Halloween 2012!

Bookworm

In Vancouver this week, we made a pilgrimage from the boat to the big city library. I like to visit all the books there, and to browse the shelves in a few sections, to see if anything catches my eye. I didn't find anything that grabbed me in the parenting aisle, did find an interesting behavioral economics book in the personal finance section, and, on a whim, decided to bring this one home, too:

Shoes

When I ask the little man to please put his shoes away, this is where he puts them:

Kale Monster

The garden is going strong, and the little man likes to eat stuff straight from it, including kale. We had snow peas for dinner, and have been eating collards and beets for weeks! The raspberries are ripening, and the scarlet runner beans are flowering. Bring on the sun!

Garden update

It is almost the date of last frost, we've had lots of sun, and the garden is coming along. Here are a few update pics: peas

lettuce

radishes and rocket

collards!

kale

baby marigolds

and a nodding poppy, the one the deer didn't get

Cheese!

It turns out that mr. T is allergic to cow's milk (it makes him vomit, ug). We've been off dairy for 3 months, waiting to see if the allergy/intolerance might just disappear, as the doctor said it might. So far it hasn't, and last week I picked up a litre of goat's milk at the store, thinking we might give it a try. He loved it, and drank 2 big glasses at dinner. I put a towel on his bed, under his sheets, just in case. But all was well! So goat's milk has found a place in our fridge, and I am learning to make goat cheese! I found a very simple recipe here and whipped up a batch to take to a delicious salmon & nori dinner at our friends' house last night. I put some garlic, salt, and pepper in it, and it was gone in a flash. Even our friends' kids, who normally gag at goat's milk, gobbled it up. So I made another batch this morning. It's so easy, it's ridiculous. I heated the milk and squeezed the lemons while we ate breakfast, then popped it in the cheesecloth before we left the house. It was ready and waiting when we came home for lunch.

Here we are, eating the fresh cheese, a loaf of (my new favourite) 100% whole wheat and olive oil bread, and arugula from the garden. Does it get any better? I don't think so.

And neither does mr. T!

Gutted!

The renovations aren't over. 8) They've just been stripped of their deadlines, which makes them a whole lot more satisfying. Our next big inside project is renovating little T's room. We were concerned about mold spores and the dust of the ages, and we noticed that we slept easier in our room once we ripped out the unbearable pink and silver roses wallpaper. So I tore out the carpet, gave it away on the Exchange, and have *just* finished ripping out the paneling.

Next is drywall, mudding, and painting, and then we can move him back in there, and hang up his airplanes again! For now he's sleeping in his bed in our room, which works, but I think we all miss having our own space.

Theo's new favourite hobby

This weekend we went down to the Ruckle Farm days to meet some friends for cupcakes to celebrate my birthday. There were a heap of fun activities, including pony rides, which were Theo's favourite:

 

He's been talking about wanting to 'ride a purple horse' non-stop! We also petted bunnies and guinea pigs, saw chickens and turkeys (our friend Thom's favourite activity was chasing them), and chatted to wool spinners about cleaning fleeces. A good time was had by all.

Prawning!

The BC Spot Prawn season is open again. In December, our friends showed us how easy it is to catch them, and now we are hooked. We bought a trap, and plan to make more. In the meantime, we are baiting our trap with a punctured tin of seafood catfood, and hauling up the prawns. They are ridiculously huge and delicious. We caught 30 in our first trap, and figure that that haul alone paid for the trap and the line. The rest are free. We're trying to turn it into a zero carbon venture, and so Douglas dusted off the baidarka. This evening, Theo went to have dinner at a friend's house (!!), and we went on a little marine date.

All was quiet on the water. We saw an otter, a few seals, some brilliantly coloured ducks, and even a bald eagle perched in an arbutus. He was no doubt looking for dinner.

We caught just 6 prawns (and a giant sunflower seastar), but set a new can of cat food, and moved the trap to what we hope is a better spot. This is really the way to fish. Theo had a fun time at dinner, and was so tuckered out from all of his play that he only needed 2 stories before bed!

Chocolate Beach

When we hop in the zodiac, our favourite destination is Chocolate Beach on Third Sister, in Ganges Harbour. It's just 10 minutes away now, but feels like the back of beyond. Better than feeling remote, it feels almost tropical, with its white shell beach that extends out into the clear blue water. Theodore likes to serve 'tea' to the purple seastars there. Last weekend we went with our Dutch friends for a little picnic. The kids ran around in a mob, climbed cliffs, and tried to hijack the boat. The adults ate white chocolate currant scones and fished the kids out of the water before they got thoroughly soaked. A good time was had by all.

Boating

Our newest craze, post-renovation, is tooling around in our new-to-us zodiac (thanks, Bert!). We previously had an 8-foot fiberglass dinghy that wasn't really meant for either rowing or sailing, just for floating. It took ages to get out to the mooring ball where we keep the boat, and we didn't even consider making longer trips. Now, though, we're zipping all over the place, and Theo is learning to drive (in circles). Here are the boys in the boat, picking me up after the Saturday Market.



I swear, it's like getting a car after you've only ever had a bike.

Renovation madness

I promised to post some photos of the house, showing just how much work we have done on it. Here is one of the styrofoam insulation we put on the exterior. The house was previously painted with (badly flaking) lead paint, so last summer, I had some friends over (Douglas was lounging on a tropical beach somewhere, I believe), and we put a quick coat of primer on, to stick the flaking paint in place. Here's how it looked when we bought it:



This winter, we added the insulative styrofoam, and did some major lead paint cleanup. Douglas' handyman skills were in full swing. The result is a funky-looking house that is ridiculously warm and cozy. 8) Here's how it looks now, almost a year to the day later:



We'll get some siding on soon, after we trim the windows.



Discerning readers will notice that all of the windows are new, too!

Gardening

This afternoon we planted some more peas, added a last bit of compost to the raised bed, and transplanted the beets, kale, and collards. The little man was right there, helping (and getting into mischief).




On Bert's advice, I've been watching the Claire's allotment videos on YouTube, and they are fantastic. Week by week gardening advice! I am also hoping to find a gardening community here. I've heard of groups that meet once a month to chat about what should be going on in your garden, but haven't quite figured out how to join one yet. Hopefully soon! Last week I met a fellow vendor at the Saturday Market who is an avid gardener, so maybe we can form a tiny club of our own.

We have also been watching the rhubarb, grow, day by day. Each time Theo sees it, he says "And it will grow, and we will EAT it, and that will be GOOD."

First article

I have been doing some freelance writing, and this month my first article is out, in a glossy magazine! I even got a mention on the front cover. That's my article, in red, right under the pirate flag!

Semolina bread

I'm baking for the market again, and planning to sell Semolina Sesame bread alongside my multigrain.

Happy Hat

Thanks, Celine, for this great hat!

gardening!

I haven't posted in ages. We have been working on the house like maniacs. I'll post some pictures soon. In the meantime spring is springing and we have done some work on the garden. Bert was here last weekend and helped us turn over a garden bed and build a hoop house over our raised bed. We got a few flats of starts going, too.

and hands in his pockets

 

I'm sure it won't be long before he's putting frogs in there, too.

big eyes