Survey help

If you have time please help the University of Pennsylvania with their data collecting by taking one or more surveys at http://tinyurl.com/p52zf to gather happiness statistics. If nothing else it may amuse you for a few minutes while you are waiting for your morning coffee to finish brewing!

MAC & CHEESE!

Prebake

It really is amazing how it firms up

Tonight we decided to make Mac & Cheese! And before you think what was I thinking, look below and see what is in our M&C.

It was amazing how wet it starts out, but don't worry it firms up and tastes great.

Recipe:

• 3 1/2 cups dry gluten free pasta
• 3/4 cup raw cashews
• 1/2 cup raw brazil nuts
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 4 medium clove garlic minced
• 2 tsp arrowroot powder
• 4 tsp sea salt
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp (rounded) dry mustard
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• Gluten free breadcrumbs (we used our leftover pesto biscotti here)

No tofu and no cheese substitutes!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Throw pasta into a deep pot of boiling salted water for exactly 15 minutes and never more. While pasta is cooking, blend all sauce ingredients (ingredients 2-11) in a blender or in a deep bowl with an immersion blender. Once pasta is almost tender, fully drain (don’t rinse). Mix noodles with sauce, and immediately pour into a baking dish. (It will look like there is a lot of runny sauce – it will thicken up, trust the pasta!), then sprinkle bread crumbs over top of casserole. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Then, remove foil cover and bake another 7 minutes. Don’t overbake or sauce will get too thick. Serve! We served this with salad and smoked duck breast slices and raw Cacao mousse and tea for dessert.

Don't be fooled by this being gluten free and with no cheese, it is good and kids and their dads will want seconds. Just don't tell them what it is until they are eating their dessert. 

A little family cruising!

This is a balloon covered in beans.

 The folks came over for a walk, lunch and tour of the ginger bread houses.

Frank & MJ

The winner!

The other winner (front)

The other winner (backside)

Very cool!

Judith Baby!

Judith and Sandra enjoying the beach.

Judith's brother emailed this photos to Judith and so I decided while she was at work today you all needed to see how cute our Judith is.

Nice bikes huh! They start them riding young in the Fletcher family

I am sure Jane (mom) made those dresses. Looking good girls!

Peter: "Tell us Judith what made you pick this bathing suit?"

Judith "well, I have to admit when I was packing for the beach I had to make sure I would have something practical yet stylish for a day of boy chasing and sand throwing".

OK, well I am not sure what is going on in this one. Trying not to look guilty?

Good friends!

Life is good!

Peter: "Judith I notice you have a big girl bike here. Where you starting to plan your European ride then?"

Judith: "Funny you should mention that. In fact I was also trying out some new womans cycling designs I was working on with my mother. Jane felt it was important to look stylish while riding across Europe so we needed to get a 20 year R&D head start. You will notice the similarity to LuLu Lemon. I was happy Chip took my advice early on to work with these patterns and comfortable fit." 

Peter: " Judith I see you have the same hairstyle today as you did back in the day. Can you explain?"

Judith: "First of all thank you for noticing. I designed that cut originally for a famous figure skater friend Dorothy. She and I had the same need for a highspeed doo that could withstand the rigors of skating and squash all at the same time. It is too bad skating squash never became more popular as we thought we really has something at the time. By the way that doo still serves me well on the squash courts."

Peter: "Judith I see you here working with sweaters and coats. Can you tell us how this shaped your career in fashion?"

Judith: "Yes you are right. I went on to Holts to work in the coat division at corporate. It is nice to see these classic styles coming back with the fashion forward folks. Especially that little red number, still one of my all time favorites."

Peter: "So tell us a bit about your experience in the pool. Is that hef's grotto we see in the background?"

Judith: "Ha ha ha. No not Hef's silly. We where just kicking back enjoying some rays after a long week in the lab brainstorming some new designs for Yoko and whats his name, that hippy musician?"

