Phew...made it!

Before I get into a re-cap of Christmas, I'd like to ask for your prayers and kind thoughts for Rian and her family in Texas.  The recent storms and tornadoes in their area caused a lot of damage, and while thankfully, no one in her immediate family was harmed it has been a very frightening and worrying time.

While there was potential for a different kind of storm here on Christmas Day, I'm proud to say I behaved myself and didn't even make any snide comments.  Oh my, the end of my tongue was near bitten off but I did it.  I picked my daughter up about 10 a.m. from her apartment; she, my son and I opened gifts together before it was time to start dinner.

This is a mug my brother gave me.  It says "I'm older than the internet".  I reminded him later in the day that this would apply to him as well. I also gave him a mug...but it simply said "Tea".  Hmmm...next year may require payback.

For dinner we had turkey and all the trimmings...stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, carrots, turnips, coleslaw and homemade buns.  The only thing I forgot was cranberries, and since my kids and I don't care for them I'm not surprised.  We picked up D's boyfriend J and their roommate B about 4 p.m.  It was pretty apparent J was pretty nervous but by the time dinner was in full swing he relaxed and was telling stories about growing up.  Later, his mom told D that she's glad I make him nervous...he deserves to feel that way.  I agree!

About that time, B had a bit of an allergic reaction to the cats so we cleaned up quickly and headed back to the apartment to drop him off.  And then I did something I never thought I'd ever do.  I drove to the local jail to drop J off so he could serve another weekend of his sentence. This is not the life I envisioned my daughter would live but she seems resigned that this is her fate.

After we got back to the house, I needed some fresh air to clear my head.  I took my camera to get a couple of shots of the full moon and of my neighbour's home.  He lights it up every year, has music timed to the lights.  This year he added a candy cane dispenser with a donation box for the Canadian Cancer Society.

The quality of the photos aren't great but I hope you can see some of the color.  The moon was so lovely and bright and the air was crisp and cold.  (about -25C).  Just what I needed!

It certainly wasn't the Christmas I would have wanted, but it wasn't as bad as it might have been.  There were no arguments or bitter words and for that I am grateful.  I'm grateful too for those of you who stop for a minute and provide your support through your comments.  Thanks for being there.



Have a wonderful week everyone!

Merry Christmas!

 Have a wonderful day everyone!  My adult children and I will be spending most of the day together, with the daughter's boyfriend and roommate joining us for dinner.

Let there be peace on earth, goodwill to all men.

Whee....

Well, I'm back...sorta.  It's been a busy time, as the weeks leading up to Christmas tend to be.  But there's been more drama than normal and I'm drained.  I'll be so thankful to see 2016 arrive.

I won't get into all the details but at the beginning of the month my daughter's useless boyfriend was stopped by the police.  Since he was driving without a licence and was on probation, her car was impounded until the beginning of January.  It's been a rough time for her, and I'd hoped she'd finally come to her senses, and put him out of her life but sadly that isn't the case.  In the meantime she's been asking for rides and other favors and while I've said "no" a lot, I've also helped her out a fair amount on the weekends.  I've driven her to various doctor appointments, dropped her off at her second job, and gone grocery shopping with her.  When we took the groceries to the apartment, the loser boyfriend told me "you and I have to get together and talk".  Yeah, that is so not happening!  I am so angry with him at this point, I can't stand the thought of being around him.  I guess I'll have to as I've invited he and the roommate to join the three of us for Christmas dinner.  Oh joy!

Meanwhile I've been busy getting ready for Christmas.  My shopping is done, the presents are wrapped and (mostly) under the tree.  There are a couple of bulky items that are tucked away and will be brought out when we open gifts.  I bought both of them new pillows and new winter jackets.  D really needs a new jacket, but with having to pay the storage fees on her car can't afford one.  I was thrilled to find Ricki's had coats on sale at 70% off this weekend.  I was able to get a really nice jacket, regularly priced at $190 for $63 taxes in.  Chad's was also on sale at Marks WorkWarehouse, and although he has a decent jacket, this one is a little heavier.

