Showing posts with label RBC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RBC. Show all posts

28 March 2026

It's Time Cafe

 Linking up with Marg at The Intrepid Reader

27 March 2026 - Toronto ON


I baked some of yesterday's frozen scones for breakfast, I had mixed peel (like you get in hot cross buns) that I added to them. They were so good! Perfect for a Saturday morning of reading.
We now have a good stash of scones in the freezer.



Here's a 17 minute video by him.  Is AI Apocalypse Inevitable? - Tristan Harris


Well, I finally emptied the dryer of last week's load - after I reset the wrinkle cycle. The load that John was supposed to empty yesterday?!?!
I didn't feel like baking so we just enjoyed our day, reading and John even had a nap, something we don't ever do.
I did make the biscuits for dinner.

SUNDAY
Another dismal day, but then I don't feel guilty that we don't go out on the weekends. I'm guessing a lot of people were stuck at home, as the local GO trains were not running, as track work was being done.





Apple crisp for breakfast as I did some blogging for the week along with reading blogs. Which of course, led me down various rabbit holes until 10:15 when my elderly friend called for her weekly chat of 1.5 hours!
And speaking of rabbit holes Jinjer at The Intrepid Angeleno has an idea and asked AI how she could make a deep-dive/rabbit-hole tracker. This is genius!!

I love Parnell, our robot vacuum, he is so quiet as he zooms around and does a great job!
I even threw a load into the washing machine and washed the kitchen floor.

MONDAY
Monday Mural
Foto Tunes

John went to Costco. Look at the crazy number of scallions for $3, a sad bunch (±4)  at the grocery store is $2.


 I went to the Eaton Centre in search of a chemise for a new sweater. I will have to go back and get the one I saw in H&M.

New tea shop in the Eaton Centre.



AND FINALLY, a book store in Union Station.


I did some tidying in the desk. I made plans to re-organize one of the drawers. 
I found more stuff to shred...
These cheques have our old address (we have been here for 13 years!), and who writes cheques any more??? You don't even need them when you require a VOID cheque, as you can download an image from your online banking app. Anyhoo, we do have more than enough with our current address so these can go!


I cut the sleeves to shorten on a top I bought a while ago. It had a frilly cuff that I didn't like.

We received our first Temu order. I got three hoodies/sweater, The material is a little odd, but all in all, for the price no complaints. 
John got a mini-driver (golf) that he's not pleased with. 
I also got a Rakuten discount, so am pleased about that as well.


TUESDAY
Tuesday Treasures - I did a post about our first trip to Hawaii.

I saw my first Canada geese today, so spring must be somewhere!
We planned on trying Oklahoma Burgers today, but they don't have a seating area and it was too damn cold to sit outside. So we went over to the Metro Hall food court.


I went to Koha, I've eaten at a Koha's before and really like their food. I wasn't paying attention when I ordered beef bulgogi, I meant on a bao bun but she made a banh mi, which turned out to be excellent. John went to the next stall and got a butter beef (we'd never heard of) bowl. He did not like the beef at all, it had been velveted, which gives it a weird texture.
Velveting beef is a Chinese restaurant technique that uses baking soda or cornstarch to create an incredibly tender, "velvety" texture in beef stir-fries. It works by breaking down tough meat fibers, allowing even inexpensive cuts to become soft and moist. The process typically involves slicing against the grain, coating in baking soda/cornstarch, resting, rinsing, and briefly stir-frying.

I picked up a new loyalty card for Rexall, I'd lost mine back in January, now I have to call to transfer my points over. John picked up something and saved $2.40 as it is seniors' day!
And I showed him a new way through the Path, which took us out at the "new" TD building on Front. I had only been that way once, back in November with a friend who works in the TD building.

John then took a couple of golf clubs to be re-gripped. 

WEDNESDAY

I went back to the Eaton Centre to get that chemise, I got another one instead plus a navy and a sweatshirt 30% off in H&M.

In TMU station

Really? Canada Day isn't until July 1!





Sample at Union Station - odd.

John used the golf simulator. He's working hard on getting ready for the season.

THURSDAY

Bit of a blur, a rainy day and we just stayed in did chores etc.


FRIDAY

Blue Jays season opener this evening which they won!

I headed out to Burlington on the GO train as my BFF and I were going to the Royal Botanic Gardens.


Inspired by the pages of L. Frank Baum’s book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Bloomland in Oz features captivating botanical displays, artistic creations and 25,000 real blooms – the perfect escape from a cold and snowy winter!
Like the Alice in Bloomland showcase last year, Bloomland in Oz is a whimsical and colourful escape to a garden filled with fragrant blooms (over 25,000 primarily exquisite orchids). Just follow the yellow brick road!















After that we decided on McD's for lunch after checking out the menu at the Gardens. However, we later decided on a tea room that we will check out on another visit.

COOKING 
When we used to go to the States (and likely never going back) we loved stopping at Cracker Barrel for a late breakfast/lunch.


