One More Bonfire

Well another small bonfire this afternoon.. the weather was so mild we were able to sit around the fire in our t-shirts. This fire pit will likely only see a few more bonfires, as it is soon to become the centre of a roundabout driveway that will hold a fruit tree - perhaps a prune plum. You can see the landscape ties that Chris has just put in.. so we are making progress... in the background is the beginnings of what will be the vegetable garden. The deer fence is up and nearly complete and we have the supplies for the raised beds to go in soon. More as it happens. Can't wait for spring.

Friends and Food

 

Another wonderful meal! Double click on the collage to see larger view. Lunch - starting with a green salad with homemade vinagrette dressing and homemade croutons, followed by fresh mussels courtesy of Norine, steamed with white wine, garlic and cream... plus pommes frites with aioli, cooked by Chris with his new fryer.... plus vino! A great way to have lunch on a Saturday afternoon!!

Landscaping and Gardens

Well, I am very excited today because I came across an envelope full of photographs I had taken when we first bought our property. Many of them are before we began the landscaping and gardening. While we have already done some work, there is still so much much more to be done - probably another 2 years of work. That said, I now have an idea for a project - before and after photos. I will need to scan the old photos since they are from my old camera and not digital, but bit by bit I can put something together. I am so glad we are getting close to spring and I can soon start blogging about the garden. Already there are shoots poking up out of the ground, and I am getting excited. Chris has put the landscaping ties along the centre of the roundabout at the back.. it is in an octagon shape .. so we need to think of a lovely and practical tree to plant in the centre. I already plan to put rosemary and lavender around the edges.. it is just coming up with the right tree, deer-proof as well. Stay tuned.

Another Gourmet Meal

Just spent the last couple of days in the Okanagan with my friends Patti and Jim in Kelowna. As usual, Jim cooked up a fabulous Bouillabasse ala Julia Child on the first night, and then we had gourmet burgers with herbs provence the second night. Good food, good fun, good friends. If you click on the title above you can view the rest of the pictures. The drive to and from Kelowna was stress free - the roads were bare a few slippery spots on the connector as usual. It was frightfully cold in Kelowna though, -8 and very frosty, but sunny. A good get-away, and I helped Patti learn to blog and use picassa.

Foot Update

Well, I hope I am not getting too excited, but today I got my stitches out of my foot and I am very optimistic that I will be walking, jogging and back in pumps before spring. I think a positive attitude is everything!! I am healing well, so says the surgeon, and I can finally have a shower and get my foot wet!!!! That is the best part of today! Part of the incision hasn't closed, so I still have to keep it bandaged, but it won't be for long I am sure. I am trying not to get to excited, but the past 2 years with the foot pain really dragged me down.. and oh my, if this means that I will be walking and running and hiking again.. oh my! 2010 here I come.. it will be like my own personal olympics.

A Woman with "Altitude"

My cousin Angie from Tasmania sent me this great Christmas Gift. Love it! Thanks

Julia Child I am NOT !

Well... yes I did watch the Julia/Julie movie the other night, and yes my good friends Patti & Jim did decide to make beuf bourguignon (and sent me lovely photos), so I figures I would try Julia's recipe myself. Bad idea.... it took more time for me to figure out how to brown-braise the pearl onions, (not to mention take the skin off those darn little things)... than it did to get everything else organized. It took over 3 hours, but in the end, Chris and I agreed that it really was tastey... but, that it really was just fancy beef stew. I think Chris's regular stove top beef stew is just as nice. I have now done all my recipe cooking for this year. Julia Child I am not, nor do i aspire to. Can't wait for spring to do what I really love: Garden!.