his wife and two daughters as well as another couple and their daughter. We arrived shortly after 5:00 and what a beautiful spot. The tide was going out and the three girls were having a great time digging for clams and checking out the very long expanse of ocean floor that was exposed. Meanwhile, the adults sat inside a very nice cottage and had wine and chatted. I'd not met them before but they were very easy to get to know and of course, Lloyd and John enjoyed catching up (although it has only been two weeks!). They've never been to the island before so they had lots of questions. While we chatted the two ladies got supper on the table and what a feast - we enjoyed a delicious homemade potato salad, tossed green salad, BBQ steak and lobster (again?). I had suggested that I would bring dessert, which was Strawberry Cream Cheese Dessert Crepes, made with strawberries from the neighbours.
What we didn't know was that they arrived on the island approximately 45 minutes before we got there. I was astounded that they managed to pull together this feast in such a short time. Well done ladies! It was a most enjoyable evening but by 11:00 we really needed to hit the road. Sunday was going to be a long day.
Sunday morning dawned clear and sunny, a perfect day for a village feast. We loaded up the pot and headed out about 10:00. Things were well underway by the time we got there. Rika, the volunteer coordinator had suggested we didn't need to arrive until 1:00 because we were both serving but because they were going to use our pot to cook potatoes, we arrived early. This was the fifth year and as a lot of the volunteers have been with the group since the beginning, it just gets more organized each year and everyone knows exactly what to do and what needs to be done. The documentary on TV about last year really helped boost volunteer numbers as well. Other than a few minor tasks, there really wasn't that much left to be done. I helped with the pizza's for the volunteer lunches and they were mighty delicious. They were cooked in the Speerville Flour brick oven, and take no time at all. They then used the oven to finish baking the bread for the meal. Lloyd was assigned to the beer tent, to sling beer and wine. Not a bad gig as it's out of the sun. I was on one of the serving lines and it was hot and sunny but a light breeze (sometimes very breezy) helped a lot, especially with the heat and smoke from the BBQ pits right behind us.
This year they sold 1200 tickets and as usual, it was sold out. It was a busy day, and by the end of it I was exhausted. My feet were very sore from standing in one spot for 3 hours, and I was hot and grimey so all I really wanted to do at the end was go home and have a nice long bath, and that's precisely what I did. All in all it was a great day, and already it's Monday, again.
Brenda has been texting me over the weekend. They are having a really great time out in Vancouver and I'm sure she'll be sorry to see it all come to an end. I'm looking forward to hearing all about it when she gets back. I know she arrives on the midnight flight tonight so I suspect most of today will be taken up with travel.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Friday, July 6th - have I got an idea!
It's another overcast, gray day dawning with a chance of showers this morning. Right now it's 18', heading for 24' later. The afternoon should be sunny and humid making it feel more like 30'. Unfortunately we didn't get much rain yesterday at all, and we can really use it. We got some but no where near what was expected. Hopefully we'll get a little more this morning.
Okay, so yesterday morning we're driving to work through Mount Stewart. There's a little restaurant on the corner that's been closed down for a couple of years and it's for sale, for an amazingly low price. By the time I got to work I had a plan. There's already a restaurant in the village but why not a bake shop? The ideas swirled around my head all day long and I jotted them down on a piece of paper at my desk. I contacted the listing agent and made an appointment to go and look at it at 6:00.
When we went through town, she was already waiting for us. It needs some work to make it into what I imagine it could be and of course there is no equipment so that would also need to be acquired. But it really does have potential. Of course, when Lloyd picked me up at 5:00 and I said 'We need to talk", he had no idea what scatterbrained scheme I've come up with this time. The only trouble is there is already an offer on it that's been accepted but the person hasn't actually seen it. He's flying in today to look at it and will turn it into 3 apartments - which is crazy because it's not that big. But that's just my opinion. The agent suggested that we could put in an offer and if this fellow decides he doesn't want it then our offer would come up next as there was also someone else coming to look at it at 7:00 last night. The price is so good that I can't imagine he won't take it, just for the lot. But I guess we'll have to see. I'm a little disappointed because I had a great plan. But everything happens for a reason so I have to accept whatever takes place.
