Skywatch Friday

No interesting Similkameen skies all week, -  until last night, and then pure golden beauty in the midst of a wild thunder and lightning storm.

It was a hot, humid day with a few desultory thunderheads around.

It started to rain up valley, to the west

but the sun still shone on the toe of K Mountain

 As the storm moved down the valley the light changed to gold, even as the rain started to fall

A faint rainbow reached up from the mountain in an arc across the sky

towards the north there was still blue sky but the clouds were suffused with the light of the setting sun

the golden glow in air and clouds

eventually the storm moved off over the hills towards the east, all of the time being guided by the grumbling of the thunder and bright flashes of lightning

the heavy rain was doubling welcome, first to cool the air and secondly to inhibit lightning strikes and forest fires, and to aid in controlling the fire high in the mountains in the Lower Valley

the garden thought it was just pure bliss, freshly washed with cooling rain

For more glorious views of the sky from around the world

click here to go to Skywatch Friday, with thanks to all who organize this wonderful meme

ABC Wednesday

The letter of note this week is B

On a literary note, B is for "Boys, Bombs and Brussels Sprouts" a 'knees-up wheels-up chronicle of WW11'; a tale of J. Douglas Harvey's wartime adventures with Bomber Command and the Squadron cooks who forever put a blight on Brussels Sprouts for thousands and thousands of servicemen.

A copy of this book sat on Charles' reading shelf until he loaned it to another reading enthusiast, - alas, never to be returned.  It was 'a joyous' book, written by a young man who was only twenty when he piloted 31 sorties over the Continent, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Another literary B is a sophisticated classification of Canadian Prime Ministers written by Will Ferguson, "Bastards and Boneheads,  Canada's Glorious Leaders Past and Present"

Robin Ryan of Vancouver, British Columbia, reviews this book quite adequately.....

"Ferguson does a wonderful job making Canadian history, traditionally perceived as a dull topic, into an enthralling tale of a budding nation, people, and the strange contradiction that is inherent to all things Canadian. The language is simple, yet the ideas are very critical. The humoUr is terrific, yet Ferguson pulls no punches in condemning some of Canada's more shameful history. An excellent primer for anybody interested in Canadian history."


You may not agree with his opinions, but it is humourous, a good read and well researched.


If you were one of the servicemen who only allow brussels sprouts on the dinner table at Christmas time, for tradition's sake, - here is a recipe for the tiny, overboiled, grey-looking cabbages that may change your mind.


Brussels Sprouts Cheesy Casserole Recipe


Cook 2 10 oz. packages of frozen Brussels sprouts according to package directions; drain and cut sprouts into fourths - set aside.


Combine 2 slightly beaten eggs with 3/4 cup of soft bread crumbs, 1 can of cream of mushroom soup, 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and 2 tbsp of chopped onion, - also a dash of pepper.


Fold in the sprouts and transfer to a casserole.  Combine another 3/4 cup of soft crumbs with 2 tbsp of melted butter and sprinkle over the top of the sprouts.


Bake uncovered in a 350 degree oven for 35 minutes, - it is bound to change your jaundiced view of Brussels Sprouts for the better!


For more B entries visit ABC Wednesday here, and prepare to be educated and entertained.


  

What I am reading, and why, - and when for heaven's sake!!

I keep hearing about those lazy, hazy days of summer, - the kind that finds you whiling away the time under a shady tree, listening to the cicadas with a cool drink in your hand and your finger holding the place in your book where you stopped reading and closed your eyes for just a wee little nap.

I suspect in this valley they might be mythical times, -  farmers are not inclined to lazy days.  But hope springs eternal, and just in case I might turn a corner and run into one of these lazy, hazy days of summer and be caught unprepared I make sure there is a good supply of Orange Brandy and Ginger-ale in the cupboard and read the lists of summer reading materials recommended by authors and reviewers and journalists and all sorts of people who have time to sit out under the acacia tree and listen to the crickets sing.

This results in trips to the library and sideways glances from Charles as I tote home treasures that may or may not get read.  He knows how many times he has come to bed to find my eyes closed, the book fallen upon my chest, my glasses still hooked around my ears and probably only a page or two read before sleep slips up on me.

