The Fright Queens

Movita has suggested that since I posted a photo of Adam's teddy bears waiting for Finnie to arrive from France, I also include a picture of the girls' dollys. Unlike the benign and adorable teddy bears their little brother considered as part of his circle of friends growing up, the girls had dolls that perhaps reflected the degree of angst and number of issues that little girls begin to acquire at even a very early age. Adam and his friends, it seemed to me in comparison, were always so much more laid back and really little men of few words.
Of course, I shouldn't generalize. Perhaps it does not reflect the difference between boys and girls. Perhaps it was just that generation of boys and girls. Or that particular community. Whatever the reason, I think I will put these gals back in their box in the basement lest they scare the hell out of little Finnie.
P.S. You haven't seen Baby Chrissy! Lordy, that doll even left the Rutherfords wide eyed one night they were here for supper and Rachael was bonding again with her pal/alter ego at the supper table. The dialogue could have been lifted straight from Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte!

When Squares Go Wrong - Horribly Wrong

I have discovered a number of very good recipes to add to the Christmas menu over the last few years - provolone and amaretti cookies, rosemary bread sticks, Cornish saffron bread, Hello Molly's, roasted squash soup, yule log, etc. Alas, last evening's experiment will not be repeated - a disastrous waste of time, electricity, chocolate, pecans, and caramels. The end result was a molten, sickeningly sweet mound of disgusting matter. Looking critically at the recipe, I suspect the problem is the addition of too much liquid at the various stages of execution.
Julia Child maintained that an extremely high percentage of recipes written and published had errors. She was known for exhaustively testing and retesting a recipe. Her first book took over ten years to go to press as she and her two colleagues in France made sure that every recipe was error free and every French ingredient had a suitable American equivalent. This recipe has the potential to destroy reputations on either continent.

Guess Who Came For Lunch Today

I was at the kitchen sink this afternoon when I spied through the trees in the upper yard what appeared to be the rear end of a white pony. A pony? In our woods? Then a hint of what appeared to be a second - pony??? Two renegade Great Danes??? Deer in Nova Scotia are white tailed deer. The body color is brown. Typically, one can spot the large upright, white tail and look closer to see where the rest of the deer is actually situated in the trees and undergrowth. One does not typically see a entire white hind end! I raced for my camera and softly made my way across the back deck, along the lower pathway, and up over the upper lawn where the two albino deer watched me warily but allowed me to take a series of photos.
Here is a link to a website that gives more information on these rare creatures:
http://www.buckmanager.com/2008/01/07/all-about-albino-white-tailed-deer/

Waiting

The old gang has gathered. Eleven days to go...

Ah, The Progress Chart

I have been trying to make this Christmas especially nice since the French branch of the family are traveling all the way from, well, France. But I was reminded tonight that in the process of multi-tasking, I clean forgot about The Progress Chart - the chart that is displayed prominently on the fridge door each year and marks the state of movement in the nether regions of a particular family member's... nether regions. Some people are prone to traveler's tummy, which I always mistakenly thought referred to upset stomach, diarrhea, possibly even vomiting. But, apparently, it refers to the almost total lack of progress of ingested food through the alimentary canal.
So in a show of support, we post a chart on the fridge and mark each day either with an x or a check. Mostly an x. Well, always an x. And see the sad little person off home at the end of the holiday with best wishes for better luck next year. And never knowing if a plane trip home results in a longer flight time due to a heavier load of cargo because of all the - you know - or if the plane actually stays up better and flies faster with the buoyancy of all the accompanying gas.

