Weekend Haul

As I mentioned in my previous post, it was the weekend of the annual "Garage Sale Trail" here in the Northern Bruce Peninsula.  A ton of sales, scattered through the country side, and a map....to find the treasure.  Our first stop was "White's Garage" an auto shop.  First one in the door, I managed to snag myself this white metal cabinet.  It has 3 nice useful shelves and a drawer and I am going to use it for my canning supplies here in the cottage.  (will post pictures later) .  I also got these wire baskets which have also found a home.  I gave the spiderman lunch box to my husband for fathers day.  Because every 50 year old man needs a lunch box....

I got 2 of these nice old birdhouses.  I am trying to get birds to nest here, so I will hang these up for next Spring hoping for a new family.... We can't feed the birds this year because of the Rogue Bear and we can't encourage him, although I hoping to spot him.  I am all alone here this week, so I kinda hoping and kinda not hoping to see him.

Crown Jars.....gorgeous pale pale green with Crown motif on front.  The crowns changed slightly over the years, so I like to pick through them to get the different ones. 

 I could do a post on canning jars and their history.  I do actually use them for tea bags, dog treats etc and it is damp near the water and we have had the occasional mouse....

This little hand painted flower vase was made in Japan.  Haven't got a spot yet for it...but so pretty.

This was my favourite piece...a metal pail 30" high from the Lambton Creamery.......this one goes right to the shop.  It would make a great unbrella stand.....

A Weird and Bittersweet Weekend

  This has been a very weird weekend so far.  The weather has been fabulous.  We came to the cottage on Friday afternoon anxious to wake up here in the peace and quiet of the Bruce Peninsula.  It was also the weekend of the Garage Sale Trail, a huge garage sale event.  I was woken up to a noise that seemed right outside my bedroom window.  Not thinking that bears came this close, I assumed it was a raccoon.  The next morning my neighbor said there was a black bear 5 feet from her bathroom window.!!  Glad I                                                wasn't outside letting Gracie out for a pee.!

  I set out early Saturday morning with my neighbor and our morning took us from the east side of the peninsula on Georgian Bay to the west side on Lake Huron.  We found some wonderful Bits! Will post my finds later.

  

What seemed like a peaceful and fun morning changed when I recieved a call from my daughter to say that a friend had been killed in an accident.  He was the best friend of a work mate of hers.  Of course she was shocked and saddened. 

I faffed around the cottage for the rest of the day, trying out settings on my camera for pictures.  At lunch I went off to buy some sugar to make jam.  I had picked up berries from a farm on the way up.

On the way to the grocery store I passed an old guy hobbling down the street and thought how difficult this looked for him.  He was walking quickly though, and I wondered where he was going.

 

I went home and spent the afternoon making jam.  I love making jam and could spend the whole day in the kitchen with the music going and jam bubbling.  My favorite part is listening to the tops snap as they cool and seal.  I have always said I should have been a Farmer's Wife! 

Later in the afternoon, an OPP helicopter started circling and continued for hours.  The police boat is in the water right in front of our cottage.  They came and put it on the trailer and removed it.  I wondered if there was a sailor missing somewhere.  The marina was busy and nothing seemed out of place.  At around 8:30 I went off for a little bike ride to discover the whole town crawling with police.  They were looking for a man who had wandered away from the nursing home.  Apparently, it was the old hobbling fellow I had seen over 8 hours ago.  I was the last and only one to have seen him.  I had to give a statement.  I felt awful as we had no idea they were looking for him.

I lay awake for hours thinking of these 2 families and the poor old fellow happy it was a warm night at least,  and the bears.....So we sit here this morning hoping that a family will get good news today.  It is a wierd and erie feeling here.  It is so quiet and everyone is sad and concerned.  We pray this poor fellow is found safe today.

Dinner for your Dad. The easiest, most scrumptious Pork Tenderloin recipe

PORK  TENDERLOIN  IN  A  ROSEMARY  BALSAMIC  REDUCTION. 

