House Guests

Sorry to have been absent.

We are entertaining house guests at the moment.

It seems like every minute of the day is full....back soon!

Photo Challenge Friday

"Visualize the Big Picture"

"Keep you eye on the Prize"

So go the dictums of Life.

But today, Razmataz

has challenged us to 

"Get in Closer".

Focus on the details...and perhaps, as Mies van de Rohe says,

it's there we will find God.

What I did learn was, no matter how dire the conditions,

how rugged the land,

Life Flourishes.

Pink

V. has inspired me with her beautiful

post of Pink's and her words to show you, what

I believe to be a beautiful, touching, magical

performance by the lady herself.

This was Pink's performance of 

Glitter in the Air

at the Grammy's.

Not being a TV watcher, this is the first time I have seen this.

Blew me away...made me cry.

Thanks, sister dear, for leading me to this.

'Have you ever thrown a fistful

of glitter in the air?

Have you ever looked fear in the face

and said,

"I just don't care".

Close your eyes and trust, just trust'.

I wish upon that star tonight to see

you smile.

Know that as long as I am here

you are safe.

some words by Pink, some by Me!

Thank you Jeanne

Look what arrived in my mailbox today!

I was the lucky winner of this

fabulous apron from Jeanne over at

Collage of Life

which inspired me to make this!

A Blueberry pie!

Happy aprons make happy food!

Monday Monday

Mother Nature is doing some serious stomping around this morning.

I woke up at 6 am and madly dashed around the house closing windows

as the rain poured down.

Two hours on and the thunder is still booming!

All very entertaining.

An inside day today I think, a pot of chicken stock on the stove, laundry

and dinner will be:

Jacques Pépin's Poulet Chasseur

1 tbsp virgin olive oil

4  chicken breasts (skin on, bone in) cut in half

1 small leek (5 ounces), trimmed, cleaned, and coarsely chopped (1 -3/4 cups)

1 medium onion (4 ounces), peeled and chopped (1 cup)

1-1/2 tbsp  all-purpose flour

1 cup dry white wine

1 can (15 ounces) whole peeled tomatoes in juice

5 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed,

1 tsp         chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp  sea salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tbsp          soy sauce

1 tbsp  chopped fresh tarragon

1 - Heat the olive oil until it is hot in a large nonstick skillet. Remove the chicken skin and add the chicken breasts in one layer + skin.

2 - Cook them for 5 minutes on each side over medium to high heat. Transfer chicken (discard skin)  to a large, sturdy pan, arranging them side by side in a single layer if possible.

3 - To the drippings in the skillet add the leek and onion, and sauté for 30 seconds. Add the flour, mix it in well, and cook for about 30 seconds.

4 - Deglaze with the wine and add tomatoes. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, and pour over chicken.

5 - Stir in the garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper and soy sauce. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the chicken from scorching, then cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 25 minutes. 

6 - Sprinkle on the tarragon and mix it in. Serve two pieces of chicken breast per person with some of the vegetables and surrounding liquid. Four servings.

(I know this dish is supposed to have mushrooms

but they are the one thing Brilliant Husband will not eat.)

Thank you Elegant Chicken

Time to Remember

Our funny little town had a memorial service this morning

at 8.45 a.m.

We are situated about 15 minutes from the US border

and get lots of visitors from America.

There weren't a ton of people there,

but they played Amazing Grace on the bagpipes,

and the US and Canadian national anthems.

Too may politicians spoke about all they were doing to fight terrorism,

but we observed two minutes of silence and one of our local pastors ended the quirky ceremony with a prayer for peace...I can get with that.

Like you I'm sure, I know exactly where I was at 8.45 a.m. September 11, 2001.

Rudy and I had just returned from an early-morning run.

We were walking through the exercise room in our then-building.

All the TV sets were on, but without volume.

As I walked through the room, I thought it so odd that each TV was tuned to the same disaster movie.

Reality only set in when I noticed that everyone on the exercise equipment was stockstill.

2,996 lives

Heather

The rubbish in our life continues and today has been especially disappointing.  For one brief moment in time, there seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel.  However...not to be.

So, I went for a walk to cheer myself up and to run some errands, one of which was to drop off a pearl earring at the jewelers on the High Street to be re-affixed to its post.  Heather, the owner, had done this for the other earring a couple of months ago, so I dashed in and presented the second one.

