good things happening

- my cousin and buddy Scottie is becoming a first time father, possibly tomorrow, his birthday. Yay Scottie!
- I accomplished my first head stand in yoga class unsupervised this week: meaning I stayed up without support. Woohoo!
- a good buddy opened up her tickle trunk of old camera's last night and said "have at it". I can't wait to show you images of these old beauties, not to mention playing with them
- my morning runs are just that, running more, jogging less, and it makes me feel exhilarated and capable of more
- I'm soon going to be making something of all these pears in my kitchen. I'm thinking pear butter and pear jam or jelly. But most of all, sliced pear with some amazing stinky cheese. mmmmm.

Right now I am:
sitting in an office surrounded by the mini storm my boss likes to leave behind from a brief visit
stuffing my face with cheddar rice crackers
wearing a new ring I just made from a clear plastic bag that was not too long ago filled with dark chocolate almonds
wanting to leave work early
thinking about my yoga class tonight and hoping my body doesn't hurt as much as it did last week
thinking I need to listen to Radiohead after just reading rave reviews by two friends within a span of 5 minutes

around the yard

There is a bucket full of pears in my kitchen. This is from one tree and there's still more to be picked. I think I'll be doing some canning this season of pears, beans and tomatoes.

And then there's this little muffin head. Every time I'm in the kitchen, up she gets from her resting place waiting for something to fill her belly. She so dislikes her picture taken so I had to be quick and grab this one. She inevitably turns her head every time I position the camera in front of her and walks away. Here she still thought there was a chance I was going to give her a treat. After this it was game over. Is she not the cutest ever? Ilovehersomuch!There are men re-roofing next door and the tar fumes are everywhere. I even have a tar taste in my mouth. ewww

Tonight I am going to the theatre to see this movie. I can't remember the last movie I saw at the theatre it's been so long. I'll let you know the outcome.

I'm back. If ever so briefly. It's a bit hard, I discovered, being so very much away from civilization. Here's what I've been up to on my week's holiday so far:

swimming and more swimming
getting muddy with all the rain
eating fried green tomatoes
kayaking and getting swamped by waves just as I'm heading to shore
taking pictures of waves while in the water and being ever so careful not to fall with camera in hand
reading a novel of short stories by Joan Didion - she makes me feel a bit inferior
peeing in the grass or off the porch (there is no one around to witness this)
going for boat rides
playing cards

What are you doing?

Hank and Lily is the name of the duo who captivated me with their live performance this weekend.
This is their website. I didn't know anything about them before this w/e and still wonder if they are one of those bands who are best listened to live, so I can't say that what you'll hear is anything like what I experienced live. Essentially Hank appears on stage with goggles and a mask, and Lily with deer antlers while playing a saw that emits an eerie, yet wonderful sound. They pounded the outdoor stage after the sun went down and sang the song, Don't be Afraid. And honestly, I was a little afraid, but I edged closer to the stage just the same. I was spellbound by their odd looks, the crazy sound of the saw and most of all, the sound of Hank's voice behind his mask. It was definitely the highlight of the show. These two are not to be missed live.

On another note, we have had more lightning this summer than I think we've had in any 12 month period. It rains almost every day for no more than about 15 minutes, then the clouds move past and the sun shines brightly for the remainder of the day. The rain is no hassle b/c it doesn't stick around and has given us a great growing season. But as I write this up and see and hear lightning and thunder outside, I wonder where my cloud/lightning images are? Why haven't I taken any? hmmm.

Had a great day today in Prince Edward County. Went to The Inn on Lake on the Mountain and had a fabulous lunch of grilled portobello mushroom and goat cheese panini with spring salad. Later we rolled into quaint Bloomfield where I bought a blue and white mexican table cloth. Feeling a bit thirsty we then steered to one of the many wineries in this area. We stopped at Huff Estates for a glass of Pinot Gris and a very smooth panacotta while looking out over the grape vines. All of my senses were happily quenched by day's end.

I'm on holiday this week, so my presense here may be sparse!

Here I am delivering on my promise. Feast your eyes on this blueberry and peach cobbler. I would have shown a picture of the insides, but this guy was on his way to be consumed at a potluck. It was tasty and if you want to make it yourself, it's very easy. Here's how:
recipe from The Kitchen Diaries;

fruit:
ripe peaches - 3
blueberries - 3-1/2 cups
the juice of a lemon
natural cane sugar - heaping teaspoon
spelt flour - heaping tablespoon

crust:
spelt flour - 1-1/2 cups
a pinch of salt
baking powder - 2-1/2 teaspoons
natural cane sugar - heaping teaspoon
butter, cut into small pieces - 6 tablespoons
sour cream - 4 ounces

oven at 400ºF. mix flour, salt, baking powder, sugar and butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. slice peaches and toss with blueberries, lemon juice, sugar and flour; pour into shallow pie dish/tin. mix sour cream into crumb mixture. break off balls of the dough and flatten them lightly; lay them on top of fruit; dust with a bit of sugar. bake for 25 minutes until it is golden and fruit is bubbling.

*if your fruit is not sweet add more sugar.*

Things of late that make me happy:
- going to the grocery store and looking at the vegetables realizing I don't need to buy any b/c they're all in my garden!
- the amazing clouds we've had all summer long. they're big, puffy and many. it's a pleasure to have my head in the clouds
- last night's performance of the Hootenanny Review! It was a raucous, knee slappin' good time I tell ya! A performance from a guy and girl from Victoria whose name I still don't know, but will share when I find out...they were a hit with their unique sound and stage presence.

Enjoy, enjoy the weekend!

cornucopia

Has anyone else noticed the abundance of spiders this season? Must be from all the rain. I wake up every morning with a new bite, either from a spider or mosquito, which leaves me scratching in some not so appropriate places while in public if you catch my drift, and I think you do. The rain has made this a great growing season. My pear tree is brimming with goodness and my vegetable garden, well, it just shines. I've been gorging on fruit, berries mostly, all season. I put 'em in shakes, on cereal, in salads, or just shove them in my mouth, either way it's all good. Tomorrow I'm buying my first basket of peaches from which I'll share with you their transformation into some sweet concoction! Which reminds me, this is the first year my peach tree has produced any fruit. They're still apricot sized, and I don't think they're going to get any bigger, but I'm certain b/c I fed my trees this spring is why I'm being blessed with mucho frutas.
What seasonal foods have your tummy rumbling?

ps. I realize the image doesn't match the content, but I picked the image first and the rest came later. just so you know. ;)