Thursday, April 27, 2006
Hidden talent
I just discovered a really good hidden talent that my good friend Matt has, check out his hidden talent website http://www.mattfalcus.com it's great, I never knew he was such a good photographer, this site sells his postcards, they are GREAT! All the North East England ones are of the area we grew up in. And Saltburn Pier is where Lindsay proposed so go look at the postcard to see how beautiful it is!
Another baby
Congratulations to Mark & Naomi Tuma on the birth of Daniel!!!! I hope Grace likes having a little brother, tell her brothers can have their uses!
Foil bag dinner
OK, since Helen requested it here's the recipe for the foil bag dinner, it really is one of my favourite summer meals (plus there' s less utensils used to clean up after!)
I don't use any measurements so you have to do some guess work, just think about how much you would normally do per person (2 sausages, 1 potato, and a spoonful of carrots per personish). Also bear in mind that this recipe normally calls for farmer sausage which is smoked, not sure what the equivalent is in the UK, but I guess good old Walls will do if nothing else!
Peel and cube potatoes in to bite size pieces (you need more than you think you would, so do a little extra).
Cut in half length ways baby carrots (the pre-peeled & washed ones).
Cut sausage in to 1/4 inch think rounds, also bite size.
Dice one onion or put a couple of handfuls of dehydrated onion in.
Season with plenty of salt and pepper.
Also scatter a couple of knobs of butter in as well.
I put all this in to a Reynolds foil heat bag that I buy at Safeway, alternatively use wide foil and make a pouch to put all this in.
You need to make sure that once it's all in the bag/pouch that you fold the end a couple of times and then to seal it well, fold down the sides a couple times as well (we have been known to have spillage mid cooking when flipping the pouch).
We have only ever done this on a propane BBQ, so not sure about how the coals will work so you will just have to experiment anyways...
Put the pouch on a just lit BBQ, so the grill is still cold, on a medium heat. It should just take 30mins to cook, so you close the lid and then come back and flip after 10 mins (using oven mitts... to state the obvious), then you need to flip it every 5 minutes until it is cooked. It is also a good idea to check it 5 mins before the 30mins is done to see how it is, it may be cooked and browned already or you may need to leave it to cook for another 10 - 15mins still checking and flipping at regular 5mins breaks. Alternatively I'm pretty sure that you could do the pouch thing then cook it in the oven as well on medium heat, flipping in the same way.
I'm sorry, I'm not that great at giving instructions, but please believe me when I say that once you've done it once you'll realise how quick and easy it is.
I don't use any measurements so you have to do some guess work, just think about how much you would normally do per person (2 sausages, 1 potato, and a spoonful of carrots per personish). Also bear in mind that this recipe normally calls for farmer sausage which is smoked, not sure what the equivalent is in the UK, but I guess good old Walls will do if nothing else!
Peel and cube potatoes in to bite size pieces (you need more than you think you would, so do a little extra).
Cut in half length ways baby carrots (the pre-peeled & washed ones).
Cut sausage in to 1/4 inch think rounds, also bite size.
Dice one onion or put a couple of handfuls of dehydrated onion in.
Season with plenty of salt and pepper.
Also scatter a couple of knobs of butter in as well.
I put all this in to a Reynolds foil heat bag that I buy at Safeway, alternatively use wide foil and make a pouch to put all this in.
You need to make sure that once it's all in the bag/pouch that you fold the end a couple of times and then to seal it well, fold down the sides a couple times as well (we have been known to have spillage mid cooking when flipping the pouch).
We have only ever done this on a propane BBQ, so not sure about how the coals will work so you will just have to experiment anyways...
Put the pouch on a just lit BBQ, so the grill is still cold, on a medium heat. It should just take 30mins to cook, so you close the lid and then come back and flip after 10 mins (using oven mitts... to state the obvious), then you need to flip it every 5 minutes until it is cooked. It is also a good idea to check it 5 mins before the 30mins is done to see how it is, it may be cooked and browned already or you may need to leave it to cook for another 10 - 15mins still checking and flipping at regular 5mins breaks. Alternatively I'm pretty sure that you could do the pouch thing then cook it in the oven as well on medium heat, flipping in the same way.