Peter: " Well thats it, thanks Judith for speaking with us and we look forward to interviewing you again when you launch your new super hero pajama line in the spring"

Judith: "Thank you, it is always my pleasure to speak with you. You still are my favorite interviewer and I must admit I think you are the most handsome and kind man I have ever met "

December Family Birthdays

Between the two extended families, Peter and Judith have several December birthdays to celebrate.

Peter's sister-in-law, Patty, celebrated on Saturday. We usually get an invitation to join them via Skype for the cake cutting, but apparently this year we were preempted by Pete's eldest nephew in Edmonton hogging the Skype waves. However, we managed to privately serenade Patty later in the evening. I am sure she was appreciative!

In addition, Judith's aunt Ann and sister-in-law Cheryl each have an early December birthday.  They have for years, so the family quite often celebrates the two birthdays on the same day.  This year, as each birthday fell either side of the weekend, it was decided to have a lunch celebration on Saturday in a small private dining room at the retirement home where Judith's mother Jane lives.  Brother Graham took this lovely photo to remember the day, and share with those of use not able to attend the meal.

Cheryl, Graham, Jane, Ann, Janine, Jocelyn

But wait, there's more!  Next up are the late December birthdays - nephew Alex and Pete.  We will keep you posted!

PeJu's Super Yummy Biscotti

Right out of the oven!

Our friend Chris emailed us a chocolate almond fig biscotti (gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, vegan-adaptable) receipt the other day, so we decided we would bake some biscotti this weekend after returning from our morning errand-hand-holding bike ride (Christmas Market, Foi Epi, Fantastico, and Mother Nature's Market) to go with our afternoon tea.

We altered the original ingredients:

• Coconut flour and quinoa flour for some of the almond meal 
• Maple syrup for honey
• Candied ginger for figs

We ended up with two versions, fig and cacao, and almond and ginger.

Ready for first baking!

Both taste great with afternoon tea. Don't let the whole gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free, vegan-adaptable scare you off. I guarantee no one will notice if you don't tell them they aren't packed with refined sugar and glutenous flour!

Next up:

Our own version of ginger bread biscotti:

• 1 c sorghum flour
• 1/4 c almond meal
• 2 t tapioca flour
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t baking soda
• 4 t ginger powder or candy ginger
• 3 t ground cinnamon
• 1 t ground cloves
• 1/2 t ground nutmeg
• 6 T maple syrup or agave syrup or honey
• 3 T almond slices (you can add these by hand after)
• Add water if it is too dry

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the food processor, add all ingredients. Pulse to combine until the dough comes together in a ball. Remove the dough and press the dough together with your hands. The dough should be barely moist enough to come together. If it is too moist, add a bit of tapioca flour. If too dry, add a sprinkle of water.

Pat the dough together on the baking sheet into a log about 2 1/2 inches wide and 10 inches long. Place in the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
Remove and allow to cool on the baking sheet for at least 30 minutes. Lower the oven to 300 degrees.

Once cooled, slice the dough with a serrated knife into pieces about 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal. Separate out the biscotti onto the baking sheet and bake again for 15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely before serving.

Makes about 10-12 biscotti.

Any other suggestions for ginger bread flavour tips?

Do you think we should dip the ends in chocolate or a white glaze? 

Note: you can add any spice you like to change the flavour from sweet to savoury. It good with cacao to. 

PS, It was sunny in Victoria yesterday in case you easterns are wondering!

Renew and Reuse

Peter giving the book the once over.

For Peter's birthday in December of 2009, he was given a 2 lb. coil of fibre rush and a 'how-to' book on chair caning.  I think he'd casually mentioned that it would be a shame to have to stop using the stool by the fireplace, as it was definitely losing it's structural integrity.  Apparently, his parents agreed and were delighted at his interest in the well being of the small stool that was living at our house.  Knowing the stool could be repaired with a little time and effort, they purchased the tools necessary to complete the project - and made him a birthday gift of them.

As Peter was keen on the project, he attempted to document with photos just how it was - the pattern of the rush, how it was being held together, where the pieces joined together, etc., just in case we didn't get back to it for a while, or alternately, it fell apart completely! 

