Christmas shopping

Tags

Food, home, Jordan, London, shopping, Travel, wines, XMAS

Many years ago when I was posted to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for the holidays I would fly back to Canada with a stop in London with British Airways. Amman  to London is about 5 hours. The fun of London was the shopping. The stores had so many fun items, you just wanted to buy it all. One request was to bring home to Canada a baby Stilton, the food hall at Harrod’s had such an item. The baby Stilton is the size of a human baby, this being Stilton it is pungent and needed to be wrapped up properly for the long flight home in Business Class. London is known for its great shopping and there was all kind of great gift food items and not to mention the visit to the wine merchants, what was on offer was mind boggling, not only wines and quality vintages but a great selection of Champagnes and liqueurs of all kinds, so many wonderful choices.

Not to mention the great restaurants and things to see in Museums and galleries. There was also the theatre and so many enjoyable plays. Yes that stop in London was lots of fun, it was always guaranteed to bring home unusual gifts.

And for Xmas how about this group Out of the Blue are Oxford’s all-male singing sensation and two times UK champions of a cappella. Featured on Britain’s Got Talent in 2011 and more recently being recognised by pop-diva Shakira and press all around the world, the group combines award-winning musicality with outrageously unprofessional choreography and mostly intentional comedy! Founded in 2000, the group is made up of students from Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University. Each year brings a fresh batch of faces, voices and arrangements. They raises funds through their music for the Helen & Douglas House Hospice for Children and Young Adults a registered hospice charity based in Oxford, England, providing palliative, respite, end-of-life and bereavement care to life-limited children and young adults and their families. The Patron is HRH Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

 

 

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Events

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Charlottetown, elections, municipal, PEI, synagogue, Vote, Ward 1, XMAS

So today 5 November is Municipal election day in PEI in the 4 big towns, Charlottetown, Stratford, Cornwall and Summerside. The other places are more resort or settlements with less than 600 people living in any one spot so they simply have assembly meetings and people discuss issues and vote on them.

Charlottetown the Capital has 36,000 people, Summerside 15,000, Stratford 10,000 and Cornwall 6000. In the last 7 days we have had lots of torrential rains and during the past weekend 18 hours of 95 to 130km winds which I am told is hurricane grade, this is what happens here in the Fall and Winter Season, high winds. So canvassing was not possible and many of my electoral campaign signs just vanished or were badly damaged by the wind. What I have learned though is that you only put up your signs in the last 6 days of the campaign, no need for signs prior to that since the most important element is to meet people on their door step and chat. I did that a lot and visited them again reminding them of what we had talked about.

Today I walked around the neighbourhood and met at random people, all told me they had voted for me and why they did. I found that very encouraging, I am hoping for the best. However if I do not win it will not be the end of the world and life goes on, I do have lots of projects and volunteer work and will still keep in touch with what is going on at City Hall, which is not difficult to do in a small town.

Of course now that we are about 7 weeks from XMAS!!!! a lot of fairs and charity events are in full swing. For the Holiday Season there is a lot of food and clothing drives and gift donations for poor children.  There is a lot of poverty in PEI but it is often well hidden until like me you start walking the neighbourhood or go out in the small settlements and see how people live. Makes one wonder how they survive in Winter, when the choices between food or heat becomes stark.

One Charity we like to support is called

Christmas Tree Dress Fashion Show Fundraiser

this is part of the Santa’s Angels Charity drive, the idea is to arrange for a $50 Xmas gift for a child who has never had any gifts on Christmas Morning, it also includes food and clothing for a family who are in need.

There are many other such charity events around the Province, Farmers give out 10 pound bags of potatoes, the CBC our National Broadcaster does a turkey drive and each year will collect over 1000 turkeys for families who cannot afford to buy one. There is also a warm clothing drive for adults and for children. Visits to Seniors home and to Hospitals. The idea being not to leave anyone behind or alone.

All of it done by volunteers, hundreds of them, it is quite the operation.