Meanwhile we're making plans for the Village Feast on Sunday. I had a phone call from someone on the organizing committee asking if we had a burner we could bring to use for cooking potatoes. I think the plan is to have lots with pots but that's a lot of burners for potatoes for 1,000 people, plus the crew. It doesn't look like the military kitchen is coming this year. I initially told Rika we didn't have one of those little ones but then we talked about it and Lloyd went out to fire up the lobster pot and it worked like a charm. So I sent this photo to Rika and suggested that we'll bring along our pot as well. It just means we have to be there a little earlier than planned on Sunday but that's okay. It seems kind of strange to not go until 1:00 when a lot of the work will be done. I haven't heard back from her yet about what time they plan to put the potatoes on but I expect I'll hear from her this morning.
Brenda should be in Vancouver by now. She was leaving yesterday around lunch time, stopping in Toronto and then flying out early in the evening. I checked the Vancouver weather and it looks like it will be pretty much perfect the whole time they're there - sunny and 23 or 24'. Can't ask for better than that!
We also received an email last night from one of the Great Gulf people who is vacationing here on the east coast. They plan to be on the island Saturday, Sunday and Monday so we're going to get together with them before they leave. Lloyd invited a lot of people from his old company, so we may be in for a lot of visitors in the next few years - and that's a good thing!
Okay, so yesterday morning we're driving to work through Mount Stewart. There's a little restaurant on the corner that's been closed down for a couple of years and it's for sale, for an amazingly low price. By the time I got to work I had a plan. There's already a restaurant in the village but why not a bake shop? The ideas swirled around my head all day long and I jotted them down on a piece of paper at my desk. I contacted the listing agent and made an appointment to go and look at it at 6:00.
When we went through town, she was already waiting for us. It needs some work to make it into what I imagine it could be and of course there is no equipment so that would also need to be acquired. But it really does have potential. Of course, when Lloyd picked me up at 5:00 and I said 'We need to talk", he had no idea what scatterbrained scheme I've come up with this time. The only trouble is there is already an offer on it that's been accepted but the person hasn't actually seen it. He's flying in today to look at it and will turn it into 3 apartments - which is crazy because it's not that big. But that's just my opinion. The agent suggested that we could put in an offer and if this fellow decides he doesn't want it then our offer would come up next as there was also someone else coming to look at it at 7:00 last night. The price is so good that I can't imagine he won't take it, just for the lot. But I guess we'll have to see. I'm a little disappointed because I had a great plan. But everything happens for a reason so I have to accept whatever takes place.
Brenda should be in Vancouver by now. She was leaving yesterday around lunch time, stopping in Toronto and then flying out early in the evening. I checked the Vancouver weather and it looks like it will be pretty much perfect the whole time they're there - sunny and 23 or 24'. Can't ask for better than that!
We also received an email last night from one of the Great Gulf people who is vacationing here on the east coast. They plan to be on the island Saturday, Sunday and Monday so we're going to get together with them before they leave. Lloyd invited a lot of people from his old company, so we may be in for a lot of visitors in the next few years - and that's a good thing!
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Thursday, July 5th - the humidity remains
It's overcast this morning and we should be receiving a lot of rain later - good thing because we really need it. It's 17' at 5:30 this morning and going up to 23' later but the humidity will make it feel like 30'. But I suppose we really can't complain. I saw that Toronto reached 36' yesterday and with the humidity it felt like 44'. Now that's hot. There's no breeze here right now but I'm certain there will be later.