You should know that this stool has played a long and distinguished role in Peter's family history.  It was originally made by Peter's maternal grandfather before he left high school at 16 years of age (he was born in 1896).  When his grandfather got married in 1928, the stool moved with the young Edmonds family to begin family life in the interior of BC.  Mary Jane tells the story that during the late 1960's when the stool was in need of re-stringing, her mother called the Institute of the Blind in Vancouver to get directions on how to do this.  Well, the verbal directions were apparently so clear that she had no trouble with the process of repairing the stool and bringing it back to life.  She had been so pleased with the result that she phoned the woman who had originally spoke with her and invited her for lunch to see the successfully completed project.  Much to her surprise (and disappointment, no doubt), the woman replied she wouldn't be able to attend lunch - because she was blind! 

Early in the 1980's, Peter's parents took over the care and feeding of the stool when his aging grandparents moved to a care facility.  It was probably at that time the stool made another big move, this time to the Hornby Island cabin and where it became a fixture near their wood stove.  However, with the constant use there, Frank had to strengthen and stabilize the stool with a dowel crossbar.

Shortly after we moved into our own house on Hornby Island in 2006, this very same footstool was bestowed upon us - and, believe me, it was a welcome gift!  The stool was perfect for us to use when tending our wood stove.  It was the exact height to sit at to light and tend the fire with ease.

Since that time, Peter and I  have moved from Hornby Island to Victoria, and we very consciously moved the stool, fibre rush and book of instructions with us, fully intending to put the stool back together.  This past summer, Peter's health improved enough that the stool repair moved closer to the top of the list of 'things to accomplish'.  So, with renewed energy Peter took the stool with him back to Hornby, where his friend Rob helped put the wood frame back together, square it up, sand, and refinish it. He then brought it back to Victoria where we could apply the final touch - the weaving of the fibre rush seat.  In my opinion, the seat is definitely the most time consuming part of the project - aside from waiting for the right moment to start the project.  The weaving was several weeks from start to finish, as we had to pace ourselves on pulling what seemed like miles and miles of fibre rush through ever decreasing spaces in the seat.  It's hard to see in the photo on the right, but there is pile of unwoven rush sitting on the floor, just waiting to be pulled, one arm's length at a time, from right to left, the left to right, and so on, and so on.  Who needs an exercise class when you have projects like this?

So, while it has taken a couple of years (okay, technically it's been three), we finally finished the stool renewal!  It was truly a team effort (very gratifying, don't you think?) and we're proud of it.  Here is photo of the repaired stool in front of our 'fireplace' in Victoria - approximately 100 years after its creation.  We may have to take it with us on our next trip to Hornby, where it can once again sit in front of a real wood stove and be a key component in the very important work of tending the fire.

As I've said before, "Life is good."

Day five

28.11.12 Looking towards Clover Point

Pole hunting

Anyone want to help me carry this pole home? ;)

Housebroken

I thought you might like to read this.

Housebroken

Saturday Walk

Black Turnstones on the beach.

I love birds and attempt to bird watch whenever I can.  They look good, they sound good, and there are so many wonderful varieties in the world. 

Today we went to the breakwater for a stroll, between the raindrops.  It was lovely out there - no wind to speak of, clear water (the better to watch the sea life), and not too cold.  Besides the apparently healthy kelp beds, sea lions feasting, fish jumping, and sunfish and starfish sightings, I also spotted a few birds hanging around on the shoreline.  At first I thought they might be black oystercatchers, but upon closer inspection I realized they didn't have the signature red feet and beaks; they also had a bit of white on the underside of their wings and tail feathers which the oystercatchers do not; and besides, they weren't as large as the black oystercatchers I'd seen on Hornby Island.  However, their call resembled the oystercatchers as they flew off.  And so I was determined to figure out what kind of bird they were when I got home.  I took this photo with my iPhone before they managed to fly away.

It is not a good photo by any means, but it did serve as a reminder to their colouring and size when I looked up my copy of the Stokes Field Guide to Birds.  I believe they might be Black Turnstones.  I will have to remember to bring my real camera with me next time.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll become a wild bird photographer!

