Sunny Weekend Wanderings

Although I haven't posted for a long time, I'm alive and finally well again. I had a terrible head cold and a minor family emergency that kept me away from the keyboard, but I'm back with a spring in my step! But that's also because the sun is shining.

The weather has been quite cold, and we've had a lot of rain. Central NL had 30 cm of snow last Wednesday; and we're not out of the woods weather-wise yet! That's what happens when you're this far north and surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. It had been 2 weeks since I'd last walked in the sunshine, and my body spoke loud and clear:  my mood changed; my sleep patterns went off-course again; and I had more aches. 

Yesterday both health and weather were aligned; so I took a walk around Glenmill Inn Pond Trail with my youngest and her 2 dogs. Jack and Olive. 

Jack is 5 years old; he loves to walk and will happily move to the side and trot ahead of you. Olive is not quite a year old, so she was zig zagging in front of our legs (as she feels the need to physically touch her brother Jack from time to time), stopping to look up at us with love and gratitude, and bounding at the rustle of every bush. She also needs to explore every nook and cranny and is positively beside herself when she meets a new friend. The 3 km return trip had the puppies panting, tired and very happy at the end. Great! Now we can go sit outside with delicious foamy lattes while the puppies happily cuddle at our feet, right?

We brought our drinks to the table and took the dogs out of the car; but settle, they did not! Jack was determined to go inside the cafe. (He's a glutton for attention!) And Olive was overwhelmed with all the traffic noise, chattering people walking by and skateboarders. She bolted out of Libby's arms AND her harness and lead into the street! Thank goodness there was nothing coming and we were able to get her back to safety. Poor little mite was afraid.

When I took the dirty cups back inside, I indulged Jack and took him with me where he was met with lots of petting and chucks on the head. He was a happy dachshund! And I was an equally happy woman! 

(PS - Heavy rain and possibility of snow has been forcast for the next couple of days. Egad! You'll find me under the heat lamp thinking sunny thoughts.)

Weekend Wanderings

Although spring is very slow coming to western Newfoundland, the snow is melting. Friday night, my sister and I had one of our sleepovers -- a wonderful bonding experience that involves reminiscing, a few brewskies, lots of laughing and, if I'm lucky, a little girl-dancing. 

Imagine our surprise when several hours after our evening began we noticed this scene outside! Yes, that's a brand new blanket of white on trees and ground! It was very pretty but thankfully was gone again by mid morning Saturday. That's when Linda and I set off for an adventure day!

We drove to nearby Deer Lake and visited their wonderful Sally Ann. I found a really cute pair of black polka dotted pants ($4) and a  green depression glass plate ($2). (Not sure of the pattern though. Help!) We window shopped at a couple of other small shops; and then she took me out for supper before heading home again. 

Sunday was a bit of a cold day; so after making chicken veg soup and moose meatballs for this week's dinner, I spent the late afternoon reacquainting myself with "Westworld" because that evening was the season premier. It's an intriguing program!

And I had another day off yesterday because it was St. George's Day? (I don't argue with my ED when she says we have obscure days off.) The sun was shining and it was all of 11 deg C (51 F); so I headed uptown to another one of my favorite shops, the Bulk Food Store. 

Living alone means I use smaller amounts of everything. Instead of using the bags above the bins, I love using the wee spice bags and filling them with spoonfuls of chopped pecans, dried cranberries and the like. I hadn't been there for a while, so I had lots of fun walking up and down aisles and looking at new stuff. Look at these adorable colored bow-tie pasta! And yes, I eat a LOT of rolled oats. 

I was home by 3 pm; and at that time of day, the sun is around the side of my house and streams into my kitchen and living areas. I get rainbows on my floor and lovely shadows on my walls. After cooking, I lit the tea light under my patchouli scented oil and it was so tranquil and serene. 

Ahhhhhh! T'was a good weekend. Hope yours was as well.

S'up?

Today, I'm taking a page out of Marie's blog posts and copying her format for "The Simple Woman's Daybook".

