Weather variations in Tres Riches Heures of December.

                                December 1 Temperature -7 C

Heatless Sun bathes room / Eyes gaze on fluttering snow/ Hands cup tea by stove
                              
                                December 2  Temperature -2C

 Gents and Orange Toque, for the cold months of winter, value captured sun.

The White Obelisk

This was dropped into the kitchen; so I asked the computer what is it.  The computer said: Open it, Dave, it is full of stars.

Brussels Sprouts and sidetrack

Feeling my way with this vegetable as it is the first time that I grow a few plants of Brussels Sprouts; a lot of hiss in the name. A little pat on my back as my produce compares fairly well with the stalks shown as photos on wikipedia.

While surfing on the net, a report on 5 boys found dead in a dumpster in rural China caught my eye. There was a picture of the living conditions.

The photo and report was from China.org.cn

Sunday with Jones

                            Jones helping to pick up the blocked firewood

                               Then he had to go and chase a porcupine

                               These are the quills picked off  his loose lips

Taking in the parsley

Well it is the middle of November and the sense that continuous freezing nights are coming is starting to get through to me and hence this ritual of taking in a young plant from the parsley patch. I like a little green garnish in the grey days of winter. Where I use to see the herb as a brightening touch of colour, now I also see, as a lay person, it as an illustration of fractals. Thanks to high school students and their science projects. I take my learning where I can.

 Besides the parsley I took in another herb, thyme, to dry.  Silver and Gold Lemon Thyme. Besides colours and fractals they have fragrances.
More in exuberance than in maturity I add Stevenson's line:

''The world is so full of a number of things,
I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.''

October 31, 2012

For Halloween we have the fully dressed Japanese Maple, the naked Choke Cherry on the left and the Unruly Forsythia on the right. This gratuitous tableau provides a kind relief. The images, I saw on TV, of the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Sandy were indeed heartbreaking.  To see well established urban assets overcome on October 29-30 is sorrowful. For a back-up, such as a generator, to become dangerous is scary. I saw the explosion of one, on the news, as the lights went out in New York.

A Sit Out

                                       Our compact deck is done and we luck out too.
                                       Planks were cut ,when trice measured, and stitched
                                       With the cordless tool.                                   
This little prow jutting free from the walls was finished 3 days ago when the daytime temperature was at a high of 5 degrees C. Yet the next day it was 15 degrees and climbing. By afternoon it was 21 C. and thus allowed the handy man to launch the first sit out.

Fossicking in the garden in cool October

Among the palm-like leaves, as shown in the top photo, are the female (L) and male(R) flowers of the Zucchini plant. In the second photo, the male flower lacks a swollen base, the ovary, the emergent zucchini. Both flowers are very attractive to bees which are the pollinating agents.

October 10 and there are still blooms on the plant. I did pan fry a few flowers and use that in an omelet.

Listening to Boomer and other random acts in Sept.28-Oct.1

Boomer is deaf but manages, and is managed, very well. He speaks with his eyes, tail and his barks. He likes to know where his caregiver is and follows the person's movements very attentively. But can be made to feel secure. Hence, I was able to attend a few very worthwhile and comforting community events.

On September 28 there was an unveiling of the celebratory and ceremonial bench at the Main street entrance of the People's Place. The bench is a labour of love and the lady artist made a friendly yet inspiring presentation. The next day my friend and I had a warm and pleasant visit to the artist's studio.

Today I hand over Boomer to his other caregiver who is even more empathic. Lucky dog.

Cushioning with cheer

Well, it is the beginning of fall and the season of frosts. This year, we had, and are still having, road construction and repairs. At one of the "go slow or halt" stop we were treated (or subjected) to a stand up comedy. The gentleman came with a smile and so I rolled down my window. He asked me, "How do you catch a unique rabbit?" As I didn't know, he answered. " Unique up on him." This was followed by, "How do you catch a tame rabbit?" Do I have to give the answer?

I think I felt treated. My standards are not very high as I share that rural trait of bolstering cheer. Human nature is slightly sad; so it is not too bad to lace it with cheer

Bus run on a long long postcard.

It was that kind of day; blue sky, well lit clouds and still greenery. Not a stir in the tips of the conifers. We started at the bus station, Orin, David and I. I told Orin, "I will tell Grandpa you say Hello." He replied, "You tell Grandpa I say Hello." We were impressed with his change of pronouns.                  
I boarded and sat beside this wide panel of glass for the trip to Antigonish which would take from 11.20am to 6.50pm through,what felt like, flat space of sky and forest. A window of time to read A Confederacy of Dunces which I picked up in New Orleans, when I went there with David and Tiresa.                                       

More luck with green peppers this year. Leisurely picking now as we move towards Thanksgiving.