This is the WESTJET Airline entry into the Xmas Tree Fashion Show.

A group photo of the Fashion show, the idea being that each dress would be appropriate for a Xmas Party event.

 

Yesterday the 4 November around 3pm the small Jewish population of Charlottetown and other residents gathered in front of Founder’s Hall, which is the old Canadian National Railway repair shops now transformed into a market place to commemorate the memory of the 11 victims of the shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg last week.  A nice quiet service attended by about 100 persons.

 

 

As seen on Highway 1

Tags

Birds, feeding, Reindeer, Santa Claus, winter, XMAS

From my car this is what appeared. Only in PEI you say…

As we approach the big day, look at this little fellow having a snack

A long standing tradition

Tags

Almond cookies, fruit cake, traditions, XMAS

For the last 38 years every Christmas we get a gift of a home made Fruit Cake from our friend John H., it never fails through the years John always gives as a Xmas gift to his close friends his own recipe fruit cake. He makes them at home and packages them which involve a lot of cheese cloth and liquor. One year I had a vintage fruit cake preserved over one year in brandy, that was very good and very special. He makes the dark and the light coloured cakes, they taste differently but in the end are quite good.

His fruit cake has nothing in common with whatever cakes you can buy in a store or from one of the Service Clubs who annually sell those insipid and dry cakes with the awful white icing on top. If you eat one of those you can be sure to never want fruit cake ever again.

So his annual Christmas fruit cake arrived yesterday afternoon with a very nice card all the way from Upper Canada courtesy of Post Canada.

 

Will also got an all Almond cookie recipe from the famous Dr. Spo in Phoenix. Will made a whole batch of them. Very good. sporeflections.wordpress.com

Little ideas for Christmas

Tags

Canada., Christmas, Delia, feast, Food, home, traditions, XMAS

Many years ago, well about 40 years ago, I remember a conversation about Christmas and meals, it had to do with what people did, one person mentioned that in her family it was always the same thing, turkey, mash potatoes and green peas, gravy and stuffing.

I thought how absolutely boring and awful, the same old thing every year, pleeeease!!!

My father always liked different things for Christmas and because he was an hotel manager, would ask the Chef to prepare something different, out of the ordinary.  One year I still remember, I must have been 15 years old then, we had Scallops in Moutarde de Meaux and cream sauce as a main dish on Christmas Eve.

One Christmas followed another and were always different and unusual. Even the tree was out of the ordinary. With my Dad it had to be, he wanted innovative, something not done by anyone.

We also had Christmas around the world, only to discover that this Holiday is very much a North American thing, in many countries were I served, Christmas was not really a holiday at all but a Western World import. The most beautiful Christmas trees and lavish food for the holiday Season was in Poland. In Italy there was no tree per se, because it is a Northern European tradition, but lots of other dishes connected to a time when Noël was a secondary holiday to Easter in the Christian calendar. In China it was largely a big consumer thing around Santa Claus, the Chinese under Communist rule had no idea what it was and pushed instead shopping as a Xmas concept, very sterile. In Mexico we had great traditions mixed with old native beliefs and will never forget that Christmas night we were in the Zocalo after midnight at the Cathedral built on top of the former great pyramid of the Aztec gods. We were able to hear the choir and see the giant choir books from the time of Hernan Cortes.

In Egypt and Jordan being Muslim countries the holiday was celebrated in a muted way though Muslims recognize Jesus as a Prophet of God and Mary has one chosen by God (Allah) with special reverence. In Jordan King Hussein Bin Talal, a great man if there ever was one, he would visit the Christians churches in Amman and bring gifts and greetings to his Christian subjects. King Hussein was a direct descendant of the Prophet Mohammed. His son King Abdallah II continues this tradition.

We do keep one tradition at Christmas and that is to have a home made Plum Pudding and to rotate dishes each year, from crown of lamb to prime rib roast beef to roasted goose. But other dishes are also important to have.