For Fathers Day Sunday, I thought you may like a wonderfully easy recipe to make for your dad.  I know it sounds complex and pompous, but it is SO ridiculously easy.  And impressive.

  This recipe is from my friend Deb, who calls it

Marriage Proposal Pork Tenderloin.

Apparently, she gave this recipe to a friend......... who cooked it for a man....who got down on his knee at the dinner table.........

So, save this one for your next dinner date too.....Good Luck Girls.

I made this last night, and my knife was dull, so it wasn't sliced as nicely as it could have been, considering it was to be in a photo shoot.  Which it didn't know until last minute.  I also forgot to Drizzle the Glaze over it, but it was too late.  B..was starving and had demolished the presentation by the time I remembered.  Some food stylist I am.......plus he gets a little aggitated when I say "can you turn your dinner to the left...now the right...moved that crouton to the top please".....Dinner is Dinner, not a Blog Post...

In Ontario, I can get a pork tenderloin for about $5.00.  One feeds 3 people, so they are a really good value.  Not only that, this recipes takes 2 minutes to prepare and turns out "restaurant quality" every time.  I parboiled a couple of potatoes, sliced them into wedges and then lightly crisped them in Rosemary Infused Butter. 

2 sticks of salted butter

2 tsp freshly chopped rosemary.

As Jamie Oliver would say "Waz it up" in the blender.

Place in ice cube tray. When frozen remove cubes and store them in a Zippy bag for later. (yummy on whole grain nutty bread.)

I don`t make herbed butter ahead so, I just threw some fresh rosemary in a pan with a little butter and let it sizzle and infuse itself.

Some Rabbit had left me a lettuce for my dinner, so I grabbed it while the going was good and left him the stalks in the veggie garden.  It was the absolute TOUGHEST  most BITTER lettuce ever.....my goodness....that poor Peter.!  But........ it was all about the photoshoot and it looked vibrantly lovely on the plate.

PORK TENDERLOIN IN A ROSEMARY BALSAMIC REDUCTION

2 pork tenderloins

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tblsp fresh rosemary chopped

3 cloves fresh garlic

Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in oven-proof frypan. Season tenderloins with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides over medium high heat. Add in 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary and 3 cloves minced garlic, bring to boil and remove from heat. Roast in 350 F oven uncovered, turning tenderloins once, for 20 minutes.

Let the meat rest for 5 minutes.  Slice on an angle in 1/2 " slices.  Drizzle a little of the remaining glaze hot from the pan over the top.

If you want to make applesauce, take 2 peeled cored and diced apples, add 1/2 cup water and boil down till mushy and smashable with a fork. 

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL THE DADDYS OUT THERE..... 

A Gallery of Sorts

My Gallery wall.  L to R clockwise. A Celtic cross,  ink sketch by Daniel Schneider, handwoven and beaded Pakistani Bag from the Toronto Textile museum (purchased not stolen from) my own textile art "Rug",  Wood block print my my great uncle Claughton Pellew,  Sid Dickens tulip wall plaque (gift from my deceased boss)  Photo Montage,  beaded bag, made in Paris,  Mexican silver mirror.

I do have some art, despite having a few old empty frames hanging around....(actually they are not even hanging, just leaning).  Like this ornate plaster frame below.  People are always making jokes about my Mona Lisa being stolen...... I think it is artistic in itself...the plaster mold is very detailed and the age and wear make it art-worthy in my eye.

I rather like the blank space.  I put different flowers there when I have them.

They are unifyed by black framed or inky art with hits of pinks and reds. The one on the bottom right is by my great uncle Claughton Pellew.  He is deceased but well known in Cornwall.  Some of his pieces and love letters written while in prison (he was a Conscientious Objector and thus jailed) are in the Tate museum in England.

This was a project for my Design Class.  I had to design a rug.  I just couldn't get the colors right with paint, so I used a collection of wools from Italy.

Pretty cross and Mexican mirror.

