Let it snow...let it snow..let it STOP!

The weather's getting warmer but where will all this snow go? We're allowed to complain about the amount of snow we're getting...because the Islanders are complaining...as long as an Islander has complained first we don't seem like moaning Limeys!

We look like we have rolling hills on our land...the goalposts have disappeared and the snow is higher than the 6ft high chicken coop. There is an unadopted road to the side (which means it doesn't get snow plowed...its as high as the road signs...around 7 ft all the way along.

Here's a photo of Steve at the top of the hill coming towards Canoe Cove...as well as the 10 ft of snow there is a snow-filled 3 ft ditch underneath...unbelievable.



Yesterday morning we had the most fabulous frost - every tree/ bush had a silver fringe on it and the chicken wire looked like lace.






This weekend is supposed to be a tropical 10 degrees...woo hoo...we'll see. there may be floods...I said I wanted a boat.

I've completed the new website for the Canoe Cove Community Association...here's the link

http://www.freewebs.com/canoecove/


I'm just adding stuff to it everyday and the neighbours love it. Some of the extracts are from local books who romanticise their Scottish heritage, and occasionally berates the English - which grates - but I let them carry on as they wish. They don't understand that English commoners also suffered at the hands of the Aristocracy/ Royalty - but there's no point in pursuing the point. On the upside, I've found out all the people who used to live in our farmhouse, which is nice....ours is the oldest house in the Cove - built around 1860.

I've told the Association about Car Boot Sales...renamed Trunk Sales and they are very keen to hold one, we'll most likely hold our first in the Spring. Watch this space...it might be that I have created a revolution! Burberry next...not!

Sam's going skiing with his school at Brookvale today - so I'm going out - I don't want to get the phone call that he's broken a limb...like I did last time! I've told him to PLEASE be careful...but 'Sam the clutz' will no doubt prevail...I hope not, we'll see!

Joe went skating yesterday...but his skates didn't fit - oops - I hadn't thought to check - bad mother! I'll take them and trade them in for another second hand pair today - yes, seriously - skates run to around $250 new, so everyone recycles. Thank god for thrifty islanders!

I made the most gorgeous banana loaf today - if you have some nearly black bananas its fantastic - and so easy...hope that this fares better than my Buttermilk Biscuits, Alma! But this one is the same ingredients as the UK, so it should be fine.

Banana Loaf

1 ¾ cup flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
¾ cup white sugar
1 egg (beaten)
¼ cup oil
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 large bananas)
½ cup milk

Tip: Add walnuts or Chocolate chips for a slightly different texture

Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt & sugar into a bowl.
Combine the egg, oil, bananas and milk and add to the dry ingredients.
Stir until the mixture is well blended.
Put in a loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.


I double the ingredients and bake it in a cake tin (the type where you can remove the sides) and I put pecans on the top...if you are doing the double up, cook for 1 hr 15mins at 350 degrees and then cover with foil, reducing the heat to 200 degrees for another 30 minutes...check the middle is not wet with a skewer and voila! It's delicious hot or cold with butter ( and no indigestion! - which I get with Banana Muffins.) It also looks terrific - very Nigella...!

Still no jobs on the horizon...need something soon or I'll be climbing the walls...or opening my own cafe!

Pink Roses & Snowmen

We've had a very busy week...hence, no blogs...so let's play catch up...


Valentine's Day...roses from Stephen...don't know what brought that on, but I was very pleased..although they were dead within 2 days...what's that all about???
It was our Wedding Anniversary yesterday and we all went for a meal at the Hunter's Tavern - especially gut busting food and very large pints - a good time had by all! So nice not to cook once in a while!
Joe was off school (AGAIN!) for a teacher training day - between them the boys haven't put in a full week at school yet in 2009...anyway, the snow was sticky snow - so we got to make a snowman...or an ugly bodybuilder - whichever you prefer!

Sam got his exam results - excelled in all his subjects - they ranged from 75% - 90%. Big relief, as I thought he was being pretty blase about studying for them.

Can't wait to get to the UK...we have so much lined up - Sam, Joe & Steve are trying to get Derby tickets for Old Trafford, for Sam's birthday me & him are going to see Eric Clapton at Manchester Arena (courtesy of Alma & Basil) and the Saturday night we are in the North East the Big Club is on to satisfy our Northern Soul addiction...it was obviously meant to be this trip! I'm trying to organise the boys going back to their old schools - they are both very keen to do this - just need to get both schools to agree.
We have 3 lists on the go :- What to do, what to eat and what to buy and bring back to Canada...each getting longer by the minute! Sam wants clothes and kebabs...so he'll look good but stink! Joe's still undecided but knows he wants Polos...I want a Holland's Meat Pie and Sun Lok curry, Dairylea & Warburton's bread and Steve wants clothes...so we'll be fat and bankrupt by the time we get back to PEI.

Influenza & Extraction

Flu has hit me & the boys this past week...and hard on the heels of an horrendous migraine last Wednesday, I'm fed up.

Joe had to have his first tooth extraction yesterday...and as is always the case with Joe - it was a drama...we shall elect to go laughing gas should there be a next time...he's fine now, but what trauma.

Meanwhile, the cooker decided to have a hissy fit...so I have no option but to clean it - hiss boo! We'll see if that fixes it.