Outside my window: It's a light day; the sun is up there somewhere behind the clouds, but at least it's not snowing again. Still, there's no snow on the roads or sidewalks, so I've been able to walk most days.

I am thinking: I may look for a local TOPS group to join. Blame it on my new laid-back lifestyle here in NL, on the lengthy winter and extremely cold temperatures, my aging body or my lethargy, but I've gained weight this winter and my wardrobe does not appreciate it nor will my pocket book be able to take it! In my 80% solitary life, I'm not able to police myself effectively, but I know that I always do better it if I have supportive people around me. WW is too expensive and restrictive (I don't do low-fat or low-cal or chemically calorie reduced stuff at all. Toxic!). And I lost weight was part of TOPS 8 yr ago with a friend; so it's worth another try, I think. [And I may meet more friends!!!]


In the kitchen: My favorite weekend meal was a pan of oven roasted veg (onions, sweet potatoes, carrots and peppers) topped with a broccoli/cheese stuffed chicken breast. It was so juicy and delicious. I'm also dreaming about the perri-peri spatchcocked chicken I plan on making tomorrow. (I think about food a lot; thought often becomes action -- hence my weight gain!)


Something to Watch: I found a great German series on Netflix last weekend called "Dark". It's dubbed to English; so even though that means it's easier to follow and you don't have to read subtitles, the inflections and such in the dialogue are a little bizarre. However, the story line, acting and cinematography is fantastic. It's a mystery that has a touch of the supernatural (but not scary); sort of like 'Stranger Things' or the older 'Twin Peaks'. Very addictive!


Corners of my kingdom: This Friday past, I got together for dinner with old high school buddies, some of whom I hadn't seen in 46 years. How wonderful it is to sit after that long and feel as if there have been no breaks in your relationship, to feel that relaxed calm that comes from spending time with a trusted friend. It was warm and fuzzy and so wonderful!


Then on Saturday, I took part in the annual Rehtaeh Parsons walk here at work to bring focus to cyber bullying and suicide. Progress is often long and arduous when it comes to women's causes. :(  But as the mother of 4 females and as someone who made it through the gropings and cat calls of the 70's, 80's and 90's, I thank God that I can be part of the new voices calling for respect and equality.

Good to Know: 

Speak kindly to yourself. 

Stay healthy! 

A Little Irish

I had a "craic" St Paddy's Day weekend. 

(Craic — An Irish word meaning a good time/fun). 

My youngest daughter treated me to a great pub lunch. She then fulfilled one of the requests I've made a number of times; she took me to check out the new mico-brewery in town, Bootleg Brew Co. 

I love beer! And I love trying new varieties. Never let it be said of me (proud Newfie girl that I am) that I let a nearby beer go untried and untested. 

We began by ordering that days "board" of brew samples. 

At 63 years of age and being a Newfie girl, I have a few pints under my belt! My tipple of choice is usually a rich, amber ale changing up to a more crisp variety in the summer. But being an exemplary mother and role model, I made the sacrifice to drink the darker beers and be satisfied with just a taste of the lighter ones. With the breakdown info close at hand, Libby tried the East Coast pale ale, the Squiffy Boy IPA and the Winter Ale. I tried the Winter Warmer spiced ale (which was quite lovely), the Fighting Irish red ale, an okay ale, and the Flanker smoked porter.

Fish burps are so ladylike!

I would never willingly throw out a drink that I'd paid for myself, so in spite of the "interesting" flavor of the Flanker smoked porter, I soldiered through. But trying to drink it without making a face was difficult. It smelled very smokey indeed -- not a huge problem. But past that first taste of smoke is the taste of smoked fish -- not a problem on a bread board with a good cheese and a few pickles or olives; but in a beer? Subsequent tastes did not improve. So, I drank my wee glass down quickly and was rewarded with an unpleasant series of "smoked mackerel" burps! 

"Moderately bitter, tropical
fruit & mango flavors".

