Last weekend......

We had a wonderful weekend with our two offspring and their spouses. It was a first time experience (all together in Kamloops!!) for all of us. Exhausting to say the least (I'm showing my age), but it was totally a hoot!! Unfortunately I took no pictures of the event.....so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Apart from the concert on Saturday night (KSO and Charlie Chaplin movies) I think the highlight of the weekend was on Sunday night. We went out for dinner and then headed home for an evening of board games. By the end of the night we were all in hysterics....DH was laughing so hard at one point, I thought he was going to have heart attack. It was really great because we didn't just stay with one game....which made things interesting. Lots of humming, charades, guessing, creative writing.....it was positively gleeful!!

I love my kids and their fun.....

Slainte!

Music to compute by.....

I'm sure most people have radios and CD players close by their computer....I know I do....but I have recently re-discovered the joys of internet radio live streaming...

I used to use it quite a while ago...but got out of the habit when my laptop started to slow down and I was using it mostly upstairs where there is the TV to compete with.

I recently got a new computer which I set up in my studio in the lower regions of the house (read ground floor, basement, entry level....whatever works for you) so have re-instituted the practice of listening to radio online.....particularly British and Irish radio. My taste (when I'm working) is in the classical music genre so I found this site which lists classical music online radio all over the world....
I clicked on the Europe section and voila....I have a wonderful varied selection to choose from. For the moment I listen to Lyric FM in Ireland and BBC3 in the UK.....and I know there is another ...Classic FM in the UK. I haven't explored any further ones as yet, but will do at some point.

Lyric FM is a more lighthearted variety of classical music with a mixture of serious classical and light classical and jazz with some other genres mixed in. BBC 3 is a little more serious classical....full concerts etc....so there is definitely a few options.

There are a lot of options for radio online, but to find many "just classical" stations is lovely....it inspires me. It's interesting too, when I have Lyric FM on, it's usually early morning or evening their time, so I get local Irish news weather and traffic reports (especially in the morning). I love it....if I can't be there in person, at least I can listen in on their lives!!!

I check out the RTE and BBC websites as well to find out what's on so if there are any special programs that twig my interest, I can listen in.

It's definitely a nice alternative to CBC, especially since the CBC has taken to "dumbing down" Radio 2 to appeal to the masses......and there's just something that kind of suits me to listen to an overseas radio station.

Slainte!!

Food adventures....

OK, this post is long overdue, according to DH. However, it's about my recent and rather sudden re-awakened interest in cooking. Whilst DH and my bro and I were watching TV one Sunday night about a month or so ago, I was bored....so I picked up a copy of the "Appeal" magazine from Save On Foods. I was amazed how it totally absorbed my attention and how I actually considered that most of the recipes were well within my capabilities. I have a sneaking suspicion that the movie "Julie and Julia" may have twigged something way back in my mind making me realize that I really do enjoy cooking, but just couldn't be bothered.

So.....the following weekend...when looking for something to have for Sunday dinner, I remembered reading the recipe for Beef Bourguignon....and...having heard about it in the afor-mentioned movie, I thought.....why not??? The recipe from Appeal is on Page 18 here and it proved to be relatively uncomplicated. When comparing it to the Julia Child recipe, it seems that hers, while much the same ingredients, is much more labour intensive. My attempt, by all accounts, was a success......
Some pictures of the actual dish.......and then the sides.....mashed potatoes, baby carrots and green beans, along with a nice wine, which of course is mandatory!!
Having shown you this, of course, the realization has hit me that I would never make a REAL chef....I just don't clean up the presentation enough!! Splatters on the sides of the casserole....(shudder!!)

So the BB went off swimmingly....so, feeling rather pleased with myself, I tackled a couple of baking projects, which is normally not too bad for me, but I have to say that I usually use a muffin mix as a starter when I make muffins and then add to it. However....again in the
Appeal magazine Page 56 (see link above) I found a recipe for Chunky Apple Banana Bran Muffins. I think that the fact I had most of the ingredients played a large part in my enthusiasm, plus the fact that I was at home alone with no distractions.....just music playing. Anyways, they turned out amazingly well and I learned to fill the muffin cups using an ice cream scoop....so easy!!
My next baking challenge was Healthy Blueberry Bran Muffins....which was on the KCTS website (PBS) and again....they were very successful (especially with the ice cream scoop.)The only change I made with them is I used 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk instead of 1 cup of skim milk and 1/2 cup of applesauce or plain yogurt.



From this same site, I explored a bit and found a wonderful cranberry, orange, apricot salsa which is delicious and makes quite a large quantity. I'm a real fruit salsa fan, so this just hit the spot.

So, I have no more pictures as yet, but since this revelation, I have found myself to be quite creative in cooking and baking. It seems that DH is also, to a lesser degree, feeling the pull of cooking a wonderful tasty meal. His attempts have been very successful.