A glass beaded purse made in Paris

From the Toronto Textile museum.  A hand embroidered and beaded tassled bag.  One of my favorites.

It took me while to get this wall right. I had to balance the scale and colors of the pieces, as well as the spacing. (if you look closely you can see little holes I made while trying to get it right.)  I add new Bits to it now and then.  It is still evolving.

Vanilla Sandwhich Yo-Yo Cookie

I am invited for lunch today at a friends house and wanted to bring a little sweet treat for her.  I read a blog by Janis Nikolay who is a lifestyle photographer and avid baker.  Each week she posts a gorgeous recipe, and any I have tried have been great.  This recipe for Yo-Yo cookies came from her blog Pine Cone Camp which you can find HERE.

Being on a permanent diet, If I am baking, I try to get rid of the leftovers quickly and deliver them on little plates to unsuspecting neighbors.  Last night I made 2 home deliveries and have this little vintage pressed glass plate ready to take to my lunch. Not one to buy brand new dishes, I find loads of sweet vintage plates in my travels. I always buy them for a dollar or two and hang on to them to use for baked gifts.  The plate then becomes part of the gift...a pretty recycled treasure to use and enjoy long after the cookies are gone.

Odd Bits

                  I found a few interesting Bits last weekend in my favourite haunts around the cottage

I rushed over to this little pink step stool the second I saw it in the shop. Threw it under my arm and hugged it warmly.

Then There were 2 of these peely windows with gorgeous rolled glass.....and a green mason jar for penny candy and some white ironstone hotelware plates. 

The bedroom needed something to take away the "sweetness" a bit, so I hung one of the Peely Windows above the bed.

 

The stepping stool could be used as a side table, actual steps, or a way to get into my bed which has taken on Princess and the Pea proportions.!

I also found 2 of these interesting bar stools.  I would say 1950's but I am not sure (Tamarah, help me out here).  One has been treated to a spray painting of copper shiny paint.

I keep wondering (as does Blake) where all this stuff is going to go.......  I am constantly working on areas of the cottage and things that no longer suit will go on sale in the shop.

My Kids Club Feet and 7 Other Useless Bits of Info About Me...and a lovely award.....

There are some people that you meet blogging and you just know they are the type of people you would have over for coffee if they lived nearby.  Authentic, honest and inspiring.  Li from Creamy Whites is one of those people.  I was thrilled to see that she had gotten this award and touched that she passed it on to me.  Thanks Li.

I have to tell you 7 things about me.  Having done this before, I struggle to find 7 new and somewhat interesting facts about mself.  But I endeavored to find some minutely interesting bits.......

1.  I have lived in 19 houses.  I am 49, so if you do the math, thats one every 2.5 years. 16 of them were in my first 23 years.  Thats a lot of moving.!

2.  I have lived in 3 countries.  Kenya, England and Canada

3.  My son was born with a dislocated hip and club feet.  For the hip, he just had a splint for a couple of weeks. For his feet he wore casts on his legs and feet for 2 months. People would stare at me as if I had broken his legs.........

 

www.pediatricsabout.com

This is not his photo- for some reason I seldom took pictures of his feet.......the ones I do have are in a huge box of hundreds of baby pics. But this is exactly what he looked like. Every 2 weeks, I had to sit him in a basin of water and soak the old ones off.  Then I could kiss his toes for a couple of hours before I went to the fracture clinic to get new ones on.  This was 25 years ago.  They used to allow smoking in the clinic....and those of you who have been to a hospital fracture clinic know how many hours you would wait......I would complain about the smoke and they would let me wait in an unused room.  They would take him from me (2 weeks old) and I would hear him cry and cry as they put new casts on him.  They didn't hurt him, he just didn't like to be held still or be without me.  They apply the wet cast, then gently bend the feet into shape........ The waiting room would look in horror when they brought this infant to me, legs heavy and dangling like a frog, both of us sobbing...........Now I look back and think if that was all that was wrong with my baby, why was I not grateful instead of bawling....maybe those post baby hormones...

