Pictures from Saturday

The view from the Tolko lumber yard.

Coming into Vernon

Ignore the bug splatters on the window!

Crossing the floating bridge in Kelowna

The pellets burn (phew). Especially satisfying with a cup of hot tea.

Incase you're wondering, it's not cold yet - we're just trying it out... honest

See, there are sunglassees on top of the stove.

This is potentially my last post before I go away. It will be the longest holiday I have had in 15 months - or longer if you include being unemployed last year -which was not much of a holiday because we were broke and on renovations / job seekers boot-camp.

The days are closing in. This is the rainbow sunrise behind my office before work.

Blog you all in a few weeks...

I'll see all my flesh-friends soon...

Armstrong Visit

On Saturday we went to Armstrong.

a one-track town,

to get some (words on the truck)..

for our pellet stove.

Outside the cafe where we had lunch was a nice tree, already in fall colours.

The drive there had been spectacular.
There was a very groovy mural next to the cafe. Though we didn't expect to see Osama there. It says "Everyone has a heart"
We went to the museum. It wasn't much fun being a teacher in 1830.
Those two handsome boys on the posters are advertising bicycles.

The curator was being very nice about our village to some tourists so we promised to return the favour for Armstrong.

There was a nice view over the village hall.

The old hotel is still standing.
This is the village taken from the highway. It's in the Spallumcheem Valley.

THIS, G, is a lama

A shy one.

Spectator sport

I managed to run! It must've cooled off. Not nearly as far, not nearly as fast but now there's no race, there's no pressure. I just went out and enjoyed myself and these came out to watch me pass. The lama was so cool. I want a lama.

Hubby is building me a computer. He's excited. He's having fun. I've lost my dining table but I can't complain. I'll get use of the interweb at home.

They said, I said. If you do me, I'll do you.

Silver Lining on Trepid Explorer (mmm!)
1. I'll respond with a random thought I have about you.
You always make me smile!

2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
Cliffhanger :-)

3. I'll pick a flavor of jello( i may go with a dessert) to wrestle with you in.
Blimey. Can you imagine the scale of overexcitement at Innominata if we went wrestling in jelly????

4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me (or so we think).
Bring on the cucumber!!

5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
Sitting in the pub we used to go to after Rope Race, discussing our useless exes and doing girlie bonding while the boys revisited derring-do.

6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
You are forever after linked with marmots, I'm afraid. Though up till that point, it would've been a golden retriever

7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
I can't - I know all the trivial stuff, anything outstanding would be too personal for here!

8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your blog

In response:

• There would be male brain explosions on a catastrophic scale.
• Blushing and whincing at the cucumber
• Derring do at RR - what a contradiction in terms
• Blonde and bouncy reigns supreme

Graculus on Trepid Explorer (now then...)

1. I'll respond with a random thought I have about you.
I wish I were half as fit as you are.

2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
Vertical Limit

3. I'll pick a flavor of jello (i may go with a dessert) to wrestle with you in.
One of those high energy bars, liquidized and mixed with dollops of Chantilly.... with hundreds and thousands on top

4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me (or so we think).
that's not a Marmot, that's a hedgehog.

5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
What the hell is a Marmot?

6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
I could say a Marmot, but I won't. I'll say a Puma

7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
HOW did you end up in Canada?

8. If I do this for you, you must post this on your blog.

In response:

• You probably are right now
• My favourite line, "She's French-Canadian, sometimes she's French, sometimes she's Canadian".
• Sounds good.
• It's not a marmot either. I thought you'd know a beaver when you see one.
• Regretting the whole marmot thing already
• Meow
• Married a Canadian who wanted to go home.

Trepid Explorer on Silver Lining (NOW then...)

1. I'll respond with a random thought I have about you.
You have more enthusiasm for life than I can ever muster

2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
The Sound of Music. The scenery, the passion and all those kids.

3. I'll pick a flavor of jello( i may go with a dessert) to wrestle with you in.
Crushed mars bars on top of a hill somewhere.

4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me (or so we think).
The spinsters society – whoops.

5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
Talking French around a campfire in Wasdale

6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
A wild stallion (in a girlie way)

7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
Do you ever miss cigarettes?

8. If I do this for you, you can post this on your blog if you want to.

Treipd Explorer on Graculus

1. I'll respond with a random thought I have about you.
Fascinating

2. I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
Chemical Brothers – out of control. Principally because I used to hear it in my head all the time when climbing and you remind me of that previous climbing partner.

