Cottage Highlights

As promised, here are some pictures and highlights from my vacation week at the cottage:

My birthday dinner, celebrated with as many family as could be there. (The best way to celebrate family, in my opinion!). Truth is, it's not just a celebration of my birthday, but all the July birthdays and anniversaries in the family - there are many in July. But I got to pick the cake: a Lime Coconut Cheesecake. Thanks, Mom!


My very first pedicure. I don't usually go for frivolous things like pedicures, but it was one of those things I'd always been curious about. It was fun, and I was pleased with the end result. It's not something I'll do very often; the price is a bit hard to justify.

Peace and quiet with only the sound of birds, the occasionally plopping of fish jumping in the water, the wind through the trees.

Perfect spot for hulling straberries, eh?

 Gorgeous sunsets that never disappoint.(Click for larger images)

And the best seat in the house

There were also some stunning sunrises...though, admittedly, I missed the first few. 

 

I went for a few bike rides, to check out a couple spots I had never been on the other side of the lake. Like this old cottage.

There was some "communing with nature", mostly in the form of spying on a bunny that frequented the lawns around the cottage, and pestering a very large (bull?) frog under the wharf. Seriously, this frog didn't even blink at us for a good few minutes. It wasn't until we "tickled" *giggle giggle* it with a stick that it actually moved. And, yes, we are grown-ups. I couldn't bring myself to actually try to grab it; I'm okay with the baby frogs, but the big ones make me shudder!

There was also a rescue mission (well, for my mom, not me): to rescue a baby bird from certain doom where it was in the middle of the dirt road. Mom figured it had fall from his nest, and that the nest was nearby given that the parents were flying around mimicing broken-wings. We searched for the nest but couldn't find it. Also, we think the birds were yellow-bellied warblers.

There was a whole lot of reading on the porch swing, and knitting whilst watching long period dramas. Very few photos of those activities.:) And there was a visit from friends, during which we had a spectacular thunder and lightning storm. Our power went out for about 6 hours and the lightning lasted for at least 2 hours (started around 10pm, ended around 12:30am). Taking photos of lightning over the lake proved difficult, but I did get a pretty great video which is about 8mins of me narrating the storm. If you're interested, here it is.

I'm already looking forward to next year's stay at the cottage. Or, maybe, with a little arm-twisting, I can squeeze another weekend in before the summer is over?

Thank you Queen Victoria!

....for the long weekend!
It was a glorious one! We had perfect weather all three days, and I did my best to take advantage of it.

On Saturday, R. and I went to Mahone Bay. We took the long route, Hwy #3, and made a few stops along the way. As it turned out Mahone Bay was hopping this weekend due to the Mussel Festival (who knew?!), but we still managed to find the a super quiet spot to enjoy a delicious picnic lunch of brie + artisan bread + tomatoes and carrots.

The neighbours were very quiet, needless to say!...but we enjoyed their company, particularly Sophia's.
Mahone Bay really is a perfect daytrip for a sunny Saturday. I wish I had taken more photos. It's such a pretty little town. We wandered through some of the shops. I had gone with an idea of finding a pair of shoes at the Mahone Bay Trading Co., but didn't find what I was looking for. It's a little surprising that in this tiny little town, you'll find a HUGE shoe store. It's largest shoe store stocking Clark's I've ever been in (even in Toronto!). All I bought in Mahone Bay was an ice cream (from a new ice cream shoppe and was having a 2 for 1 sale), and a rhubarb custard square. Yum!
Sunday was an eventful day, not so much for me, but for a dear friend who was running the Blue Nose Half-Marathon. Personally, I can't imagine running 21 km, even if I was being chased by someone/something, so in my mind this is really an accomplishment to celebrate.Her fan club wandered around the city to cheer her on, and after it was all said and done, we enjoyed a feast at the Mongolie Grill where you pick your own ingredients for a stirfry. It's a pretty fun concept and delicious too! Afterwards we went back to my place to relax and catch-up and later enjoy a dinner together. I love having people over because it's so much more fun cooking for other people than for just me. I made a moussaka with Greek salad and served pita & roasted red pepper dip with it. And for dessert, inspired by the treat I had in Mahone Bay, I made super decadent rhubarb custard bars. Wow they were good....but you don't want to eat too many of them, that's for sure. They are rich, rich, rich!