This weekend is the Village Feast in Souris. I'm helping with food prep on Saturday afternoon and then with serving on Sunday. Lloyd is likely working on Saturday but he is available on Sunday so Rika tells me she's putting him at the bar with the other bikers. He'll really enjoy that, I'm sure. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. One year they held it inside the arena but it's just not the same as outside.
Brenda came over for a visit last night before she heads out to Vancouver this afternoon. She and Meghan will have a great time. They'll keep me updated on what 's going on. She's meeting up with Meghan in Toronto and they are going from there together.
The Dennison family has been busy. I received this photo of James from his dad. It would appear James went fishing, although I don't know where but I'm thinking Port Elgin. He did manage to catch a fish, after 5 hours. That's quite the catch, James! Hopefully he'll be luckier the next time he comes to PEI, now that Papa knows where to take him.
Meghan has also been busy. It looks like some strawberry picking may have been on the schedule and she's made her first batch of jam, with a little help, I'm sure. Well done, Meg!
The sign she's holding reads:
"Fresh Strawberry Jam made by Meghan"
Yum - can't wait to try it!
And lastly, I received this one from Brenda. It was taken out at the East Point Lighthouse on Father's Day. We took a ride out there on our bikes. I'm sure Bernie is pleased not to have to be looking after two women all the time now. You did a great job Bernie. Thanks so much for always being there whenever I needed help with something and I know Lloyd really appreciated knowing I was never stuck in a jam.
This weekend is the Village Feast in Souris. I'm helping with food prep on Saturday afternoon and then with serving on Sunday. Lloyd is likely working on Saturday but he is available on Sunday so Rika tells me she's putting him at the bar with the other bikers. He'll really enjoy that, I'm sure. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. One year they held it inside the arena but it's just not the same as outside.
Brenda came over for a visit last night before she heads out to Vancouver this afternoon. She and Meghan will have a great time. They'll keep me updated on what 's going on. She's meeting up with Meghan in Toronto and they are going from there together.
The Dennison family has been busy. I received this photo of James from his dad. It would appear James went fishing, although I don't know where but I'm thinking Port Elgin. He did manage to catch a fish, after 5 hours. That's quite the catch, James! Hopefully he'll be luckier the next time he comes to PEI, now that Papa knows where to take him.
Meghan has also been busy. It looks like some strawberry picking may have been on the schedule and she's made her first batch of jam, with a little help, I'm sure. Well done, Meg!
The sign she's holding reads:
"Fresh Strawberry Jam made by Meghan"
Yum - can't wait to try it!
And lastly, I received this one from Brenda. It was taken out at the East Point Lighthouse on Father's Day. We took a ride out there on our bikes. I'm sure Bernie is pleased not to have to be looking after two women all the time now. You did a great job Bernie. Thanks so much for always being there whenever I needed help with something and I know Lloyd really appreciated knowing I was never stuck in a jam.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Wednesday, July 4th - half way through the week already
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| The beautiful flowers on the orchid that Katie gave me |
The meat shop isn't open as yet. They had planned to open yesterday but they didn't have all the stock they needed. They spent the day prepping more product and getting more things ready. They hope it will be open before the end of the week as the ads are going into the papers this week. Lloyd was ever so pleased with himself as he learned how to de-bone an entire turkey so you are left with the whole thing in one piece, without any bones. At that stage there are lots of possibilities. It can be rolled and then roasted but in this case they will smoke it but I can see potential for future birds at home. When you can roll it you can then put stuffing in the middle and roast it like any ordinary roast. There was a poultry market in Guelph that sold rolled deboned turkeys and they are a dream to cook.
He's really learning a lot and very much enjoying doing it. It's such a diversion from what he was doing before and he looks forward to going to work each morning. I suspect that once they open he'll be working later so he's probably take the bike most morning until it get's too cold and then we'll have to figure out if it's worth it to take two cars or just wait for each other. He can have coffee in the morning before he starts and I can do the same at the end of the day. But that's down the road - as they say, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. The one advantage of taking two vehicles and me getting home earlier, is that I can get supper started and it's ready when he gets here, rather than ending up eating really late. But we'll see.