I did do a little baking for my friend K and her partner J.  I made a batch of shortbread which J loves and K refuses to make.  I usually make her Dundee cake but did not have the ingredients so made a batch of Hello Dolly bars.  These were her recipe, it was my first time making them, and although the tasted great they didn't look very pretty.  I'll make a batch of cheesecake brownies this week in time for our Christmas Eve potluck.  Another batch of shortbread and a Rice Krispie square cake for Christmas dessert.  These are my kid's favorites and much easier than pie.

I even got my Christmas cards and letters written this weekend and mailed.  Over the years the number of cards have significantly declined, as I've connected with people more and more on Facebook or by e-mail..  This year I only sent nine cards, and of those, only five contained the letter as the rest are Facebook friends and family so have heard all the news already.

My brother and his children, and possibly his wife, are expected to drop by on Tuesday evening.  He had thought we might get to have dinner together but it is his wife's sister's birthday so they will be going out for dinner with her.  So I'm hoping they'll be able to drop by on their way home.  I suspect P will make an excuse to go back to work (as she did last year) so I suspect it will just be the three of them.

About ten days ago I decided to seek some help for myself as I've been feeling overwhelmed and stressed out for some time.  This situation with my daughter has definitely added to those feelings.  When I explained that I've been feeling as though I'm in a fight or flight situation almost all the time, and find it very difficult to relax, the counsellor suggested I may be suffering a low-grade depression.  Whether I am or not, it was almost a relief to hear these words. One of her suggestions is that I have a physical, which I've since arrange for mid-January, to rule out any physical causes.  She's also recommended I find time to exercise and get out among other people.  I do tend to hole-up in the winter time, I hate the cold, and prefer to stay home so I will try.  At least thus far, this winter has been pretty nice with little snow and warmer than normal temperatures.

So, yes I'll be very happy when 2015 comes to an end.  It started off well with my trip to Parksville, but is certainly ending on a less than happy note.  For now, I'll try to relax in the glow of the Christmas lights, with a cat (Saku!) snuggled up against me, and with the knowledge I've done what I can.

Have a wonderful Christmas week everyone!

How many sleeps?

Goodness, another long lapse between posts.  Things have ticking along here with nothing truly exciting to share.  Though I did take another marble out of my jar at the beginning of the month.  Just 39 more before I lose all my marbles!

I've been trying to get ready for Christmas, I've done some shopping, started my Christmas letter, and the tree is up.  But I'm certain I still have shopping to do ...it's time to sit down and make a list of what I've purchased and what stills needs to be picked up. Maybe tomorrow evening.

I must say, thank goodness for Amazon, not only do they have almost anything and everything one might need, but I can shop from the comfort of my easy chair, AND they deliver to my door.

Although I've started a letter, I've yet to pull out the box of Christmas cards.  Another task I could do from the comfort of my easy chair but I've chosen not to...at least thus far.  Maybe tomorrow.



There has been no Christmas baking accomplished either.  I took out the margarine and butter on Saturday afternoon, and put them back in the fridge on Sunday.  Maybe next weekend.


I've spent last weekend watching curling (you'll already know that if you've read the cats blog...they enjoy that I'm glued to the couch) and doing a bit of knitting.  This is "wine" cozy pattern I saw on-line.  Don't ask me why a wine bottle would need a cozy but I thought it might be a fun way to wrap a bottle of wine for a friend (which I still need to buy....this is bottle of sparkling Saskatoon juice that we'll have with our Christmas dinner).

The same site had a pattern for a little toque and scarf set, also meant for a wine bottle.  Well, I looked at it and had a different idea.

The top of my china cabinet usually holds photos and a couple of knick-knacks including the little cats.  I'd removed those items to put out a few Christmas decorations when I got the bright idea to dress up the cats

The toque fit the smaller one but I would have had to revised the size for the second so I just made the scarf for it.

That's pretty much the extent of my Christmas preparations and I'm realizing there are only 16 more sleeps to the big day.,,,yikes!

So you'll forgive me if I'm not around for the next week or ten days.  I've got to get out of this easy chair (where I collapse every evening) and get something done soon.

Have a great holiday season everyone!

Funny Friday

Friday Funny

Weekend Wrapup

It's Sunday evening, and I'm not sure how it can be the beginning of another work week already.  I'd sure like a weekend do-over if I could.  I didn't get half of what I ought to have completed done...I'll admit I spent a good of the weekend lazing about.

