Rook's Nest

Thrift Shop Shopping

2012-02-02T11:55:00.002-05:00

I love a bargain, don't you?
I have a look in here at least once a week, and often find something I really need!
This week, I found this for the princely sum of $5.00.

Brown Bag Cookie Art shortbread dish, Hearts and flowers pattern, vintage 1988. Practically unused, but very dusty. I think it had been hanging on someone's wall.
I've always fancied one. And it makes great shortbread!

1-1/2 cup cake and pastry flour
1/2 cup rice flour
1/2 lb butter
1/3 cup fine sugar

Spray pan lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with flour. Pre-heat oven to 350F.
Mix all ingredients by hand until it looks like breadcrumbs, then squish the mixture into a big lump. (Yes, squish is approved baking terminology.)
Press the lump of dough into the shortbread mould.
Turn oven down to 325F and bake for 35 minutes. If the shortbread doesn't look quite cooked, leave it in for another 5 - 10 minutes, or keep peeking at it until you think it's done.
Let the pan cool for 10 minutes then hold pan upside down approximately 2" above a wooden board, and drop onto the board.
The shortcake should fall out of the pan. If you are really lucky it'll be in one piece! Cut the shortbread into wedges while it's still warm. If you wait until it's cold, it will crumble.

Pink (and update)

2012-01-30T21:40:00.000-05:00

Some good friends came to dinner and brought me tulips last week. They were tightly closed green buds, but now they are opening and showing their true colours.

Tulips are the only flowers that keep on growing after they've been cut. The flowers tend to reach for the sun and as the stems get longer, they droop. I was told that piercing the stem with a pin just below the blossom will stop the droop, so I've been carefully poking each flower.... I'll let you know if it works! So far so good.

Update Thursday 2 February: piercing each stem with a pin seems to be working! Each flower that started to droop got an extra poke, and actually perked up, and they still look good after 6 days. I also have a copper penny in the water, and I read on the internet that putting vodka in the water helps, but this time I'm keeping the vodka for me!

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2012-01-27T16:44:00.000-05:00

I had a new experience last week. I accompanied my friend G to Depression Ink. And what's Depression Ink, you are probably wondering?

It's the local Tattoo parlour.

G has always wanted to get a tattoo, and as she is a volunteer host at our local FM radio station, this was an ideal opportunity as the whole process was being recorded for her radio show. I was there as moral support and chief handholder, although she didn't really need much hand holding.

First step - she chose a dragon, for various reasons. The Chinese Year of the Dragon has just started, and when younger, she had a nickname of "The Dragon Lady"! The outline of the image was transferred onto her arm.

Next - choose the colours to be used.

The tattoo artist, Kris, wasted no time to get started. He was friendly and very gentle and put us all at ease right away. First the design was outlined in black, and then colour was added. All the needles are pre-packaged, and there's no possibilty of re-use. Once the tattoo needles are used, they are disposed of. G was very brave through the whole procedure, although I'm not sure if this was a smile or a grimace!

It didn't take long before the outline was completed and the first colour could be applied.

We were there for about 90 minutes. Here's the final product. The arm looks a bit red and sore, and Kris said it would take at least a couple of weeks to heal. G was sent home with strict instructions for care and keeping it clean, and a tube of antiseptic cream to keep the skin soft. She couldn't wait to get home and show her grandchildren!

People with tattoos usually get a bad rap. Kris was wearing a ton of metal and was quite decorated... well, the bits we could see anyway. I'm sure there were many more bits of Kris that were not available for public view. He was an interesting guy.... easy to chat to and he told us a lot about his experiences in the tattoo shop. Here are his hands ( photo from Depression Ink website).

Tattoos are not just for tough guy bikers and sailors any more. Even respectable grandmothers in their middle 60s can get tattoos these days. So now you're wondering.... when am I getting my tattoo? Hmmm.... still thinking about it......
Have you got a tattoo?

Kung Hei Fat Choi

2012-01-24T19:03:00.000-05:00

The Chinese New Year of the Dragon started on Monday 23 January with celebrations throughout the large Chinese community in the Toronto area. I went to Pacific Mall to take in some of the local culture.

Pacific Mall is huge, I mean really huge. And there are over 500 individually owned stores selling anything and everything. Cell phones, computer parts, clothing, shoes, Chinese medicine, Chinese DVDs, jewellery.... you name it, it's for sale. (Most of the time legal, sometimes not so legal, as in the case of pirated movies for sale. Just ask the local RCMP.)

Lots of places to get Asian food and drink. And lots of Chinese families enjoying lunch in the second level food area.