Last night after supper of smoked pork chops, and left over salads, we went over to Five Houses Road to weed the wee garden. Some things are doing well, others not so much, but it's all a learning adventure. I'm well aware that I planted the radishes too close together and they are quite crowded so I pulled some of the larger ones out so the smaller ones have room. So I suppose I can say I have the first harvest from my little plot.
The tomatoes are doing well as are the onions. The peas should be fine but I've lost most of the beans. Beets and lettuce are doing so-so but my cucumber and zucchini plants seem to be thriving. Jennifer next door, is getting another hose so that it will reach from her place to her garden and then she can water both of them. Fortunately we are meant to get some heavy rain tomorrow so that will make a big difference, as it's been so very hot and dry the past while.
On our way over there, Lloyd commented that he hadn't seen Richard since he got here. I reminded him that he's no longer on vacation and that things tend to be different once you are here working for a living! Socializing is no longer your number one priority. So after we finished the weeding we stopped in and had a little visit with the Anderson's. It sounds like they had a great weekend touring around the island with the top down. I have to admit I'm just a tiny bit jealous. It certainly was great weather for it. They said they sat and watched the bikes going across the bridge but they didn't see Brenda. I told them it was on facebook so they can check there. We had a lovely chat and it was 10:00 by the time we left.
Tonight Lloyd is going for his first haircut with Charmaine. I'll take him the first time and then after that he's on his own.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Tuesday, July 3rd - back to work day
This morning is quite overcast although there are a few holes forming in the clouds. It's 16' right now (at 5:00 am) but it's going to be a hot and humid 25' later, which will feel more like 29'. It would be a great day for the beach if we didn't all have to go to work That is, of course, unless you're a substitute school bus driver! But I'm sure she'll have lots to keep her busy today.
It was brilliant and sunny when I got up yesterday morning but then it clouded over severely and rained quite heavily for only a few minutes but just enough to take the edge off the visit to the beach. Once everyone in the RV was up they decided to just hit the road and see if they might be able to get to St. Andrew, NB. I see from the list of visitors that someone viewed the blog from Saint John, so perhaps it was them on the ipad. If that was you guys, welcome and have a safe journey!
Katie brought me a beautiful orchid. I'm not usually good with plants but she tells me they are extremely hardy and require very little maintenance. I hope she's right. Patti has one that's been sitting on her kitchen counter for a number of years so maybe that's true.
So after they left, Lloyd set about getting his smoker up and running. He had caught a bucket load of mackerel when he was out on Sunday and his plan was to smoke it. He began by mixing together a brine and soaking the filets in that for a while. Then he started a fire in the smoker, using some dried branches he'd trimmed off the apple tree back in the winter. Fish doesn't take long to smoke so before long we had some lovely smoked fish. He took half of it off when it was still quite moist and left the other half on for quite a bit longer to get drier. They are both tasty but one is definitely drier and smokier than the other. I have a couple of pork chops brining today that we'll try smoking tonight on the BBQ.
I attempted to do laundry but after the first load I ran out of water. It seems there's some sort of switch that's leaking so we called the local plumber. Lo and behold, he was here within the hour but the switch he put on was not a good one. He said it would be temporary until he can get another one today. Good thing because it doesn't work any better than the old one, except it doesn't leak. So after you run the water for 5 minutes, it runs out. Then you have to shut it off and wait a few minutes and then it goes again. Not so good for laundry or showers. But at least we have some water so it's not that big a deal for the short term. Hopefully it will all be fixed tonight.