Saturday 
L - beans on toast
D - chili with Red Lobster gluten free biscuits. The chili used up the leftover tomato sauce and paste I had in the freezer.
Sunday
L - mushrooms, tomatoes fried egg
D - roast beef, gravy, roast potatoes, mashed turnips and carrots. Leftovers (not enough for a meal) went into soup freezer bag.
Monday
L - rotisserie chicken and chicken soup. Carcass went into soup pot.
D - rotisserie chicken Alfredo. I added the rest of the mushrooms.
Tuesday
L - out
D - rotisserie chicken stew celery, carrots, turnips, cabbage. Used the stock as the base.
Wednesday
L - chicken Alfredo/chicken stew
D - chili
Thursday
L - leftovers
D - pork schnitzel, corn and mashed potatoes 
Friday
L - out
D - steak and poutine. Needed to use up the other package of cheese curds.


 WATCHING

We're still plowing away re-watching Peaky Blinders.

I finished season 4 and the last of The Traitors UK! I started The Traitors Ireland.



READING
I started Just Like the Other Girls by Claire Douglas, it is starting slowly, I will see how it goes.
Okay, I finished it. Weird ending, so far-fetched! And that Una, not the brightest crayon, some of her actions left me shaking my head.

I read Whistle in the Dark and it turns out I read back in 2019 and didn't like it then either!

I got a 7 day loan of Liberty Street by Canadian Heather Marshall, set in Toronto in the 1960s and deals with a real local women's jail and the lack of women's rights.


ONLINE

The Bloggess Today they banned my book. It was not the first. It won’t be the last.



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05 June 2025

Isabella's Donuts

 Linking up with Marg at The Intrepid Reader

June 2025 - Toronto ON

Union Station - Toronto ON


Well, I guess spring will never come this year. I sure am glad for our time in Palm Springs and Las Vegas this winter, as well as Portugal in April, otherwise I don't think we would have seen any sun. Even in Ottawa in May we had rain, although we lucked out when we needed a respite.
Saturday was another gloomy day.

Sunday was also gloomy until about 5 PM. No worries here, we had our usual weekend with some chores thrown in. We had a Teams session with John's son. They will be here mid July so I booked a guest suite in the building.







John was watching golf and commented on a building in Erin WI and said it looked like somewhere we had been. 
It was the Milwaukee Art Museum!


John did a Costco run. Crazy how prices have increased. 
Good deals - limes are $6 for about 15 so 40¢ each compared to $1 each at Longo's. Lemons are $8 for at least 12 so around 67¢. 
Rotisserie chickens are always a good deal, as they are a loss leader for Costco. 
Coffee pods are now at $50 for 80 - 63¢ a cup. I looked at August 2024 and we paid $44.
Sour cream 2 for $6 Longo's on special this week $3 regular $3.50.
Yogurt Oikos is regular Longo's $8 we only buy it on sale at $6. However, Costco (which I like) is 3 for $11.50 or $3.84 each.
Butter this week was $5.79 best elsewhere was $6 and T&T was $9!!
Schwartz smoked meat (we buy once a year) was $25 or $4.16 a sandwich, better than $15 at Druxy's.
Chicken thighs $25 will make us 6X2 meals at $2 a meal.

I had no real plans so while John was using the golf simulator I made a lemon blueberry cheese cake (NEW). I also started the chicken stock with the rotisserie carcass and frozen vegetable scraps.
Took a bite!



Tuesday


We went for our covid shots, however, we were told that it is the same dose as last fall and if we did get this booster then we would have to wait 6 months for the new strain that will be combined with the flu shot. Since we may want to travel in November/December it would be better to wait until the shots are available late September.
So we went shopping instead and John got 3 new golf shirts, a hoodie (on sale - for Iceland) and a Canada ball cap.
Home for lunch and we are now up to date on MasterChef Australia 17.

Tom enjoyed my 8647 memes.

Wednesday and the smoke was blanketing the city again.
There are fires blazing across parts of northwestern Ontario and the Prairies, heading as far west as northern British Columbia, prompting hundreds of people to leave behind their homes and evacuate to another province.
Environment Canada meteorologist Barbara Lapido tells CTV News Toronto that many people across southern Ontario might see some hazy skies and red-hued sunrises and sunsets for the next couple of days. FireSmoke Canada, a portal monitoring wildfire and its smoke patterns, also forecasts plumes from the ongoing fires will billow over the GTA through Thursday.

John did get his weekly golf game with an 87.
I decided to go to T&T, a local Asian grocery store.
Some interesting items.


Durian cut up, so much pricier.




I always wondered what this is, it comes in beef, lamb etc. B/S roll??
Finally figured it out! Boneless skinless!! 
T&T advertisement:
Succulent and juicy lamb shoulder roll, perfect for hearty homemade meals.
Ideal for slow-cooking or roasting, bringing out rich, savory flavors.
Expertly trimmed and portioned to ensure tender, mouth-watering bites.


Bus shelter on Dundas, pretty fancy.


Ah, it's an ad for Cirque du Soleil.


Unusual couple during rush hour at Union.


Royal York Hotel June display.




Some purchases, all gluten free! The curry gravy is for John, he wants to have fries/chips with curry.