One has to get the taste of smoked fish out of one's mouth, n'est pas? 

So, I choose to treat myself to a favorite from Libby's three. I bought myself a pint of 'Squiffy Boy' (Squif·fy - slightly drunk). I mean, who wouldn't want to try something with a name like that! It was quite delicious and satisfying. Yummy!

The happiness you see is
not JUST because of the
beer! I swear! 

Squiffy Boy lived up to it's name. After the first 3 wee glasses and my rescue pint, I could just slightly feel the effects of the drink. So, being a responsible adult (and still in my sacrificial role model mode), I decided perhaps a walk was in order. One of the entrances to my usual Glenmill Inn Pond walk was not far away. So, I took an hour and walked round the pond enjoying the 5 pm quiet and solitude.


The remainder of my evening was spent with my ole pal Netflix. My daughter Libby, on the other hand, being younger and having more stamina, went out with friends 'on the lash' (On the lash — to go out drinking.). When I called her Sunday, I wasn't all that surprised to hear her 'olagonin'! (Olagonin'— Moaning/Complaining). 

Ahhhh! The follies of youth!

(Stay tuned for more posts of my craic weekend.)

Happy St Paddy's Day!

I've only been at this job for a year and a half; and after two very busy weeks, imagine my delight at being told this morning that we have Monday off ..... for St Patrick's Day! Who takes a holiday for St Paddy's Day? Well, apparently the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador does; and we follow their lead (in this regard).

Hurray for surprise days off!

One of my daughter's was born on a St Patrick's Day, brought into this world in Halifax NS by an Irish nurse-midwife. How fitting. Unfortunately, we can't be together as she's thousands of miles away. But I insist on grabbing every opportunity to have fun and celebrate, especially as she's one of the greatest joys in my life. So, my youngest daughter and I will help her celebrate from a distance by dressing in green and going for brunch at a new micro-brewery in town. 

But no green beer for me! I prefer a nice, rich, amber ale.

I only adorn myself with the best St Paddy's accoutrements a la Canadian Dollar Store!

Sadly, I don't have a disco ball!

In the meantime, I will spend my long weekend walking, dancing (It's Friday Night!) and watching Netflix. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Church in the Woods

Contrary to what even I believed before I moved back to NL, most Newfoundlanders hate winter! Won't move out of the house because "It's too cold". "Well, it's winter!" I reply! So, in my attempt to Vitamin D myself as much as possible, I do my weekend wanderings alone.

Starting on Friday, I did a visit to my local Salvation Army store to buy more stuff that I don't need (but make me happy): like these great black flats for $5 and two new scarves at $1 each. 

My "steal of a deal" was this Le Creuset butter dish for $1. (If it hadn't been red, I would have left it on the shelf. But I do love red accents!) 

The next day as I was window-shopping at Winners, I came across the same butter dish for $24.95. Good deal, Sandy!



 I spent lots of time watching Netflix - a Xmas gift from my daughter and fiance. So much fun! Oh the joys of "Stranger Things", "The Crown" and "Hinterland"! I had a bottle of sparkling wine in my refrigerator since Xmas that was waiting for my sister to visit. It actually travelled across the Gulf with me from Nova Scotia. So, I reasoned that as it was early Saturday afternoon and I'd be home cleaning and puttering, I could certainly manage to drink the bottle over the course of the day. 

It was a most delicious bottle of wine! I can't wait to enjoy it again sometime. It had a delicious deep, rich, raspberry flavor to it. And as I wrote in my Instagram post, it was "sparkling, full-bodied and slightly bitter ..... not unlike the person drinking it!" 

Went down a treat as they say across the pond.

But my favorite part of the whole weekend was my sunny Sunday walk at Margaret Bowater Park again. I reversed my loop round Glenmill Inn Pond this time. It had snowed Saturday and the path was not as well trodden as the week before. But it was still very passable. I found this very patriotic boot print on one section of the path. Yay Canada! 