We were invited to go over to visit some folks I recently met in Mount Stewart so we went over there around 3:30. Besides Roy and Barb, there were Roy's parents who were visiting from England, as well as an uncle and his wife who live in the Souris area. We sat out on the deck all afternoon and we were amazed that there were no mosquitoes. I believe that's because the entire mosquito population of the area lives between Websters Corner and Pisquid! We could never sit out on a patio all afternoon like that here. They were told there would be lots of bugs but so far they haven't landed in their yard as yet, and they are in the country surrounded by trees and you can see the river off in the distance. Don't know what the difference is but it's quite remarkable. We had a pleasant afternoon and came home around 8:00. Just in time to read a little bit then off to bed.
It was brilliant and sunny when I got up yesterday morning but then it clouded over severely and rained quite heavily for only a few minutes but just enough to take the edge off the visit to the beach. Once everyone in the RV was up they decided to just hit the road and see if they might be able to get to St. Andrew, NB. I see from the list of visitors that someone viewed the blog from Saint John, so perhaps it was them on the ipad. If that was you guys, welcome and have a safe journey!
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| The RV just leaving - Katie got out to take a photo at the end of the lane |
Katie brought me a beautiful orchid. I'm not usually good with plants but she tells me they are extremely hardy and require very little maintenance. I hope she's right. Patti has one that's been sitting on her kitchen counter for a number of years so maybe that's true.
So after they left, Lloyd set about getting his smoker up and running. He had caught a bucket load of mackerel when he was out on Sunday and his plan was to smoke it. He began by mixing together a brine and soaking the filets in that for a while. Then he started a fire in the smoker, using some dried branches he'd trimmed off the apple tree back in the winter. Fish doesn't take long to smoke so before long we had some lovely smoked fish. He took half of it off when it was still quite moist and left the other half on for quite a bit longer to get drier. They are both tasty but one is definitely drier and smokier than the other. I have a couple of pork chops brining today that we'll try smoking tonight on the BBQ.
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| The fish being smoked |
I attempted to do laundry but after the first load I ran out of water. It seems there's some sort of switch that's leaking so we called the local plumber. Lo and behold, he was here within the hour but the switch he put on was not a good one. He said it would be temporary until he can get another one today. Good thing because it doesn't work any better than the old one, except it doesn't leak. So after you run the water for 5 minutes, it runs out. Then you have to shut it off and wait a few minutes and then it goes again. Not so good for laundry or showers. But at least we have some water so it's not that big a deal for the short term. Hopefully it will all be fixed tonight.
We were invited to go over to visit some folks I recently met in Mount Stewart so we went over there around 3:30. Besides Roy and Barb, there were Roy's parents who were visiting from England, as well as an uncle and his wife who live in the Souris area. We sat out on the deck all afternoon and we were amazed that there were no mosquitoes. I believe that's because the entire mosquito population of the area lives between Websters Corner and Pisquid! We could never sit out on a patio all afternoon like that here. They were told there would be lots of bugs but so far they haven't landed in their yard as yet, and they are in the country surrounded by trees and you can see the river off in the distance. Don't know what the difference is but it's quite remarkable. We had a pleasant afternoon and came home around 8:00. Just in time to read a little bit then off to bed.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Monday, July 2nd - What a great Canada Day Weekend!
It's a beautiful sunny morning with 18' and the promise of 24' later, that will feel like 29' - almost like Ontario weather - but not really! We have a lovely breeze most of the time so it's never that really hot, humid weather that feels like 40' that Toronto has experienced lately. It is early in the year for us to have this kind of heat though. But we're not complaining. It's been a glorious long weekend.
Saturday morning Brenda popped in nice and early for a coffee before her exercise class (she knew I'd be up). After some breakfast it was in to town to drop off some garbage ( a whole trailer load) and pick up the vanity I'd purchased for the upstairs bathroom and then some groceries. (I had previously picked up the lobsters at the neighbours on my way home Friday night.) Then it was home to finish off the last of the tidying and cleaning of bathrooms, kitchen, etc.