Waiting For Finnie

Today, I dug out the Bunnykins dishes and got Finnie's flatware ready for her. There are four silver, toddler size pieces that were used by our children when they were Finnie's age. And they are the only pieces of silverware in the house (!) - in stark contrast to Finnie's other, French grandmother, Sophie, and the beautiful array of family silver she lays on an antique white tablecloth when she gets ready for company in their country home by the sea. In the absence of the antique table linens, the truly lovely table settings, the sand and sea, I console myself with the thought that, at the very least, we should have snow and a white Christmas!
Isabelle has suggested having some plastic dishes on hand too as Finnie sometimes ends her meals with a flourish that can involve glassware and gravity!
And cooling tonight before being carefully packaged for the freezer:
Arrowroot Squares


They are at Rachael's request. We have been eating these squares at Christmas now for over thirty years. Arrowroot cookies are broken into small bits, mixed with walnuts and held together as a base with an egg, butter, cocoa, sugar mixture. Then semi sweet chocolate is spread over the top. Followed by butter icing and a heavy drizzle of melted chocolate.
Date Squares - aka Matrimonial Squares


This is Isabelle's only request and it is another old, old recipe that we have been making forever.

How To Make A Christmas Wreath

I think wreath making at Christmas time can be a great family activity and tradition. Tramping around outside is good exercise and shaping the wreath, choosing and making the bow satisfies an urge to be creative. Having said that, I always make the wreaths alone as no one else in the family has ever been particularly interested in participating. So it has become a solitary ritual that gives me great satisfaction when I look out and see the fir wreaths around the property throughout the winter. (I don't take them down after Christmas but make them part of the winter landscape.)
Yesterday, I wound my way through the wooded areas of our property to collect balsam fir tips to make this year's Christmas wreaths. I always cut the tips carefully to preserve the shape of each tree and never take more than I am actually going to use.

Today, as the first snow storm of the season developed outside, I began making wreaths on an old work table in the basement, using wire rings recycled from last year.

I bundled fir tips (about seven per bundle) and fastened each bundle onto the ring with a couple of twists of florist's wire.

The finished wreath is hung on a basement post to check for symmetry.

I make new bows or recycle them from the previous year - a fairly good quality wired ribbon bow can often endure a couple of Nova Scotia winters! The choice of color and style bow depends on the location of the wreath - on the split rail fence "up back", on the lattice work of the deck, on the front door, or on family gravestones!

I chose deep cranberry red for this wreath as it what I want to see when I look out the kitchen window at the wreath on the split rail fence.

Preparing for Christmas

Today was pound cake day - and it is late this year. Usually, I get this lovely, smooth, rich, mellow delight ready around Halloween, wrap it carefully in waxed paper, then tin foil, and store it in a tightly sealed plastic bag in the back of the fridge (as we do not have a cool pantry). There it mellows more until Christmas week. My mother usually made an almond paste that was rolled across the top of the cake before serving but these days, I sometimes just dust it with icing sugar.
I make the pound cake the way my mother and countless other women in this province have made it for many, many decades - from a recipe in the Dutch Oven cookbook out of Lunenburg County. My book, generously turned over to me by my mother when I married, no longer has a cover. Many of the pages are either loose or free of the binding and tucked in the back of the book, and covered with stains.
My mother and I varied the recipe slightly. We put in mace, vanilla, and a great deal of brandy instead of the lemon juice and rind the more sedate lady of Lunenburg County used for her family. The brandy doesn't come through by way of taste but it keeps the dense cake from drying out and makes it richer.
But I still prepare the loaf pans in the old fashioned way by lining them with brown paper and parchment paper. After the batter is turned into the pans, a cover of brown or parchment paper is set well up over the pans and tied in place with twine. The cakes then bake in a slow oven for over two hours. And the lovely smell permeates the house for hours.


And it wouldn't be Christmas without sweet breads in the mornings - Cornish saffron bread, Chelsea buns, bubble (sometimes called monkey!) bread, etc.
The Chelsea buns were set out to rise a few days ago and baked to a golden finish, wrapped, labeled, and frozen.

