Coronation Street is Back For Us!

I love old photos and though neither are of my own family, they caught my interest. The first one is quite famous, taken during WW2 I believe. Isn`t it great! Getting everything up and running truly was a celebration and this suited!


Hubby figured out how to get our satellite pointing in the right direction and Coronation Street is now watchable from our very own frontroom! But then, I already knew that yesterday would be the day :)
This second one is unknown, but it looks to be taken at some point long ago possibly in Eastern Europe somewhere. Notice the little faces gazing out of the window....

Just a Little Awwwwww Moment.....

These are just the cutest! I just love the little guy having his feed hehe. But aww the ginger one is so innocent and sweet too. My daughter sent them to me in e-mail and I thought I`d share. Hubby has our satellite up and running, but we`re picking up an American one that doesn`t carry any Canadian stations, which means no Coronation Street yet! Free air is legal but leaves it to you to figure out all puzzles, and there`s many. Luckily being my Mum and Dad are our neighbours, we can watch it there until he figures out how to get the right one. Thanks for all the nice comments, especially about that huge mountainous bruschetta LOL It really is supposed to look so much sleeker!

Bruschetta, Blueberry Pie and Antenna Troubles....

The snow is still coming down with a vengence. It just keeps on coming :( Sure, it may be pretty but it makes the roads very hazardous. This is a picture from this morning......

We went to Jack Astors the other night and I had the best bruschetta bread I`ve ever had! I`ve been trying to re-produce it and think I have it down pat.
Chopped Roma tomatoes...I only had regular though. Chopped onions and a clove of minced garlic....

It was drizzled with a balsamic vinegar glaze which I found on the web. 1 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup Water
1/4 cup Brown sugar....lightly boil adding 1 tblsp. corn starch...

Also had a bit of Sour cream Aioli (Garlic Mayo) on top as a garnish. ½ tsp dry mustard, pinch of sugar, 1/2 tsp minced garlic, 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1/2 cup sour cream mixed together....

You need grated parmesan cheese and feta cheese. Italian bread, more garlic and then fresh basil tops it off. Brush bread slices with olive oil and garlic and grill both sides.

Jack Astors presentation was waaaaaay nicer than this though LOL But it did taste the same.

Then I made a blueberry pie. Canned filling but home made crust......

I put tin foil around the edges later so the crust wouldn`t get too brown.....

Yummy.......

Our antenna is frozen and it`s preventing us from watching Coronation Street!

Hubby is investigating but decided also to go and pick up one of those "free to air" satellite dishes. Now he is just trying to figure out the last part of the puzzle....the programming`s last bit. I guess it`s like stopping and asking for directions when you`re lost. The answers a phone call away, but he wants to figure it out himself. The crazy thing is....like everything else....I know he will, cause he always does LOL
This little number will be going up on the antenna tower eventually, but at the moment sits on the cat thingy in the front garden...

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

1. If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you would have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.

2. If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.

3. A pig's orgasm lasts for 30 minutes.

(How'd they figure this out, and why?)

4. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

5. Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

(Is that why Flipper was always smiling?)

6. The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

7. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do.

8. The ant can lift 50 times its own weight, can pull 30 times its own weight and always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

9. Polar bears are left handed.

10. The catfish has over 27,000 taste buds.

(What can be so tasty on the bottom of the pond?)

11. The flea can jump 350 times its body length.

It's like a human jumping the length of a football field.

12. A cockroach will live nine days without it's head, before it starves to death.

13. The male praying mantis cannot copulate while its head is attached to its body. The female initiates sex by ripping the male's head off.

14. Some lions mate over 50 times a day.

15. Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.


16. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating 1 olive from each salad served in first-class.

17. Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

18. Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

19. Pearls melt in vinegar.

20. It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...but not downstairs.

21. A duck's quack doesn't echo and no one knows why. (Or does it? http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/acoustics_world/duck/duck.htm)

22. The reason firehouses have circular stairways is from the days when the engines were pulled by horses. The horses were stabled on the ground floor and figured out how to walk up straight staircases.

23. Turtles can breathe through their butts.

24. It's physically impossible for you to lick your elbow. (or can you? http://www.uvm.edu/~dfisher1/random/elbow.jpg http://www.uvm.edu/~dfisher1/random/elbow2.jpg)

25. If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall. Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts.

26. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.

27. Almost everyone who reads this will try to lick their elbow.

I`m obviously at a loss at the moment for anything original. LOL The bracketed parts aren`t mine but worth leaving in.
Today is the coldest day of the year here in Ontario. Brrrrrrrr. Spring is still so far away! Busy working, cross-stitching the area around that dog...not the one below :), getting ready for the next step in the frontroom - ripping up carpet......the weekend is almost here! Maybe I`ll even find something interesting to post about while I still have some juice left in the camera.

I Almost Threw This Away!

