mainly sunny, crisp, beautiful late fall day temps 7
Frost on the ground...melting where the sun hit it this morning, but staying in the shadows so the grass was a patchwork of green and crystal white. Deer hooves in the frosty grass this morning by the pond. A picture perfect Quebec autumn day. Walked over to the guest cottage where Gary is putting on new siding. To get there we needed rubber boots and to walk along winding paths through the forest. It smelled so sweet. I said to Michael that I wished I could describe it, do this justice. but I realize I can't because it isn't a sensation. It isn't a sight, a fragrance. It's a feeling.
How much I love this place.
And thank you so much, all of you who sent good wishes for Michael and his John. Lifelong friends. How wonderful to have made a friend like that.
We arrived back in Sutton yesterday and immediately 'hit the ground'...mail, phone messages, letters to respond to, packages to get ready to be sent, laundry, laundry, laundry.
I'm heading to Bear Pond books in Montpelier, Vermont, for an event at 7pm tomorrow. Staying the night, then off to Norwich bookstore, in Norwich for a 7pm event Wednesday...then driving home. Arriving, I hope, about midnight. Then off to the UK Thursday. So I need to pack today. and have all the details worked out.
I think most are done. Even managed to make an appointment for tomorrow morning with the garage to put the winter tires on the Volvo!
So far so good...not a lot of wiggle-room for something to go wrong. So I will have to put that at the top of the 'To Do' list. Make sure nothing goes wrong.
huh huh.
Once again, thank you for all your thoughts. I'm REALLY glad so many of you are listening to the pronunciation guide too. yay. It was a lot of fun to do.
And fun to hear of other odd place names, like Truth or Consquences, which I believe someone said was in Arizona. And another US names - Toad Suck Ferry. Unless someone was kidding...
Will try to post from Montpelier tomorrow. Off we go again!
Showing posts with label Autumn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Autumn. Show all posts
Monday, 26 October 2009
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Boston Baked Beans
Mainly sunny, mild, temps 12
A typical fall day here - our weather forecaster, the mountain in the distance, disappeared behind a curtain of cloud or mist. this normally means rain or snow. But the got neither. Indeed, the day cleared and was very nice.
Wayne and his wife Shirley came to do what might be the last cut of the grass before winter.
Michael and I zipped in to town to do some banking, grocery shopping, go to the post office. I'd ordered winter boots for the both of us, as well as turtle neck tops for me and a new winter coat. All mail order. Out in the country we are still a little like the people 100 years ago who would wait for the Eaton's catalogue and order all their clothing etc in one go.
Huge grocery shopping...family arriving so wanted to get a jump on the food. This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving. Made the cranberry sauce this afternoon, and decided to also make Boston Baked Beans. A winter/autumn tradition in our family. My father used to make it, and it was a wonderful, magical memory from childhood. Coming in after toboganning or skating and smelling the baked beans. He also cooked Boston Brown Bread, in tin cans, if I remember. He was a wonderful cook. Died when he was 51. My age. Strange to think. I know it's disturbing for my older brother, who is now older than Dad was. They were quite close.
Anyway, Rob and his wife Audi are arriving from Edmonton on Thursday. They're really looking forward to an old fashioned Quebec Thanksgiving. In fact, Audi has never seen an eastern autumn, with all the leaves in full colour. It is spectacularily beautiful We chatted on the phone yesterday and Rob said he's exhausted and dreaming of just sitting by the fire, reading, playing cribbage, going for long walks through the crisp air (i assured him the air would be very crisp). And I thought, maybe, he'd also like to smell home-made boston baked beans. God knows what they'll taste like - I'm betting glue - but at least they should smell like home, and love. Our other brother Doug, is a vegetarian, so I haven't put in the pork the beans would normally have.
The beans are soaking now - overnight - and tomorrow I add the molasses and brown sugar and maple syrup etc.