I did a little knitting, My daughter asked for a couple of dishcloths and these are easy to make. I picked up the craft wool at Michaels on sale, so although I could probably purchase them for less at Wally World, it gives me something to do in the evenings. I've finished one and have started the second.  I'm not the speediest of knitters so it takes me a couple of evenings.

The baby sweater finally made it into the mail on Saturday.  I'm hoping my cousin and her daughter like it!

I did a lot of watching football...some of it curled up on the couch which is another reason why the knitting takes me longer than it should.  

There were two Canadian university games on Saturday, and the CFL semi-finals today.  The first game today was the best, tied up in the last minute of the game before a late score gave the win to the Ottawa Redblacks.  The game between Calgary and Edmonton wasn't nearly as close and although Calgary tried to to come back, it was too little, too late.

Next weekend will be the finales for both the university (Vanier Cup) and the CFL (Grey Cup).  It's also the weekend I usually set up the Christmas tree. I did pull out a few things this weekend including the wreath for the door and my poinsettia.  But I'm having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit.  We've had such good weather, with the exception of a couple of days earlier this week.  I even had the sun room open for the cats today as the outside temperature reached 6C.

We did get freezing rain, snow and colder temperatures last Wednesday.  I had driven up to Saskatoon with a co-worker on Tuesday for meetings.  We were planning to leave mid-morning on Wednesday but we awoke to a inch or so of snow, after a couple hours of freezing rain.  Travel was not recommended between Saskatoon and a town about mid-way to Regina.  She had a call from her mom, while my daughter called me, both concerned that we'd be travelling that day.

We waited until shortly after 1 p.m. before venturing out.  The travel not recommended warning was still in effect, but the visibility had improved since the storm had moved on  I figured the sanding trucks would have been out, we were on a divided highway, and neither of us wanted to spend another night so we took the chance.  The highway was definitely icy covered, but for the most part I was able to drive with one set of tires on a dry patch on the shoulder of the highway.  It was slow going for the first 90 minutes or so, but once we got past the worst of it the highway cleared up and we were able to make it home in just about 3 hours....it's normally a 2 1/2 hour drive so we didn't do badly.  There were a few semis jack-knifed in the ditches but they had come off the other side of the divided highway and appeared to have been there for awhile.  

Actually the worst bit of the drive was when we reached Regina.  There has been rain and snow here too and the residential side streets were skating rinks.  I hadn't yet changed over to my snow tires (did that Friday) so was quite glad to drop C off at home before heading home and getting off the roads.  Today's temps should clear up the streets...at least until the next snow.  We're forecast for flurries on Tuesday, but nothing like what has been falling in the mid-west U.S.  I'll take the 2-4 cm...thank you very much.

The cold is coming in soon, with temperatures expected to fall by mid-week.  Overnight low of -17C and daytime highs of -10C by Wednesday.  Too bad I can't join the cats on the couch and hibernate for the next few months!  

Have a great week everyone!

Sick and Tired

It's been a bit of a rough week for me but after the events in Paris, I feel slightly ashamed for how miserable I've felt over a simple cold.  So I'm going to erase much of this post that I started drafting earlier this week and get over myself!


Although I wasn't feeling well, I did go into work on Monday as one of my staff and I had an appointment out of town.  We spent Monday and Tuesday morning working out in the field, returning to Regina mid-afternoon.  Wednesday was Remembrance Day so I had a chance to rest and get a few chores down around the house.

I put together a pot of soup and the filling for chicken pot pie (recipe below).  With the weather cooling (though no snow...yet), I'm enjoying having the container of homemade soup in the fridge.  It's a quick and easy meal when I feel hungry and easy to take for lunch to work.

I went into work on Thursday but was home by 11 a.m. as I was feeling feverish and achy.  Back on the couch I slept most of the afternoon with bedtime at 9 p.m.  I woke up around 6 a.m. to call in sick to work (and feed the cats) then slept until nearly 9 a.m.  After all that sleep I was feeling some better.

