And lo, a ripple

Molto Mario!

2012-01-25T18:44:00.003-04:00

Mario Lopez on Ellen - in his drawers! Wow! Gotta get me a pair of those!

SAIL!

2012-01-17T12:35:00.002-04:00

Amazing video of an airbus flying in and around Rio! Go to whole screen if you can!

Meet Oliver!

2012-01-11T17:59:00.004-04:00

He's our new dog! We brought him home from the local SPCA on Christmas Eve! (He's the black and tan dog in the foreground.) He's basically settling in fine, though he definitely has some separation anxiety, i.e., when Brad and I both go out. On Christmas Eve, we put him in the crate we've had for a long time (got it with Samson 20 years ago), and he seemed fine when we got home. On Christmas day, however, we put him in the crate again when we went to Brad's sister's place for dinner. When we returned home, 2 dogs greeted us at the door! Oliver had somehow managed to get out of the crate - a feat that Sam, Kaiser, and Jasper never managed to do! We've left him outside the crate since then when we've gone out, with limited success. Usually nothing is out of place, but today 2 bagels were taken from the kitchen counter and devoured (while we were both out). He's a great dog, but definitely one we'll have to keep an eye on!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T11:41:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post to wish you all a very Happy 2012! 2011 went by very quickly and was full of activity, most of which was good! We're having some friends and neighbours over to help us ring in the new year. I've made a gingerbread cake and a raspberry pie. This afternoon, I'll make a black olive tapenade and marinated mushrooms. Brad is also doing his second annual Swedish glög - a heady mulled wine concoction.

Wherever you are in the world, Brad and I wish you a happy and prosperous 2012!

And now for something a little more uplifting!

2011-12-07T12:42:00.003-04:00

Canadian singer Michael Bublé has a good heart! If this doesn't bring a smile to your face, I don't know what will!

Bullying

2011-12-04T19:23:00.002-04:00

Just saw this on another site and had to repost it here. This poor kid is so genuine and true to himself. It's painful to watch, but I think everyone should. It breaks my heart that kids can be so hurtful to other kids just because they are a bit different than they are. I was very fortunate growing up. I, like everyone else, I think, encountered a couple of bullies, it it was nothing major, and I genuinely enjoyed high school. In any case, check out the vid below. There was a happier ending posted on YouTude, but it has been disabled in the last few hours or so. I do think this kid has found help from his family or outside, but this video serves to reminds us that millions of kids world-wide don't.

It's Time ... (for Austraila and other parts)

2011-11-25T16:43:00.003-04:00

Terrific Marriage Equality ad from Down Under:

Anniversaries, Montréal, birthdays, and the like!

2011-11-20T14:56:00.006-04:00

Hey again guys and gals,

So as I told you a few days ago, Brad and I recently went to Montréal to celebrate our 21st anniversary, my 50th birthday (a few days early), and generally have a good time in the big city. Montréal is great and Brad had rented this beautiful apartment in the heart of Old Montréal for the occasion. It truly was spectular. Huge old wooden beams in the ceiling, hardwood floors throughout, a fireplace, and a wood-burning stove, and a completely refinished kitchen, which beautifully combined old and new.

We flew up, and our good friends Paul and Ron drove. I was very pleased that they were able to be there and help us celebrate the milestone. (We had travelled to Boston a few years ago to ring in Paul's 50th!) After settling into our apartment and then going out to buy a few groceries for the next morning, we met up with Paul and Ron and then went for drinks prior to our dinner reservation at Le Local. Wow! What a great spot! This was Paul's pick and he picked up the tab (thanks's again my friend!). I highly recommend this place if you are ever in the city. I had the beet salad and the east coast cod, both of which were extremely tasty and then they brought me a special birthday dessert consisting of truffles, maccarons, and several other delicacies... Then it was on to a night of sin and debauchery at one of Montréal's strip clubs - I mean, you can't go to Mtl. and not visit a strip club - can you? ;-) A good time was had by all and I think that I single-handedly subsidized one guy's semester at university!

The next day was kind of rainy and we took to the underground malls and the Eaton's centre. I ended up buying a new fall jacket and some drawers at Jack and Jones. Brad and I had our own plans that evening, so Paul and Ron met up with a friend of theirs (Rita) for dinner.

On Friday, we walked out to Westmount after a fortifying brunch at a trendy spot on Peel Street. The wind was icy, but we kept warm with chuckles and laughter and soon ended up at Appetite for Books on Victoria Avenue. It's an bookstore devoted entirely to cookbooks! I could spend hours in there and in the end, I purchased Laura Calder's new book Dinner Chez Moi. After a drink or two at the Wellhouse Pub in Westmount, we made our way back to Paul and Ron's hotel where we took a taxi to Milos, a classic Greek seafood restaurant on Avenue du Parc in the Milend district of Montreal. We had another super meal there, and as it was my 50th BD celebration, I allowed the waiter to talk me into a $115 bottle of Greek red wine, which was very tasty and smooth. We switched to a little less pricy wine for the rest of the meal. More peelers and debauchery followed, of course - I mean, when in Montréal, right?!

The next day, we agreed to meet Paul and Ron and our good friend Maurice (who lives in Mtl.) at the Jean Talon Market to sample some of the tasty delights and grab a bite for lunch. After that, Brad went to see one of his nephews who was in hospital in the city after breaking his arm in two places and damaging a couple of teeth in a skateboarding accident. I went back to our cozy apartment to rest and take a nap after our nights of fun and frivolity. That evening, Paul and Ron and Maurice and Lynn came to our place for drinks prior to dinner at close-by Quattro. There we met up with Paul's friend Rita and had, by most accounts, another excellent meal. Afterwards, we all (except Lynn) returned to our apartment for post-dinner drinks. I must say, it was great to meet Rita and to spend time with Maurice and Lynn - all three of whom are lucky enough to live in Montréal.

Alas, all good things must come to an end, and we boarded our plane back home the next morning. It was a weekend to remember, for sure, and I know I will do so for a long time to come.

Yesterday evening was the New Brunswick celebration of my 50th. Shaun and Mary and George and Barb and Brad and I went out to our good friends Don and Marlene's for an excellent evening of food and drink. I had often joked about going to Hawai'i to ring in my first half century (Hawai'i 5-0, and all that!), but since that was not in the cards this year, we all wore leis and some wore tropical shirts and grass skirts (thanks George!). The meal was Hawai'ian themed as well starting with pizza and followed by coconut rice, breaded shrimp, and a delectible tilapia and green beans. There was cake, of course, and Mar's apple crisp! YUM! Don even cracked open a bottle of his homemade cherry liquer, which was very yummy and smooth. I am truly blessed to have such good friends and such a great partner! From the gang, my gifts included a nice bottle of red wine, a bottle of Limoncello liqueur, a new food processor!, and David Rocco's new cookbook, Made in Italy! Can't thank you enough, my friends! It was another great evening that I will remember fondly for many years to come!

Today, I made a tofu/chickpea stew to have for lunch and dinners through the week and I'm roasting vegetables and panfrying scallops for dinner tonight. Then a movie and to bed faily early.... Being 50 is starting to catch up with me I think!

Fifty!

2011-11-18T18:32:00.003-04:00

Where DOES the time go? Today I turn fifty! Unbelievable! We did a lot of celebration last weekend in Montreal ( including our 21st anniversary) with our good friends Paul and Ron and we connected with other good friends Maurice and Lynn, who both live in that city. I'll do a longer post tomorrow to fill you all in, but right now, Brad has pizza in the oven and we're drinking a bottle of excellent red wine (from 1998) that I bought in Boston a few years ago and saved for this occasion. More later - I promise!

New York, New York

2011-11-05T08:34:00.001-03:00

A nice little video hommage to the best City in the world!

A Year in New York from Andrew Clancy on Vimeo.

Resurfacing

2011-10-23T14:04:00.004-03:00

And then it's almost the end of October!! Where does the time go? Sorry for not posting much recently... It's been a very busy fall! Work has been crazy busy - at one point last week I had 25 items on my work list! But, with a little bit of overtime, it all got done.

Brad's hiking buddy Jedi finished the A.T. last month. Brad went over to Maine and hiked to the top of Mount Kathadin with him. After finishing the Trail, Jedi came to Canada and spent about 10 days with us. He's a very nice guy and it was great to finally meet him. All of our good friends got to meet him as well and he was generally a big hit! I pulled out all the stops in the food department (he's vegetarian as well). I made a carrot cake, a gingerbread cake, a chocolate chip-banana-sour cream cake, pad Thai, arribbiata pasta sauce, pesto, gorgonzola scalloped potatoes, a vegetable stew with coconut milk, and more! And we ate out several times as well! From here, Jedi went to Boston to visit his brother for a bit and then flew home to Alabama.

Brad and his sisters took their father to NYC during our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. They rented an apartment in midtown, which unfortunately was broken into while they were out the first night! Brad didn't lose anything, but one of his sisters lost a new laptop and another lost quite a lot of cash and her pastport. They decided to not let it ruin their trip and they otherwise had a terrific time. Brad and his dad and two of his sisters flew in and out of Bangor, Maine, so when they crossed the Canadian border in the car, they took a "don't ask, don't tell" approach with respect to the lost passport. His sister was able to get back into Canada using her driver's licence. Who knew that was possible? The border guard didn't even bat an eye. It's a good thing they hadn't flown from here, as she most certainly would have needed her passport for the airline.

Last weekend, with Paul and Ron, we went to the lovely little coastal town of St. Andrews for the Indulge Festival. It's a weekend packed full of great food and wine. Here's a link

Last night, the usual suspects gathered chez George and Barb to celebrate George's birthday. It was a good evening with lots of laughs and yummy food.

This morning, I made a very tasty soup, the recipe for which I give you below:

Curried Peanut and Tomato Soup (from Gourmet Magazine, February 06)

1 medium onion
1/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
1 & 3/4 cups vegetable brooth
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Cook onion, salt and pepper in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat., stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add curry powder and cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and brooth and simmer uncovered 5 minutes. Add hot water and peanut butter and stir until smooth. Blend in batches in a blender and return to saucepan. Stir in chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

Here's where not to stay on the A.T.! Brad an Jedi spent the night at this dive someplace in Pennsylvania. Water from the shower in the room above them leaked down into their tub! Yikes!

The summit of Kathadin! Congratulations Jedi!

You took the words right out of my mouth...

2011-10-08T23:11:00.002-03:00

Long time, I Know... More soon..

Happy Labour Day!

2011-09-05T14:32:00.004-03:00

Hey everyone! Hope you are enjoying the Labour Day holiday if you have it off! Both Brad and I do and it's nice to have a long weekend, though I did have to work for about an hour and a half this morning to finish up a job that I have been working on. It's not so bad when you work at home, though - just turn the computer on, connect, do what has to be done, and then shut down.

We've gotten a fair amount of things done around the house this weekend. For one, we move a cord of wood that was dumped into our driveway into the garage. Thank God this year, we decided to get only one cord (we ordered 2 last year). It all just fit into the garage, adding to the wood that we still have left over from last year. I actually went for a swim yesterday as well. I really have to get back into swimming and biking on a REGULAR basis!

My sister from Saudi and her husband are in NYC this week. They fly back to Halifax later this week (hopefully hurricane Katia won't disrupt their travel plans!), and then back to Saudi Arabia on the weekend.

As we speak (so to speak), I'm making a batch of tomato chutney, which is the very definition of savoury, and Brad is making peach preserves. Don't know what we'll have for supper, but we'll figure something out.

Here's the very easy recipe for Spicy Tomato Chutney, which is from the September 1997 issue of Gourmet magazine. It's great in a sandwich or used as a condiment at the table, like a pickle.

Spicy Tomato Chutney:

1 lb. vine-ripened tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons mustard seeds (the yellow ones)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
3/4 cup chopped green onions (scallions)

Chop tomato and bell pepper. In a medium saucepan, bring vinegar to a boil with sugar, salt, mustard seeds, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes, red pepper and green onions. Simmer mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally (stir more frequently toward end cof cooking), about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until thickened and reduced to about one and a half cups. Cool chutney completely. Enjoy!

I'll leave you with a few more pics from Brad's hike...

Half-way point!

Brad's constant companion, Jedi. He's coming to visit us after he finishes the Trail later this month. I can't wait to meet him and feed him some good food!

A pastoral scene.

Holy crap, that's a long ways down!

Clouds and mountains.

Catch up!

2011-08-21T18:53:00.006-03:00

Hey guys! Sorry for my looooog absence from the blogosphere! Summer happened, I guess! In short - very short - my sister who's living in Saudia Arabia came for about 10 days in July and we had a great time together. She got up every morning an went to Curves religiously! And I must say that, unlike me, she has lost quite a bit of weight.

The last month or so of Brad's hike for me was easier and harder at the same time, if that is possible. I knew it would be just a matter of weeks until we were back together (in Ontario), but I was also a bit apprenhesive about his return to civilization. I knew it would be difficult for him to get off the Trail and be thrust back into my arms and the arms of his family at his neice's wedding in Niagara Falls. In any case, everything worked out (as I knew it would). He met he at Hamilton airport on August 5 (full beard in tow), and over the course of the next week, we gradually reconnected with each other and with other friends and family.

We had a great week in Ontario actually. The wedding and reception went well, we met up with old friends (Javier and Terry) in Toronto, where they treated us to a great dinner at Marinella in TO's Little Italy. Do drop by if you are ever in the neighbourhood. Very tasty and authentic Italian food.

We spent the next day wandering around Toronto and taking in the sights. It was a hot and sunny 30 degrees Celcius. We ended up at a resto/bar (Milestone, I think) close to Dundas Square, where we had a couple of drinks and cooled our heels in the hot afternoon sun. We had another great meal at an Italian trattoria in Yorkville (Dimmi), and then went to a film (Another Earth, I think the name was - a good flick), and then returned to our harbour-front hotel for the evening.
Next day, we headed north to the family cottage of our good friends Shaun and Mary. To say that it poured on the way would be an understatement! I don't think I have ever seen it rain so hard in my life! I was actually scared that we would drive into a tornado! (What!? Stranger things have happend!) No matter, on we pushed, and we eventually drove out of the rain and connected with Shaun and Mary, who led us into the winding road to their cottage. We spent 3 great days there and then returned to Niagara Falls, where we spent 2 nights with Brad's sister and brother-in-law.