More about my (or our) cooking adventures in future posts....but for now, I'll just keep my apron ready and camera handy!!

Slainte!!

A unique perspective.....

I received this from a dear friend and thought that it kind of put everything into perspective....you think??? It's a very unique and pleasing way of looking at the issue!!
Anyways....I will be posting about weight loss, my ideas, and my challenges in the near future....in the meantime....enjoy!!

Recently, in a large city in Australia , a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said, "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?" A middle-aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern,

Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans.) They have an active sex life, get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp.. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia , the Bering Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia . Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don't exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of Argentinean psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don't have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them, not to mention how could they have sex? Just look at them ... where is IT? Therefore, they don't have kids either. Not to mention, who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?

The choice is perfectly clear to me: I want to be a whale.

P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver, and a piece of chocolate with my friends. With time, we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy.

Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, ¨Good grief, look how smart I am!¨

Reflections on the new year....

Recently I went back over my blog posts since I started this blog and it was quite illuminating. There were days when I was up and full of insights into life in general and in particular my life. Solutions abounded and resolutions were made....
There were also days when I just wrote up anything that twigged my interest, usually about things and people around me and the events that surrounded them.
There were also posts that reflected my grief and sadness about the losses in my life.
I did notice that I had occasionally written about the same thing twice and also, the good intentions of plans I had made did not always follow through....something that doesn't surprise me.
My writing skills varied from brilliant to some downright indulgent and tacky prose. I think it all depended upon my state of mind and whether I was sleep deprived!!

In any case all of this is by way of an introduction to another blog post. I haven't posted since before Christmas and as usual I am in a state of flux. I have so many plans for this year, and I am trying to be optomistic about my chances of following through on them.
I need to continue the downward journey of my weight, mostly for the benefit of my legs...they are so giving me gip these days. It will be a challenge to sure.
In the same vein as the previous "I need", I need to develop a more realistic approach to weightloss. I thought I had done so, but subsequent months of indiscriminate eating has proven me wrong. The lack of control is still there and needs to be dealt with in some way. *BIG SIGH* (It occurs to me that this may prove to be a good topic for a blog post at some future date....a little more in depth about weight loss generally....hmmmm)
I want to start an Art Blog....showcasing and talking about my various and sundry art projects, successes and failures!!
I also want to set up an ArtFire shop online to sell some of my work
I want to explore further my writing abilities, both in adult and children's fiction. I have several books to read on writing (mostly as a guide)
I want to take more time (even more than I do now) to read without guilt. My library is building and needs to be read....:-)
I want to reorganize my workspace to be more conducive to creating and in doing so, stimulate my creative abilities to "create" my workspace.....:-)
I also have a list of people that have emailed me nice newsy emails and I have yet to respond.....I need to do that soon. I also have a few snail mail letters to write too.

So as you can see, there are many "I" things to do.

An attitude change here might be beneficial as well. Less worry, a little more laissez-faire ( “Let (people) do (as they choose).”) and in general just getting on with the business of living a good, healthy and productive life on my own terms. I am allowed to do this am I not...??
Sounds good .....now if I can just make it work.

Slainte!!!

Random Memories....

Thanks to my Dad I was brought up to appreciate many operatic tenor and baritone arias, one being the famous tenor aria "Che Celida Manina" or as my father translated it...."Thy Tiny Hand is Frozen". It's from La Boheme, one of my favourite operas. The version I grew up with was sung by Jussi Bjoerling, the famous Swedish tenor of bygone years. It remains my favourite to this day. My aunt was also a fan of said opera, aria and tenor...in fact she loved most opera.

Years ago, when I was living in Vancouver on my own, before England and marriage, I would frequently go to the opera with her. One time La Boheme was playing and we were excited to be able to attend. We sat there enraptured by the music and when the tenor aria approached, my aunt reached over and took my hand and held it throughout the entire aria, especially tightly during the climax of the aria (a top A I believe or something similar).

It's a special memory that resurfaced this morning when I was driving home from dropping DH at work.....that particular aria came on the radio and the lump in my throat became tears in my eyes by the time it finished. I've always loved that aria for the music and for the memories of my dad that it evoked, but now it also brings to mind my aunt.

Memories like that are golden......

One cataract down.....

It's amazing how a community is formed in a hospital waiting room. Whilst waiting for my turn on the table, I met a couple from McLure, and at least three other ladies, all going for cataract surgery like me. I felt so much more at ease than I expected, so by the time I was in the operating room, I was almost relaxed. It also helped that the operation itself was only about 20 minutes including prep time etc....

I arrived at 7:30 am and hit the table at about 10 am and was out of the hospital by about 10:45.
Now it's all about drops, drops and more drops....a follow up appointment tomorrow morning at 8:30 am and then taking things a bit easier for a couple of weeks.