Lise - God bless her - has finished doing all the French words for all of the books, as well as a shorter guide just for the names of main characters like armand and reine-marie.
I have an hour of studio time booked tomorrow at the local radio station - CIDI. They're wonderful! Maurice says he'll even put it onto mp3 format, which Linda my webmanager says we need so you can click on it and hear what I record.
I just nod and try to look intelligent when they talk about that. I started my broadcast career as a technician...can you believe it? In Thunder Bay. And I was quite good. Loved recording and mixing and editing. But the technology has sailed away without me. I'm standing on some distant shore, with a club and a rock.
Read through the US editors notes on book 6 and tomorrow the UK editors notes should arrive. I'm very excited about this book...makes a great follow, I thing, to THE BRUTAL TELLING.
Had a really lovely day. No work...or very little. Sat by the fire most of the afternoon, reading the Sunday Times, looking up recipes, scanning the manuscript for book 6. Beginning to think about some of the editing challenges. I find these things are best left to perculate for a while - and an answer will present itself. Something, I'm hoping, simple and elegant - and better than what is there now.
Be well.
A typical fall day here - our weather forecaster, the mountain in the distance, disappeared behind a curtain of cloud or mist. this normally means rain or snow. But the got neither. Indeed, the day cleared and was very nice.
Wayne and his wife Shirley came to do what might be the last cut of the grass before winter.
Michael and I zipped in to town to do some banking, grocery shopping, go to the post office. I'd ordered winter boots for the both of us, as well as turtle neck tops for me and a new winter coat. All mail order. Out in the country we are still a little like the people 100 years ago who would wait for the Eaton's catalogue and order all their clothing etc in one go.
Huge grocery shopping...family arriving so wanted to get a jump on the food. This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving. Made the cranberry sauce this afternoon, and decided to also make Boston Baked Beans. A winter/autumn tradition in our family. My father used to make it, and it was a wonderful, magical memory from childhood. Coming in after toboganning or skating and smelling the baked beans. He also cooked Boston Brown Bread, in tin cans, if I remember. He was a wonderful cook. Died when he was 51. My age. Strange to think. I know it's disturbing for my older brother, who is now older than Dad was. They were quite close.
Anyway, Rob and his wife Audi are arriving from Edmonton on Thursday. They're really looking forward to an old fashioned Quebec Thanksgiving. In fact, Audi has never seen an eastern autumn, with all the leaves in full colour. It is spectacularily beautiful We chatted on the phone yesterday and Rob said he's exhausted and dreaming of just sitting by the fire, reading, playing cribbage, going for long walks through the crisp air (i assured him the air would be very crisp). And I thought, maybe, he'd also like to smell home-made boston baked beans. God knows what they'll taste like - I'm betting glue - but at least they should smell like home, and love. Our other brother Doug, is a vegetarian, so I haven't put in the pork the beans would normally have.
The beans are soaking now - overnight - and tomorrow I add the molasses and brown sugar and maple syrup etc.
Lise - God bless her - has finished doing all the French words for all of the books, as well as a shorter guide just for the names of main characters like armand and reine-marie.
I have an hour of studio time booked tomorrow at the local radio station - CIDI. They're wonderful! Maurice says he'll even put it onto mp3 format, which Linda my webmanager says we need so you can click on it and hear what I record.
I just nod and try to look intelligent when they talk about that. I started my broadcast career as a technician...can you believe it? In Thunder Bay. And I was quite good. Loved recording and mixing and editing. But the technology has sailed away without me. I'm standing on some distant shore, with a club and a rock.
Read through the US editors notes on book 6 and tomorrow the UK editors notes should arrive. I'm very excited about this book...makes a great follow, I thing, to THE BRUTAL TELLING.
Had a really lovely day. No work...or very little. Sat by the fire most of the afternoon, reading the Sunday Times, looking up recipes, scanning the manuscript for book 6. Beginning to think about some of the editing challenges. I find these things are best left to perculate for a while - and an answer will present itself. Something, I'm hoping, simple and elegant - and better than what is there now.
