Still waiting for Winter

Tags

life, Music, party, PEI, XMAS

We are having weird weather, it is as predicted by the Weather service, the Maritimes will have a period of very warm and mild weather from September until Early December and that is what happened. In the last 72 hours the weather has become much colder but again we do have days like today of 14C and nights of -5C, no snow yet and but lots of intense rain, strong winds and low clouds. The winds today stopped the ferry service between Nova Scotia and the Western tip of PEI. The surf is rough under a bright blue sky.

Tomorrow I travelled to Kensington which by Island standard is very far away, don’t laugh, it’s 40 minutes away. Both Nicky and Nora are getting groomed for Santa. Probably will have lunch in town and then return to Ch’Town. Tomorrow night we are told that we might get snow, will see, the weather guy Jay Scotland is not known for his accuracy. Can’t blame the guy, Climate change has screwed up everything.

My Xmas cards are mostly done and in the mail, it is a bit of a chore each year, I also send electronic cards to people far away. This weekend we should start the decorations. On Thursday it’s Will’s Birthday, it is a big surprise, not giving away no details here. We also have the Dinner Party at the Club and then the New Year’s Eve party also at the Club. So we are busy, which is good.

The Holiday Season Music is not too bad in stores, many don’t have any. Though I like 2 songs in particular, Mariah Carey, All I want for Christmas is you, this version was recorded as a spoof on a Royal Navy War Ship, the HMS Ocean, quite funny in a very British way. The other is from a group at Oxford University called Out of the Blue, Merry Christmas Everybody. Both can be found on You Tube.

St-Nicholas day was yesterday, let’s hope we get into more of the Holiday Spirit in the next week.

Tires cracking

Tags

2021, beaujolais, hockey, life, PEI, racism, Tires, Wine, winter

I had my winter tires installed last week and was told that they had some weather cracking. I did not know what that meant and asked to be shown. Sure enough there are cracks, it also turns out they are 11 years old. That last bit amazed me, because I was convinced that they were 2 years old. I did by a new car 3 years ago and usually you have to buy new winter tires because the wheel size change after a few years and a car is remodelled. I can still keep them for one more Winter, I really do not drive the car much and most of it is within this small town. Next Winter I will get new tires.

We had the very first lighting of the Hanukkah Menorah (9 branches) in Charlottetown. The Jewish community is small in PEI about 200 people, but they have been here for 120 years. Something that is never mentioned. This year the Jewish community given the anniversary of the beginning of their community, erected a Menorah in the park by the Legislature and several politicians came, including the Premier and the Speaker of the House. It was a nice evening, singing traditional songs, etc. The town of Stratford across the river from us also has a Menorah this year.

What is commonplace in most other regions of Canada, is not here. PEI is very insular and change comes slowly and it is a big challenge for many. We have 1000 Buddhist Monks in Brudenell which is a small settlement with a few families. The monks have beautiful farms, they do a lot of good work with the poor, bake bread, and are very peaceful. The local at least some of them hate that, bunch of foreigners. The junior hockey league got itself in big trouble a few days ago, a young 16 year old player thought it was ok to say to non-whites that they did not belong because hockey is a white man sports. This was said in front of the coaches, parents, referees. All pretended that they heard nothing, until it hit the news and now it’s the old “zero tolerance for that sort of thing” and we are doing an investigation. Sure you are, it’s a cover your ass exercise. In the meantime teams from Nova Scotia are boycotting PEI and will not play games here. Change is happening slowly and it’s a good thing.

In other news, today I bought a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau 2021, a young wine that must be drunk before the end of the year, it does not keep. Strangely enough they kept the display with the whiskey section. I had to ask in order to find it. Beaujolais nouveau has to be served at 15C which is considered room temperature. That is cool but this is the way to enjoy it.

This year it is said to be very fruity and the French also make a new Beaujolais Nouveau Rosé. Will have to see how it taste.

St-Andrew’s Day

Tags

Birthday, Dad, life, Scotland

Today the 30th November is my late father’s Birthday, he would have been 91 years old.

He had 2 middle names Cyril and Andre but for some unknown reason only used the middle initial C. and never A.

Dad on his 80th Birthday in Greece.

It is also the Scottish National Day, St-Andrew being the Patron of Scotland for more than 1000 years, despite the fact that he never set foot in Scotland.

