Family Day 2014

What a great idea to warm up the winter with a family day holiday in the middle of February. Happy to celebrate once again for the 7th year in a row.  Haven't missed one yet!

The new tradition of gingerbread men is welcomed by the younger ones in the crowd. The excitment of the bowling and rock climbing adventures of the past has been replaced by the thrill of a stuffed animal flying through the air and the danger of a 1 year old assessing the possibility of stepping down one stair on his own.

The Olympics warm up February

Too cold and snowy to go outside but the Winter Games and the new large screen TV stave off cabin fever. I have set up all my little Russian dolls to watch the games with us. Waiting for PK to show his stuff. 

Groundhog Day

Back at the blog again after a break for January. The year started well with snowshoeing in Muskoka with friends on New Years Day.  January seemed extraordinarily long this year with the "polar vortex" hanging over the Eastern seaboard. Netflix helped us to pass the time on the cold evenings. We have watched the whole first season of Homeland and Orange is the New Black. Excellent escapism. I guess that the pioneers knitted and whittled during the long dark winters. The squirrels are out again today which must mean it is a bit warmer. Spring is less than 2 months away!

Christmas in Scarberia

The Christmas of 2013 will be memorable not just for good times with family and friends but for keeping the home fires burning during a lengthy power outage. So far, we are 6 days without power though were thrilled yesterday when a kind neighbour turned up on our doorstep with a shiny new bright yellow generator he had picked up for us ( in case we wanted it!). Gassed up and working within an hour, it ran all night and in the morning the house was a toasty 10 degrees instead of 4! Our street looks like a disaster zone with many branches from the mature trees that we admire all summer now perched precariously on wires and festooned on cars and lawns. We peer out the window with great anticipation every time we hear something that sounds like a truck. Maybe they have come to rescue us from the winter cold and dark! A turkey dinner with family in Tillsonburg and presents by our trusty Regency fireplace cheered us up. The sun is shining today and the sparkling ice on the trees is truly beautiful and tomorrow is another day!

Weekend in Montreal

Fabulous but freezing weekend in Montreal to celebrate yet another birthday. Just like when we went to Quebec City in January one year, we had to buy some warmer hats and gloves to protect us on our strolls. A real highlight was the hockey game ( a first for me)  between the Canadiens and the Penguins. Bravo to P K Subban and Sidney Crosby who are true stars! 

Last Harvest

Hard to believe that we were still collecting vegetables from our garden in mid  November! Beets, leeks, kale and Swiss chard. Alas, the raspberries didn't make it through the last frost. The leeks made a delicious chicken pot pie. Comfort food for these gray days. Enjoyed a fabulous multimedia David Bowie exhibit at the art gallery for a culture fix. I didn't realize what a multifaceted artist David Bowie is. And I love the views of downtown Toronto from that amazing architectural gem. 

At the Cabin

Last weekend in Bancroft for a while I expect. The shed for the vintage tractor now has the steel roof on it and more copper bracelets were made. A roaring bonfire got rid of all the brush and kept the snowflakes away. Snow on the fir trees a harbinger of what is to come.