Saturday evening...

and Blogger seems very obstinate and slow tonight.  Shall I try to put together aposting, or shall I go visiting?

I have some pretty fall pictures from our rainy day trip to Penticton yesterday  - all this time I had thought autumn had forgotten us this year, and there she was, hiding in the hills and along the byways and ranches that line the highway to Penticton.  Now I find when I go to download them that all the  pretty but flawed ones that I cropped in Picasa turn up uncropped in the source that allows me to download to Blogger.  :-(

So here they are as they came from the camera.

A lovely fishing spot at the far end of Yellow Lake.

One of the ranches along the way, - the creek runs in behind the row of trees which would be more flambouyant if the sun had been shining.  Still on these more sombre days of October when there is a little dampness and the hills are misty, there is more a feeling of the quiet beauty of autumn gathering all around her in preparation for the winter.

The Sumac at the doctors' offices were by far the most spectacular colours that we saw, except for one small intensely coloured Scarlet Maple which the camera didn't catch but which certainly lives in my mind's eye.  This was probably its first year of being planted out at the entrance to a new mobile home park, and it was celebrating magnificently with the most glorious  richness and beauty.

Lowering clouds over the hills in Penticton reminded me of the November days when Charles had just received his wings and I was allowed to come home with him on his embarkation leave  (I had to get permission from my Grandmother!!!. )  We went hunting in the hills above Tumble Moon, which is just across the lake, and on the top of the little nobby mountain over to the far left we got engaged!!!

Some more of the doctor's beautiful Sumac

and the rock walls around Yellow Lake, newly exposed to the sunshine and weather after the road work done there last year.  Most interesting composition....

When I get the rest of the pictures re-cropped I may put some up, - it is hard to get them perfect first time, snapping them at random at about 100 miles an hour!!!!!!

In the meantime I will go and watch Heartbeat, with Charles.....

Music and Bread - staples of Life

Thursday, October 18th, 2012

I am riffling through the magazines at the local pharmacy when both my eye and my imagination are caught by an appealing book of Bread Recipes!

I have been thinking about home made bread quite seriously in the last few weeks, after paying $4.50 for a loaf of Orowheat 100% whole wheat bread, that toasts ups like leather, and is still as fresh as the day I bought it two weeks ago, - what DO they put in bread these days that cause it never to mold?

I learned early in my married life the art of making bread, and it was a great part of our lives all the time the children were home, and even after we were retired and left the farm it was greast fun to knead with the grandchildren.  Somewhere I have a sweet picture of Ashley and Eve making loaves from their own small silver bread bowls, ready to pop into the oven, but if I stop to look for it now I will never get this posted before lunchtime.

After a time I fell into fascination with The Bread Making Machine, - one loaf at a time while I read or attended to the loom.  But then, after The Bread Machine kept quitting on me half way through the kneading process I fell into despair and disillusion, and started looking for something that would approximate home made bread that I could buy off the shelves of the Super Store (the two bakeries in town having both closed down).  Charles was patient but neither of us were enamoured of what the shelves have to offer, and so I have been thinking of the tactile pleasure of the dough beneath my hands, and the wonderful aroma of crusty loaves, warm from the oven and slathered in butter!!!

I think I am a goner, and we will soon be enjoying the sweetness of toasted buns or homemade breads in the morning....

As to the Music - last night I listened to the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in a Gala festival at Schonbrunn Palace with Zubin Metha directing and Lang Lang as the most exuberant and athletic soloist I have seen  and heard in a long time!  Marvelous performances of Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt, with Lang Lang being particularly enthusiastic with the Polonaise and Fantasias.  I have heard his music described as 'blazing speed and thunderous power' and I know there is some criticism of him not being refined enough with his interpretations, but he is truly an amazing pianist and I quite enjoyed the concert. 

The other night, while downloading some emusic from the library I came across a recording of The Entertainer which Lang Lang made for the soundtrack of the video game, Gran Turismo5.  I found his interpretation quite different from what Scott |Joplin intended, but novel and entertaining.