 He was not a happy baby with these on.  Yes, people would sign them.  Baby poop would leak on them, they were hot and heavy.  I didn't know his real weight for months.  He came out of those and went right into ortho boots which looked like backwards boots.  Kindly women would stop me in the mall and tell me I had his shoes on the wrong feet.  He also had to wear shoes (with a big bar connecting them and forcing his legs apart) to bed each night as he had tibia torsion (crooked legs).  He didn't mind this, but would get a shoe stuck in the crib bars (different regulations back then for cribs).  I was promised by the surgeon, that I would never have to deal with feet like this again.....this was a fluke and one of....a chance in a million.

4.  Twenty One months later, my daughter was born.  The first thing I did was look at her feet.  The second thing I did was say...."oh oh....she has club feet".......the next morning I walked down the hall from maternity to the fracture clinic with Ky......

5.  I found my father's family 2 years ago by way of the internet.  They live in Nottingham and Australia and Chicago amongst other places.  There are loads and loads of them.  Meeting "your people" is really weird.....they look like you, or your kids.....

6. One of my worst jobs was working for a rectal surgeon.  I would sometimes have to leave my desk and go hold butt cheeks apart for a proceedure. 

7.  I have low B12.  My husband has to give me a needle each month.  I am a big chicken over this and scream for the entire minute it takes (B12 is quite thick and takes a little time).  I love the B12....like a little energy boost...don't know why I scream.

I have to nominate some other fine bloggers, so here are the ones I would like to pass this on to..

Home and Harmony

Tom Stephenson

Lou Boos and Shoes

Erin's Art and Gardens

Cottage on Rosewood

Decor Happy

Shabby Vintage Junk

Cranberry Cottage

Musings...Little things that brighten your life....

I love this photo.  This was yesterday in my garden.  My mum was here for supper and was perusing the herb garden.  My Gracie is OBSESSED with her.  She literally followers her everywhere she goes. 

When we take mum home, Gracie whines and cries by the door.  This is a behaviour that Gracie started after mums stroke.

My ferral cat Hannah.  A cat who was wild, neglected and abused.  She wouldn't come within 10 feet of anyone, especially a man. While Hannah and Mooch kept a respectful distance, Hannah and Gracie adore each other.  She has dog behaviours: never leaves the yard, sits on the front lawn with Gracie watching the world go by, goes outside with Gracie at night for the final pee, lines up behind the dog when she hears the treat jar........She even grooms Gracie. Now she is obsessed with Blake and follows him wherever he goes.  If he is on the hammock, Hannah's on the hammock.

 A suprise bouquet of simple old fashioned daisys from Lorraine's mum for me.

Hand painted vintage Christmas ornaments-a little gift from the fellow Lorraine and I buy from for the store....as pretty in June as December...

The palest pink New Dawn roses and early morning sunshine.

Farrow and Ball to Launch New Wallpapers and a New Book

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited, along with several other bloggers to meet Nikki Chee, the Communications Manager for Farrow and Ball, and to hear about, and see first hand some of their new wallpapers to be launched in September. Not yet released, I wasn't able to take any photos, but I can tell you that Farrow and Ball have outdone themselves (again) with this new lineup.  The new papers are fresh takes on traditional papers, all in the most scrumptious colors, and all with corresponding paint colors to match.  This makes it easy and affordable to paper just one wall and use the paint on the others.

Nikki is so interesting and has such a passion for Farrow and Ball, it really is contagious.  As a huge fan of Farrow and Ball already, I didn't really need convincing that this is a wonderful product.  But I did come away with new information.  These wallpapers are made in small batches using traditional methods such as block printing.  The paper is not even made until you order it, which means no waste or over runs.   The papers are all printed with actual paint, giving them a glorious hand made appearance. The paints colors are mixed in the factory, so there is a consistency to every color. All the paint and papers are available to order online, which make it easy for those in areas that don't have a local stockist.