I put together the pastry for the chicken pot pies and while they baked while I relaxed on the couch (with Saku) and worked on my knitting. This is the second baby hat I made, the first I did according to the pattern on straight needles.  I didn't like the seam up the back, so I cast on again to knit it on the four double-pointed.   The plan is to finish the outfit this weekend and get it in the mail to my cousin so she can see it before she forwards it on to her daughter. (It is finished here, but I've discovered a stain on the back that needs to be washed out - not sure where it came from 0 how annoying!)

Friday evening I was feeling well enough to go out for dinner with friends.  Much of the talk at the table was about the tragedy unfolding in Paris.  How dreadful, and frightening to think one could be sitting with friends in a cafe one minute and lying dead or wounded minutes later because of some mad men.  At that time it wasn't clear who was responsible but it was almost certainly the actions of terrorists.

It is so sad to think that no where is one safe in this world.  Our innocence was lost years ago, when 9/11 happened in New York, and yet for me, this time seems more personal.  Perhaps it is because these individuals walked among the crowds, at the sports stadium, at the concert hall, and on the streets near the homes and restaurants where so many gathered for a fun Friday evening.  No one noticed, while they went about their evil work.  They blended into the crowds and although at least one of the men was under the notice of the French government, that surveillance was not sufficient.

Who is to say it could not happen here?  I must admit that thought crossed my mind as I attended the Regina Symphony last night.  But I am certain we cannot allow fear to overshadow our daily lives, for doing so would be to allow those monsters to win.  Instead I sat back and enjoyed the music of Billy Joel and Elton John, with Jeans 'n Classics providing vocals and piano.  It was truly wonderful, and like so many others in the crowd I sang and danced in my seat and let the music take me away for a time.  The lead singer, Jean Meilleur's version of Elton John's "Circle of Life" was a beautiful rendition and a tribute to the victims in Paris.

So my rough week, turned out to be not so rough after all.  I may not have been feeling one hundred percent, but I realize I am more "sick and tired" of the ideologies of those who would bring harm to innocent victims.  It's a helpless feeling...one I think will stay with me for a long time.

Today, my thoughts are with those who lives have been changed forever due to the evil men perpetuate on one another.  May they find peace and comfort in the outpouring of grief and love from around the world.




******

Chicken Pot Pie

3 chicken breasts - cut into bite size pieces
1/4-1/2 onion, chopped
Garlic - teaspoon of crushed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Rosemary, thyme, basil (or spices of your choice) - 1/2 teaspoon of each
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
2 tablespoons flour, hot water
Salt and pepper

Saute chicken and onion in hot oil.  Add in garlic after chicken is starting to turn brown, and onion has softened.

Add in rosemary, thyme, basil,  stir into vegetables/chicken and heat for a minute or so before adding 3 cups of chicken broth.  Bring to a boil and add two cups of frozen mixed vegetables.  Mix flour into hot water, add pepper and salt* to taste to create a slurry and add to the pot.  Turn down heat and allow to simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes.

*I didn't add salt because I'd used a bouillon to make the chicken broth and I figured there was enough in the flavoring.

I thought about adding dumplings to the top and having it for supper, but my son doesn't care for chicken I cooled the filling in the fridge to make pot pies.  Pastry has always been my nemesis but I used the recipe from the Crisco box and it turned out great, flaky and tender.  I used the recipe for a 9 inch pie, and divided it in four, rolling out about 2/3 of each piece of the dough for the bottom and the rest of the top.  The top was basically a rough circle placed on top of the filling and vented. It may not look pretty but it certainly tasted great....that's why there are only three pies in the photo, I ate the other one for lunch!

Friday Funny

This wasn't so funny earlier this week!  

Friday Funny

Random Saturday

Since yesterday's Friday funny was pretty lame, I thought I'd try to make it up with a better one.  Who doesn't love Maxine?  I aspire to be her someday...or a little more like her anyway.

We had a Bat Cave Day on Thursday at the office.  There are about 40 of us who are currently working in the lower level of the office.  The ceiling height isn't much more than 7 feet, the windows have been covered in film so that no one passing by can see the computer screens or paper work on the desks, and the old desks have 5 1/2 foot panels that are dark blue.  Hence the "Bat Cave" moniker.

