Sylvia's Simple Shots

I had planned to attend a local church service on Christmas Eve but it had snowed enough and it was cold so I decided to stay home.  I then headed to the internet to find a Christmas Eve service I could enjoy.

Conception Bay Newfoundland had a great service.  Enjoyed it immensely.  So grateful to the technology available these days.

The Huron Carol sung by Tom Jackson is one of my favorite Christmas traditions.

With my plans changing for Christmas Day because my family was sick and turkey dinner was delayed I spent Christmas Day differently than usual.  That was okay with me. A chill day - yes - it was chilly -23C and snow fell.

A pristine layer of snow covered the green space beyond the patio.

The sun shone which was much appreciated.

So far, it has been a gloomy winter and I look forward to more sunny days.  Gloomy drags me down.

I had the last of this beautiful tea that my aunt gave me this summer.

Just look at that color.  Lavender Chamomile.

A chocolate bran muffin.

Turkey is planned for supper.

I worked on Mom's candelabra this week.  I want to convert to LED lights.

I did manage to get some LED bulbs at Rona but they are clear and not yellow.

I did color one yellow with Alcohol Inks by Ranger.

The bulbs are not quite the same shape so they need a bit of trimming.  

Maybe I should hold out for yellow LED which are the same shape. I expect it will happen.

I saved a piece of turkey from my sister's house so I thawed that.  

I bought brussel sprouts and microwaved them some and finished them in the cast iron fry pan.

Veggies and rice were added to the plate.  

Of course, high bush cranberry sauce (pembina) from my sister was the icing on the plate.  

I did make some gravy from my left over Better than Bouillion from house warming soup.

It was delicious.

I made Raspberry Bavarian that Mom always made for dessert.

Served with a white chocolate cookie.

A bit of dark chocolate and a warm large cup of tea finished it off.

The Skystone by Jack Whyte was the book I read this week.

It is set in 367 - 448 AD in the province the Romans called Britain.  The central figures are Roman soldiers Caius Britannicus and Publius Varrus. The Saxons (Germanic people from northern Europe) invade Britian and breach Hadrian's Wall and chaos ensues.

The story is told as a remembrance of Publius when he is very old. 

These men had served the Roman Empire in Africa in early 360s.  Now they are together again fighting the enemy.  After the injuries both men go their own ways - Plubius to the house he inherited from his grandfather who died while he was in Africa. Caius to his Colony - a fortified compound in western Britain where a new society is growing.

When things get bad, Plubius abandons his home and heads to the compound and is warmly welcomed. He meets Caius's sister Luceiia who he eventually marries. 

Plubius' father had found a stone that fell from the sky and learned to melt it and forged a sword where the metal was mixed with iron and a dagger made from the Skystone metal.  It was silver, beautiful and very hard.  Plubius is on the hunt for more Skystones to make some magnificent weapons.  In the hills near the Colony he does find the stones and works to dig them from the ground. 

In my opinion, the name of the book is not indicative of the story told. The skystones do not feature prominently in the story.  

The story of these two men is fabulous.

On the right, I have included a very interesting map of the world in this time. 

Sylvia's Simple Shots

It has been another busy week with travel and health appts and the storms and cold.

This is a bit of snow taken from inside through the window in the lobby.

Christmas cards have been arriving in the mail.

A bit of an icy trip into the city on Sunday to visit my old church. 

During the brunch afterwards I was able to see many of my friends and say hi!

There was sweets on for eats so I did bring home  a couple of Nanaimo bars.

I had a visit with my sister and brother and delivered caramel popcorn while I was in town.

With the weather improving on Monday I headed out to see my sister and brother in law.

They prepared Turkey Dinner for me and I brought stuff to make Raspberry Bavarian that Mom used to make. Used tapioca instead of gelatin so it was ready for supper.

A few more shots from my sister's place. She has a lot of the ornaments we have created for our family Christmas celebrations.  The angel is one I did one year.

Beautiful nativity from Germany.

A couple of Scrabble games after supper.

