Alley Cat

 Linking up with Marg at The Intrepid Reader

Weekend Coffee Share
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August 2024 - Toronto ON

Stratford ON

We were given a Go and Roam boxed breakfast containing a banana, croissant and muffin at the hotel. We lazed around until 10:30 and then packed up the car. Our fist stop was Anna Mae's in Millbank as they opened at 11 and was a 25 minute drive from Stratford. Our gluten free haul.

There is a large Mennonite population around this area. Anna Mae's Bakery is a Mennonite business.

Image from their website

From there we went looking for and failed to find the Punkeydoodles Corner sign.

The most frequently cited legend claims that the local German-speaking inn-keeper was given the name Punkey Doodle after he mispronounced the words of the song Yankee Doodle, which sounded more like "Punkey Doodle" to the tavern guests.

We headed back to Shakespeare/Stratford and stopped into the British Touch for some treats.

We were going to Annie's to pick up some of their gluten free products so decided to have lunch there again. It is so good and better than the usual fast food spots available.

John had the haddock with mushy peas and Newfie fries. What are Newfie fries, deliciousness!!

Crispy fries are covered in a dressing or stuffing flavoured with savoury spice, and topped off with a rich beef gravy.

I had the cod loin. Why? Because I've never had it before!!

Cod loins are the fillet mignon prime cut of a cod fish. They are cut from the middle section (or fattest part) of the fillet, so they are known for being very moist, flaky, and sweet in flavor. With sweet potato fries.

UPDATE - the raspberry "danish" by L'Artisan were awful!! My recipe is much better!

From there to Woodstock to Picard's, to stock up on peanuts. Otherwise we make a special trip to Vaughan, so it was more convenient to do it on our way.

Surprisingly, our new TV arrived on Sunday. John had it set up in no time. The old one moved into the bedroom.

Monday John had an appointment with ENT and she confirmed from the CAT scan that it IS the implant that is causing his sinus infections.

I went to pick up my shoes from the shoe repair.

I am so impressed with the gluten free eclair from Annie's!! It was delicious and it had been frozen!! 

Tuesday I had booked my own birthday lunch (a day early) at Blue Bovine. WOW from start to finish this was a fabulous meal! Not cheap, but it was my birthday present to us!

Union Station.

Blue Bovine Steak and Sushi House in Union Station.

Cheesy, oniony, bundles of joy! They brought John some gluten free chips.

My sushi!

Yes, the peppercorn sauce is gluten free.

Crème brûlée - so good, we should have shared!

Wednesday and another trip around the sun for me!

 It was a very low key birthday as I awaited the arrival of the vent cleaning guys and John went golfing. 

Noisy job as they vacuumed!

John hung the mops in the pantry.

 John offered to order dinner or take me out, but after yesterday's stupendous lunch I was happy to cook.

Thursday we didn't do much of anything, it was gloomy out. The windows did get cleaned.

Friday John got caught up in the Olympics Golf before he went golfing later in the afternoon.

I picked up what we needed for the weekend as it is a long weekend here.

The Civic Holiday is a holiday observed in most provinces and territories on the first Monday of August. The holiday has various names from Civic Holiday in Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and in parts of Ontario and Nova Scotia, to Simcoe Day in Toronto, John Galt Day in Guelph and many more.

There are a couple of new spots in Union Station.

 I was going shopping as well, but it was crazy busy downtown.

There was a concert for the "oldies" so the streets and restaurants around Rogers Centre were packed.

Gates open at 4:30 p.m. Please note Cheap Trick hits the stage promptly at 6:00 p.m.

Caribana is on this weekend as well.

Random street shots.

COOKING

Saturday spring rolls and dumplings (from Annie's/Riz)

Sunday steak frites (John cooks)

Monday lazy cabbage rolls

Tuesday lunch out - potato chips

Wednesday chicken fingers, mustard dip and salad

Thursday lamb chops, roast potatoes and buttered cabbage

Friday bread, cheeses 

WATCHING

We watched a production of Something's Rotten after seeing the play at Stratford.

The Long Game - In 1955, five young Mexican-American caddies, out of the love for the game, were determined to learn how to play, so they created their own golf course in the middle of the South Texas desert.

READING

It was a good solid week for reading!

Her Pretty Face 

Just Another Missing Person was a riveting, twisty, well-written thriller.

The Beautiful Dead was a great read. Eve was a likeable character, the plot was fast-paced and there were no loose ends.

All Girls I love boarding school book settings so this was a good read for me. The problem is too many characters to keep up with. We started with Lauren and Grace and I was hoping for more of them, but we hopped around from girl to girl in each new chapter.

Little Fires Everywhere was another good summer read where you get invested in the characters!

The Missing I am enjoying the slow pace of this book as we peek into a family with a lot of secrets! EXCELLENT READ!