Nevertheless!!!  I have just finished The Infinities by John Banville (winner of the Man Booker Prize).  It is a tale told by the god Hermes, concerning the relationships of the inhabitants of  Mount Olympus amongst themselves and between the gods and mortals; in particular the rather disfunctional Godley family.  Lovely prose and lots of humour, - I enjoyed it immensely in the many snatches it took me to read it.

I now have beside my bed two wonderful books written by Alexander McCall Smith - one a book of short stories written in the 1990's  (Heavenly Dates), and the other the first book in his new series, Corduroy Mansions.

I read McCall Smith because of his gentle and civilized way of writing, his great imaginative stories and his tender and compassionate humour.

For different reasons I am reading Lynne Olson's 'Citizens of London' in which she 'tells the story of the Americans who did the New World credit by giving their all to help Churchill's Britain hold on against Hitler".
I have picked up the book and read pages while passing through to do something else, and what I have read intrigues me and casts a different light to the one I had always thought shone on British-American relations, - but then I am inclined to be a bit naive.

Which probably explains why I am reading the last book that goes to bed with me, - 'Surprised by Hope, by  N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham.  Having read Marcus Borg's account of the modern politicalization of Religion I was curious to discover the Anglican slant on this subject.  The Bishop has written a book in collaboration with Borg, 'The Meaning of Jesus' and I am wondering if Jesus is taking on a new role of Social Activist, whilst his divinity is abandoned.  It concerns me that Christianity, ( from which the moral structure of our society has risen) grows weaker, while the Muslim faith grows ever stronger in the western countries.

Will the book have any answers to the 'By Chance or By Design' debate?  I rather doubt it.

And that is my summer reading list.  A little heavy for the time I have to devote to it.  If any of you happen upon a hazy, lazy day - please send it my way!!!

Skywatch Friday

Sunset in the Similkameen 

And the moon hangs like a pendant under an apricot cloud in the south western sky

To the East the sun's rays catch the top of a potential thunderhead with a heavenly glow

and to the North a few cloudy fish swim in a subdued sky

Some nights, after a hot cloudless day, the sun goes to bed weary with its constant blazing, and doesn't bother putting on a show, but when a few clouds linger around he is seduced into creating  ethereal fireworks for us mortals.

For more wonderful skies visit here to reach Skywatch.

ABC Wednesday

We are off on another round and the letter this week is A

I had thought of Aspidistra, as in the greatest in the world a la Gracie Fields.

But when our son from down the hill brought us a beautiful basket of freshly picked Apricots

I decided to don my Apron and make some Apricot pies,  and I will give you the recipe  - anon

But before I do, a word about Aprons.  They have been looked on as practical, humdrum necessities designed for keeping the homemaker clean and tidy, but times are changing and the aprons of today are stylish and pretty and fun to wear.

I was very surprised a few years ago when a gentlemen with whom I am acquainted confided to me that 

.he was quite attracted to ladies in Aprons.

I was not sure if he was referring to this kind of Apron that his mother might have worn when he was a toddler and she was his best girl.

Or if some sophisticated lady had caught his eye in one of these glamorous Aprons

Or perhaps he really had fantasies of naughty French Maids who were costumed thusly.....

In any event, here is the recipe for delicious Apricot Pie

(we had some for lunch)

Find one son who will bring you enough Appetising Apricots to make a Pie

Make your best pie pastry with which to line a 9 inch pie plate

Prepare 6 cups of Apricots by halving them, sprinkling them with 2 tsps of fresh lemon juice, and then incorporate them with the following mixture...

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

pour the apricots into the bottom crust and decorate with 2 tbsps of butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

top with the remaining pie crust, crimp to seal and cut slits in the top for vents.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 425 F until golden and bubbly

Sprinkle the top of the pie with 1 tsp white sugar as soon as it comes out of the oven.

If you can't wait for it to cool serve warm with ice cream

while you are enjoying it pop over to ABC Wednesday, here, 

and see what other goodies the letter A has to offer.

We go to an Air Show or Listening for the Merlins

A few weeks ago Charles heard talk of an Air Show in the neighbouring town of Princeton, about an hour up the Valley.

More information leaked his way and his interest piqued when he learned they would have a P51 Mustang at the show, the plane that in his opinion finally became the best and classiest fighter plane the Allies had when the British Rolls Royce Merlin  XX engine replaced the Allison

Let me tell you about the Merlin.  It has a unique sound that causes the hearts of anyone who has ever flown in a plane powered by the Merlin to start, to flutter and then to race.  In 1985 at a 170 Lancaster Squadron reunion I watched a group of Veterans march past the Squadron Memorial while the City of Lincoln Lancaster Bomber flew overhead. The tears trickled down some cheeks, while other faces were screwed up in an effort to control their emotions.  A powerful force, the Merlin.

