light snow, blustery, temps minus 5
Michael and I are pretending to be snowed in.
We're sitting by the fire, drinking cafe au lait from the Vive Gamache mugs and eating the best treats ever. Our great friend Susan came out years ago to stay and Michael happened to mention that one treat he misses from his days at Cambridge are Eccles cakes. It's hard to find them in the UK, and nigh-on impossible in Canada.
Next time Susan came she brought....Eccles cakes. Michael almost wept. It tasted of giddy youth. of days when a young man from Montreal found himself punting on the Cam. In the company of boys as bright or brighter than himself. Of his first real girlfriend. of climbing the wall and sneaking back into his rooms at Christ's College. Of meeting young men he'd grow old with, and bury. John and Fred. And Dick, who thrives still in his new home near Oxford.
Eccles cakes. And the kindness of our friend Susan. We never forgot opening that tin and looking at them. Not a cake at all. So much more. Made by her from a recipe she'd searched for.
And now, on special occasions, Susan brings Eccles cakes. She gave us an entire tin for Christmas and we've been parsing them out...we 'forgot' to mention them to family over the holidays.
So now we pretend the snow is mighty and brutal - and sit by the fire eating Michael's youth. And thinking of friendship. And kindness.
Showing posts with label Susan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Susan. Show all posts
Wednesday, 5 January 2011
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Fourth Draft
overcast, bit threatening, temps 24
Not sure what to wear today...started in sweats, moved to flannel, then to half and half. Woe is me.
Lovely quiet day, reading the manuscript. Up to page 197 of 244. Was hoping to be finished by now, but had some phone calls and an interview to do. have a French TV interview on Friday, so was chatting with the publicist about that. The general message seemed to be, 'Don't merde it up.'
'I will do my bookshelf,' I told her in French. 'And will manufacture to wallpaper leave.'
'Merde,' she said.
So, I'm pretty confident.
Read out on the screen porch, sipping cafe au lait and eating fresh peaches. More woe. Plodded around the pond with Trudy, where we looked for geese and bass, but found mosquitoes and poop instead - so all was not wasted.
tons of emails, of course. The fall tour is taking shape. looks like I'm leaving here Sept 20th and returning sometime in late November. All over Canada, the US and off to Britain. then over Canada and US again. So I really need to finish this manuscript before I leave in Sept.
But am taking Saturday off from the manuscript to volunteer at the SPCA adoption day in Knowlton. It's for the dogs at the SPCA Monteregie, the local no-kill shelter. I'll be one of the 20 dog-walkers. From 11am to 3pm. the hope, obviously, is to find homes for some of these dogs. We're sort of thinking of finding a brother or sister for Trudy...an older dog, perhaps. It's hard because we have such a great relationship with Trudy - it's very different having just one dog...we really focus on her and have a quite special relationship. But we also know that Trudy's a very social dog, who loves other animals. so we think while she's happy, she might be happier with a sibling. But it would have to be a very special dog. We'll know her/him when we see her/him.
I think I'm a little more enthusiastic about another dog than Michael is. He loves just having Trudy. So we're in no rush. Have to wear Michael down. That can take a while.
Off tomorrow morning for breakfast in Cowansville then visiting Jacques and Louise about 9am. Then home to work, then off to dinner with susan at the guest cottage.
had great fun with susan yesterday. She came for a swim, then relaxed dinner of barbequed corn on the cob and burgers...Susan (who's a great cook) showed us how to do Mexican corn....barbeque it, slather with butter, then sprinkle cheese like parmesan, and cayenne pepper...and finally squirt lime on it.
Delicious.
Susan also made this wonderful lemon custard sort of dessert, with raspberries and peaches and whipped cream.
Oh, oh - now I'm hungry again.
Speak to you tomorrow.
Not sure what to wear today...started in sweats, moved to flannel, then to half and half. Woe is me.
Lovely quiet day, reading the manuscript. Up to page 197 of 244. Was hoping to be finished by now, but had some phone calls and an interview to do. have a French TV interview on Friday, so was chatting with the publicist about that. The general message seemed to be, 'Don't merde it up.'
'I will do my bookshelf,' I told her in French. 'And will manufacture to wallpaper leave.'
'Merde,' she said.
So, I'm pretty confident.