Nurses, doctors, fellow patients....all were very nice and made the experience so much easier than it could have been. That general feeling of camaraderie was prevelant throughout...maybe that's because of Kamloops' "small town" feeling.....something that is noticeable despite it's increasing size.

One down.....one to go at some point in the future.....distant future one hopes!!

Slainte!!

Creatively speaking......

I was rolling pastry for apple pies this morning (the best I've ever done I might add!!) and one tends to let the thoughts wander upon occasions such as this. So ...mine did. I was thinking about blogs, mine in particular and trying to get a feeling for what to write about.

My description of it is a search for creativity.....a journey to find what creatively I want to do....a constant problem with me it seems. My workshop is filled with a multitude of artwork, some of mine and some of members of my family (aunts and grandmother). I have a cupboard, shelves and drawers full of supplies...paint, clay, accessories, material, wool, etc etc.. .....which says to me that there are so many directions to go in. How does one choose...or does one combine them all in various and sundry combinations and see what emerges.....it's a quandary. I do admit that when I finally got down there to spend time puttering, it was glorious and I could have stayed down there much longer. The "little grey cells" started working again and ideas started rising to the surface.

The other side of my "creative personality" is writing.....I love writing when I can get my thoughts in order (not always happening!!). My mind is very fertile and if I could write everything down that goes through my head, it would fill pages I'm sure. I know when I am in a "sleepless in Kamloops" mode, the thoughts and stories that go through my head are amazing and I know I should try to get them down on paper or at least into the computer. I also journal a lot....on the computer ....in a number of books.....I would like to get them all centralized...a project for the future I expect. The late Frank McCourt said something to his creative writing class that stuck with me....it was that if one wants to write, then write….about anything and everything, just keep writing and writing and eventually you will find a pattern to what you are doing and will see the direction in which you are to go....at least that's the way I perceived what he wrote and it makes sense.

Of course there is always the music side of things, but that has a time line. One can only keep up the standard required for so long, then it's time to pass the torch onto someone else. I haven't reached that point yet.....but I hope I will know when it comes. Each year it gets more challenging to keep up the practice and energy required for each concert. However, I do so love playing in the orchestra....it gives me the opportunity to take part in the classical music that has been in my soul from day 1. The way my heart fills and expands when a certain phrase of music is played, it's positively amazing......I have been brought to tears whilst playing a performance...much to my consternation.....Sometimes when I'm listening to my CD's I just stand up, raise my arms and should "Yes...oh yes!!!" I move to music...any music...but classical hits my core.....and some parts of opera are breathstopping for me. So when the playing stops the listening will continue to the end of my days....

So....all in all my creative juices are still flowing, albeit somewhat erratically. I do believe I will ultimately find a direction to go in....and I need to take some time and write down a list of directions and projects and then sift through them and think about which is reality and which is fantasy. I also think that the way I approach the whole aspect of creativity needs looking into as well. Do I do it for myself, for money, for other people? I tend to think that doing it for myself is the primary goal....and if the rest come after that's ok. It's me that has to be satisfied and fulfilled before I can think any further. After all, if I'm not enjoying the process and the results of my labour....who else will?

Slainte!!

random thoughts.....what????

In my purse I keep blank index cards or sometimes a small diary to note down things that strike me or twig my interest where ever I may be. Today I was cleaning out my purse (a mammoth task to be sure) and I came across this list and have absolutely no idea what I was thinking.....

Screaming kids
Conversations
Tight jeans
Sameness in wear
Buggy rolling

It occurs to me that I may have been feeling rather stressed and was noting down things that irritated me. I mean
...how loud were the screaming kids,why were they screaming, were the parents trying to calm them or just letting them have at it.....
..... what kind of conversations were being had and were they loud and obnoxious conversations or flighty and full of giggles..... or on the other hand..was someone attempting to converse with me?
Tight jeans is interesting....was I leering at a cute behind on a male (hardly likely!), or "tut-tutting" about how young people dress today...or maybe cheering for an older woman with a good physique who didn't mind showing it off!! (That's a stretch!!)
The sameness in wear is no doubt about young people I was observing, it's all about fitting in and what's fashionable....
.....and as for buggy rolling....stroller, baby buggy, grocery buggy....the possibilities are endless....and was it rolling towards a car, my car perhaps....or maybe there was a baby in the rolling buggy....and maybe that baby was screaming....and so we end up back at the beginning...:-)

So...making a list to remind oneself of what is observed is a great idea....if you can make some indication of date and time and place....but then....this list became an idea for a blog post...so maybe it has ultimately served it's purpose as I think the original idea of jotting things down was to make topics to write about.....which it has!!

Slainte!!

Inspiration...

Just another bit of inspiration from Real Simple.....one that really appeals to me...

“My own prescription for health is less paperwork and more running barefoot through the grass.” ―Leslie Grimutter

Slainte!!

After a break.....