Turkey noodles for lunch the next day.

Driving home in the sunshine was a blessing.

In the middle of a snow storm I headed out to get vaccine shots.  I had to wait 3 weeks for the appt so I was not rescheduling.  Flu in the left and COVID in the right.  

I took Advil for 2 days for the soreness then I was good to go.

Great to have access to these.

My sister sent turkey leftovers which provided me a couple of meals.  There was one serving of turkey noodles for Tuesday night.  I have frozen one piece of turkey for later.

Thanks sis!

Spoiled is what I am.  High bush cranberry sauce that my sister gave me in the fall.  We normally pick this together but it did not happen this year.

Yummy!

A Log Cabin Christmas Collection by Wanda E. Brunstetter was light reading.

Nine love romance stories set in the pioneer west of the USA in 1800s.  Deep cold winters, warm fires, log cabins, and men and women getting together in several surprising situations.

Faith was a consistent theme through all the stories.

Short enough the read before falling asleep.

Several days of very cold days and the snow on Wednesday ensured a Christmasy feeling.

I am so glad to have seen family earlier.  Now, if I have to hunker down inside because of the cold weather it is all okay.

I decided to get the art shelf up in the front hall. 

This building seems to challenge me with electrical wires in many of the places I want to put a screw.

I did have to alter my plan some what and I had pencil marks all over the wall. I aligned the right hand edge of the shelf with the same edge on the mirror.

I hope to have a plant trail down from the shelf down to the mirror eventually.

I moved all the furniture out which gave me the chance to wash the lace cover while I worked.

The art shelf will allow me to change the art as I want with out having holes in the walls.

Unpacking paintings, photos, frames, and more which I brought home a while ago from my aunts.

I now have Mom and Dad sitting on a book shelf with the fairy light a created in their remembrance after Mom passed away in 2023.

The colors are green for Dad and blue for Mom.

Starting to feel like home.

Sylvia's Simple Shots

I made Raspberry Bavarian to remind me of my wonderful Mom.  This was my favorite of the desserts she made with the raspberries in her garden patch. Used frozen berries.

I did grate a bit of dark chocolate on top and added a Simple Pleasures Cranberry and Citrus cookie.

You can find the recipe in this post - Raspberry Bavarian.  

I miss her a lot!

On Monday, I walked to Fabric Land while my car was at the dealership for services.  It was great to have decent weather I could walk 20 minutes.

I needed sewing machine needles because I broke a couple working on my ReUsable bags.  While I was there I came across these Bobbin Mates which help to keep the spool of thread with the matching bobbin. The price was good for 12.  I would use these for my regular thread that I use often - white, black, grey, navy and brown maybe. 

They work great.

Fabric Land was having a huge sale on mask elastic.  This is perfect for the elastic on my ReUsable Bags so considering it was 70% off I bought 10 yards of each color - black and white.  

I had worked out that I could use the elastics off disposable masks which easily break and I had a few in my stash that I had not thrown away.

That elastic was for sale at the fabric store as well but I thought is narrow stuff would be more versatile and stronger in the long run.

It was a week of doctor visits, blood work, xrays, ECGs, IV lines and a ride in an ambulance with a visit to Emergency. Answering a lot of questions and trying to remember what happened when.  It's been a bit of a time since Jan 6th and I hope the worse is over.  I still have specialist appointments to come.

The results were negative and I was lucky to have my aunt give me a ride home.

Thanks so much!

I bought a few music CDs for the hospital where Mom spent her last hours.  They gave us a big room and a CD player with a couple of CDs.  They were Mom's favorites. Fortunately, my neice was able to find stuff on line.

This is more of the type of music which we chose for Mom.

I will drop them off next time I am there.

This is a small flower vase which was Mom's.  All summer she had a small vase of garden flowers on the table.  Cosmos was one of her favorites and they are a great cut flower.

She grew Pansies, Nasturtiums, African Daisies, Impatiens, Lavetera and more I am sure.  She used carrot tops for a bit of green foliage in her bouquets. 