Patti's friend Katie and her family - husband Joe, daughter Jessica and son Joseph - were arriving by ferry at 7:30 Saturday night. We drove over to Wood Island to meet it and had no trouble connecting. They followed us home and as they hadn't eaten yet, and neither had we, we quickly made some spaghetti and meat sauce and garlic bread. It wasn't fancy but it filled everyone up before it was time for bed. It was 10:00 by the time we finished eating and everyone was tired from a long day on the road.
Sunday morning dawned hot and sunny again, and as soon as the 'neighbours' in the RV were awake I whisked them away - some still in their pj's - to visit the spirit spring down the road. It really is an impressive sight and the mosquitoes really don't care how your dressed. I know that Katie and Joe will go home with a new appreciation for Ontario mosquitoes - I'm sure more than one conversation will start with "remember those wicked mosquitoes in PEI?"
They planned to do the Tip to Tip drive on Sunday but it was a little later by the time they got on the road so they only made it to North Cape and back. Of course I had told them to be back between 5:00 and 6:00 for supper so that may have factored into their day. The idea when they got home was to go out to East Point this morning to complete the tour, but further consideration during the evening dictated that perhaps this might be a better beach day. That only means they'll have to come back another time to do the eastern leg of the journey. They will be more than welcome at any time. It would be really fun if they came back some time and Patti and the kids could plan to be here at the same time. The kids all go to the same school and are good friends. This trip was rather spur of the moment for them coming to visit us but next time it will be better planned.
Before they left, I took the kids next door to see the new calf. On our way back we stopped to chat with Laurie, who mentioned that Frank has been fishing mackerel off the dock in Georgetown. When I got home Lloyd was on the computer just finishing the online purchase of a fishing license. I told him Frank was going fishing and he was across the yard like a shot. A few minutes later he was back, fishing pole in hand. He had lots of stuff to get ready before they left at 1:00. Now he knows exactly where to take James and Tristen when they come to visit. No stocked ponds for them - it will be straight to the ocean to catch some fish.
So now I have my work all done, and Lloyd's gone fishing, what to do! I called Brenda, who was busy making rolls, and we decided to go for a little bike ride. It was much too fine a day to waste not doing something fun. We headed out about 1:30 and took a drive into Montague, where we parked and sat on a sunny patio overlooking the river. I'd already eaten before I left so I just had iced tea and some ice cream while Brenda opted for the iced tea and some bruschetta. Then a rather scenic route home, one I'd not been on before.
I was just getting home when I heard a bike coming down the road and it was Bernie on the Indian. He was on his way from getting gas in Mount Stewart. He was wondering what Lloyd was up to but he was still out with Frank.
I was only home about 10 minutes when people started arriving. First Lloyd and Frank, with a bucket full of fish, came in and had a beer. Then Katie and her crew arrived shortly after. Brenda called to say they might be a bit late and go ahead without them but we were a little behind schedule as well. I tried a new idea for lobster stuffed mushroom caps and they turned out not too badly.
We were just getting the mussels ready to go into the pot when the Van Gaals arrived so it was all good! We ate our mussels in the house then took the salads and lobsters outside and ate in the tent - a little more room and no worries about the mess.
I'm sure Brenda has dishpan hands this morning from all the dishes she washed last night. By the time we got the dishes done it was time to head to Stratford for the fireworks. Brenda was left in charge of serving the dessert and tea so many thanks to her this morning. We piled everyone into the car and were almost there when they started so we didn't miss much. We found a parking spot right away and we couldn't believe our good fortune. After enjoying the fireworks, and a few bites from the city mosquitoes, (as opposed to the country ones) it was time to head home and get everyone to bed. Both kids were sound asleep by the time we got back.
All in all, it had been a great day for everyone.
Saturday morning Brenda popped in nice and early for a coffee before her exercise class (she knew I'd be up). After some breakfast it was in to town to drop off some garbage ( a whole trailer load) and pick up the vanity I'd purchased for the upstairs bathroom and then some groceries. (I had previously picked up the lobsters at the neighbours on my way home Friday night.) Then it was home to finish off the last of the tidying and cleaning of bathrooms, kitchen, etc.
