Merry Christmas

 

My sister and brother-in-law who have two daughters in Victoria, British Columbia have flown out for a West Coast Christmas.

My sister here in the city is having dinner with friends who are helping her do some fix-ups on her house.

My sister and her family in Alabama will be celebrating together.

Paul's sister who lives in Toronto will be joining us along with Stephen and Chawana for Christmas dinner.

I haven't decorated as much as in previous years but what I have out pleases me and looks very festive.

Once again I have ordered fresh turkey parts, breast and thighs, and will serve them with Uncle Ben's dressing  (he saves me so much work and it tastes so good) and cranberry jelly that I will make myself having discovered just how easy it is.  Mashes potatoes and roasted vegetables (hopefully parsnips and carrots depending on how they look at the store tomorrow).   We have some nice Canadian riesling to serve and will finish the meal with Christmas ice cream and Scottish shortbread.

The gifts are wrapped and in the stockings.

A little of a tidy up left to do and yes.............I am ready.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Elizabeth

Latest crochet projects

White acrylic double crochet scarf

Shawl -acrylic 2% polyester single crochet with open double crochet rows

.   Lion brand easy pattern

                 

Finishing October and starting November

 October 30th.  Out to taste wines from Northern Italy and nibble some complimenting foods.   It was a nice chance to drink wines we would normally never buy because of price and to sample food made by the chef at a restaurant we have been meaning to try.

Prosciutto wrapped figs with gorgonzola  to go with our Tedeschi Amarone 2007 that sells here for $39.93 a bottle.

Getting the history of the region and the families that made the wines we were tasting, and explaining what we should be tasting in the wine.   I can never make out the individual flavours, either I like a wine or I don't.

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November 5.     Done! Finally!  My first project with the knitting needles is complete.  I thought it would never finish.  I have always had trouble knitting so I am rather pleased with myself- but- I have learned that I will not be making large projects or items where proper gauge matters.  Like with my crocheting I will be leaning towards the short and easy.

Antique white, Bernat Softee Baby 100% acrylic yarn using 5.5 mm needles.  Measure 66 X 3.5 " in a K 2P2 (twice) K2 (twice) pattern.

Finished crochet projects....

Bookmarks using the crescent braid motif. Sage green one 6'' plus tail, using size 3 cotton thread and an old crochet hook of my mother's that said old size 3.     The other is in a linen colour # 10 cotton, 4" long plus tail and I used another old hook size 2.      I need to work more with the cotton to really get the finished look I want.

Double crochet scarf in a heather green/brown mix  measuring 80 X 4 ".  I used a ball of acrylic yarn I found on sale for  .99 and it worked up quickly on a #10 hook.

Water bottle holders both using a 5.5 hook but different patterns and different materials.  The stripped one is cotton ( same as you would use for making dish cloths ) and the other a. unknown craft material I had left over from a project I made almost 35 years ago.  I used up the last of the beige I had, mixing it in with the yellow.

A tale

I was out today with my camera in search of red maples.  A  remark about their absence in some of my other photos set me on my mission.

While wandering my neighbourhood I stopped at a house to take a photo and noticed two older woman talking at the side door.  I politely asked the homeowner if she minded me taking a picture of her tree.  No problem she said.

Once done the other woman turned to me and asked if I was  Dr. H's daughter.  Yes I replied.  Turns out she had worked with my father years ago and it was her husband who owned and operated the garage at the top street near  my childhood home.   Dad used that gas station for years and enjoyed spending time talking with Joe.

Joe E's family had come from Ireland and my dad always talked about his  English father telling tales of how our branch of the family arrived in Somerset England to work and then forgot to return home. When Joe told him he and Helen, the woman I met today, were going to Ireland dad asked if they would bring him back a shillelagh.    Helen remembers shopping for it and how thrilled both sides were when it was presented.

When dad died for some reason one of my sisters returned it to Joe.   In a conversation just recently with another sister the odd returning of it was mentioned and bemoaned. 

When I told this to Helen she said she still had it and had often wondered why it had been returned. After all it had been a gift.   She invited me to her home just 2 doors away and pulled it from a hall stand holding umbrellas.

We sat and talked about Joe, who died 16 years ago and my dad who died 25 years ago.  We talked about her early years as an Xray technician and all the changes over the years,  about how as a child I had gone to the hospital with my dad when he was on call  on weekends and I was allowed to clip the corners from the newly developed films ( a job the techs were only to glad to have done for them ) and we talked about families and growing older and how something special  can happen on a very ordinary day.

Luck of the Irish?   I like to think so.

October 8, 2012

 Ruthven Park  - Historic house to tour for me, cars for Paul

Cool but pleasant day for  wandering rows of cars in a park setting.  Decent hot dogs and grilled sausages for lunch.  No coffee to be had though.  I should consider taking a thermos.  I like my noon time coffee!

Back addition to the original house.  I took a good look around when I got bored with the cars.

We took the house tour and P. managed this shot from the top of the spiral staircase.   We found out after that he wasn't suppose to be up there.  Luckily we had the head curator giving our tour and benefited from her knowledge of the house. They are preserving not restoring so it is quite different from the standard historic house tours. Turquoise kitchen no less.

 Family cemetery.  

Always something to catch your eye when walking the paths.

Path to the Grand River

River path along the Grand.

I think this will be my last car show for the year.  The next two that Paul has noted are swap meets and are being held in dull no-appeal- to -Elizabeth spots.     Wonder what next year will bring?  Perhaps a few new venues of interest.