I have a bookcase sitting in the hall that is made higher with my old hope chest. It all needed refinishing and while I was cleaning out the chest of old blankets, I came across an ugly purple satin pillow. "What was I thinking when I made that?", I thought as I tossed it into the garbage bag. "Must have been in my Feng Shui period". Then for some reason I pulled it out again to investigate what was underneath....more out of curiosity than anything. Below is what I found! It`s a cross stitch I did about sixteen years ago. If I finish cross stitching the grey area which I never finished,in old rose or green or something and make it into a new pillow in another fabric, it will match the evenual colour change in the frontroom.... this will be perfect! I envision having some nice vintage dog prints framed on the walls and low and behold here`s just the thing to add! Won`t be for awhile, this project though....too much else to do yet.

The wallpapering is almost finished now, but the books all have to come out of the other two bookcases to get at the rest of the wall and the old green carpet is being torn up and the same as the kitchen put down. Bit by bit, piece by piece, without having to empty out the whole room. What a job this is going to be! It`s a very large area, plus the hall. Off will go the throw rugs to get a proper clean. Will have to purchase one of those old fashioned dust mops and most likely live with a bare hall floor for awhile until we can get a runner. Boy, will I be glad to lose that ancient carpet though! It was nice when it was new, but after almost 20 years,it`s definately had it`s day.

Back To Re-decorating.....

This wallpaper is partially on it`s way up on the walls of the front room and hall. Easier and less messy than paint and it has a cottagey texture to it. I can`t take any credit for putting it up though because it`s a project my Mum has offerd to do :) She always loved to wallpaper! Thanks Mum :)

Look what came in the post yesterday! My new throw mat that I ordered from Carols Rugs. She made it to match my kitchen and it`s washable and nice and cushiony to stand on while doing the dishes. You can see her work here http://www.carolsrugs.com/She makes some beautiful things!

Here`s a close-up......


Isobell loves pretties. She`s been letting me take her picture lately.

"A Rather Small Ghost Story" by The Cat That Would Be Heard

I`m feeling slightly sluggish today. A strange tom that`s been causing Isobell to utter the most unlady-like curses was back at the weekend. This time it was I that came face to face with the mangey creature. He requested a fight from me almost at once as I tried staring him down. I may be an old man, but this is still my territory and I will take no nonsense from such an invader as he. I stood my ground as best I could, until he tried to tackle me. Shamefully I ran, after being ungloriously knocked over. Twas that same moment that the mistress, with Elvis anxiously by her side, opened the door in alarm glimpsing my humiliation. "Get him Elvis!" she exclaimed, as he, already steadfast on his way in pursuit, galloped off after the bugger. I came inside and in this very spot, my favorite at the moment, is where I layed down my aching bones.

But I digress from my original story of which I shall now begin. It`s a ghost story, you see. A very small one, but an interesting one indeed.

It was a clear winter morning some years back, when the young master was but ten years old or so. A carpet of new fallen snow lay fresh and sparkling on the trees and the ground giving all a quiet, deserted almost mystical atmosphere.
The young mistress, then thirteen, was taking the day off school due to a nasty cold, so was not accompanying the boy up the short lane to wait for the school bus. It was the habit of Ben dog to walk along with them each morning.
The nana and grampa lived nearer the road at the end of the lane and would glance out from the kitchen table as the children walked past with the dog trotting along beside them. There came the sad time when Ben was no longer with us and on this morning, two years had past, and the boy walked alone.

The school bus arrived and a few moments later, the grampa stepped outside to take the garbage up to the road. He left the yard and began walking on the lane when his eyes did espy a very strange sight.
For before him along the lane, were the boy`s fresh footprints in the new fallen snow going all along to the top of the road. Now you may wonder why the young master`s prints would make such a cause for surprise? Well, you see, alongside, all the way, side by side, were the fresh footprints of a dog.

Later that day after school, the boy was questioned. "Did you notice anything unusual this morning? Was there a strange animal outside with you?"
"No" said the young master. "Only me"

I surmise that dear Benjamin dog came back one last time to do a duty he onced loved very much.

And now I shall remove myself and these old legs back to my chair.

"До тех пор пока мы не встречать снова" or "until we meet again....."

Theodore

Bad Isobell!

First I want to thank everyone who has posted a comment on my crazy blog. Most of the time I don`t really have much to say here due to my thoughts being occupied elsewhere so I`m glad I have a camera and hope anyone dropping by isn`t sick of my goofy animals yet. When all else fails, there`s always a good animal picture. The snow is still here but the temperature is supposed to rise again so hopefully it will go away again.

Thankfully this doesn`t happen very often with any of the cats, highly unsanitary! But Isobell loves to try and chew on rose petals and she had been doing just that until I scolded her off the table....

Scat bad cat!

"Okay, I`ll sit here then"......

