Wednesday, October 12th - Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Weekend, however you spent it

Well, that was a thanksgiving to remember!  After a beach day on Saturday (for some folks, anyway) with the humidex into the high 20's we were treated to the remains of Hurricane Matthew on Monday. Very strong winds, and copious amounts of rain for most of the day and well into the night.

We were very glad that the pens had finally been installed in the barn and the goats all spent their first night inside on Sunday night. Needless to say they stayed inside all day Monday. It was a wonderful sight to see Monday afternoon when I went out to check on things. The lights were on inside and the goats were all just lying down content in their own spaces.  You could hear the rain beating against the tin roof and the wind howling but inside the barn was nice and  cozy. There are a few spots that still need to be made weather tight but for the most part they were pretty happy little campers.

All in all it had been a pretty busy weekend. I had Saturday off so we spent the first part of the day

finishing off the floor in the barn, so Lloyd could continue with the pens. Meanwhile I spent the afternoon bottling honey. Lloyd had finally come up with a plan that worked, for spinning the honey out of the frames without destroying the wax honeycombs. In total we gathered and jarred approximately 56 pounds of honey. That was just from one section of each hive. The rest is staying in the hives for the bees to use over the winter.  This was the first year we actually got any honey so it was pretty exciting.  (I know, it obviously doesn't take a lot to make us happy!)

Sunday was busy baking cupcakes. We had a benefit to go to on Sunday evening and I decided to bake some special cupcakes to raise some money at the event. I made three different kinds.

By all accounts they were a success. I had thought they were having a cake auction but in the end I think they raised more money by selling them individually.  Brenda, Meghan and Caitlin came over to help with the final assembly and packaging on Sunday afternoon so it was a great time.






The hamburger and fries cupcakes were a big success. It was a lot of work but with great help it was fun to put them all together. I just realized tonight we should have had wine to sip while we worked but then they might have turned out a little wonky. In the end the extra effort was worth it.

A thin brownie sandwiched between the two halves of a large white cupcake  

looked for all the world like a hamburger. 

 Rolled fondant cheese slices. lettuce and tomatoes with buttercream mustard

 A few sesame seeds sprinkled on top with a toothpick completed the look

 Pound cake slices with red piping gel filled our baskets.

  A final wrapping and they were ready for the sale.  

All in all it was an interesting experiment in cake creativity.

We had some friends over for lunch mid afternoon on Monday and it was terrible out. Just as we finished eating, Lloyd received a call that his plane was bouncing around a lot, as it was tied outside at the airport in Charlottetown.  He and Jens took a trip into town to find things not so bad. A bit of damage to the plane but at least it wasn't flipped over or anything traumatic like that. We lost power  around 6:30 when I had just finished the dishes. It came back on briefly at midnight then went out again until sometime in the early morning hours.  But Tuesday morning the sun came out and the winds died down so I think we fared rather well. I heard on the news that parts of Cape Breton and Newfoundland were badly battered and flooded so we were pretty lucky.



The Dennisons were hosting Thanksgiving dinner at their house this year. A few text messages were sent back and forth as well as this picture of Tristen making a cherry pie for dessert. I think we have our next junior chef in the making.  They're planning on coming down for a few days after Christmas so I've told him he's on pie duty! He did the pastry all by himself as well as crimping the edges of the crust. Well done, T!

Which leads us to our weekly feature of

Where in the world is Patti?

After hosting thanksgiving dinner, she was off to Japan and sent me these photos from Yokohama, a suburb of Tokyo:

Her hotel lobby

The view of the city from her hotel room - not quite the view we see in tourist photos.
 I imagine you have to get away from the cities to see the tranquil beauty
that we westerners have come to associate with Japan.

Food, food ...

...and more food - yum!

As Patti noted, it seems some things are universal...I
wonder if their menu looks the same as the western worlds

It was a surprise to learn they celebrate Halloween in Japan

And of course, no trip to Japan is complete without a visit to the 100 yen store
 (Japan's version of our dollar stores) I wonder, is everything in their stores made in China?

Tuesday, October 4th - it was a delicious week!

As the annual Fall Flavours festival comes to a close, we decided to take in one of the signature events.

Thursday evening was the Great Big BBQ held at the PEI Brewing Company and hosted by Chef Mark McEwan (we've eaten at one of his restautants in Toronto, North 44 and it was wonderful)

We arrived at the brewing company a little before 6:00 and the place was hopping already.  Music was playing and drinks were being handed out as we entered.  Always a good start to an evening. Once the main doors inside opened, we were greeted to a bevy of food stations with tantalizing offerings for all tastes.




Items on the menu included:

PEI Seafood Chowder (that was really awesome)

Lobster Poutine

Glasgow Glen Farms’ Grilled Cheese topped with smoked salmon

PEI Brewing Company Wood Fire Pizza

Island Striploin with Lobster Bearnaise and Marinated BBQ Veggie Kabobs

Island Beef Burger (ate it before getting a photo)

‘Campfire’ S’More

Freshly Shucked PEI Oysters

Featuring an Island-Style Pig Roast

There was a pig roasting on a spit just outside the doors and that was served up on buns later in the evening.