Stand by Me

With bravado, the Tiger lilies are holding the cheer.  Peonies have long departed, the hollyhocks are winking out and the poppies are now dream capsules. Summer is a going.

The beauty of the blackberry and that..

Prime August activities include picking some blackberries. Here is a photo of the prickly bramble with that black sheen on the fragile  composite berry heads.                                                                                                    

A marvel for still life artists. My mother in law had a mug that was hand painted with a sprig of the unripened red and the ripened black fruits. The other beauty is Jason and his job as shown here.                                                                        

Vegetation can get out of hand and a little trim in August helps.

Between Two Moons; Aug2 and Aug31

I am using the days between the first and second moon to rein in a runaway garden. Scale back the kale, distribute the zucchini and decapitate the broccoli.  Meanwhile we are enjoying some summer fun at Jimtown. It has been sometime since I saw a full moon on the ocean and this one was big and red. Orin was quite taken with it. Since I have been away, and without my own phone, I had not call my mother but got it done on August 3. And for supper we had delicious hamburgers and potato salad prepared by Richard and Bernie. Another look at the moon by Orin and I. We are easily moonstruck. Jane and Moe gave Tiresa and David a celebratory supper on August 4. We got fed too with trifle for dessert. Today we had a quick get together and an early night for all at various abodes. Out there the rover, Curiosity, landed on Mars on August 5. Earthbound me is still dealing with edible vegetation and now the blueberries introduce a new complication by ripening a week earlier.

August 1, banking it

I have put into the freezer 2 bags of Russian kale and will likely get round to blanching the broccoli florets for freezing. I have seen the cabbage butterflies a fluttering in among the vegetables and their nibbles don't amount to much but it is troublesome when they start to lay eggs on Cruciferous members; kale, broccoli, cauliflower resulting in so much careful watching.And when the eggs hatch into little green caterpillars nestling in the buds of the broccoli florets they are not welcome protein. So it is best to get to get as much done ASAP.

Saturday on a tear

I had breakfast with CCL and her good friends at a very pleasant restaurant at King and Spadina for 10am Eastern and Elijah time. Delightful to see the pals she knew in Vancouver, and now in Toronto. On the way back I took the street car going east along King and, by luck this one would turn on Parliament to go north to Queen. Practically on my doorstep. Got off and saw to my flat bread which was just right for baking.

All it took was 19 minutes under the broiler, 13 on first side and then 6 on the other. Then I was out to the R. C. Harris Water Filtration Plant, inspired by Christina's photos. I took the TTC bus presenting both my transfer and token but the driver accepted the transfer. Hey how far can you get on one fare? I got to the end of the line and there is the Waterworks. There was only sufficient charge for two pictures.

The R.C.Harris Plant featured in Skin of a Lion

                                                     The terminus at Neville Park                                                               
Back home again to get ready to attend The Royal Comedians at Soulpepper. Friday I saw an excellent performance of The Crucible.
       

Filming outside my window of "Cracked"

Some Equipment

Important Announcement

How many directors?

                                                             St. Paul Basilica as Setting 

Wednesday; Warhorse or not

There is a matinee on and  the price of a rush ticket is the same as that of a massage. It is not a case of either or but it is fun to make it so. Off to a brunch at My Marmalade and meandering at Leslie Ville. Munching on my sourdough bread this morning, I thought of Hillarie Belloc. I have not carry any facts about him except that he liked bread and onion. I shall try that when I am puttering solo this evening in the garden. On Friday, I shall go for my lovely massage.                                                                

We had walked east along Queen St and Courtney pointed out the Don Valley which prompted an agenda for me. I could take the Broadview street car, going north, to Danforth and see the bridge that was featured in  Michael Ondaatjie's In the Skin of a Lion. I did just that and took pictures of the valley, river and viaduct. Walked west, across the bridge, to Parliament St. I took the bus, a hybrid electric, going south to Queen St. Happy to be at square one.                                                                              

                                                               
                                The building of this bridge was fictionalized in Skin of a Lion

       
                               The Don Valley with river and roadway taken from the bridge

East-West and North-South

It is best to be out and about when it is this hot and humid. So I hopped on the street car going west to Nathan-Phillip Square where the Caribbean Festival took place from noon to 2pm. As there is ongoing construction I could only get to Church Street. At Yonge, Queen St. E becomes Queen St. W. A small crowd was in front of the stage but most of the onlookers were strung out in the shade. The original plan was to go north to Allan Gardens from the Square. However, I decided to go to Canadian Tire to get a stainless steel electric kettle. Success and I caught another street car going east. At Parliament I transferred to another going north to Gerrard. It has just occur to me that I don't know where south becomes north. Have to look into that. I bought another block of tokens for riding the grid, 5 for $ 8.75 for seniors.

