The Weary Traveller is Home

Highlights of the weekend:

1. Playing cribbage with Gramps in the hospital. Despite everything that is going on with him, he can still count his cards faster than me. Of course, as we discussed, he's been playing Crib for about 80 years.

2. Getting to see Lauryn and Brooke - my step-sister's kids. Gosh they're cuties!

3. Waking up at the cottage - my dad and my step-mom move out to the lake in the summer (it's only a 10 minute drive from the house in town), so I stayed there with them - in the little back room that was mine when I was a kid. I always sleep like a log when I'm there - It's sooooo quiet. Well, except for the #%$^@-ing mouse that woke me up two mornings in a row. It was in the ceiling above my head. Dad isn't too happy about that.

4. Going to my "other" family's reunion. More on this later.

5. Seeing my mom's parents in Woodstock.

6. Finally seeing the house my cousin and his wife built in Woodstock - it's gorgeous and I can't believe he built it himself! It's HUGE! I'm moving in. Oh, and they're expecting a baby in February. I kept telling them that the 13th is a good date for a birthday.

7. Eating strawberry shortcake at my aunt's house.

8. Stopping in at my friend's stable just in time to see them working her horse and then taking him down to the lake for a cool-down. He was soooo funny in the water! He was "pawing" (?) at the water his front legs so that he could splash himself and my friend. She was soaked before he got out. My camera barely stopped working while he was in there. I can't wait to share the photos. Especially the one of her scratching his bum while he reached around to "nibble" at hers. Hee hee. She'll be so happy.

9. Working with my Dad on Saturday. We went down to his pharmacy to fix something on the computer and it was so busy that I just grabbed a tray and pitched in. It was kind of fun to be in there again. I ended up staying for 3 hours. Dad paid me in goodies from the front store!

10. Driving home on the Monday after the long weekend and not having to deal with the late night holiday traffic on Sunday. The only time I mind the drive home is when there is just a steady stream of traffic from Truro to Halifax. It's just tail-lights in front of you and headlights reflecting in your mirror. Argh.

11. Coming home to sleep in my own bed.

Good night all!

And Happy Independence Day to all of you who are celebrating south of the border!
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Oh and how Canadian am I? We saw a moose on our way home from Woodstock so I was hanging out the window taking photos.

Depressing detail: We drove past the Briggs and Little mill and factory store on our way to Woodstock. Because it was Sunday I am going to live with the assumption that it was closed. I only cried a little bit, though, b/c I'm on vacation in a couple of weeks, so I'm going to try to get in there at some point!

The Cake Is Made

...and after the unhappy discovery of mouse turds in my cupboard this morning (that explains all the vacuuming this morning - for which I should probably apologize to my neighbours - I think it was an ungodly hour) ...the cake layers are now sealed in plastic wrap, inside of the giant bowl I use for making bread, and atop the cake pedestal. It's all sitting on my stove. With a small sign that says, "Rodents: bugger off!" I even went so far as to place a large glass plate on top of the cake layers. I was thinking about installing a security system around the cake, but I think that even if the mice have mountaineering equipment, they will have a difficult time getting into this cake.*

And the mousse-like icing (which is this absolutely calorie packed type mountain of sin in a bowl) is chilling in the refrigerator. mmmmmmmmmm... checked the recipe tonight - the cake is supposed to make 12 servings. There are 672 calories per serving. Hee hee it is an 8064 calorie cake.

Note to self: Add mousie ear drum blasters to the "Crap, we forgot to get..."shopping list for hubby.

Now I just need to get ready to head to the club for hubby's gig. They don't go on stage until 12:15am. It's the Halifax way. Live music has to carry on until 2am. I'm going to be asleep at the back of the bar - the sad thing is, I have done this before.

Happy note for the evening: My husband's band was nominated for an East Coast Music Award! Scroll down the page to Alternative Recording of the Year. And there they are The Heavy Blinkers. Yay! It's a small Canadian award ceremony; the big Canadian award ceremony being the Junos. This is their second ECMA nomination.

They were nominated a few years ago when the ceremony was held in PEI. That trip wasn't the best experience for us as we were all pretty much broke, there was a blizzard (it's held in Febru-freaking-ary) and we got a flat tire. I'm hoping that this time they'll get an award. They're up against some people who have had some really good press recently. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Must get going. Just got the "aren't you dressed yet?" phone call from the bar.

Oh hey, did I mention that I'm getting a cold?


*You know, I'll probably end up making another cake tomorrow because I'll come home to find a miniature ladder propped up against the bowl.

Pinku Really Does Rock

So, the amazing Kat of Pinku agreed that if I sent her the wonderful Fleece Artist silken that she needed for her wedding shawl, then she would send me some Avril yarn. She got my package sent straight away, but I (due to issues with her yarn not arriving on the promised day at the LYS and my own issues with getting over there to pick it up and then finding a very special courier for the package) took a bit longer. So I would like to thank her for her patience and show you all the yummy yarn and yummy candy she sent to me.

Ok, here goes:


Isn't it all great? The colours are a bit off (at least on my sreen). Kat, I hope you'll be pleased to know that the purple matches my wool winter coat perfectly. Yay! Merci, merci, merci. I'm waiting until after Christmas to start knitting with this wonder-wool (hope that's not a trademark), so it all pretty much still looks like it does in the photo - except for the candy. heh heh.

Also, a little shout to my pal, Les of The Gadoury Chronicles to whom I was talking this evening while I was making the kazillionth pair of fuzzy feet and she was making her kazillionth pair of socks for her family. Bonjour Tante Chausettes!

Oh, *insert appropriate expletive here" I just saw a g.d. mouse!!!!!!!
It just entered the computer room and ran behind the computer desk. You effing effing little bugger. Apparently I need to get new mousie ear drum blasters. Argh! Every year around this time, they try to move in - and every year around this time I tell them, "Sorry, we don't take rodents" and I plug in those little ultrasonic doohickies and they all get the hint and they move out.

Now I have to go check the food in my cupboard. Sigh.