On Tuesday of this week, we arrived home from a week long road trip through the Peace Country and visiting friends and family in Edmonton. It was interesting, eye-opening, relaxing, and in general a much needed break before summer.

I am, however, glad to be home again, mostly because of my garden and my cats......in that order!!
I still have basil to plant and there are weeds to pull and more seeds to plant, watering to do, the trimming of an "out of control" hops plant (although it does look kind of Mediterranean in style right now!!) and that's only the garden. The cats are healthy, but have been very demanding of attention since we got home....granted, they have had a few more weekends with us away than usual lately, so they are allowed.

DH wants to get going on wallpaper stripping which means I have to decide paint colours before too long....always a worriesome task....and then of course there is my workshop and studio to tackle.....

I also have been inspired (by the prolific collection of plants of my dear friend in Edmonton) to try to make my rather insipid collection of indoor greenery much more healthy and extensive...so we'll see how that goes!!

The good thing about all of this is that I really have nothing to get prepared for at this point...I can take my time and enjoy the process (hopefully) as summer (aside from visitors) is pretty much free.

So...here's to projects, visitors, wine on the patio, gardening (indoor and out) and pets (shedding and non-shedding)......

Slainte!!

Taking Stock....

We moved to Kamloops in December 2004.
At that time I was grossly overweight, suffering with fibromyalgia and arthritis (walking with a cane for the most part), high cholesterol and high blood pressure, stressed out and depressed and totally unsure of how this move was going to affect me.
Today is 4 1/2 years later. I am down fifty pounds and still losing slowly. My cholesterol and blood pressure is under control. I still suffer the effects of fibromyalgia, mostly the lack of sleep, but the pain managment is working without heavy meds. The arthritis is still progressing and will eventually lead to knee replacement, but it's manageable. The stress and depression still poke their heads up occasionally, but now I have various methods of dealing with them...no meds involved.

The reason all of this came to mind, was that I was in the garden this morning and when we were finished, DH looked around and said...".it's getting there"....and it occurred to me, that for the first time in many years, I have had a hand in "getting it there" Gardening, in fact any outdoor activity, has been absent from my days mainly because of the inability to "get around".
I now can bend easily, dig, pull weeds, plant seedlings and sit and repot seedlings.....in fact, I am slowly gaining back some of the joys of gardening that I experienced many years ago. I have found that my most productive times for anything is in the morning and late afternoon. I need the downtime after lunch to recoup energy....and so...it's all about realizing how my body works and how I can get the most out of my day. We have even been taking long walks on the river dike by the airport with the dog.....and I'm not afraid to use my two canes to take some of the weight off my knees. I'm also not afraid to say when I've had enough and I sit down on the bench and peruse the scenery whilst DH continues on with the dog.

Granted, I still have days filled with angst and depression and stress.....but I also have tools to deal with it, which I didn't have before. It never occurred to me to journal or pray, or even just cogitate to ease my troubled mind. Those are tools that I have begun to make use of to push back "the beast". The winter up here is not helpful if you are prone to less than happy thoughts. When it gets cold (and I mean cold) I'm motivated more to stay inside and hibernate....which can be a problem. I tend to read voraciously in the winter and explore my artistic side in my workshop....more tools.....although I have been known to indulge in some Harry Potter movies!!

I have to say that music....playing in the Kamloops Symphony and volunteering with that organization... has also been a bit of a saving grace for me. Music has always been one of my main avenues to go down in stressful times, and I've not only re-discovered and revelled in the challenges of an orchestral musician, but I have expanded my listening to include various and sundry classical CD's. I am also not adverse to other genres....I have been known to dance (albeit carefully!) between my studio and workshop with music blaring!!

Retirement has been a challenge for both DH and myself. When two people are together all the time there are a few things that become evident. Conversation tends to lapse.....it doesn't seem necessary. Sitting on the patio with a glass of Chardonnay engrossed in conversation with your spouse isn't reality....at least not for us. We're just as happy sitting with that aforementioned Chardonnay and a good book, exchanging humorous quotes and commenting about jobs to do in the garden. However I have learned that if there was something I definitely want to discuss, the time to do it is in the car....that way he's a captive audience and I'm not competing with a book for his attention. Routine is a huge factor, and one which I abhor. It sneaks up on you without you realizing it. I realize that some routine is necessary but it's not in my personality to do the same thing everyday at the same time....so the conflict is there and sometimes it gets quite funny. Occasionally I do things differently just to jump out of the rut...so to speak.

When we moved up here, we had to start the whole process of making new friends and acquaintances....as happens whenever you move. The move, because of our location (and a spare bedroom), has caused us (much to our delight!) to become a stopping point for friends going to and from Lower Mainland and of course our children (and spouses) also have spent time with us here. Both of my brothers are now in Kamloops, so family dinners are a regular occurrence.....and we have a good neighbourhood, with watchful and friendly neighbours (who DH sees on regular walks with dog).... and a few friends who I had thought disappeared have reappeared in my life and we are becoming reacquainted!! So the blend of old and new friends and family is working well.