The Attack of the Aphids

There is a garden on Power St. cultivated by twenty somethings. It is the size of an area rug, 6ft by 8ft, in which are planted kale, onions, tomatoes, zucchini, one Brussel sprout and herbs in pots Hanging around the bigger plot are flowering plants in baskets, which at eye level, soothe the senses. Some strays have landed here: germinating sunflower seeds in the potting soil used in the play "Dirt" and a potted geranium found, elbowed out, on to the street on Canada Day celebration.                                  

Routine maintenance of watering and weeding have provided little summer pleasures; small portions of herbs are available without being wasteful as with bought bunches, 2 leaves from each of the 9 kale plants have provided greens for a dozen meals and the thrill of the single sunflower bloom and the ripening of a tomato. Alas, the tomato had a rotten bottom. This is off set by seeing the zucchini fruits grow. However, the last few days a more hands on approach is required as aphids have shown up on the rose plant, the brussel sprout and a few kale leaves.

Toronto the Good

So far so good. All 3 of us, except me at 80%, kept to the schedules on the spreadsheet. Zoo, ROM, Casa Loma, CN tower and Science Centre. Also thrown in were movie shows, the musical Beauty and the Beast and the Pride Parade. Great Public Transport even with construction going on.
Today I saw Tiresa and Isabel off at the Union Station. It has been a long time since I am in a column of people marching as to work, at a little after 8am. Toronto, a good hive.                                          

And more importantly, I was able to get the last ticket to see "Kim's Convenience."

Snails ahead

Strawberries Escargot and                                                         

Peonies for battered thoughts.

Taste

The crow had the first ripening berry from the patch. Yesterday I noticed 2 reddening berries and , to keep them from the slugs, put each on a pebble. Well, a crow took that as an offering. We picked the second, just in case.             

Smelly Alley

The first day of Summer  and all that goes with it. Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste and Touch. A zombie just come alive. I rounded the corner of the house and got hit by a mixture of 2 scents and the strength of it was arresting. They came from the Korean lilac and the Candy Tuft.                                                                               

June 10; a visit.

There, 15 feet from me, Nibbling as Performance. It strolls up, neck erect like Cleopatra. Scans the audience, and engages eye to eye. Solo to solo, away from our herds and under the blue sky, the deer and I are speechless. Lowers its head and nips the tip of a thick stalk. I think I heard the crunch. Crosses the front and exits stage left.

Taking my head out.

The news in the last week of May was horrible and local. Local in that the events took place in Canada. CBC played an audio clip of a man under the influence of the drug known as Bath salts. The growling makes me think that this is what devolution may be like. A doctor in New Glasgow, 60 km from here, had dealt with 17 cases and is worried. The other piece of horror took place in Montreal. Not a simple murder, but one with the perpetrator seeking notoriety by sending body parts of the victim to schools and political headquarters. I fled to Henning Mankell's fiction in which his detective, Kurt Wallander, encounters violent crimes. I buried my head into the Swedish scenes.  

Today we went to pick up the parts for fixing the PTO on the tractor and I helped myself by getting bedding plants: tomato, broccoli, savoy cabbage, and pepper. Seeds include peas, radish, beets and carrots. The last come in tapes for easing planting. We are into luxury.

                                                                 

Call me to you

I am inordinately fond of this small perennial;Johnny Jump Up with its pansy face flowers. Again this morning, I felt a delight when it "sighted"me and I thought I like to know more about this low growing plant. The Latin name is not as revealing as its' many popular names,which show that the plant elicits the same response from other people. It is known as Johnny Jump Up, Heartease, Love-in-idleness and Call me to you. That makes my day.

