Update

Hi everybody - hope you are having a wonderful summer so far. Time is SPEEDING by as always! I have just another three weeks on the island and then I'll be heading back to Ontario and getting into "Back to School" mode. That will be a challenging process for me coming off my Work Refusal and stress leave but as always I will do my best to ensure a good start to the school year.

My nephew was finally stabilized enough for surgery on Wednesday. He was in the OR for 10 hours and doctors placed a metal plate in his back, put a pin in his hip, and set his femur. He will also be fitted with a "halo brace" so that he can't move his head while his neck fracture heals. He has not yet been conscious since the accident but his parents and brother feel sure he knows they are there - he has had some movement on one side of his body but not the other. In this situation time moves more slowly.

If I can I'll be back later today with a post. Michael has been very busy around here and I have something to show you!

Until then have a gander at some recent photos........of baby goats at the Great Canadian Soap Company's farm near Cavendish. A friend is working there this summer so we had to check it out. Well, we not only fell in love with the goats but love their products too which we've been using daily.

Taking a Break

I don't seem able to focus my thoughts enough to write anything worth reading.  So I'll spare you from reading tripe. One of my nephews was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident on the weekend and I'm worried about how my sister and ex-brother-in-law are doing. My nephew hasn't had the easiest life as he has Type 1 diabetes and hasn't always taken the best care of himself which has in itself been a worry for his parents.

His parents (my sister and ex-brother-in-law) have also parted ways not too long ago which I hope will not prevent them from supporting each other while their son recovers.

The only reason I'm telling you this is because I believe in the power of prayer and need your prayers now for my nephew, his son, his parents and his brother.

Many thanks.

Greetings from PEI - WARNING: PHOTO HEAVY POST!!

So I haven't been doing the greatest job at posting and staying caught up on your lives. I have two excuses errrrr reasons: 1) busy busy busy and 2) my internet stick is WAY MORE EXPENSIVE than I thought it would be. It costs $113 ($100 plus tax) for 1.5gigs which I can use up in no time if I'm not paying attention. Especially when I'm uploading and posting photos or doing a search for something.

BUT this morning I'm at the local pub using their wifi for FREE so I'm going to post a lot of photos while I have the chance. The owner of the pub, Steve, is such a great guy - he grinds fresh coffee beans when I come in and serves me coffee for FREE! Don't ya just love free stuff??

So to catch you all up to date: Michael did NOT get the job he interviewed for a week ago today BUT neither did anyone else. He was told he was the strongest candidate but needed to take a certain course which he will do hopefully starting in September. As no one had the exact qualifications they were looking for the job has been put "on hold" so we hope once Michael takes the course he can reapply and be hired. For now he's going to be working in the pub wherein I'm currently sitting and he just told me to say a big HI to the BLOGGING COMMUNITY!!  We're both very happy that he gets to stay in PEI for the summer - there's always a silver lining isn't there?!

The weather has been amazing - the complete opposite of last year when it was cold and rained almost every day! However campfires have been outlawed in a lot of areas due to the extreme dryness. It seems that the weather these days is always EXTREME - there is no happy medium. Is this the effect of global warming? Is this what we're to expect from now on?

Well, since this is not a blog about "global warming" I'll move on to other, less stressful, topics such as...mango smoothies, strawberry shortcake, sunsets, music nights, beaches....

today's pictures are just from around our homestead which we call Crofters Lane...

 This is my dad's brass knocker - it was on our amily house when I was growing up (he was in the navy during WW11); it looks right at home beside our front door and its nautical theme fits in well here on the island! Ahoy matey and all that...not that anyone comes to the FRONT DOOR!!

 My sister gave me this lovely fat ceramic bird one Christmas and it's found a nice home on the railing of my verandah.  AND it doesn't make a mess...

 Speaking of the verandah - I've given my rocking chair a new coat of paint and installed our lovely new fire burner on a side table. Notice one of the "mosquito-free" zones in the background! However, the earwigs like it so I've tied it in a loose knot so it doesn't touch the floor when not in use!

 I had a lovely fire the other night as I had collected a lot of paper and cardboard and wanted to get rid of it. Doing that reminds me of my dad - he had a large metal barrel that he used to burn all of our paper-based trash in when I was just a wee nipper...

My other "mosquito free" zone near the firepit but also in the shade. I bought this at the Tignish Co-op last summer and never took it out of it's carrier bag. It has a life of its own - I opened the bag and it literally sprang into its current shape - I nearly lost an eye! (just exaggerating a wee bit there!)

 One of my many favorite spots to hang around in...I was reading in it the other day and the wind was SO strong that day I was to-ing and fro-ing with no effort of my own. V e r y  r e l a x i n g . . .

Look at that sky! I think my house looks happy!

That's for the birds...in a good way :) I bought that ceramic bird bath on my birthday weekend in Niagara Falls and it has come HOME to roost, so to speak...

One of the many flowers/weeds growing in my overgrown laneway...

 My overgrown laneway - the hedgerows need to be beaten back a little...I'm worried that one year we'll arrive and the two hedgerows will have joined together and I won't be able to get through!

 But it's such a pretty space - it's one of the reasons I love my property so much...