I have no idea how long we will live here....I don't think we will spend the rest of our lives here....but for now....life in Kamloops is good, all things considered!!

Slainte!

Signs of Summer to come.....

I'm sitting on patio and thought that I would blog about signs I have noticed around that prove that summer is on it's way!! I'm doing this partially as a blog subject, but also because if I write it all down, I will feel somewhat more positive about life.

• The market is up and running with some actual produce, albeit winter/root type produce, but produce nevertheless and it's locally grown....also it has many little new plants of veggies, herbs, flowers and there even is a lovely fellow who has all sorts of flowering bushes and oddities....I got some horseradish from him!! There is a lady selling huge tomatoes and English cucumbers and they are delicious.....she has a greenhouse in Barriere. There are also lamb, bison and beef producers and a interesting elderly Italian fellow who sells eggs. There are also fresh baked goods as well. So all in all....a good sign of things to come in that department.
  
• Our last concert is coming up next week....and after that we're through (for full orchestra concerts) until the fall. It will be an awesome concert with The Firebird Suite by Stravinsky, Prokofieff 2nd piano concerto and The Art of Declension by Jeffrey Ryan. With this type of program, I tell people, it's not the notes that are difficult, it's where you put the notes that's difficult. Lots of different rhythms, speeds, volumes, and all in all a real challenge (which I embrace with great enthusiasm!!)
• The perennial plants in our garden are starting to poke their heads through the ground and trying to make us guess if they have survivied the winter or not. I have a lavender plant that I thought had passed away, but when I looked this afternoon, I found small new buds all over it....I cheered!! I have a little leaf of hot and spicy oregano which is struggling to stay alive...we have protected it ....my lemon verbena did not survive so I have replaced it.... I have new basil starting in the basement to be transplanted when ready...especially the Stella basil, some which will go to it's namesake..:-)
• We are slowly starting to make the patio "summer ready". I put the bamboo screens up today, actually sat and read and relaxed on the patio....my hops is growing wildly over the latticework and heading with great vigour towards the top lattice work, where it will create a shade cover for one end of the patio. DH has refilled the propane tank and readying it for dinner tonite and now I have to figure out what to do with my artwork on the patio table that got destroyed by weather. Oh....and our elderly (though they don't look it!) cats are loving the sun on the patio and rolling around completely not acting their age. Once the sun started coming out they wanted to be outside to sniff out the various and sundry prey (that they never actually manage to snag!!)
• Of course a major sign of summer to come is blossoms....on the bushes, the trees, the strawberries, it's all beautiful!!
• The yearly migration stop of the white capped sparrows descending upon our garden to pick up stray seeds, finish off the feeders and suet. They swarm in, stay for a couple of weeks and then they are off to the northern climes for nesting!!

Anyways, I think that's it for now....I'm sure there are other signs, like the magpies nesting in the fir trees (among other birds), garage sales, being able to leave the patio door open with the screen 'cause it's warm enough....and best of all, I can sit out here on the patio and do this blog in the warmth of the afternoon (it's all about having wireless you know??) !!

Slainte!!

Spectacle...!!

This is the third week that I have watched a new program called Spectacle hosted by Elvis Costello. I am just so impressed....
The first week, he had Sir Elton John, ( who is one of the producers of the show), last week, Sting and the Police, and tonight he had a "guitar pull" (A Johnny Cash phrase) with Kris Kristofferson, Norah Jones, Rosanne Cash and John Mellencamp.

The format is interview and music.....and the questions in the interview are not typical interviewer questions. They are asked from a fellow musician's point of view and some of the stories are great. With the Police, he interviewed them individually and then he brought them all out on stage for joint chat and performances. It was quite neat to see the different personalities.

It's an hour long, and quite frankly it leaves me asking for more. Tonight was a gem for me.....especially Kris Kristofferson singing "Sunday Morning Coming Down" ....unbelievable. They finished off the program with a group and solo singing of "Me and Bobby McGee".

Even though I'm a classically trained musician and that remains my first love, I also love listening to other kinds of music with some of the greats in rock, blues and jazz.

All in all a great program and a definite fixture on my Friday night line up.....and....apparently there are encore presentations on Bravo on Saturday and Sunday nights.


Sigh....I feel so good now.....:-)

Slainte!!

Sunday Dinner...

After looking at the food photos that Ty has posted recently, I decided that it might be fun to do something similar.
Today for "Sunday dinner with the bros " (read brothers are coming to dinner tonite) I thought I would make a Beef Stew in my own inimitable style....and take one or two pictures to boot!!

