Impulse buying

Yesterday, it was a planned shopping day with No1Son, No2Son and No2Son's Beloved to look at washing machines (Boxing Week sales y'know). While they were discussing the virtues of energy saving and low water use with the salesman in the appliance department, The Space Cadet and I wandered towards the furniture.... that was not a wise decision. There it sat, waiting for me... the taupe leather sofa from heaven! I sat on it, walked away, sat on it again, and walked away again, but it was calling my name. TSC warned me about the dangers of impulse buying, and he's right, so today we checked out another half dozen furniture stores, but that sofa is the one I have been waiting for..... all I had to do was take some measurements to check that the delivery men can get it through the door, and it will fit! So tomorrow I'll be the happy owner of a new sofa. WOOHOO!

Impulse buying ROCKS!!!

Christmas Dinner

Roast turkey, scraunchy roast potatoes, buttery mashed potatoes, orange sugared carrots, turkey, sweet potato and apples, roast parsnips, did I forget to mention turkey??, gallons of gravy, brussels sprouts, fresh buns from the Italian Bakery, turkey, and homemade cream of leek and potato soup, and of course..... more turkey! Leave plenty of room for No1Son's homemade pumpkin pie, and sherry trifle with maple syrup cream...... the best Christmas dinner ever!

Men of Note

There's nothing more dramatic and stirring than the harmonies of a male voice choir. Our local Men of Note are no disappointment, in fact they rank right up there with the best, in my opinion. Last night's concert was sold out. We managed to buy tickets at the door, only because we were "in the know" with some of the singers. Guest artist Quintessence Bell Ensemble blew me away with their version of "Still, Still, Still" combining voice and English handbells. And soloist Susan Brown held the audience spellbound with her performance of "O Holy Night". Her voice is pure, clean, virtuous, it flows like silk. And those high notes....

A wonderful concert.

Finally - a man who does what he's told

Got some spare time to amuse the kids (and yourself)? Just tell Santa what you want him to do, and he'll do it. Use your imagination, ask him to sit, stand, fall down, or more obscure things like jump over his chair, or burn the tree, or anything.... very clever web site!

What I want for Christmas

After spending countless hours browsing the shops in search of just the right prezzies for my loved ones, I have decided what I would really like for Christmas.... a rare and hard to find item.... something that is NOT made in China!

Bach to Blues

Tonight I went with The Space Cadet to enjoy the Bach to Blues concert at the Church. A local chorus of amateur singers and amateur musicians from the community, but together they provide an evening of great seasonal entertainment! Proceeds will go towards the purchase of a digital mammography machine for the local hospital.
TSC's sons took him out for burgers yesterday (a birthday treat only 3 weeks late), so I took the opportunity to get the tree up and decorated... now I'm really in the Christmas spirit!

Is it Christmas or not?

To quote the Toronto Star:
"A Canadian judge has ordered the removal of a Christmas tree from a Toronto courthouse lobby, saying it might offend non-Christians..... the artificial tree was moved to an administrative corridor in the courthouse."
So we can't allow public display of symbols of our culture in case it might offend someone? Are we THAT sensitive?
Canada is a multi-cultural society, surely we can all learn to live with one another without having to abandon any traditions, whether Jewish, Hindu, Moslem, Sikh, etc.
Political correctness reaches a new low.
What rubbish!

Before and After

It's grey and damp in Southern Ontario today, so I need some sunshine to warm me up. Perhaps pictures of Wendydog before and after her annual summer trip to the Doggie Beauty Salon will do it. No wonder she had a happy smile after getting rid of all that hot fur.

Stuck at Level 14

Talk about a time waster! I went to this riddle/puzzle internet site today, and wasted more time than I care to admit. Go to http://www.weffriddles.com/ Let me know how far you get. WARNING! It's totally addictive!

Remembering Montreal

Seventeen years ago today, a gunman entered the Ecole Polytechnique at the University of Montreal, separated the men from the women, and deliberately murdered fourteen female engineering students. Today, Canada is remembering the tragedy of those lost lives, and wondering how in the world can we stop crazy embittered people taking other innocents with them on a suicide mission.

Are you feeling jolly yet?

Santa Claus made his first visit to our small town this weekend just to help everyone achieve the required festive shopping mood. The giant tree in the town square is twinkling with lights, and an outdoor concert in the town square featuring local singers and dancers kicked off the "Holiday Season". Actually it's not much of a "Holiday" if you consider all the list-making, shopping, wrapping, baking, dish washing, cleaning, card writing, etc etc.... ahhh, only another 22 days to go!

Hey, is that a real moose?

A birthday lunch for The Space Cadet (my honey!) and his older brother, whose birthdays are only 5 days apart. We went to one of those chain restaurants, you know, where the bright young waitress expertly scrawls her name upside down on the brown paper table covering.... "Hello, my name is Mary-Sue, I'll be your server today, the specials today are...." and where if you are careless enough to mention the word 'Birthday" out loud, a horde of motivated young people appear from the depths of the kitchen and sing an upbeat version of HBTY.... yes... it happened today, and the lucky celebrants got to wear MOOSE ANTLERS!

Baking Day

Today was definitely a day meant for creating yummy things to eat. Shortbread, Shrewsbury Biscuits (squashed fly biscuits) and Oatmeal with nuts and raisins and a few chocolate chips thrown in for good measure. Will there be any left by Christmas? Hmmmm, they probably won't even last till the end of the week.

End of the Day

This was the view on the way home from work today. The sun sinks below the horizon so early now, but of course, it's not the sun leaving us, it's us on the Earth spinning away from the sunlight into the darkness.

Investment Man

The Investment Man just left. A true salesman. He can talk non-stop about investments, stocks, Bonds, balanced funds, asset allocations and dispensing financial advice for hours. And he's so darned ENTHUSIASTIC! When he left I was exhausted and had to have a big cup of tea before I could think straight again. But he's the sort of Investment Man that has my interests at heart.... I think he does.... hmmmm.....

Markham Fair

You just have to admire the dare-devilry of these demented motorbike stunt riders. Can you imagine trying this for the FIRST time?

Rook's Nest

Perhap's a blog isn't for me, I won't know until I try it.