Many people were dressed as heroes and villains from Bat Man - I stuck with basic black and said I was Super Mom, since I've had to rescue my children on more than one occasion.  :)

At lunch we had potluck and it always amazes me the variety of food.  There were meatballs and chicken wings, chili and stuffed peppers (pumpkin faces carved into the pepper), deviled eggs, vegetables, fruit, and OMG the desserts.

These are not mine, but the ones I made looked very similar.  They're basically deviled eggs with a bit of green food coloring, and a sliced olive on top - they are called Eye of Newts.  There were three batches of these, I'm assuming we all googled the same Halloween recipes.

We had lots of visitors from the other floors, to check out the decorations and costumes....and to grab a treat or two as well.

******



I haven't been blogging much lately and commenting has been sporadic as well.  Work has been busy and I've been working on a project here at home as well so there hasn't been much computer time lately.

My cousin B's daughter will be having her first child in February.  When I started work on this sweater they hadn't learned the gender of the baby so I went with yellow....though I must admit I was happy to hear she's having a little girl since the pattern is so lacy.



When this photo was taken, I still had to finish the edging up the front sides and around the neck.  I'd put it aside to work on the first booty.  I've since finished the second booty, completed the edging, and ripped back and re-knit a sleeve as I discovered I'd dropped a stitch.  *Head slap*

I took up knitting again last January after many, many years.  My aunt Mae had taught me as a child but I'd given it up for crocheting because knitting takes more time. (at least for me).

This is the first lace pattern I've ever completed and I'll admit I found it difficult at times.  The sweater is knit from the neck down (no seams to sew!) and I probably restarted it five times before I finally got it started properly.  And then I got into to the lace pattern and that took some re-doing as well.  There is one mistake that I'm aware of, though I don't know I could find it, so I'm hopeful no one else will spot it.

I've making a cap as well; it's on the needles right now and I'm hoping to get the knitting done this weekend.  I need to find three small buttons to finish the sweater and then will mail it off to B.  I'm won't be sorry to see it complete, as I've gone ahead and purchased a bunch more yarn...socks for my children for Christmas, Christmas ornaments for my staff, and I found a pattern for a cat bed.  I'm not saying which Christmas I'd planning to have these done....

*******
While out in the Maritimes I picked up a print from a local artist at the Wolfville Farmers Market.  I had dropped it off at Michaels for framing a couple of weeks ago, and picked it up last weekend.  I've tried to get a decent photograph of it, but the light just isn't right.

I had it framed with three mats, including the red as there is bit of red in the church (too difficult to see here, you'll have to take my word for it.)  I'm really pleased with how it turned out and it's lovely reminder of a great trip.

*******
We had our first bit of snow last weekend though it didn't last.  Today the temperature is up around 9C (48F) which is lovely for the little trick or treaters.  There are lots of homes in the neighbourhood decorated with lights and blow-up critters, pumpkins and the like.  By comparison, my little plastic jack-o-lantern (it plugs in) looks rather cheap...but it will have to do.  I'm not sure how many children we'll get but with it being Saturday I've bought extra and will simply turn out the lights if I run out.

Today I called to make my appointment to have the winter tires put on the car.  They're booked solid until mid-November.  I've booked an appointment for November 20...so cross your fingers that we don't get a lot of snow (or sleet) before then.

*********
Have a wonderful rest of the weekend everyone!

Friday Funny

Friday Funny

I'm exercising my right...how about you?

Today is a day I've had circled on my calendar for more than a year.  It is the day that I, and my fellow Canadians exercise our right to vote to decide who will form the next government.

All signs are pointing to a minority government, where no one party will hold power, and which of the three major parties that might be is still a crap shoot.

I know who I don't want in power.  Being a cog in the wheel of the federal government during the "Harper"* government regime, I've seen services to Canadians erode as budgets for departmental and agency spending were cut or frozen, and thousands of civil servants lost their jobs.  I know that for many, this sounded like a good thing.  Smaller government meant less government spending.  But we no longer have the same level of protection in our food inspection agency, scientists have been muzzled, and services to seniors and veterans have been reduced or eliminated.  At the same time, the size of the Prime Minister's office grew.  