I have to start thinking of Christmas Cards and posting them. I will do some electronically but sending a paper card is also very nice and a bit old fashion.

With the end of the Year upon us soon I was looking for a wall calendar for the New Year but could not find anything I wanted, too many cute pussycat calendar or homey folksy calendar. Whatever happened to artful calendars?

It has sort of started to snow, but not really. We had a few flurries but it all melts before it hits the ground and lots of rain and wind. Generally speaking it is still mild, though tonight it will go down to -2C.

Images from foreign festivities

Tags

cuisine, Family, Food, life, US Thanksgiving.

On American thanksgiving both my sister and my brother who are American Citz sent pictures of what they were doing. My sister and her husband got dinner at a Jewish Deli they have been frequenting for decades. My brother and his wife who live in Florida had roast beef. My brother loves to BBQ and he is very good at it, he also like to use his smoker and that is how he cooked the prime rib. I wish I had been there because I know how good it must have been.

Cooked just the way I like it. What a nice piece of beef. He served it with asparagus.

I do not know where he got his Continental Airline Apron. Years ago he use to be an airline mechanic.

Hopefully in 2022 we can visit and see each other. I also hope that my sister will come up to visit PEI.

Two sweets for Xmas

Tags

Christmas, cooking, Holiday, life, Plum Pudding, Recipe

Today in the mail we received a wonderful gift, a tradition that started 40 years ago, when our friend J.H. started making his own high quality fruit cake soaking in brandy. Every year since we get a special fruit cake. I do not know of any other better fruit cake than the one he makes, it is a marvel and so delicious and moist. Every year without fail, we get one, even when I was posted half way around the world, it would arrive in H.M. diplomatic pouch.

So we always have one fruit cake that is one year old, kept deliciously moist by the brandy. The other one we just received we will keep till next year.

Also because last Sunday was Stir-up Sunday, it is time to make Christmas Plum Pudding and the recipe you follow is either your family’s or in our case the one favoured by King George V and used today by his grand-daughter Queen Elizabeth II. On Christmas day at lunch we will pour brandy over it and set it alight before serving with hard sauce. I especially like cold plum pudding the next morning for breakfast.

We boiled the plum pudding today and it filled the house with the most rich and delicious smell. To me this is what Christmas smells like.

It is still drizzling rain for the last 3 days and everything is a brilliant green, it is not cold, apparently Sunday will be sunny. That would be nice, we have had rain now for 6 days, with low clouds and fog.

We are also starting to plan for Christmas day lunch at home.

Our home made Xmas Plum Pudding. Delicious. Now it goes into the fridge all wrapped up until Christmas day.

Well it is almost time

Tags

life, November, PEI

Tomorrow Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, we are going to dinner with American friends who have lived in PEI for 29 years now. They are very interesting people and live in a house that was once part of the big mansion across the street that belonged to a Father of Confederation. At some point one wing was detached and moved across the street. It is a beautiful house which has been very well taken care of. They also have a large treed garden.

P. is a very good cook and she spent some years living in Asia and is preparing Lacquered Peking Duck which is one of my favourite dishes. So I am looking forward to this dinner, American Thanksgiving with a twist.

Our friends also have a new 10 week old puppy, a very smart dog and he is adorable and with the personality to boot. He will probably grow to be a 20 lbs dog. Beautiful coat of gray, white with black spots, he is a type of shepherd herding dog.

The City is decorated for Christmas, people have put up their own decorations. Though in the last 2 days it has been rain, rain, and wind. A cold blustery wind is blowing which feels like -3C when in fact it is +6C. We may get some wet snow, what we need is some sun. Everything looks so gloomy.

Tomorrow Thursday is a busy day for me. Who knew that retirement could be so busy.

43 Anniversary

Tags

life, PEI, relationship

So the atmospheric river did not happen as predicted. You may wonder what does that mean, it is a new term the weather people have crafted to indicate a storm which covers a very long and wide area and brings lots of rains, provoking floods and very high winds. British Columbia suffered such a phenomenon last week, with highways washed away, cities stranded cut off from the world, mudslides, etc. This is what climate change brings folks. It is not the last of the storms, another one is on the way. After the disastrous forest fires all Summer long and the heat dome which killed 600 people with record heat at 50C. you are cooking in such weather, people should get used to it, it’s our future. Covid 19 is still very present and now we are told that it is not going away and may in fact be with us for years to come. Health experts are saying that the vaccine against covid will probably be required annually in order to avoid the worst. Facial mask will become a fixture. Oh Joy!

