Sunday afternoon Get-together

Our friends were over and we watched the tail end of the hockey game together. It sure was a nail biter. Actually neither one of us is really interested in hockey but this was different. It reminded me of the hockey game against the Russians in 1973 I think it was. That was the only other time I was glued to the TV screen for hockey. Today, when the game was over we lifted our glass and toasted Canada ☺
This morning I baked French bread and a "Sauer cherry Torte"  served with whipped cream for our afternoon treats to go with the wine. The cherries come from our tree and were especially plentiful last year. I canned a lot and also froze lots. Good thing all of us like to eat the Torte. With the French Bread we had Assiago cheese, cheddar cheese, chives and onion cream cheese and chunks of Honey pepperoni.





The day turned out to be nice and sunny. It warmed up to 10C and we did not have a fire until late in the afternoon.

Now I will say
Good night everybody ☺

Shopping and another walk

We left the house again at around 8.30 this morning. It is so nice to shop when the stores are pretty empty. It was especially important to go early since it was the end of the month. We always say we'll never go at the end of the month again but it seems that we need something and have to go.
After shopping for the necessities we shopped for ME. I got a new hair dryer and TA TA
a new keyboard with mouse. I think after 2 tries I finally got the right one. It is as quiet as a mouse but I have to get used to the curve in it. It is the  Microsoft desktop 5000, wireless.

Of course I wanted to install it at once but I got drafted to go for a walk before.
It was fun and I took a few pictures. It was the same place where I picked the stinging nettles before and there are now a whole acre of them. All along the road they have sprung up. There is also a lot of different types of moss.
Here are a few pictures.
 

and here is Mrs. Stump with her new Spring Bonnet

Don't get this type of energy drink because obviously the people who brought this on a hike did not have the energy to take the empty back home. I find that pretty disgusting. Of course there is 5 cents towards our retirement fund (even tax-free) ☺
  

That's it for tonight.
Good night everybody ☺

Baking bread again

We just about ran out of bread so I thought I'd better bake today. Not a bad day for doing that since it rained on and off all day.
The day went quickly but for the life in me I don't know how. I really have not much to show for it other than the bread.
I spent some time at the computer which is always fun and tonight I read and that's why my Blog is late. Now it is bed time so....
Good night everybody☺

April weather

and it's only the end of February. Already the bloom count is in full swing in Victoria. We are in for a week of rain now though. Too bad for the Olympics. Last week was so much nicer when it was sunny.
Nothing much going on here today. I used that lunch flop from a few days ago to make a big pot of soup. Turned out really well and I have a few meals of it in the freezer. Nice to have something that is quick later on a day when I am busy.
Yesterday I watched a video on the Rouxbe website about the right way of frying meat  so of course I tried it out at lunch today. I hauled my stainless steel fry pan from the bottom of the pile and did exactly what the video said. I used a cut-up chicken breast and it turned out real yummy. That just goes to show that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks.
Spent some time at the computer and now I want to read a bit before I watch TV.
Good night everybody ☺

Blog today: Food!

I slept pretty late again and it was raining when I got up. Not long after that the sun came out. That's how it went all day long, rain ...sun.... This afternoon we even had a nice rainbow.

Yesterday Janna and Maxine would like to have the recipe for my Ginger mounds. I got it from Louise, a sailing friend many years ago. When she first served them I really had to hold back ☺ I liked them that well.

Spiced Ginger Mounds

Cream together:

3/4 c shortening (175 g)

1 cups sugar (I don’t use quite as much)

Add:

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

Sift together:

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tsp Cloves

1 tsp Ginger

1/4 tsp Salt

Mix all together, shape into small balls (I make larger ones) and roll in sugar. Bake on greased cookie sheet

325 F for 12 minutes (don’t let them bake too much longer they get harder)

I tried using butter once because I don't like to use hydrogenated fat. They did not turn out that well, so now I am sticking with Crisco. I also don't roll all of them in sugar because Cliff likes them "naked"
I take them out of the oven when I see the first cracks on top when they are still rounded. When they cool they get flat. The recipe can be doubled.
Enjoy!
Two days ago we had "Rouladen" for lunch. That is a dish my mother would make frequently for our "Sunday Dinner" . It has always been one of my favourites. Today we had the leftovers:
Roulade, potatoes w. gravy, lettuce and homemade avocado dressing, creamed squash and bok choy.
   