Read out on the screen porch, sipping cafe au lait and eating fresh peaches. More woe. Plodded around the pond with Trudy, where we looked for geese and bass, but found mosquitoes and poop instead - so all was not wasted.
tons of emails, of course. The fall tour is taking shape. looks like I'm leaving here Sept 20th and returning sometime in late November. All over Canada, the US and off to Britain. then over Canada and US again. So I really need to finish this manuscript before I leave in Sept.
But am taking Saturday off from the manuscript to volunteer at the SPCA adoption day in Knowlton. It's for the dogs at the SPCA Monteregie, the local no-kill shelter. I'll be one of the 20 dog-walkers. From 11am to 3pm. the hope, obviously, is to find homes for some of these dogs. We're sort of thinking of finding a brother or sister for Trudy...an older dog, perhaps. It's hard because we have such a great relationship with Trudy - it's very different having just one dog...we really focus on her and have a quite special relationship. But we also know that Trudy's a very social dog, who loves other animals. so we think while she's happy, she might be happier with a sibling. But it would have to be a very special dog. We'll know her/him when we see her/him.
I think I'm a little more enthusiastic about another dog than Michael is. He loves just having Trudy. So we're in no rush. Have to wear Michael down. That can take a while.
Off tomorrow morning for breakfast in Cowansville then visiting Jacques and Louise about 9am. Then home to work, then off to dinner with susan at the guest cottage.
had great fun with susan yesterday. She came for a swim, then relaxed dinner of barbequed corn on the cob and burgers...Susan (who's a great cook) showed us how to do Mexican corn....barbeque it, slather with butter, then sprinkle cheese like parmesan, and cayenne pepper...and finally squirt lime on it.
Delicious.
Susan also made this wonderful lemon custard sort of dessert, with raspberries and peaches and whipped cream.
Oh, oh - now I'm hungry again.
Speak to you tomorrow.
Friday, 17 April 2009
Happy Birthday, Susan!!!
sunny, then clouded over, mild, but strong wind, temps 14
Strange day. According to the thermometer it's the warmest day so far, but it actually feels cooler than many we've had. a bit of a bite in the air and a very strong wind. nearly whitecaps on the pond.
Had our first sightings of the fish in our pond...huge school of them zipping under the bridge to the island. I didn't know what it was at first, because of the turbulance on the surface, then I realized it was scores of bass. Yay.
Our great friend Susan is celebrating her birthday today. Happy Birthday!
Which reminds me, I want to say HI to Belinda, aka BB, who I hear is a lovely woman. She reads this blog so she must be lovely, refined, intelligent - and perhaps just the slightest bit nuts. The best people are. Clearly you are too, since you're reading this!
Wrote almost 3,000 words today...then had a crisis. I was sure it was wrong. Well, not wrong, but long. I'd taken almost a chapter to say something that might be said in a sentence. Did it really need two whole scenes, actually, three? I almost erased it, then I thought, instead of erasing it, I should put it into my "bits and pieces" file - in case. Then I thought - maybe I should just sleep on it.
So I got on the elliptical machine, plugged into my iPod, and realized indeed, the chapter was right. Besides, I can always take it out on the first edit.
Writing a first draft is like walking through an emotional mine field. Scary, dangerous, but best not to panic.
Michael and I went to Knowlton for breakfast at Cafe Floral. Yum. And they had Neil Young's Harvest playing. Hadn't heard it in decades. What a fabulous album. It's part of the 'music of my life' - one of those albums I remember from growing up...loved then and love now. I wonder what the 15 year olds of today would make of it?
Got a couple of steaks for the barbeque tonight but it's clouded over so much we might do it tomorrow...though we're actually going out tomorrow. Oh, the humanity! When will these dreadful decisions end!!
Keep well. Keep nuts.
Strange day. According to the thermometer it's the warmest day so far, but it actually feels cooler than many we've had. a bit of a bite in the air and a very strong wind. nearly whitecaps on the pond.
Had our first sightings of the fish in our pond...huge school of them zipping under the bridge to the island. I didn't know what it was at first, because of the turbulance on the surface, then I realized it was scores of bass. Yay.
Our great friend Susan is celebrating her birthday today. Happy Birthday!
Which reminds me, I want to say HI to Belinda, aka BB, who I hear is a lovely woman. She reads this blog so she must be lovely, refined, intelligent - and perhaps just the slightest bit nuts. The best people are. Clearly you are too, since you're reading this!
Wrote almost 3,000 words today...then had a crisis. I was sure it was wrong. Well, not wrong, but long. I'd taken almost a chapter to say something that might be said in a sentence. Did it really need two whole scenes, actually, three? I almost erased it, then I thought, instead of erasing it, I should put it into my "bits and pieces" file - in case. Then I thought - maybe I should just sleep on it.