Here in PEI, again the weather is much warmer than normal around 12 C which is the same as Rome this week. We have few Covid Cases and though the weather brought us lots of rain in the last few days it is manageable and the winds are high but that is typical for this time of the year.

Though I do find that many people still think this is just a phase and that covid will go away. Or that Climate change is not that bad, just wait folks, PEI is nothing more than a sandbar of red sandstone and dirt. Ask anyone who lives close to the coast how much property frontage they lost in the last 10 years, it’s an eye opener.

PEI produces 20% of all potatoes grown in Canada, our potatoes are banned since yesterday from entering the USA because of a fungus which kills crops. It is not dangerous to humans but can ruin crops in no time at all. This means financial disaster for many farmers on PEI. It will also disrupt trucking and with no tourism our other industry, it all spells economic doom.

On a happier note, Will and I are celebrating 43 years together. Many tell us it is an achievement. We think where has the time gone. So happy to be together and still in good health.

Will and Me in the early years.

Will and I in 2021

More souvenirs

Tags

Copenhagen, Denmark, life, sandwiches, Tivoli garden

I came across this picture and it reminded me of Copenhagen and the wonderful smørrebrød sandwiches they have.

On a trip to Copenhagen to visit friends, I discovered those open face sandwiches at lunchtime, so simple and good.

Open face smørrebrød sandwiches and such a variety on dark rye bread, wonderful idea for lunch.

Always enjoyed my travel to Denmark, there is a certain aesthetic quality to the country.

The other site I like visiting in Copenhagen was the Tivoli Gardens, it is a magical place and it is more than 178 years old, opening in 1843. The creator of this amusement park / garden was Georg Carstensen who convinced King Christian VIII to give him a Royal Charter to create this place on 15 acres on the ramparts of the old city. The argument he used was to say to the King, ”when people are amusing themselves they do not think of revolution”.

From its beginning Tivoli included a variety of attractions: buildings in the exotic style of an imaginary Orient: a theatre, band stands, restaurants and cafés, flower gardens, and mechanical amusement rides such as a merry-go-round and a primitive scenic railway. After dark, colored lamps illuminated the gardens. On certain evenings, specially designed fireworks could be seen reflected in Tivoli’s lake, a remnant of the moat surrounding the city fortifications.

In 1874, a Chinese-style Pantomimeteatret (pantomime theatre) took the place of an older smaller theatre. The audience stands in the open, the stage being inside the building. The theatre’s “curtain” is a mechanical peacock’s tail. Will had spoken to me about this curtain and he has at home a small paper and wood reproduction of the theatre. From the very beginning, the theatre was the home of Italian pantomimes, introduced in Denmark by the Italian Giuseppe Casorti. This tradition, dependent on the Italian Commedia dell’Arte, has been kept alive; it portrays the characters Cassander (the old father), Columbine (his beautiful daughter), Harlequin (her lover), and, especially popular with the youngest spectators, the stupid servant Pierrot. The absence of spoken dialogue is an advantage, for Tivoli is now an international tourist attraction.

The pantomime Chinese theatre with the famous peacock tail curtain. I found this old fashion pantomime wonderful. I think Will was a little surprised I liked it so much. Tivoli also has real live peacocks walking about, a peacock is a very big bird and can be nasty. So just yield to them on the path, they do not give way.

Hotel Nimb in the Tivoli Garden, quite beautiful. It is a Luxury boutique hotel.

Harlequin and Colombine part of the pantomime show.

If you go to Copenhagen, stop to spend some time at Tivoli, it is well worth it. Have a meal in one of the beautiful restaurants or just stroll about admiring the gardens.

Markets

Tags

Food Market, Italy, life, Rome

I recently purchased a new computer and I am going through a bunch of photos some 11K to be exact.

Many I no longer want and sometimes cannot remember what I am looking at. However this photo jumped at me.

Mercato Via Alessandria, Roma

This was our market in Rome about 3 blocks from our house. It was and is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 1pm. It sells, all manners of vegetables and fruits in Season, no imports here. Italian cheeses, farm eggs, meat, olives, olive oil, the best is sold in December/January, flowers, freshly made pasta, freshly baked breads, local Roman wine, which is good for the table or cooking. No frozen foods here. This photo was taken in March, I know because you can see artichokes on sale and they only appear in March. All of what you see on sale comes from the farms in the Lazio region around Rome. The exception is bananas and oranges which are not grown in Italy.