But I didn't go there to shop or to eat. I wanted to see the New Year celebrations. The stage was set with a large golden dragon hovering above it.

After some Chinese pop songs that everyone but me knew, and some encouraging words from local dignitaries and government representatives, the show began with Chinese drumming.

And then, the stars of the show, the Lion Dance, accompanied by loud drumming and clashing of cymbals to frighten away any evil spirits that might be lurking.

The lions danced to the rhythm of the drums, eventually being fed lettuce leaves symbolising good luck and a new start to the New Year. Hidden in the lettuce is the red "Lucky money" envelope. The lettuce was scattered among the crowd for good luck, and then the God of Good Fortune arrived to give out more red envelopes. That's when I left.... I just didn't want to be caught in the crush.

People born in the Year of the Dragon are said to be confident, hardworking and always strive to be at the top. They are full of energy, determined and will inspire other people, dislike routine and are excited by new projects. They show loyalty to friends, and are popular and fun-loving.

Are you a Dragon? Not me, I'm a Rooster. Kung hei fat choi!

Sea Horse

2012-01-22T12:47:00.001-05:00

An unfortunate pony fell down a cliff face in Wales and was trapped in the cold water in a small rocky cove. The pony would certainly have drowned but for the rescue efforts of the local RNLI lifeboat crew.

Here's the video:

And here's the article from the Telegraph newspaper:

Two lifeboat crews were involved in the rescue after the animal became stuck on a tiny shale beach surrounded by rough waters in Ceibwr, Moylegrove on Sunday morning.

Using a head collar from the pony's owner, two crew members waded to the rescue.

After several failed attempts to capture the frightened animal, they managed to harness it and lead it out of the cove swimming behind a lifeboat.

However, upon reaching Ceibwr beach the tired animal broke free once more prompting another round of dangerous attempts to ensnare it.

Once recaptured the pony was loaded into a waiting horsebox and driven back to her owner's farm to recover from her ordeal.

A very lucky pony.

More Bad Spelling

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Find the spelling mistake.

Probably just a simple typo, but it's been like that all last week.

TUESDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE! STOP THE PRESSES! I drove past the sign today and the spelling mistake has been corrected..... maybe they read my blog?????

T'was a Braw, Bricht, Moonlicht Nicht....

2012-01-15T11:23:00.000-05:00

.... and indeed it was braw for our Rabbie Burns Night Dinner, it was -12C outside.

Scotland's favourite son and poet, Rabbie Burns, was born in Alloway, Scotland, on January 25, 1759, and this year celebrates 253 years since his birth. He died in Dumfries, Scotland, on July 21, 1796.

Robert Burns' acquaintances held the first Burns' supper on July 21, the anniversary of his death, in Ayrshire, Scotland, in the late 1700s. The date was later changed to January 25, which marks his birthday.

And what's the best way to celebrate a birthday? Well, have a party, of course. And that's exactly what Scots all over the world (and wannabe Scots, like me) do every January.

Sorry, no photos of the fabulous food, I was too busy enjoying my dinner to take pictures, but you can see a sample of previous Burns Dinner delights here and here

And it's not only the tradition of food and drink. There's poetry, song and dance too. These young ladies demonstrated the Hornpipe and Highland Dance.

And then it was the turn of the Scottish Country Dance group.... I'm the one behind the camera. We danced the strathspey Peggy Spouse MBE and the reel Mrs MacLeod of Raasay.

The evening culminated with everyone joining in a rousing version of one of Rabbie Burns' best known songs..... Auld Lang Syne. Won't you join us next year? Planning has already started for our Burns Night 2013!

The Wee Beastie

2012-01-13T17:10:00.001-05:00

Let me tell you, it's hard work creating an interesting blog post every other day through the month of January. I'm glad I didn't commit to posting daily!
But here's something you don't see every day........ Haggis!

At the moment 25 pounds of yummy Haggis is sitting in a cooler in my garage, waiting to be popped in my oven to be served at tomorrow's Robbie Burns Night dinner.
Yes, I know..... you're going to say that Robbie Burns Night isn't until January 25th. We know that. We just like to celebrate a few days early.... when the Haggis harvest is nice and fresh.

And today was spent preparing the traditional "Tatties and neeps" to accompany the Haggis... that's mashed potatoes and mashed turnips to you Sassenachs.... well, actually I'm a Sassenach too, but don't tell anyone.
There'll be roast beef and horseradish too, and peas and gravy, and cake and Scottish shortbread for dessert.... and then the entertainment. Come back in a couple of days for pictures.

Two Naughty Monkeys....

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

.... out of the bath and into their PJs.

