…off to the cottage
See you when I get back. Enjoy the last weekend before school starts for another year.
Happy Labour Day Week-end
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Category Archives: Happiness File
A Special Visit
….arriving from London, England
On Thursday of last week, our son and his family flew in from London, England for a two week visit. It was a rocky start because Kevin and I were in the Emergency department of the hospital when Brendan’s flight arrived and we weren’t able to pick them up.
Luckily Kevin is okay but we felt we had to have him checked out after he had a nasty fall at home. After six hours of tests and waiting we were relieved to find out that there were no broken bones or internal injuries, just a nasty bruise, swelling and considerable pain.
Brendan’s flight wasn’t without complications either. In Montreal they had to change planes and just before take-off a truck hit the plane so there was a delay to make sure that there was no damage to the plane.
On Friday, we spent most of the day at home so that the family could recover from jet lag and Kevin could get some much needed rest. Andrea and Josie came over later to visit with the family and we had a very relaxed dinner in the backyard. I took Sevin to the garden and had her help me with harvesting some of the tomatoes and a squash. She was delighted.
On Saturday, another special visitor came to stay for a week from the east coast. More about that tomorrow.
The Rockies
…road trip to Banff
The morning started off cool and rainy. My brother-in-law lent us his old pickup truck which he affectionately calls Lucille, and we drove through the foothills of Alberta towards the Rocky Mountains.
As we got closer to Banff we started to see some of the mountains through the clouds but it wasn’t until we returned later that evening that we realized how much of the scenery had been obscured by the clouds. We were in awe.
As we approached Banff:
Throughout the day the weather constantly changed but towards late afternoon the sun started to peak though the clouds.
Not wanting to drive back to Calgary in the dark we left Banff around 7:00. This is when we realized how much of the Rockies we didn’t see in the morning.
Visitor on the Porch Railing
…couldn’t believe that this critter sat still long enough to get two great shots
After the Rain
…as the sun was setting we set off for a walk along the beach
A Perfect Weekend to Lay a New Floor at the Cottage
…it pretty much rained the entire weekend
For years I’ve wanted to put down a nice light coloured vinyl floor in the cottage. When the flooring went on sale I quickly snatched it up and started to put it down by myself a couple of weeks ago. I bought a very small amount to see how easily it would come together and decided that with a little bit of help it was a doable project. So, last week after coming back from the cottage I returned to the store and bought 10 more boxes.
After two solid days of work we managed to lay down all the flooring we had. It was hard work but very rewarding. I’m still recuperating two days later.
The other good thing that happened this weekend is that we purged a lot of items that were on an old handmade open cupboard that was meant to be temporary (kept it for over 30 years) and we cleaned out the old storage bins under the counters. We made room in the antique oak cupboard and filled it with some of the dishes from the old cupboard. The remaining items went into the new storage boxes for now. We took the old shelf outside. It looks so much better.
Happy Father’s Day at the Cheltenham Badlands
…a sunny warm day
When our daughter invited us to join her and her wife at the Cheltenham Badlands, I thought we were driving there to look, take a few photos and then drive over to Spirit Tree for lunch. When we arrived at the parking lot we discovered that they were hiking on the Bruce Trail and were about 30 minutes away from us. They suggested that we get on the trail and walk towards them. Luckily I had on walking shoes but my pants were way too warm. Nonetheless we made the short hike, met them and then hiked back toward the Badlands.
After a short walk back to the car we drove to the Spirit Tree Estate Cidery. We found a shady area under a tent and ordered cider and wood oven baked pizza.
Silent Sunday – June 18, 2023
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RDP Tuesday – Indefatiguable
….thanks to the Ragtag community for hosting RDP Tuesday https://ragtagcommunity.wordpress.com/2023/05/23/rdp-tuesday-indefatigable/
There are days when I feel like the Energizer Bunny. I can keep going and going but I do eventually crash ….for days after. Kids and animals never seem to get tired or at least that’s what they want us to think. I also have two marathon runners in the family. My husband ran marathons in his 20s and 30s and years later our oldest daughter started running marathons. She gets better with every race. They also never seem to tire during a race.
Back in my Happy Place
…after three years
You might think that my ‘happy’ place would be my studio and you would be right but on Wednesday I returned to baking bread at Montgomery’s Inn after a three year hiatus, due to COVID. Three of us were back from the original group and one other staff member spent the morning prepping dough, heating up the outdoor oven and shaping the dough.
This week and next week we’re preparing bread, not to sell but as a trial run for the big event in two weeks when the Farmers’ Market goes back outside. Routines and procedures slowly came back to us as we went through the process. A few times we asked what some pieces of equipment were used for and we had to search the inn for some crucial items. When we couldn’t find them we put them on the list to purchase. Back in the winter the inn had a flood so we think that some things were thrown away.
In the end we successfully baked 30 loaves of bread that we gave away this week to the staff and some of the vendors at the market. We had a fun day and I think that all of us found our ‘happy’ place once again. Can you tell from my selfie?
Mama Cormier 