A very good week

Tags

Canada, CANCER, cruise, lobster, news, PEI, tourism

This week we got wonderful news from the Chief doctor at the Cancer Centre who took care of Will.

This was the 6 month exam/consultation. All the testing and blood work shows Will is clear of cancer, it’s a big relief for Will and I. Life will be less stressful now that we have put this behind us, what a roller coaster ride this was, truly exhausting. We can now plan ahead and look for vacation time off Island. To celebrate I got him a big bunch of multi-coloured tulips, we grow here on PEI.

In other news, I am continuing my training with the Tour Company, I am enjoying it, good group and on a good weather day it is very pleasant. This week and yesterday the weather shot up to 21C and it was so very nice. We could shut off the heating system and open the windows. Thinking now of flowers for our terrace.

Today I worked for 8 hours as a tour guide. Coming to the Cruise terminal at 07:30am I thought I was doing one program, however I quickly learned that because of numerous large icebergs near Newfoundland, 2 cruise ships had diverted towards PEI and now instead of only one ship we had 3 ships. Also it happens that tours are oversold and this means other problems for us, lack of space on the bus. So suddenly I was switched to a new tour but I had no idea where we were going or what this tour was about. Lesson #1 be flexible no matter what.

Since I was only following the senior guide giving this day long tour, I thought, just go with the flow. It was a very interesting and good tour and I discovered many things again and this gave me ideas on how to develop my own tours with my own spin on things.

To my surprise, we got lunch, a lobster lunch no less. This is the beginning of the lobster season, so it was nice. Usually as staff you bring your own lunch but I was told that if it was an all day tour you get the same lunch as the clients. Then later we got Ice Cream, pretty nice. What was also a bonus today, it did not rain, the forecast said rain all day and I dread doing tours on rainy days, it is so dreary. We got sunshine and mild weather, it only started to rain once back to home port and only lightly.

On Thursday another tour, I am not sure where exactly this time, but will know the details tomorrow.

This Morning the first ship to arrive in Charlottetown at 8am

The old now closed since 1989 Train Station at Borden Carleton where the train met the ferry to cross over to New Brunswick (1917-1989) Next to it the Confederation Bridge built between 1993-97 to link PEI to the Mainland of Canada 12 Km away.

The Point Prim Lighthouse built in 1845, the oldest lighthouse on PEI, now automated, signalling the way into Port Charlottetown. It is only one of two round lighthouses in Canada, the others are square. It is also built of brick recovered by wood shingles.

The ferry at the Port at Wood Island in Western PEI connecting that point of the Island with Pictou, Nova Scotia, during Spring, Summer and early Fall. No service in Winter.

The McNeill family farmhouse relatives of Lucy Maud Montgomery and the inspiration for her books on Anne of Green Gables. It is now part of a National Park and attracts tens of thousands of visitors each year. The house has been modified to meet the description of the fictional house in the book. The area was devastated last November by hurricane Fiona. The damage is visible in the woods all around. When the McNeill’s lived there around 1880 the house was not painted white and green, again an adaptation for the book and the tourist market.

I also bought today my uniform which is dark blue with the company logo. So I am all set to go.

Last Friday, good news

Tags

Canada, CANCER, champagne, games, home, PEI, QEH, teepee

Friday was a good news day, could not think of better news really, our life is back to normal now.

Will and I, went to the Cancer Centre for a meeting with the Chief oncologist and the surgeon, there is also a third chief of the Chemo dept with whom we will speak this week.

Basically the news is that Will’s cancer is gone, the examination with the miniature camera they inserted through his nose showed on the screen in living colour, that the tumour had completely disappeared, the CT scan also showed that all was normal and so did the blood work. The news stunned us, we were expecting some good some bad, but not all good positive news. It took us some time to understand that the menace had passed, a long 8 months of dread was finally over. Will has to go back in 3 months for a check-up but that is a routine in such cases. We are so relieved. Now Will has to continue putting on weight and so far he is doing well. Hooray for us!