the squash is still one of our home grown.
Time to read!
Good night everybody ☺

Weatherman was right :-(

Yes, it rained off and on all day. It did not keep us from driving to Victoria though. We had a good visit with our friend in the hospital. He is getting better every week. Physiotherapy sure has done wonders for him.
I baked some soft ginger mounds this morning to take with us and of course there were some for us too. Unfortunately they are my favourite cookie and I did not hold back ☺
I tried out a new recipe for lunch but it did not turn out as nice as I thought it would. Cauliflower, lean ground beef mixed with onions, salt and pepper in a casserole with cream, egg and grated cheese on top and baked in the oven. Now I will turn it into soup hoping it will be better.
We watched the DVD last night  that I borrowed from the library. "Alone in the wilderness" It was really good. A 50 year old man decided to live in the wilderness by a lake.
"Dick Proenneke retired at age 50 in 1967 and decided to build his own cabin on the shore of Twin Lakes. The first summer he scouted for the best cabin site, and cut and peeled the logs he would need for his cabin. Dick Proenneke returned the next summer to finish the cabin where he lived for over 30 years. Dick filmed his adventures, and Bob Swerer later turned the film into a video so we can all watch this amazing man build his cabin by hand."
This is his cabin which is now a heritage site.

Good night everybody ☺

Last nice day?

I hope not but that is what the weatherman said.
Cliff made sure that the last of the firewood was piled in the Woodshed and the big tarp folded up. I tried to do a bit of weeding around the tulips but that area is infested with buttercups and they are almost impossible to get rid of since they are intertwined with the tulips and daffodils. I think I'll just leave it alone and in the fall I will lift the bulbs and plant them some other place. Then I can dig deep to eradicate the weeds.
I had a few extra loads of laundry today but all is done and back in the cupboards and drawers. We also took a quick trip to Mill Bay to get our car insurance for another year. I stopped at the library for a book and a DVD that I ordered. Since there is nothing on TV that we are interested in the DVD will come in handy.
It was a full day.
Good night everybody ☺

 

Sunday early morning shopping

We left the house at 8.15 this morning. It sure is nice to hit the stores at that time. Not very many people there.
First we stopped at Farmer's Market. The little ornamental trees in front are getting ready to bloom.
  
Cliff had to exchange a broken screwdriver at Canadian Tire. That store is great for tools as they have a lifetime exchange guarantee.
We slipped over to Walmart where we bought 2 bottles of TideHe which was a very good deal. After that to Safeway for butter and on to Superstore.
Here you can tell that Spring really is in the air:

This afternoon we visited our friends for our Sunday afternoon get-together. When we left the house we had a visitor. It is quite often at the back of our property grazing on the lush grass, sometimes with 2 more friends. This was as close as I could come. One more step and it darted away.

I would like to say Hello to Randy and Pam. Thanks for following my Blog. I love having new visitors ☺I hope your Spring will arrive soon too.

Off now to watch "The Amazing Race"
Good night everybody ☺

Sunny Saturday

We are in a stretch of weather that brings us frost at night but warms up nicely during the day. The sun was out all day.
After our orange break this afternoon we went for another walk. Walking by the dog park in Cobble Hill we saw a few dogs having the time of their lives. We skirted that and walked alongside the woods. I would love to walk up the mountain but then I'd have to walk down too and my knees don't like that one bit. We had to walk back the same way and I prefer a round walk. There was also too much road noise, so next walk will be some place quiet.

I took a few pictures. The park is left in it's natural state and there are lots of old stumps and broken  trees laying about.

We also saw some snowdrops. It really looks like spring is just around the corner.

I did not watch the Olympics today. I am really looking forward to the women's curling results.

Good night everybody ☺

Frost at night...

Beautiful during the day.
I was home almost all day today, just went up the road to the mailbox and back. The tax slips are starting to arrive. It usually takes until early April before we have them all and then the pressure is on :-(
I finished my audiobook and have really enjoyed it. It was "The Pretend Wife" by Bridget Asher.
I also did some housework and made our meals but that was it. So there really is not much to write about.
Cliff went for a walk up Cobble Hill mountain but I sat this one out. Maybe tomorrow I will walk again.
Good night everybody ☺

Another "golden" day for Canada

Yes, Canada has a third gold medal. This one in Ladies speed skating. It was a really close win but a win is a win ☺
More news:  Cliff caught a mouse in his new Intruder mousetrap. He also had more mice in the older traps. I wonder how many are in our garden. Maybe they multiply faster than we can catch them. As long as they don't try to come in the house I am not too worried.
I finally used my pasta machine again this morning to make whole wheat pasta. It turned out really well and we enjoyed the lunch that I made.
After lunch we drove to the Old Mill Park in Shawnigan Lake.