I used Douglas Lake Beef Stew meat.....range fed and locally grown (so to speak) and pretty much most of the veggies I had in my fridge plus a varied combination of herbs and spices.
The veggies were onions, leeks, carrots, yams, parsnips, turnip, rutabaga, green beans, orange peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, celery and butternut squash. My herbs were garlic, thyme, sage, savoury, hot pepper seeds and rosemary and my spices were cumin, garam masala, allspice, celery seed and cloves. For the most part the herbs and spices were ground up and pounded in my large mortar and pestle.....I have now put some beef broth in it and transferred it to the slow cooker to mull away until dinner time, at which point, I will probably add a wine and beef broth gravy to give it some bread sopping consistency :-). I am still debating whether to add some red potatoes......

This is the pot o' stew with just winter veg. and meat



















Here it is after transfer to the slow cooker and with the other veggies added as well as the broth....


















This is a collection of the various and sundry herbs and spices I used along with the mortar pestle, which, I might add, I picked up in Concord Mass. at a wonderful little housewares store that Ty told me about. I love using it...it's monstrously heavy, but works beautifully.



















...and as a finale, my two cutting boards...made by me years ago....the man is for veggies and the woman is for bread and baked goods. I have another less interesting cutting board for meat products.



















After previewing this post, I still think that Ty's pictures are more mouthwatering.....but it is a fun exercise to take pics at certain times throughout the cooking process......

OK, now it's time to go get showered and dressed....(It's been a VERY lazy Sunday....:-))

Slainte!!

Will Winter ever end?????

I had to sign in to comment on Ty's blog, so I thought I would take the time and mosey on over to my blog and perhaps update it?? Yes, I think that would be a good thing, considering the last one was almost three months ago....yikes!!!

I'm not going to go over Christmas and New Years except to say it was all good and tasty and fun as it was meant to be.

We still have snow and are expecting more, but the sun's out and everything looks very fresh...even with the snow. However, sadly, the pumpkin that I left on the patio table to freeze has now thawed and is slowly sinking into mush. Time to scrape it up and chuck it on the garden to hopefully seed and grow more little pumpkies in the spring/summer/fall.

We are presently in the process of doing family history stuff and other extended family things.....exhausting work, but necessary. Hopefully it will all be sorted by the end of February.

I had some work in the Kamloops Art Gallery Christmas store and sold a fair bit.....encouraging to say the least. Now to continue on and improve.....I still have plans to start a blog of my work and will do so at some point. It's a good alternative to an actual website....so we'll see how things transpire.

I have a couple of other projects on the go....sewing a couple of lap quilts for my aunt, using some scarves of hers and some squares of Brazilian Embroidery that she has done and also editing some of her nature writings that she's done over the years and making a compilation for the family. It will take time, but it will be a labour of love.

My life right now is a myriad of events....and I'm not sure I like it like that. I keep getting the feeling that I want to just "be" .....not be anywhere in particular, doing anything in particular, just to "be". I know it sounds weird, but it's the only way I can think of to put it. I don't resent the demands made on my time, because I enjoy it all. I think that I mean .. I want to be in a place where I can do exactly what I want to do...with me making that decision. Selfish?? Maybe, but I think I'm allowed at this point in my life. It will happen....it's just that right now I'm just busy and feeling just a tad frustrated.

I'm finding it harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning....I just want to sleep. In fact, unfortunately, this feeling is extending into the swimming that I do three times a week. It's getting harder to gather myself together to get out there. I do it, because in the end, I do feel better for it....but the effort it takes to overcome the inertia is really a bummer. I think it has something to do with the season....and how drastic the winter has been up until now. Sometimes I think I like hibernating indoors, but I forget how much I enjoy sitting on the patio in the summer, puttering in the garden or just standing outside and enjoying the experience of being outside. The winters up here are always tough to some degree, but this year has been harder....as I'm sure it has been elsewhere. Even my dog has been in more "funks" this winter....without his daily walk.

So, today the sun is out...and eaves are dripping as the snow melts, so maybe I just should go sit on the patio with a hoodie and a scarf and breathe in...before the next snowfall ......it so sounds like a plan!!

On that whiney note....I will bid farewell!!

Slainte!!

Why I love my husband.....

The last two weeks have been rather strenuous....both physically and mentally. The death of a close friend and a week of rehearsals and concerts (both school and regular) along with the everyday job of living has taken its toll. By last night, I was whacked....enjoying the wine at the pub after the concert....but nevertheless whacked!!

This morning I got up, after sleeping relatively well, and realized that I had the total day to start to recoup and just relax...easy dinner tonite...just pasta....so I had my first coffee, crawled on the couch covered myself with a large throw and read and snoozed.

So.....as I was snoozing on the couch, the tantalizing smell of fried rice wafted out of the kitchen and woke me up ......DH had retrieved my coffee cup silently from beside me and refilled it, made a delectable fried rice mixture with veggies and leftover meatloaf and teriyaki sauce, put it in a bowl for me and then quietly came over and said "Breakfast is ready".......