Now we're back. I worked last week. (Like a dog.) Brad starts back to work tomorrow. Let me just say that it will be very painful for him!

Here's a few random pics from the A.T. and from our trip to Ontario. I promise I will post more pics and fill in the details later this week! Stay tuned!

Clouds over the Appalachian Trail

Brad and Jeremy (aka Jedi) near the end of Brad's hike - dig the beard, eh!

The view onto the lake from Shaun and Mary's cottage

Mary driving the boat on a Bahama Momma booze cruise!

Dinner is served at the cottage!

Happy Monsoon Day!

2011-07-25T22:23:00.001-03:00

Too cute not to post! More later on the goings on!

Random Stuff

2011-07-09T16:43:00.002-03:00

Hey all! Just a quick post to keep you updated... Not a whole lot going on in this neck of the woods. It's been a week since Brad left again to get back to his hike and, of course, I am missing him. He's reconnected with his trail buddy, Jedi, and they are blazing through the woods lickey-split! They did 27 miles yesterday! In the rain! Yesh. Better him than me, I say.

I got up early this morning - shortly after 6:00 a.m. - and went to the weekly farmers' market. Got 2 quarts of fresh local strawberries, 4 bunches of basil (yuo know what that's for!), a half pound of Italian parmesan, beet greens, and organic lettuce.

I then came back and checked my lotto tickets (no luck, unfortunately, tho I did win $250 on Thursday!). Then I walked Jasper in the rain and came home and had breakfast. After that, I picked my new numbers, got groceries, and bought dog food for Jasper. Today, too, I actually went for a swim at lunchtime and could tell that it had been too long since I had been there - way out of shape! Something I hope to change this month - Sis, if you are reading this, bring your walking shoes!

This afternoon, I cleaned the house a bit and made a strawberry/rhubarb pie. To me there is no sweeter smell of summer than strawberries and rhubarb macerating in the bowl before I put them into the the pie crust. And I am torn as to which pie I like the best - raspberry or strawberry/rhubarb... Regardless, the pie came out great and perhaps my sister can be the judge when she arrives here next week! If there is any left, that is!

Till next time here are a few more random pics that Brad took of his hike on the Appalachian Trail:

The A.T.!

2011-07-06T17:01:00.007-03:00

Hey guys! So finally a quick post about Brad's visit home and some pics from his travels on the Appalachian Trail! It's hard to believe that it was a week ago yesterday that I picked him up at the airport. His flight was right on time, and we were soon on our way back home. I have to admit that it was really strange to see him after all the time that had elapsed since he'd left. Of course, his beard and hair had grown and he had definitely lost weight and put on muscle (whereas I have gained a few extra pounds during his absence!), but just his being away for so long made us both a little nervous and apprehensive and there was definitely a little "let's get reacquainted" stuff going on. Certainly to be expected, I think, especially since he was doing something so vastly different from his regular life - and I had been here slaving away at work, looking after Jasper and the house, and doing the things that I normally do.

In any case, it really didn't take us all that long to reconnect. I poured him a glass of good wine and listened to his stories as I cooked supper - pasta putanessca with parmesan/basil oil/tomato powder toasts and raspberry pie for dessert! I think he was happy. (I also made him some garlic-free pesto, which we enjoyed as part of a potluck at Don and Marlene's place on Friday night along with freshly caught trout from their pond!). So we talked and ate and drank and had a great evening together.

I worked the next two days while Brad slept in and ate (and ate and ate). He went out to his dad's for dinner one night and then we also had a get together at Shaun and Mary's with George and Barb and Don in attendance. Great pizza, guys! As always! I took a bit of leftover raspbery pie for dessert and then we were off to yet another social gathering, this time with a few neighbours. I had made another raspberry pie for that affair.

The next day, we went out to Don and Mar's and had a great afternoon and dinner with them at their lovely countryside retreat. We were tempted to stay the night - and polish off a few more bottles from their cellar - but duty called and we had a lot to get done the next day before Brad left yet again.

On Saturday, Brad mailed off the last of his food drops to the U.S., took out his suitcase of good clothes (for the wedding next month) to his dad's (who is driving to Ontario), and packed his stuff once again to head back to the A.T. We had an early supper of baked salmon, beet greens, potatoes, olives, and tomatoes on the deck (with more raspberry pie for dessert!) before I drove him to the bus stop where he caught a bus to Moncton. He was flying out of there the next morning at 6:00 a.m., so that was the easiest option. He texted me later that the guy at the bus ticket office asked him if he wanted the adult or senior's rate! (That grey beard has to go!!) :) Once in Moncton, he went out to a movie and then walked to the airport! I couldn't believe it when he told me that, but I guess that's what he's been doing for the last month and half! He's actually walked farther than it is from here to Ottawa! And many more miles to go!

That said, it's a month from today that we attend his neice's wedding and then spend a week of vacation together in Ontario. We're going to visit Shaun and Mary at their cottage north of Toronto and hopefully have time to visit a few other friends along the way!

In other news, my sister from Saudi Arabia is coming back home on Saturday, so she will be spending some time here in the next few weeks. Will eb good to see her and we'll finally get around to sorthing through mom's stuff, which I brough back here in Apirl.

Phew, my hands are tired from typing... Here's some pics:

Day one - Arrival in Georgia!

Brad's home for the past 2 months!

A dude (Water Boy) he's been hiking with for a few weeks - they sometimes charge into a town and gobble down food - and man, is THAT a LOT of food!

Water Boy, Jedi, Chef, and ... I'm not sure... (Everyone takes on a Trail Name, which I think I have mentioned before)

Sometimes they play in streams!

Then it's back to the Trail

Chef and Jedi, Brad's most constant fellow hiker. Apparently they often get asked if they are father and son!

Halo

2011-07-03T21:15:00.007-03:00

This too, doesn't have a whole lot to do with current events - just a tune I like. But I must say that I defnitely got a bounce out of Brad's visit and can still feel his Halo. Again, more on that later. For now, I'll just let the tunes speak for themselves

Twin Peaks

2011-07-03T20:40:00.005-03:00

One of my fave tunes by Julie Cruise. Theme song from Twin Peaks.

Will post more about Brad's visit soon - and no- this song has nothing to do with that... We had a great time together, albeit too short. Nevertheless, I'll meet him in Ontario in early August.

Congratulations New York!

2011-06-25T13:08:00.004-03:00

Yesterday, New York joined the ranks of other progressive jurisdictions and legalized same-sex marriage! Congratulations!!

In other news, it is yet another cold (10 C) rainy Saturday here in Eastern Canada. This is really turning into the summer that wasn't. A couple of nice days here and there, followed by cool, rainy or overcast days. I'm actually going to turn the heat on in a few minutes! Enough already!

Brad gets back on Tuesday (YAY!), and it looks like he'll be bringing the warm weather with him - at least for a day - it's supposed to be 29 C and SUNNY on Tuesday! (YAY again!). It will be great to see him and to reconnect (oh yeah!) for a brief 4 days. He heads back to the Trail on July 2nd. After that, I'll meet him in Ontario on August 5 for his neice's wedding, following which we're taking a week of vacation together visiting other friends in Ontario before heading home and BOTH of us going back to work.

On the menu for next week? (Well the stuff I can tell you about anyway!): Lemon squares, raspberry pie, strawberry rhubarb pie, pasta putanesca, garlic-free pesto (!), and all kinds of other yummy things...

Nice - it's thundering now and the rain is coming down in sheets... I'm signing off, turning up the heat, and having a nap! After which, I really have to clean the house!

It's Unnatural!

2011-06-17T19:48:00.002-03:00

Interesting segment from CNN today. Kyra Phillips interviews former NY Giants dude about same sex marriage, which is being hotly debated in New York State at present. Props to Phillips for calling him out on several points! Of course, same sex marriage has been legal in Canada for over 6 years and in other countries for longer than that. Somehow, I don't see the mayhem on the streets or in society in general that David Tyree is pointing to.

Stay Cool!

2011-06-09T08:05:00.001-03:00

Is it hot where you be? If so, you gotta stay cool. But be careful out there!

The Legacy of Brendan Burke

2011-06-06T12:06:00.003-03:00

Hey all. I caught a GREAT episode of The Fifth Estate last night. It's a documentary-style news program produced by CBC. It was on the short life of Brendan Burke (son of Toronto Maple Leafs President and General Manager). Brendan was killed in a car accident at the age of 21. He was very involved in hockey and he was gay. The show originaly aired last November and it is exceedingly well done. I urge all of you to watch it. You can access the full episode here.

This and that

2011-06-04T13:50:00.005-03:00

Hey all. Just a quick update to keep you posted, as it were. All goes well here on the home front. It will soon be a month now that I have been a bachelor! Brad left on his hiking trip on May 9. I've hired a company to look after the lawnmowing. We have a large backyard and I simply wasn't up to the task of mowing it all with our punny reel mower! The company is run by the son of a colleague - they just started up - and I wanted to throw a little business his way. After working all day, walking Jasper, and doing all the other chores around the house, I decided I just didn't have the time or the energy to look after the grass.

I met the usual gang for drinks after work last night and then had dinner with good friends Paul and Ron. It's always good to spend time with them and we had a good meal and a great catch up. Tonight, I'm also going over to friends for dinner - no rest for the wicked!

I gave Jasper a good long walk this morning (though nothing like the ones he gets with Brad!), and then rolled some coin to take to the bank in exchange for coloured paper. I rolled up $50 worth in dimes in practically no time. I have a HUGE amount of coins laying arouhd the house in various containers. The dime one was overflowing, so I tackled it first. I probably still have another $30 in the jar unrolled. Next comes nickles and then pennies - and more pennies, and more pennies! I probably have over $100 just in pennies. I also took a couple of posters to a local framing shop to have framed. That's another thing I've been meaning to do for a while now. Then I went to buy my luck lotto tickets and have a hair cut, something else I've needed for a while! Tomorrow, it's time to tie up my raspberries in my backyard patch. I may have to call on the assistance of a knowledgeable neighbour to accomplish that task properly! ;-)

Brad phones every 2 or 3 days and texts in between. He's been having a great time and has hooked up with two or three other hikers, so they are sort of hiking as a group now. His weather has been better than here, but he, too, has had some cool rainy days. One night last weekend they spent in a lodge and went tubing down a river the next day. (You can't hike all the time, apparently!) He finally has a Trail Name (everyone hiking the Appalachian Trail takes on a "trail name".) He had one before he left, but it didn't stick. He is now known as Chef-boy-r-dee! Which I think is because the other hikers are jealous of the meals that he makes with his own dehydrated food - he dehydrated stuff for months in preparation for the trip - took some with him, and I am mailing the rest at designated drop sites. I've really started to miss him, especially on Sunday nights when we always have baked salmon and usually baked potato and other vegetables followed by dessert. Most times, we watch a movie or something else we'd taped the previous week.

In any case, he'll soon be back for his 4-night furlough (he gets back on June 28), so till then, I guess I will just lie back and think of England! (Or something!)

Below is the current desktop background on our computer (I change the backgrounds religiously when I flip a page on the calendar). It was taken in 2004 at a cottage we rented on Prince Edward Island. That was Samson's last vacation with us. He died a few weeks after we returned. He's the golden retriver with the wite face. And Kaiser, too, we lost at the end of last August. So I'm missing all my boys at present! But Jasper and I wil keep the home fires burning and look forward to June 28!

Be well, my friends!

Whadda guy!

2011-05-31T12:10:00.002-03:00

I've been a big fan of British rugger Ben Cohen for quite a while now. Here's why!

It's over!!!

2011-05-21T18:34:00.003-03:00

Well, if Camping is right, there are just 20 minutes left on Earth for us Belivers! Ah well, I guess Camping was wrong, nonetheless, this is a good clip from Last Night, a superb Canadian film:

Home is a Fire...

2011-05-17T20:29:00.004-03:00

I miss my Brad.

Bad Blogger!

2011-05-10T19:04:00.004-03:00

Hey guys and gals,

Yes, I have been a very bad and derelict blogger. It's been, of course, in part due to mom's death, and also to all the activity going on around here in preparation for Brad's departure for the Appalachian Trail. He got away yesterday very early in the morning and is now somewhere in Georgia on day 2 of his hike! I tracked his flights on the computer and he called a couple of times yesterday to confirm that he had arrived safely and was on his way. Hopefully he'll call (or text!) a few times a week to keep be abreast of his progress. I put an exclaimation mark after text, as I have never sent (or receved) a text message in my life! He gave me a crash course (with notes) before he left and I am now responsible for his Canadian cell phone as he uses his American cell on his hike.

He bought the phone last month when we were in NYC with Don and Marlene and Shaun and Mary. We have a great 5 nights in The City and have vowed to return next Easter! The weather was so-so, cool for the first couple of days, then hot, and then rainy one night, but all and all, we had a terrific time. How can you not on the best city on Earth? It was good to get away and have a change of pace after mom's funeral and the attendant emotional and lifestyle changes.

Sunday was a bit difficult, being my first Mother's Day without one. Plus, it was Brad's last night here until the end of June, when he is coming home for a 4-night furlough. I continue to work at home and it has indeed turned into a permanent arrangement. They've given my window office at the office to someone else! YAY! She's welcome to it!

So for now, it's just me and Jasper minding the fort. I look forward to some quite time alone and to socializing with friends and neighbours as the weather (hopefully) get warmer. I put hopefully in brackets because today it's rainy and barely 5 degrees C. I actually lit a fire in the fireplace and am glad I did!

I'll end this post by saying that I still miss mom a lot and that I still find myself reaching for the phone to call her... This, I suppose, will pass in time. But I still feel her presence very close by. The orchid she had Brad buy me for my last birthday is blooming once again and the daffodils my brother gave her when she was in the hospital several years ago are blossuming in the back yard, where Brad planted them after a number of years of languishing in our basement. I'll post some pics of mom in the days ahead as well. I meant to do so on Sunday, but never got around to it. Stuff, eh. Today will mark the one month anniversary that I last saw her alive.

Be well my friends.

End of an Era

2011-04-12T18:26:00.006-03:00

My mother entered immortality sometime during last night. She was 90 and a strong, forthright, and upstanding woman to the very end. She will be forever missed.