Rhubarb Custard Bars

Base:
2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Cold Butter or Margarine

Filling:

2 Cups Sugar
7 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 Cup Whipping Cream
3 Eggs, beaten
5 Cups Finely Chopped Fresh or Frozen Rhubarb, Thawed and Drained

Topping:

2 Packages (3 ounces each) Cream Cheese softened
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Cup Whipping Cream, Whipped

In a bowl, combine the flour and sugar; cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Press into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes. Meanwhile for filling, combine sugar and flour in a bowl. Whisk in cream and eggs. Stir in the rhubarb. Pour over crust. Bake at 350 F for 40 - 45 minutes or until custard is set. Cool.

For topping, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Spread over top. Cover and chill well. Cut into bars.

Yield: 3 Dozen

After a game of Dutch Blitz, everyone went home and I went to bed.

And here we are, today, the last day of the long weekend! After such a busy Sat. and Sunday, I was in no rush to do anything this morning. I enjoyed a slow morning with lots of CBC radio and dozing and not much of anything. Stupidly, I saved all the hard work for the heat of the day - and whoa! was there heat! It was 29 C in Halifax (33 w/ the Humidex). But the sunshine was nice, and I'm not complaining. Even when it's hot Halifax is still waaaay better than Toronto in the heat. There's hardly any smog, and being so close to the ocean means that the evenings cool down nicely. I love Halifax in the summertime!

This afternoon I bought some plants and got my patio garden started. I decided to forego with vegetables this year. For the amount of produce my little garden yields, it's hardly worth it. Especially since I can raid my mother's garden for delicious things! ;)





So this year I've decided to go with flowers and greenery. I want a lush, pretty garden this year, rather than practical. The problem is, I'm not sure I know what I'm doing. So today I just bought a few things that looked nice and planted them in my planters. We'll see how they'll do. I did plant a 'salad' box of romaine lettuce and an herb box with parsley, chives and basil.

I still have a little more to do - I want to pick up a hosta and I need to plant another hanging basket, get my scarlet runners planted, and add a couple more plants to my railing planters - but most of it is done now. Soon, I'll be able to sit back and enjoy the greenery and pretty flowers. I hope.

Well, that's it for me. I'm going to sign-off now, and maybe go to bed. The sun and the activity has left me a little wiped.

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend as much as I did!

Finally! I figured out how to upload photos from my new digital camera. Apparently all I had to do was download the software. So now I can actually share some pictures from the last week. Here are a couple highlights:

We had a big snowstorm a week ago this past Wednesday, and Halifax got a lot of snow. The most I've seen in one storm since I moved here, I think.

So, what do you do when you get a lot of heavy, wet snow? You build a 4 ft snowman! That's what!
My "Little" and I built this awesome snowman the day after the storm. He was a sight to be seen. But you would've had a very short time to see him, because no sooner had we built him then the miscreants in my neighbourhood demolished him. (Within the hour he was built, actually. Jerks!). I was livid, but also thankful we got a few pictures and also thankful the "Little" didn't see him destroyed before she left for the night.

Another great thing to do when it's cold outside, is to eat hearty foods, like mashed potatoes while taking advantage of a good deal! That's what a few of us from work did on Friday - we took advantage of Seasons' (the restaurant in the Atlantica Hotel) potini Friday!. What is "potini Friday", you ask? Well, it's mashed potato served in a martini glass with about a dozen different toppings that you load onto your potini. Like this work of art:
I can't take credit for this masterpiece. It was not mine. I stuck to the fried onions and mushrooms (which were delicious!).

Well, that's pretty much it. I could post more, but I'm pooped. It's been a long week with lots going on, and I've got a busy weekend ahead. I'm actually considering going to bed early, maybe even now, at 9pm!

Mini Vacation: Days 4 & 5

Yesterday was Mini Vacation Day 4, and among many other things, I got some extra time in with the Little. Thanks to a cousin who happens to be playing in the Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo's fanfare, I scored 2 free tickets to the dress rehearsal.

This was my first time seeing the show, and my goodness, I was pleasantly surprised! I was expecting marching bands and lots of great musical performances, but I wasn't expecting the other performances - gymnasts, daredevil stunts, comedic troupes and historical montages. As it turned out, I didn't get to stay for the whole show. Little and I had to leave early as she was falling asleep (even during the 50+ bagpipers performance!) and it was a bit much to expect her to stay up much past 9:30 anyway.

