(no subject)
I spent the long weekend over on Prince Edward Island, went over all by myself with The Dawg -- Kate was one of the 2,200 kids in the Youth Run of the Blue Nose Marathon, and she and Hal had planned a father-daughter weekend. At the last minute, Colin opted to stay behind because of the lamentable weather forecast and a friend's invite. So off I went to my folks' cottage, armed with some basics like beer and a large screwdriver set, to do the ritual cabin opening. Mum will be down from Toronto sometime in the next couple of weeks, and I wanted to get as much done as I could.
Well, due to the unbelievably cruddy weather, I didn't get the garden in, but the rest of the weekend was lovely. I had a late supper with a friend on Friday night, so at least I was in a cheerful mood *before* I discovered that the long butane lighter needed for the propane heater pilot light had returned with my parents to Toronto. And in was 2° C in the cabin. At that point it was late in the evening, not worth going back to Charlottetown to find a 24-hour convenience store, and what the hell, I've winter-camped before :-). No deaths from hypothermia occurred, courtesy of sleeping bags, fleece underwear, and a large Dawg.
Saturday I hung out with a ton of people at the Farmers' Market (Theresa Doyle and her partner roast really, really good coffee, almost as good as her singing :-) ). That afternoon I played Strong Woman and got the plywood sheets off the windows and into the shed. Flushed with accomplishment, I headed into town to a friend who was throwing his annual How Many Musicians Can Jam In One Kitchen Party, jazz and blues and improv with some of the Island's best. My god, it was good. Definitely in the WOW am I ever going to remember THAT party category.
Sunday, more puttering around the cabin, then had old friends over for supper -- mussels with aioli, scallop/hake/mussel chowder, fresh tomato salad with balsalmic vinaigrette (hydropnic Island greenhouse tomatoes, next best thing to field ripened), hydroponic peppers with ginger and garlic, a baguette, and lobsters I'd scored earlier in the day straight from the wharf. Oh, and I baked fresh rhubarb pie with a sour cream/brown sugar custard. *Moan*. We all got pleasantly silly, and the silly factor was amplified by our realizing that, at least for 2 of them, K and O, we hadn't shared a strictly *adult* supper without a kid around for at least 13 years :-)
Yesterday, finished up some cottage chores, said hi to all the neighbours, had a long hike down the beach, and crashed at dusk with the alarm set for 5 am, argh, which was when I hit the road. Arrived back at work *before* 9, with a van full of good food.
Life could be worse, and Kate turned in an awesome performance in her run.
Go us :-)
Well, due to the unbelievably cruddy weather, I didn't get the garden in, but the rest of the weekend was lovely. I had a late supper with a friend on Friday night, so at least I was in a cheerful mood *before* I discovered that the long butane lighter needed for the propane heater pilot light had returned with my parents to Toronto. And in was 2° C in the cabin. At that point it was late in the evening, not worth going back to Charlottetown to find a 24-hour convenience store, and what the hell, I've winter-camped before :-). No deaths from hypothermia occurred, courtesy of sleeping bags, fleece underwear, and a large Dawg.
Saturday I hung out with a ton of people at the Farmers' Market (Theresa Doyle and her partner roast really, really good coffee, almost as good as her singing :-) ). That afternoon I played Strong Woman and got the plywood sheets off the windows and into the shed. Flushed with accomplishment, I headed into town to a friend who was throwing his annual How Many Musicians Can Jam In One Kitchen Party, jazz and blues and improv with some of the Island's best. My god, it was good. Definitely in the WOW am I ever going to remember THAT party category.
Sunday, more puttering around the cabin, then had old friends over for supper -- mussels with aioli, scallop/hake/mussel chowder, fresh tomato salad with balsalmic vinaigrette (hydropnic Island greenhouse tomatoes, next best thing to field ripened), hydroponic peppers with ginger and garlic, a baguette, and lobsters I'd scored earlier in the day straight from the wharf. Oh, and I baked fresh rhubarb pie with a sour cream/brown sugar custard. *Moan*. We all got pleasantly silly, and the silly factor was amplified by our realizing that, at least for 2 of them, K and O, we hadn't shared a strictly *adult* supper without a kid around for at least 13 years :-)
Yesterday, finished up some cottage chores, said hi to all the neighbours, had a long hike down the beach, and crashed at dusk with the alarm set for 5 am, argh, which was when I hit the road. Arrived back at work *before* 9, with a van full of good food.
Life could be worse, and Kate turned in an awesome performance in her run.
Go us :-)