Dolly Mixture

2012-01-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

I've been making some baby quilts recently, and there is always a mixture of colourful fabric scraps leftover, and I hate to throw anything away if it could be useful, so I stitched some of the scraps together to make a little doll quilt.

Dontcha just love the backing fabric? It was a remnant at Fabricland. You'll have to click on the pic to see the details!

O Canada!

Cakies

2012-01-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

Not really cookies, and not really cake. So they must be Cakies.

One cake mix (I used Duncan Hines chocolate), mix with 1 cup of plain yogurt, and 1 large egg. Add a few chocolate chips if you fancy. Roll spoonfuls of the mixture in icing sugar, and bake on a greased cookie sheet for about 13 - 14 minutes at 350. Some chocolate icing and a sprinkle of nuts will fancy them up a bit, but they're pretty good on their own.

Note to self: I really must stop eating all this good stuff.

Bye Bye Christmas

2012-01-05T09:24:00.000-05:00

Christmas is back in the box. Actually, three boxes.

Safely stowed away in the furnace room until needed in 11 months time.

Books Read in 2011

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Continuing my New Years blog tradition (started last year and inspired by Dumdad) here are the books I enjoyed in 2011. Authors in red are Canadian. I recommend all these books.... except the ones I didn't finish.

January:
Alligator - Lisa Moore
Good Faith - Jane Smiley

February:
In the Company of the Courtesan - Sarah Dunant
The Friday Night Knitting Club - Kate Jacobs
Crippen, A Novel of Murder - John Boyne

March:
Family Matters - Rohinton Mistry (2nd reading)
A Map of Glass - Jane Urquhart

April:
The Accidental - Ali Smith (weird)
Clara Callan - Richard B Wright
Adultery - Richard B Wright

May:
Sacred Hearts - Sarah Dunant
How Did You Get This Number? - Sloane Crosley (started but did not finish, can't remember why)
Her Fearful Symmetry - Audrey Niffenegger

June:
The Red Leather Diary - Lily Koppel
Exit Music - Ian Rankin
Border Crossing - Pat Barker
Started Early, Took My Dog - Kate Atkinson (love her books)

July:
When Will There be Good News? - Kate Atkinson (2nd time reading this)
Any Known Blood - Lawrence Hill

August:
Burning Bright - Tracy Chevalier
The Elegance of the Hedgehog - Muriel Barbery
Fugitive Pieces - Anne Michaels
Moby Duck - Donovan Hohn

September:
Echo Park - Michael Connelly
Ape House - Sara Gruen
The Art of Racing in the Rain - Garth Stein (brilliant, everyone should read this book, I loved it!)

October:
Arthur and George - Julian Barnes

November:
The Other Hand - Chris Cleave ( also previously read under it's N. American title, Little Bee)
Caleb's Crossing - Geraldine Brooks

December:
Perfume, The Story of a Murderer - Patrick Suskind
October - Richard B Wright
Life of Pi - Yann Martel

Currently on the bedside table: Turn Right at Machu Picchu - Mark Adams

Two Thousand and Twelve is here!

2012-01-01T12:43:00.000-05:00

Well, it's here.... Two Thousand and Twelve. WOW! Or is it Twenty Twelve?
Can you believe it was TWELVE years ago that we were all so paranoid about Y2K? Amazing!

My girlfriend G came over, we went to visit YoungerSon's family (G insists on having her baby-cuddling fix) and then we headed off to dine in splendour at Swiss Chalet. OK, maybe not actual splendour, but the food is always good there. And I had a Swissie's gift card to use up which made the food taste even better.

And then we went home to open a bottle of wine, leaf through some quilt and sewing magazines, and watch a movie. And the movie? One of my very favourites.......

It may be almost 20 years old but it's still a brilliant piece of movie making, and G hadn't seen it before (I have seen it at least 10 times) so she hooted with laughter all the way through. Maybe we could make Priscilla a New Years Eve tradition????

Then we toasted the New Year in with another glass of wine, watched the shenanigans in Times Square on TV for a while, and then bedtime. Then a leisurely bacon and eggs breakfast this morning before G headed out to pick up her granddaughter.

A great way to start the new year.... didn't have to drive in bad weather, didn't have to avoid drunks on the road, just relax, put your feet up on the coffee table and enjoy. Happy New Year!

Auld Lang Syne

2011-12-31T11:18:00.001-05:00

Just a few hours of 2011 remaining for me, but somewhere in the world it's already 2012 and people are joining hands and singing Auld Lang Syne.