So, here are some highlights from the first half:

The pipers! The marching bands!And the French male gynmasts. :D

Fortunately for me, I'll get to see the whole show this weekend with the family.

Today was Day 5, my last vacation day until my longer vacation later this month where I will unplug and go to the cottage for a "do nothing" vacation. Yay!

Today was anything but "do nothing". I got to visit with a dear friend in the Valley who was game for going strawberry picking in the mist. Did I mention she's a dear friend? ;)

We did quite well! I have 9 quarts of strawberries in my fridge...waiting for me to do something with them. Any/all suggestions are welcome. I'm thinking there HAS to be strawberry shortcake (made with biscuits, NOT cake) in the very near future. And possibly jam, as that's what everyone keeps suggesting. I also have rhubarb, so there may be some strawberry rhubarb jam to be made! Yum!

After strawberry picking we went for lunch at The Port. You may recall I was there just a couple weeks ago with two lovely ladies. Well, this time, instead of the Shepherd's Pie, I tried the gourmet pizza (with pesto, portabello mushrooms, olives, and other delicious things). It was delicious and a bit of a shock when they came out with a 12" pizza. I was expecting something much smaller! There was a lot of value for money from this meal - I left with half the pizza as leftovers.

Then we went for ice cream for dessert here:

And when we got home we chatted for awhile while hulling our haul of strawberries. It was a really good visit!
Tomorrow is Thursday, only 2 days until the weekend....I can't complain.

Whoa! What's this I see:

Sunshine in our forecast! Is that possible?? My part of Nova Scotia has not seen sun in about 2 weeks! What a treat! My patio garden will be very happy.

Unbelievable

Photo taken from the rooftop of my office building around 3:30pm today.

It's really quite unbelievable that just 3 days ago I spent a lovely day in the same neighbourhood that, right now, is engulfed in flames. It's been hard to tear myself away from the news reports on CBC radio, though hearing from people who have lost their homes is more than disturbing.
Fire is so unpredictable, and this one has changed directions already a few times. It's hard to know what's been consumed, and what's left. And I have no idea if York Redoubt will survive.

Here's hoping (and praying!) the rain will come sooner than expected.

Happy New Year!

I rang in 2009 huddled under a very cozy and warm denim quilt with Millie while the Blizzard swirled outside, knitting a button-tab hat for myself (how is it that I don't own a winter hat?), and watching movies.

Button Tab Hat pattern here.
Wool: Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride Bulky, a wool & mohair blend.
Button: From a big bag of buttons bought at Wal-Mart (1 lb of buttons for $3!)
Notes: I should've followed the pattern a bit more closely - the hat doesn't quite come down below my ears. However, I was worried that there wouldn't be quite enough wool to finish the hat. The pattern called for straight stockinette stitching for 5-5.5 inches, and I only knit 3 (4 would've been ideal for a perfect fit).
Also, I thought the colour was quite nice at first, but after trying it on, I think I need a hat with a bit more colour. Maybe from this?

And knitting has been made so much easier for me thanks to the Christmas gift I received from my grandmother! She made me a fabulous needle roll.

It's exactly what I needed as I seem to be especially prone to misplacing (read: losing) knitting needles (hence the few pockets with 3 needles in them). And best of all, it was handmade!

I find it very hard to believe that another year has passed so quickly! 2008 was a good year, but I expect 2009 to be even better! I'm quite looking forward to it.

And, though I know every day is a new day, and I don't have to wait until a New Year to set a few resolutions, I still like to make up a little list of things to do for the year.

So here are a few:

• Buy less and save more.
• Compost consistently. I don't do this enough because there's very little attention paid to composting in my building (irregular pickups, and the bins are often buried in snow in the wintertime).
  
• Invest in a used GPS & go geocaching. (A perfect activity to do with my Little.)
  
• Get my bedroom closet under control.
• Grow another patio garden, with lettuce, tomatoes, zucchini and herbs.
  
• Knit a pair of socks, knit a "Wonderful Wallaby",... knit, knit, knit.
  
• Read at least a book a month.
  
• Sitesee more. Visit more museums and galleries in the HRM.
• Stargaze more & learn a handful of constellations
• Stop using plastic grocery bags.
• Try 1 new recipe every week.

Since 2009 is the International Year of Astronomy AND the International Year of Natural Fibres, I think my knitting plans and stargazing plans are very appropriate!