It a tropical 2 degrees today and raining - horrid grey skies - don't know how I put up with it in Manchester for so long...not used to it now...!

Snow days

I think the school have had 4 so far in 2009...nice eh? Joe has been in one hour short of 2 days this week and is off today for a teacher training day.

We've had a lot of snow - so far in 2009 - 89 inches...which I'm told is over 2 metres. The snow around the house has compacted into ice - so its only the top foot that you sink down into, which is nice...cos a twice-daily 4ft slog to the chicken house is not appealing!
Here's the chicken shed - the fence around it is 6ft high.



Speaking of which, the chickens seemed to have found a new lease of life - we are getting plenty of eggs again - the fox incident seems to have charged them into gear - I figure they must have a paranoid notion that we sent him in there for dropping standards in egg production...well; maybe..




So Joe's off school today and we just spent an hour larking around outside - I couldn't get much enthusiasm from him as he hasn't been very well - headaches and a cold. He also spends too much time on his nintendo and 360...so he had no choice - I was determined in the matter. So, 3 hours after I originally told him to go outside, we got there...and we had a pleasant hour - marred only by the loss of the sledge - lost, I reckon, about 2 ft ago. We lose it every winter...and when the thaw comes we claim it back as our prodigal sledge.




Here's Joe looking like a seal...




Steve's birthday had a huge hiccough - I got a 'can't talk' migraine, which is one of the worst...so that was me done for the day...Steve managed to read his Sir Bobby Charlton book and watch footie all day without me...Blesssss...we swapped the meal out to last night and I was so pleased not to be cooking for once.

Sam started his exams yesterday...he says it went well - I hope so, fingers crossed!

PS The boys are off on Monday aswell - a new holiday called 'Islander Day' - I'll have to buy an Anne Of Green Gables wig especially!

PPS We are hoping to get to the Jack Frost Festival this year - lots of ice sculptures done by islanders every year - should be some good photos!






I believe you have snow...

..in England...the news report didn't mention the rest of the UK, but I presume they got snow too, otherwise I suspect the report may have been of a phenomenon of a different kind! I've seen the footage and it looks like plenty of people have been having fun - it's that sticky stuff you can make snowmen out of...we get that in December and April/ May...it's good stuff..not like the 4 ft of compacted ice and dry snow we have here now.

I believe it's been chaos...no gritters and no ploughs...no buses and 'arctic temperatures'...it was -17 here yesterday and it felt tropical compared to the late -20s we've been getting.

Basically the Canadian Press have been taking the p*ss...but there's a big difference between Canada and the UK...in Canada we are prepared because we have storms all winter, we have ploughs and salted roads, we have winter tyres and a radio system that alerts us to hour by hour weather and school/ work closures. Frostbite is a probability not a possibility if we fail to dress adequately so we have appropriate winter clothing - big coats, snow pants, snow boots, scarves, hats, gloves to -40 degree temperatures (so we get to play out for hours...)We don't have traffic reports because...well we have no traffic! Everyone has to have a minimum of half a tank of fuel (the fuel line can freeze otherwise), and makes sure that they carry a snow shovel, a sleeping bag and a cell phone. (We also take the battery jump leads.)

We also have the advantage of after a storm we generally get clear blue skies til the next storm...although we do lose electrical power too - no electric means no water and no cooker, but since we have a wood stove we have heat and a means to cook - we also fill the bath pre-storm, put new batteries in the radio and get the candles out - just in case.

So I'm not being snotty - I'm being sympathetic...so just keep warm and keep safe!

Just so you know, we are getting a minimum of 25cm too tomorrow - the schools will probably close at lunch because it's forecasting to be blowing snow, which means white-outs for drivers.

PS...I'll take a photo of our snow hill in the next couple of days...it's mildly amusing!

Beach, Books & Baking



I went down to the beach yesterday, alone, and it seems that I was the only one who'd been there for a while. Mine were the only tracks. The sea is completely frozen over now and it was eerily still - just the ducks making any sounds.

I've just finished Jeffrey Archer's 'The Prisoner of Birth' and highly recommend it - he's always good but this one was exceptional. They are making a film of one my favourite books 'The Time Traveller's Wife' - we'll see whether they make a hash of it, but I hope it's good.

Ricky Gervais is on TV here at the moment with his tour 'Out of England' - it's outrageous and hilarious, I'm surprised they don't boo him off the stage in the States...
I'm doing a recipe book for the Canoe Cove WI and made some biscuits (American Scone-like biscuits) that are fantastic and quick..thought I'd share the recipe...btw, I half the ingredients to make a smaller batch (about 12).
Tender Buttermilk Biscuits

You will need-
12 cups all-purpose flour (plain)
1/3 cup baking powder
¾ cup sugar
Salt
1 ½ cups shortening
6 cups buttermilk, plus more for brushing

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl then cut in the shortening. Add the buttermilk and the mixture should be soft dough. Shape the dough into mounds no bigger than a golf ball and place on a baking sheet. Brush the tops with some buttermilk.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees or until lightly browned

Adding cheese during the mix or fruit works well. They are really easy and a very quick alternative to bread. We eat them with red pepper jam, yum.
The boys have got yet another teacher training day off today, and I have to face Wallmart - and I am mostly hating Wallmart...Steve's birthday on Wednesday...need to search for present inspiration...