It was a great day for that. The leaves are starting to come out on the trees

This park is at the site of the Shawnigan Lake Lumber Co. that operated  from 1881 to 1945. In addition to its extensive industrial heritage, Old Mill Park has become a popular recreation site for family’s and nature enthusiasts. In the summertime we often go there to swim. That is Cliff swims and I read a book.
One can see lots of signs of the former use.

Ivy covered concrete foundations


Old tank?


???



Paddlers on Shawnigan Lake


We walked to the end of the park and then walked back via the train tracks.


It has been a really nice day and the sun has a lot of power already. At noon we even let the fires go out. Spring cannot be far behind, (I hope).

Good night everybody ☺

Frost last night

but then it warmed up and it was a super day. Shortly before lunch we went for a walk and picked some of  the stinging nettles that we saw a couple of days ago. I used my rubber gloves but then nosy as I was I had to find out if they would really sting. Well, they did and I can still feel it. Also I must have knelt in some of them while picking because I can feel my knee sting as well. Now I know for sure that they were stinging nettles ☺ I cooked some of them for lunch. They were pretty good and Cliff liked them more than I did.
This afternoon we drove to Victoria again. Cliff had to pick up a manual for the car and he went to visit our friend at the hospital. I stayed in the car and read/listened to my book. It was a peaceful hour.
When the weather is nice the drive over the Malahat is very beautiful and I really enjoyed it.
Now I will sign off and listen to my book again.
Good night everybody ☺

Sunny and warmer

We are having a great weather day.  Cliff went for a fast walk by himself. I have to take a day off since my legs are too sore. Even though we live in a 2 storey house and I am up and down the stairs all day long my legs are not what they used to be :-( I hope to go again tomorrow to pick some of the nettles we saw yesterday. A few months ago I walked up Cobble Hill mountain a bit too far and since then my knees really give me problems. I had to quit taking SierraSil because I find that since I took it I am having leg cramps at night bad enough to jump out of bed several times at night. I'll try it again in a little while to see if the cramps come back. No cramps since I quit using it.
We have rat traps and several different mouse traps set in the garden. Sometimes they don't go off but the peanut butter is gone or they go off, no critter but the bait is gone. Even the new hair trigger Intruder does the same thing. I wonder what could eat off the peanut butter without setting the trap off??
Today I moved my winter jacket from the hallway to the spare room closet. I hope that was not too early but it is so nice outside.
Hurrah.... another gold medal. This time in women's snowboard cross. Go Canada!!!☺
Time to read a bit.
Good night everybody ☺

A nice Monday

I only had 3 loads of wash this morning so got that done just after lunch.
Just as I was getting ready to do some ironing Cliff came in and had enough from working in the garage so after having one of our wonderfully sweet oranges we decided to take a walk.
Cliff wanted to find out where the machinery noise was coming from so we drove up the road a bit and then started to walk to the old Bamberton Haul road not far from our house. Up to the late 70s the road was used to haul rocks from the Quarry to the cement plant by the Ocean. It was pretty noisy in those days but now it is a great place to walk. It did not take very long for the vegetation to try and take over the road.
   

When we first left the car we were greeted by a beautiful big dog. He did not like us walking and sure let us know. A little while later we saw what he was protecting:
 

 

Along the road was a big ant hill with very busy ants. I let them carry on with their jobs but I took a quick picture.
 
 

If the weather is as nice tomorrow as it was today we might go back and get some of the fresh nettles that are right now at the right size for a delicious spring meal.

As you see, it was a great day.
Good night everybody ☺

Valentine's Day

I never thought I would watch the Olympics, but I am now. I was so happy when I found out that Canada finally got a Gold Medal. YES!! I could not watch the actual run because we went to the hospital again and also to Costco. Costco is something new for me and I like to walk around to see what is available and compare prices with other stores. I already found out that some things are cheaper at our other large stores in Duncan. The only thing I picked up today was a large piece of Asiago cheese. I just love cheese, the stronger the better.
The weather turned out nice and sunny and the trip over the Malahat was beautiful. I don't really like driving that stretch myself but I guess I will have to get used to it. So far Cliff always drives which is great but he does not like to hang around the stores so I will have to tackle the road by myself one of these days.
I hope everyone has had a great Valentine's Day.
Good night all ☺