So I got on the elliptical machine, plugged into my iPod, and realized indeed, the chapter was right. Besides, I can always take it out on the first edit.
Writing a first draft is like walking through an emotional mine field. Scary, dangerous, but best not to panic.
Michael and I went to Knowlton for breakfast at Cafe Floral. Yum. And they had Neil Young's Harvest playing. Hadn't heard it in decades. What a fabulous album. It's part of the 'music of my life' - one of those albums I remember from growing up...loved then and love now. I wonder what the 15 year olds of today would make of it?
Got a couple of steaks for the barbeque tonight but it's clouded over so much we might do it tomorrow...though we're actually going out tomorrow. Oh, the humanity! When will these dreadful decisions end!!
Keep well. Keep nuts.
Tuesday, 5 August 2008
A blank (and slightly damp) canvas
overcast, mild, temps 22
It started out at stunning day. Sunny, and of course it all gleamed off the grass and greenery soaked by the recent rains. We had breakfast on the porch, and then the clouds rolled in. Not totally unexpected, but I was hoping for a gorgeous day since today the photographer et al are arriving from Montreal to take the MORE Magazine shots. Still, it isn't raining yet. maybe it'll hold off. And maybe I'll become a size 2 by the time they arrive.
Am wearing my flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. No make-up, hair still damp from shower. I'm a veritable blank canvas. Lucky them.
Didn't blog yesterday - got unexpectedly busy. Edited in the morning - now have about 50 pages to go. It'll need at least one more going over, but that's really for details and picking up small threads. Am pleased.
then Yves arrived with the new TV for the new TV room...and Gary arrived at exactly the same moment so they worked to put it up. New TV wouldn't work! But Yves drove to Knowlton to get another one.
After editing I zipped over to Richford, Vermont for gas, and did some grocery shopping in Sutton for the photographer and the otehr 3 arriving...lunch and snacks. Since they're coming early I decided cappucino and croissants would be a good start. if you see the shot and I have flakes on my face and chest, you'll know my plan worked.
Then home in time for Gary and John to arrive to remove the old TV - and re-orgainze the former television room into my new study. Sofa out - into Michael's study - and big old pine table in, for my desk. But - after an hour of heaving and twisting and trying everything, the desk wouldn't go through the door! These guys tried everything - and even with my brilliant and helpful suggestions it didn't work. Finally Gary, like Alexander the Great and the Gordian Knot, Gary got a saw and simply took an inch off the desk legs. In it went.
Have you noticed that while things might be lots of fun very few things are easy?
Then Susan arrived to stay in the guest cottage for a week, and came over for dinner. Rain let up long enough to BBQ the steaks. Had a nice salad, then yogurt and fresh blueberries for dessert. Yum. A family meal.
Will blog tomorrow and let you know how the photo shoot went. If they've brought scaffolding and cement I'll be mighty annoyed. Hope they don't decide to take an inch off the legs too.
It started out at stunning day. Sunny, and of course it all gleamed off the grass and greenery soaked by the recent rains. We had breakfast on the porch, and then the clouds rolled in. Not totally unexpected, but I was hoping for a gorgeous day since today the photographer et al are arriving from Montreal to take the MORE Magazine shots. Still, it isn't raining yet. maybe it'll hold off. And maybe I'll become a size 2 by the time they arrive.
Am wearing my flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. No make-up, hair still damp from shower. I'm a veritable blank canvas. Lucky them.
Didn't blog yesterday - got unexpectedly busy. Edited in the morning - now have about 50 pages to go. It'll need at least one more going over, but that's really for details and picking up small threads. Am pleased.
then Yves arrived with the new TV for the new TV room...and Gary arrived at exactly the same moment so they worked to put it up. New TV wouldn't work! But Yves drove to Knowlton to get another one.
After editing I zipped over to Richford, Vermont for gas, and did some grocery shopping in Sutton for the photographer and the otehr 3 arriving...lunch and snacks. Since they're coming early I decided cappucino and croissants would be a good start. if you see the shot and I have flakes on my face and chest, you'll know my plan worked.
Then home in time for Gary and John to arrive to remove the old TV - and re-orgainze the former television room into my new study. Sofa out - into Michael's study - and big old pine table in, for my desk. But - after an hour of heaving and twisting and trying everything, the desk wouldn't go through the door! These guys tried everything - and even with my brilliant and helpful suggestions it didn't work. Finally Gary, like Alexander the Great and the Gordian Knot, Gary got a saw and simply took an inch off the desk legs. In it went.