3. I'll pick a flavor of jello (i may go with a dessert) to wrestle with you in.
See Silver’s. You’re all there, all of you, in my twisted little mind.

4. I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me (or so we think).
Would you give me lessons?

5. I'll tell you my first memory of you.
The nurse you received when you were sic.

6. I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
an Orca. This is meant to be some kind of complement, I don’t think you’re fat or anything.

7. I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
How could she? Why would she? Why do you care?

8. If I do this for you, you can post this on your blog if you want to.

Good cookery

This weekend I bought a husband-beater. Also known in the cullinary trade as a rolling-pin. We discussed where I could hit him with it so that he wouldn't show it to the people he works with.

Why did I buy it? Because I wanted to bake a quiche.

I remember baking with Little Nana mostly. I used to walk to her house after school and wait for my mum to come and pick me up after she finished work. Sometimes I had dinner with Little Nana and Grandad and if I ate all my meat I was allowed to go and visit Mrs Newton, the lady who lived across the road and a few doors down. She was really old and more like an old lady than my granma was. She left me permanently fearful of grape pips and chewing gum after telling me the things that they do to your intestines. Funny how back then the emphasis was on eating your meat - not your vegetables.

I didn't think I was actually allowed to do any of the baking at nanas. At least I don't remember it. I just remember the good stuff like licking the bowl and kneeding the dough.

This weekend I found that in the archives of my brain I remembered how to patch pastry by sticking bits on with water. It's a good job because one tin was slightly bigger than the other - or one lump of dough was slightly smaller than the other. I know it was my little nana that taught me this because they didn't teach us anything nearly so useful in Home Ec classes at school.

I was working the magic on my quiche from a Wholefoods cookbook I bought in 2000 whilst living on my own. This was the first recipe I made from it. I thought it was a good book...

Me - "It says, 'roll out the pastry and use it to line a 9' flan tin. Chill for 10 minutes.' How nice"
Other me - "I think it means put the pastry in the fridge, not pour yourself a glass of wine and watch TV".
Me - "oh".

I was very tired on Sunday so I did my baking at 2pm before I crashed-out too badly. Problem with this is, the quiche was ready to go at 3pm and I was itching to put it in the oven. Then I got inspired to cook a snack - something to use up the Golden Syrup instead of just eating it out of the jar (a la Lucy Bennell) so I went to make flapjacks. But the oats weren't rolled they were oatmeal... I went for it anyway. I found the mixture still bubbling and starting to look like a cake after the prescribed 15 minutes cooking time so I looked up the recipe for Oatcakes that I'd seen in the book and decided oatmeal takes 1 hour to cook so I turned down the heat and turned up the timer.

One hour later I didn't have flapjacks but something resembling one inch thick brandy snaps!

MY They're GOOD.
but who can blame little nana for not letting me near the oven!

The dark side.

I feel dark today. I had to turn my bedside light on for the first time this morning. I had to put the headlights on in Willie so that I could see what speed we were going. Without thinking, I threw on my black jeans this morning (as they’re the only decent long pants that are clean) then put on my MtW hoodie which is also black. The sky is grey and it’s a little breezy so the hoody hasn’t come off yet.

My calendar at work has a nice picture of someone jogging along a bank that’s bright yellow in an autumnal scene of setting sun. The man is wearing leggings, a purple wind jacket and a toque.

Jogging is something that should be done when it’s cool, not when it’s steaming hot. There seems to be no point to exercising in the heat. It’s easy to get outside when it’s hot. There’s no need to exercise when all one ever feels inclined to do is eat salads and cherry tomatoes. So today I am feeling inspired again to get out bike and running shoes. It’s about time wife let up for a while. Last night she got obsessive, cooking dinner, watering the plants, loading the dishwasher, feeding the cat, reading a book on the couch till she couldn’t see anymore then she was so tired she couldn’t get up to turn the light on and fell asleep in front of SG-1. NO, not even Richard Dean Anderson could keep me awake last night. .

Slaughterpuss valiantly woke me this morning to tell me I needed a shower and I should feed her first before doing anything else. She was right about one thing – the shower came first. Then fed the cat, brewed coffee for the sleeping husband and finally sat down to drink my tea to look at the clock and find it time to go to work.

I need another job with later hours.

A wedding present without a name

I am going to a wedding in October.