 From the road - you can see how far our home is from the road - that's our wee forest and to the left that small shape is our house...well, really just the roof as there is a huge bamboo patch disguising it a bit...

I like this shot - it looks like the house has two eyes that are peeking over the bamboo patch...

Ok, that's it for now, gotta go spend some time in the sunshine!

Happy Days are Here Again!

Yes, Michael is now on his way to PEI!!  I'll be picking him up at the airport in Charlottetown at 12:11pm! That gives us the afternoon to explore Charlottetown and then have dinner at our favorite restaurant - Gahan's!

Although we always peruse the menu carefully we ALWAYS get their famous fish and chips in a paper bag! Not exactly a meal for my current nutritional eating plan but who the hell cares!! It's a celebration! :)

And of course a specially handcrafted Gahan's beer from their basement microbrewery helps wash it all down!

Oh yes, I'm a happy girl today! The sun is shining and I was up to watch it rise around 5:30am. And I get to hug my man today - he's the best hugger ever! He's so excited to get here!

 This is a pic of the sun setting last night over the Northumberland Straits - gorgeous!

And here it is again, less than 8 hours later coming back up!! Magical!
Gotta run - places to go, people to meet!!

 The night before I left for PEI Michael and I went to one of our favorite "hanging out" spots - the Waltzing Weasel. I have previously raved about their chicken wings here on my blog.  Well, to add to our pleasure we received a couple of free samples of a new wheat beer called SHOCKTOP and what made it even MORE special it was served to us by my gorgeous daughter!  Yes folks, you too can sling beer with a degree in French!

But seriously, it was fun to watch her in action and get to take some candid photos - I don't get that opportunity very often.  I mean what could be a more perfect summer job - asking people if they want to sample a new beer....for FREE!  I don't think anyone said "no thanks!"  In fact, I said yes..... twice!! (even though you're only supposed to get ONE sample it pays to have a daughter in the beer business!) We also stole received two free SHOCKTOP glasses to take home!! Bonus!  Actually, the SHOCKTOP glasses are here in my PEI cupboard and they're working really well!

 Of course no night would be complete without a photo of Michael with a bevy of beauties! And they took our pictures too for "promotional purposes" but we weren't allowed to show the beer for the photos. Here in Canada companies are not allowed to show people actually drinking alcohol in their commercials for...alcohol! You have to use your imagination!

 Here's Kazi giving her spiel!

 She's very charming to strangers...but then she's paid well for it...hmmmm.....

 She's a beautiful girl and I love her very much. I'm not even worried about how well she's looking after our 18 year old cat in my absence....not much anyway...

Success!  Another sample sampled by a sampler!  But is he making a face??

I must confess the other reason we love the Waltzing Weasel so much.  They make the best apple dumpling with french vanilla icecream in the entire WORLD!! Michael and I are sharing one in this picture but sometimes we each have to get our own because we don't want to share!

The ultra good news is that Michael is finally flying out this Wednesday!! He had to cancel his Monday flight due to having a job interview.  The interview went well so now it's a game of "wait and see"! We really hope he gets the job as it's right up his alley but it will be sad also not to have him in PEI for the summer. He'll go back to London immediately if he gets the job but at least he'll have a few days here first! 

Frugal and Thankful: A 3 prize giveaway!!!

Frugal and Thankful: A 3 prize giveaway!!! Hey everyone! Head on over to Lena's blog Frgal and Thankful for a great giveaway...there are THREE, yes THREE prizes to be won! Don't miss out, the draw is July 11!

The Unveiling

While sitting out on my porch Wednesday morning in the brilliant sunshine my ears perked up as they heard a steady beep, beep, beep. What could that be I wondered? Then, because I'm smart like that, I figured it was a truck backing up. Wait a minute, a truck backing up?  BACKING up my half-mile long and narrow driveway??

Yes, indeedy - man did they have nerves of steel or what! As the beeping got louder and louder I finally saw the truck being guided slowly and carefully by one of the delivery men who was walking behind the truck. I was astounded by their dexterity! As the driver hopped out of the truck he said "you shore like your privacy don't ya?" Aye-yup I do!

That was as far as the truck was going. They made the rest of the journey trundling each appliance over to the house with a dolly. They had no trouble at all getting the stove into the kitchen. Turning it sideways it fit easily through the back doorway. The fridge however was another kettle of fish altogether.

Being 30" by 30" turning it sideways didn't make one bit of difference! They measured the fridge, they measured the back door - the fridge was too wide by half an inch.  So they measured the front door and it was just barely wide enough. Without complaining they got to work and took off the front door - they needed every millimeter they could get. These guys were pros! They squeezed that fridge through the door with just enough room on each side for a piece of paper...maybe...and...

SUCCESS!! I am now the proud owner of a truly PEI kitchen! That is the fridge is in the dining room which islanders call the kitchen.  The stove, on the other hand, is in the kitchen, otherwise known by islanders as the "pantry".  I thought it would be a little strange but it didn't take any getting used to at all. Though I do have plans to open up the "pantry" so that both rooms flow together as one.

But until then I'll enjoy my PEI kitchen/pantry.