Pensions for public servants have been targeted as "gold-plated" and ordinary citizens saw the age for old age security benefits increased from 65 to 67.  In the meantime, MP's and ministers are eligible for a full pension after only 6 years in government.  And don't get me started on the Senate scandal!

In any event, I'll be voting tomorrow as I have in every election since I reached the age of eighteen, Tomorrow will be the first time for my son, who will be 28 in less than a week.  This is the first time he's paid any attention to a campaign.  It seems this time around more Canadians than ever are engaged...if advance polling numbers are any indication.

To all my fellow Canadians, please vote!  Whatever your choice, it is the most important exercise you'll do today.

*How arrogant is that, to insist that the leader's name be used?  I'm hopeful that by the end of the day I'll be proudly working, once again for Canadians and their choice of government.

Friday Funny

Happy Thanksgiving

I may be late posting, but I still want to wish all my Canadian readers a Happy Thanksgiving!

However you chose to spend the day I hope it was a good one.   

Homeward bound - Day 16 and the week that was

It's taken me nearly 5 full days to even think about this post.  I'll blame it on a little jet lag, a cold that is still hanging on, and getting back to work.  I've been going to be by 8 p.m. most nights and waking up at 4 a.m. but instead of getting up I've been staying in bed trying to get a bit more sleep.  Last night was the best...I slept through until 5:20 a.m., ten minutes before my alarm went off.

We arrived in Toronto about 11 p.m., and just 15 minutes after our previous flight to Regina had left.  Sigh...just 30 minutes earlier and we probably would have made it home.  We, along with about 20-30 other people headed to the customer care desk to get our vouchers for the hotels.  Oops, someone somewhere forgot to let them know we would be coming in so while one individual called the hotels to get blocks of rooms, the other staff (about 4 of them) busily assigned us to the various hotels and rescheduled flights.  Since I'd called, the fellow helping us only had to print our boarding passes, and vouchers, and send us off to the shuttle area.  There we waited for our hotel shuttle, arriving at the hotel just after midnight.

Both K and I had our own rooms, and I know I slept well for the five hours we had before we caught the shuttle at 6 a.m. back to the airport. This flight went off without at hitch, and in fact we arrived home 25 minutes early!  K's partner J was there at the airport and drove me home, which was very kind of him.

I was quite concerned about K as she was not feeling well, her breathing was quite shallow and I had noted that her nail beds were turning purple.  I felt she wasn't getting sufficient oxygen and suggested to J that he needed to take her to the hospital.  She's a stubborn woman though and refused.  On Monday evening, one of our co-workers called the house and J told her K was sleeping, had been the doctor and was home on oxygen and heavy meds.

Today, the same co-worker learned that she is in the hospital and went to visit.  G says K sounds much better and even checked her nail beds for the color.  I suspect, and I'm sure K will deny it, she should be on oxygen all the time.  She's been diagnosed with an immune issue and because her lungs are "crappy" (her term) she tends to catch every bug, and even when not sick she coughs continuously.  When she's on oxygen the coughing stops.  But I'm not a doctor and I certainly don't play one on television so hopefully this time the doctors will convince her to stay home until she is completely over this latest illness.

I hit the ground running at work on Monday and I feel like I haven't stopped yet.  Maybe tomorrow as a lot of people will be taking the day off so they have a four day long weekend (Thanksgiving is on Monday for we Canadians).   Few people in the office which should mean fewer interruptions!   This past week went something like this:  Monday was interview day, Tuesday I tried to catch up on e-mails and messages, Wednesday and today were meetings and conference calls.  It's also the start of our charitable campaign and while my involvement this year is significantly reduced, I am still the treasurer so met with the chairperson three times over the past few days to collect funds that were raised from various events.

I'm looking forward to the weekend!  I did manage to get some housework done last Sunday (laundry, dishes, bought groceries, unpacking, etc.) but the upstairs hasn't been vacuumed since I left, and with the three cats, there is a teeny tiny ...okay a lot of cat hair floating around.  I'm having my daughter, her boyfriend and his buddy over either Sunday or Monday for Thanksgiving.  I really don't have to clean much because I know how they live, but will make a bit of an effort. :)

That pretty much catches you up with the goings on of the week.  I've yet to read many blogs but I'm not going to worry about it.  Please know I do try to drop by, but may not leave a comment.