A few years ago Charles was outside in the garden when the sound of the Merlin reached his ears, - first  faintly and then roaring down the Valley.  A Mustang, flying low along the river, skimming the tree tops about a hundred feet in the air. passed over his head scattering memories all along its way.  It caught the ear of an old Navy veteran up on the hill, and who knows how many other hearts it quickened on its journey through the Valley.

We looked for more information about the Air Show, and finally found a site on the Web that had a newsletter and all the information we needed.  It also had an Air Show contest, and this was the last day to enter.  I quickly signed up for the newsletter and entered Charles in the contest.  He won a T Shirt!!!

This encouraged us even more to attend the Show and immediately I thought how great it would be for Charles to have his Cart with him, and how he would be able to scoot all over the tarmac, looking at planes and talking to people (one of his favourite pastimes).  He has owned the Cart Carrier that fits on the back of the SUV for a number of years, but never used it, but now that his enthusiasm was aroused the idea was airborne, and we started off early Saturday morning.  With some trepidation on my part but total confidence on Charles' that the bar that holds the cart down would do its job efficiently, we started off midst all of the other Saturday morning traffic.

The Air Show was great, - we parked a quarter of a mile away from the tarmac, - unloaded the cart and Charles hopped on and was away down the road.  I walked along beside him on the dusty uneven ground, under the blazing sun, but both of us enthused.  We picked up our winnings, - the T shirt, and then proceeded to the tarmac, where Harvards and Yaks and a Sopworth Camel and a B25 Mitchell Bomber were gathered with other vintage planes .

Charles, talking to other enthusiasts of the Mustang......which unfortunately did not have a Merlin Engine in it, having to make do with the less treasured Allison.

We wandered around a bit, found some shade, bought a hot dog and some vintage airplanes books, and without the prospect of hearing the Merlin suddenly the heat and the dust and the walker's sore feet reminded us of the coolness of home.

We spurned the highway and came home leisurely along the shady Old Hedley Road, enjoying the river and the campers along the way.

A little drink, a short snooze, and we were off to a dear friend's birthday dinner and a visit with old friends.

Busy and pleasant day, even without the thrilling sound of the Merlin.

Skywatch Friday

Wind blown clouds and a pretty Saturday sunset in the Similkameen

For more lovely skies from hither and yon visit here at Skywatch Friday.

ABC Wednesday

The letter this week is zig-zagging Z

Z stands for Zither

The Zither is a musical stringed instrument, most commonly found in Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, northwestern Croatia, the southern regions of Germany, alpine Europe and regions of southern Asia, including China.

In modern entertainment the zither is most famous for its use in the film, The Third Man where Anton Karas composed and played this familiar theme. 


And here he plays it again for your enjoyment.....





For more takes on the letter Z (z)lither on over to ABC Wednesday here with thanks to all those who participate and those who organize this long-standing meme.  Who's for A again!

Monday's Mosaic

We go to a party;  the congregation surprises me;  I am wide-eyed at what big gusts of wind can do;  another wheelbarrow full of produce from tidying the garden;  the weekend has been pleasant but hot!

Charles (on the left) smirks a little as I snap a picture of him and another old time singer at the pot-luck and singing session on Sunday night.

The weatherman gave us an option, - heat, mosquitoes, or a gusty wind that blew hats off and left empty chairs lying on the grass.  A windy but pleasant evening amongst friends and fellow singers.  I do not count myself amongst the good singers as I require ample support on both sides to enable me to carry a melody in the manner it deserves.  But Charles is a fine singer, and has a sweet and true voice.

We have a motley crew of singers at church.  They hold old familiar tunes close to their hearts and can get quite testy if the picker-of-hymns surprises them with new melodies.  And so I was quite apprehensive when the itinerant lay leader who was to take yesterday's service chose an unfamiliar hymn to open the worship.......
However, she was confident that if she sang the first verse everyone would sing along on the other three.  Oh yes, I thought (with some misgivings)!