May 25

No, I did not greet May 25 as Towel Day, though I knew of that designation by fans of Douglas Adams. Rather, I was appreciating the clear water I was drawing, through the pipes, from the well. This was probably prompted by the pictures I saw of the cracked surfaces of drought stricken areas, a few days before. However, at supper time the radio announcer ran an excerpt from a speech by Douglas Adams in honour of Towel Day. Here is the little blip:
This is rather as if you imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, 'This is an interesting world I find myself in - an interesting hole I find myself in - fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!' This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, it's still frantically hanging on to the notion that everything's going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for.                                                                             


Happy Towel Day.

Dirt while sipping coffee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=lhHmCdNqLOo                                       
This morning, on waking up, I was presented with a mug of coffee and a video (link shown above). The video shows a promo on an upcoming creation, Dirt, by The Soulpepper Academy. One of  the young theatre artists/graduates is Courtney. The preview was last evening with the sold out opening on May 22. Meanwhile, in Fredericton, and last evening too, Courtney's niece, Isabel had her Dance Concert. Isabel is at the early learning phase.

The Dance Concert too was a sold out event and was entertaining to not only parents and grandparents but mainly. Part of the course from Cute to Career. All in the Dirt of Canada.

In Fredericton,May 17

It was not the usual long drive as it didn't feel that long. I think when 2 oldies are accompanied by a young adult, alchemy takes place. Thanks Sarah.

The Grandfather's Clock on Mothers' Day

It was elegantly done and Bill Richardson succeeded, on Mothers' day, to introduce the male armature by way of a historical clock that he had bought. It was 240 years old and taller than Bill by a foot. When you open the fly or the flap there is the pendulum and the 2 weights which are wound up and descend through the week. Amid the chimes and tick tock, Bill had daughters talked of fathers and wives of husbands. Very nicely done. I shall look forward to see what CBC will present on Fathers' day.

Around my place

the dandelions complicate my vista. In early spring the snowdrops, at less than 6 inches, can be enjoyed against the greening ground. Then the daffodils bloom and engage the eye which lifts to delight on the forsythia. Now the dandelions are showing here, there and everywhere. A bouquet of dandelions in one place can be very attractive but it is this free for all habit of the plant that is so disquieting. I am not going to be suckered into an all out eradication program. Summer is too short. Damn weed.

May 1, what shall I do?

It is that time of the year: sunshine and moderate warmth is such a call to get going and lean into the Spring. I do know a few things I want to do and one I have done. I have put kale and collard seeds into the pellets. These leafy greens are easy to grow. In April I was introduced to the making of sourdough flat bread. Am quite taken with both the process and the product. Done the flat bread 4 times.

Now I am thinking of trying to make a sourdough loaf which requires more starter than I have on hand. So I have to make some sourdough starter. The loaf shape bread is more bothersome to cook but does allow for the making of traditional sandwiches. Personally, I do like the quickness of baking the flat bread.

What other things? Isabel's dance and so forth.

A pleasant day to remember

Yesterday I had 2 things to do. One was to see the eye doctor who is checking on my Contact Dermatitis. The Contact is retreating taking its flag of inflammation. The other was to assist a friend at noon. So at 10am my impulse was to go to Tim Hortons to while away that couple of hours but something in the air and light stopped me and I sat in the sunshine. The skylight was the colour of a robin's egg and so expansive. My upturned head could see the leaf buds beading on the hardwood limbs and one fancifully wonders if there are aerial communications among the trees. Two crows were enjoying the April warmth. Some April months can be not cruel. As the crows flew away they look like live Chinese calligraphy.

Tight neighbours-tulips and dandelions

Another bonus day for picking around cultivated perennials such as April flowers known as Glory-of-the-snow (Chionodoxa luciliae)

 The early blooming catches the human eye and the interest of the honey bees who buzz around.  Work on the tulips involve removing the dandelions, who tend to live cheek by jowl or more accurately root by bulb with the tulips. I was given a tool well designed for such a job. The working end has 3 claws which dig into the dandelion whorl and grip it by the root for pulling out. Every time I pull a dandelion out I can hear the tulip grunts " Ah aeration".   I pick out a plateful of the young dandelion leaves for lunch.

    

Repetition.

As a laggard, not intentionally, I do rituals behind schedule. So today I do my Easter hunt, 2 days late. This is induced by the grand kids showing the success of their hunt and the lovely Atlantic sunshine and a temperature of 12 degrees C. I look for my daffodils here and there and a single crocus. This hunt is provided by historical haphazard plantings. Almost 2 decades ago I put in bulbs where I can dig 2 inch holes with a pointed hoe. Year after year the green erect leaves of the daffodils come up. I appreciate this April repetition. In doing my round last year I saw the white crocus flower which reminded me of the origami white paper crane of peace and hope. It was only a month after the Japanese tsunami of March 11,2011. This means I saw the lone crocus for the first time. An unexpected delight though it is still proof of bad gardening. But now I know where it is and I look for it just now in the midst of the coarse grass.