Today I was bad :-(

We went to the library first to pick up 3 books that I had ordered. After that off to Duncan to exchange one of Cliff's birthday gifts and on the way back we stopped at Superstore to buy some bananas and a few odds and ends. That's when I got derailed. All day long I had a craving for something good and I could not get chocolate of my mind! I ended up buying a President's Choice Swiss milk chocolate bar with honey and almond nougat. Bad bad bad!!! It tastes exactly like Toblerone. Yummy yummy ☺
Getting back into the car where Cliff was waiting for me I told him I did not want any comments from the peanut gallery because I usually get called on the carpet when I buy stuff that "is not good for us". Of course that does not stop him of gobbling up half of my loot. So now it is all gone and I can rest  easy (and full).
We also picked up an  "Intruder brand better mouse trap" that was talked about in a forum I visit every day. We need it for our garden.



Now Cliff will have to drill a little hole in the base so that he can use a wire with it to anchor it in the garden. We have had other traps missing. A mouse or rat gets caught in one and another critter will come and make a meal of it and in the process drag the trap away if it is not anchored down.
It will be interesting to find out if it really works. We have never had one like this before.
When we came home it was time for the News and after that we started watching the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics. I am now taping the rest to watch at a later time. Watching the Canadian team walk in was really great.
Now it is time to start reading one of my books.
Good night everybody ☺

 

Ducking under the rain

to run to the mail boxes. It was a day of rain, fog and dry weather. Tomorrow it's supposed to be windy. People are streaming to Vancouver. The weather is not very conductive to Olympic winter games. Too bad they are not held on Mount Washington because there is over 3 meter snow base and it snowed again today. Mind you, I would hate to have to battle the traffic on Vancouver Island if the games were held here.
Cliff went to pick up a prune plum tree from our neighbour but due to the rain he came back empty handed. He took an egg plum tree from our garden to give to the neighbour. Now we have to wait for better weather to get both of the trees into the ground.
In about half an hour I will watch "Survivor" I have been hooked on that since the second season. I love the scenery of the locations that it takes place. I cannot imagine the hardships the people go through to be on that show. Not for me, I like my comforts of home.
That is all for tonight since not much happened here today.
Good night everybody ☺

A quiet day today

I woke up at 5.30 AM this morning. It was only 2 C outside but the house was still nicely warm from last night. As usual we sat in front of the fireplace having our morning coffee. After breakfast both of us used the computers for quite some time.
Cliff brought in the wood from the woodshed and I  worked around the house.
Same thing after lunch so there is really not much to write about.
I mailed a letter to Nicki and later on walked to the mail boxes again to see if we had any mail. There was another birthday card for Cliff.
Nothing of interest on TV tonight, so...
Good night everybody ☺

Fog in the morning

and nice in the afternoon. I got up in good time to make breakfast and my Inka coffee. Cliff was already drinking his "good" coffee. Most mornings breakfast is made when I get up but I surprised Cliff today ☺
I managed to keep busy until we had our apple break around 10 AM and after that I cut Cliff's hair and beard just in time to have lunch. Then it was off to Costco to return that Microsoft keyboard and snoop around Costco. I wrote down prices for a lot of things I would be interested in to compare them with the stores here in our area. I can already say that some of the goods are cheaper at Superstore. It was an interesting exercise. We also picked up Cliff's Costco card. I don't think he will use it any time soon ☺
After we left there we carried on to the hospital. Our friend wanted me to cut his hair but the hair clippers he borrowed from the nurses station was so dull it did not cut anything. I was quite glad about that because I don't really like cutting hair, just for my husband because if he is not satisfied...... too bad ☺ We found out that our friend's probable release date from hospital is March 17th. That will be great.
We came home in time for the News and a few pieces of matrimonial cake.
Now it is time for 5th Estate on TV.
Good night everybody ☺

Happy Birthday !!

to Cliff. We had a busy day today. Lots of presents, lots of phone calls and a quick visit. I made Cliff's favourite cake, matrimonial cake aka date squares. Then tonight Cliff's niece and her two kids came by with an apple pie and ice cream. We all had a big piece and then they had to leave.  
It was another nice day outside and the temperature was at 10 Celsius. Hurrah for us ! That is warmer than it normally is this time of the year. When I went for the mail the sun was on my back and I could really feel it, so it has some power already.
I finally finished an anniversary card for our friends. Clyde will be 90 years old in a few days and Maxine is 88 years old. Clyde always says he only was "21, legal and single" for a few days. Imagine, being married for 69 years!!!
Now we are taking it easy.
Good night everybody ☺

