Vancouver Skyline

Christmas Eve on the Vancouver Waterfront...beautiful!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Are you all ready for Christmas? I don't get too crazy so Christmas for me is a peaceful time, I'm not by nature a material girl and gift giving/receiving is not high on my priority list. My youngest son and his family live in Newfoundland so it seems crazy to buy cheap crap here, pay shipping, to send said cheap crap there. I just email him some money and let them go crazy in the malls. My oldest son and his family live just a block from us and we do exchange gifts but small, preferably hand made, and we do not spend alot of money.

This Christmas is a little different because my sister and her family have come for a visit from Australia so we are all getting together for Christmas dinner, that's our present to each other, at last count there will be 28 of us around the table...perfect!

Christmas Eve will be with my in-laws and that to will be big affair, not sure how many will be in attendance but it will likely be 20 to 25...it can't get any better!

So what am I doing back? Well not blogging is killing me. I have pictures, stories, musings, crafts, cooking ....to share and I can't keep it in any longer, so you will be hearing from me, not as often as I would like but I am back.

Margaret

Can't stay away...

I've started a new blog.... http://rodmayhotel.blogspot.com/ ... more in keeping with my new life!

Margaret

So long...

Time to say good bye...since opening the diner my posts on this blog have become very infrequent and boring. I've really enjoyed myself and learned so many useful things by reading your blogs, it's been great!
've met some wonderful people and I'll try my best to follow your blogs. Take care and I wish you all the best.

That's all folks.

Margaret

Today's lunch...

...yellow cherry tomato, chopped basil, sliced cucumber, from my veggie garden, and handmade, by my sister Liz, soft, milky white, and decadent mozzarella, sprinkled with salt and pepper and drizzled with olive oil...pinch me I think I'm dreaming...

Blackberry Festival

The Powell River Blackberry Festival street party...full of music for Mia who loves to dance...

Colorful displays and people....

Thousands of people....

And a beautiful sunset to...

There were lots of food vendors and I ate my way down the street....sorry no pictures, I was eating...

Around the house

Literally around the house...Art is digging up our old and cracked cement walkway and replacing it with "salt and pepper" rock. Love it...love it...love it! But deep down I hope we are not making a huge mistake...time will tell.

I love the look...I just hope the weeds keep out!

It's all about the birds and the bees...

However birds are out of the question, I can't seem to focus my camera and take a picture before they fly off...bees on the other hand are a little slower and easier for me to photograph but it's still a work in progress....

 This bee flew away...much slower than a bird...and it still came out a little blurry...

As some of you may already know...I love hollyhocks....when I posted about my hollyhocks last year my blogger friend Mel commented that she hated them...I didn't understand how someone could hate these tall beauties, well now I do. If you don't cut them down before the flower goes to seed you will have hollyhocks everywhere, I'm not KIDDING, they are EVERYWHERE...enough said!

Mel I should have listened...

Globe Thistles

I'm not the only one to love a Thistle, bees love them to...

A toasty pot...

Toasty and warm in an empty pot....

Beautiful garlic

Well folks I pulled my garlic and wow...it's huge. But unlike some fishermen who brag about the size of their fish after it's been eaten I have the "before" being chopped or planted pictures of my garlic...look at these beauties.

And just as a reference to the size here is my garlic next to an IPOD...

In the garden...

Despite the cold and rainy weather thus far I have been able to harvest some veggies. In fact one zucchini went unnoticed and turned into something that resembles a club. Too big to use as a side vegetable but perfect for soup. And not just a simple soup to serve at home but a simple soup to serve at the diner...

I didn't make it because I don't cook all the time anymore, ...the cook made a large pot but she put most of it in the fridge, not thinking that soup on a hot day was going to sell, but sell it did, so I only have one picture to show you...at the end of the day this is all that was left.... Dana, you make good soup!

Powell River Sea Fair

aaahhh...the fair is in town and with some nice weather, some good (bad for you)

food, some great people, and some time off, we could not help ourselves but have a good time! Fireworks on tonight but way past my bedtime...maybe next year.

I am in computer....

caca...or for those of you with less sensitive ears....shit...and for those of you with a little imagination and a potty mouth "F*&^^* stupid computer....%^*&^&%$#_ what the ^^%%$>

OK so let's back the bus up!

Last Friday it was suggested by an evildoer, that my life would be oh so much better with a laptop...hmmm! I agreed...and for that I deserve 20 lashes with a wet noodle...

I don't want to go into great detail, cause it's kind of boring but mostly embarrassing at my lack of computer knowledge. I paid good money to have my computer all set...all I had to do was turn it on...well I can turn it on, that's about it.

Telus tells me it's not their fault and they,the folks I bought my computer from, tell me that privacy laws prohibits them from helping further than my password, of course when I bought the computer and paid for the "full service" nothing like that was ever mentioned....here we go potty mouth...&*&*^%% them all. I wonder whose fault it is, mine I guess for being stupid!

And no pictures either....why? because this is a laptop, and because it moves with me, the thingamajig, the cord, that gets pictures from my camera to my computer is now lost, it could be anywhere...