Hope you all had a great week thus far!

Middleton to Halifax - Day 15

Today (which will be yesterday by the time this posts) was to be our last day.  We got up late and went for breakfast before clearing out our motel rooms and heading down the road.  Since our flight was not scheduled until 6:30 p.m., we took the scenic route for most of our trip into Halifax.

Along the way we stopped in Kentville, which apparently is known as the home of the pumpkin people.

We found several, including these ones by a huge Adirondack chair outside a motel.  They seemed to be pointing us down the street where we found several more.

This was rather inventive, the pirate ships and pirates.  I wanted the photo from a different angle but a car was in the way.

From Kentville, we drove on a few kilometers to Wolfville, where I'd read they were holding a pumpkin palooza at the farmer's market.  The trip to Kentville was spur of the moment but the farmer's market was on our list of things to do on our way into the airport.

It did not disappoint.

 These are just a few of the pumpkins that were creatively carved or decorated.  I didn't bother to vote, as I couldn't decide which one I liked best.

We left Wolfville in heavy rain and drove into Windsor where we stopped at Lisa's Cafe for lunch.  Then it was on Halifax to drop off the rental car and check in at the airport.  We arrived just around 3 p.m.

So far, so good...should have know it couldn't last.  We were through security and waiting for our flight to be called when it was announced we would delayed by half an hour.  Not a problem as we had a three hour layover in Toronto.  A half hour later, we were told it would be at least an hour, and then we were offered food vouchers.  Not a good sign.

Shortly thereafter we were told we would be transferred to two flights leaving at 9:45 and 9:50 p.m. both of which will arrive in Toronto after our flight to Regina leaves.  Thus we'll be guests in Toronto of Air Canada and will pick up our baggage and hotel vouchers there.  I've since spoken with customer care and we're re-booked onto the 8 a.m. flight out of Toronto to Regina tomorrow morning.

J's flight to London departs Halifax at midnight this evening.  It's a 6 hour flight, say an hour to get her luggage and through customs, then a two hour drive home.  At this rate, she'll be home before we are.  But at least it is the going home and not the getting here that is causing the problems.

Have a great day everyone!

Hopewell Rocks to Middleton, Annnapolis Royal - Day 13 & 14

We left Hopewell Rocks on Thursday morning, shortly after breakfast.  It rained off and off throughout our travels which took us near but not into Moncton, then over to Nova Scotia.  We didn't see any of the flooding in the Moncton area - I think we were rather fortunate as we missed the really heavy rain they received (and Halifax too).

I'm posting both Thursday and Friday as one day because we only had one photo opportunity on our drive.  It was just too wet and miserable to make any roadside stops.  We did grab a bite to eat in Windsor, at the Spitfire Pub.

Unfortunately, we've been a week or two too early for the really beautiful fall colors.  Even so there were spots where the colors were definitely starting.  I guess it is a reason to come back again someday.

On Friday, it was raining again so J and I left K back at the hotel while we drove from Middleton to Annapolis Royal.  She's not been feeling well either, and called home to have her partner make a doctor's appointment for her on our return.  Oh, that reminds me, I heard from C's husband and she has a serious ear infection, lots of fluid in her ears, so much that the doctor has suggested it could take up to 3 months to clear!  I'm not certain she could have gotten so ill in just a few days with us, so suspect it's been building over the last few weeks as she's been dealing with the sale of her father's home and effects, while settling him in the nursing home.  In addition, there was  a wedding, and all the requisite events to attend so I'm guessing she was run down, tired, and susceptible.  Poor girl!

The draw in Annapolis Royal is the historic gardens.  They are absolutely worth the drive for the visit...we stayed on the secondary/scenic highway so it took us a little longer.  The gardens were created in the late 70's/early 80's when the federal government gave the town $720,000 for development after the failure of the fishing industry shut down much of the economy.

We arrived just fifteen minutes before a guided tour was to start.  We learned the gardens have plants spanning 400 years of gardening, as well as some exotics and current experiments.  One of my favorite are the purple peppers.