"The Last Rose Of Summer"

'Tis the last rose of summer left blooming alone
All her lovely companions are faded and gone
No flower of her kindred, no rosebud is nigh
To reflect back her blushes or give sigh for sigh

I'll not leave thee, thou lone one, to pine on the stem
Since the lovelies are sleeping, go sleep thou with them
Thus kindly I scatter thy leaves o'er the bed
Where thy mates of the garden lie scentless and dead

So soon may I follow when friendships decay
And from love's shining circle the gems drop away
When true hearts lie withered and fond ones are flown
Oh who would inhabit this bleak world alone?
Oh who would inhabit this bleak world alone?

I confess

2011-04-07T18:17:00.002-03:00

Sweet new tune from Canada's favourite songstress:

Key West and Miami

2011-03-12T12:06:00.010-04:00

Hey guys! Hope you are all having a good weekend! After days and days of rain, the sun has finally poked through the clouds and it's quite mild - like +10 C. The snow is melting, but there is still a lot of it left to go! I have some windows open for the first time in a long time and I bought some tulips, so it's starting to feel a smidgeon like spring!

My sister and brother-in-law fly back to KSA (Saudi Arabia) today. They've been in Canada for a few weeks and it was good to see my sister. My bro-in-law was only in Ontario and I didn't get to see him. Today was supposed to be the "day of rage" in KSA, but it didn't amount to much. Hopefully, things will remain stable there.

Am going down to see mom tomorrow and get her stocked back up on her favourites. She was been basically pretty good lately with just her usualy complaints of arthritis.

Here's some more pics of Key West and Miami. We're still wishing we were back there. The other day Brad was pinning for the beach to run on rather than icy, slushy sidewalks! Oh, I just about forgot! We definitely could have gone back for another week or so had I had one more number in the lotto the other night! I was one number away from winning $35,000! As it turned out, I ended up with $700, so I'm not really complaining, but the 35 grand would have been much nicer!

One of the hosts on our Sunset Cruise in Key West. I don't think she had one ounce of body fat!

Our captain, Mike I think his name was. He didn't have a lot of body fat either!

Some of the wine on offer

Rigging the sails

The sun is setting

Ever farther

A place we stopped for lunch on our drive back to Miami - On Isla Morada, I think

Ahhh... South Beach.. and the boyz!

Probably the best beach I have been on to date. Beautiful water, great for swimming (and taking in the sights!)

The large white tents in the backgound is where the SoBe Food and Wine Festival was held. We went on Sunday and had a blast!

The rest are pretty much self-explanatory... Unfortunately for our straight male friends, the day that all the curvy gals were on the beach, we forgot our camera! Sorry guys!

Stubble

2011-03-09T19:26:00.002-04:00

Oh the life of a male model!

More Tropical Pics!

2011-03-08T19:19:00.003-04:00

A few more pics from Key West:

The sister ship of the one that we took the Sunset Wine Cruise on (Danger Cruises). Highly recommended!

Brad - sittin' on the dock of the bay

More cruise ship

Typical Key West architecture

A building down by the Old Dock

Beautiful Break!

2011-03-05T11:30:00.004-04:00

Hi gang! We made it back from sunny and hot southern Florida early Wednesday morning (2:30 a.m.) after a 2-hour delay with our flight home from Toronto. We had an amazing time and the weather was sunny and warm each and every day - just what the doctor ordered! We landed in Miami just before 2:00 p.m. and we were on our way to Key West by 2:30 after picking up our rental car a few miles from the airport. It took us about 3 and a half hours to reach Key West and we arrived just after 6:00 p.m. How wonderful it is to leave winter far behind and stroll around in shorts and sandals and a light shirt where everything is green and blossoming! We thoroughly enjoyed the four days we spent in Key West and we met some friendly locals (who pointed us to a terrific restaurant) and some fellow travellers. We encountered a lot of other Canadians - I think the strong Canadian dollar is tempting an increasing number of us to head for warmer climes. In any case, here are a few pics to get started and I'll be posting more in the days ahead:

The pool area where we were staying. Most days, especially in the morning, we had it totally to ourselves

Our private patio just outside our room complete with hot tub, which we never used - I'm not big on hot tubs, having got jock itch from one many, many years ago

Our room - viewed from above. It was large and spacious and had a kitchenette

Down by the port where all the cruise ships dock

Yours truly with a cruise ship behind - they are really massive!

Endless winter...

2011-02-19T11:45:00.005-04:00

Just a quickie to let you all know how sick I am of winter! We've had a very old-fashioned one here this year. Freezing temperatures, numbing wind, tonnes of snow... The last couple of days have been fairly mild and we had rain yesterday. Ugh. I literally can't wait for spring! But at least Brad and I will get a break from this bleak, dingy winter when we fly to Miami on Monday! I can't wait for that either! We'll be renting a car in Miami and then drivng to Key West for 4 nights. After that, we drive back to Miami for 5 nights! We're staying in great spots in both places and I've already got some restaurants picked out, of course! We're also going to take in a Miami Heat basketball game and an event at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival. Should be a lot of fun, and I'll return with lots of warm and sunny photos to post here.

Then, before you know it, it will be time for Easter in New York City with Shaun and Mary and Don and Marlene! We're really looking forward to that as well!

I'll leave you with a couple of pics that Brad took at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine a few weeks ago. He and his did with on a 5-night ski vacation. Brad likes winter!

Rolling in the Deep

2011-01-19T18:32:00.009-04:00

Man! I LOVE Adele and especially this song! She is one very talented gal... I've been listening to Radio Bruno (link in the sidebar) out of Italia for the last couple of days and it's getting lots of play on there and I've also heard it on Hit FM out of Moscow.

I'm dedicating this one to my good friend Marilyn in the US. Hope you like it, bellina!

Birds!

2011-01-15T18:24:00.008-04:00

Pretty Amazing video of a huge cluster of birds. I think it was taken somewhere in Russia. Amazing. I'm not sure what kind of birds they are... Brad and I have seen a similar display put on by sandpipers along the Bay of Fundy. Just a beautiful and intricate ballet... Hope you enjoy:

Brand New Year!

2011-01-09T14:01:00.003-04:00

So, it's been 2011 for 9 days now! Wow! Things are gradually getting back to normal after the holidays. We hosted our traditional New Year's Eve party for friends and neighbours. Don and Mar weren't able to make it as one of Don's uncles had died and the funeral was on Jan 1. We missed you guys lots! Many other friends and neighbours dropped by, however. Most people brought some nibbles to eat and I had made a raspberry pie, a gingerbread cake, and baked Brie. Brad made Swedish Glög, which is a potent concoction of red wine, port, brandy and a lot of warm and aromatic spices. It was quite a hit! Our very good frineds Shaun and Mary ended up staying the night with us (as we had suggested they do) and we all turned in around 3:30 in the morning!

Monday (Jan. 3) was a holiday, so I started working again on the 4th. It's been just over a month now since I started working from home and I continue to love it. I am also finding that I am WAY more productive at home than at the office. I guess it's because I'm generally happier and there are far fewer distractions at home than at work. Plus, work has picked up considerably since I started working at home. I am busy from the start to the finish of my day, which is also nice. Last fall had been particularly slow, and the workday goes by much faster when you have something to do.

Other than that, we are planning our trip to Miami and Key West next month. I totally can't wait for that and am going to try to drop a few pounds before we go, so wish me luck! And we've bought tickets for a Miami Heat game when we're there! That, too, will be exciting - my very first professional basketball game in person! I have to say, though, that the tickets were WAY more than I thought they'd be (I thought OPERA tickets were expensive!). Oh well, it's only coloured paper, right!? I'm also looking forward to booking some good restaurants both in Miami (South Beach) and Key West. So if any of you know these cities and some good spots to eat, by all means, let me know!

We are also heading back to NYC at Easter this year with Don and Marlene and Shaun and Mary. Should be a LOT of fun! We're renting two apartment and are staying for five nights! Then, of course, shortly after that, Brad will be off on his 3-month hike! And after that, we'll be going to Ontario for the wedding of one of Brad's neices.

So I think 2011 will be quite a travel year for us. And that, in my books, is a good thing.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T16:09:00.004-04:00

Hey all - er... well, anyone who still clicks onto this blog occasionally! Just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season. This has been a crazy busy month with all the parties and gatherings. And I've spent the last few days buying things for my mother to give to people. My sister from Saudia Arabia was here for a few days last week. She had been taking the Cambridge English Second Language course in Halifax for the last month so she can teacj English when she goes back to the Kingdom. She had a good visit with mom and with me and Brad. She's now in Alberta for Christmas with all 3 of her sons.

Outside, it looks more like October than December. We've has so much rain lately that there isn't a flake of snow left on the ground. But we're supposed to get snow on Sunday and Monday, so it will probably be looking like December again just in time for January.

Brad and I aren't exchanging gifts this year. Instead, we're splurging on a 10-day holiday in February in Miami and Key West! Can't wait for that! Brad hasn't been south in ages, but he's agreed to go this time, since I have agreed to stay put and keep the home fires buring while he takes a 3-month leave of absence from his job next May to hike part of the Appalachian Trail! Can you imagine! He will come home after about six weeks or so for a conjugal visit, and I will go to the States and meet him some time after that for a few days. It's something he's always wanted to do and this looks like a good time to do it! I'll keep you posted!

The other big thing that has happened in our lives is that I have FINALLY started working from home!! I started on December 6 in fact. It has been absolutely wonderful! Brad works at home as well (for the last 14 years in fact!), but we each of our own office and so far, so good! We're not annoying each other too much at all! Officially, for me, it's a 6-month pilot project, but I don't anticipate going back to the office full-time ever again. I may have to go in for a few weeks or a month or so when other supervisors are away on vacation, but basically from now on, I'll be working from home. I haven't really gotten into a routine yet, because every lunchtime I've had to go out and run Christmas errands, but I generally get at least an hours more sleep every day and I sure do not miss the bus ride to and from work.

I'll leave you with a pic of new new workspace. Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

Pardon my French!

2010-12-11T18:12:00.004-04:00

Great song from Cee Lo Green (lead singer from Gnarles Barkley)

More France

2010-11-07T17:50:00.005-04:00

Grape vines on a building

Rouisillon

Ile-sur-la-Sorgue - Great little town where we went to the market

Garlic graters - we brought some back for our friends

Free-run French eggs

Gordes in Provence

Murs (the "s" is pronounced) a little town across the way from where we stayed

Gorgeous Gordes

Oh, and Brad and I celebrated 20 years together this week! Here's to at least 20 more sweetie!

Signing

2010-10-30T18:40:00.002-03:00

This has been all over the Internets lately, so why not here too? Very cute.

More Dordogne and Provence

2010-10-30T10:39:00.009-03:00

The beautiful Dordogne River

Hot air ballons above the Dordogne

Near the caves where prehistoric drawings were found at the beginning of the 20th century

Foie gras and truffle shop in Sarlat

On a walk in the Dordogne

Me, Mark, and Kathleen on a 2 and a half hour walk during which we ended up in the middle of a wild boar hunt. We never saw any boars, but we heard lots of gunshots and dogs baying

A beautiful house we came across during our walk. We decided we could easily live in France!

I petted the horses and got quite a shock - the fence was electrified!

Pastoral France

Our home base in Provence - about 6 km outside of Gordes

One day while in Provence, we took a cooking class from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. It was on this beautiful property owned by the descendant of a French viscount and his partner, the latter of whom gave the cooking class. The place was actually occupied by the Nazis during WWII, but they took pretty good care of it.

After preparing our meal, we dined al fresco under the plane tree in the warm sun

The reflecting pool

The servants quarters

Sarlat and the Dordogne

2010-10-24T13:55:00.006-03:00

So after 2 nights in Bordeaux, we rented a car and drove to the Dordogne, which is sort of in the middle of France. We stayed three nights in Sarlat, which is where the film Chocolat (with Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp) was shot. It is a dapper little town dripping with charm and beauty. We basically had an apartment there as well, though it was connected with a hotel. We had a huge second-floor terrace where we soaked up the sun and ambiance over a bottle or two of wine. One night, we cooked a big vegetable stew and ate al fresco on the terrace.

This was one the way from Bordeaux to Sarlat at a quaint little town where we stopped to have lunch, Mouleydier

Mouleydier

Sarlat

Our private terrace

A river in the Dordogne

A sweet little town called Saint-Geniès

Market in Saint-Geniès - Terrific cheese!

Nightime in Sarlat - we were lucky enough to be there during European Heritage Days (September 18 & 19). This night the entire old town was lined with candels and there were numerous outdoor shows and exhibits. Serendipity!

Shot of the church across from our terrace.

A well-trodden road in Sarlat

Suprise Party

2010-10-16T19:52:00.001-03:00

I think this has gone viral... It deserves it! This guy is great!

Bordeaux and Wine Country

2010-10-16T13:19:00.005-03:00

After 4 nights in the City of Lights, we got very early in the morning and caught a TGV (train de grande vitesse) to the beautiful city of Bordeaux. It was about a 4 hour trip. The original apartment we had rented in Bordeaux was unavailable owing to pluming problems, but the owner recommended another to us and it worked out fine. It was in the middle of Old Bordeaux and was beautifully decorated, quiet, and spacious. We were well pleased:

Our second day Bordeaux, we hired a guide, Frédéric, who drove us around to various wine estates where we enjoyed several excellent tastings. Lunch was good too!

Moi et Frédéric

The lovely Kathleen, Brad's sister

One of the beautiful estates we visited

A vineyard - harvest would take place about a week later.

You know what's in there! These rooms smells sooo good! the oak from the barrels combined with the yeast and the wine... Intoxicating just the smell!

Dude let us sample a very young Bordeaux - it was excellent!

More Paris

2010-10-08T14:28:00.008-03:00

Ahh... Life is good. After a relaxing picnic in the Palace Park

Notre Dame de Paris

The Metro - a very convenient way to get around

Great way to spend a warm September day - the a park!

La Tour Eiffel and the sparking Seine

The Arc de Triomphe

The kitchen at the tiny but very good Cafe dei Cioppi

Paris

2010-09-29T20:52:00.002-03:00

Hey all... We returned from France on Sunday (got back very early Sunday morning, as in 2:00 a.m.) We had an amazing time across the pond. Paris is a delighful and very chic city and probably tops my list of favourite cities right now. We spent 4 nights there before heading to Bordeaux for 2 nights, then Sarlat in the Dordogne region for 3 nights, and lastly in Provence for 4 nights. We went with Brad's sister and brother-in-law. I'll be telling you all about it in the days ahead, but here are a few pics to get started:

View from the Eiffel Tower. We climbed up and down all the stairs to the second level (as high as you can go on foot, which is the equivalent of a 41-storey building). We went in the morning. Apparently the same day we were there, in the afternoon, they evacuated the Tower because of a terror threat. We knew nothing about that while we were in France.