In other news, the Canada Games have started and the illumination done in the park behind us and in the port area is quite magical. Organizers and athletes are wearing green and white uniforms. Concerts every night in the cruise terminal. There is even a Canada Games flame. It all looks good.

Teepee tent in the park beside our home, a bit of cheating here since a teepee is usually made of

birch bark. It is lighted up at night with multicoloured lights all around in the park, quite beautiful.

A lighthouse, there are many around the site, again a symbol of PEI given our rugged coast line.

The Circle of the flame of the Canada games at Founder’s Hall

So far our Winter has been a YoYo winter, some days hot like a Spring day around 15C and some days sort of cold at 5C or Friday at -8C, very irregular and next to no snow on the ground. So much so that I like many thought we could not hold the games with such unpredictable weather. Yes it is again one of the warmest Winter weather to date and the Winters on PEI have been getting warmer each year.

This photo on Water street shows the entrance to the Port and as you can see we have only very thin ice and it does not cover the entire surface. Don’t try to walk on that, you will sink. In fact this year we have the least sea ice on record, the water is too warm which is not good for sea life.

So to celebrate the good news, we bought some Pol Roger Champagne. Now a little funny story here, I went to the Liquor store and could not see the champagne display so I asked the clerk who informed me there was none to be had. I was very surprised to hear this and the clerk added that no there was none on the Island in any other stores. How could this be? As I said this I turn around and there just behind me is 3 brands of French Champagne, what they do not have at the moment on stock is Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin, but that is not a brand I like. So the clerk realizing what she had said then showed me in the other room what was on offer and Pol Roger is an excellent label. I know that 2022 was not a good year for the Champagne region in France, climate change again did a lot of damage.

A very good day!

Tags

CANCER, Christmas, pastry, PEI, Province house, sacred music

During this Christmas period, I look for old French carols one is a Seventeen century carol by Louis Claude Daquin, it is in old French and for amusement the words are those of simple people who are so in awe in the presence of God that they stutter.

The carol speaks of the generosity of those who came to see baby Jesus, commenting that “there was no one young or old who did not offer all his riches” to Mary and Joseph. It also mentions the Three Magi who offered gold, frankincense and myrrh. The carol concludes that we must believe in God-King as our refuge. It would have been sung at the Chapelle Royale of Versailles in the presence of the King.

The other one also ancient, Ca berger assemblons-nous which was part of the Christmas Eve and Day service. This one speaks of the humble beginning of Jesus and is asking the simple shepherds to come and see him abandoning their herds which are overseen by angels during their absence. God is calling you the carol proclaims. Ah quel grand mystere is another carol which is sung scripture around the Christmas story.

There are so many beautiful old French carols, the words are poetry taken from the Scriptures. They are considered sacred music. The Adeste Fideles which is sung in Latin at a time prior to 1962 when mass was in Latin speaks of the Glory of God and the need for the faithful to come and adore the Messiah. All this music was composed for organ, with a tenor and a large choir to lend majesty to the Christmas service. There are many more but when I think of it, it is a distant past which by today’s standard belong to another time.

This music of French Canada is not well known in the rest of English Canada. The other problem today is that English culture in Canada today is dominated by USA influence which smoothers.

Today we had an appointment to see one of the doctors who is treating Will’s cancer, the news was very positive, the mood jovial. Will has gained weight and his blood work is normal. Recommendation is that he eats more to gain more weight. We were both so happy to hear this news, could not come at a better time. We are not out of the woods yet, but it is all positive. The big test is in February with the CT scan and then we will know if all these treatments were successful.

When we got home Will made some pastry and then used the mince meat to make little turnover with a Calvados glaze. They are very good. He has also invited some close friends to come for coffee in the coming days during the Holidays another good sign.

After a 5 year $100 million complete restoration of the Legislative building, Province House should reopen next year and the Members of the Assembly will return. It was built in 1834 but never well maintained. It is a beautiful Georgian Building. This is the North side, the South side is the main entrance and is identical.

