Sunday 3 August 2008

Carbing up

rain, torrential rain, then more rain. Temp? who cares.



Actually I did venture out around the pond - now overflowing its banks - with the dogs. Squelched around in my big rubber boots. A great look I don't care who you are. Besides that, spent the day sipping cappucino, eating orange biscotti and editing book 5.



It feels SO great to be home!!!



Drive back from Toronto yesterday was easy. Weather good, which makes a huge difference in a 7 hour drive. Michael got the worst part - just getting out of Toronto.



At some stage we stopped for gas and Tim Horton's double double coffee and a large box of Timbits. I think it's a law in Canada - you must do up your seatbelt and have an open box of Timbits. And a double, double, of course. Or you get fined.



Michael noticed halfway home, as I popped the mini-doughnuts into my mouth (they're actually the holes in the doughnuts - ingenius) that the Penny mouth seems genetically designed for this purpose. To survive endless hours on Canadian highways, lurching from Tim Hortons to Tim Hortons. And I think he's right. Generations of genetic selection brought the Pennys to this point of perfection.



Michael - being handicapped with an elegant little Whitehead mouth - was at a disadvantage and had to actually bite into the Timbits instead of eating them whole. He'd never survive long without me. This is definitely Darwinism at it's best. Survival of the fattest.



We only do the double double fiascos on the highway between Montreal and Toronto. Makes it almost pleasant. Until I realize I've gone one Timbit over the line, sweet Jesus. Then it's less pleasant.



Gary's been busy and the new TV room's almost finished. TV etc arrives tomorrow - we hope. Oddly, so does our friend Susan. This might not be a co-incidence. She's staying at the guest cottage. If it ever stops raining we'll do steak on the BBQ for dinner tomorrow.



Then - 4 people coming out from MORE Magazine for a photo shoot. 4! I wonder how bad a shape they think I'm in that they need 4 people just to make me presentable. Though they might have heard about the Timbits and rubber boots.



Speak to you tomorrow, if we haven't sunk into the mud.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

About Tims...The whole time we were living in the States, I was somehow sheltered from Tim Hortons. Then, we arrived back in Ottawa and I read Still Life. Well, of course I had to sample a "double double". In fact, I actually had to ask the girl at the cash (so embarrassing) what a "double double" was. I must be genetically inferior because the combination of caffeine and sugar just about gave me a combination of heart palpitations and attention deficit disorder for the rest of the afternoon. It's tea from now on.

Anonymous said...

Louise you must try the Milky Way Hot Chocolate from Dunkin Donuts when you are in the States. I am telling you it is sinfully delicious. I can not believe it but they are almost finished building a new Dunkin Donuts which is less than half a mile from my house. It is going to make winter much more pleasant but I can't tell my husband as he will immediately tell me how much fat, calories, and everything bad that I will be ingesting. You are lucky Michael indulges with you! I will look for a Tim Hortons if I am in Canada again as it sounds great.
Donna

Anonymous said...

Hi Louise,

I just love reading your blog, it is so down to earth. I know exactly what you mean about the rubber boots. French vanilla capuccino is my favourite so far, it was a treat I enjoyed while attending college a few years ago. Your writing advice is so inspirational because I want to write full time someday, right now I am fitting it in around my work schedule. I got tickets to the Hovey Manor event October 18th, I am so excited!

Louise Penny Author said...

Dear Elizabeth,

Loved your description of the first, and only 'double double' - they are certainly not to be committed to lightly. But if you persevere you'll eventually get used to it. of course you'll need to be hospitalized, but well worth it.

Louise Penny Author said...

Dear Donna,

Well, I have it on good authority that the Milky Way Hot chocolate is, like celery, calorie neutral. And even more so if you have to walk half a mile to get there. If you drive I believe they have, like, 10 calories. Really.
But wow, do they sound yummy. Perhaps I'll convince the publishers to rent a Winnibego for the next tour and we'll just keep stopping at Dunkin Donuts. then I'll be a very big author indeed.

Thanks for the recommendation.

Louise Penny Author said...

Dear Rebecca Rose,

How fun to know we'll meet in october at the launch of THE MURDER STONE! Brilliant of you to get tickets to the event. Well done. And if we have time we can talk a little about your writing, if you'd like.

See you then - and Vive French Vanilla. Yum