This is a Vintage 1960's Avon urn jar for bath product - my web research tells me.  I see that it once had a stopper.  I am not sure when Mom got it but she liked it and used it every year.

Will I ever have a cut flower garden?  Sure would like that very much.

We shall see.

I finished this book this week.  Jinnie by Josephine Cox.   I think this is my third book by this author.

It is set in England in 1963 with some events having taken place 10 years earlier.  A great story of tragic events and the love of a woman for an abandoned baby.  Sister who are polar opposites and grandmothers who step into the gap for their families.

I mostly enjoyed this book.  The grandmothers one was Sarah and the other Sally so I often confused them.  The story was all concluded in the final few pages of the book which seemed incongruous with the timeline and pace of the first 90% of the story.

Always enjoy England as a setting.  The story took some pretty steep curves at the end but all things turned out well after all.

I started back with areobics this week now that the knee is improving.

This is the easiest work out I have.  When I worked a groups of us girls would close up the board room and do this 1 mile 30 minute routine then have our lunch.

I started again with the 1 mile this week. Taking it easy but at least getting back to my life before my inactivity took a toll on my body.

Sylvia`s Simple Shots

The weather man, the calendar and the leaves outside say that fall is here.

I went for a walk with my aunt yesterday and captured the colors.  Here we mostly have yellow leaves with very few red ones.

The temperature was in around 20C so that is summer temperatures so a vest and long sleeved shirt was enough for the afternoon walk.

Of course, it is cooler in the mornings now and I am choosing to walk later in the day most days.

Someone pointed out on Instagram (@smdpics100) that there are no bugs so that is a bonus.

I took a trip to the country last week which included a scouting trip for craft supplies (more about that later) and to visit family.

I came home with a bag of frozen raspberries which were quite unthawed when I arrived home.

I had planned a recipe of Raspberry Bavarian so early this week I made it up.  I like this dessert with chocolate wafers.

Last Christmas, in the height of pandemic I was not going out to buy them so I found a Chocolate Wafers recipe on line.  This way I can also control the sugar in the recipe.

Yummy!

It's time to do the running shoe shuffle.

The runners I have been wearing outside for the last couple of years have to go.

That means my indoor exercise runners will be demoted to outside runner duty.

That meant I needed a new pair of inside exercise shoes.

I am happy with these Nikes.

I will soon start up doing my exercises inside again as the weather becomes cold and then snowy later on.

I picked up this book at the large garage sale I attended with my sister and niece a few weeks ago.

I did not realize that it was part of a series but "The Waterfire Saga" was a clue if I had paid attention.  At least it is the first book.

It is a fantasy type story which takes place with mermaids under the sea.  

They have all the same trials with family, politics, love and friendships as we do.

The main character is Serafina of the princess of the Mediterranean Sea.  She has a dream that is foreboding of an evil possibly being released on the globe to reek havoc.

When the palace is attacked and she escaped with her cousin they are launched into a pilgrimage to prevent the release of this evil.

During my visit to the country I was on the search for small branches to create my new Christmas Tree.

You can check out this January post when I came up with the concept.

I have purchased faceted beads, borrowed some nylon cording which will form part of the project.  I have the hooks already.

It involves a drill to put holes in the ends and I have to come up with a plan for the star at the top and the trunk at the bottom.

I also have to find a hook which will extend from the wall a bit to allow space for some of my dimensional ornaments to hang.

I'm not sure how long it will take for me to complete it but I will post my results when it is ready to hang.

The challenge at Flickr Macro Mondays today is "Knots".   To the left are a three of the shots I took for the challenge.  

You can check my Photostream (smdpics) to see the one I submitted.

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #149  and Mersad who hosts Through my Lens # 306. 

Have a great week!

Sylvia Simple Shots

I found Black Terns at the John Poole Wetlands on Sunday.  They were being very protective and almost dive bombing me so there must be a nest close by.

