Day Seventy Eight - Rhubarb

Dear all,

In my meteoric rise towards becoming the ultimate domestic goddess, on the way to work this morning, I bought some fresh Rhubarb from the fabulous Meesters ( and some asparagus - I couldn't help but pick up another 5 dollar 'block').

I decided to whip out a rhubarb crumble before I left for the day. The fabulous Lorraine ( moonlighting as an organic farmer but a mighty head chef by trade) was my guide as I took to the stove. I borrowed a recipe from the BBC Good Food http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/rhubarbcrumble_11396 which said it would produce a fabulous crumble 'no mater what your ability'. Perfect for me therefore.

Various videos document the event below. I accidentally swept up D's camera yesterday but this allowed me to film a pretty long video ( I need a new memory card on mine - the trials and tribulations of daily blogging.. sigh). I had never cooked rhubarb before and I was actually very pleased with the result. I think the trick was in the roasting of the Rhubarb with sugar and water for 10 minutes and then a magic sprinkle of ginger before topping with the crumble.. delicious! The entire crumble had 'mysteriously disappeared' before 8am the next morning. I think this counts as a good sign.

It tasted great! Healthy yet felt a little naughty.. the perfect desert. I must now cook one up for Darren!

Note to Mum and Jo: Please don't be alarmed about the content of the attached films.

And in other news:

1. Sex in the City 2: My darling Karla and I sat through two and a half hours of a veritable fashion feast in the form of Sex in the City Two. It may not have the best plot line in the world, but my genes are pre-disposed to loving everything about Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte and therefore, I did. I recommend the film to all girls. And all boys who like Liza Minelli ( the best cameo in cinematic history)

Day Seventy Seven - Bison

Dear all,

I am advancing as a meat eater! Today I ate Bison!!!! On the way back from Owen Sound and stuck behind a someone who thought it 'fun' to drive at 50 km/h in an 80 zone.. [the driving equivalent of Chinese Water Torture] I decided to stop off at Black Angus Meats after a recommendation from Vince regarding 'interesting meats'.

Now, being a meat-eating novice, in retrospect I should have had Darren with me on first visit to Black Angus as on arrival I was introduced to a carnivores haven in the form of every random meat known to man. Upon turning off Highway 26 onto a dirt track you are directed towards what seems like an old barn. But on opening the door, you are transported to the most fabulous food emporium, beautifully displayed and a sight for hungry eyes.

They have EVERYTHING.

I was drawn inexplicably to the 'Bison' counter and picked out some burgers and dried 'Montreal' Bison. The owner of the shop ( had an English twang to his accent and was wearing a very fashionable apron) found me most amusing as I whooped with joy over my purchase. I literally raced home to show D my booty. He was quite amused by my purchase and also took note of the plethora of blogging-material that he was sure was going to come out of that shop ( They have everything; kangaroo, rattlesnake etc etc) and end up in his freezer..

But we had a fabulous dinner. Mark from the next door condo popped over and we had Bison burgers on the BBQ. They tasted great; very lean and tasty. Especially wonderful with asparagus from Meesters and Caesar Salad! Delicieux!

A mini video for your delights:

Day Seventy Six - Lobster Fest

Dear all,
Summer is here and what a way to celebrate than the legendary Lobster Fest, held at the Beaver Valley Arena, Thornbury every year.






I arrived at around 6:15 to an already packed venue. There had been a stream to buses transporting lobster-lovers to the event but as I was heading onto Owen Sound for a late night soiree with Vince and Kerry, I drove... and therefore didn't drink ( this part is important)



This event was huge and I mean Huge! The arena was literally 'an arena' filled to the brim with tables, lobster, people and beer. It came to light very quickly that although we were all there to celebrate out mutual love for eating lobsters, the theme of the evening was drinking and my oh my, there was drinking. In the parking lot; on the buses; in the toilets; in the line up; on the dance floor; ooo and whilst eating at the tables.


We had a formidible tribe of Anna, Dave, Di, Nadia and the mighty Marc from Panama! As I ventured deeper into the crowds, I spotted so many people I knew and my darling Kar;w was there with Jay and her sister Candice and Adam. It was awesome.



Marc had bought everyone fabulous Hawaiian shirts and with shirt adorned, Anna, Marc and i made our way to the Lobster-den. Everyone was merry, we were giving salad and the main event, not one... but TWO lobsters. I named mine immediately so as to form a bond: Pinchy 1 and Pinchy 2.



Back at the table, Dave led a brilliant mini-workshop in Lobster-wrangling ( he has an ingenious method od extracting the meat [whole] from the claw and I dove in. It was delicious!!


As the evening went on, the air became thick with debauchery as folks from all walks of life were finishing their dinners and concentrating on the heavy drinking. The dance floor was shaking by 9pm when I slunk out, the band was playing and everyone was having a brilliant time.



Thanks again to everyone, it was amazing! I can't wait to hear all the stories in the morning...

