Frostbite and Sunburn

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Autumn skies

For the week that is Canadian Thanksgiving,

I am grateful to see this array of skies in my world.

Linking to Our World Tuesday and SkyWatch Friday.

I hope you have had a thankful week too.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Autumn is here

Autumn, or Fall as I should have learned to call it by now,

has arrived in Alberta.

September was mostly lovely. Sunrises to die for every morning on my commute, but no camera at hand of course, so please just take my word for it!

October is kicking off OK - cool in the mornings, but as long as those white flakes stay away for a few more weeks, I'll be happy. Sunny and 13 degrees tomorrow. That'll do nicely.

Have a wonderful week.

Sunday, September 22, 2013

I love a good cake as well as the next person - but I've never been much good at actually baking them. Maybe the occasional Victoria Sponge or some ginger cookies, and then those cheat-add-an-egg muffin packets which can be really successful!

My whole family have recently become addicted to a television series running in the UK called "The Great British Bake-Off" - a disarmingly simple program, show casing ordinary people as contestants who bake, invent and create baked fancies from around the globe and occasionally have un-cooked, collapsed and soggy distastrous results - each week one baker gets sent home. I can tell - you're on the edge of your seats right now. (There has been one series of "The Great American Bake Off" which followed a similar format but I'm not sure it took, so I don't think there will be another series).

Every episode, as we sit on the sofa salivating, one member of my family declares "well, it can't be that difficult" or "Gawd, I looooove those, we should make some". Unfortunately, no-one can rely on me for hand-me-down family recipes or secret ingredients, so we make do with several books from the cupboard and attempt something grand. And if you're familiar with Delia Smith - well, she is the Goddess of the Kitchen - the simplest and most successful to date has been a banana loaf (the recipe calls for walnuts, but let's be serious here - chocolate chips work so much better).

And last week, we went back to basics and purchased a new book. What a success.

Yesterday we chose to make Carrot Cake. I love Carrot Cake and yet am ashamed to say I have never attempted to make one in my life. It's easy!

Would it be too boastful to declare that the end product of yesterday was just about THE BEST Carrot Cake in the land?

And would it be wrong to only eat Carrot Cake all day long?

Yum. I think we're attempting profiteroles next weekend!

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Marmite rules

Brits reading my blog will identify well with "Marmite" - and know that is either one of those foodstuffs that you love or hate. I love it. On toast. Australians will know a similar product called Vegemite. I can only describe it a sticky brown, extremely salty yeast by-product, which in fact, does make it sound absolutely disgusting.

Jabblog's blog had me laughing out loud this week with a spoof "animal welfare" style video about neglected jars of Marmite across the UK.

Me? I take my Marmite everywhere - even on vacation with me.

Beautiful mountain views and beautiful Marmite. Ahhhhh.

More "proper" holiday photos to follow soon....

Saturday, August 3, 2013

Lovely mail

Look what finally arrived in the post this week...

I was so very excited to receive it.

And I'll be even more excited to use it at the border crossing next week when we head down to Coeur D'Alene in Idaho. Woo hoo to this new Canadian citizen with her flashy new document and photo ID.

It's such a shame that, rather like my driving licence, I look like I've just been released after serving ten years!