Have you noticed that while things might be lots of fun very few things are easy?
Then Susan arrived to stay in the guest cottage for a week, and came over for dinner. Rain let up long enough to BBQ the steaks. Had a nice salad, then yogurt and fresh blueberries for dessert. Yum. A family meal.
Will blog tomorrow and let you know how the photo shoot went. If they've brought scaffolding and cement I'll be mighty annoyed. Hope they don't decide to take an inch off the legs too.
Thursday, 15 May 2008
See how we suffer?
Overcast, drizzle, mild, temps 14We need rain and we're getting a little today. Then it's expected to clear up and be sunny for this afternoon and tomorrow - which will be great for Susan, who's arriving for the Victoria Day long weekend. I wonder if Canada is the only country that still celebrates Victoria Day? It was traditionally the weekend cottagers opened up the summer place after the winter. Those lucky enough to have a summer place, that is. For most of us it was simply a very welcome long weekend. It's also the weekend when it's considered safe to plant the annuals (flowers). Before this weekend there's always the risk of a killing frost. Between you and me? There's always a risk in Canada - but it goes down dramatically.
As you see, we've put up another picture. This is of the spring flowers I talked about cutting the other day. They're the last of the flowers from the spring cutting garden - plus a rose I was given on Mother's Day. It's lovely to sit on the screen porch and have our meals. It was especially nice this morning - even walking the dogs - with the rain. Wayne cut the grass yesterday so there was this morning this wonderful, tender fragrance of spring rain and new grass.
We also now have green grass tracks through the house. Pat's going to kill me.
It looks like it's going to be a spectacular year for lilac. Our bushes are full of the flowers - not yet out. Another week, I think. Hope we don't miss them when we go off to England...but they'll come again next year if we do. Now, after Gary's construction - we have two new windows upstairs - one in the bathroom and one in the bedroom...both right above a lilac bush, ripe with buds. It's going to be amazing when they open! Imagine waking up to the scent of lilac?
Had a wonderful message from Robin who runs Aunt Agatha's bookstore in Ann Arbor (one of my favorite!). She wrote to say STILL LIFE is back on the bestsellers list! And The Cruelest Month has been given the coveted Black Diamond review by the website I Love A Mystery.
So far so good.
Wrote this morning - then got chilly and took a bath...and a few ideas floated to the fore. Very helpful, baths. Need to get a photo and bio out for the talk next week. And had to say 'No' with thanks to an organization called The Townshippers, who called this morning to ask if I'd be the honourary president of their Townshippers Day - which is being held in Sutton this year. We'll be in Toronto. I felt badly saying no, but I'm getting better at it.
Back to the miserable proof edits after lunch. Happily I no longer put off things I don't want to do. In fact, just the opposite. Now I do them as soon as I can - get them out of the way. Like JK Rowling and her wonderful 'Howlers', things I hate just seem to get larger if I ignore them.
Susan's coming for dinner tonight - BBQ'd duck legs, fiddleheads, fresh asparagus and probably a dash of mud.
Tuesday, 29 April 2008
Very Existential
rain, cool, highs 8
Had a great time in Russell last night! I am, frankly, pleasantly surprised. Since this was clearly a very small town/village I was expecting to be speaking to Michael, the librarian Helene and myself. But the place was packed! Standing room only. Wow, does that feel good. I'd love to think it was my fame that had spread, like Bishops weed, all over the county. But I suspect it was because Helene is extremely dynamic and passionate, as were the people there. Many belonged to the book club and had discovered my books.
I put in a paragraph break here for aesthetics - I find a solid page of words is daunting...some breaks feel better. Anyway, they'd discovered my books, but didn't realize they're a series and it's generally a good idea to read the books in order, though not necessary. As a result, some had read all three, some only the third, The Cruelest Month, etc. Happily it didn't seem to matter. Though there was agreement it is best to read in order, and I agree.