Patti's friend Katie and her family - husband Joe, daughter Jessica and son Joseph - were arriving by ferry at 7:30 Saturday night. We drove over to Wood Island to meet it and had no trouble connecting. They followed us home and as they hadn't eaten yet, and neither had we, we quickly made some spaghetti and meat sauce and garlic bread. It wasn't fancy but it filled everyone up before it was time for bed. It was 10:00 by the time we finished eating and everyone was tired from a long day on the road.
Sunday morning dawned hot and sunny again, and as soon as the 'neighbours' in the RV were awake I whisked them away - some still in their pj's - to visit the spirit spring down the road. It really is an impressive sight and the mosquitoes really don't care how your dressed. I know that Katie and Joe will go home with a new appreciation for Ontario mosquitoes - I'm sure more than one conversation will start with "remember those wicked mosquitoes in PEI?"
They planned to do the Tip to Tip drive on Sunday but it was a little later by the time they got on the road so they only made it to North Cape and back. Of course I had told them to be back between 5:00 and 6:00 for supper so that may have factored into their day. The idea when they got home was to go out to East Point this morning to complete the tour, but further consideration during the evening dictated that perhaps this might be a better beach day. That only means they'll have to come back another time to do the eastern leg of the journey. They will be more than welcome at any time. It would be really fun if they came back some time and Patti and the kids could plan to be here at the same time. The kids all go to the same school and are good friends. This trip was rather spur of the moment for them coming to visit us but next time it will be better planned.
Before they left, I took the kids next door to see the new calf. On our way back we stopped to chat with Laurie, who mentioned that Frank has been fishing mackerel off the dock in Georgetown. When I got home Lloyd was on the computer just finishing the online purchase of a fishing license. I told him Frank was going fishing and he was across the yard like a shot. A few minutes later he was back, fishing pole in hand. He had lots of stuff to get ready before they left at 1:00. Now he knows exactly where to take James and Tristen when they come to visit. No stocked ponds for them - it will be straight to the ocean to catch some fish.
So now I have my work all done, and Lloyd's gone fishing, what to do! I called Brenda, who was busy making rolls, and we decided to go for a little bike ride. It was much too fine a day to waste not doing something fun. We headed out about 1:30 and took a drive into Montague, where we parked and sat on a sunny patio overlooking the river. I'd already eaten before I left so I just had iced tea and some ice cream while Brenda opted for the iced tea and some bruschetta. Then a rather scenic route home, one I'd not been on before.
I was just getting home when I heard a bike coming down the road and it was Bernie on the Indian. He was on his way from getting gas in Mount Stewart. He was wondering what Lloyd was up to but he was still out with Frank.
I was only home about 10 minutes when people started arriving. First Lloyd and Frank, with a bucket full of fish, came in and had a beer. Then Katie and her crew arrived shortly after. Brenda called to say they might be a bit late and go ahead without them but we were a little behind schedule as well. I tried a new idea for lobster stuffed mushroom caps and they turned out not too badly.
We were just getting the mussels ready to go into the pot when the Van Gaals arrived so it was all good! We ate our mussels in the house then took the salads and lobsters outside and ate in the tent - a little more room and no worries about the mess.
Happy Canada Day Patti and Greg - sorry you weren't here to enjoy it with all of us!
I'm sure Brenda has dishpan hands this morning from all the dishes she washed last night. By the time we got the dishes done it was time to head to Stratford for the fireworks. Brenda was left in charge of serving the dessert and tea so many thanks to her this morning. We piled everyone into the car and were almost there when they started so we didn't miss much. We found a parking spot right away and we couldn't believe our good fortune. After enjoying the fireworks, and a few bites from the city mosquitoes, (as opposed to the country ones) it was time to head home and get everyone to bed. Both kids were sound asleep by the time we got back.
All in all, it had been a great day for everyone.
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