March 27 World Theatre Day.

UNESCO designated March 27 as WTD in 1961. The only drama in our corner is that performed by our weather. On cue we had, after the equinox on March 20, air temperatures in the 20's for almost 4 days. Patches of green were seen and our resident cats were awake and out for long periods. Today there is a snow and high wind warning and negative temperatures. The cats sniffed at the outer door and have gone into deep coma. No we are not following suit. We did use the warm interlude in some frolics and so today is fine for a bit of reading. Three choices: Orwell's Burmese Days, Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart and Naipaul's A Bend in the River. Thanks for putting these on my Kobo.      

Turnip and Shallow Learning

I like turnips, or the more chic term of rutabagas, as a side dish to rissoles. But that root vegetable takes longer to cook. So that's when the laptop comes in handy. During the week I have encountered 2, new to me, entities;Siberian Nenets and Dirac's Equation. So while turnips simmer I googled. Nenets are totally new to me but I have heard of Dirac's Equation with no inkling of what it sums up. The other by Newton has at least penetrated the consciousness of us, the half educated. That there is an equation for quantum reality is somehow reassuring. I do realize that I have more in common with the Nenets though it can be pretty hard for them to get hold of turnips.

Headlights in the sky

On the evening of March 10, I saw both Jupiter and Venus aligned like a pair of headlights with the one on the left being brighter. Lovely enough to warrant my calling the other occupant to come to the window. I then went to the window on the Eastern side to see the moon,past full but bright. Still I should have gone outside but me, myself and I  could not be aroused. To-night,if it be cloudless.

A little Italian for February 29

I acquired a box of biscotti when I did off the list shopping at the grocery store. It was on special and well within its shelf life. So today I shall have a cup of cappuccino , in a white cup on a saucer with a little spoon beside it. The 3 biscotti on a dish. This is to celebrate February 29,  leftover odd hours tuck in to fit the solar calendar. Love solutions like this where we nip and tuck to have some order.

Weather report

In a be impressed voice, the radio announcer said that the high today will be 4 degrees. For February 23 I am. At 8 am the sky was ash gray, so evenly that it was like a gauzy curtain with the sun as a light bulb behind. The sunlight has filtered through and it is a soft bright morning.

Luminous Snow Art February 19

 So we had our big snowfall and because it is only our second this winter most folks were rather unflapped by it. I saw a neighbour skiing down his driveway before 9am. Maybe an object lesson for his young kid. We went for our walk at 1pm and rather pleasant it was. The usual scruffy landscape was a gallery of dark and white. The limbs of the tangled scrub trees were lined with snow and the conifers stood like elegant court ladies with many white handkerchiefs.

Shrove Tuesday February 21

I was reminded twice that it is the Shrove before Ash Wednesday. So I make the batter for the pancakes which have to be crepe like. It is a pleasant ritual to sit down to pancakes as dessert on Shrove Tuesday. Ian likes to sprinkle sugar on his crepe before squeezing a slice of orange on it. I like mine with just a little syrup and berries.

Re-set. February 18

Yesterday was spring like with bare driveways and happy cats. This morning I woke up to  snow covered trees and carpeted ground. The quietly falling snow is giving the day a meditative air and this being Saturday more Nova Scotians may be able to enjoy that aspect. The plowing and plodding can wait for a bit. Snow, even a foot of it, is not permanent; it is just in the way.

Granny Superhero

On our way back from Fredericton, we were asked to check on the oil level of the furnace in the house at Upper. So on frosty Monday we made our way there only to find that the lock was frozen. The handy man muttered about de-icer and WD 40 which, of course, were not at hand. I flung my cape, went to my vanity bag, whipped out my hair dryer, plugged it into the external outlet and solved the problem. Next,onward and upward.

January 25 in Fredericton

The ride still felt long in spite of the mild weather though we made good time and got here just after 5pm. We wanted to catch the grand kids at their routine of supper,a little play,bath and the read and sleep. The regimen went delightfully well. The weekday drill starts at about 6.30am. This morning, because grandma is here, Orin planned a deviation. He went upstairs and searched 3 rooms for his favourite book and proposed that he be read to. He did accept, after a gentle but firm insistence from Dad, that breakfast should come first. A 2 year old thrives under good governance. There was time for a good read of his Brown Bear book and he gave grandma an affectionate goodbye as they left for Day Care.