Brad's sis with a cute waiter from the restaurant just below the apartment we rented in Paris. He was a great guy and was actually the person who took us to the apartment and gave us the key. We ate at that restaurant the first night because we were too tired to go any farther, and it was so close and he was so cute! He's Italian, not French, and we never did get his name - next time!

Along the embankment of the Seine.

Usually, I'm not nearly as grumpy as I look!

One of the main squares in Paris

Auf Wiedersehen - till we meet again

2010-08-30T17:04:00.001-03:00

Kaiser: 1997 - August 30, 2010

Quick update...

2010-08-29T19:37:00.007-03:00

Hey all, sorry for the lack of posts lately. We've been very busy and have had a lot on our plates in the past few weeks. Our biggest concern has been our dog Kaiser, who has had a slow but steady decline these past few months. His kidneys are going, he has a inoperable tumor in his stomach, and he probably has a heart problem as well. We've been pampering him all summer, giving him anything his heart desired to eat, - BBQ chicken, tuna, sardines, rice, potatoes, black forest ham, you name it. He has gradually stopped eating all together. Nothing tempts him anymore. He's drinking a little, but not much. Brad and I have decided that it's time to let go. Before he gets to the point where he can't even get up. Hopefully the vet will be able to come to our home tomorrow or Tuesday and euthanise him. Very hard to type that, harder to say it, and it will be extremely difficult when the moment comes, but it has to be done and it is for the best for Kaiser. He had an extremely good life with us, we love him dearly and he us. We will miss him immensly. He's one of the best dogs who ever walked the face of the earth. Please raise a glass or light a candle in his honour.

We've also had to deal with the rest of regular life, which lately, has meant lifting and moving A LOT of wood. We ordered 2 cord of wood this spring and it was delivered to our driveway last Monday. In preparation for that delivery, we moved the wood we had in our garage into our newly insulated basement. That was probably about half a cord. I loaded it up in a wheelbarrow and passed it down to Brad in the basement through a window. (We couldn't just chuck it in because the washer and dryer are right where the wood would have landed.)

Check it out - the basement:

And here's what's now in the garage - after a lot of lifting and stacking - 2 full cord of wood. Hopefully with what's in the basement and now in the garage, we should be good for 2 years.

To keep our energy up, Brad made this delicious Pasta al Forno dish from my David Rocco cookbook. It was delish. A definite keeper - and lunch for a few days this week!

And here he is. Kaiser. One of the best hounds in the world. Last weekend when he was still able to get up onto the sofa in the sunporch. Sleep well dearest friend. We love you with all our hearts

Ice Cream!

2010-08-05T20:19:00.006-03:00

Man, it's been HOT and MUGGY! We have a hornet's next in our back yard by the composter. Brad got stung 3 times and me twice! I needs me some ice cream!

The Lady is Dead

2010-08-03T21:20:00.012-03:00

Neat video. It's full of exquisite images and imagery. (The saunter to the car slays me.) It makes me sad for people with small minds.

Retro fix

2010-08-02T16:33:00.000-03:00

Oh how easily we used to be entertained!

Full Summer

2010-07-31T12:35:00.006-03:00

Hey gang! Full summer is upon us. There's lots of fresh produce, the days are sunny and warm, people are in vacation mode, and in just a few short weeks, we'll begin to feel the shift in the air toward fall...

I took yesterday off work and next Tuesday as well. Monday is a holiday already, so I have a very nice long, long weekend. Then, we'll be in August with just over a month to go before we head to France for a couple of weeks with Brad's sister and brother-in-law.

Hopefuly this evening we'll have dinner with our good friend Paul at a patio overlooking the beautiful river that flows through our town. Generally the food and service there suck, but the scenery makes up for it. And sometimes you do luck out with the meal and service.

Here's a nice tune I found surfing the Net... Perfect for a day like today. Have a good weekend, my friends.

Plus ça change...

2010-07-20T17:35:00.006-03:00

The more things stay the same... Hey all... Just doing a little check in... Just so as you know that we're still alive and kicking...

Not a whole lot new with us, though I HAVE been teleworking for the last 4 days! Yay! Everything went very smoothly this time around, though the IT dudes from work did have to come and take my computer back to the office to "reset" it, since I couldn't remember my password from the last time I used it here at home. But that was the only glitch. I was up and running within an hour or so. Hopefully, come September, it will be an official 6-month trial period, and if all goes well with that, then it will, in shalla, turn into a full-time gig! Brad, I must say, is thrilled! (He's actually having to make a little adjustment, since he has been used to having the whole house to himself from 7:00 to 5:30 on work days, but I'm sure we'll manage.)

Other than that, I've so far managed to get 9 quarts of raspberries off my backyard patch! That officially makes me self-sufficient in the raspberry department! They are all safely frozen and awaiting their incorporation into a pie, one of which I will probably make tomorrow as one of my nephews and his girlfriend will be staying with us for 3 days for a wedding here in the city. My nephew is best man.

We've also had several nice get-togethers with Mary's sister and her friend who are visiting the Maritimes from Ontario. Brad took last Friday off and took them to Fundy National Park, which lies on the Bay of Fundy, wherein are found the highest tides in the world, in case you were wondering... They are great folks and we've shared a lot of laughs.

My sister, who is now in Saudi Arabia, is adjusting very well to life in the Kingdom and has actually gotten herself a job at an Institute there teaching English to Saudi girls. It's still very early days, but I think she will like it a lot. Certainly beats sitting around doing nothing all day. And they already know that they will be coming home for Christmas, which makes my mother happy no end. I think she's been worried about my sister being so far away from home and family.

Kaiser continues to plod along. He's not throwing up quite as much, thank goodness, but it's always quandry as to what he will and will not eat next. Ah, the privileges that come with old age!

Have you already heard of Robyn? If not, you soon will. She a very talented pop star from Sweden and she's very good friends with Francis Strand! Check her out!

And now for something completely different....

2010-07-05T19:51:00.000-03:00

David Lynch sings...

Happy Canada Day!!

2010-07-01T16:04:00.002-03:00

Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canadians! It's a great day here - mostly sunny, with the odd shower sneaking in. We're invited next door for a little doo in honour of our national holiday. I've got tomorrow off too - Yipee, a 4-day weekend!

Here's a little (a lot actually) Kylie Minogue to get your weekend off to a good start!

Doo, doo, doo, lookin' out my backdoor...

2010-06-27T16:26:00.004-03:00

Hey all... Been a long time. Been a lot of same old same old, but been a lot happening as well. One big thing is that one of my friends and colleague at work is retiring in September after 34 years of dedicated service. Of course, I wish him all the best and am incredibly jealous of him, but exactly what impact it will have on the rest of us left behind remains uncertain... Après moi, la déluge and all that... Heady and eventful days at work, I must say...

In other news, our good friend Mary passed her Grade 10 music exam, for which he has been preparing for many months now. Congrats Mary on a job well done! Shaun must be especially pleased that you passed! I know I was when Brad did! ;)

And, this very day, my sister arrives in The Kingdom to begin a new phase of her life with her husband, who is now working in Saudi Arabia. It will be a huge culture shock for her, but hopefully she'll manage and adjust. She'll now not be able to drink any alcohol at all and will have to dress in an abbaya whenever she goes out in public. The abbaya is a long black hooded covering that all women in Saudi must wear in public. At least they don't have to cover their faces. And she'll have to be accompanied by her husband whenever she goes out as well... I donno... Brad gives her 2 weeks, but I think she might last a couple of months!

Other than that, we've been watching a lot of the World Cup from South Africa. There have been a lot of great games and most of the teams I am cheering for have gone through, except alas for my beloved Italia!

Kaiser continues to be about the same. Still throwing up, but perhaps not as much as before, but he's still kind of weak and tottery. We've been cooking him everything from liver to chicken in an effort to stimulate his appetite.

Here's some pics from the other evening when I was out on the deck with Kaiser

"Hey, what do you expect? Lassie? I'm 13 and a half and not feeling great..."

Geranium, basil, and rosemary

My raspberry patch - look at all those berries!

Notre petit chez-nous

:

Rainy Weekend...

2010-06-06T15:57:00.007-03:00

Hey all! All 5 of you who are left! It's been a very wet and rainy weekend here in eastern Canada. It poured buckets for most of the day yesterday and is raining again this afternoon and tonight. We had a lot of rain last week as well, so enough already!

My sister was here last week for a few days. She's on a whirlwind visiting tour before returning to Edmunton and then flying off to Saudi Arabia. Her husband landed a job there a while ago and he's already in the country. She's a bit worried about moving so far away from everyone, wearing an abaya whenever she's out and about, encountering new food and lifestyle, not being able to drink - at all - and so on. I don't blame her, really. I think I'd be worried too! Hopefully, I'll get to visit her over there at some point, either in Saudi or another country close by (where you can drink!)

We also had some very bad news about Kaiser last week. He's 13 now and had been throwing up on an almost daily basis, so we had bloodwork done, which came back basically normal, and then an x-ray, which also didn't reveal too much, and finally an ultrasound last Tuesday, which showed that one of his kidneys has shrivelled up to almost nothing and the other one is smaller than normal as well. The ultrasound also showed a large growth (tumor) in his stomach, which is inoperable because of its location, and his heart rate is also very high (it was 300 bpm before they gave him the sedative prior to the ultrasuond)... So his appetite has decreased dramatically and he's completely off his dog food. He's getting by now on BBQ chicken, hotdogs, cheese, Chinese fried rice, and lots of other human food. It's hard to say how long he will last or which of his ailments will do him in. For now, we're just trying to make him comfortable and taking things one day at a time.

Brad's sister and brother-in-law from Ontario are coming down this week for a family wedding (Brad's neice). This is the sis and bro-in-law that we will be going to France with in the fall, so hopefully we'll a planning session in as well. September will be here before you know it!

I've spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen baking and cooking. I made a lemon balm cake and lemon balm custard to accompany it. It's an old-fashioned kind of cake and custard that I haven't made in a long time - mostly because I somehow lost the recipe. But yesterday, Brad got on the Internets and found the recipe online at the bottom of the page here. I am enternally grateful! We have a lot of lemon balm in our back yard and I've been wanting to make this cake and custard again for a long time. I also made a new recipe for shrimp cakes that I picked up from here - the mixture is chilling in the fridge right now. Hope it turns out. In fact, I'll take some pics and post them below.

Take care, my friends, and be well.

Great News!

2010-05-29T12:37:00.002-03:00

Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, the two gay Malawaians who where convicted for "gross indecency" and "unnatural acts" for holding an engagement ceremony last year have been pardoned by the President and released following pressure exerted by U.N. Head Ban Ki-Moon. This is terrific news. Now let's just hope they can get out of the country to someplace safe before they are lynched!

Happy Victoria Day Weekend!

2010-05-22T10:45:00.003-03:00

It's a long weekend here in Canada - the official start of summer and opening up cottages. And it's supposed to be sunny and hot all weekend! We need it! The leaves are now all fully out, and I've mowed the grass twice now already. This afternoon we're off to my nephew's 40th birthday party. I made a banana-chocolate chip-sour cream cake in his honour. Should be a good afternoon.

As long-ago promised, here is the link to Brad's blog that he created to share his stories and pics from the bike trip he did last fall between Ottawa and home, here in New Brunswick. Please check it out here.

Have a great weekend!

Gay Ultimate Fighter?

2010-05-11T20:10:00.001-03:00

Hmmm... I think I might have to start watching Spike TV on Wednesday nights!

Late Night Man Massage

UltimateFighter.com

See More: TUF 11 • Charles Blanchard • Nick Ring • Kris McCray

More NYC! (at last!)

2010-05-09T14:15:00.009-03:00

Man, the time sure flies, and I have been a very lazy blogger of late. My apologies to anyone who's still out there!

Thought I'd post a few more pics from NYC and finish that chapter in any case...

We took off from Halifax airport, which is about 3 and a half hours away by car. Since it was mid-April, we had decided to remove our studded winter tires and put on regular ones for spring and summer. Of couse, since we had done that, we ran into snow in the Cobiquid Pass! It was like going from spring right back into winter in the matter of minutes. In any case, it just slowed us down a little and we were back into spring on the other side in about a half hour.

Going through security at HFX, for some reason, various places on my body kept setting off the beeping wand and the security guy have me a thorough going-over. Sometimes my hip replacement will set off the darn things, but this time, it was the cuffs of my pants that seem to be causing the most beeps! I was finally given the all clear, and then the next security guy asked if he could open my luggage. I told him of course, and this was the first time I've seen them use one of those swipe contraptions, which they run over your things and along the side of the suitcase and then analyze it right there. Supposed to pick of traces of explosives, I guess, and thankfully they found none in my case! ;)

Soon enough, we were on board and within 2 hours, we had touched down at Newark Liberty, which is the only airport in NYC that I will fly into and out of! (Just one of my quirks.) I also like Newark because of its easy access to the city. You just hop on the sky train and then jump onto a NJ Transit train and within a half hour, you're at Penn Station. From there was took a cab to the apartment we had rented in the East Village/Lower East Side.

We met the landlord (a young gal originally from the Dominican Republic) at the building and she gace us the keys and showed us around the 2-bedroom second-floor apartment. It was a bit small, but it had everything we needed and it was very clean. After settling in a bit, we headed down to the Essex Street Market to pick up some basic supplies (milk, bread, tomatoes, olive oil, cheese, etc.). It was just about a 7 minute walk away and meet our needs perfectly. On the way back, we ran across a wine shop, so we picked up a few bottles there as well. It was just around the corner and would become our default place to pick up vino.

After unpacking our purchases and having a glass or two of wine, it was time to make our way to Aroma, a restaurant Brad and I had eaten at last year and very much enjoyed. It too was just a 10 minute walk away. We had another terrific meal there and the service was very good as well.

After walking around Washington Park and getting to know our hood a bit, we decided to make it an early night and were back at the apartment and in bed by 11:00 p.m.

