The internet has been down since Sunday when the power went off so I have several days to catch up on. We had a massive ice storm on Saturday and Sunday with power off all over the city and since then none of my Rogers systems, phone, cable TV and internet have been working.
Friday, Dec. 20th. Plans to go skiing did not transpire, in fact I had got the date wrong and it was the following Friday when Judy planned to go to Brimacombe. Can't remember what I did instead.
Saturday 21st.
Normal day until 4:30 when the kids arrived for a sleepover. Their first task was to prepare their Christmas cakes for marzipan and icing. While we waited for the marzipan to dry I prepared supper. After eating we iced the cakes and decorated them with maraschino cherries, candies and silver balls. They looked very festive when we were finished. Then it was off for baths and bed with a bit of TV in their P.J's. James took a while to settle (he and Elliot were sharing a bed) but he was pretty exhausted and soon dropped off. I wasn't far behind them.
Sunday 22nd. We woke up (rather early!) to a spectacular display of ice coating every tree and branch. Thank goodness I had put my car in the garage or it would have been coated too! Several tree branches were down all around the neighbourhood, one almost blocking the road. Breakfast was pancakes and sausages washed down with orange juice and soon Judy arrived to take them home. Just before that the power went off and on a few times then finely stayed off. Traffic lights were also off in several parts of the city making Judy's drive home an adventure. Dave came by in the afternoon as they couldn't get me on the phone and got my car out of the garage so at least I was mobile if the power stayed off. I spent the day in a progressively chilly house, had the gas fire on and candles going by dusk and nothing to do but read. An early night was called for.
Monday 23rd. Woke up around 1:00 a.m. to the sound of the furnace kicking in - the power was back on. However, no phone but Steve dropped by to see how I was faring. I tried again to find some salt for the driveway with no success - all sold out everywhere. I picked up a few more items for Christmas dinner and started a major cleanup of the house, all set for visitors on Wednesday.
Tuesday 24th. An early start to beat the crowds in the grocery stores - still traffic lights out but not much traffic on the roads and, surprisingly, no big crowds in the stores so I was home again by 10:00 a.m. With no TV, I decided to see a movie in the afternoon, "Saving Mr. Banks". It's about how Walt Disney persuaded P.L.Travers to let him make a musical out of her book, "Mary Poppins". Coming home traffic had picked up and getting through the intersections with no traffic lights was extremely slow going. A final cleanup around the house and then another early night.
As predicted, it has been quite mild today - more like the temperatures we expect towards the end of December. Up to +4C today but rather dull and overcast.
I spent the morning running errands - the drug store, the library, the beer and liquor stores, the bulk food shop, the grocery store. Just a few small items but it took 2 hours! The stores weren't too busy and the parking lots were relatively easy to navigate. I'm sure the weekend and the days leading up to the 25th will be much more hectic.
I have decided to make the marzipan for the Christmas cake myself. I priced the prepared stuff and to cover the whole cake would have been about $15. I have most of the ingredients - just had to buy ground almonds, a lemon and almond essence. I got the recipe from a contributor to the Cottage Smallholder forum. There is a wealth of information on that site and so many talented people contribute to the forum.
When the kids come over on Saturday (parents are having a dinner party so the kids will sleep over here) we will cover and decorate the cake, or perhaps I will cut it up so they can have their own to decorate. First comes a coating of jam, then the marzipan and finally some icing and candies for decoration. Photos to follow
A quiet evening at home is called for as I am going skiing with Judy and the kids tomorrow (if the weather cooperates - freezing rain is forecast). It will be an early start and quite a tiring day. I must check the Brimacombe website to see what the snow conditions are.
It is slightly warmer today, even got up above freezing this afternoon. The wind seemed to be coming from the south east so we may be in for a few days with more seasonal temperatures. No sun, though, and a light dusting of snow has turned everything white again. I managed to get James outside for almost an hour today, shovelling snow (me) and jumping in and out of snowbanks (James). He was completely snow covered and I had to strip off his outer clothes before we went inside. It is quite a production to get him in and out of snowpants, making sure the snow cuff is down over his boots, and securing his mitts so no snow goes up his sleeves!
In the afternoon we went to Judy's school to watch their concert rehearsal. James thoroughly enjoyed himself, joining her Kindergarten class for the performances and a snack afterwards in her classroom. Unfortunately, this change to his routine upset him somewhat and he had a "hissyfit" when we got home. Luckily he exhausted himself and fell asleep so I had a quiet hour to myself. Then we were off to Swiss Chalet for our annual family get-together over the Festive Special (chicken, stuffing, cranberry sauce). The eight of us had a very pleasant meal, much more civilized than in previous years as the kids mature!
Got several calls for work this morning but decided to stay home and catch up on chores. First off I wrote my local Christmas cards then, in a sudden burst of energy, sliced up some lemons and ginger to make marmalade. I have decided to use some of my preserves as gifts this year as I seem to have accumulated quite a pile of jams, marmalades and chutneys - more than I will ever be able to consume before the next crop.
More snow shovelling today as it snowed pretty much all morning. It wasn't as cold and there wasn't as much of the fluffy stuff so the job went quickly. However, if this is a taste of how winter is going to be this year, we will all be mightily sick of the white stuff by March!
A brisk walk down to the mailbox and that should be the last of the Christmas mailings for this year. However, I have a few cards on hand in case I receive one from someone I have forgotten. One last chore - a trip to the library for a book waiting for me. Now I can relax with the fire on and something to nibble before fixing dinner. Tonight it's ham and roasted vegetables but I will skip dessert - until later in the evening, that is. There are mincemeat tarts calling to me from the freezer!
Normal day until 4:30 when the kids arrived for a sleepover. Their first task was to prepare their Christmas cakes for marzipan and icing. While we waited for the marzipan to dry I prepared supper. After eating we iced the cakes and decorated them with maraschino cherries, candies and silver balls. They looked very festive when we were finished. Then it was off for baths and bed with a bit of TV in their P.J's. James took a while to settle (he and Elliot were sharing a bed) but he was pretty exhausted and soon dropped off. I wasn't far behind them.
We woke up (rather early!) to a spectacular display of ice coating every tree and branch. Thank goodness I had put my car in the garage or it would have been coated too! Several tree branches were down all around the neighbourhood, one almost blocking the road. Breakfast was pancakes and sausages washed down with orange juice and soon Judy arrived to take them home. Just before that the power went off and on a few times then finely stayed off. Traffic lights were also off in several parts of the city making Judy's drive home an adventure. Dave came by in the afternoon as they couldn't get me on the phone and got my car out of the garage so at least I was mobile if the power stayed off. I spent the day in a progressively chilly house, had the gas fire on and candles going by dusk and nothing to do but read. An early night was called for.