Then as I just passed the half-way point, I stopped to rest on a park bench. On my left side was the sound of the Corner Brook stream and the birds (so lovely). And on the right side of me, I could hear organ music from First United Church (even more lovely). I sang along with the hymn and communed with God there in the woods, thanking him for the beautiful day, my legs and lungs, and the latte waiting for me at the end.

Ciao!

Pondering 'n' Planning

Now that I'm a free and swinging bachelorette living the good (???) life here in Newfoundland, my weekends are my own to ponder upon and make plans. I have lots planned for my wild weekend!



Just like that time in Narnia, it's eternal winter here. So, there's not too far I can wander in sub zero temperatures. But it calls for actually sunshine tomorrow, so I'm excited to try out my daughter's snowshoes -- I've never snowshoed before. This is how I envision my snowshoe journey: I will walk up a very steep hill to reach the old railway line; pant and groan for a few minutes, clutching heart; spend several more minutes cursing (and appologizing to God) as I put the snowshoes on. I will begin to walk: lift leg high, put leg down, lift other leg, put leg down, go 2 more steps, fall on face, cuss, get up ..... and repeat this "walk" until I get to where the trail meets my back yard. Then I shall attempt to traverse the deep, deep snow in the back yard rather than go back the way I came. (I shall have the landlords watching for my return and provide them with plenty of rope in case they find me neck deep in said snow.) And that's the first part of what I call a good time.

As part of trying to curb my evening munching, I spent last night denying myself a slice of toast with peanut butter (as evening eating interferes with my sleep as well as being able to fit into my pants). I was successful in this denial only by pondering what was on the menu for my weekend gorgefest. 

Yum! Homemade burgers and home fries for tonight. And I have homemade carrot muffins with cream cheese icing. And I used the last of my sour cream and cream cheese to make a delicious Epicure Oregano/Chili dip last night .... which will be really good with those new light, crispy tortilla chips I bought. Then there were visions of teriyaki salmon with fluffy Japanese rice. And another mocha latte with biscotti (after all that snowshoeing). And did I see a Lindt chocolate bar tucked away in the china cabinet? And on Sunday, I'll make a big pot of spicy chili to go with my planned cornbread. OMG! My mouth is watering!





Does anyone else wax poetic in their minds about anticipated food?




Or am I just 6 cats short of being completely hopeless?

Things that Made Me Happy

Here are some of the things that fed my soul and made me happy this past week.

• My amazing hike Saturday 

Just a short 25 min hike up the mountain and I have this view of my city, Blow Me Down Mountains in the distance, and the beautiful Bay of Islands.

 Back down the mountain and across to the Corner Brook Stream and Gorge Trail. The icy cold stream at the top of the falls was a great place to stop for lunch.

• Making cherry jam:  Ahhhhh! So sweet and juicy with just a touch of lemon zest. 
  

• Weeding and watering the Community Garden with a few of the group. There's something about dirt under my nails that just makes me happy, even if my back is aching.

•  R 'n' R:  A fresh load of laundry on the line, a day with nothing ahead of me, and a cold Gin 'n' Tonic in the garden amidst the roses and birdsong.
  

• The return of one of my favorite TV shows. 

  

  Yep! It's Ed Sheeran just  hangin' out with Arya.
  
  

This is what truly makes life rich -- joy in the simple, mundane things of life.

Hope and Sweetness

We had an amazing day in Nova Scotia yesterday with lots of sunshine and melting and outdoor action. I joined the students for a visit to a maple syrup farm, Rex Veinot's Sugar Shack. 



There were about 80 of us in 2 school buses. My bus must have held the unofficial Brazilian boys choir because they entertained us the whole bus trip, there and back again. Personally, I think a LOT of these kids were so happy to be outside.

We began with a delicious pancake and sausage breakfast complete with all the pure maple syrup you could want. After breakfast, there was ice cream with maple syrup.