The next morning, we walked down to Wall Street (where a Polish flag was flying at half mast from the NY Stock Exchange Building to commemorate the tragic plane crash that had just taken place there days earlier). We took a gander at the construction going on at Ground Zero and then ducked into Century 21 (a big department store) to do some shopping.

After that, Christiane and I followed Brad has he guided us through the subway system and we ended up at Columbus Circle. I had made lunch reservations at A voce, which is a beautiful Italian restaurant on the 3rd floor of the Time Warner Centre. I had requested a table by the window, and we got it! A great view from inside a beautiful restaurant in the middle of Manhatten - what more could you ask for? Great food? We got that too! This was probably our best meal of the trip. I started off with the Baccala, which is a succluent piece of salt cod poached in olive oil with olives, raisins, and pine nuts. I then had the special, a ravoli stuffed with guancia (basically bacon from the pig's cheek) with a delicate lemony sauce - devine! Brad also swears that he had the best dessert of his life here - a vanilla bean panna cotta with meyer lemon and thyme.

After our terrific lunch, we waddled a few blocks up to the Met (where we were seeing Armida that evening) so Christiane could see the place in daylight. Then it was a stroll through Central Park at the entrance to which we were accosted by seriously sexy dudes who tried to pursuade us to let them give us a scenic tour of the park on the back of their rick-shaws. "Please, Mister, you'll like it!" Believe me, it was all I could do to say no thanks! We walked through The Strawberry Fields, which has a John Lennon memorial, and then farther down the Park until we eventually caught the subway back to our pied-à-terre. We decided to just have a light dinner of salad at the apartment before heading back uptown to the Met for the opera.

The opera was good, but a little long - and both Brad anbd I agreed that they could have cut the entire Second Act without losing very much. It was raining when it let out, so Christiane and I huddled under our one umbrella and Brad got quite wet until we were safely back underground and on the subway. By the time we reached the LES, it was mostly just drizzling. We turned in around 12:30 a.m. to the sounds of a loud party going on somewhere in the building, but when we shut the bedroom doors and turned on the air conditioners, nary a sound was heard.

Saturday morning was spent shopping in SoHo - hiting Sabon, Dean & Deluca, and Crate and Barrel, to name but a few. We all had to pee at one point so we stopped in a café and Christiane ordered a tea and a muffin and we all used the facilities. Brad got a biscotti and when he bit into it, a rather large chunk of one of his molars broke off! Yikes! Fortunately, it wasn't painful and he just had to baby that side of his mouth for the rest of the trip until he got to the dentist back at home.

We walked up to Union Square and grabbed a chicken pita from an outdor vendor for lunch and then walked back to the apartment for some down time and to get ready for dinner at The Red Cat. This was another reservation I had made prior to leaving Canada and we had another terrific meal there. And again we lucked out with a window table. I started with shrimp fritters with an aoli dipping sauce (app special that night), and they were delicious, but very, very hot! Producing lots of sweat on my forehead. I then had the grilled pork tenderloin, which was superb (We basically had decided to forego our basically vegetarian ways for this trip.) Apple profiteroles for dessert sealed the deal sweetly. Another great spot that I highly recommend.

We then took the subway up to Broadway where we saw Fela. It was absolutely amazing and again I would highly recommend it to anyone. Please do check out the link. Christiane was almost in tears by the end of it - just because it was so good! After a long stroll down Broadway and into Times Square (which is absolutely amazing at night - Brad and I had mostly been there in the daytime before), we again headed home on the subway - Christiane and Jeff following Brad as usual :)

Sunday morning we had a light breakfast at the apartment and then hooked up with a group who had booked a food tour of Brooklyn. It was a 4-hour tour conducted by an experienced guide and we ended up having everything from Polish Kielbasa sausage to a Cuban sandwich, containing copious amounts of delicious pulled pork! We had never been to Brooklyn, so it was a perfect way to make its acquaintance.

We walked back to the apartment from the drop-off point and we actually considered cancelling our reservation at La Sirène that evening because were so full, but we didn't and we had another very enjoyable meal at this tiny BYOB spot in SoHo.

Another subway trip and we were home, this time to pack up our things in preparation for a very early morning. The alarm was set for 4:30 a.m., as we all had to get up and shower and be ready to leave by 6:00 a.m. in order to be at Newark in time for our 9:00 a.m. flight. We ended up taking a cab out to the airport, as it was not much more expensive than taking a cab to Penn station and then going out on NJ Transit. We made it there in plenty of time and had a good flight back, but a tedious drive home in the pouring rain. But all and all, it was a terrific trip and time very well spent. And we've already decided that NYC will be a yearly event on our calendars from now on...

Here are a few more pics:

Polish flag at half mast

View from A voce onto Columbus Circle

Another view from A voce

Dudes cleaning the fountain at The Met

John Lennon memorial in the Strawberry Fields

Yoko Ono still has an apartment in this building

Christiane and I in Little Cuba

Genuine Knishes on the Lower East Side

Welcome to 1920!

Red Square on the Lower East Side!

Polish restaurant in Brooklyn

Yummy sausages!

Christiane with the Brooklyn Bridge in the background

The Empire State Building as seen from DUMBO (Down Underneath the Manhatten Bridge Overpass)

The City

De retour

2010-04-21T19:21:00.004-03:00

Hi guys! Yes I'm still alive, and we made it back from NYC safe and sound. We had a terrific time in The City! Hard to believe we left a week ago tomorrow! The flights were good and we actually arrived ahead of time in NYC. I'm going to leave it at that and post a few teaser shots of our trip as I still have a million and one things to do before the IT guys from work arrive here on Friday to connect me to the office... More soon!

Central Park in bloom - just below the Strawberry Fields

Poster for Armida - the opera we saw at the Met

Brad and our good friend Christiane in front of the Met

Me and Brad

I love this shot - String Theory comes to Katz's

Memory Lane

2010-04-10T14:23:00.007-03:00

Hey gang,

How goes the battle? All goes good on this end. I hope I didn't freak you all out with last week's rather morose post! I truly wasn't all that sad or depressed, just a bit melancholy...

This past week has been busy and productive both at work and on the home front. We are still getting things moved around at home, switching bedrooms, moving art, and getting ready for my upcoming stint of working at home. Speaking of which, while I always knew it was to be a pilot project, I was think more in terms of months, whereas, I have since found out, that the bosses at work are thinking in terms of weeks! Nice. In any case, I'll take what I can get. They tell me if all goes well, I would be working at home on a full-time basis come September. But, for various reasons, that is a very big IF! Que sera, sera, I suppose. If the full-time teleworking doesn't pan out, I'll evaluate ALL of my options at that time.

In other news, spring is upon us in full force here in eastern Canada. The forsythia is in bloom, the grass is greening, trees are budding, and our rhubarb is up. It's great! I'm hoping we'll get some decent weather next week in NYC! We're getting very excited about the trip. I've made a couple of restaurant reservations (one here). I love the area around Columbus Circle, where this restaurant is! We're also going to taking in an opera at the Met (Armida with Renée Flemming) and a show on Broadway (Fela).

And for some reason or another, I've also been thinking about Mirla Castellanos! Ever heard of her? Probably not, unless you are from Venezuela or Latin America. She was a fave of my first partner, who was from Caracas. I listened to a lot of her music in the 2 and a half years we were together! The first song, Maldito Amor, was one of her big hits. I think she also did a version of Dominique a nique, but I can't find that on You Tube, so I've substituted. Perhaps it was another artist in any case...

De todas maneras, Javier, if you are out there, these two are for you! :)

In these times...

2010-04-02T18:39:00.013-03:00

Sometimes, as a 5 or 6-year-old kid, I remember pulling a blanket or and afgan over myself and just crying. Not for any particular reason, just because of an overwhelming sense of sadness. I've been kinda feeling like that again lately. Again, not for any particular reason, just because, I guess....

I don't know if you know Joan Armatrading, but she's a great singer. She just released a new CD (This Charming Life) I think. One of my fave songs by her is "All the way from America", but it's hard to find online, so I give you these...

Dedicated to: Tiwonge Chimbalange & Steven Monjeza:

In These Times

Down to Zero

And I finally found a not too bad version of "All the Way From America"

Late breaking news!

2010-03-25T19:21:00.002-03:00

Spring has sprung!

Have you heard? It's spring! Though today was beautiful, I prefer the winter we had to the spring that arrived last weekend! It's been cold and damp ever since. And it's supposed to go down to minus 13 C on the weekend! Jeez Louise! Enough already!

Our poor little rhubarb sprouts will catch a cold!

Hey gang. Not much new on this end, though I did receive my token for my computer yesterday that will facilitate my working from home!! Looks like it's actually going to happen! I know, I can hardly believe it myself! I have to keep pinching myself, but hopefully by this time next month, I will log on and connect to my work from home. Brad is estatic also! ;)

Other than that, we are still looking forward to our trip to NYC next month. And can you believe it!! Dame Edna has a new show on Broadway that we will definitely take in! Possums, I tell you! What luck!

Laters!

Bettye

2010-03-13T17:51:00.001-04:00

Do you know Bettye? If not, please allow me to introduce you to her:

Somebody pick up my pieces...

So simple

2010-03-11T17:10:00.002-04:00

This cute little video has been making its way around the blogosphere in the last few days. Perhaps you've already seen it. If not, here it is:

Resurfacing

2010-03-07T15:11:00.005-04:00

Hey! Long time no see! It has certainly been a while since my last post! Hope you all have been keeping well!

Let's see... We watched a lot of the Olympics on our new TV. Shaun and Mary came over last Sunday for dinner and to watch the Gold Medal hockey game between Canada and the U.S. (We won - YAY!). And it was also Shaun's birthday, so we celebrated that as well. Our Paulie and Ron were over the night before that and we had a ridiculously good time with them, too. Georges and Barb came by last night for supper (pasta putanessca & raspberry pie) and a movie (Katyn, a Polish film about the massacre of some 12,000 Polish officers by the Russians in WWII). George is Polish and understood the film for the most part without having to rely on the subtitles.

Went down to see mom today and forgot to take her a piece of raspberry pie! I'm in her bad books now ;) She looked well and was feeling okay. My sister-in-law and niece dropped by shortly after I left apparantly and she had a good visit with them. I also found out today that I am a great uncle once again. My sister's daughter had a baby boy yesterday. Called him Abraham, can you imagine! Jersey. (We had a Minah bird called Abe when I was a kid, something dad brought home one day and thought we would like. (He, of course, had nothig to do with the cleaning of the cage or other bird maintenance - my mother could have shot him!). In any case, Abe learn how to cough exactly like my father, you would swear that he was in the house to hear this bird, and its other favourite lines were, "Going swimmin'" and "I wanna get out" - I taught him that of course!)

What else... We're still waiting on the delivery of our bed and bedroom set (they are making the mattress special order - so we can get it up to our 3rd floor where the master bedrom is). The snow is melting like crazy - another week of this weather and there will be none left (YAY!!). There are plants actually sprouting in our back yard, if you can believe it! This time last year, we had about 6 feet of snow on the ground if not more. I'm really digging being able to wear shoes while walking Kaiser in the morning and on my trek back and forth to work. I HATE winter boots!

We're also looking forward to another trip to the Big Apple. We're going on April 15, so just over a month now. We're going with an old friend (a female university professor from France originally) and have rented an apartment for the 4 nights near SoHo. I've been researching restaurants like mad on the Internet, and I already know that we'll be going back to one of the places we went to last year, Aroma on 4th Street - such a great place! Feel free to give some recommendations!

A few quick pics before I resubmerge:

Pizza Pizza

Sid the Kid! (And yes it's me who has his stick and gloves!)

Jasper: "When's that pizza gonna be ready anyway!?"

Team Canada goalie on the left, Luongo or something, he's very cute!

Jerome Iginla - winning smile!

Stop Callin'

2010-02-21T17:04:00.005-04:00

Hey guys,

Been another busy week. We went to our good friends Shaun and Mary last night for a potluck with Don and Mar and our new back door neighbour, as it turns out. It was a great time. Don and Mar took homemade maple ice cream, and an anti-pasto dish with peppers and onions (very yummy both), and I took the date/pecan pie, which went went perfectly with Don's ice cream. Coleen (the new back door neighbour (who knew Shaun and Mary beforehand) took some yummy Brie and blue cheese. A good time was had by all. Shaun and Mary made a great Ceasar salad and a vegetarian lasagne. We all had a great time and we watched some of the Vancouver Oylmpics on TV afterwards.

Speaking of TVs, Brad and I had somewhat of a mid-life crisis last week and we went out an bought a new 42" flat-sceen high def TV with Blue Ray and sound system, a new king size bed (yes we are going to try sleeping together again after all these years!) 2 night stands, a dresser, and the stand for the TV and god knows what else! And that is on top of the new garden door we are we are having put in and the new air-tight fireplace insert that was installed last week! Enh... It's only money and you can't take it with you! It will be extremely nice for me not to have to vacate my (old) bedroom when someone comes to visit, which my sister from Alberta will be doing in a couple of weeks (en route to Saudi Arabia - finally, perhaps - (I'll believe it when I see it!)

In any event, baked salmon and potates for supper tonight (our usual Sunday fare).

And I'll leave you with Lady Gaga at the Brit Awards, which took place earlier this week. Say what you will, I like Gaga. At least she writes most of her own stuff, unlike Madonna, with whom she is being compared.

Happy Belated Valentine's!

2010-02-15T20:38:00.004-04:00

I can't believe it's already the 16th of February. Seems like days pass now like minutes used to!

Not a whole lot new with us. Brad and his dad had a good ski trip in Maine. It was cold for the first bit, but generally good skiing. They got back last Wednesday, and on Friday, Brad and I hooked up with Shaun at our usual watering hole for an after work tipple. After drinks, we kidnapped Shaun for supper at a nearby restaurant, before heading over to Shaun and Mary's to watch some of the Olympics Opening Ceremony.

By and large, I thought the Opening was great. Measha Bruggergossman, the big-haired gal who sang the Olympic Hymn, gave a terrific performance. We've seen her perform many times as she is from our fair city. And I'm sure we'll see her again in the months and years to come on the classical stages and concert halls around the world.

And k.d. lang - Wow! She just gets better as she ages. Her rendition of Leonard Cohen's Halleujah was inspired. She always does an amazing job with that song - much better than Cohen himself, in my opinion.