I'm sorry, I'm not that great at giving instructions, but please believe me when I say that once you've done it once you'll realise how quick and easy it is.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Green leaves
YAY, our tree almost has it's leaves all out, they're past the budding stage and are looking nice and green!
It is definately starting to feel more like summer, especially since we have our Air Conditioning on at work. And we are having a foil bag dinner tonight, which we only ever have in the summer. For those of you who have no idea what that is, it is sausage, potato and carrots cooked on the BBQ in a foil bag, it is SO GOOD!
I'm getting pretty excited about our visit home, I was pretty hyper this morning when I was MSNing with friends.
It is definately starting to feel more like summer, especially since we have our Air Conditioning on at work. And we are having a foil bag dinner tonight, which we only ever have in the summer. For those of you who have no idea what that is, it is sausage, potato and carrots cooked on the BBQ in a foil bag, it is SO GOOD!
I'm getting pretty excited about our visit home, I was pretty hyper this morning when I was MSNing with friends.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Condo Association
We went to our first Condo Association AGM last night. It definately helped us understand more of what the heck is going on.
As I did not grow up with condo's, and had no idea of the whole concept, moving in to one and living with the whole condo idea has been a learning curve.
Back home if you buy a house, you buy a house, it's yours, and that is it. I'm not used to it being my house but someone else can tell me what to do with it and how to live in it. OK not totally how to live in it but to some degree. If we want a pet we have to ask permission, we're not allowed to put a cloths line on our deck or in our garden, we have to ask permission if we want a satellite dish, that kinda thing.
Anyways, something that has been bothering us is that we were told about 6 weeks ago that we had to cease using our woodburning fireplace immediately. Me & L were a little put out by this, why, since when was there a problem? Last night answered our questions, other units have been having water leakage and when investigated it showed that our chimneys are actually unsafely close to the wood structure, so that is obvious why we can't use our fireplace. Apparently our units were shoddily made, 1982 was not the best year to build homes. Other complexes built around the same time, by the same contracter are having similiar issues. I'm kinda gutted about it though, I loved having a fireplace, now it looks like we're gonna have to go gas or electrical cos we just CANNOT afford the $10,000 it would cost us to re-do our woodburning fireplace, SUCKS! As it is we're gonna have to save like mad to do the other options, but what can you do...
As I did not grow up with condo's, and had no idea of the whole concept, moving in to one and living with the whole condo idea has been a learning curve.
Back home if you buy a house, you buy a house, it's yours, and that is it. I'm not used to it being my house but someone else can tell me what to do with it and how to live in it. OK not totally how to live in it but to some degree. If we want a pet we have to ask permission, we're not allowed to put a cloths line on our deck or in our garden, we have to ask permission if we want a satellite dish, that kinda thing.
Anyways, something that has been bothering us is that we were told about 6 weeks ago that we had to cease using our woodburning fireplace immediately. Me & L were a little put out by this, why, since when was there a problem? Last night answered our questions, other units have been having water leakage and when investigated it showed that our chimneys are actually unsafely close to the wood structure, so that is obvious why we can't use our fireplace. Apparently our units were shoddily made, 1982 was not the best year to build homes. Other complexes built around the same time, by the same contracter are having similiar issues. I'm kinda gutted about it though, I loved having a fireplace, now it looks like we're gonna have to go gas or electrical cos we just CANNOT afford the $10,000 it would cost us to re-do our woodburning fireplace, SUCKS! As it is we're gonna have to save like mad to do the other options, but what can you do...
Shauns wedding revisited.
Shaun & Karen looked so good, and just had these HUGE grins on their faces all day, it was awesome!
Shauns wedding revisited.
Don't Allison & Ryan look GREAT!!! We're all praying that the baby arrives REALLY SOON!
Continuing.....
So yeah, Mum is moving. What was I saying.... oh yeah sad & scarey. A lot of my memories of David are in that house, and I miss him very much. And the thought of going home but not to that house also is scarey, it won't feel as much like my home. BUT I am very excited for my Mum, that house is WAY too big for just her and Sue. And hopefully my sister won't live with her forever, so it's good she's looking for somewhere smaller.