And in other news:
1. After I left Lobster fest, I made for Owen Sound where I arrived bang on time for meal number two ( steak bbq), plentiful fine wine and a fabulous evening with Darren, Vince, Kerry and their wonderful neighbors Christy and Todd. After abstaining during L-Fest, I soon caught up... and many bottles of wine later... anyway, it was the morning again. Another brilliant evening with Vince and Kerry, thank you both!!!

Day Seventy Five - Hummingbirds

Dear all,

I experienced mother nature at her beautiful best this evening. While sitting on Connie and Gerry's porch sipping a lovely large glass of Italian Red, we were suddenly surrounded by hummingbirds!

Connie puts out feeders of sugar water and as we sat on her veranda, we watched the hummingbirds swoop and buzz around, doing their mating dance and stopping off now and again for a bite to eat. It was magical.

Sadly due to the speed of the hummingbirds, I was unable to get a good photo, but it was just wonderful, the stuff you find in fairy tales..

Day Seventy Four - Veal Burgers

Dear all

More meat on the agenda today and it came in the shape of homemade 'veal burgers'; A total delight when Darren came home and exclaimed that he was 'going to make some burgers'. Hurrah. Boy oh boy, did he excel.



I kid you not: D produced pretty much the perfect burger in around 10 minutes flat. I was [obviously] watching intently. He threw a packet of minced veal into a bowl, chucked in chopped onions, garlic, salt, pepper and a couple of eggs and mixed [with one hand] the ingredients whilst starting to make small balls out of the mixture. He shaped the balls of Veal-dough into spheres with a small dip in the middle and they were ready to go. While he was making the burgers he was relaying various brilliant tit-bits of informations regarding keeping the burgers held together, chopping, etc etc. He is truly the master and commander.

The epic Veal fest coincided with several men randomly fixing up the upper and lower balcony in our condo - I am sure they enjoy the smell of veal burgers cooking away.







Other major highlights included the 'beer and chipolte' sauce braised on the burgers and the Vidalia Onions. I didn't realize that Vidalia Onions tasted so sweet, almost like a watermelon! D told me about his uncle's onions in florida that you could eat like an apple. There is certainly nothing like that in the UK! And perfect for burger buns and sandwiches.



The grand finale!!! What a feast! SO delicious, I can barely verbalize it. Each bun was rammed full of the most incredible delights from D's fridge; relish, gherkins, peppers, mustard. It was just divine. Darren, its true: You excel on a daily basis.

Picture of me eating a veal burger that is almost the size of my head..

Day Seventy Three - Jet Ski and Georgian Bay Submersion

Dear all,

Still basking in the sunshine and I was treated to a double whammy of joy today as Darren took me out to the lake for some summer fun and frolics. Two birds killed with one stone, some might say, as today i not only rode on a jet ski for the first time but I also submerged myself fully under the water... in May.. in Canada. (Note to all: Growing up in Cornwall, UK is good training for swimming in Canada's Great lakes. Both are blooming freezing)

Darren's good friend and neighbor, Mark, was kind enough to allow us to take his 'Sea-Doo' ( summer version of a 'Ski-Doo') out for a spin. It was an INCREDIBLE evening and once we had worked out how to start the Sea-Doo in neutral, ( starting in 'drive' can cause you many immediate problems) I was off!

I took it very easy (it is not permitted to make too much of a raucous in the marina: people get angry) but on the second time around, Darren hopped on and with him at the helm [very much more skilled], we raced around the bay doing some cheeky little manoeuvres before heading back in to shore.

Once we had packed up the Sea-Doo and D suggested that I 'take a little dip in the water' as we had barely received a splash whilst out on the lake. 'OK' I replied. So.. off to the sea-wall we went. The water submersion is documented in the attached video. Darren once again proving he is a accomplished Narrator and Cameraman. (n.b. Next time, he is going in too )

In conclusion, it was a fantastic evening but my, my, my, my, I was glad I had followed D's advice and wore his wetsuit (despite it being a 'little' too long in the torso which allowed large bubbles of cold water to blob up on entry to water). During the month of May ( or even June, July and August) here in Canada, such an item can prove a life saver!

And in other news:
We won at Trivia! Topic: Famous Women. An iconic evening in that it was the first Wednesday night trivia to be held in the beer garden. Summer is officially here! (The winning team was Anna, Rich, Darren and I; Anna and Rich are both teachers and very wise to boot and with the super-brain of Darren, it was a magnificent win!).


Another brilliant evening!

Day Seventy Two - Lawn Mowers and Sunburn

Dear all,

We are slap bang in the middle of a blistering heat wave here in Collingwood so I took upon myself to spend the entire day, outside, fully exposed to the midday sun, mowing lawns. I am sad not to have photo evidence of my endeavors (busy day at the inn and no one around to be cameraman).. but also grateful, as today I mysteriously turned a magnificent shade of pink. Oh yes, I got burnt good and proper. Why oh why do we Brits feel invincible against the sun... because we never see it; because we like fighting battles; because we have no concept whatsoever of the documented danger of prolonged exposure to the sun.... Or maybe all of the above...