Our Saturday was fairly quiet and we both did our usual weekend chores: groceries, laundry, walking dogs, and cooking. I made an unbelievably yummy Medjool date pecan pie, the recipe for which I snagged here. It's very easy to make and is fantastic! The perfect ending for our Valentine's Dinner, which started with smoked salmon and parmesan toasts - the bread, the butter, the salmon and the cheese all combine under the broiler to provide the ultimate taste sensation: crunchy, soft, salty and sweet all at the same time! We then moved on to seared scallops with celery, basmati rice, and homemade guacamole. As I mentioned, we finished the meal with the date pecan pie and a half bottle of Chateau RIEUSSEC Sauternes 2002, which I had picked up in Montreal in November. It, too, was incredibly good ($45/half bottle good!) with strong floral notes and the slightest hint of pine (the tree, not the sol!).

Here are a few pics:

Whine, bitch, moan, complain.... Repeat.

2010-02-06T14:04:00.002-04:00

Well, as the title of this post suggests, I have been in a somewhat negative mood of late. Mostly, I think, it's a bad case of the winter doldrums. Though we thankfully haven't had a lot of snow lately, it has been bitterly cold and windy for the last week or so. The low minus 20s C and minus mid-teens C for the most part. Ugh. I've had enough already. And we still have the rest of February and all of March to get in. I really, really, really want to go South somewhere, but as I said before, I think, it's not financially feasible this winter. Next winter, come what may, I am going someplace warm for at least a week in February.

I think it was Jim (over at gorgim - link in the sidebar) who once posted about his dislike of wearing a winter coat. Sorry Jim, but the coat is the least of my dislikes surrounding winter :) For me, it's the winter boots (big, heavy winter boots that one has to wear when one has two dogs that need walking in all kinds of weather), and the long johns that have to be worn almost daily. Not to mention the hats and the gloves. Then there are the slippery sidewalks (or the sandy sidewalks after the city sidewalk plows go over and spread sand, which makes it a lot of fun cleaning off the dogs' paws in the porch after their walks), the slippery streets - caked with snow and ice. The barren, leafless trees. The short days, which thankfully are getting a smidgon longer now. Ugh again!

On top of the cold outside, I've had a bad cold inside. After just nicely getting over the cold I had over the holidays, I picked up a new one that has been hanging around for at least 2 weeks now it seems. Mostly in my sinuses and nose, but I've been coughing a bit as well and just generally feeling miserable and sorry for myself. I think - I hope - I am on the tail end of it. I blame that gall darn H1N1 vaccine I got back in November! It's been years almost since I've had a bad cold, and now this year already I've had two. Oh woe is me! I know. I'll stop bitching now! :)

In other news, Brad and his dad left this morning for a 4-day skiing trip to northern Maine (Saddleback Mountain). They should have a good time and good snow conditions. I'm minding the fort and the dogs. I'm taking Monday off just to give myself a bit of a treat. I'm running down to mom's tomorrow to have a visit and get her stocked up. She's been doing quite well lately, though she too is complaining of the cold. She's on blood thinners, which makes her mind the cold even more, I think.

Our friends George and Barb are currently in Washington, D.C. Ha! They are getting a blizzard there this weekend. They are supposed to be flying back tomorrow, but it remains to be seen if they'll be able to get out as planned. Barb sent me an e-mail this morning saying that the whole city had basically shut down and that they were hunkered down at their hotel with a team of college basketball players. Hmmm... One could imagine worse fates!

So, gentle readers... Please think warm thoughts and send some positive energy my way! Hasta pronto!

Dios Mio!

2010-01-24T15:50:00.003-04:00

Has it been a week already since my last post? Jeez. Ca passe vite!

It's been a rather uneventful week with the exception being that last Monday I learned that I might be able to start working from home come March! OMG! Needless to say I am thrilled, and Brad is doing his best to be act like he's happy for me! Haha.. He has been working from home for many years and has grown quite used to having our place all to himself during the daytime. Oh well. I'm sure we'll manage somehow! I live for the day when I no longer have to take the bus to the opposite end of the city and work with many of the morons that I do. Speed the day, I say!

It was VERY cold here this morning - around minus 18 C, but it has been warming up all day and we're supposed to get rain tomorrow and Tuesday. Ugh. I HATE rain in the wintertime.

Got down to see mom for a while this morning. She looks good and has no major complaints. Long may it last!

After I got back from mom's I made an Indonesian Peanut Soup and the lentil salad with sun-dried tomatoes and feta. Brad made Shaun's special spinach salad to take out to his father's tonight for a good-bye party for one of his neices who is going back out West. I am actually starting to feel like crap (sore throat and stuffed up sinuses), so I am sitting this one out.

Here's the recipe for the Indonesian Peanut Soup:

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 or 2 jalapenos, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced fresh lemongrass*
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter
1/4 cup ketjap manis**
2 tablespoons lime juice
1teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Method:

In a large saucepan, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno(s), ginger, and lemon grass and sautée for 4 minutes. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 12 - 15 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and add the coconut milk, peanut butter, ketjap manis, lime juice, and dried seasonings and cook for 5 to 10 minutes more over low heat, stirring frequently. Stir in the cilantro. Yeild: 6 to 8 servings.

* Ketjap manis is a thicker, sweeter Indonesian style of soy sauce.

** I use chopped zested lemon peel, as good fresh lemon grass is hard to come by here. Works great!

Have a good week peeps!

Busy Weekend

2010-01-17T19:22:00.004-04:00

Phew! Sunday evening already! The weekend literally flew by. Started off with drinks with Don and Mar at a nearby hotel, as there was a gas leak at our usual haunt. Was good to catch up with them as I had not seen then since New Year's Eve. Brad was at his dad's and Shaun and Mary couldn't make it. Georges and Barbeara are doing their yearly purge, i.e., no drinking in January, so I didn't even try to contact them... (Let me know if your off the wagon, dudes, and we'll fit something in next week!!)

It's been basically a slow weekend with nothing much on the go. I went swimming both last night and tonight, which felt great! I'm definitely in the mood to drop some unwanted pounds and get in better shape. Tomorrow, I'll bike and then swim again on Tuesday. I have to get in shape for NYC in April!

We had our usual baked salmon, baked potato, and veggies for supper tonight. But I also made my Thai tofu and zucchini curry this afternoon as well as a large batch of rice. Yesterday Brad made homemade beans and a bean salad. So we should hopefully have little cooking to do this coming week both for lunches and suppers.

We continue to be horrified by the situation in Haiti. If you haven't already made a donation, please do so. I made an initial donation to Doctors Without Borders on Friday and will probably end up giving more. We have so much here and take so much for granted, the situation in Haiti is humbling. There but for the grace of god go we all....

Have a good week amigos!

Here's some eye candy and incentive!

Haiti

2010-01-14T08:33:00.004-04:00

Just a quick post to express our sadness and horror at the incomprehensible destruction and chaos in the wake of the Haitian earthquake. The magnitude of the devastation is truly overwhelming.

Brad knows one of the Canadians still listed as missing. Though they had never met in person, they had frequent work-related telephone and e-mail conversations. He had sent Brad some pics of Haiti and the work he was doing there. He had been home for the holidays and had just returned to the island nation on Tuesday, the day of the quake. We hope he is still alive and our thoughts and prayers are with him, his family and with all those suffering in Haiti.

Please send what you can to the Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, or other worthwhile NGOs that are providing relief to quake victims.

UPDATE: Very, very sadly, we have learned that Brad's colleague was one of the casualties of the Haitian earthquake. By all accounts, he was a terrific guy - devoted husband and father of 2. Our hearts go out to his family and friends.

Sunday cookin' with Jeff and Brad

2010-01-10T17:10:00.011-04:00

Hey guys! Wassup? Been a busy Sunday here in eastern Canada. I did stay in bed though until almost 9:00 a.m., which was very nice. After walking Kaiser and feeding both dogs, I gobbled down my half grapefruit for breakfast, checked my losing lotto tickets - twice! - just to make sure, and gathered mom's stuff together and headed down to her place. It was bright and sunny here today, but very cold, minus 15 C and windy. Brrr.

When I arrived at mom's she was feeling a bit under the weather, but she looked fine. I later came to find out that she had misunderstood the gal who had taken her blood pressure earlier in the day... Mom thought she had heard 123 on the bottom (systolic, diastolic, I'm not sure which the bottom No. is). In any case, no. The gal later told us that it was 123 over 90something, which is really good, especially for my mother.

I pursuaded her to go out and have some lunch even though she didn't want to. They had chicken noodle soup, most of which mom ate, but later complained that the chicken must have died of old age, it was so tough. Jersey... She's a hard old gal to please! The place was absolutely beautiful there today with the bright blue sky and frozen lake. I keep telling mom and her fellow geriatric inmates that one day soon, they will have to don their skates and rip some lines on the lake! They nod and smile, as if I'm the one who's out of his mind.

After a little somethin somethin this afternoon, I finally got a chance to make a new soup that I've been wanting to cook for a while now. It's a tomato and Israeli couscous potage, which, as it turns out, is really is delicious. Here's the recipe and a pic:

Tomato Soup with Israeli Couscous

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, diced
6 cloves of garilc, roughly chopped
20 oz can diced tomates
6 cups vegetable stock/broth
2 or 3 sprigs fresh mint, chopped, or a pinch of dried mint
1/4 tsp ground cumin
cayenne pepper, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

In a large sauce pan, simply stir fry the onion and carrots until softened (about 10 minutes).

Add the spices, half the garlic, tomatoes, vegetable stock/broth, and couscous.

Bring to a boil, add the remaining chopped garlic, reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 mintues. Throw in the chopped cilantro and let sit for at least 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and serve. Serves 6 to 8 easily.

Yum! Here's a pic of the finished product:

Slapshotolus!

2010-01-08T12:32:00.005-04:00

First off, Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a great holiday and that 2010 is treating you well thus far! My cold hung around the whole time I was off, but I still managed to have a good time and the break from work was needed and enjoyed. We hosted a New Year's Eve party for some friends and neighbours and it was very festive with the Christmas tree still up and a fire roaring in the fireplace.

Now it's back to the grind and the rest of winter. I think the US and Europe are actually having a harder time of it than we are here in Canada. It's been almost springlike here for the past few days with temperatures hovering aruond the freezing mark and no snow or rain for over a week. There's still a lot of snow on the ground, though, and we'll no doubt get a lot more before the winter's over.

I'm really wishing I was in Saint Lucia or some other warm place, but with the painting of the house, replacement of the runner on the stairs, and other expenses, I don't think a trip South is in the cards for this year, anyway. Unless, of course, I have a big lotto win! Tonight's Lotto Max jackpot is $40 million, so wish me luck!

Speaking of winter, the Olympics will be getting underway next month in Vancouver. For the first time ever, I believe, there will be a Pride House in the Olympic Village - a place for gay and gay-friendly atheletes and fans to get together and socialize. I think it's a great idea and I hope it's a success. One of the centerpieces at Pride House will be a sculpture of a naked hockey player called, appropriately enough, Slapshotolus! Word on the street is that a Montreal Habs player posed for the work - I'm joking, of course, but it certainly is a provocative piece that's bound to cause a bit of a stir. And you have to admit that hockey ratings would probably go through the roof if players were similarly attired! They'd likely have to institue some new rules about high-sticking and being off-side! And instead of power plays, there could be power bottoms - Oh, the possibilities are endless!

All of the pics I've seen have been a version of the one below, so no word yet on whether he's cut or uncut! Without further ado, then, I give you Slapshotolus!

Happy Boxing Day!

2009-12-26T13:27:00.006-04:00

Hey all... I had every intention of doing a few posts before Christmas, but you know how it goes... One thing leads to another and before you know it, Christmas Day has come and gone... And here we are at December 26, or Boxing Day in Canada.

We had a HUGE scare last week with one of Brad's nephews having a terrible accident while snowboarding. He fell and hit his head (sans helmet) and had to be rushed to the Regional Hospital in Saint John. He was within minutes of dying, according to the doctors, but they operated and removed a blood clot, and he was home in time for Christmas. A true Christmas miracle! One of his eyes is still not opening properly, but the docs are confident that it will basically heal itself and he'll be as good as new. He was a very lucky 17-year-old, and we are all lucky that he is still with us.

Other than that, we had a good holiday, going to Brad's dad's place on Christmas Eve and then to his sister's for the big dinner yesterday. Unfortunately, I developed a heck of a Christmas cold, and have not been feeling great, especially yesterday and today. We were supposed to go to mom's today, but I felt wretched when I got up (after an almost sleepless night), so we decided that Brad would go down on his own and deliver mom's gifts. I certainly did not want to expose her to the cold that I have. Don and Marlene had also invited us to their place today after visiting with mom, so Brad is going to keep up that end of the deal as well. He decided to take Jasper with him and do some snowshoeing out at Don and Mar's before returning here later this evening. Jasper will have a ball!

Brad gave me two new watches for Christmas - a very nice regular one to wear every day and a waterproof one that I can wear when I go swimming. The strap of my old waterproof watch broke a couple of weeks ago and I hate being without a timepiece on my wrist. I gave him all of the books on the Canada Reads selection this year as well as one entitled 24 Walks in Paris, which will hopefully come in handy when we are there next fall with Brad's sister and brother-in-law.

I have all of next week off, which I am very much looking forward to. Hopefully I will be able to ditch this awful cold very soon. I keep filling myself with vitamin C and Dristan. We are having some friends and neighbours over on New Year's Eve to ring in the new year.

2010 - Can you imagine! Just two more years to go until 2012!

More soon, I promise, including the long-awaited post on Brad's bike trip from Ottawa home.

Merry Christmas all, a bit belatedly, but better late than never! :)

Here's a little Regina Spektor. Wintry and a little melancholy, which fits my mood perfectly today ("and darkness spreads over the snow like ancient bruises"):

December madness...

2009-12-16T09:44:00.004-04:00

December has to be busiest month of the year. So many things going on, so much to do. Gifts to buy, cards to send, parties to go to, parties to hold. Concerts, cooking, and generally running around like mad. That has been my December experience, anyway.