They warned us....

Environment Canada warned us that we would get a lot of rain as a result of the tropical storm - 50-100 mm to be exact. Well, my already suffering peas and zucchini found out the hard way.... they're drowning. I fear the worst.

I'll have to dry out the planter. It's likely the plants won't surprise, and if that's the case, I'm going to try again and plant leaf lettuce or spinach in the planter instead. Sigh.

Fog, Fog and More Fog

That's describes the weather we've been having for the past week. This doesn't bode well for Canada Day fireworks (which I'm told almost never happen on Canada Day in Halifax because of the weather). Sigh.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining about the weather. It's a delightful change from the hot, sticky, smoggy summers in Toronto, and when the fog rolls in (along the coast and where I work), you can smell the ocean. With that said, this weather is not helping my little patio garden. The lack of sun and the really damp days (sometimes rainy days) have made the soil in my planters soggy. We need a really good stretch of sunny days to dry them out a little and to encourage my veggies and flowers and herbs to grow and bloom and produce fruit!

I'm quite excited about my patio garden, actually. This year I'm trying to grow quite a bit:

PeasMy peas are disappointing me a little. Several plants have wilted and I know it's NOT because they've not been watered (if anything perhaps they've been overwatered!). I wonder if they are too crowded... though I planted them according to the package.

Zucchini
I planted about a dozen zucchini seeds (I used an old egg carton to start them), and only 3 sprouted. Of those three, all I have is one left. Let's hope it continues to grow!

Tomatoes (3 different kinds: Scotia, SweetMillions and Tiny Tims)
These were a gift from my grandmother, who even potted them for me! Thanks Gram! They're growing beautifully and it's looking like I'll have a repeat of last year's success (last year I had 6ft tall Tomato plants).

Scarlet Runner Beans
I'm growing the Scarlet Runners, not so much for the produce (I'm told you can eat the beans early on) as for the foliage. I thought it would be nice to have a vine to give my patio a bit more privacy and hide a pipe just outside my balcony.

Peppers
Why not try peppers, I said, I'm growing everything else! And the plant was only $3.99 at the Superstore. If I can get a couple peppers out of it, I'll at least have broken even. And even if I don't, it was worth a try.

Herbs Basil, Cilantro, Parsley, Chives, Rosemary, and a Curry plant (I always thought curry was a blend of spices. I'm not sure what I'll use it for but it smells just just like curry).
These are all growing like wildfire. Herbs must really like Fog. Tha'ts all I can say. I'm really surprised with my cilantro. Usually I kill it off right away, but it's actually thriving and growing tremendously. I have no idea what I did!

and of course flowers! Verbena and Petunias and a hanging basket of trailing flowers and a potato vine, and a yet-to-be-potted Black-Eyed Susan.
I went with a purple/pink theme this year for colour contrast with all the green. And also because I know a certain kid who really likes pink and purple. The hanging basket is a huge success.

The good thing about my garden, it seems, is that I don't have to worry about watering it. I can pretty much count on it raining at least once or twice a week here in Halifax. This will work nicely during my week-long vacation to the cottage....which is quickly approaching! I'm really looking forward to my vacation. This is actually the first time in many years that I'll get a full week at the cottage to relax, read, knit, canoe, and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Oh! which reminds me (speaking of knitting). I'll soon have a new Finished Object (FO) to post. I finally finished knitting and seaming Sunday night, and now just have to stitch the ribbon ties on (today's project). As it is a gift, I'll have to wait to post photos a little later until after it's been gifted.

That's all for now. Time to get back to the list of things I want to do today....including a lunch with a cousin/former colleague from Toronto.

June is bustin' out all over....

Look how green it is!
Mom's gardens are looking lovely already and Jessie wonders why I waste my time taking pictures instead of playing with her.
Mom braves the hoards of blackflies to tend to her strawberries. Such a brave soul!
Beautiful blossoms - not exactly sure what they are.
We went for a walk Sunday afternoon and passed this duck pond. The greenery and blue water and white birch made for a perfect shot.
Oh! And there are apple trees in full bloom nearby too. So gorgeous!
More apple blossoms!
The duck pond is friendly to fish too - here's a fish jump.
Our path led us to a muddy field and I wasn't paying attention and ended up in the mud, which I later rinsed off in the brook.