....and that is why I love my husband!!

Holey Soles Forever!!!

So...I promised a blog about my "Holey Soles" obsession.
What are Holey Soles??? You may well ask....
They are a homegrown Canadian version of "Crocs"....and oh so much better.

Quite a while ago I was checking out Rosie O'Donnell's blog, as I am wont to do and came across a photo of her wearing this really nice black outfit (coat (not jacket) and pants) for an evening out and she had finished it off by wearing bright pink Crocs. Needless to say, as things do with her, it caused quite a stir. However, she mentioned on her blog that the Crocs had been sent to her by a fan and she wanted to wear them.....full acknowledging at the time that she had absolutely no fashion sense. In any case...one of the Canadian bloggers (read fans), after reading this, told her she should actually be wearing Holey Soles, as they were the originators of the design. So that got me to thinking.....and researching....and I found the Holey Sole site. I also found a supplier in Kamloops....Valhalla Outfitters.....and fortunately they had them on for half price.
After an initial "breaking in" process, I have worn them pretty much non-stop for most of the spring and summer (maybe even earlier) They are SO comfortable.

I have worn them to symphony rehearsals and because I always have a problem finding comfortable black shoes to wear to the concerts, I started musing about possibly wearing a black pair of Holey Soles. Two concerts ago, I wore these to the concert, changed into a pair of black stretchy slippers and then back into the Holey Soles....during the intermission and after the concert. My colleagues in the horn section jokingly suggested I should get a pair of black ones as I liked them so much....to which I replied..."Funny you should say that....my thoughts exactly!!"

So....I checked out Valhalla Outfitters and they no longer stocked them...they just had odd sizes in odd colours that they were trying to get rid of. Art Knapps, also, no longer stocked them.
Well...I guess I was just going to have to order them online...sigh....how tedious (snicker snicker!!)

When I went to their new redesigned website....I found a plethora of new styles...Woohoo!!!
There was a pair of black ones....with no holes....more like a sport type shoe, but still black and slip on.....just the ticket I thought!! So then I explored some more and found more colours of the new updated style that I already had.
So to make a long story short....I ordered the black ones, a pair of red ones and a pair of navy blue ones. There are many other colours, but I think I will hold off until the spring or summer. Amazingly enough....I ordered them on Wednesday...and they arrived on my doorstep at 8:10 in the morning on Friday.......I was totally impressed!!
So....after all that....here are the pictures of my Holey Soles.....

...and here is a picture of my new "symphony" Holey Soles....with removable insoles, no less in case you want to put in arch supports...how cool is that!! I have worn them to two concerts now and they work perfectly....even with black socks!!
I am always on the lookout for shoes that are easy to fit and comfortable....I have large feet....large in every way....wide, flat and long.....women's size 12 - wide. So when I find something that is easy to put on, colourful, lightweight and it fits....well....I just have to have them. I do wear dress up shoes when absolutely necessary....like at C & J's wedding in September, I bought a pair of silver sandals....and the instore shoe repair guy stretched them for me....I was actually able to wear them for a major part of the night....
I also wear Clark's Wallabee's - the original ones....and I used to wear Birkenstocks....until Holey Soles came along. The Wallabee's are for winter and Holey Soles for the summer....there ya go....

My Holey Soles obsession!!

Slainte!!

A night with the Vinyl Cafe......

So I went to the theatre tonite to see Stuart McLean and the Vinyl Cafe. If you ever listen to CBC, you are well aware of Stuart McLean. For those who don't ....it's a worth while listen....CBC Radio 2 at 10 am on Saturdays...and CBC Radio 1 at 12 Noon on Sundays. Don't ask me where Radio two and Radio one are....they are different for each region....I do know that in the Lower Mainland, Radio 2 is 105.7...not sure of Radio one though....

The show was wonderful.....down home clean humour and lots of laughter and good times....and good Canadian musicians. I am going to now look for CD's by Dala ...and Daniel Michelle....both excellent. Dala is two ladies who have performed together since high school and Daniel Michelle is a funky fellow...interesting guitar licks and lyrics in his songs. Anyways...it was a good evening...and we topped it off with a glass of wine at home...relaxing.

One can be a real people watcher at these events though.....a couple of things I observed.....
...a three generation group .....2 very large ladies, one a mother, one a daughter and one very small grandmother....who as it turned out was 92. She sat between them almost dwarfed...which begged the question......where did the largeness come from???? She was postively tiny....but enjoying herself immensely. Interesting...hmmmmm. Ok...I know one could think of that as being not very nice picky....but...I'm big...I can do that..:-)
The other thing is listening to people around you.....sometimes you just want to butt in and correct or dispute...or just join in the conversation...but you don't. You just listen...and then wait until the end of the show to see who on earth was saying what was said.....!!
I also wonder about men with toupees....There was such a man sitting behind us. It wasn't attractive..it was very obviously a toupee....so why does he wear it. I'm sure there are number of reasons, probably all very sound and appropriate...but when it looks so atrocious....hmmm...what was his wife thinking!!! Ok...I'll take a shot for that too..