Advent 2

Tags

CANCER, Christmas, cookies, PEI, Tourtiere

So again this week has been busy with many chores and events, Will’s health, my return from a 48 hour trip to Halifax and then attending to finding the food formula for Will, that was an adventure. Several companies make this injectable formula and it is a big seller for patients. Abbott is one company and the other manufacturer is Nestlé. So the product is now sold in cartons instead of metal cans. Because of this conversion from one container to another a delay in Canada is happening and the product will be available again on 15 December. What do you do in the meantime, that is anyone’s guess. Luckily the Cancer centre was able to help us out and we can substitute for the time being to another similar product. We were caught short and the nutritionist mentioned also that with Winter storms on the Island the bridge which is the only link to the rest of Canada in Winter can close for a day or two due to very high winds. This means that you should always stock up on essentials in Winter, just in case.

The weather is still very mild, no snow in the forecast and I think that this year will be like last year, the snow will be very late probably in January. When prior to Climate Change just a few years ago, snow would arrive by early November or sometimes late October. This Winter we are having the Canada Winter Games so we will need snow and cold weather, not rain and mild weather which is likely now.

Today we made Tourtiere, which is a very old Canadian recipe from the 17th Century and extremely popular at this time of the year. Originally it was game meat from the hunt, usually from a bird called Tourte. Nowadays it is a mixture of beef, veal, pork. Everyone has a family recipe but it is a variation on a similar theme. Mine has no beer and no potato in it. If you go on YouTube look for Food Wishes with Chef John, he has an excellent recipe for Tourtiere.

I also want to make a shortbread with pistachio and orange peel. Again it is an old recipe and the New York Times has a recipe this weekend, however theirs has chocolate in it, mine does not. A good cookie does not need chocolate.

Recipe for Shortbread Orange Pistachio, Cranberry

Orange Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies have the perfect balance of butter, orange zest, cranberries, and pistachios. 

They are tender and melt in your mouth with a lovely flavor. I love that the dough can be made a few days ahead of time so you can pull out and slice enough to enjoy each day, but they also store wonderfully in an airtight container.

First remove the zest from 1-2 large Oranges. I like using a vegetable peeler and then scraping any excess white pith off the zest with a sharp knife. 

This allows a little bit larger pieces of Orange Zest than using a zester.

Chop Zest finely.

Cream together: 

• 1 cup Butter
• 3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Orange Zest
• 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt

Until well combined.

Add 3/4 cup Dried Cranberries and 3/4 cup Pistachios, and mix until well combined.

Stir in 2 cups All-Purpose Flour just until combined, being careful not to over mix.

Divide cranberry shortbread dough into 2. Shape into 2 logs 2″-2 1/4″ thick and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour

Slice Orange Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies 1/4″ thick and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.

Bake cookies in a 350 degree oven for 16-18 minutes until edges are just lightly brown. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet to ensure centers are well cooked and crispy.

We also made the tree today, however this year because of Will’s being unwell we have downsized the whole Xmas affair, so we went from an 8 foot tree to a 3 foot tree. The tree is also decorated with ornaments we have been collecting for 44 years and we are using cloisonné balls because of their small size instead of the usual sterling silver balls.

For Christmas dinner instead of turkey or goose, I will have Cornish hens and dessert will be the traditional plum pudding flaming. A friend of Will’s sent him one from Vancouver. Again usually he would make his own but he does not have the energy this year.

A brisk sunny Saturday

Tags

CANCER, Chili con carne, Haviland Club, Montreal, PEI, Santa Claus, Weather

Well today is the traditional Santa Claus Parade in Montreal, it has always been a big affair and indicates the start of the Xmas Shopping Season. In the old day, maybe 40 years ago EATON’s dept store hosted the parade and it always ended at the Store on St-Catherines street in Montreal. Now the dept store is gone like all great dept stores and the parade is on Sherbrooke street, still downtown of course and still a very nice parade. The one thing I do remember was that in the old days Santa had to enter the store through a window on the 5th floor of the facade of EATON’s this was way, way, up there, I always thought he would not make it, it was so high, it was all part of the spectacle.