I asked the guide what they tasted like and he said he hadn't tried them yet, thought they might be sweet peppers.  They are definitely pretty.

I could not recall what this was, but thankfully J is still here and has told me it is an Amaranthus (Love lies bleeding plant)  Apparently the seeds are quite edible and it is a source of food in India and South America.

I love the color and this is the photo that is set up as my screen saver.







This was another experiment at the gardens, a rice paddy!  Our guide explained that one of the local farmers had successfully grown rice in paddies nearby so the gardens were giving it a try.



More photos from the gardens....

 There were several varieties of dahlia growing in the knot garden.  This yellow one, was nearly the size of a dinner plate.

 Throughout the garden there were interesting pieces of sculpture.  This was my favorite.  I'd love to tuck something like this in my front flower bed.

 I've heard of, but never seen four o'clocks before.  These were in annuals garden.

The guide explained that in the spring the gardeners, of which there are seven full-time, create the plans for the garden, then use wooden templates that are placed over the flower beds and allow elementary children (ages 9-11 or so) to plant to the beds.

What a great opportunity to encourage children to garden!

Also on the grounds of the garden is a replica Acadian house.  The French inhabited this area in the mid 1700's, and began farming by using dike lands.  This was apparently a quicker way to make the land ready for farming.

Off the side of the house was a clay oven for baking bread, and behind the house was the garden.





After leaving the gardens we continued down to the street to the German bakery.  OMG, the smell was totally amazing; I don't know how anyone could live nearby without stopping to eat there.  I had the best sandwich I've had the entire trip; a homemade salami on a multi-grain kaiser with lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo.  And of course, after lunch we had to buy a treat from the bakery, a ginger snap for J, a coconut cookie for K, and a jam filled cookie for me dipped in chocolate.  Yummy!

On the way out of Annapolis Royal, we took a drive down the wharf.  This is the view across the river...the rain was coming in and fast.

We headed back to the motel in Middleton arriving in time for a short rest before dinner.  K was feeling a little better after having rested most of the day.




We had a great dinner at the Restaurant Pasta Jax, then called it a night.  I watched a bit of football on television before heading for bed.

Today, is the last day of our vacation and a travel day. It's getting longer by the minute, but I'll share that in the next post.

Hope you all had a wonderful day!

Day 12 - Hopewell Rocks

Today I'll let the pictures tell most of the story....

Taken upon our arrival at the park, around 9:15 a.m.

11:40 a.m. shortly after our guided tour and a refreshing cup of tea

Approximately 11;55 a.m.

About 12:10  p.m. - just a few people still down on the beach

Just about 12:25 - there was still a sliver of beach left in Stair Cove

It was being watched by the sweeper (our guide Fran).  She didn't stay there long.

12:40 p.m. - no beach left!

12:55 p.m. the rise wasn't quite as noticeable since the beach was filled.

At around 1:10 p.m. it was quite different so perhaps my timing on the photos was off.

Definitely less daylight at 1:25 p.m.

Still less at 1:40 p.m.

Just a sliver of daylight showing at 1:55 p.m.

But apparently still enough room for the kayakers to come through shortly after 2 p.m.

The water was to reach a peak of 46.8 or 47.6 meters (depending on the guide you spoke with).  Just to give you some perspective, the height of the arch is approximately 18 feet, and it was nearly filled up in approximately 2.5 hours.  We were told it would rise approximately 8 feet every hour and it was pretty close.  The tides come in, and out twice daily, about every 6.5 hours.  This is the highest tides in 18 years (which I think I mentioned yesterday) so we were thrilled to be there at just the right time.

Please note the times are approximate, I meant to take a photo every 15 minutes but I got distracted (as I often do) and either shot too early or too late.  I also tried to take them from a similar perspective but there were lots of people on the viewing platform and I occasionally had to give way to someone else to get a picture. :)   Even so, I think you get the idea...it was an awesome sight to see in person.  

Just a couple more posts remaining before we head home.  Today we had a great drive down to Annapolis Royal, and tomorrow we'll be stopping in Wolfville on our way to Halifax for our flights later in the day.  This province is so full of things to do I'm sure we could stay another two weeks and still miss out on some things.  

Have a wonderful day everyone!