If you have never used a Farrow and Ball paint, you may wonder what the difference is.  We talked about that with Nikki, and it really comes down to the pigment.  The pigment has more depth and cannot be replicated simply by color matching another brand.  To prove this, Nikki had several Farrow and Ball colors matched with 2 major paint brands and they were not the same at all.  The difference may be subtle enough not to worry some, but if you want a particular F & B color, you need to buy the F & B paint.  I tried in my own home with a color match to Off Black, and it was so off, I should have halted the painting, but I went ahead and now have regrets.  Of course, all F & B paint is low or zero VOC, and they have eliminated oil from their paints, but you can still get that gorgeous High Gloss finish as well as their amazing Floor Paints.

As a decorator, I find paint color the trickiest thing.  I have a hard time with hundreds of shades of colors.  I particularly like the much smaller selection of colors and find it much easier to select colors from a smaller palette, which also means I have used and seen more of the colors in an actual installation.  In college, I studied the Farrow and Ball books as they went into depth about color history and combining colors, and how light and lack of light affects your choices.   A new book "Living with Colour" is on it's way in September, and it looks fabulous.

It was a lot of fun to meet Nikki and the other Farrow and Ball people, and of course to see their beautiful Toronto shop.  One of the bloggers I met lives very close to me and has a lovely blog.  Vanessa has a wonderful view on the Canadian design scene and you can visit her blog HERE.

Thanks to the folks at Farrow and Ball for a wonderfully informative event and for inviting and acknowledging bloggers!    

All photos from Farrow and Ball website. http://www.farrow-ball.com/

This is a Lifestyle Blog-and this is my lifestyle-It's on my hands

Being a "lifestyle" blog, I post pretty things.  Peony's and garden parties and gorgeous recipes and lots of "Pink and Fluff".  But my lifestyle is dependant on oil.  Travel.  Products.  Driving my car.    Everyday I look at photo after photo of the Gulf oil spill.  But this is not just a one-of occurence.  It happens in Nigeria. It happens in the Middle East.  It will happen again. Sometimes on the way to the cottage we pass Mennonites in their horse drawn buggies, women hoe-ing the fields by hand and hanging a mile of laundry on the line. No gas or oil for these people.  I sometimes chuckle and say "Can you imagine living like that?"  The truth is.  NO.  I can't imagine living like that.   I feel sick looking at these pictures.  What can we do?  What can I do?  I honestly don't know.  I can think on it.  Think long and hard about what this means and where we are going and how the Gulf is going to recover or not recover and I can barely look at the photos of the birds.....I make myself look at these pictures....because it is difficult and this is shameful and this is reality and this is the least I can do......

I googled "How can I help Gulf Oil Spill and found THIS which offers some good suggestions.  Support the Gulf tourism industry, donate money, buy Gulf seafood.  Boycott BP.?? that seems a bit like shooting oneself in the foot.  They need to pay for the cleanup.

Or I could use stop using so much oil.  I thought that sounded good until I read this

Products made from oil

Ammonia

Antifreeze

Antiseptics

Art supplies

Artificial limbs

Aspirin

Astroturf

Awnings

Bandages

Cleaning products

Candles

Carpets

Caulking

Clothing

Crayons

Creams

Cosmetics

Cutlery

Dentures

Dice

Dyes

Electronics

Film

Fishing line

Floor wax

Foam

Glasses

Glue

Glycerin

Guitar strings
Heart valves

Helmets

Ink

Insulation

Lubricants

Medicine

Nail polish

Nylon

Paint

Paint brushes

Panty hose

Petroleum jelly

Plastics

Records

Refrigerant

Roofing

Shampoo

Shaving cream

Shoes

Shower curtains

Skis

Soap

Solvents

Sports equipment

Tires

Toys

Trash bags

Umbrellas

Upholstery

Vitamin capsules

       Although that list makes it seem impossible, many of those could be eliminated from daily life.

So this post leaves me sad and disgusted and angry and scared and feeling guilty.

And I have to show this because this is what it is.