Now, I must go and get lunch, and later I will look for the picture of the two sweet grandchildren making bread.

ABC Wednesday
October 17th, 2012

Here's to the letter N - Noble, or Nonsensical.

This week we will choose Nonsensical and give you a few Nonsense Verses to tickle your fancy.

Fascination

Among your many playmates here

How is it that you all prefer

Your little friend, my dear?

"Because, Mama, though hard we try,

Not one of us can spit so high,

And catch it in his ear."

 

John Bannister Tabb

 

The Ingenious Little Old Man

A little old man of the sea

Went out in a boat for a sail,

The water came in

Almost up to his chin

And he had nothing with which to bail.

But this little old man of the sea

Just drew out his jackknife so stout,

And a hole with its blade

In the bottom he made,

So that all of the water ran out.

 

John Bennett

 

 

 

 

Twickenham

 

There was a young lady of Twickenham

Whose boots were too tight to walk quickenham.

She bore them awhile,

But at last at a stile,

She pulled them both off and was sickenham.

Anonymous

 

George

 

George, who played with a dangerous toy, and suffered a catastrophe of Considerable dimensions

 

 

When George's Grandmamma was told

That George had been as good as gold,

She promised in the Afternoon

To buy him an Immense BALLOON.

 

 

 

And so she did; but when it came,

It got into the candle flame,

And being of a dangerous sort

Exploded with a loud report!

 

 

 

The Lights went out!  The Windows Broke!

The Room was filled with Reeking Smoke,

And in the darkness shrieks and yells

Were mingled with Electric Bells,

And falling masonry and groans,

And crunching, as of broken bones,

And dreadful shrieks, when, worst of all,

The House itself began to fall!

It tottered, shuddering to and fro,

Then crashed into the street below -

Which happened to be Saville Row.

 

When Help arrived, among the Dead

Were Cousin Mary, Little Fred,

The Footmen (both of them), the Groom,

The man that cleaned the Billiard-Room,

The Chaplain, and the Still-Room Maid.

And I am dreadfully afraid

The Monsieur Champignon, the Chef,

Will now be permanently deaf -

And both his Aides are much the same;

While George, who was in part to blame,

Received, you will regret to hear,

A nasty lump behind the ear.

 

 

 

Moral

 

The moral is that little Boys

Should not be given dangerous Toys.

 

Hilaire Belloc

 



For more illustrious N's visit here, at ABC Wednesday. 

 With thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt and her Natty helpers.

Monday Morning Musings

Monday, October 15th, 2012

I look at the week spread out before me in my daily diary and oh joy! no meetings pencilled in, no medical appointments....

I start the day off by stripping the laundry from the bed and giving the fridge a quick wipe-down and re-arrangement, so that when I open it all will look pristine and organized.  Amazing what that does for one's spirits.

The dark morning clouds roll away to reveal soft blue skies and the occasional sun-lit cloud skimming across the top of the hills.

Last week was so full of meetings and turmoil I barely had time to visit blogland, let alone put any thoughts into a post.  I shall start off today as I mean to go on all week!

Such a lovely day for raking the leaves off the lawn, - a task I accomplished last week, as well, but alas, an autumn breeze came along and scattered a fresh bed of dry leaves around the foot of the tree-that-we-haven't-identified yet.  Yesterday I noticed that the tree in the neighbour's yard that last year was so spectacular is just now beginning to show some promise of colour.

It calls to mind a comment by Allen Lacy in The Gardener's Eye

"Gardeners, like everyone else, live second by second and minute by minute.  What we see at one particular moment is then and there before us.  But there is a second way of seeing.  Seeing with the eye of memory, not the eye of our anatomy, calls up dlays and seasons past and years gone by."

And so I remember past Octobers, when all things worked together for such a glorious array of rich and colourful funeral clothes in trees and hills and ditches and gardens and skies.

And it does seem that the older we get the more years of wonderful memories we have to draw upon!