Nineteen years old

Scruffy, the cat, is nineteen years old. At the Vets' clinic there is a chart which allows us to translate a cat's age into a timeline on that of the average human life span. A simple way is to multiply the age by x (where x=7), which makes Scruffy  133years old. That can't be right. x cannot be a constant number and must vary. I have to pop into the clinic. This musing results from my noticing how smart she still is. This afternoon,taking advantage of the break in the weather, we were blocking wood. We took a breather and the cat, which has been housebound for quite a while, chose to come out with us. We went about our tasks out of her sight. In a little while she came to where we were and I walked her to the doors to let her in. Old cats cool fast in Canadian winters.

Hoist and the bringer of Jollity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B49N46I39Y                                                       It is a lovely excerpt.Thanks for locating it, Christina. Looking forward to the Spring Festival: January 23(new moon) to February7(full moon). Meanwhile Jupiter can be seen most evenings.

A Man and his Porch

I opened the 4 doors to get the bill from the oil man who said, "You have a new porch." " He picks at it." I replied. He examined the porch and commented that it was well done and that he could not do it. Nobody would if one does not have to. The process is like a surgeon fitting a donated toe to a foot. To be even more elaborate, one has to build the toe. But as seen above, it is done and acting as it should; keeping the kitchen draft free. But that won't be enough as he will see, with his handy man's eyes, corners to perfect. So for a while he will be the old Man who lives in the Toe.

Today and yesterday

No sunrise today;just the gray getting lighter and brighter in the east. Buggers. Mercifully I have the memory of what dusk was like yesterday. We were going out to see Werner Herzog's "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" at 7pm. So a little before 6pm,I stepped out to a magical setting of snow on the ground, moon in the velvet blue sky with Jupiter attending. Venus, the third brightest, in her own corner. Memory.  Herzog's documentary gave access to the memories of our human ancestors of 30,000 years ago.http://www.wernerherzog.com/index.php?id=64      

Sunrise Red on Jan.5

Gray is not dismal but non crisis red is better. The conifers on the hilly rim,on the other side of the valley, are the dark gray, the bare hardwoods along the river are a light gray,the fields are a brown gray. Even the air is gray. That's it gray is the overlay. But at 7.40am this morning I saw, in the dip of the hilly outline, the glow of the sunrise. A shallow spaghetti bowl of  calm,even and bright sunrise red. No tongues as in forest fires and no smoke as in bomb red.                                              
A minute later the gray seeped into the red and daylight pushed into the East.

Violent Reads

So I have finished Sputnik Sweetheart and as a chaser I am doing Ian McEwan's The Cement Garden. I may enter 2012 warped or agnostic. I am already myopic.
I just realized that I had answered CVL's email question "How's the chilli?"with "a thick dressing gown does the trick" thinking she wanted to know how I was adjusting to the chill on coming home from Malaysia.                           
The handy man is going to increase his repertoire to include making poached eggs for brunch; no resolution here just ad hoc fumbling. I am in charge of chips and peas. Mushy please, he was English. 

Re reading Sputnik Sweetheart

A slight case of withdrawal has driven me to do this. My mother's TV channels are in at least a dozen languages but the contents did not grab me except the ROK's soap opera. The actors are lovely and talented and the English subtitles are very sophisticated. It was very easy to be drawn into  the " Jane Austen" type of drama with Korean architecture and countryside. No nudity and no physical violence. Also very sparse furnishing in the rooms. There is no Korean flavour in Fraser's Mills but I remembered that in Murakami's Sputnik Sweetheart there is a character who is Korean, born and raised in Japan, but does not speak Korean. Murakami's style is also rather sparse. So in quiet desperation I am enjoying myself.

Jet to normal

Since December 29, I have been working to get back to routine and so, when I saw the bedside clock showing 6.05 am, I was pleased. Rather eagerly, I got up and was confronted by the kitchen clock showing 5.06am. This is not April 1 but January 1, still I got fooled. Somebody, and that would be me, did not change the time to daylight saving in the bedroom.
However, the 3 cats were delighted to get early service and I seized the opportunity to look for Mercury in the predawn sky. Cloudy and raining but very mild. While in the kitchen, I washed a cup and a half of kidney beans and brought them to boil, switched off for soaking. Later, I shall make chilli sans carne.
So this is 2012.