Looking at recipes here are some favourites from Dame Delia, CBE and Companion of Honour ;

Potted Pork with Juniper and Thyme, with a Marmalade of Apples, Raisins and Shallots

Prawn Cocktail

Coarse Country Pate

Chestnut Soup with Bacon and Thyme Croutons

Duck Liver Pâté with Armagnac

Rillettes of Duck with Confit of Cranberries

Pheasant Terrine

Something truly different and fun for your holiday menu. I somewhat favour patés and terrines which are good for lunch and breakfast too.

 

A new photo

Tags

Charlottetown, Gala, Laurent, PEI, Will, XMAS

This was taken last night 10 November 2017 at the Delta Hotel in Ch’Town at a gala Santa’s Angel Charity event.

I think it is a very good picture of the two of us.

 

After the storm

Tags

Canada., Charlottetown, Crown of Lamb, Great George Street, PEI, Plum Pudding, Roast Beef, Roast Goose, Rooster, Vice Regal House, XMAS

Whenever we have a Winter storm on the Island everyone becomes aware of the need to stay indoors or go home early to avoid the worst. Mostly the high winds in the vicinity of 70-90 Km per hour. We had a storm with 15cm of snow yesterday, the wind was high and the schools and businesses closed early, the Ferry Service was suspended and the Confederation Sea Bridge had an advisory and restriction on motorized traffic.

Here is a picture taken of Great George Street with the Legislature Province House in the background, it looks so European and quiet.

Or this photo in front of the Official Residence of the Lieutenant Governor, Fanningbank.

The great expanse of water where the Hillsborough meets the North River and the entrance to the Straits of Northumberland.

I really like this one of a Rooster amid the snow in the countryside. These images are poetic at this time of the year.

We are getting ready for Xmas Eve with a small get together with friends here at the house and a quiet dinner on Xmas day at home, this year on the menu is Prime Rib of Roast Beef. Each year we rotate from Roast Goose to Crown of Lamb to Roast Beef. There will be Plum Pudding of course.

 

This and that

Tags

Art Gallery, Farms, Parliament, PEI, Piazza Navona, Rachel Beach, Rome, sculptures, winter, XMAS

Our morning today started with this view looking South to the Hillsborough River from our kitchen window.

Meanwhile in Ottawa in Parliament, the Central Column of the Hall of Honour was decorated with Christmas greenery.

Back in PEI in the countryside this view

While in Rome on Piazza Navona they are having a Christmas Fair.

This evening I was at the Art Gallery of the Confederation Centre of the Arts for a Vernissage of works by Rachel Beach from NYC.

 

Interesting works, she told us that Matisse was one of her inspiration and that her work is all about texture, context, ideas on fabric and colours, forms and shapes and language. Think of ethnography, archeology, symbolism used by all cultures to communicate.

 

 

Getting there

Tags

CBC, CCOA, Charlottetown, Christmas star, Food Bank, Food drive, Friends of CCOA, Island Morning, Matt Rainie, PEI, Receiver Coffee, XMAS

Today we finished decorating our Christmas tree and as tradition dictates I put the Star on top. Same Star ornament, decades old, bought in a local store in Ottawa all those years ago for $1. a lot of sentimental value in that little tin foil star.

Today at the Confederation Centre of the Arts, the Friends of the CCOA offered as is tradition a thank you Coffee with cakes and sweets to all the staff of the Centre. All the cakes and sweets are home made by the board members,  I made oatmeal muffins which flew off the plate. We also offered Mandarins which are so popular at this time of the year.

While at coffee, our Board President was discussing next year’s decoration at the Centre with the Chief engineer. This year we did 21 Xmas trees all decorated differently this does not include all the other trees outside around the Centre. The Chief engineer was saying that he can buy a 15 foot tall tree for $40. A tree that size in any big town in Canada would go for $350.+. Here on the Island everyone does boughs and wreaths from natural products often coming from a relatives grove or farm, you just don’t buy the stuff at the store. The little grocery store I go too on Riverside, has an excellent butcher shop in the old fashion sense, they have two butchers who can advise you and give you the cut of meat you want. On the other side they have a bakery, Cristal is the baker but she also has friends who bake for her and all her breads, buns, cookies, etc. are made right there, they also have a great PEI Cheese counter and organic vegetables from the Island Farmers, you know them the names are familiar. So they also sell all kinds of greenery to make wreaths and boughs and the prices are very reasonable. Just love going to that store which is in front of the Hillsborough River.