Vindication After Years of Abuse

Guess who is my favourite daughter now! After years of abuse from Daughter Number One and Daughter Ditto on the subject of wearing white shirts under sweaters, I have a girl who actually wants and asks for one as a Christmas gift. Ah, Nirvana! I have been the subject of such teasing and ridicule in front of friends and family over the years for "making" my little girls look "preppy" growing up (their interpretation of being dressed with good taste - and when was "preppy" ever considered a negative thing in any case???) by having them wear little white blouses under their pullovers to take away from the starkness of the sweater neckline and add another design element to their ensemble. The litany of abuse on this issue has become such a habit with The Sisters of the Whinesome Chorus that Daughter Number One was bitterly complaining about it just a couple of weeks ago in front of the Not-The-Other-Rutherfords while looking gorgeous in a grey cashmere sweater, chinos, and A WHITE SHIRT! Now I forgive them, of course. It's a mother's job. That and holding firm to your own innate sense of what is right and waiting for your kidlings to grow, gain worldly experience, and finally understand the reasoning behind your stance. But that doesn't lessen the satisfaction I experienced on receiving the following email from Isabelle:

I could also do with a white shirt with a collar. I have colourful V neck sweaters (tomorrow I'll wear my pink cashmere from you), but I have no nice crisp white shirt to wear underneath. Something long sleeved with maybe a few buttons? And long enough so that I can tuck it in my trousers and keep my lower back warm? Is that what you call a blouse? In French une blouse is a lab coat.

I think I am in vindication heaven. Finally, a gal who understands how to achieve a timeless, classy look that sets off the sweater and the rest of the outfit. A gal who can use a white shirt with jeans for a casual, classy look or with dress pants for a professional, classy look. AND she responds promptly to my request for Christmas wishlists to make Mrs. Santa's job easier. Viva La France! And Viva ma fille francaise! (The French have such a well deserved reputation around the world for good fashion sense. Sophie raised that child well!)


And on the subject of wardrobe, here is a sock that makes me happy every time I pick up the knitting needles. The colors are so pleasing that it is one of the fastest sock projects I have ever worked on.

Pattern: Simple stocking stitch with partridge eye heel flap
Yarn: Trekking XXL #126 (Brachs Candy)
Needles: circular 2.25 mm

Baby Girl's Birthday

Tomorrow is Baby Girl's birthday. After so many years, she is still as funny and sweet and smart and creative and quick and generous as ever.






She has always been a family gal. She vows, when she is rich and more famous, to set her parents up in a Florida condo - even though she knows we cannot tolerate the heat...



And it is not surprising that she has become so attached to Luke - her love of animals has been long documented.

September Socks

Pattern: Basketweave Rib
Designer: Charlene Schurch - Sensational Knitted Socks
Yarn: The Woolen Rabbit Sock Yarn
Colorway: Rosemary and Thyme
For some reason, these socks reminded me of Amy all the time I was working on them. There's something about the burgundy blend. Was it something she was wearing last Christmas??

Inspired By IndoAmerican Novels

This afternoon, we had a late lunch of Tadka Dal - a mildly spiced lentil and tomato dish served over hot basmati rice with fresh cilantro on top. Delicious, especially when served with home made naan bread.
We have had two sterling Indian recipe books languishing on the bookshelf for several years. Inspired by the description of family gatherings and meals in IndoAmerican novels I have read recently, and remembering great Indian meals we have had in the past, I have taken up Indian cooking as a hobby.
There is an Indian grocer on Robie Street in Halifax who has been able to supply me with everything from green cardamom pods to asafetida, fenugeek seeds, atta flour, and chana dal. I don't think he had a lot of confidence in my ability to pull off that first big meal as he smiled broadly all the time I asked about the various recipe ingredients that I needed, and cheerily called out "Good Luck!" when I left the store.
We have, in fact, had some great dishes though they tend to lean a tad more, I suspect, toward the British influenced Indian meals. However, exploring that vast subcontinent region by region, dish by dish, will be a great way to spend the winter of 2008/2009.
Y'all come now.