When you shop, it is better to go early, that is what the old ladies do, to get the best selection. It is a pleasure to shop in this environment, everything is beautifully displayed with great care by the vendors. No big corporations here, the Italian Government has been very careful to encourage/protect local instead of big box. It’s very local for locals and all in Italian of course. I learned the terms use for measurement of how much you wish to buy, you can say one kilo, but let’s say you wish to buy less, like 100 or 200 grams the word is Un Etto or Due Etti, it’s informal Italian.

The protocol of shopping here is that you touch nothing and do not serve yourself. You say hello to the vendor, first, then ask for what you want, the vendor will take care of choosing for you and bagging it all. Very civilized.

As for fish, you have to go to the fish merchant, which is located nearby, but go early, before 10am, they usually close by 11:30am. What you will see on display is what was available today, it changes constantly. So you have to be flexible on what type of fish or seafood you want, because we are in Italy, you will find local fish, nothing imported. There is a good variety. You can also buy fish in some grocery chain store but again the selection is based on daily catch.

Italians are fussy about food and what they buy, freshness and good quality is everything. I have seen arguments between some lady and the vendors, it’s all polite but has the tone of a police interrogation. Vendors have to be able to tell where their supplies come from and when it arrived. When it come to fish or seafood, the old lady will want to see the books for arrival dates. Don’t try to fool them, you do so at your peril. That women buying from you is cooking for her family, it is a question of honour.

I only wish that here in Canada, we would be so fussy, I cannot imagine someone not knowing how to cook or not knowing what type of cheese, vegetable or meat to buy, everyone would think you are poorly educated. Same for wines, I forget how many labels there are in Italy, I believe it is above 27000. You have to know your stuff and if you don’t at least ask for suggestions without showing you ignorance.

All these markets in Rome, there is one per neighbourhood, most of them were built between 1926-1935 by Mussolini’s government.

This and that

Tags

dachshunds, life, Nora, PEI

So I went with Nick to the vet for his eyes and I am returning with him next week for a follow up.

Going through old photos tonight on my computer I have one of Nick on 23 March 2021, his eyes are fine, no problems with cataracts, by June he had a problem and it has been progressing quickly since.

We got our Flu Shot yesterday, no after effects. Now with the weather getting colder and the first North-Eastern wind storm tomorrow at 50Km per hour, this tells me it is time now to phone the garage to have the tires changed to winter and get a tune up.

Evenings are strangely quiet, no cars and no one on the streets. We went out dining last night with friends at one of the few open restaurants in town, it was full and we had reservations. People love to dine in groups of 6 or more which I find unpleasant. Four people for dinner is plenty in a restaurant. I noticed also that the menus have been simplified if you can it that, soup, salad, sandwiches, pasta, fish and chips, sirloin steak. It reads like a lunch menu. The dessert lists is very simple, always a date toffee pudding, a chocolate cake, a cheese cake. It was good but nothing more.

Our Nora who comes from a long line of European champion tracking wire hair Dachshunds, is always on the hunt and is our guard dog. For a 12 lbs dog she has a very loud bark. She is in the habit of trying to eat just about anything on her walks, two morning in a row, she has been sick because she ate dead leafs or bark or whatever she thinks looks good. So this morning she got a good bath and her blankets where washed. She does not like the bath but this time around she was easy about it. She is very funny and this is why we find her so endearing.

She is quite jealous of Nicky and does not want him to get too much attention, she gives out dirty looks if she gets jealous. At night Nick goes to bed at 10pm it’s his habit and he does it without being prompted. Nora loves to bundle on the sofa and she would much prefer to just sleep there if she could have her way. So now at night we have this game, she will go to her kennel to sleep and get her cookie or her home made baked liver treat. Close the lights and she starts to whimper, we come and have a look, she runs to the sofa in the living room, all the while giving us the sad pleading look. We bring her back to the kennel and give her another treat. She starts again this whimpering, she has a one track mind and is good at manipulation to get her way. Nicky is sleeping ignoring all this nonsense. Eventually, she goes to sleep, but not before making her point. It is a great game.

Nora