This morning I got up and after walking and feeding Nicky and Nora, I prepared all the ingredients to make a Chili con carne in the slow cooker. It will be ready by 6pm. I follow a recipe which is fairly simple and I add to it celery, a carrot to the usual garlic and onion with one Jalapeno and one red pepper. I do not like it too spicy, it does not agree with my stomach. I also mix veal and beef in the recipe. What I do not eat right away can be frozen.

The newsletter is done for this week and it is about all the preparation for the various events at the Club in December. We also had our Annual general Assembly and I was elected Chair of the Membership Committee. Recruitment is a big portion of this job.

Will is completing is cancer treatment on Monday, he has done well all along and was quite brave considering the aggressiveness of the treatment over the 6 weeks. Now we wait and return to the centre in December for further assessment. Only in March will we have the final word. Patience is of the essence and a certain degree of serenity.

Other than that, life is very quiet now socially speaking. This coming week I am giving a talk on diplomacy at the Irish Benevolent Society. In PEI a very large number of the population is of Irish descent or Scottish, in both cases, descendants of poor people who were deported by the British to PEI with the promise of a better life. A lot of people I know told me they were coming to hear me talk. So I better be prepared to say something half way intelligent.

Victoria park, Charlottetown

End of October

Tags

CANCER, Food, inflation, life, spaghetti

Well the weather in PEI so far and despite hurrican Fiona has been very very mild, take today 27C with humidity, that is NOT normal folks and points to a climate crisis. Despite this our politicians will not speak of it, except in bland generalities so as not to scare the horses. Everyone complains about the price of gas and when it is suggested they look at EV cars they claim they are too expensive to buy despite a rebate of $15,000. They also drive a fossil fuel car worth $45,000 so that is not much of a logical arguments and they will wait 30 minutes, motor running, at the drive through for a coffee. Yes people are funny.

I had a bit of a difficult day yesterday, the weather was bad but mild and I was really depressed. I always try to be up and smiling for Will, he is the one who is sick. So being positive is important, though as I told him I do not like to go to the Cancer Treatment Centre, it is a depressing place starting with the lighting and the beige colours. The staff is great and very good. It is also a quiet place unlike the hospital next door which is a zoo.

Our friends on the Island have been great, bringing home made foods and giving support. A friend brought some Borscht, it was excellent, the beets on the Island are very sweet, it makes for a very good soup. Another friend brought a Persian Beef Stew and that too was very good. Others have brought vegetables from their garden and zucchini cake and a very nice piece of paté.

Speaking of food, I saw another spike in food prices yesterday at the grocery store, a few months ago any item was $5 or at least it started at that mark. Now its $10. despite the supply chain arguments, this no longer bear any credibility and it has been revealed that the grocery chains are making record profits in the billions. The Federal Government is finally looking into the matter.

Today the good news is that Will has put on 3 lbs the doctor was happy and he has to put on more. So fatty foods is the solution. Will also made today his spaghetti meat sauce, which is a combination of Veal, Beef, Meat of Italian sausage no casing, there is also carrots, onions, herbs all put into the food processor. Then into the slow cooker for 5 hours and voila. So for dinner I will have spaghetti, looking forward to it.

A change in plans

Tags

CANCER, depression, Health, life, PEI, World

Since mid-July when we had our 15th Wedding Anniversary, we discovered, unfortunately, that Will suffers from Cancer. It was and is a blow, since March 2020 it would appear that we cannot get any good news at all, the world is going from one misfortune to another. We are exhausted by it all. I just want to sleep a lot and wake up when it is all over.

Cancer is never an easy matter, in this case we are hopeful because of the prognosis given by the doctors. One day at a time, that is all we can do.

Itsmyhusbandandme

Tags

London, JP, Guido, itsmyhusbandandme, CANCER

Yesterday I received a comment from JP, the author in Southwark, London of Itsmyhusbandandme. Loved that blog and all the funny posts, it was like a novel with regular new chapters about JP’s and Guido’s life in London. JP’s message was a sad one, he informed me that Guido had died of cancer last month. In his last post on his blog some months ago, JP had revealed that Guido was ill with cancer and it was a difficult fight. So sad to read this news.

I often thought of them since the end of his blog. Wishing Guido Peace and JP courage.