OCT 10:   Our 42nd anniversary.    We went to an afternoon book reading and meet the author at one of our library branches.  Finally something decent at a location NOT downtown.  If you haven't read any of books by Peter James and enjoy mysteries I can recommend the Roy Grace series.  They should be read in order because of continuing character story lines. 

Out for dinner  to give Thai food a try at Siam Dish.  It is a small place and the food was excellent.  We had been holding onto a coupon since last year's Locke St. street fair when they were just starting to convert an older house into the restaurant.

Hang on to your hat Kathleen...

.... I'm updating for you.

There have been a lot of car shows since Niagara-on-the-lake.  I stayed home when it was 'only' cars.

Aug 26.   Doon Heritage Park   About an hours drive away on a very warm day.  I went for the heritage buildings, the museum and lunch out.

Cadillacs in the park

Home sweet home for some lucky family.

After wandering the street of shops and prowling through houses and barns this train was the last stop before the museum building.   Great displays inside, well worth the visit.

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Sept. 02   Marshville Cars and Craft show 
About an hour in the opposite direction to the little town of Wainfleet and Marshville Heritage Park for more cars and this time a really really good craft show.   I bought a really great new summer hat, drooled over beautiful jewellery and let Paul wander the cars alone.

I happened o mention once that this was a model of vette I liked.  I get dragged to see everyone on display now.  I'm keeping my mouth shut these days.   

Lots of interesting things to see other than cars.  I'm trying my hand at knitting again but with needles.

This apparently is THE model cadillac that Paul likes the very very best.  He had a long chat with the owner, I found an empty lawn chair and sat.

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Sept 09.  Another weekend another show.    Rockton
This time he went alone.  The weekend was a bit wet and there was nothing but cars to see. 

This caught Paul's eye

As did this.  Note the cow in the background.  Rockton is a small farming community not far from us and this coming weekend holds the last country fair of the season.   It is always held on Canadian Thanksgiving, which is early this year. 

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Sept 16. Bronte Park  British Car Day
Paul waits for this one every year and every year he goes alone.  The weather is always perfect for this show.   

He might not want this model but he loves this colour.

An idea of one small corner of the cars and crowd.

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Sept 20  Hamilton Harbour.   We had visitors.

Paul aboard the HMCS Ville de Quebec.  This frigate is a sister ship to the one my niece sails as Logistics Officer. Ahead is the HMCS Haida the last of the tribal class , a floating museum in our harbour.

Replica boats  1812 era.  Off the shores of the lake are two ships from the war   The Scourge and The Hamilton   

USS Hurricane.  A coastal patrol ship that has travelled all spring and summer with the Canadian ship visiting cities along the St Lawrence and the Great Lakes, again as part of the commemoration of the War of 1812 

It was a damp Thursday.  The crowds were not huge but there was a decent turnout considering it was a wet weekday.

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Sept 30.   Welland for Paul and a walk for me.

My washing machine broke down 2 weeks ago.  This is NOT it's replacement.   I now have a lovely high efficiency front loader.   

Welland Ont. is near Niagara Falls, again about an hours drive.  According to Paul there was a good turn out of cars and the hot dog he had for lunch was excellent thanks to the hot peppers.

He seems to have a think about taking photos of rusty vehicles.

I went for a walk and this is what I see from the end of my street. We live on the Niagara escarpment and are near walking trails.

Which path to choose?  They both end up on the same trail just past the little island of trees.

some leaves are changing

Looking out over the city towards the bay and Lake Ontario

The bay  and out to the lake.  Ocean freighters and pleasure boats use both.  The area to the right of the apartment buildings is where the ships we toured were docked and to the left are marinas, parks and restaurants an area still being reclaimed from industry and developed for public use.. Across the bay is the city of Burlington. 

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Thanks for giving me a bit of a nudge to get me organized K.     I find that I am using the computer less and seem to be keeping in touch more with Facebook than with this blog.   It would be nice to know what's new with you.

I am making small easy items with my crochet hooks and stash of yarn and have started working on a knitted scarf.  I swore I couldn't knit ( remembrance for childhood attempts ) and have found that with some guidance from the girls at the knit/crochet evening group I am actually making it work.

click on photos to see larger             links are in grey if you want more info

Saturday outing

Once again the call of older British cars, this time in Niagara-on-the-lake.   I went for the chance of a lunch out, which I got, and an opportunity to wander the town.  

with some MGs

We found free parking at Fort George again this year ( visited the fort last year ). It was a short walk over an open field to the grounds of the Shaw Festival theatre where the cars were set up near the patio and gardens.    Paul mingled and talked and talked and try to supply me with far too many details until I found a nice shady tree to linger under while he took his photos and talked and talked.

We ate lunch in the theatre cafe and walked the few blocks into the centre of town.   We stepped into a few of the stores but found like I did on holiday that the chance of  actually finding something new or unique is gone.

I did however find the Starbucks. A new addition sine we were last in town.    I do enjoy their frappuccinos.    I had a white chocolate mocha.  Paul stuck with a small hot coffee and pronounced it slightly better than the last Starbucks coffee he had.

 Starbucks fitting nicely into the streetscape in a period building

We did spent a little time in one shop.  Seems I could have stayed in Ontario and bought some of the same souvenirs but then I would have missed out on the scenery, the food, the history the.......

The Irish Shop ( there is a Scottish shop in town as well ) where I did see some of the same postcards and magnets that are sold in Ireland.

We stopped at a roadside stand and bought a basket of local peaches that we are now enjoying on our morning cereal.