Anyway, I mowed the lawn using a 'pushy-motorized-device'. It was the first time I have ever used such a thing ( a big surprise to D given my love for all things green) but I tell ya, with over 100 acres to mow, there was no time to waste.




Above: Lorraine modeling the 'out-of-control walk way' look. Below, the end result: Fresh, spongy and expansive gardens and a very burnt me. Darren fed me vitamins and gave me a 'gentle' advisory comment about life almost always being a shade better when one's skin is not on fire..

I never learn, gaaaa.





And in other news:
1. A 'years supply' of Dorset cereal arrived: Seven boxes and an embossed cereal bowl. I fear that the rate in which Darren and I eat this most excellent of cereals, the year's supply will be fully accounted for before the week is out.

We are however, very grateful for Dorset Cereal for sending us this wonderful case of goodness. I am spreading the word of Dorset, this cereal is FABULOUS!


2. Today, Una and I spent quality time skipping around the orchard.

She is such a beauty.

Day Seventy One - Solar Heated Swim

Dear all,

We are in the middle of a HEAT WAVE and I love it! 30oC today and with the pool open, I thought it only proper and correct to dive forth and greet summer with a big splash!

I managed to persuade fellow Brit, Lorraine to join me in my quest so at around 5pm we striped down to our swimming togs and took the plunge.

We now have solar heating rigged up above the Gazebo that Big Paul built, which meant the water was a very temperate 70oC due to an ingenious method of heating the water through a long pipe that lines the roof. It works a treat and the water was heavenly. It is also a salt water pool so you avoid the classic 'red eye' you get from heavy-duty chlorine. All in all, its wonderful.

I love the summer!

Day Seventy - Breakfast at the Fairmont

Dear all,

Day Two of our fabulous adventure to Ottawa. We awoke on a blistering summer day with temperatures knocking on the door of 30oC and the world was our oyster. We were staying at the magnificent Chateau Laurier, Ottawa http://www.fairmont.com/laurier. It was incredible. Next to the government buildings of Ontario, on the lake looking over to Quebec and could have been mistaken for Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

Due to our random upgrade to the 'Gold' floor.. we were treated to Breakfast in Bed ( sigh ) and sent the morning swishing around in robes and reading the 'Ottawa Gazette'.

We left the hotel with happy hearts, full bellies and our' Fairmount' takeout coffees and headed back to Collingwood with some cheeky stop-offs en route.

We stopped off in Denbigh to check out a 'rock shop' a veritable emporium of all things 'semi precious' and popped into Bancroft to sample the local Tim Horton's special and check out the book shop ( always a joy)

It was a fabulous road trip and we got back to a kilo of fresh cherries and 'Where the Wild Things Are'. Blissful

Day Sixty Nine - Canadian Wedding

Dear all,

Sorry to all for the delay on this post.. I have been off on a fabulous adventure to Ottawa with Darren and temporarily separated from the internet ( well apart from Darren's phone - which, I might add, is a genius addition to any road trip allowing access to an infinite number of trivia questions)

Darren and I set off at sunrise for Ottawa armed with coffee and our Sunday best. We were heading to the wedding of a very old friend of D's, Alistair, who was getting married to his beautiful bride, Katrina at St. Josephs Church in downtown Ottawa. Wonderful Anne had given us directions to Ottawa via the incredible back roads of Ontario. It was a stunning ride with no traffic and took around 6 hours with a couple of cheeky stops ( 6 hrs = a 'stone-throw' in Canada).

After checking into the Fairmount ( details to follow...) and receiving a random gift from the gods in the form of an upgrade onto the 'Gold' floor.. I knew the stars were truly aligned and this was going to be an amazing weekend. We had a quick turnaround and in a blink of an eye, the posh frocks were on and we were running down the highways of Ottawa using D's phone as a GPS as our guide ( as many will know, I have made a habit of being 'exactly' on time for weddings.. in one instant I was caught running down the aisle after the bridesmaids...].

The wedding was lovely, held at a fantastic setting and the bride and groom were beaming: it was lovely to see. Having arrived in bright sunshine, the skies had opened during the course of the 30 minute ceremony so suddenly we found ourselves 'land-locked' in the church.

Despite the rain, D and I managed to slink out after the ceremony as we had an hour or two to kill and we found ourselves in the wonderful markets of Ontario. We settled into a Scottish bar where D recommended the 'in flight' selection of beers where I would have 4 'mini' pints of different beers as opposed to one big one. Oooo lalala. 'mini' pints are lethal! It was wonderful.

So after a few mini pints, we 'skipped' back to the reception with sparkly eyes and ready for anything. It was a lovely meal, I met loads of great people, great speeches, lots of photos and it was wonderful that D caught up with old pals from uni that he hadn't seen in a while. Alastair looked so happy, it was wonderful to see: love is the answer my friends and these two were a tribute to that in every way.

My biggest tribute of the night has to go to Darren. Darren, you are amazing.

Please note: there are many more photos like the ones below (I selected the best ones for the blog: There are many )