And the last few years I have had to do all of mom's stuff for her as well: cards and little gifts she buys for friends, family and the gals who look after her at the home. And after her move back in May, I finally got aorund, sometime in September or October, to changing her address with Canada Revenue (the tax guys). It wasn't all that big a deal, typing up a sheet with her relavant information on it, getting her to sign it, and then faxing it off to St. Johns, Newfoundland. I thought that was it. Then a few weeks ago, she received something in the mail, which she thought was from Revenue Canada, asking for her to update her address with them. When I finally get a hold of the sheet and call the number indicated, I realize that this one was from Service Canada (the ones from whom she gets her Old Age Security and Canada Pension). Argh... And the only way to change her address with them is for her to talk to them directly on the phone and answer a few skill testing questions so they can determine that she is indeed the person they are talking to. So to make a long story short, I have to take Friday morning off, go down to mom's get Service Canada on the line (it's a toll free number with something like 18 options to choose from, which she would never be able to do on her own), and then have her change her address with them. And hopefuly that will be it!

And then there's the snow to shovel and the slippery sidewalks and the dogs that get dirty and wet in the slush and the morons at work and the morons on the bus (hacking and coughing, and sneezing their heads off). And the short days, the line ups at the post office and grocery stores, and the list goes on and on...

I'm really starting not to like December very much. I'm counting the days down to the 23rd, after which I will at least be off work until January 4 (using just 4 vacation days!). And I did get to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas the other night. Why that Cindy-Lou Who could put a smile on the face of even the grumpiest of souls!

Happy Christmas!

2009-12-09T18:46:00.004-04:00

Sorry, but I couldn't resist this over-the-top display of ... jeez... I don't know what it is a display of, but it totally cracks me up! Would have been nice if they could have used a Christmas hymn, tho!

Amazing Grace Techno - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

Painting Woes

2009-12-01T20:20:00.004-04:00

Hey all... Once again I apologize for not blogging much of late. We've just been incredibly busy and are now in the process of having the inside of our house painted, all save a few rooms. Everything is upside-down and dusty, but the finished produce will be worth it I think. Since we moved in here 5 and a half years ago, we've only painted the top floor master bedroom, which had been an awful burnt orange colour that neither of us could stand. So we had that done fairly quickly. The rest of the house was mostly a light beige colour, which we really didn't mind that much, so we left it ... until now. We're having the trim and the baseboards done in a white glossy oil-based paint and the rest in an off-white called Moroccan Sand. It's looking really good so far, with the den and Brad's office basically done, though I think the office might need another coat tomorrow. The guy who's doing it is very good, fast, and clean. It would take us forever and a day to get the job done. Hopefully, he'll be finished by the end of the coming weekend, if not before. Now we're going to have to get all new furniture and window treatments to match the new look!

In other news, we had a great potluck dinner party last Saturday at Don and Marlene's place in the country. There was a "Christmas in the Village" day going on the same day, with a lot of the shops and galleries putting on special selections of their wares and goods. Don and Mar also participated, setting up a stand to sell their honey and homemade soaps. It was a very nice time despite the rainy cool weather. And dinner was delish, as always.

On Sunday, after going down to visit mom, I went to a special public clinic and got my H1N1 shot. It didn't hurt a bit on Sunday, but yesterday, I really felt like crap - sore arm and every joint in my body aching. But today, everything is back to normal and I feel fit as a fiddle. I even went for a swim after work. Something I have to do more often as well as spending a lot more time in the basement on my stationary bike... Perhaps there's a reason my Skinny Saturdays have fallen by the wayside lately!

In any case, I'll leave you with a few motivational pics!

Cheers amigos!

The Road

2009-11-24T20:51:00.003-04:00

Can't wait for this film to be released. Brad and I both read the book this fall. It's by Cormac McCarthy, the same guy who wrote No Country for Old Men and others. It stars Viggo Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee as the son. It's very dark and intense, much like the book. It opens on Friday, November 27. Here's a sneak preview...

48

2009-11-18T13:07:00.002-04:00

Yup. That's me. 48 years old today. Approaching the big milestone, but not quite there yet! I've had a lot of calls, e-mails, and cards from friends and family - Thanks guys and gals! No big plans for today. We're going out to see Paranormal Activity tomorrow with Shaun and Mary and are having dinner on Friday evening with Paul and Ron. Hopefully a quiet weekend to relax and savour my dotage!

Good News Sunday

2009-11-15T15:35:00.004-04:00

Hey all... We had a bit of good news regarding my brother a few days ago. The chemotherapy seems to have done what it was supposed to and the docs are very pleased and optimistic. That is not to say that he is out of the woods just yet, but thus far, the progress has been as good as it can be. I talked to Earl for a few minutes yesterday on the phone and he was tired and quite weak, but that is certainly to be expected. Hopefully we'll know more next week and hopefully the news will continue to be good.

It's been a rainy, dreary day here. We caught the tail end of tropical depression Ida, I think. It rained like a a son-of-a-gun when I was driving down to mom's this morning, but now it's tapered down to just a bit of drizzle and fog. The warm temps that come along with it are nice. And it's supposed to be sunny all week here with temperatures in the high single digits Celcius. Not bad at all for November here.

Which reminds me, happy birthday Marlene! Her birthday was on Nov. 13. And mine is just around the corner on the 18th. The big 4-8 for me this year... Where oh where does the time go?

I leave you with a couple of teaser pics from Brad's bike trip... One day next week, I am going to hand him the keys to the blog and get him to do a post about his trip from Ottawa back home... Stay tuned...

Nineteen

2009-11-11T13:22:00.003-04:00

Hey all! We made it back safe and sound from the beautiful city of Montréal. We flew up Friday at suppertime, caught a taxi to our hotel, checked in, and then caught another taxi to Milos on Parc Street. It was our first time there and we had a delicious meal. It's a little pricey, but worth every penny. We both started with the crab cakes, which were very yummy, full of crab meat and little else. Then we both also had the grilled halibut as a main, which was also cooked to perfection and very tasty. For dessert, I had the Galaktoboureko, and Brad ordered the Loukoumades. I have to say that Brad's dessert was incredible! Lightly fried greek dough balls drenched in honey - thyme honey from Crete. They were spectacular. (If we hadn't recently bought 12 jars of honey from Don and Marlene, we would have picked up a botle at the restaurant - $60 a pop!) I also ordered a glass of greek dessert wine and Brad had a port to finish off the evening. The service was very good as well, as we were served by very sexy Kostas, a Greek guy in his early twenties with a smile and a bottom to die for! After our great meal, we walked to the nearest metro station and rode back downtown and headed to one of the strip bars for which Montréal is famous. We stayed well into the early hours and spent too much money - well, I spent too much money on the boyz... But what the heck. It's a once a year thing!

Next morning we had breakfast at the hotel, which is included in the price, and then we took the metro to the Atwater Market - a terrific spot with lots of different food shops. I picked up some Israeli couscous and a bottle of olive oil from Spain. Across the street was one of the bigger SAQ liquor stores, so we popped in there and picked up a few bottles that are hard to find at home, including a white port. We then made out way back to the hotel and dropped off our purchases before heading out on foot to meet good friend Maurice for lunch at L'Evidence. It, too, was a great spot and it was good to sit down and catch up with Maurice. After lunch, we hopped in Maurice's car and drove to a Middle Eastern bakery and then to a Greek bakery. This was Brad's wannado, and he picked up lots of yummy pastries, some of which we are still eating! We then went to the Jean-Talon market, which is similar to Atwater, only bigger and, in my opinion, better! The weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm. Maurice then dropped us off at the hotel, where we changed for dinner at Le Piedmontais, a cozy French/Italian resto very close to where we were staying. After another good meal, we made our way to Place des Arts where we saw Mozart's The Magic Flute opera. It too was very good. It finished around 11:00 p.m., and we were both too tired to do anything except head back to the hotel and get a good night's sleep.

The following morning, we again had breakfast at the hotel and then checked out and headed over to our friend Lynn's, who lives in Westmount. After tea and a chat, we went with him to an open house to look at a condo he was thinking of purchasing downtown. We then wandered all over downtown and the Le Plateau district on another sunny and warm fall afternoon. We made a reservation along the way at La Prunelle, a cosy bring-your-own-wine spot. After walking around and shopping a bit more, we found a liquor store and picked up a couple of bottles of wine to have with dinner. Another fine meal later, we were back on the street and headed for the strip club once again - hey, I had to bid my boyz adieu! Sunday was women's night at the place, and it was a completely different atmosphere with all the squeeling gals.. We didn't stay that long and soon caught the metro back to Westmount, where we retired for another good night's sleep.

We had breakfast at Lynn's the next morning - November 9 - our 19th anniversary as a couple! Brad and I then went out and did some shopping in the 'hood. I picked up a new backback - mostly to carry all of our purchases back home in, some soap from my fave Westmount shop, and a new cookbook. All and all, a productive morning. We also picked up some kalamata olive bread and a loaf of sun-dried tomato bread to bring home with us as well as a couple of sandwiches to eat at the airport. Our flight home was uneventful and pleasant, except for this very loud gal from France who was seated directly behind us and who did not shut up for the entire 1 hour 10 minute flight! Man, I wanted to slap her!

So that was our weekend. I had yesterday off and got a lot done around the house and a lot of errands done about town. Today is a statutory holiday in Canada (except for Québec), so tomorrow will be my first day back to work. It has been a great little break. And a 2-day week, I think I can handle at this point. It's been another gorgeous fall day here and we've both been busy outside raking and bagging leaves and I cut down the old raspberry canes and fertilized the patch.... Will no doubt be sore tomorrow!

Nothing new with respect to my brother. He's finished his chemotherapy and it's now wait and see if is normal blood cells make a rebound.

Been a while, so here are some fellas!

One Crow Sorrow

2009-11-04T09:37:00.005-04:00

A little poem I concocted mostly on my bus ride to work this morning. It's based loosly on an experience I had in junior high or high school. Fortunately, in my case, time stopped. For just a split second.

One Crow Sorrow

Supper
Gobbled down
Too fast.

She was about to ask
if he wanted seconds
But distraction intervened

A bird flew by
Very quickly, too close
Outside the window
Cawing an avian warning:
Slow down.

Though no one spoke Crow.

She looked back
but he was gone
The screen door slammed
signaling his exit.

He flew down the driveway
onto the road
Peddling without thinking
Biking by rote.

He really didn't see it
The pulp truck
Coming out of no where
Too fast.

And time continued
No nano intercession; skull cracked.
Temporal reality ending
Dislodged; repealed.

He could have eaten more
His legs were hollow, or so they said
But he wanted to get to practice
Rushing
Too fast.

Maybe next time; next life
He'd know better.
Learn Crow. Realize...
Seconds matter.

Quick update

2009-11-02T19:50:00.002-04:00

Hey guys, just wanted you all to know that we got down to see my brother yesterday. He looked not all that bad at all (much better than I thought he would) and he seems to be in fairly good spirits. I think he's holding up better than I would be in his shoes. He was in a large private room, but another brother e-mailed me today saying that he had been moved into another room, which I doubt is private... By Wednesday, I think he will have received all of the chemo and it will no doubt start to take its toll. In the meantime, we are all hoping and praying for the best. After our visit, we just came home. The restaurant we were going to have lunch at did not open until 4:00 p.m.

We'll be in Montréal this coming weekend... So Maurice, if you are reading this, we hope to hook up with you for lunch on Saturday.

Take care, guys.

Indulge Weekend - St. Andrews

2009-10-31T12:41:00.009-03:00

Hey gang... I finally managed to get some images uploaded of our weekend in St. Andrews with Paul and Ron. They are below in no particular order... It's been a warm and windy day here today with showers threatening. Supposed to rain tonight and be a mix of sun and cloud tomorrow. I doubt that we'll get many trick or treaters tonight. We bought a few treats just in case. I raked most of our front lawn today, bagging the leaves and using the bags to bank the house around our sunporch. There is no basement under the sunporch and just lattice work from the bottom of the floor to the ground, so putting the bags of leaves on the outside by the lattice really makes a difference in keeping the house warmer.

We decided to visit my brother tomorrow, if he's up for a visit. We'll try to get away fairly early, visit my brother, and have lunch in a popular seafood restaurant in Saint John. I'm sure he won't be wanting many visitors next week when he will be feeling the full effect of the chemotherapy. And we are going to Montréal next weekend as well. Just a quick long-weekend jaunt to see an opera and check out life in the big city. We'll have a few good meals as well - in part to celebrate our 19th anniversary! It's officially on November 9.

Here's the pics!

Very typical Canadian fall scene - Road hockey! Dude is getting some practice shots in before the others arrive

View from the Kingsbrae Inn - the last stop on Saturday afternoon's wine trail

Local chefs in a competition Saturday morning. They had $20, 20 minutes to buy things at the market, and 20 minutes to come up with their concoctions: 20/20/20

Our room at the Inn.

One of the rooms upstairs, which will hopefully be occupied by some of our friends next year!

Our dining room. The propane fireplace made it very cosy at night!

Another room upstairs

View from our balcony at low tide

One of the stops on the wine trail. Brendan, the guy in the red shirt on the left, was quite a character. We ran into him several times over the course of the day and evening on Saturday... Super nice guy, but he does have his... um... issues. He manages a popular seafood restaurant in Saint John ;)

Dudes! Let's get this show on the road! Brad, Paul, and Ron in front of our place just before we set off on the wine trail

View of the back of our place. Our deck is on the bottom right. The patio, right on the water, was ours to use as well

Bread at the market

Veggies at the market

The Inn where the chef competition was held on Saturday morning.

Some bad news

2009-10-30T08:33:00.002-03:00

Hey guys and gals. Sorry again for not updating the blog very often. There's been a lot going on lately. I tried last night to upload some pics from our Indulge weekend and from Brad's bike trip, but I was unsuccessful. We have a new computer and I think the pics are in a place that Blogger can't grab them from... I'll get that problem solved on the weekend.

Our family has also had some bad news recently. One of my brothers (Earl, for those of you who know him) has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia. The doctors told him that without treatment, he would have about 3 weeks to live. He just turned 61. Hopefully, they have caught it just in time and he will pull through. He's undergoing intensive chemotherapy designed to totally wipe out his immune system. Hopefully after that, his normal blood cells will rebound and he will be okay. If not, there is not a whole lot else they can do for him... It's been a big shock for all of us. He seems to be holding up well and is in good spirits. He has yet to feel the effects of the chemotherapy, though, I fear... In any case, we are all thinking positive thoughts and hoping for the best.

Will publish some pics on the weekend. I promise!

First Snow!