I just wanted to put some pics of the house on here for all of you Canadian friends that I desperately want to take home with me and share this with you.
So the house below was my home for 11years, and Lindsay's home for 2 years. I'm gonna miss it!
I just wanted to put some pics of the house on here for all of you Canadian friends that I desperately want to take home with me and share this with you.
So the house below was my home for 11years, and Lindsay's home for 2 years. I'm gonna miss it!
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Moving on.
My mum is selling our house. This leaves me feeling a little sad and also a little nervous. We moved in to Brookwood Way when mum married David in 1992, when I was just 12. So all my memories of David are kinda tied in to that house.
More to say but Bob is on the phone so I'll say more later.
More to say but Bob is on the phone so I'll say more later.
Friday, April 21, 2006
FYI
I just re-read my last post, and felt that the last line could be misleading, because I had already mentioned John and then mentioned his glo in the dark sweater, it sounds like there was just the 2 of us for those bonfires and midnight walks, which is not true at all, there was like 20 of us that used to do all that, John and I were not romantically involved at all.... although I am not embarassed at all to admit to having a huge crush on him at the time. I mentioned Johns sweater because that's what we all followed when it was pitch black and trying to make it back up the cliff to the hotel;-)
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Embarassing old pictures
So I think I am 15 on the left and 13 on the right. Put ish on the end of both those ages.These are both holiday pictures, and I believe that the talented John Benton took them (I think I filched them from his Treloyhan site). Kinda makes me nostalgic about those holidays, they were fun. They were at Christian (AKA Methodist Guild) Guild holidays, there were 10 hotels all over the UK when I was younger. My favourite hotels were; Sidholme, Sidmouth, Devon and Treloyhan Manor, St Ives, Cornwall. I have fond memories of bonfires on the beach, John's glo in the dark sweater, and midnight walks...
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Babies, babies and even more babies.
Well congratulations to both sides of the pond. Here in Canada Tim & Michelle have 2 week old Ty, and in good old Blighty Pete & Jeni have 2 day old Rebekah.
Soon to come at a Saskatoon near you will be a new Longueil and a new Grunau, all very exciting. And both mother-to-be's are hoping the little sprogs will come sooner rather than later. Me too, before I travel to distant shores!
Soon to come at a Saskatoon near you will be a new Longueil and a new Grunau, all very exciting. And both mother-to-be's are hoping the little sprogs will come sooner rather than later. Me too, before I travel to distant shores!
Sunday, April 02, 2006
WOOO HOOOO!
We just had a great weekend at Shaun (L's cousin) & Karen's wedding in Calgary. It really was fun. Lots of laughing, chatting and catching up... more of that jollity later .... oooh except that at this moment I really do have to state that Shannon really did look spiffing.... and Karen and Shaun looked OK too.
But I'm afraid my fun from the weekend has been a little eclisped (Sorry Shaun & Karen) by the exciting e-mail I just read..... my BEST FRIEND EVER is coming to stay in August..... BIG PHAT YAY! (no offence to any of my other close friends, I would be excited if any of you came to stay too!) But yeah, I'm SO excited right now, I'm pretty much bouncing off the walls. I'm just hoping that she enjoys it here, it is definately different from what we're used to in Europe, BUT it has it's own uniqueness, so yeah, I hope she is gonna love it. I already have quite a list of things I want to do with her, whether we have the time, weather or finances to do it all is another matter.
OK, I need my bed now..... really bad.... I hear it calling me.... Goodnight and God bless!
But I'm afraid my fun from the weekend has been a little eclisped (Sorry Shaun & Karen) by the exciting e-mail I just read..... my BEST FRIEND EVER is coming to stay in August..... BIG PHAT YAY! (no offence to any of my other close friends, I would be excited if any of you came to stay too!) But yeah, I'm SO excited right now, I'm pretty much bouncing off the walls. I'm just hoping that she enjoys it here, it is definately different from what we're used to in Europe, BUT it has it's own uniqueness, so yeah, I hope she is gonna love it. I already have quite a list of things I want to do with her, whether we have the time, weather or finances to do it all is another matter.
OK, I need my bed now..... really bad.... I hear it calling me.... Goodnight and God bless!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)