Faces

so you don't all forget what we look like! Here is Peter working at home this morning and me doing the same - note how well dressed Peter is and I am still looking like I just rolled out of bed! The 'work outfit' (and hairdo) of a freelancer! Peter is selecting music for the school's halloween dance this Friday at which he's DJ-ing. And fielding calls about school stuff on the phone. I was between emails and Skype chats!

Snow shoes

Snow and Shoes No I haven’t yet got snow shoes – though the time is fast approaching when I will! Last Tuesday we had our first snow flurries during the day – it was wet, cold and miserable! I had of course booked myself in for my first appointment with a new chiropractor that day, which required a thirty minute walk downtown in the midst of it all. About half way there my little toes were numb and frozen. I reflect on the shoes I was wearing – see below. They are my favorites! But I realized that since I bought them while on a summer holiday in Positano Italy last year, they may not be the best shoes for a Canadian winter! Peter dutifully played knight in shining armor (or is amore?!) and picked me up between appointments after my chiropractor treatment and drove me home so my toes could defrost! Once I got back, I headed straight to the Sears catalogue (view it all online at http://www.sears.ca/ ) and ordered myself a pair of women’s riding boots. For $80 CAD I got a pair of leather boots, insulated with all the fancy lining and extra warm stuff required for snow wear. They arrived two days later. I paid the extra for delivery and didn’t leave the house again until they showed up. Well not really, but only because Wednesday was warmer. I did however immediately retire my Italian leather shoes and instead spent Wednesday out and about in jeans and sneakers (Seinfeld here we come!)

Eating Jumpers OR What's a Sloppy Joe?

Saturday night Peter served up Sloppy Joe’s for dinner. For us Aussies a sloppy joe conjures images of comfy jumpers and warm woollies. But here in Canada, a Sloppy Joe is something you eat. Here’s a look –

Basically it’s mince meat with sloppy joe seasoning throughout, kind of like taco seasoning, but with a different flavor, served between bread or a hamburger bun. We went the whole cholesterol angle and had oven bake chips with it as well. Tomato Sauce the essential added extra. It was quite tasty!

PS we had the kids this weekend and so food was lighter teenage friendly fare! We really do eat well, most of the time!

It's a dogs life, introducing Maddie

So we have been dog sitting this past week, for Peter's sister Stephanie (who is holidaying in a retirement home - long story!)

I never thought I would be a small dog person, but I am head over heels. We've only had one slip up (touch wood) with toilet stuff and I am thoroughly enjoying the company of a little creature at home during the days. Maddie is about six years old and in generally good health, though she had some teeth problems a while back. As a result, they were all removed, hence her very cute tongue which is pretty much always lolling out the side of her mouth. She loves cuddles and is never happier than when she is cuddled up in someone's lap (which makes working a bit of a challenge!)

She is a total Princesse as you can see from her dog bowls which Steph bought over for us while we dog sit. Maddie is a Bichon Frise and will be with us until Friday night.....

She pretty much sleeps most of the time, unless of course she is lapping up water (which she loves). Maddie sleeps on the floor in our bedroom at night and mostly on whoever has left clothes on the floor during the day.

fall, hiking

SO Monday after the Thanksgiving pig out Peter and I dragged ourselves out for a hike (after of course, filling up on leftovers!). We hiked part of the Bruce Trail, which is a 700km walk that covers most of the Niagara Escarpment and the Bruce Peninsula, as far as I can gather, mostly though Ontario. I didn't take my camera on the walk (wish I did - not five minutes in we were by a stunning lake which could have been right out off Cradle Mountain in Tassie), but these snaps are of the neighbours trees, which i see each morning outside the kitchen window. Tuesday morning was super windy and many of these spectacuarly coloured leaves are now on the ground. The smell reminds me of childhood winters in St.Ives, when the leaves of the maple trees would fall. The colours here seem richer, more vibrant, but they still need raking and are still just as much fun to trample through, crunching underfoot.