Saturday Walk

Between the raindrops, Peter and I went for a lovely long walk on Saturday.  We were prepared for a walk in the rain, but it did not rain on us!  There was rain all around, and before we made the return trip (after tea and cookies with Frank and Mary Jane), it poured.

Anyway, it was a lovely day for a walk in the park.  And I found this gorgeous rose standing proudly.  Love roses, I do.

Late September

A study in proportion (and beautiful weather).

I remember it was a Thursday late in September, when I left the office and was quite taken aback by the warm temperature outside.  I decided on my bike ride home that I would just HAVE to take my tea and go for a ride.  Usually, I get home right after work and Peter and I share a pot of tea.  Sometimes we take the tea with us and ride to the beach.  I talk about my day at the office and he tells me some of the things he's learned throughout the day. However, this particular Thursday Peter was in Red Deer, Alberta being a responsible uncle and 'looking after' his nieces and nephews while their parents went on a wild and crazy week in New York city to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary.  It's amazing what people have time to do after they're 4 children grow up!

Through my sunglasses.

In any case, I was on my own for this tea ride.  I rode towards Ogden Point and came across the sight above - one of the last cruise ships of the season, the Victoria Clipper ferry heading off towards Seattle, a pretty decent sized said boat motoring back to the Inner Harbour (no wind to speak of), and a small motor boat out fishing.  The size of those cruise ships never cease to amaze me.  I did my best with the point-and-shoot Canon to catch all 4 in the same frame ... without over-exposing the shot.  I am finally learning how to use some of the features on our 10 year old camera but as I don't have filters to play with, I tried using my sunglasses as a filter for the bright sunshine because I wanted to try and capture the sun dog to the left of the sun .... can you see it?  I even rested the camera on the cement wall in an attempt to avoid blurring the shot.  The sunglasses mess it up a bit.  But I hope you can see it, now that I've pointed it out to you.  And really, you had to be there to get the full awesomeness.

City bike and the full moon rising.

Between the sun, the light, the tea and having my camera on hand, I was pretty happy.  Very quickly the light changed a little bit more and I used my lovely city bike as a prop to catch the moon rise in the background.  I played around a bit more trying to capture the light and some of the interesting spots at the water's edge.

Mural on the side of the seawall.

As the light faded, it got quite cool fairly quickly.  That was my sign to pedal on back home.  Still smiling.

Summer is Hanging On!

Two kinds of local sausages
on the indoor BBQ.

The weather this past week has been pretty darned nice. Nice?  How about swell? Okay, awesome.  A little bit cooler first thing in the morning, and the sun is definitely setting earlier these days, but the sun in the middle day is glorious. Absolutely glorious.  Makes one want to sing.  And skip, and ride one's bicyle.  Even when tired.

And tired, I was.  I don't know about anybody else but I was tired all of this past week.  Peter was too.  All that virtual travel with James and Eve, I guess.

I have to say, Friday ended well. A quick bike ride to the Cook Street Village and voila!  Dinner ingredients were purchased and ready to go.  Peter was hoping for bangers and mash and I did my best to please.

We ate tasty local gluten free sausages grilled on the indoor BBQ, local organic baby potatoes, sauteed zucchini and mushrooms,  and savoured a glass of our favourite house wine.

Oh yes, and some refreshing sliced cucumber on the side.  I had fun using our fancy slicer thingy.

We finished it off with some fresh fruit.  Then we had to sit still for a while to let the week (and the meal) settle in.  Life is good.

Local peaches and plums. Okay, the kiwi isn't local!

Ah, September

Well, it seems I mispoke.  Summer is not over.  It may be winding down, but it is definitely not over.  Thankfully.

Tickets and a backstage pass.

Last weekend we had the great pleasure of spending time with our friends James and Eve from Vashon Island.  They'd come to spend the weekend visiting Victoria before the k.d. lang concert on Sunday evening.  James is a part of k.d.'s crew, and the Sunday concert begins a month of touring for k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang gang.