However, she had a lovely strong voice, and the hymn was really quite appealing, so we got through the first verse and then surprisingly the congregation joined in with some enthusiasm and by the time they got to where the Amen would be if they still sang Amen after hymns, they were all smiling pleasantly and agreed that it was a tune they would like to put on the Sacred Familiar List.

A word about the wind that kept us cool and mosquito free last night....when we came home there was only a breeze on the hill, so we opened doors and windows to let the cool breezes in.  However before long  the breezes were punctuated by great gusts of wind that whirled around the house accompanied by loud noises and bangs.  We rushed to close the windows and any doors that had not already slammed shut.  In the kitchen, where the upright paper towel holder sat in front of an open window, I found a great billowy mound of paper toweling piled on the floor where the wind had caught the edge of the paper on the holder and twirled the paper around until the holder was empty.  There are mischief makers everywhere!

The wind was still perverse and erratic this morning when we rose early and opened up the house again to cool, fresh air.  This time the imps that ride the wind blew in and scattered a basket of potpourri, leaving a carpet covered with dried rose buds and petals, yellow daisies and bits and pieces of other flowers that I cannot bear to throw away - much to Charles' chagrin.  All of which leaves me to believe that it was HIM that opened the dining room window where the basket of dried flowers sit!!!

This did not deter me from going out into the garden early and gathering another collection of chick grass, newly sprung violets, visitors from the Chinese Lantern Underground Railway and a little pail of dead headed roses to add to the potpourri!!!

A night out.......

Since getting ancient we favor evenings with the rocking chair, the knitting, a little TV to encourage dozing, a game or two of Free Cell and a bit of surfing on the Internet.

But last night we were treated to a most marvelous evening - dinner at the Dream Cafe with our oldest son and his wife, and afterwards a performance by Boogie Woogie pianist Michael Kaeshammer, drummer Mark McLean and bass Marc Rodgers.

We had a lovely drive to Penticton, - incredible greens through the pass, - the yellowy green of the lake glittering in the evening sun, the brightness of the surrounding trees, that have flourished in the cool June weather, and the pale, pale green of the grasses along the lakeshore.

I didn't have my camera, - but never mind - enjoy the concert. Ignore the three instrumentalists in the back, - the Dream Cafe is not big enough to hold them, but the trio were remarkably attuned to each other and great entertainers.

It was a lovely present for which we send hugs and kisses and many thanks.

Skywatch Friday

Sunday evening skies in the Similkameen

Come watch with me the shaft of fire that glows in yonder West:

the fair, frail palaces, the fading Alps and archipelagoes

and great cloud continents of sunset-seas.  Thomas Aldrich

For more beautiful skies from around the world visit here, at Skywatch Friday

ABC Wednesday

The letter this week is Y

Y is for Yogurt

Until a decade ago Yogurt was the' plain Jane' of the dairy family, but now it has assumed Star Quality with so many health conscious people acknowledging its benefits.

And with the advent of Frozen Yogurt as a dessert its wonderful creamy texture and the great variety of flavours have made it a splendid way to replace all the calories in Ice Cream, - at least at our house.

So what kind of frozen yogurt will you have today?, - Capuccino, Peach and Almond, Deep Dutch Chocolate, Wild, Wild Berry, Maple Walnut, Nanaimo Bar - all exotic and sweet to the taste.

Or perhaps you will  choose an unfrozen yogurt, - the one that makes me weak at the knees - Lemon Meringue!

Can you imagine folding these luscious lemon meringues  into a carton of yogurt and then trying to put it back into the fridge before every delicious morsel is scraped from the bottom of the container!!

I could tell you how to make homemade yogurt, but instead here is a recipe for a Lemon Meringue Loaf that should delight your taste buds.

In a large bowl combine 3 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar, 4 tsps of baking powder, 1 tsp of salt and 1 tbsp of grated lemon rind, whisking all ingredients until well blended.

In a separate bowl combine 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, 4 large beaten eggs, 3 tbsps of lemon juice and 1 1/4 cups of lemon meringue yogurt, plus 1/2 cup of milk.

Mix the dry and wet mixtures together, just until combined, - pour the batter into 2 greased leaf pans and bake in a 350F oven for 30 to 35 minutes.

Glaze it with 1/4 cup of sugar, 3 tbsps of lemon juice and 2 tbsps of lemon rind, brought to a boil and cooked for two minutes.

Fabulous!

For more examples of the letter Y click here to go to ABC Wednesday.