First Thanksgiving

So Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving (yes it's around six weeks earlier than Thanksgiving in the US and has nothing to do with Indians!) I cooked a fabulous turkey (if I do say so myself) - i did some brining thing where you soak it overnight in a salt/ water/ herb mix to moisten and add flavour. I baked pumpkin pie (thinking it was part of the main meal - not the desert!) so of course I made toblerone cheesecake too for sweets! (It is a North American delight with Oreo cookie crumb base, and peanut butter and cool whip in the cheesecake mix itself!) We also had ham and loads of vegie dishes. Needless to say Peter and I have been enjoying turkey sandwhiches and super all week - tonight we had ham casserole (who knew there was such a thing!). Leftovers are keeping us well feed - and helping stock the freezer!

We had some of Peter's family over for dinner on Sunday night and then Monday was a public holiday/ vege out day. Though we did manage a walk (more fall snaps to follow). So Thanksgiving meal is basically the same kind of food as Christmas, though with cooler weather, here the meats are served hot right from the oven salads are scarce as warm vegie dishes are needed. Pumpkin pie was a part of it - basically like a baked pumpkin custard - super sweet and totally delish! (Yup made that too, though was super easy as the pie base is bought ready to go as is the pumpkin mashed up - they really have thought of everything!)

new office

here is my new workspace, at my new home - all set up after a mamoth day of DIY furniture building. We managed it without fighting!!!!!!!! (I recommend such jobs for those still in the honeymoon phase!)
So this is where I am writing my columns (still weekly in MORE in the UK, plus monthly on speakonlytome.com, as well as regularly in WellBeing). Starting to get into the networking, meeting people groove here to build up a local astro client base too.

tattoo

Tuesday afternoon Peter got a tattoo - here are the during (the texta sketch) and after shots - it's big but totally cool, and yes he is a scorpio (the tattoo is of the sun with a scorpion hanging out of it) on his left calf

breaky harvest house, tattoo

these are our harvest (not to be confused with halloween!) decorations - it's quite fun dressing the house up!

lazy saturday mornings - a heart breakfast which Peter prepared. I tried peameal bacon for the first time. We also had fresh home made tomato juice (my contribution!)
then on Sunday we went to Sara's fourth birthday party - how cute is this wrapping?! We also managed to find a Kangaroo webkins for her for an aussie touch. (If you don't know what a webkins is, and trust me until last week i didn't, it means you don't have kids or relatives under the age of 10.

first pic, friday night drive, rainbow

Jessica, Peter's niece, drew me a portrait - my first artwork from a little one!


Last Friday night after work, Peter and I got in the car and drove to Lake Huron, about 2 hours West (?) of here. We chit chatted and it drizzled off and on, then right before sunset this beautiful rainbow came out. The camera wasn't wide enough to capture the whole spectacular - it stretched across the entire sky, in a complete semi circle.

The lake itself was wet, windy and wild by the time we got there. Fresh water - which was disorientating as the thing is so big you couldn't see the other side. And now that I have consulted my trusty Lonely Planet, I can see that the other side of this lake is in the US! Big. Waves and all. Almost like a beach back in Sydney BUT no salt

weather and no goatee

Claire and I playing the Wii - yes she thrashed me in boxing but I held my own at Golf, in the basement (read ground level) downstairs
Mr Sebastian - in the basement, flaking on the couch while Claire and I played on the Wii (from Sunday)

Peter sans goatee - this was day one after the charity shave, now almost a week later he is starting to look like himself again (TMI warning - and I am dealing with pash rash!! - It's ok long, but this short stubbly phase is not so fun.!)
Miss Claire

http://www.weatherbee.on.ca/frameso.htm

here is the link to a local weather website so when it's scorching hot over there you can all see what the temperature is here!

Right now 6deg!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It feels better than the last few days, when, even though it was just 11deg it felt cold and icky because it was raining. Today the sun is out but the breeze is very chilly.

I am writing an article for WellBeing, and getting through the mountain of reading for Kepler. Thanksgiving is a little over a week away and we are having it here, so am starting to think about Turkeys and pie!

I went to the hairdresser yesterday for a simple trim - which was great though the sticky products they use took ages to wash out! But feeling much tidier with no split ends etc etc