A Thank You To My Design Team

There are 47 knobs in the kitchen. Behind each knob is a drawer or door. Each has to be primed twice on both sides. Three coats of oil paint are then applied to the outside of each component. That's 329 applications of paint. Not counting the base kick plates, the body of the island, and the ends of the upper cabinets. Each application of oil paint requires an overnight dry time.
Rosie Beaucoup has just finished the painting job from hell. I know! I know! The insides still only have two coats of primer. It's clean. It's white.
I want to thank the members of my design support group for their help when I was struggling with a final color choice.
Isabelle was a star performer - she talked about flow between rooms, color coordination, light, and generally took a holistic approach to the problem. I thought she was very fair and impartial in her comments since green is one of her least favourite colors!
Amy, dear Amy, was astute and made a couple of really good points even though I didn't, in the end, take her advice. I loved my green kitchen but the countertops wanted white. And the photos don't do justice to the richness and warmth of White Down from Benjamin Moore.
Heather loves white kitchens, has lived with them for many years, and thought the whte would be great in combination with the dark brown countertops.
Rachael tried to help but the refrain "I like white kitchens" did not make me feel confident that she was taking all factors into consideration.
And Sit on The Fence Hadley in Toronto pointed out that white would be lovely and green would be different and unique.

Time For Change

I always hope that as I grow older, I stay open to change, to new ideas, and always remain eager to acquire new information. I do, however, find it difficult to discard these old friends of the past several years, who have helped me log at least 6 kilometers per day since I started a fitness walking program in April.
They still make my feet spring and my spirits soar as I start off down the driveway each morning (this fitness walk is the very best part of my day!) but, alas, they have, in their old age, developed a squeak - a somewhat shrill and surprisingly loud squeak. I can ignore the noise as I am hooked up to an iPod and trot along to the sounds of Motown but it occurred to me that the squeak may be annoying to all those people still trying, at 6:30 a.m., to sleep beside their open windows. Trust me, it is that loud! Dogs in houses at the top of long driveways start barking as I go by.
So... time to shop. But I doubt I will find friends as loyal and trusty again.
or... hmmmmmmmm...I don't suppose I could oil them...????

Waffle Rib Socks

There is nothing as relaxing as tending to the socks growing in a woodland garden.
Pattern: Waffle Rib Socks
Source: Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch
Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts Hand Dyed Yarn
Colorway: Shadow
Stitch Detail:

Kitchen Renovation - A Work in Progress

The island has been extended by 27 inches. The new section has been primed white and I am mulling over paint colors and trying to decide whether I will keep the green on the cabinets (which doesn`t show up very well in these photos) or switch to a warm, off-white. Peter, from the kitchen company who originally installed the cabinets, thinks the present green looks very good in the room and has suggested that there are, perhaps, enough white kitchens out there!
The chairs are brown leather and chrome from Backyards and Verandahs. It is so nice to be able to sit in the kitchen now and have lunch, or read the morning paper with coffee, or, as Rachael and I did on Sunday, have a game of Ginny-O at the end of the island! (We lent our original game to a friend, who never returned it. Adam and Isa, in France, found one on Ebay and kindly purchased it and had it sent to us.)


The countertoops are Antique Brown granite from Nova Tile and Marble. They have yet to return to fill and polish the only two seams in the kitchen - on either side of the sink. The granite is beautiful. There is more care involved than with other countertop materials but granite has a `wow`factor that we could not resist.


Undermount sink is a Kindred. We had not intended to install new taps but our three year old Delta set pooped out on us when the plumber tried to re-install them! We have replaced them with Moen taps - the Adeline. They are actually much nicer than the Delta and have the added convenience of a soap dispenser and a hose that moves with far more ease.

Clematis Wisley

Clematis Wisley
July is clematis month in the garden.
This clematis shares the deck lattice work with a Canadian Explorer rose, John Cabot.
I was hoping Amy, Hadley, Luke and Chad (in no particular order, mind) would be sitting beside it, having tea or cold beer - having shared the driving and gas expenditure to the Maritimes.

Clematis

Three clematis climb an obelisk over the wellhead - Niobe, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Hagley. Niobe is in full bloom this week and Hagley has one pink blossom with the promise of many more to come. The Duchess of Edinburgh has, alas, never bloomed - perhaps because I cut it back each winter in order to weave a balsam wreath around the obelisk. The Duchess belongs to pruning group B in the world of clematis and likes to bloom on old wood.