"Ooooooh, this could be fun".....

"Gotcha"

As you can see in the two above pictures, the liner for the last cupboards is sat waiting for me to do. I thought that if I stuck it right there, I would get it done sooner! So far this week I`ve swept around it, but thankfully the weekend is closer now.

It Has Arrived.....

Heard it was coming and woke up to this......

Angus isn`t sure what he thinks of it.....

He`d much rather be inside playing......

Can We Protect Spring Bulbs Sprouting In January?

Sheila over at the lovely September Song blog http://september-song.blogspot.com/
is as curious as me on what to do about this, so I Googled the question. Strangely there didn`t seem to be a lot of info on this but from the Chicago Tribune about a warm fall at least....

Q. Some of my bulbs started emerging during the warm spell this fall. Will this damage the bulbs or their spring flower show?

A. The warm temperatures that sometimes occur in fall can trigger premature bulb growth, especially for the early flowering varieties. There is little you can do to stop bulbs from sprouting; they will stop when temperatures drop. The foliage may be affected, with some yellowing or browning, but the bulb and its future flowers will recover by spring -- assuming it did not actually flower.

To protect exposed foliage, cover with evergreen boughs. Snow cover in winter also will insulate and protect bulbs.
******************
Something to ponder that I`ve wondered myself, from over at Country Gardner blog http://countrygardener.blogspot.com/

"I wonder what this warm spell is going to mean for plants that are starting to wake up months before they should? Are the insect pests that usually get killed off by the cold going to be out in full force this summer?

Though most of us enjoy a mild winter, there's always the suspicion that we're going to pay for it down the line - that's just the Canadian way."
******************
That bug question is definately worrying. Never mind the ones for the plants, what about the bloody mosquitoes?? And I planted much more than three bulbs....I hope they aren`t upside down LOL!

Mucking About For Bricks

Hubby got permission for us to go to the site where he`s working and collect any of the loose bricks we want for the veg garden next spring, so off we went equipped with rubber boots and gloves.......

It was incredibly mucky work!

I picked these glamorous boots up years ago at a thrift shop and they sure have come in handy since then.....

Back home and all piled waiting to use. There`s approxamately 150 here plus the other half of what my brother has still waiting for us and whatever else we get from the site later. Enough here though to make the wall for the raised pottager garden. I want three high and we have one row so far. Hubby is going to mortar them. The rest will be for the brick walk around it. It`s going to be a mad rush to somehow get that part finished and get the dirt in, in time to plant!

I nipped out back to see what`s been going on in the garden. Having heard other people say that their spring bulbs have sprung, I was curious. Three of mine have. Can`t remember which they are without looking in my records, but it`s very weird to see this in January! I guess I won`t be seeing these ones in spring.....

Another Project ................

While we`re getting the frontroom sorted, I`m also doing my daughter`s old room. Nothing major, just bringing things from the other room in there mostly. I`d like it to be a spare room/den....well sort of. Just trying to use what I already have and hopefully in the end it will all come together in some sort of weird way.
Here`s what one area looks like at the moment. That dresser is now filled with all my fabrics and may fit in the closet out of the way....hopefully.

What cat doesn`t appreciate a good mess?

These shelves were $50 for the pair and are going to be stained a darker colour and filled of books. I have a huge overflow of them. New lampshades on the old lamps maybe, or recovered. Haven`t thought about that yet.

Put one pair of the frontroom curtains I made either side of this teeny weeny cot. Daughter took her bed with her lol Not sure if they`ll stay that way or not. The bed area is about the only thing I`ve spent any time on in there so far. Everything else is just stuck on the wall, thrown or shoved in somewhere. Had to already take back those little lace sheers for another small window, so now there`s a shorter half one on the window for now. Haven`t thought about what to put there yet. It`s a very beige room at the moment and needs some splashes of colour eventually.

I dragged and squeezed until I was able to get the tan and black striped armchair in. I never thought I`d get it through the door, but eventually I figured out an angle. It`s far too bold for what I want in the frontroom, but I wanted to keep it as is because it took a long time to cover the darn thing and it`s really comfy. A different pillow will work. Those old curtains are covering the closet at the moment. We have a really comfy big couch in the frontroom that I want to eventually recover in some sort of sage green. But that won`t happen for awhile yet. The extra window is in now, for a start and makes it a lot brighter.

Not sure when I`ll get out the paint stain to get doing the shelves. I`ve slowed down a bit at the moment, so there won`t be any finished pictures for awhile.

I seem to be blank lately about what to put in my blog, so it may be a bit sparadic for awhile. Too many things on the go I think! I`d like to take some of my extra time to visit that long list of blogs I have along the side, so all this is to be continued :) And then there`s the other bedroom which is also my husbands computer/music room. Now that one`s about the biggest mess at the moment!

T`was a Rough Day...................