Anyways...all in all a good evening.....

So I have a post up and coming regardng my Holey Soles obsession.....pictures and all!!!
...and hopefully I will get that done tomorrow....before we are.....

.....off to Victoria on Friday morning EARLY.

I can't wait to see T&D...even if it's only for a short time....I miss them so much....
I so miss my kids and their sig. others......they are all so very dear to me......and I am in a constant state of "awe" at how they are progressing and dealing with "life" . So much better than I did.....but then times were different then.....at least that's my excuse!!

Ok, I have had two glasses of wine....and I will get positively maudlin if I don't watch it. ...but hey....I'm a mom...what can I say.

As I look at my mommy cat peering out at me from her present location in the paper shelf in the computer room, it occurs to me that I am making far too many typos and it's time for bed.....

So....off to read a few pages of Anne Lamott....and then ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ......one can only hope!!

Slainte!!

.....continued (as promised!!)

OK....so on the last post, I said...to be continued. Here is the continuation...such as it is. I may repeat myself....but what can I say....I'm sixty!!

We headed down to Osoyoos on Monday, Sept. 8, going down through Keremeos so we could hit a couple of wineries.....one wasn't open (that would be Orofino) but we went to Crowsnest and started our stash there. It has grown substantially over the years and now sports a restaurant, and B&B.
We arrived in Osoyoos at about 3pm having been preceded by our friends D&B who were going to spend a few days with us. This "travelling with another couple" thing was a new experience for us and really a lot of fun. They love wine almost as much as we do and so our sojourns to the various and sundry wineries throughout the South Okanagan and Naramata were full of lots of laughter, good conversation and of course wine tasting. We parted ways on Thursday around noon in Kelowna after sampling yet a few more wineries and having a wonderful lunch in Peachland at the Blind Angler. During our time together, apart from the wine stuff, we lazed on the patio, swam in the lake and our two hubbys got sucked into tubing behind a speedboat.....and we have some pictures to prove it!!! Unfortunately I was napping at the time but apparently the experience for them was quite exciting!!! We have decided to do this again next year if possible, so I am quite looking forward to it.

After they left, things were quite quiet, so we relaxed on the Friday and hit a couple of more wineries on the Saturday and then did nothing but veg on the Sunday...leaving on Monday morning to head home.

For those of you that care...we managed to visit 16 wineries. I know, I know....I was surprised as well, it just didn't seem that much. Throughout the trip we had been on the search for Malbec.....and on the Saturday we scored some at Inniskillen. It is a wine that is making a comeback in BC slowly. Argentinia has kind of adopted it as it's own....but it was at one time a popular wine in BC...then it went the way of Marachel Foch.....but thankfully some wineries are now making it on it's own....instead of using it in blends. Red Rooster makes one as does Quinta Ferriera and Inniskillen. There may be more, but those are the ones we found on this trip. The only one with some available was Inniskillen. So that's as much technical wine talk as I can manage.....I will list the wineries if anyone really wants to know...but trust me...there are still many more to see!!!

The whole visit was good in that there were people there that we had met last year and they will also be there next year....so we have now become "regulars" at the motel......I just love it!!!
The only downside was that we were not in our usual room and, although the room was the same layout as our usual one (it was next door) our door was right next to the door of the "party" room and every time we left the room, we were assailed by clouds of cigarette smoke from the myriad of people who congregated outside this one unit. They were also very noisy and "in your face" and drinking almost non-stop. It was a family group spread over three units. Hopefully next year, this won't be a problem as we went a week later this year than normal (due to the wedding) and next year it will be our normal time, which is the day after labour day. They (the "rowdies) left on the Sunday morning and we all breathed a collective sigh of relief......so we had one day of peace and quiet and clean air outside our unit. It took the housekeeping staff almost a full day to clean the units and air them out.....sigh.

So...all in all...it wasn't quite the relaxing week I had hoped for, but there were definitely many pluses to take away the pain of the minuses :-).

Now it's back to the grind...we have already had one concert and there is another in two weeks....so I'm now practicing regularly. We made 16 bottles of grape juice on Sunday (Concord, Ortega and Marchel Foch) and canned 20 jars of peaches on Monday....all at brother B's. Now I have a few things to make...like pesto and basil prepared for freezing, possibly some zucchini pickles....not sure....and I have some work to do in my workshop....Nutfolkery possibly???
DH has gone on a cooking, baking binge and made stew, shepherd's pie, tomato sauce (for freezing) apple pies (that was dual effort-he and me) and he is going to make apple cobbler tomorrow I think.

What I need.....is two weeks to do nothing but recover from the first two weeks of September!!!!

Slainte!!