Distressed But Chic

Our first concrete birdbath was scheduled for the garbage but, as each week passed, it never quite made it down to the street for pickup. The basin has a pie shaped section missing and the pedestal is crumbling at the base. But in the spirit of environmental goodness, I decided to set it among the shrubs and birdfeeders (and not to far from the working bird bath) and place a basket of flowers on it. And Voila!, as Lucy Darling would say, a star garden feature is born.

Summer Socks

Pattern: Embossed Leaves Socks
Designer: Mona Schmidt
Yarn: Chameleon Colorworks Bambino
Colorway: Ruby
I modified the pattern slightly by knitting a Partridge Eye heel flap.

Guess Who's Coming For Christmas!

If this wasn't just the perfect day! A family birthday, brunch and supper out with Rach, phone calls from Hadley, and a very long distance phone call to say that Finnie From France is coming for Christmas with Maman and Papa.

Will's Birthday Socks:


Pattern: Gentleman's Shooting Socks With Fluted Pattern
Designer: Nancy Bush - Knitting Vintage Socks
Yarn: Opal Uni Solid
Colorway: 1416

Storm Stayed Socks

Thin enough to fit easily in boots or shoes but comfortable enough to evoke thoughts of nothing more ambitious than curling up on the sofa with a good book on a wickedly stormy winter's day.

Pattern: Basic Cabled Socks
Designer: Brainylady (see Ravelry website)
Yarn: Tanis Fiber Arts Hand Dyed Yarn
Colorway: Royal Flush
Needles: 2.25 mm circular
Tree: Chamaecyparis obtusa nana

Ambling Around The June Garden

The beautiful James McFarlane lilac always reminds me of Adam, who thought we should have a lilac in the early stages of planning this woodland garden. Now he lives in France sans lilac bushes!


The rhododendron was purchased at a rock bottom price at the local grocery store and was tagged "white rhododendron"! Despite its common roots, it puts on a lovely show each year in a little hollow off the side lawn.


Spiraea japonica - Little Princess - is tucked into the edge of the woodland by the upper lawn. It is in a shady area and it takes a sharp eye to spot it among the ferns and native trees.


The window boxes are done up this year in shades of pink, yellow, white and blue.

Meet The Picoides villosus Girls

These female Hairy Woodpeckers have been coming together to the peanut feeder over the last couple of days. They lack the brilliant red caps their male counterparts wear. The blue jays impatiently wait for the squirrels to move off the feeder and keep the smaller birds at bay when they are having their lunch. But nothing trumps the woodpeckers. They eat at that feeder whenever they want - one advantage, I guess, of having long and very powerful beaks!

One of My Favourite Sock Patterns

Pattern: Socks of Kindness
Designer: Chawne
Yarn: Trekking Pro Natura
Colorway: 1510
Needles: 2 mm. circulars

Woodland Rich

I so clearly remember walking this acre of woodland for the first time and finding it hard to believe that it could actually be ours. Almost everyone in the world would like to live on or around water and, while oceans and lakes are mesmerizing, (I would give my eye teeth to have a home in Ronce les Bain!), woodlands have always seemed magical to me - perhaps because the summers of my formative years were spent at a cottage in the Nova Scotia woods. They are places that invite quiet exploration. There are always hidden surprises in nooks and crannies. They are wonderful for birdwatching, and growing gardens that respect the natural beauty of the land.


Several woodpeckers have discovered our peanut feeder this year and they are constantly eating from it. They don't mind at all if I garden within a few feet of them. Unfortunately, this one turned just as I snapped the photo so you can't see the striking black and white feathers.


There is a hidden spot tucked away in the woodland in front of the house where every year, two or three ladyslippers emerge from forest floor. They are exquisite.


The rhododendrons on the property are all coming into bloom this week. The most unusual in the collection is Percy Wiseman with flowers in soft shades of coral and peach.


I ordered a tree peony from Vesey's on Prince Edward Island a few years ago and although the bush itself is still not overly large (about a meter and a half high and a meter wide), it produces enormous blooms the size of bread and butter plates every June.