She said she would do it right away and, as in the first instance, refused to charge me.  I said I had to give her something this time, so she said...buy me a cup of coffee. The front of where her little store is located is a coffee shop, so off we went and I bought her a coffee.

Now here comes the point of the story...as I was about to leave Heather said thanks for the coffee and as she did, she leaned in, took my hand in hers and kissed me gently on the cheek.  Her hand was warm as was her face as she pressed it to mine.  Instantly, I felt better...on some level Heather must have read that I needed this expression of affection and encouragement.

I keep asking myself what is the lesson I am being presented with in the turmoil of my life right now and after today I think it must be that there is a hundred good people for every bad one and there is always light at the end of the tunnel.  So I have to trust and be patient and know that this too shall pass.

Reflections

This week's photo challenge at 

Razmataz

is Reflections

This photo was taken when we said a final goodbye to a sweet girl who had died of ovarian cancer.

She had asked for her ashes to be spread on a golf course in Florida, so

late one spring evening a few of her friends snuck onto a course

we all played together and sprinkled the last of her earthly remains around this pond.

The nice thing about this is that when we each go back to play this course,

we can give a silent nod to Nancy as we play the 5th hole. 

1970 - FREE

Even though our Dad wouldn't let us go to the Isle of Wight Festival

this was, and still is, my favourite song...ever!

What's yours?

Lucy! You got some 'splainin' to do!

Sister-mine...all these beautiful header photos...

where have they come from?

Is it the lake you have just visited?

'splain please!

Excuse the Indulgence...

There's a wonderful lush hush hanging in the air this morning...my complete, little family is still sleeping. I sit alone in the kitchen, sipping hot, delicious coffee and it occurs to me this is a very special day.  

When your children grow up and create their own lives, opportunities to be together become more and more rare.

This is especially apparent to me this morning.  You see there's a teardrop in my heart as our youngest daughter and her hubby prepare to move away.  

We've been doing this as a family, for the past 15 years...moving apart, coming back together...moving apart, coming back together.  This last reunion was wonderful, three fabulous years when we all lived in the same city, but as Life has a habit of doing, she brought her sister Change to our doorstep yet again.

So we will deal with the separation, the long-distance phone bills, the mad-dash, last-minute flight arrangements...and in the meanwhile, I will savour this wonderful day when we all sleep under one roof, under my roof, and I get to hold them all.

Two Cakes

My contribution to this afternoon's
 family-end-of-summer-barbeque is
two Berry Buttermilk Cakes

one raspberry, and one blueberry

made with local fruit.

Thank you 

Red Ticking

for sending me over to

Slow Like Honey

where I found the recipe.

If these babies taste as good as they look...I'm golden!

Wild and Wooly!

It's been a wild and wooly day here in NOTL.

Everyone's wearing big, luxurious sweaters...

and while the wind has been rattling our brains...

I've been hiding out in the kitchen making 

Silky Cauliflower Soup.

I've gathered in almost all of the herbs from my garden 

to make a herbed white wine vinegar...

and roasted banana peppers to have with margherita pizza...

I'm leaving the basil to make pesto sauce with next weekend.

At the risk of sounding boringly repetitious...

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!

The Secret is in the syrup!

French Toast Saldat's Style

French Toast is one of my most favourite brunch meals.

The above plate was prepared by a friend who just

dropped by for a visit here at the lake.

He shared his secret.

"It's all about the syrup" he whispered.

Organic Maple Syrup and cream cheese.

Whip the two together and pour over.

Heaven!

p.s.

The blackberries were hand picked by the kids,

they were growing right outside the kitchen window.

I live a blessed life.

Last Morning at the Lake

This really is the last morning at the lake.

Sitting here on the deck with a steaming mug of hot tea,

nobody else yet awake.

September will officially begin for me when I return to the city tonight.

I'm looking forward to this new month.

A new path awaits me.

I'm ready to begin!

......more to come...

VICTORIA

EGG

Photo Friday at Razmataz

and this week the challenge is

Egg

This little nest was sent by a friend

(who is coming to visit this month - yipee!)

It sits on my dining room table

next to the two beautiful glass birds she also sent.

She sent them because she knows ho much I love
these little grey birds.

It occurs to me that all the speckles in the shell

must be formed by what the bird ate.

So these little oval gems tell the entire story 

of where they came from.

Mother Nature never ceases to impress me.

INTO THE FALL

Here's how I'm moving from Summer to Autumn

...bye-bye Raspberry Glace...

...hallo Sugared Maple...

Lipstick colours courtesy Clinique