So many other things wrong with this laptop....I just want to &&^%$

Anyway, martini number 2, a huge plate of penne with cream sauce, eaten with a spoon...well it's cream sauce you know...it's helping...the computer is not too bad, still no pictures.

Oh...I forgot to mention...I called the %%&** computer people, and gave them heck, told them they better help me or the whole thing is going back...."please come in right away, we will get this all sorted out"....I didn't go...honestly I was only thinking of their safety....

Moving onto the next book...project

This summer is feeling much like winter and I'm not going to fight it anymore, I'm not going to whine anymore about the weather, there is nothing I can do about it, so if the weather wants to act like a hot winter, fine, I can live with it.

So I'm now onto my third novel in three weeks, and I'm starting another knitting project, I've watched more movies than I care to admit, my business paperwork is all caught up and my veggies have failed...

I'm still having a great summer! I hope you are to, regardless of the weather...

Grampa, Mia and the chickens

How does your garden grow?

Well in my world it's not so great..the sun refuses to shine for more than a day or two, most of the time it's cloudy and muggy with the odd sprinkle here and there. It's a real chore to get out there and stay on top of the weeds and bugs...


I tried a new lettuce this year, Ears of the Devil, I purchased the seeds from Seeds of Victoria. The lettuce is delicious and if you can, I encourage you to try some. I planted beets next to them and as you can see the weeds also like this bed very much.

I might not like this weather but slugs are loving it...I've not had a slug problem...until this year!

My tomatoes are coming along and I'm able to harvest some broad beans, can't see a pumpkin anywhere on the vine, but lots have fallen off, I guess it's just too wet...

How is your garden growing?

Magpie's special

Did you know it's hard to find blackboards? I didn't and I really needed one for Magpie's new location. How else can I post my specials? The solution, blackboard paint! It's expensive but a little goes a long way, but beware, it emits strong fumes. A small roller, a lick of blackboard paint and the specials board is done.

Birthday sweater

It started out as a Christmas sweater...missed that.

I'll have it done for February, drats I don't have enough wool!

Found some in the US with free shipping within the US, 50.00 to Canada, this is turning into a very expensive sweater. But thanks to my friend Margy ,who lives part time in the US, I was able to have the wool shipped to her and she in turn delivered it to me.

Ok, back to knitting.

Mom, I need your help...what the heck do I do with all these pieces...

Yay mom!

Ok, I'll have it sewn for Christmas coming up.....I hope.

Surprise mom visit, Mom to the rescue again.....

It's now a July birthday sweater

My first finished sweater, almost by myself ....thanks mom!

Heading up the lake...

After working so hard for the last two months I'm heading up the lake for a barbecue with my family. My mom and dad are visiting, my son and family are with us, and the weather is fine.

And life is very good!

Garlic scapes

I've never grown garlic before but my friend Hugh grows tons of it, enough that he can sell quite a bit to the local organic produce market, and still eat garlic every day, that's alot of garlic. He was very kind to give me some garlic last year, I planted the cloves in the fall....and it grew into nice large plants...if the size of the plant is any indication of the size of garlic then I should have some really large heads of garlic.

The garlic scape, if left alone, will turn into the flower, which I don't want. I want all the energy to go to the garlic, not to the flower, so I cut the scape, which is also edible.

I grilled it on the barbeque, not the best option, it was a little tough, next time it will be much better if I steam it or stir fry it, but it still tasted very good. With the garlic scapes, I grilled some zucchini and eggplant. I chopped the scapes, quarted some tomatoes, drizzled the whole thing with oilive oil and balsamic, sprinkled it with feta and with that a salad was made...delicious!

It's a topsy, turvy world

Well in my world it is....

Who wants watermelon?

Need to vent...

I seldom watch the news, or any TV, because I've been so busy but my husband all of a sudden has grown an interest in the workings of a computer...so now that I have to share....I had some time to watch the news. Thought I was able to catch the weather report but I missed it so I tuned in to the weather network, waited for the local forecast, mostly sunny, really? Well that's news to me...Does this look like mostly sunny?

So this is for the weather network, I will gladly work for a fraction of what you are paying the current person to report the weather...I will look out my window and call you with the very latest...I will also wet my finger and hold it up over my head, and report to you which way the wind is blowing, because right now I can tell you that your weather person is blowing it out his arse. My achy bones will also be able to forecast any wet and cold weather coming our way, I'll throw that little bit in for free, my achy bones are only right about 50% of the time...

....Not much to say

....except that this beautiful little girl is related to me! I'm so lucky....

Canucks are loosing....

So time to jump ship...

It's a gorgeous evening, no one is about, they are watching the hockey game, so I get  this beautiful place all by myself....wonderful!

The trees are the frame...

What's 10 feet tall, with legs that never end, and looks at least 100 lbs lighter????

Me....

Looks like fun....

As you know I love sunsets but I'm usually in bed, sad I know...so I have to settle for a setting sun...



B.C. Ferries arriving in Powell River from Comox.