Autumn

When I last posted in September, it was in the aftermath of hurricane Dorian.  Almost two months later, the clean-up continues and successive storms have brought down yet more trees.

On one of the rare sunny days of autumn, I did manage to go down to the boardwalk and take a couple of photos of the changing colours, in the more sheltered areas where the leaves remained on the trees.

It has been a very wet and windy autumn so far, but at least we have been spared the early snow of last year.  As the clocks go back tonight, there is a real feeling of change in the air, as winter approaches.

NaBloPoMo 2019

November is here again and with it, the challenge of NaBloPoMo: to post every day for the month.

I looked at my blog last week and I was surprised to find that I had only posted on ten occasions this year.  Where has the time gone?

Yesterday was Hallowe’en and I thought that I would share this unusual piece of ironwork, made from an empty propane tank.  We discovered a local blacksmith in the early part of the summer when we had friends visiting from Ontario.  They had read about this place and we found it on a back road that we had never been along before.  They had some great pieces, including these seasonal ones.  I wonder how the local children would have reacted if we had had these in our garden last night?

After The Storm

I can’t quite believe that it is almost two months since I last posted, but I’ve had various issues with my home computer, as well as with Blogger.  If anyone knows of a good (preferably free) photo editing app, I would be happy to hear about it.  I used to use Picasa, but it is no longer supported by Google, which has led to all sorts of issues in trying to upload photos and add watermarks.

Anyway, last Saturday saw the arrival of Hurricane Dorian, although it was downgraded to a tropical cyclone by the time it hit Prince Edward Island, we still had hurricane-force winds of 120 km/hr or 75 mph/hr.  We had been out and arrived home just as the rain was starting.  During the course of the afternoon, threatening clouds rolled in and the rain came down in sheets - mostly horizontally.  We watched as the sky darkened and the winds increased dramatically.

As darkness fell, the power went off and we sat in candlelight - in other circumstances, it might have been romantic, but it sounded like the roof was being ripped off our house and we ended up with water coming under the back door, so were piling towels against it to stem the flow.  

Looking out into the darkness, there was no light to be seen and everyone must have been sheltering indoors.  The maple tree in our front garden was bending and swaying to such an extent that I thought it wouldn’t survive the night.

The night was noisy and the storm raged on around us.  It was impossible to sleep until the early hours, when the winds finally died down a bit.

Next morning, we looked out onto a scene of devastation, but little realised the extent of it from the safety of home.  Our vegetable garden had been destroyed, but our maple tree was still standing.  Other trees in our neighbourhood had suffered extensive damage.

Late in the afternoon, we drove into town and were shocked by the extent of the damage.  Huge trees had been uprooted and laid across cars and houses.  Craters had opened up in gardens where the trees had once stood.  Mr Candytuft talked to someone who had lost seven mature trees from their garden in one night.

A week later, there are still about 6,000 homes without power.  We were lucky that ours was restored quickly, but others have been less fortunate.  We heard of some dramatic rescues from along the shore, but fortunately, no fatalities, unlike the Bahamas, where this storm originated.

Even today, I look around at the extent of the destruction and I feel humbled by the power of nature.  I read a news story of the devastation in the National Park at Cavendish, where 80% of the trees have been destroyed.  The clean-up continues and everywhere we look, there are piles of branches and trees being cleared.  It will be many weeks before life returns to a semblance of normality.  We are just thankful that everyone is alive to share their stories of the night that the storm hit and its aftermath.

Strawberry Swiss Roll

I love the flavour of fresh local strawberries in summer.  I recently acquired a copy of The National Trust Cookbook and couldn’t wait to try this recipe for strawberry Swiss roll.

First I baked the sponge and rolled it up, leaving it to cool for an hour.  Then I made the buttercream filling, which included some strawberry jam, hence the pink colour.

Once the buttercream had been added, it was sprinkled with fresh strawberries and rolled up again.  I must admit that the sponge was a bit heavier than expected, but I think that was due to the size of eggs that I used.  We buy fresh farm eggs, which are not only extra large, but many of them have double yolks.  Mr Candytuft described it as ‘Omelette cake’, but still managed to eat most of it!

Summer At Last!

Well, I’ve been gone far longer than I anticipated.  I returned to work on Wednesday after ten weeks of recovering from my surgery.  I’m still feeling exhausted at times, so my goal at the moment is to go for walks, even if they are much shorter than they would have been in the past.  

I’m taking one day at a time and have been enjoying visits to the boardwalk now that the weather has finally improved.

The roses are in full bloom and their scent is heavenly.  I just bury my nose in them and inhale.

Whatever you are doing during the summer, I hope that you are taking some time to smell the roses.

Taking a Break

It is said that life is full of surprises and I certainly had one sprung on me recently.  I went to see a specialist for a minor concern and discovered that I needed to have major surgery.  

I signed a consent on 5th April and got a call four days later to tell me that I was on the list for 26th April.  Yes, I am having surgery tomorrow.

I’ve just returned from town, where I stocked up on a few last-minute essentials - including a lidded cup with a straw, so that I can drink lying down (if I don’t feel up to moving). I called the hospital this afternoon to confirm my bed and I’m first on the list tomorrow morning, which I’m relieved about, as it gives me less time to get anxious waiting.  

I’m not sure how I’ll be feeling after surgery, but will likely be off for a few weeks.  Wishing you all a happy spring and I hope that the sun is shining in your part of the world.

Easter

Well, Easter has come and gone and it is still cold and miserable here - we had sleet again this morning.  I’m wondering if spring will ever arrive.  

I did do a bit of baking for Easter - hot cross buns from Mary Berry’s recipe, which turned out great and were delicious.  Also, our favourite chocolate Easter cupcakes.

The weeks have passed by in a blur and I was surprised to find that I’ve only posted on my blog five times since January.  There has been a lot on my mind - more of which in the next post.