Another 12 months gone by and I'm still "above ground", that's good news isn't it? It's been a good year for me. I've lived a full year in my new home and I don't miss the old one at all. I've enjoyed good health (fingers crossed, knock on wood, it will continue). I've had a great trip to Disney with my family. My sons and daughters-in-law are happy and employed. My grandboys are thriving and just as cheeky as ever. And sweet twin babies joined the family safely in the summer.

But not everyone has had such a good year. My heart goes out to the people who lost homes and family in the terrible Japanese earthquake and tsunami in March, the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, and the riots and demonstrations in the Middle East. And I feel for the families of Canadian and American servicemen and women who lost their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Tradition says it's time to make some New Year Resolutions. Resolutions are easy to make and just as easy to break, so I'm making New Year Possibilities instead.

I'll try to blog every couple of days through January. I don't think I'll manage every day. I may not even manage every couple of days. But I'll try.
Walk more. It's so easy to jump in the car and drive.
No more junk food (unless absolutely necessary).
Get out and meet more people.
More volunteering at the local theatre and possibly the local radio station.
Aquafit classes at the pool. I used to go then I stopped.... I need to start again.

Meanwhile..... I'm wishing everyone a Happy Hogmanay and a Happy New Year. May good health, comfort and happiness, warmth and shelter be with you throughout 2012. See you next year!

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stowp!
and surely I’ll be mine!
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

The Wizard of OZ

2011-12-23T17:26:00.000-05:00

Growing up in England, the best Christmas treat was going with my mum and dad to the Christmas Pantomime. We went on Lovering's Coaches to the Theatre Royal in Exeter.... it was a 50 mile trip on narrow twisting roads each way so we had to get up very early and got home very late.... Oh it was marvellous! Every year a different children's story... I remember Mother Goose, Dick Whittington and his Cat, Babes in the Wood, Cinderella and Aladdin.

And the panto always followed the same traditional format. There was always a man in a dress and horribly ugly makeup playing the Dame. The Principal Girl was played by a girl, and the Principal Boy was also played by a girl. And of course there was an evil witch/giant/sherriff/megalomaniac bad guy, take your pick, who was constantly trying to trick the good guys and get away with murder/kidnapping/dognapping/taking over the world, again, take your pick. But he never succeeded. The good guys always won.

Lots of music, singing, dancing, outrageous costumes, slightly off colour jokes to keep the mums and dads happy, and loads of loud audience participation along the lines of "Behind you... behind you" when the bad guy creeps up behind the good guys, and lots of "Boo! Hiss" and "Oh no you won't" "Oh yes I will" ad infinitum.

And every show ended up with a fabulous wedding when the handsome Prince marries the beautiful Princess, and the bad guy often puts his evil ways behind him and marries the ugly Dame.

Good fun.

So we took Callum and Isaac to the Toronto version of the Pantomime. This year it was The Wizard of OZ. Ross Petty has been staging these seasonal shows for quite a while.... last year we took Callum to see Beauty and the Beast.
But this Wizard of OZ wasn't anything like the movie... and nobody sang "Over the Rainbow". And the Yellow Brick Road led to "Funky Town"!

The Wicked Witch of the West (Ross Petty) was plotting to steal Dorothy's magic ruby slippers. He got ear-splitting BOOs every time he appeared on stage. Isaac and Callum were really into the BOOing. My ears are still hurting.

All pictures have been ~~stolen~~ borrowed from various internet reviews of the show.

All the usual characters from the original story were there. The Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man (who mysteriously started out as a miner called Donny and ended up as Dorothy's love interest), Dorothy and her dog Toto, with the addition of Dorothy's lovely Auntie Plumbum von Botox (shown here wearing a delightful pink ensemble), the Wizard, and the Good Witch Splenda.

I wish I had taken pictures of Callum and Isaac. They absolutely loved it. They clapped, sang along, danced in their seats and BOOed the bad guys with all their might. And ate their way through large amounts of Smarties, yogurt raisins, cookies and cheesey crackers.

A trip to the Pantomime is definitely becoming a family Christmas Tradition.

Chair Update

2011-12-20T17:04:00.002-05:00

If you missed the start of this sad chair story, scroll down to the previous post.

Phone call from the UPS Store this morning: We have a package containing two chairs for you. It's been here a while. Sears wants us to ship it back, do you want to pick it up?

Me: Yes! Yes! Yes! I'll pick it up this afternoon. I didn't pick it up before as UPS didn't answer my phone messages and neither Sears nor UPS told me it had been delivered.

UPS Man: Sears is supposed to let you know that information, not UPS.

Me: But Sears said they didn't know where the chairs were!

So now I have a package containing two chairs that apparently I have not paid for as my Sears card has been credited with a refund, but now they have deactivated my account due to lack of information which I have not supplied as the local Sears outlet was closed when I went there! And I was promised a $40.00 credit for my inconvenience..... so what's the next move, Sears?