2009-10-22T14:18:00.002-03:00

Yes, it's true... I'm still ticking away here and have not fallen off the planet! Just haven't had the time or energy to post much lately...

As the title says, we had our fist snow here today! Ugh... No real accumulation so far, but they are calling for up to 10 cm tonight. Way too early for that! It's supposed to warm up and rain most of the weekend, so it won't stick around in any case.

Brad, Paul, and Ron and I had a great time this past weekend. We went to the Indulge Festival in St. Andrews. Brad and I drove down on Friday afternoon and we met Paul and Ron there. Our accommodations were really top-notch, basically the bottom floor of a renovated older home with a full kitchen and dining room, 2 living rooms, and large baths. And no one was staying in the two rooms upstairs, so we had the whole place to ourselves. We had a superb meal on Friday night at Europa restaurant. Saturday morning we went to the market and then grabbed a bite for lunch and set off on the wine trail. We meandered from location to location (art galleries, small shops, inns, etc.) and sampled nice wines and various nibbles along the way. The weather cooperated nicely, too, and it was a spectacular fall day by the ocean. We went to the Extravaganza evening at the historic Algonquin Hotel, which proved to be a lot of fun as well. Back at our abode, Brad turned in at the relatively early hour of 1:30 or so, and Paul and Ron and I stayed up solving the world's problems until almost 3:30 a.m.! We started Sunday morning off with champagne and truffles at a little shop down the street, then sat down for a real brunch at a place nearby. The weather was overcast and cool, so after lunch we headed back to our pad and had a rousing game of scrabble beside the fireplace. Then it was time for wine and cheese and eventually supper - roasted potatoes & fried haddock. All and all, it was a terrific weekend and we'll probably all go back and do it again next year.

I'll post some photos - both of our weekend and Brad's 9-day bike trip - in the days ahead. Stay tuned...

Just because!

2009-10-11T14:23:00.002-03:00

The things you find surfing YouTube! Thought this was kinda cute...

Was just talking to Brad, and he'll be home tomorrow. He was meant to be home today, but he had a flat tire yesterday that slowed his progress, and he was already running a bit behind schedule. But he's back in the province and should be home by lunchtime tomorrow. I hope he's ready for a good ... ummm ... meal! ;)

Went to Georges and Barb's for dinner last night. Was a great meal (thanks Georges!) and I took an apple pie for dessert. When I got home, I tried to watch an episode of True Blood, but the GD DVD went all wonky at the very end of the episode. Jeez, that pisses me off when that happens! I'll wipe it off and hopefully have more luck tonight. I have just one more episode to watch to finish off Season 1.

Happy Thanksgiving to all my Canadian readers!

"Vous avez dit Ludmila"

2009-10-06T21:34:00.001-03:00

I posted this quite a long time ago, but it definitely deserves a replay. Hope you can understand the French!

It's raining, It's pouring...

2009-10-04T14:53:00.008-03:00

Man... I'm glad Brad isn't biking in the weather we've had here last night and today - It's been raining hard most of the time... Kaiser hates the rain, so he got an abbreviated walk this a.m., but Jasper got the whole nine yards... And we were all soaking wet when we were done.They are both sound asleep as I type this. Nothing like dry sleepy dogs!

Went down to see mom this morning, just before their lunch, so I ended up staying and having a cup of tea while they ate. She was very pleased with the flowers and the other treats I took her. And she looked great. The best I've seen her in a while. And she wasn't even complaining about her arthritis, despite the miserable weather, which always makes it worse. Hopefully some of my other siblings will pay her a visit this afternoon - she was certainly expecting them to, but alas, I have my doubts...

You know it's raining hard when I don't even want to go out to buy my lotto tickets, but I did force myself, as I had to pick up some tofu as well for the Pad Thai I am making for supper. I'll post the recipe for it sometime soon. It really is delish. And you could certainly make it with chicken or shrimp as well.

I watched Breach last night, one of the films we've received from Rogers that Brad has already seen. It was good. About the snagging of a mole in the FBI who was secretly working for the Russians for many years. A true story, apparently, though I hadn't heard anything about it before.

Perhaps Brad will read this tonight chez Maurice, perhaps not. In any case, Baci amore. I miss you! Happy (and safe!) biking!

Addendum: Ugh... Now my left eyelid is smarting from jalapeno juice... Though I washed my hands several times after cutting up the jalapeno, a bit of it must have remained.. Oh well, better my eyelid than someplace lower on my body, which has happened before in the past whilst making Pad Thai!

Now, I'm going to light a fire and put an some opera (probably Snegurochka - a far cry from the YouTube vid below), which was a song from Breach. It's incredibly schmaltzy, but it's for my sweetie, who should soon be in Montréal for the night...

And here are few arias from Snegurochka (The Snow Maiden), which Brad and I saw at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow in 2006:

Skinny Saturday 61 - The Bachelor Edition!

2009-10-03T15:22:00.003-03:00

Well, it's starting to cloud over a bit here, but for the most part, it was a spectactular fall day here in eastern Canada. After walking the dogs, I met Shaun and Mary at the farmers' market. They had to pick up some local ingredients for a book club pizza super tomorrow night, and I had to get a few things as well: baklava, organic carrots, fresh cranberries (for a yummy Nantucket cranberry pie I make), eggs, and some kindling. After market, I came home and made a quick shopping list for the grocery store. Usually, I make the list and Brad does the shopping, but this week, of course, I had to go to the grocery store myself. Ugh... I now remember why Brad took over that duty a couple of years ago... People are generally idiots - leaving their carts in the middle of the asile, banging into you, and coughing and sneezing all over the place.. Eeek. And just touching those carts is often enough to make you want to run home and take a sonic shower! In any case, I got the job done and came home, unpacked, scrubbed thorougly, and then ran a few other errands. In my travels, I also picked up a travel brochure from a local travel agency - with or without Brad, I am definitely heading south for a week next winter!

Tonight for supper I'm going to have leftover Chineese take-out from last night (Shaun and I hooked up for drinks yesterday and I didn't feel like cooking anything when I got home), but tomorrow, I'm going to make a Pad Thai, a dish I love and haven't made in ages - Brad sure can't eat it!

I'll head down to see mom tomorrow at some point as well. I bought her a dozen red roses and some special treats for her birthday, which is next Tuesday. The big 8-9!

Till soon, amigos mio..

It's official - I'm a bachelor for the next week or so!

2009-10-02T13:33:00.004-03:00

Brad got away yesterday. He took a bus to Moncton and then a train to Montréal and on to Ottawa. He should be in our nation's capital by now. Hope he was able to catch some zzzz's on the train. The dogs and I slept in till 9:00 a.m. this morning, then I took them each for a walk, after gulping down some coffee. I decided to take the day off on vacation. I've had a pretty productive morning. After breakfast, I loaded up the car with our redeemables and took them to the redemption centre. (Growing up Baptist, that name always sounds a bit funny to me!) Then I came back and vacuumed out the car, something that has needed doing for a while now. I also did a load of laundry and now have to grab a bite of lunch. Brad's supposed to call to let me know that he (and the bike) arrived in one piece. Will probably meet the usual suspects for drinks after they finish work. We'll maybe got out someplace for dinner as well. I'll have to remember to tape Coronation Street, so I can watch it when I get back...

Hasta pronto, amigos!

Nothing new under the sun...

2009-09-26T16:59:00.004-03:00

Hey guys, Sorry I haven't been posting much lately... Simply not a lot going on... Fall is definitely here. It was minus 1 C here this morning, but the leaves have only just started to turn and fall... Brad's been biking a lot to get in shape for his upcoming bike trip. He's taking the train to Ottawa and biking back from there! Ugh... That's my Brad, though! He'll spend a few nights in Ottawa and a night in Montreal on the way home.

One of my best friends from work is out (and hospitalized, in fact) with stress/burn-out. He's lost a ton of weight, probably 35 pounds. Hopefully, his stint in the hospital will allow him to turn the corner. I was up to see him a few nights ago, and he looked better than he has in a while, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Was down to see mom last weekend and she's doing well. She'll turn 89 on October 6!

All the world's abuzz over H1N1... Personally, I think the threat is overblown, but we're stocked up (food, medications, etc._) nonetheless.

Hope everyone is doing well. Will post again soon. I promise!

Here's some eye candy in the meantime

!

Skinny Saturday 60! And A Book Review!

2009-09-12T15:22:00.004-03:00

Hey all,

Another Saturday is upon us. I slept in a bit this morning and forewent(?)/skipped the farmers' market. It was good to sleep in my own bed again, after giving mine to my sister all week. Generally, I sleep on the 2nd floor and Brad sleeps on the 3rd floor (after many years together, we decided we both sleep better in separate beds). The bedroom on the top floor is huge, though, I think we may put in two three-quarter beds up there (we can manage to sleep in the same room), so that we will have a dedicated guest room when people stay over. Would definitely save a lot of hassles and avoid me having to sleep on the pull-out sofa in the living room!

Brad did a 2.5 hour bike trip this morning on his new bike, which he purchased in Halifax last weekend. He thinking of doing a week-long bike trip around the first of October. I ran errands and made pesto, probably for the last time this season. I can't decide whether to freeze this batch or gobble it up next week. Perhaps I'll have one meal with it and then freeze the rest. I like compromises!

Was sick yesterday with a stuffed up head and sore throat, so I stayed home and relaxed. Gave me a chance to say good-bye to my sister, who left yesterday morning for Nova Scotia. She will spend the week there with her family (husband and one son who lives on his own) before she heads back to Alberta. Her husband has landed a temporary job in Halifax and will be staying there for a while.

While at the cottage, I read Family Matters, by Rohinton Mistery (and Indo-Canadian writer who came to Canada in the 1970s; he also wrote A Fine Balance, which is also very good). The novels are set in India and he is a masterful writer. Do check him out if you have a chance. Here's a little blurb on Family Matters:

Set during the 1990s in an overcrowded and politically corrupt Bombay, Rohinton Mistry's Family Matters depicts a family being torn apart by lies, love, and its unresolved demons of the past. Nariman Vakeel is an aging patriarch whose advancing Parkinson's disease and its related complications threaten to destroy his large Parsi family. When Nariman breaks his ankle and becomes bedridden, his two stepchildren turn his care over to their half-sister, Roxanne, who lives in a two-room flat with her husband and two sons. What follows is each character's reaction to this situation, from Roxanne's husband's struggle to provide for his family without neglecting his conscience to their sons' coming of age in an era of uncertainty. Expertly interspersed between these dilemmas are Nariman's tortured remembrances of a forbidden love and its inescapable consequences ("no matter where you go in the world, there is only one story: of youth, and loss, and yearning for redemption. So we tell the same story, over and over. Just the details are different").
Family Matters is a compelling, emotional, and persuasive testimony to the importance of memories in every family's history. In a poetic style rich with detail, Mistry creates a world where fate dances with free will, and the results are often more familiar than anyone would ever care to admit.

It touched a few nerves with me when it came to the guilt trip we lay on ourselves when we despair while looking after an older relative. It can be a very fustrating and thankless job. While my situation pales in comparison to the one in the book, and I would never go to such lengths to get someone else to look after mom, some of the sentiments truly resonated! Definitely a good read!

With that, on to the boyz of Saturday!

Weekend-end Wrap-up

2009-09-07T17:09:00.002-03:00

Hey guys and gals. Sorry I haven't written much lately. Been tough getting back into a routine after vacation. Today, we were housecleaning in preparation for the arrival of my sister from Edmonton. She's down for the week to visit mom. We had a visit with George and Barb last night. Was a good time, but too much Effen vodka! ;) Gory. Don't know how those Russians do it!

Will try to write more regularly from now on! IN the meantime, here are a few more pics from opur vacation:

Kaiser - one of the best dogs in the world!

The gang walking on the beach - this was the day I stayed at the cottage fighting with the alarm system!

Me and Jasper on the beach

Ditto

Hammock time!

All Good things....

2009-08-31T20:12:00.007-03:00

...unfortunately, must come to an end. Boo-hoo! Getting back into the grind was exceedingly difficult today. I hit the snooze button at least 6 times this morning.

We had a wonderful vacation at a rented cottage on a river near the ocean. Indeed, the river ebbed and rose with the tide and you could smell the ocean through the pine needles. And it was utterly private - no neighbours at all, anywhere. Bliss!

Our first week was very hot and humid, which was fine with us - we went to the beach, walked on the sand, swam in the ocean, and left the windows open at night at the cottage to let the breeze cool us down. Two of my neices and their kids came over one day, which we spent by the ocean and had a great seafood meal at a restaurant before they went back.

Our good friends George and Barb, Don and Mar, and Shaun and Mary came over one weekend and spent it with us. Oh, the fun we had! Incredible food (thanks guys for all your contributions!), lots of wine and beer (and a little 4-20!), many laughs, midday swims in the river, midnight swims in the river (Barb in her PJs! on Brad's shoulders), a few moments of panic (for me mostly when the galldarn alarm wouldn't stop beeping and then the fire alarm went off, too! - this actually worked in my favour later in the evening, however, when we were playing charades and I had to act out Desperate Housewives!). I think it's safe to say that a good time was had by all... Brad and I were very pleased that we we able to spend part of our vacation with such great friends.

Having the dogs along was a bonus! They loved the place and enjoyed our relaxed pace. Kaiser looked at me as though I were crazy when the alarm went off at 5:35 this a.m.!

Bradley and I bickered quite a bit for the first few days, more so than usual, (I think it stemmed from being around each other 24-7), and so much so that on the 3rd or 4th day, I started the morning off by inquiring what he wanted to fight about on that particular day! LOL. But we we got over that, as we always do.

Oh, and I won $125 in the lotto while we were there! Yipee! I parlayed that into $125,000 when I first told our friends (and I had going them for a minute or so!).

All and all, it was great to get away, great to be off work for 2 weeks straight, great to share it with my friend and partner and for us to share it with our friends and loved ones. And it sucks that it's over!

Here's some pics (and we definitely need a new camera!):

Sigh....

A typical sunset down by the river

Part of the backyard!

Hail! Hail! The Gang's All Here! (Well, almost all - our Paulie wasn't there cuz he was on vacation out West)

Brad, Barb, and Mar cooking up a storm!

Spinning yarns on the deck

Memories of Tuscany! Shaun and Mary get serious in the kitchen!

Ye humble abode

View from the riverbank

Happy pooches!