This is a new bird for me.   I have not seen them before in my area.  Black Terns eat mostly small fish and insects. Male and female select the nest site together.

I know that we have more flattened bull rushes in this wetland compared to other years.  It makes it easier for us on the platform to see into the wetland.  That is how I saw the Sora Rail the last time I visited. 

Loved learning more about this bird and it's life and behaviour.  You can see the rain.

I made Bavarian this week and brought a few over to my sister's while we had a social distance visit. 

I have one more package of raspberries in the freezer so I will have to find a source.  The friend where I have picked in the last couple year has moved down east.  A call to my other sister may be needed.

This was a combo of raspberry and rhubarb.  I added a cherry as that was the only fresh fruit I had.  You can check out the recipe in this post.

I normally serve this with store bought chocolate wafers but I was not headed out for just that!  I found a great recipe for Chocolate Wafers which was really tasty!

This is the book that has been on my night table in recent days.  It was a nice change from those I read recently. 

Each chapter is a story of an incident from his small animal veterinary practice in England in the 1940's.  He was in practice for nearly 50 years.

Some hilarious, some moving and touching, some just plain hard work. 

Most of the stories are set in the fictional town of Darrowby.  James Herriot is a pen name for James Wight.  He wrote many books.

I have seen animals other than birds this week.  On the top is muskrat eating bull rushes.  We were all wet myself included.  I was prepared with a plastic bag for the camera and my rain jacket so I was comfortable.  

A Barn Swallow fledgling was taking refuge from the rain in a small hole in a municipal sign designed to remind dog walkers to pick up after their pets. The holes I think were meant to hold plastic bags.   On Sunday they held small birds.  There was 3 holes and birds filling 2 of them.  I felt for these little ones.  Having to sort out feeding themselves and it has rained for 4 days.  Miserable weather.

The coyote I was warned about by a fellow walker in the river valley.  She was walking a fairly large dog and the coyote had not really been intimidated by her or the dog. Great! I thought.   I walked on fully aware of my surroundings.  Just a few minutes later he came out of the bush on one side of the trail and stopped to eye me.  Thankfully he just moved on across the trail and headed down towards the golf course.  

I am due for a large grocery shopping trip so some ingredients are in short supply.  I had bought an avocado and wanted to make a salad.   Found a great recipe but the dressing was the best part.

Veggie Salad: The grain is quinoa, tomatoes, the last of the celery, red onions, and a bit of dried rye bread for crunch.

I was supposed to put dried cranberries but totally forgot!  That would have be even better.

Fortunately, the ingredients are things I always have on hand.  The recipe did 2 large bowls but I should make some ahead.  The dressing was tastier on the second bowl the next day.

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #87 and Mersad who hosts Through my Lens #247

Flickr Macro Monday challenge this week was Squared Circle.

You can check out my Flickr Photostream SMDPics to see the image I submitted.

You can check out my Instagram SMDPics100  I post a photo a day of my wanderings and being out and about.

Have a great week and be well!

Recent Photos

I was so thrilled to see my first BIG bird.   I was at Patricia Lake early one morning this week and investigated a white patch across the water.

It was a Blue Heron.  This is the best shot I got and was hoping he had decided to go fishing or at least stand but he was content to sit there and look at me.

I will go back in a few days but they must into migration already headed to the States so it likely will not be there when I return.

This creature was a more cooperative.  It is a Yellow Dragonfly.  I love the bright spots a the ends of its wings!

The structure on it's back where the wing attach is very interesting and detailed.

It has big eyes and looks like a being a person could connect with.

I was glad to have spotted it in the yellow green grass in the meadow.

This the latest book I had on my night stand.  "The Road to Paradise Island" by Victoria Holt.  My Mom had read the book and passed it onto to me.  I enjoyed the book very much.