Be well.
Monday, 22 September 2008
Happy Autumn
brilliant sunshine, glorious day, temp 16
A magnificent first day of Autumn. Crispy day - leaves turning, some already on the ground. It's national 'No Car Day' so I walked to the grocery store this morning and kicked leaves and smelt the musky fall air. It really makes the heart soar.
We drove back to Montreal yesterday after breakfasting with Doug and his 12 year old daughter Roslyn. Indeed, Gamache's daughter-in-law, Roslyn is named after her. She's my God-daughter too.
The drive back was easy - about 7 hours - with a stop for lunch. Arrived back to see the US take the Ryder Cup then off to dinner with Jim and Sharon (who we invited out to join us this Christmas in the country) and two other friends, Maureen and Dave. We had spinach pie (which I frankly didn't like much, found it bland and greasy) but Michael loved. But the company was fun.
We're staying in Montreal until this afternoon since Michael has a check-up at the Royal Victoria Hospital this afternoon. This must rate as one of the most frightening hospitals in North America. It looks like a haunted Victorian mansion...built high on a hill overlooking Montreal it's all turrets and grey stone - formidable and daunting. And inside? A warren of dingy corridors.
I spent a number of years volunteering at the Palliative Care unit there. Would sit at the bedside of people dying and hold their hand, so they wouldn't be alone. But the thing I really dreaded was being asked to take paper-work to Admissions. Honestly? I could never find it. I swear to God it kept moving, like the staircases in the Harry Potter books. The guts of the Royal Vic roil and move. And scare me.
Even Michael, who interned there, is perplexed by it.
But we're off there again. Must see if I can find some Holy Water.
Then we drive back home to Sutton. Oh, how we can hardly wait. Gary has finished painting and repairing the outside of the home, and the bits and pieces inside - so it'll gleam. On top of that, Autumn in the Eastern Townships is Heaven. Especially after the Hell of the Royal Vic.
Speak to you tomorrow.
A magnificent first day of Autumn. Crispy day - leaves turning, some already on the ground. It's national 'No Car Day' so I walked to the grocery store this morning and kicked leaves and smelt the musky fall air. It really makes the heart soar.
We drove back to Montreal yesterday after breakfasting with Doug and his 12 year old daughter Roslyn. Indeed, Gamache's daughter-in-law, Roslyn is named after her. She's my God-daughter too.
The drive back was easy - about 7 hours - with a stop for lunch. Arrived back to see the US take the Ryder Cup then off to dinner with Jim and Sharon (who we invited out to join us this Christmas in the country) and two other friends, Maureen and Dave. We had spinach pie (which I frankly didn't like much, found it bland and greasy) but Michael loved. But the company was fun.
We're staying in Montreal until this afternoon since Michael has a check-up at the Royal Victoria Hospital this afternoon. This must rate as one of the most frightening hospitals in North America. It looks like a haunted Victorian mansion...built high on a hill overlooking Montreal it's all turrets and grey stone - formidable and daunting. And inside? A warren of dingy corridors.
I spent a number of years volunteering at the Palliative Care unit there. Would sit at the bedside of people dying and hold their hand, so they wouldn't be alone. But the thing I really dreaded was being asked to take paper-work to Admissions. Honestly? I could never find it. I swear to God it kept moving, like the staircases in the Harry Potter books. The guts of the Royal Vic roil and move. And scare me.
Even Michael, who interned there, is perplexed by it.
But we're off there again. Must see if I can find some Holy Water.
Then we drive back home to Sutton. Oh, how we can hardly wait. Gary has finished painting and repairing the outside of the home, and the bits and pieces inside - so it'll gleam. On top of that, Autumn in the Eastern Townships is Heaven. Especially after the Hell of the Royal Vic.
Speak to you tomorrow.
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