I've bought an animal for the bride and groom because they asked me for it.

They might read this blog, hence all the mystery (though they're busy people so probably not).

Thing is, the animal needs a name.

It really needs a Canadian name but I'm welcoming suggestions from all over the planet.

If you want to know what it is, comment with your email address or email me and I'll send a photo or a description.

Or just suggest a name.

So far there's: Simone, Kokanee, Molson, Buck, Bud, Simon (no).

If there's a reason to go with the name, all the better.

And some local pics

Ponderosa Pine "Flowers"

Purple rock flowers
Orange rock flowers

More Mt E.

The ascent

Not wanting to get Canadian boots wet.

Think back... a long time back... to June and Mount English

I colleague asked me to scan some pictures of his racing horse tonight. And while I was at it I did my photos from our weekend walk in June and our weekend away at Mount English.

Blogger is getting on my nerves and won't upload them all but here's a handful.

On the descent - photographing the photographers

Afterwards - the clear summit
Englishwoman on Mt English. Can you believe this was the same day?
My knees hurt, I'll stop and take a picture.
On the drive home - the road to basecamp

It was a long weekend

In which I:
Had breakfast every day on our finished deck
Tore my hands to shreds ripping oregon grape from the garden.
Talked to mum and dad and made plans.
Showed the caravan to an interested family.
Held a baby that didn't cry whilst his mum sampled the bed in the caravan!
Held my breath whilst they went away to think about it.
Expired because they didn't come back.
Cleaned up the muddy mess that the daughter left on the floor of the caravan.
Ripped the hem on the bathroom curtain lining because it was wobbly
Tore my hands appart some more re-doing the hem
Went for a walk into the village where we saw endangered species, then went up The Gulch.

Stood on the deck at the Jesus Beach.
Got excited about going back to the old country for a visit.
Had dinner in the pub.
Sat and talked with my elderly neighbours who were drunk from a birthday party.
Came into town to buy cow poo and grass seed which we sowed on the front lawn.
Photographed some flowers and the cat kissing the flowers, because I was looking.

Acknowledged the end of the summer season.
Wore my hoodie and felt snuggly warm.

Blogger day late.

I try not to spend too much time blogging but occasionally whilst surfing t'interweb for other things I find a blog that interests me. Via one of those connections and someone's link I found this nice lady.

Crazy Biker Chick

Who very much reminds me of my former self. I have linked to her Great Ikea Adventure because I once experienced a similar quandry but her and her bikes have had many adventures of the city and rural type. Go read and dream - if you're a biker...

Ugh

I have a hangover. A headache. A bit of shakiness. Hunger.

Thanks Niall, your champagne was excellent.

The Builder is gone. He has sneakily kept a set of keys to our house. Sigh. I guess we'll be changing seven locks too... in the house of doors. But it's worth it.

Bring on the weekend.

Why are none of my UK blogmates posting? I'm glad they're all out having fun but, really, I need to spend more time not thinking, just reading something...

Just Breathe

I get a little nervous about posting song words when in a foreign country. I mean, if it's old stuff that I know everyone I know is into, it's not so bad. When I was in Paris in 1991, though, everyone in the hostel was singing 4-non-blondes every night, blasting out of the stereo, then I get back to England and people looked at me like I was barmy when I jumped up going, "Oh I LOVE this song". Hey, it was my Paris, and I'm stuck with it.

This morning I was listening to Anna Nalick, "Just Breathe". It's a pretty tune and very stirring but this morning I listened to the words... They're great, particularly.

Cause you can't jump the track, we're like cars on a cable,

And life's like an hourglass, glued to the table.

Which is the chorus actually and who can blame her for using it over and over, I love the imagery of an hour glass that you can't flip. There are days when you see it running too fast and days when you wish it would stick. Today is a day for wishing it would stick. I could enjoy myself like this every day.

Done

House is our own
Holiday flights back to Blighty booked
Boss forgiven because he gave me 2 extra days holidays to fit in with cheap flights.
SG-1 on TV tonight.

Could life be anymore rosy?

The sun is still shining, it's hot and the sky is blue, yet somewhy I feel a yearning for fall. It's at this time of year I almost get disapointed being here. The flowers last well into November, it's so mild. Then suddenly winter is upon us. When it's raining I never think I'm going to miss rain but I do today. I have an urge to go out and buy an umbrella - just in case.

I want to go home to hubby and drink champagne right now but I have two hours to wait.