Annalice Mallory, the sheltered daughter of a family of map makers, discovers the cryptic diary of her long-dead ancestor that includes a map of a mysterious far-of island. Philip, Annalice's brother, sets sail for the island, lured by the promise of incomparable riches to be found. But when he doesn't return, Annalice sets out to find him -- and the secrets of the diary -- in a desperate journey that leads her through the worlds' most exciting outposts . . . and finally to the tropical islands of the South Seas, where she encounters heart-stopping peril, but also the promise of love.

I found the discovery of the diary very compelling.  She grows up from a teenager to an independent woman during the experience of searching for her ancestor.  Set in England in the early 1900s and included travel on a ship to Australia. It all ends well in the end. 

Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert (1906–1993), better known to readers as Victoria Holt, Philippa Carr, and Jean Plaidy, was one of the world’s most beloved and enduring authors. Her career spanned five decades, and she was heralded as the “Queen of Romantic Suspense.” She continued to write historical fiction under the name of Jean Plaidy and romantic suspense as Victoria Holt until the time of her death.

Of course, it is time to harvest so I was fortunate to be able to pick raspberries in a friend's patch on 2 Sundays.  The first Aug 4th garnered enough to make a double batch of Raspberry Bavarian with my Mom's recipe.  I shared half with my sister and brother in law when I visited to pick saskatoon berries last week.  I have frozen a container of raspberries with enough to make Bavarian again!  I picked saskatoons at our regular UPick - Farrant Junction on Wednesday last week.  The berries were really nice and big and the picking was easy.  I picked 2 ice cream pails which made 4 bags of berries for the freezer.

I was driving down to my sisters to pick berries and it rained the whole way.  I was concerned berry picking would not happen.  I was prepared to pick in the rain if necessary. We decided to make our other preserves on Tuesday and hope of better weather on Wednesday. I made chutney and she made berry syrup which she serves with club soda on a hot day.

I stuck to last year's recipe with a few tweeks.
I halved the sugar in the recipe this year but did add a few extra dried cranberries.
I added garlic which was not in the original recipe but I like it.
I switched from dark raisins to golden raisins to keep the color in the gold colors.

I made 6 one cup jars this year.  That will be plenty.  I have some leftover jars from my experiments last year.  It is great to spend time with family and put some good food away for winter.

Sharing with Through My Lens #203 hosted by Mersad.

Harvesting and Preserving

My sister and I had a conversation about chutney. She had received some yummy plum chutney from a friend and we decided to get together and see what we could make.  After some research on the web I decided on an Apricot Ginger Raisin Chutney and she decided on a Black Currant Chutney.  This is my chutney in the pot while it cooked down.   Once the right consistency and flavor we put it into jars and processed in hot water bath for 15 minutes.  

I am enjoying mine with cheese and crackers on these hot days of +30C temperatures.  I chose to put cranberries and dark raisins in mine instead of golden raisins.  I think I will go with golden raisins next time so it gives it more of a warm look and cut back on them as well.  I loved the taste before processing but I am finding it a bit too sweet and not enough punch from the cider vinegar eating it a few weeks after processing.  I am appreciating putting away my own food rather than depending on stores for over sweet and over processed condiments.  With the abundance of fruit at this time of year it is ideal to put some summer in a jar for winter.

With no more access to Mom's great raspberry patch I was wondering if I would get some this year.  A friend with raspberries was going away for the weekend at the end of June and I could have the one day of picking the raspberries if I watered the plants and garden.  I was is in!  With a great hose that reaches everything watering was no big deal.

I picked less than a gallon but I had my fill of eating them fresh and I made Raspberry Bavarian which was one of my favorite things my Mom made.  I have posted the recipe before in this post.  I got 8 servings by doubling the recipe and I have enjoyed it as a treat for at least week.  Perfect!

On July 24th my sister and I visited our favorite Saskatoon u-pick farm for our yearly picking. We picked later in the day around 4:30 pm.  Some trees were completely ripe and the picking was great!


I picked 3 gallons. After cleaning I froze 5 bags of  fruit which will taste great on my breakfast during the winter months.  I also brought some home fresh to eat for the week.  Yummy in my tummy.



Sharing with Share Your Cup #301 hosted my Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson.