Linking up at Marg at The Intrepid Reader
May 2022 - Thornbury ON
I did a piece on Simu Liu titled I Am Canadian from the Canadian Music Awards, the Junos.
Saturday we left Collingwood at 9:05 to head back to Toronto on the scenic route along Airport Road. Yikes gas hit $2 a litre that is $8 a gallon!
Great drive.
We had to slow down as a family of geese were crossing, mama in front, six or so babies and papa glaring at the cars, so glad they made it safely. They need this sign.
Home by 11:30 and so nice to be back.
Sunday turned into a day of chores. I made soup from the two bags of vegetables I had frozen. I know, making soup when it's 25C out? But I wanted them out of the freezer and it will be handy for lunches.
Laundry got done.
John cleaned up the balcony, it had a gazillion gazillion dead gnats/midges, whatever they are called. It seems they are called lake flies in Ontario and since we are next to the lake but their season is not supposed to last long.
Time to think about what plants I want out there. It gets way too hot in the summer for most. Moved the geranium out there.
I did my Trip Advisor reviews of where we stayed and ate.
Monday John went down to the golf simulator.
We filled in our vote by mail Ontario elections and mailed them.
John played his first game of golf on Wednesday.
I went grocery shopping to find dumpling wrappers but couldn't find them. I did stop for a spicy McChicken, I am not used to how busy the food court was in Union Station!
The puzzle is finished and the dining room table is empty for now. This puzzle (brand new) was missing one piece!
We went to the Mississauga T and T Asian grocery store to get dumpling wrappers.
As we were going in John said let's get duck, so we did.
We bought a whole duck, next time we should just buy these ready made meals.
That was my duck for the year!
Some soy sauce selections!
We decided we needed to find a local butcher for our steaks. I found one on Bloor West. I We needed some plants for the balcony so took a quick drive up to Bloor West. Midafternoon on a long weekend Friday is perhaps not the best time to head out.
Butcher shop - looks like it might be the one. Bloor Meat Market is an independently family owned shop since 1929.
We took a stroll.
John had never seen this building. I had posted about it in 2018. Now a Shoppers Drug Mart it has been preserved.
Opening in 1927, the Runnymede Theatre was both a vaudeville theatre and a moving picture palace. Designed by the prominent Toronto architectural firm of Chapman & Oxley, the historic 1,550-seat theatre was built by Famous Players. Dubbed “Canada’s Theatre Beautiful”, it cost $250,000 to construct and was one of the first Atmospheric-style theatres in the country.
My first balcony plant purchase of the year.
COOKING
After a week of no cooking I am happy to be back in the kitchen. John requested Asian dumplings this week. We will now have these on Saturday.
Saturday steak broccoli and baked potato
Sunday curry chicken using red Thai curry paste. Included a sad green pepper and celery hanging out in the fridge.
Monday short rib slow cooker stew.
Tuesday chicken quarters, roast potatoes and broccoli
Wednesday beef nachos
Thursday Asian pork dumplings along with its dipping sauce I made one from the Bamboo restaurant in Hawaii. John suggested we just have the duck and pickled daikon since we had it.
Friday steak, chimichurri, sautéed broccoli, onion and bok choy.
Check out this article showing great charts (35) about food and cooking. Love green bananas and it looks like I need to buy Icelandic yogurt.
WATCHING
Since I finished the series Julia about Julia Child's foray into television I have been intrigued by her. I never watched her shows or read her cookbooks. Other than seeing spoofs of her I knew nothing.
Right now there is not a single available copy of any of her books available at the library!
I also started watching on the Food Channel The Julia Child Challenge. It follows eight home cooks as they compete in culinary challenges to find out who has the skills to win the first-ever primetime competition series dedicated to all things Julia.
We continued watching The Staircase 2018 on HBO Max and are enjoying it.
We watched Borrego 2022 thriller, a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
READING
I finished Paula Spenser by Roddy Doyle. Sometimes I love his books other times I don't. This I did.
I also read Wish You Were Here. I don't usually read Jodi Picoult. For the first half I was ho-hum and yeah yeah I see where this is going, but was more interested in the art world and then the pandemic hitting. But WHAM I did not see that coming.
French Braid was a 7-day library loan, but I consumed it in a day. Nothing happens, it is just the history of a typical family from 1959 to the 2020s. Mercy was the worst character in a way but even she had some good points beyond her selfishness and coldness. All the kids turn out well despite their parents' lack of involvement, but then that could be a result of the times. It is about family values and perceptions, accepting how we are different and valuing how we are alike.
I am a book loving roll this week, not wonder I read so much.
56 Days ago, a couple meet in a supermarket in Dublin the same week as Covid hits. 35 days ago they move in together so they aren't apart...
The book definitely makes you relive lockdowns, imagine being locked down with a relative stranger and you both have secrets?
Started Rewind, also by Catherine Ryan Howard (56 Days). This is seriously good. Love stories that include social media.
You make me want to go to the Asian market! I don't know if the one near us has whole ducks, but I definitely have strong memories of walking in Toronto in the Bloor Street area and seeing the ducks hanging in the shop windows, as well as lots of intriguing Asian vegetables, but of course I was staying in a hotel and couldn't buy a thing. Lucky you!
ReplyDeletebest... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
HAHAHAHAHA on the murder van graphic. I buy only Icelandic yogurt -- our supermarket sells two brands. They don't have gums and other additives and taste way better than the usual commercial brands. (the link to the chart didn't work, BTW).
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check out the Julian Fellows link.
Do learn more about Julia Child. She led a fascinating life. I liked French Braid -- all her books are kind of like that: character studies and not much happens. Still, I usually get caught up in the characters' lives.
Thanks for taking us into the markets and butcher. We have several Asian markets here, but rarely shop in them because they're inconveniently located for us.
I fixed the link!
DeleteI'm going to vote this week in an advance poll.
ReplyDeleteInteresting name for a cafe, I hope they make good coffee
ReplyDeleteYes, our petrol price has cracked $2.00 plus, in spite of a temporary tax deduction of 22 cents per litre.
ReplyDeleteThey really are rolling hills.
The former theatre is interesting, certainly a bit different.
The food chart is very helpful in some areas. Lol at matching wine to doughnuts.
I love your banners. This one is such a beautiful spring like scene. I am very intrigued with that banana information Thanks
ReplyDeleteJulia is a favorite of mine, especially since I learned we are shoe size twins!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! Eight dollars a gallon! It's half that here and we are hurting.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing the balcony plants. I wish I knew more about plants; I wish I could recognize them. One might be a geranium?
When I read Anne Tyler, I always feel like I take away something from her stories. She writes about family dynamics and characters, and all of these seem very real to me.