Had a very humbling moment while sitting in this great cafe in Russell. It was teeming rain - so much so there were rain warnings out from Ottawa to Nova Scotia - so Michael and I decided to drive up early, take our time. We stopped at a village and found a small restuarant. Home made food. Booths from the 50's. They made Shirley Temples!!! I ordered my favoirte 'road food' - hot chicken/turnkey sandwich. It came with real chicken, gravy, fresh homemade mashed potatoes in ice cream scoops. Perfect! The only thing missing were the runny green peas. Michael had his favorite 'road food' - bbqd chicken legs and fries. And diet coke. Then we had a mountain of chocolate cake so high we could barely see each other over it. Outside the rain pelted down and we drank coffee in white chipped mugs and tunnelled our way through the cake.
Perfect.
Then on to Russell and found the cafe. Michael had a hot chocolate and I had assorted teas. Outside Helene had put a sandwich board on the sidewalk saying LOUISE PENNY AT LIBRARY 7:30 A young woman came into the cafe and called to the owner 'Who's Louise Penny?' Not once - it felt as though she yelled it ten times. I think she mis-read and thought this Louise Penny was going to be at the cafe. Which, of course, she was. I sank down under my 'O' Magazine and willed Michael not to say anything. He was deep in Sudoku and didn't notice.
Who's Louise Penny? Now there's a good question.
Had an annoyingly correct email from our friend Susan - she who stays at our cottage and never leaves, but bakes great Eccles cakes and gives them to us sometimes. We pretty much just see her as one of the finest journalists in Canada and a leech. Well, she noticed that my grand announcement about the Crime Writers of Canada event at the Atwater Library I'll be at isn't tonight (as I said in yesterday's blog) but tomorrow - Wednesday night.
She reminded me I used to be a journalist and wondered what had happened to my rigor.
I ate it.
So this is a correction. For the thousands of you planning to come to the panel and CWC Ellis award announcement at the Atwater Libary in Montreal tonight - it's tomorrow!
And finally - who is Louise Penny?
Had a great time in Russell last night! I am, frankly, pleasantly surprised. Since this was clearly a very small town/village I was expecting to be speaking to Michael, the librarian Helene and myself. But the place was packed! Standing room only. Wow, does that feel good. I'd love to think it was my fame that had spread, like Bishops weed, all over the county. But I suspect it was because Helene is extremely dynamic and passionate, as were the people there. Many belonged to the book club and had discovered my books.
I put in a paragraph break here for aesthetics - I find a solid page of words is daunting...some breaks feel better. Anyway, they'd discovered my books, but didn't realize they're a series and it's generally a good idea to read the books in order, though not necessary. As a result, some had read all three, some only the third, The Cruelest Month, etc. Happily it didn't seem to matter. Though there was agreement it is best to read in order, and I agree.
Had a very humbling moment while sitting in this great cafe in Russell. It was teeming rain - so much so there were rain warnings out from Ottawa to Nova Scotia - so Michael and I decided to drive up early, take our time. We stopped at a village and found a small restuarant. Home made food. Booths from the 50's. They made Shirley Temples!!! I ordered my favoirte 'road food' - hot chicken/turnkey sandwich. It came with real chicken, gravy, fresh homemade mashed potatoes in ice cream scoops. Perfect! The only thing missing were the runny green peas. Michael had his favorite 'road food' - bbqd chicken legs and fries. And diet coke. Then we had a mountain of chocolate cake so high we could barely see each other over it. Outside the rain pelted down and we drank coffee in white chipped mugs and tunnelled our way through the cake.
Perfect.
Then on to Russell and found the cafe. Michael had a hot chocolate and I had assorted teas. Outside Helene had put a sandwich board on the sidewalk saying LOUISE PENNY AT LIBRARY 7:30 A young woman came into the cafe and called to the owner 'Who's Louise Penny?' Not once - it felt as though she yelled it ten times. I think she mis-read and thought this Louise Penny was going to be at the cafe. Which, of course, she was. I sank down under my 'O' Magazine and willed Michael not to say anything. He was deep in Sudoku and didn't notice.
Who's Louise Penny? Now there's a good question.
Had an annoyingly correct email from our friend Susan - she who stays at our cottage and never leaves, but bakes great Eccles cakes and gives them to us sometimes. We pretty much just see her as one of the finest journalists in Canada and a leech. Well, she noticed that my grand announcement about the Crime Writers of Canada event at the Atwater Library I'll be at isn't tonight (as I said in yesterday's blog) but tomorrow - Wednesday night.
She reminded me I used to be a journalist and wondered what had happened to my rigor.
I ate it.
So this is a correction. For the thousands of you planning to come to the panel and CWC Ellis award announcement at the Atwater Libary in Montreal tonight - it's tomorrow!
And finally - who is Louise Penny?
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