All in all it was a really great evening. I even had a chance to chat with Chef McEwan. We told him about our  efforts to raise our own meat, eggs and make our own cheese. He congratulated us on actually doing what so many people think they would like to do but never actually do. He called us pioneers. Not sure I would go that far but it was nice to have someone like that who really appreciates and knows great food applaud our efforts, however feeble they may seem at times.

The rest of the week was not without it's surprises. I was sitting at my desk on Wednesday afternoon and who pulls up in front of the store but SANTA. He got out of his car and came inside with treats for everyone.  He and his assistant were visiting from the Delta promoting their locations Christmas parties.  I suppose it's not too early to be thinking about those kinds of decisions. But it was 17' and sunny on Friday  and I was able to drive the Miata home with the top down, so no, I'm not yet ready to think about snow!

Because she's often away in some foreign location, I'm adding a new segment each week called 

"WHERE IN THE WORLD IS PATTI?"

Those of up who are left behind can travel vicariously through her! 

This weeks location features a lamp that she purchased last week while in Istanbul, Turkey.  It's really quite lovely and a little different from anything we'd see here. It looks quite nice on the table in her living room

That was last week. This weekend she was in London and took the opportunity to visit the outdoor market on Portobello Road.  She says even though it was raining she really enjoyed it. So much so that she may go back before Christmas to do some holiday shopping!

Raining, in London - really??

Okay, now you're making me hungry!

Looking more like spring than fall.

So that's where old sewing machines go to die...

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The past weekend turned out to be just gorgeous.  Friday and Saturday were both  sunny and warm and I was able to drive home with the top down. Now, I'm not a big fan of the whole selfie craze (I've always hated getting my photo taken) but I just couldn't resist. Anytime after the first of October that I can drive topless is a bonus!!!



And the fun just continued into Sunday. The morning started out cool and overcast but Brenda and I braved the elements anyway and headed into town. After a couple of errands we met up with Meghan and wandered over to enjoy Farm Day in the City. The sun came out and it was a beautiful day. We worked up a thirst and an appetite so wound up on the patio at Fishbones.  A great way to end the week, with good food, wonderful weather and great friends!

Tuesday, September 27th - some things are not meant to happen on PEI...

Well, last week was somewhat eventful.

We had our annual 3 day special sale at work last Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. For me that means working through lunch and staying till 6:00 each night. It was very busy and I'm really glad it's over. Fortunately it didn't coincide with tire changing season, although we did have a couple of people off on vacation so at times it was a bit of a challenge.

Wednesday, the last morning of the sale, things were turned a bit upside down here on the island. A bomb threat was reported to the RCMP in Ottawa, apparently, and it required the evacuation of all schools from tip to tip.  The kids were sent home for the day while it was being investigated. Fortunately it turned out to have no basis, but still a bit unsettling. More so I suppose for those children who have arrived from war torn countries. I know this can now happen anywhere but we're just not used to that sort of thing out here.

 Really, what goes through some peoples minds sometimes. It brought back memories of a similar stunt when I was in Timmins many years ago.  A bomb threat was called into the local hospital on a Saturday night during some fairly miserable winter weather. I happened to be dining with the manager of the larger mall, who was good friends with the manager of the smaller mall, which was located right across the street from the hospital. As soon as we heard we all rushed out to the downtown mall to help in what ever way we could. Patients were being evacuated across the street to the mall as it was the closest place and it was after hours so there were no shoppers in attendance.

I will never forget the sight of nurses wheeling incubators with premature babies in them across the street in the snow and dark. What kind of sick mind allows this to happen? In the end it turned out to be someone who had a disagreement with a worker in a government office, which had also received a bomb threat a couple of days earlier. Fortunately they were idle threats but the trouble it caused everyone was immense.

On a happier note, we have our first egg!!!

It's quite small, but a good first attempt!  We should be getting more over the next little while. It doesn't seem so long ago they were tiny little balls of fluff and now they are starting to lay eggs.  Nice fresh eggs every day will be a treat worth waiting for.

We enjoyed the company of the VanGaals on Sunday evening. I had made a pan of lasagne with some of Lloyd's fresh ricotta cheese so it was only fitting we should share. Especially as it was Bernie's birthday on Saturday. We  also enjoyed pumpkin pie made with the pumpkins that were the centrepiece last weekend!  An early supper was enjoyed before we chased Lloyd off to bed.

I received an email from Patti regarding her most recent excursion to Turkey:

 There was a group of us that went for dinner in Istanbul and a guy came to our table while we were having a drink and was selling these bobble head dogs straight out of the 1970's. The relief pilot, who was about 23 years old, decided to buy one. He put it on the "dash" of the airplane and the pilots decided it would be our new turbulence monitor. When his head bobbles, it's time to turn the sign on. When he stops, you can turn the sign off. I should have bought one for Lloyd's plane!

