Our World Tuesday - Fattening up

I know it's officially wintery when the 

Bohemian Waxwings come to visit.

I'm sure I blog about them every year, 

but I love these little yellow-tipped birds.

They basically gorge themselves silly on the plump red berries of the mountain ash 

outside my front door.  

They will fly south soon.

They've been stalking the neighbourhood for a few days now.

And they are getting fatter by the minute!

Happy Tuesday!

Our World Tuesday - Chocolate delight

Marvel at the skill - and take a long, slow sniff at this wee beauty.  Absorb the rich aroma of layers of one of my favourite foods.  

Chocolate sponge, filled with a lightly cinnemoned cream and wrapped in a hand-made cloak of yet more chocolate.

Cherries swimming in a chocolate lake, so awash with brandy, they have died and gone to heaven in a drunken stupour.

My "Our World Tuesday" comes to you with thanks to the SAIT students in the Highwood Dining Room - a living classroom for cookery students.  

It's a good job that these courses exist to train and graduate such essential personnel into the workforce.  I mean, EMT and Paramedic courses are all very well, but we are talking chocolate here - serious business indeed.

See more Our World Tuesday's from all over the world.

Christmas lights, already

It was a balmy 10ºC on Friday, so we did what all normal people in Canada do on the 11th November - we put up our Christmas lights.

Last year, we left it too late - standing up a ladder on a frozen mid-December morning (read about -20º with windchill) - and trying to mess around with fiddly clips on the guttering, while wearing big gloves is no longer our idea of a fun morning out.  

Much swearing ensued, much dropping of said fiddly clips into the snow on the drive, and the strings of lights were somewhat thrown at the mountain ash, rather than artistically placed for maximum effect.  It got to the point that we didn't really give a damn about maximum effect - we were lucky to get any lights up at all.  Throw, dump, and run back inside was our methodology.


So this year, we have got into the game extraordinarily early - but ha, so did half the neighbourhood it seems.  And instead of feeling self-conscious about being premature, now I feel part of this chilly country's festive preparations.

And I've bought new stuff too, so I am excited to see it all come together. But we won't be switching them on yet.  I'm still a bit bah-humbug about looking at Christmas lights for ten weeks - it dulls the anticipation! 


So we've learned the hard way - and have been admittedly pretty slow to pick up the hints.  This will be our fifth Christmas in Canada.  


All we need to do now is leave the lights there 'till April and we will have assimilated beautifully. 

Blogging gets sidelined...again

It's that time of year blogging some nonsense about my world has become almost non-existent - and I'm missing out on lots of your own updates and lovely photos.  I have, of course, many excuses I can offer, but none are very original.  And to prove my state of mind right now,  I can't even think of anything interesting to entertain and distract you from my boring excuses!

Family life continues at a fast pace.  After-school activities and the requisite ferrying around takes up much energy. Homework for all - or should that read "cajoling" sessions?

Finally repainted the last basement room and Daughter Number One moved into her new purple palace - OK -aubergine, if we are being technical.

Have been back to my choral group on Tuesdays - fa la la la la'ing with a new repertoire of pretty toons for our Christmas concert.  Supposed to be learning them by heart, but it's all going in one ear and out the other right now.

Life for a couple of friends has thrown some awful curveballs recently and we have tried to help out, cook meals, and generally rally round being upbeat and supportive.

"Back to School" for me on a Wednesday evening - a long, long day and my brain is about to shut down for the season. Grades are respectable however, which is a relief as I am currently feeling like a right old fart in a class of early-twenty somethings!

Work has been so busy busy - many staff changes, swapping of duties, and in a moment of weakness, I agreed to take on presenting the new staff orientations (gawd help 'em - the blind leading the blind).

Hubby has also changed the focus of his job and he is finally a happy chappie who does not have to contemplate working outdoor shifts during this winter - hurray.  And he will do regular office hours - this is indeed a miracle!

Halloween and pumpkin-carving has been and gone, and I bought a new Christmas tree last week!

Life is a rush right now.  Can you tell my brain is fried?

I need a week off and a spa weekend.  Who's in?

The white stuff is returning

We have been pretty lucky on the weather front 

as we head into the first week of November.

There have been two attempts at snow, 

neither of which amounted to much,

but the temperatures are now officially "cold" according to my pyjama-o-meter!  

It's been dipping below -10ºC at night-time, 

and we cannot expect much above 3ºC 

for most of this week.

The mountains sure look pretty 

with their new white coat though.

How is Your World Tuesday?