We then broke into 2 groups and half walked the 3 km return trip to the 1st sugar shack while the others got to see the process and finished product. The weather was perfect: it was sunny and warm and all around the snow was melting. Everyone was happy, even the kids with inappropriate foot wear. (Keds? Come on guys!)

These pictures show the old bucket and tap method as well as the new process -- lines from every tree being emptied into the blue tubs at sugar shacks where it then gets sent to the central "cooking" shack where the magic happens.

After the tour, everyone lined up for maple syrup toffee. Thickened maple syrup is poured onto clean, cold snow and you take your stick and roll it up. So sweet and so yummy!

And there was also lots of great product to buy:  maple syrup, maple candy, maple cream and maple butter -- soft, creamy, spreadable maple syrup.

This morning, the sun is once again shining which means a day of melting and a day to be outdoors.  But first, I can hear the stirrings of 2 little International mice.  The eggs are boiled, the bacon is sizzling and the biscuits are baking in the oven as we speak, just waiting to be slathered with maple butter. Um ummm!

And then it snowed again....

Yup! Like many of you on the Eastern Seaboard, I've just dug out from yet another storm, the 5th in the month of February! We've another one headed our way for Wednesday and another one for this weekend.  What are we gonna do with all the snow?

I took advantage of Saturday's sunshine and milder temperatures to walk .... to my local thrift store. And I had quite good luck: three new-to-me pairs of trousers, a skirt and this "little black dress":

It's a jewellery holder that I saw a few years ago but didn't want to pay the new price. $5 was a much better deal.

That morning, I baked a wonderful batch of Lemon & Candied Ginger scones for Valentine's Day breakfast. 

The storm hit early Sunday morning, and we were house bound until about noon today before the snow and blowing stopped and the digging out began. Today is a holiday for Nova Scotia.  So, with 2 days of mostly sitting on the couch, I've accomplished a lot: I've caught up on an HBO series, my hand-washing & mending is done; I've begun the actual quilting on my grandson's baby quilt; and the remainder of last night's dinner is heating in the oven for tonight - this delicious and very simple recipe for Italian Sausage Bake.

I've also lost one of my students today. My Colombian student is obviously used to much more preferential treatment than this Canadian Mama could give her. She requested a move last week because she "didn't like walking to school (15 min); had to make her own breakfast and school lunch; couldn't have more than 1 shower a day; couldn't keep the heat at 30 degrees in her room (day and night); couldn't stay up until 1 am; and didn't like that I sometimes choose to cook foods that Chihiro and I liked rather than her diet of meat and potatoes only." Really guys; NO vegetables touched that girl's mouth! Then there were other things like when she drank 3 litres of apple juice and 1.5 litres of orange juice herself within 2 days and I said there wouldn't be any more until I got groceries in 2 weeks; so she had to buy her own. Three tumblers of iced tea with every meal! And then there was  my telling her she couldn't fry anything when I wasn't at home because she used 3/4 of my bottle of oil in the first 3 days. (It's scary to come home to an empty oil bottle, grease all over the stove and the pervasive smell of "fat" throughout the house.) And I don't think she liked it that after a few days I decided to dish up the evening meals myself; that meant she got an equal share of the food rather than the biggest and best of what was prepared. There were lots of other issues; but despite the stress and aggravation I was feeling, I thought we'd work through them because of her inexperience. Yet when I was told that her agent wanted her moved, I was quite relieved. She was a very sweet and pleasant princess; but a princess she was indeed! And I doubt her new household will be much different than mine -- this is Canada and not Colombia.  

It's not often you get students like this. Most of the students who come realize what it means to immerse themselves in Canadian culture and the treasures to be gained in doing so. This poor little girl and her parents don't understand. And that's the really sad thing: not only will she miss out on a lot of fun and love if she continues this way but there will be no opportunity for growth or learning. 

Oh well! C'est la vie! 

Just me and my little Japanese chicken here in this coop. And what a treasure she is. 

Now, if only the weather would change it's "attitude" life would really get easier for me. 

But I've a feeling that as it's still only mid February, I need to change my expectations.