Don't let anyone tell you this particular airline isn't at the forefront of advanced technology! No point in making things more complicated than they need to be...

Tuesday, September 20th - it's been a lovely last week of summer

Our weather has stayed relatively mild with a fair bit of sun. We have some visitors from Ontario, our friends Linda and Joyce. They were able to enjoy a few days of golf as well as some sight seeing in spite of a couple of  cloudy wet days.

Lloyd was wanting to try his hand at a traditional Portuguese meal to serve to our neighbours who were so gracious to host him in Terciera.  He researched, shopped, prepped and by all accounts it was a success. It made sense to do it while the two ladies were here from Ontario so it was a chance to set up the big table.

First you start with a standard size table,  too small for 8 people and LOTS of food. 

Move it into the living room, after re-arranging the furniture in there 

Add some plywood and a few temporary legs, dress it up and voila!

Much more comfortable than crowded around the table in the kitchen.  I'd love to be able to turn the living room into a permanent dining room but I still haven't won that lottery yet to allow me to expand the house!

Besides golfing, the girls enjoyed an evening with Lenny Gallant and tonight they are attending "A Matter of Heart" a Stan Rogers musical event, before they fly back to Toronto tomorrow morning.

They had requested to stay in the bunkie while they were here and that's exactly what they did. Hopefully they found it somewhat comfortable.  They could sleep as late as they liked and I could make as much noise as I wanted early in the morning - a win for all concerned.

While we were busy eating, and eating, and more eating, (with the occasional glass of wine thrown in)   James was busy at the Guelph Scottish Festival. Here he is (front row, left) piping with the band...
It's a blurry but we know it's him.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14TH - A colourful walk in the woods

It was a fairly quiet week. A little bit of stuff got done around the place. The barn now has all it's doors. The big door was put up on Saturday with some help from friend Jens. Many thanks, I know I wouldn't have been much help with a door that's 10 feet wide!.

It still needs to be finished on the outside but at least it's finally in place. 

Eddie now has his own permanent home and is quite liking it. The chickens also have new laying boxes installed as they should start laying eggs soon.

Sunday afternoon, Brenda suggested we take a walk in the woods as it's been quite a while since we'd done that and the bugs didn't seem too fierce.  We just did one part of the trail that's 2 km's but it's up and down hills and quite a rugged path in spots. I was amazed at the number of mushrooms we saw - they were everywhere. There were many varieties, some almost as big as dinner plates.  I even found what I thought might be a chanterelle.  I checked online when I got home and I'm pretty sure that's what it is. Should go back and look for more, they are SOOOO delicious.

The forest floor was littered with many kinds of mushrooms, all different shapes and sizes

Besides mushrooms, we came across several varieties of berries growing on different plants. Neither of us had any idea what any of them might be, but I'm sure we can find out.

The end of the trail with my one lonely little mushroom!

Last week was the first week of school for our kids in Ontario.  I think all went well. I received a this picture of Meg with her friends pumped for their first day of grade 9!

I also got a call at the end of the day from Tristen who says his teacher wants to know if I can come and give his class a cooking lesson. I told him I'd see what I can do when I go up for Meg's dance recital in the spring.  I can only imagine the stories he told about his visit to the island, when he got back to school.  There was definitely some lessons on where our food comes from, that's for sure'

Tuesday, September 6th - wasn't that a party?

Hope everyone had a really great labour day weekend.

With three birthdays in one week, it was a pretty busy time at the Dennison household.
The family went go-carting for T's birthday.

 Loving the colour of Meg's car

 Watch out T, James is BRUTAL on the track. Take that from someone who has 

first hand experience, and that was a number of years ago

Tristen and his friends digging into cake ... for breakfast?

One of T's birthday gifts was an indoor s'more maker.

He was quite proud of the fact that he now has a kitchen

gadget that Grandma DOESN'T have! Guess we'll have to 

nickname him the Gadget KING!

Meghan and her friends at The Bread Board in Guelph 

for her birthday celebration

It was a pretty uneventful week, just working away at jobs that need done before fall. I worked on Saturday morning and there was this very peculiar sky. I had to take some pictures.

If you looked to the west of the dealership, this is what the sky looked like - lovely.

Standing in the same spot and looking to the east, this is what I saw..

And standing in front of the building, this is what the sky looked like where the two met...

... a very strange sight indeed.

But apart from that crazy looking sky on Saturday, the rest of the weekend was beautiful. Warm and sunny throughout.  It was mostly a work weekend, although we did have supper with our friends Jens and Linda on Sunday evening. A couple of tea breaks with Brenda also helped break things up a bit. The wood is slowly getting done and there is at least one door on the barn. By the end of the week, there should be another. Then we need lights in there as the days are getting increasingly shorter each week.  

Happy First Day of School everyone   - especially those heading off to high school for the first time!