I'll just sit tight on the chairs and see what happens.

I Just Want to Sit Down...

2011-12-18T16:46:00.000-05:00

Early last November, YoungerSon and The Bride acquired a large dining table and 6 chairs so they gave me their old Sears set. But I needed two more chairs.

So I went to Sears and Lo and Behold! the matching chairs were on sale. Yippee! So I ordered two, and put the cost on my Sears card. Delivery was free to my local UPS Store for me to pick up there.

2 weeks later.... no chairs had appeared.

I called Sears (3 times over the next ten days).... where are my chairs?

Sears: they were shipped but we don't know where they are. We will cancel your first order, credit your Sears card, and reorder, and deliver to the UPS Store.

Me: I've waited nearly a month, can't you deliver to my home, free?

Sears: I have to ask my supervisor about free home delivery, but we could deliver to the UPS Store and give you $30.00 discount.

Me: But I'd rather have home delivery now.

Sears: How about $40.00 discount?

Me: Thanks but I prefer home delivery.

Sears (later, after talking to the supervisor): OK, we can deliver to your home free, we can only deliver on Friday between 7am and 5pm.

They expect me to be waiting for them at home for TEN hours a couple of days before Christmas???? Am I being unreasonable here?

Me: But I have to be away from home most of the day Friday. How about Saturday?

Sears: No deliveries on Saturday.

Me: OK, we'll go back to delivery to the UPS Store with $40.00 discount.

Sears: I will let you know when the chairs can be picked up.

Sears (later): I have cancelled your first order, and credited your Sears card but I can't reorder as your Sears card has been deactivated.

Me: WHAT???? WHY?

Sears: We need more information.

Me: But you had enough information when I bought the first two chairs.

Sears: Not my problem, talk to the Chase Credit Card Company.

So I called Chase and told them the story, but the answer (from a lovely polite girl who plays the guitar and sings, so she told me) was still they need more information.

Me: I can provide that information over the phone.

Very polite Chase rep: I'm sorry, you have to go to a Sears store and provide the information in person.

GRRRR...... can you believe this? Do you think I'll ever get to sit on those chairs? I'll keep you posted.

UPDATE Monday 19 December: I went to our local Sears Catalogue Store today to update this infernal information that they need.... and it's CLOSED on Mondays!!

Break a Leg!

2011-12-15T23:17:00.003-05:00

Has it really been almost two weeks since I posted? Bad me. But I have a legit excuse.... been busy. Up to my eyeballs busy.
Our third annual Christmas Variety Show is history.
We had a Dress Rehearsal last Monday. Let's just say that it didn't bode well for the show. It ran far too long, too many people didn't know what they were doing, we all looked stiff and nervous, it just didn't go so well.

The Director looked worried.

On Tuesday there were two shows for the public, one at 7:00pm and one at 8:45pm.

Will the chorus relax and look like they are having a good time?
Will the skit people remember their lines?
Will anyone turn up to watch us?

We needn't have worried. The first show was sold out... we even had to find more chairs. And what the second audience lacked in numbers, they made up for in enthusiasm.

The Blacklite crew staged a mini version of the "Nutcracker Sweet". I'm in front of the ladder with the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Mouse King.

The Blacklite Crew 2011

Two sets of eyes blinked and went to sleep, and dreamed about the Christmas tree growing up to the ceiling and "visions of sugar plums" while the army of mice and the soldiers engaged in a raging battle. Signs saying BOO! and HISS! accompanied the appearance of the evil Mouse King, who was eventually vanquished by the handsome Nutcracker Prince... HOORAY!
And all this had to be accomplished in total darkness (other than the actual blacklites) while wearing black clothing, black gloves and black net hoods over our heads. It was a challenge, but we did it!

Will there be a fourth annual Christmas Show next year? Wait and see.

Shameless Promo

2011-12-04T12:34:00.001-05:00

We've been madly preparing for our annual Christmas show since October.... only another couple of weeks of crazy rehearsal schedules and it will be history and I can get back to planning for my own Christmas.
Meanwhile, we have to sell tickets.
And what better way to get the word out to the community than to participate in the town Santa Claus Parade?

The Intrepid Parade Walkers

So we hitched up the big sign, decorated it with some garlands, put on our festive promotional teeshirts and Santa hats and marched along Main Street handing out 1000 flyers promoting the show.

Each flyer included a $5 off coupon.

Hmmmm... let's do the math....... If everyone who got a flyer decides to buy a ticket, I think we'll have to put on a whole week of shows instead of the two shows that are planned.