Spring has Sprung

This morning was very grey and drizzly but R and I decided to venture out to downtown Oakville for a walk around. I bought my first pair of wellies yesterday so what do I care if there are puddles! There were signs of Spring and Easter at every turn.

I really, really wanted one of these buns but decided that the brownies at home were enough treat for one weekend. I could go back next week!

Just as we came to this lovely window display at a kitchen shop the sun came out! Note to self: if it's dull and miserable outside, get out there and find something bright!

Let Them Eat Pizza

R and I thought we would like to try our hand at making some pizza from scratch. R has a theory about most things in life and it's this; if a little is good then more must be better. I came back from walking Deacon and found him in the kitchen kneading a bowling ball, ummm I mean a ball of dough. I don't know if he read the recipe correctly but I think instead of 3 cups of flour he used a bag. Instead of risking another disaster I had him drive over to a nearby Italian bakery to buy a package of ready-made dough. He came back with not one but two bags of dough. So there we were, just the two of us with three large pizzas on the counter. Oh well, saves me from figuring out what's for dinner tomorrow.

Retro Rib

My sock-in-progress is called Retro Rib and my third sock using Louet Gems wool. It's so soft and lovely to work with. The wool used in the pattern is a little thicker so I'm achieving a more feminine look with the super fine weight. This simple design is all knit and purl stitches and is quite dense so at first I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. Then this lovely pattern emerged and the effect is so pretty that it keeps me going. The fern green colour is also an appropriate choice for Spring!

Cead Mile Failte

The Heiress was 8 years old when she started dancing in her little homemade skirt and shawl. She couldn't wait to get her first pair of hard shoes. On the weekend before St Patrick's Day, the kids would get on a bus and they would literally run into pubs, dance, then run back onto the bus. They would do this from late morning until midnight and yet they looked forward to it every year. Every St Patrick's Day, the kids would be in the pubs again clapping and dancing until late into the evening. And this was at a time when people smoked in the establishments, oh how they reeked! Those kids worked so hard for their medals and trophies during competitions but on St Patrick's Day the dancing was all about having fun.

Snack Food

One of my favourite snacks is toasted spiced almonds. I used to eat them plain but once I tried them this way there's been no going back. Spread 2 cups of unblanched almonds on an ungreased baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and toss to coat. Bake at 350 F - 5 min. Sprinkle with a mixture of 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp cayenne and 1/4 tsp salt. Toss and toast another 5 min. They're so delicious and healthy for you too! Enjoy.

Sunday Morning

This morning we got up and drove to Tim Horton's for coffee/tea and a bagel to munch on while we drove up to Lowville Park. Deacon starts whining once we're in the van because he knows we're on our way to his favourite spot. He turns his face to the sun once we get there.

This 'teepee' sort of structure has been here for years. I have no idea who built it but throw a tarp or two over it and you could camp out for the night. You wouldn't find me staying there but somebody would.

Inspired by the lovely images of snowdrops featured in the Spring issues of so many magazines, I went in search of well, anything I could find sprouting. This little bit of moss and the leaf of some plant was all that seemed to be peeking through the forest mulch. Once we got back to the house I was greeted by a single yellow Crocus by the front door. In the end, I didn't have to go very far did I.

Mr Bennett

Last week, whilst writing up a customer's hold at the library, I spied this little treasure. It's Alan Bennett's first book and if you enjoyed The Uncommon Reader about Queen Elizabeth II discovering the mobile library van then you may delight in this novella as well. Inside the book flap reads: When the sedate Ransomes return from the opera to find their Notting Hill flat stripped absolutely bare - down to the toilet paper off the roll (a hard-to-find shade of forget-me-not blue)-they face a dilemma: Who are they without the things they've spent a lifetime accumulating? He had me at the toilet paper. If I'm laughing before I've even started the first page then I'm fairly certain of the promise of a good read. By the time I've finished Wuthering Heights and leave the moors behind I'll be so melancholy that this will be just the thing needed.