Superbowl Sunday

Not for me, I don't care for it so we did not have the TV on. Just before Superbowl started the Scotties tournament of hearts was finished. The final game between team PEI and Team Canada was a real nailbiter. They had to play an 11th end because after end 10 the score was 6 : 6. Team Canada won in the end by one point. Both the teams are very very good and PEI gave Canada a run for their money. It was great to watch. We had our usual Sunday afternoon company though and I only saw the first few ends and the final end. Just lucky my friend also liked to watch.
They had walked over and while they were on the way it started to rain pretty heavily but by the time they left it was great again.
I had lit a few candles but I think this will probably be the last time this winter. It is staying lighter and lighter every day. I love sitting by candle light in the evening.
The rest of the night I'll be reading my book. It has to go back by Wednesday.  
Good night everybody ☺

One good day...one bad day... NOT

We had TWO good days in a row!. It got to plus 11 C here today and the sun was out all day long.
Cliff went to the wood burning seminar with his friend. It was 2 1/2 hours long and when they came back we had a little get-together at our friends home with a nice glass of wine for the ladies and beer for the gents.
The seminar started at 12 Noon and we had lunch very early. While I was cooking squash Cliff called me with a computer question. I got involved in it and it took a bit longer than I thought and all of a sudden we smelled lunch but it was not a good smell. Oh well, we did not really need the squash anyway, there was lots of other food to eat ☺
This afternoon I got a very welcome phone call from each of my girls. We had a good chat. Sonja even has her own Blog but I m not sure if I should be happy about that ☺
I just watched the semi final curling game between Ontario and PEI. PEI will play in the finals tomorrow against Team Canada, the final score was PEI 10 and Ontario 6
Now back to reading.
Good night everybody ☺

 

Trip to Costco

Cliff's niece and I just came back from our shopping trip to Costco. We had a lot of fun walking around and picking up stuff. I found a Microsoft desktop 7000 and thought I'd give it a try. I also found a birthday gift for Cliff and the prunes that I like so much. I ended up buying my own membership and because someone with a card was with me I got a 10 dollar gift card and so did she. Great, I can live with that ☺ Now I am good for one year. I'll see if I use it enough. Our cart was full to overflow, not much was my stuff though. When we got to the car we found out that she had locked her keys in the car!!! This is where cell phones come in handy, she phoned her daughter who was on her way to Victoria with her boyfriend to see a movie and had just left the house, so she was able to go back and bring us a second set of keys but of course it took awhile before they would arrive so we went back inside and had a hotdog. It was very crowded and we sat at a table with a very nice couple and had a good visit with them. Lots of laughs.
Coming home I unpacked the Microsoft desktop and found out that the space key clacked just as much as the one I had bought before at London Drugs. This time I tried it right away before installing it on my computer. It was one heck of a puzzle to put it back in the box but after lots of tries we succeeded. Now it will go back next time we go to Victoria.
Good night everyone ☺

Scotties Tournament of Hearts

Ladies curling championship. I have been watching it every chance I got today. That is the only sport I watch on TV.
We had a nice, dry day and true to form, tomorrow it will be rainy again. Too bad because Cliff's niece and I will be going to Costco in Victoria. I don't relish the drive over the Malahat in the rain. We'll leave around 4.30 PM and that means we'll be driving home in the dark and rain. Grrrrrrr
This has been a normal day doing the usual, so there is not much to talk about. Time to get back to curling ☺
Good night everybody ☺

Middle of the week

Just a minute ago it was the weekend and now it is already Wednesday. Time sure flies when you are having fun.
Today we went to the library to pick up a book I ordered. I took J.D. Salinger's book "The catcher in the rye" back. I read about every third or fourth page. I have not read something this stupid in a long time! Maybe I just don't get it but how could that be such a special book ??? Oh well I am sure others like it. I had ordered another one of his books but after reading one story I'll take that one back too without reading the rest. Enough of this rant.
Ever since Cliff finished the Pink Elephant we have taken it everywhere we drive. It sure runs well. It was a lot of work for him and one heck of a challenge but now it is done, I hope.
Today was a normal day, porridge breakfast, pork tenderloin curry on rice with salad and veggies for lunch and bacon, tomato, scrambled eggs and toast for supper. All is good.
It was raining again all afternoon. It seems we have one good day and one dreary or rainy day. I'm not complaining.
Good night everybody ☺