A wreath on our Friend D.S. front door, they are made by P.S. who has a lot of talent when it comes to doing such things.

Here is another wreath on the house next door

I think those wreaths are just beautiful and all on my street, so I get to walk pass them every day.

Talking of coffee, we go at 3pm to Receiver Coffee shop on Richmond Street, the place is owned by Chris and the coffee is superior in taste and quality, the food is also very good, It is the place to go for coffee in Charlottetown. The shop sits just across from the CCOA so you get a lot of actors, artists and musicians who come in for coffee and a bite to eat. So the other day on FB, I saw this promo for the Island Morning coffee blend with Matt Rainie and Mitch Cormier who are the hosts of the CBC Island Morning Show, it is listened too by most of the population of the Island. Everyone knows Matt Rainie, so they arranged with Chris to get a coffee blend which could be sold to customers for $20. of which $10. would go to needy families and Food Banks during the Holiday Season.

 

At Christmas time a lot of groups will give money and food to the Food Bank. The CBC is doing a turkey drive and the Island Potato Farmers will give 10lbs of potatoes for one turkey given, so a family in need gets a fresh Island turkey and 10lbs of spuds. They did say on the radio tonight how many turkeys have been given so far and they already have hundreds of pounds of potatoes to go with it. Another business gave 120 pies to the CBC for the food drive and Boomer Gallant our local weatherman star went to collect them. The generosity is touching and surprising because it comes from people not Corporations or big business, many donate anonymously.

Just a final picture tonight of St-Paul’s Anglican on Grafton Street next to Province House.

St-Paul was built by William Critchlow Harris in 1896, brother of the famous Canadian Painter Robert Harris.

Only 20 days to go.

Tags

art., Ballet, Canada., Holly, painting, PEI, Potatoes, Schiaccianoci, XMAS

It occurred to me today that the Winter in PEI is a lot like the Winters in Poland.  Same gray skies and cold. Also PEI produces a lot of potatoes like Poland, in fact the Frito Lays you eat are made from PEI Potatoes from the Monahan Farms on Graham Road near Summerfield.

Another fun activity in Charlottetown in Winter is Art Classes given in Bars and restaurants, attendance is fairly high, from 50 to 125 people. The painting classes are given by established artists or art teachers. Per example the PEI Brewing Company is giving what is called ART Battle 475 on December 23. From what I have seen it goes beyond the cute pictures.

Today we started the Christmas decoration, in fact we started two days ago, a lot of prep work goes into it, a whole day polishing the 30 Sterling Silver Xmas tree balls from Neiman Marcus and other Sterling Silver ornaments like the flower medallions . Then setting up the tree and then deciding which decorations will go on this year. We have enough decorations we collected over 39 years in various countries to make 7 full grown trees. So we rotate them. While unpacking the decorations I came across tickets from 2008 Christmas Season programme for the ballet Lo Schiaccianoci at the Opera di Roma, that is Italian for Nutcracker.

Today our friend L.P. brought us a fresh bouquet of Holly branches, just beautiful. So it is all falling into place for the Holiday.

We still have to plan our Christmas Eve and Day, what will we do? I do not know, but am sure something will fall into place, am not averse to having just a quiet dinner at home.

As for Xmas gifts, I do not want anything, I have everything I want and then some. Same for Will, we are happy with our lot.

close-up our Tree 2016 edition.

The decorations and ornaments are from Russia, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Sicily, Ireland, UK, Austria, France, Germany, Poland, Hong Kong, USA, PEI, Canada, handmade, most one of a kind by artisans and bought in privately owned shops or local markets.