Thursday and John wanted to be up early as he had tickets for the RBC Canadian Open Golf (Rory is here!!! BUT he didn't make the cut!). I made him scrambled eggs for breakfast. He said I am in charge of the scrambled eggs in future (he usually does them).
WELL that turned out to be an experience. They couldn't get any parking, the lots were closed. According to the RBC Open it was due to rain overnight. They issued an apology and will offer refunds (for parking only). Twitter is not pleased!!!!


I did a bunch of administrivia (reviewed Iceland documents received and updated our schedule), CVS, Away condo card for office, backed up Portugal/Ottawa photos, sorted some linens (some decluttered) Palm Springs mug etc). I only bought this in February at the Palm Springs Visitors' Centre, I sent them a note but don't expect a response.


I also cleared out the freezer and made a pot of beef soup, skimmed the chicken stock and added the remaining chicken to it before freezing.
Tidied up, made the bed (usually John does). Tidied up.

I went to Longo's, I did have other plans but rain was in the forecast (surprise!). I redeemed $10 in points. I picked up a rosemary plant.



Friday 
We still have some haze due to wildfire smoke from the Prairies. Airport Duty Manager Damian Boucaud was live on CP24 to talk about what that smoke means for operations and those working outdoors at the airport.

John is nurturing a sore big toe (bone had surgery years ago due to pitching baseball) so I only went downtown to get sushi for lunch from Sushi Shop in Union.




Smoky, smoky, from bus, yes, that is a military helicopter in the middle, it was circling all day. 






COOKING




I am trying very hard not to waste food. I used the end of the frozen fruit as a coulis on French toast on Saturday. I had bought a bag of coleslaw for something last week which we then also used as hot dog toppings during the week. It would then usually languish in the fridge, but I took it out of the bag wrapped it in a paper towel and used it in the rice paper rolls.
I used some of the cauliflower in the mash on the shepherd's pie. I finished the rest as a side to the leftover pie.
The rotisserie chicken was lunch on Monday, dinner Monday, Lunch (me) Tuesday and chicken salad for John on Wednesday and the carcass in soup.

Saturday lamb shepherd's pie with cauliflower mashed topping
Sunday Roasted pork belly, rice and ginger chili bok choy (NEW). I went back to my original pork belly recipe. It was a little overcooked, as we were on a Teams call with John's son but John really liked it that way.
Monday rotisserie chicken Alfredo
Tuesday leftover shepherd's pie, cauliflower (to finish) and salad
Wednesday fish chowder Iceland cod and shrimp

Thursday French onion smothered pork chops(NEW) colcannon. Was good not exceptional. 
I tried these for the first time, on the colcannon, they are good.  And I used this cheese on the chops, we had bought it in Ottawa.


Friday beef tataki with ponzu sauce (NEW) and bok choy. I will find a better tataki recipe, this was underwhelming.



WATCHING
Dept Q Carl, a former top-rated detective, is wracked with guilt following an attack that left his partner paralyzed and another policeman dead. On his return to work, Carl is assigned to a cold case that will consume his life.

Criminal Code Criminal Code (Portuguese: DNA do crime) is a Brazilian drama series. It is a fictionalized re-telling of a heist and investigation that occurred in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, in 2017. The criminals robbed the local headquarters of Prosegur — a private security company that stores and transports cash and valuables and were alleged to have walked away with several million dollars in cash.




READING



I finally finished The Bee Sting, it is a long book (650 pages), and I must say it was my best read so far this year! 
I didn't know this Irish author, Paul Murray.
From the Washington Post:
Two decades ago, the Irish writer Paul Murray started his career by publishing “An Evening of Long Goodbyes,” a book that has remained one of this century’s greatest comedies. With this month’s publication of “The Bee Sting,” Murray has written a book that could remain one of its greatest novels.

He was hardly sitting still between these two triumphs. In 2010, “Skippy Dies” was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and in 2016, “The Mark and the Void” was joint winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize, a British award for comic literature.

Admittedly, even that record of success might not be enough to draw American readers to Murray’s new 650-page epic, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize on Aug. 1. But anyone who starts “The Bee Sting” will be immediately absorbed by this extraordinary story about the derailing of a once prosperous family. Although Murray is a fantastically witty writer, his empathy with these characters is so deep that he can convey the comedy of their foibles without the condescending bitterness of satire. His command of their lives is so detailed that he can strip away every pretense and lie without spoiling a surprise. And, most impressive, while sinking into the peculiar flaws of this one uniquely troubled family, Murray captures the anxiety many of us feel living on the edge of economic ruin in these latter days of the Anthropocene Epoch.

In the small Irish town where “The Bee Sting” unfolds, Dickie and Imelda Barnes are a
 prominent couple. Dickie runs a car dealership owned by his retired father, and his wife, Imelda, is a legendary beauty. But as the novel opens, the pretty facade of their lives has started to. . . 

To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...

I started Best of Friends about the bond of best friends set in 1988 Karachi, s significant political year  and then London 31 years later. It didn't have the best reviews but I enjoyed the YA aspect of it as well as the racism and politics of the period.


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