James and Eve had their road bikes with them and Peter joined them on Friday for a nice ride out through Saanich to Sidney and back.  Friday evening was spent sharing salad rolls, some wine tasting and stories and a slide show of their recent bicycle tour of New Zealand, as well as a different trip spent in France.  Nothing like some awesome photos and good stories to get the travel bug active again!  Not that it ever is very far from the surface in this home.

View from the Laurel Point Inn.

Saturday was a lazy day for me.  I'd had a hectic week with 3 days on-the-job training, meeting new people through work, and walking the picket lines for a day (Wednesday - a first for me).  I even got to fly to/from Vancouver Friday via Harbour Air!  Peter met me at the terminal and had a good laugh that it was now my turn to be getting on/off planes, and him greeting me at the terminal at the end of the day.  In any case, Saturday was my down time; time to catch up.  James and Eve, on the other hand, checked into their hotel (great view), changed into their cycling clothes, fueled up with a good cuppa joe and rode off towards Sooke for a ride.  We met them later for some great tapas and live entertainment at The Superior.

Sunday morning was a lazy one for us.  Midday was spent wandering around downtown Victoria, checking out the Eat Here Now: Victoria Harvest Fest, and popping in and out of stores we don't normally venture into.  More stimulating conversation and some of the best coffee around.  It's at Habit on Pandora.  Then more stimulating conversation, some noodles at a Thai restaurant, then off to see k.d. lang at the Royal Theatre that evening.  The show was fantastic - what a character that k.d. is;  and that voice!  Boy, I wish I could sing like that.  Actually, I wish I could sing. Period.

End of August, End of Summer

August 27 2012 - we took a spin on the bicycles and found
another lovely view from Victoria's inner harbour - near dusk.

Sept 2 2012 - Labour Day weekend
Morning view from our chairs at
Whaling Station Bay, Hornby Island.
Sigh.

Monday Night Picnic

It was a beautiful evening tonight and Pete had the picnic ready to go as soon as I got home from work.  So we packed up and off to the beach we went!

You'll have to imagine the happy grin on Pete's
face because it was so sunny that I failed to properly capture it in this image.

A coworker was paddling by us so I flagged him down for a visit.
He is one heck of an enthusiastic SUP'er!

Unpaid Vacation

Judith was awarded the picnicker of the month award for randomly finding this new spot.

Cruising south for a couple nights on the inside of Vancouver Island.

My cruising hosts. The Skipper, Chef, and Cruise Director.

Cruise Director or Skipper, you be the judge.

The second best part of cruising is when your lovely wife picks you up, and whisks you away for a picnic lunch.

The boat was fun for sure, but walking around in the mountains with Judith tops it all.

Yup, it was thirty plus degree's and we needed a swim at six thousand feet above sea level.

Mount Washington Ski Hill.

Paid Vacations

July 21st - Another early morning drive from Victoria to Hornby Island.
Ah, the sun and fluffy white clouds!

... watched a remote controlled sailboat race (July 22nd)

... visited friends (July 22nd),

... amongst them Anna and Ava (July 22nd),

July 24th - went hiking up Mount Geoffrey
with the visiting Alberta Snikles,

After our hike up the mountain, it was time to cool off and have some lunch.

That evening we went down to Ford Cove to watch Alex and Paul
swim in the rather cool water.

July 28 - Peter enjoys a much needed chair
massage at the Saturday Market.

Sunday July 29 - picnic at the beach. Here
Meka enjoys a roll in the warm sand.

Some of us attempted a game of frisbee in the frigid waters
of Whaling Station Bay.

Some of us enjoyed the warm sand ...

One of us happily got buried in the sand,

 and all of us enjoyed a bite to eat, al fresco!
Check out Alex's six-pack.

The next day the Alberta Snikles started on their journey home and Judith drove back to Victoria to go to earn her next paid vacation.  Frank and Mary Jane stayed home to recover from 2 weeks of visitors and Peter stayed on Hornby for more 'healing.'  Thankfully, we are all recovering nicely and looking forward to warmer weather in August.