Thursday, May 28, 2009

ON VACATION



This will be my last post for a few weeks. I start a three week vacation after work today and am leaving for Nova Scotia in the morning.

I'm really looking forward to my trip home this year as I have lots of "touristy" stuff planned. It's always nice to see Mom & Dad, family & friends, but sometimes I think they forget it's my "vacation" and I want to do stuff, not just visit.

This year Mom and I are spending a night at a beautiful B & B in Lunenburg and going on a 3 hour whale watching tour where I'll be able to see the Atlantic sea bird, Puffins, for the first time. We also have plans to spend time in Wolfville, Liverpool, Fishermans Cove, Tatamagouche and of course Truro, where I'm from.

I'm also looking forward to having some great seafood and doing some shopping while I'm there. It's going to be a good trip!


Looking forward to seeing the Puffins.


Will be seeing the Chimney Swifts come in for their nightly roost in Wolfville.


Fresh lobster, nothing like it!


Lunenburg Waterfront.


This old train station in Tatamagouche has been renovated into a restaurant and motel, and was featured in the CBC production, "The Week the Women Went".

Monday, May 25, 2009

RATTRAY MARSH



On Saturday we decided to check out a new park that a fellow blogger told us about called "Rattray Marsh" in Mississauga, off of Lake Shore. Great walking trails with lots of "look out" spots. We forgot to take a picture of the Marsh, duh! Oh well, it's a good excuse to go back.

I'm sure Rob will do a more detailed blog about our time there, but I just wanted to share a few pictures with you.

Rob on one of the many walking trails through the woods and along the marsh.


Female Red-Winged Blackbird sitting in her nest, probably on eggs. Hardest picture to take as the nest is out in the Marsh and very well camouflaged, I only found it because I watched her land in it.


We think this is the silhouette of an Eastern Meadowlark, but with the angle of the sun, we couldn't really see him.


Me at one of the "look out points" along the trail, the marsh is just to my right.


Male Red-Winged blackbird looking down at us.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

CHICKADEE-DEE-DEE



The first bird to ever land in my hand to take some seed was a chickadee at a park close to our house. It was one of the most exhilarating experiences I ever had. It also made the chickadee's one of my favorite birds. Since then I've had them land in my hand lots of time for seed, and have always been disappointed on a birdwatching outing when they haven't.

We didn't have chickadee's in the yard for a couple years despite our attempts with their favorite seed and feeders. It was rather frustrating as we knew how close to the house they were because of the park nearby. Finally, one day we heard that familiar call, "fee bee, fee bee" and a chickadee was here, but he didn't stay long and only came around now and again.

This year all that changed, and I am very happy to report that we have a pair of nesting chickadee's in the yard! They chose to move into a birdhouse that has been up in the yard for a few years now, and was put up as more of a decoration then anything else. We didn't know at the time that this shape of birdhouse is the chickadee's favorite.

It's been fun to first watch them check the place over, and over again. This went on for at least two weeks, and then finally move in and build a nest. I don't think the eggs have hatched yet, as we see both of them flying around the yard a lot for food. It's very enjoyable to watch them pop in and out of their house, and we're waiting patiently for the little ones to arrive.

Rob snapped the beautiful picture above of the male chickadee yesterday afternoon, just before he went into his house. He has some food (a bug) in his beak, for his lady.

Here's another picture taken in early May before the lilacs bloomed to give you a better look at their nesting home. I wish I could see inside!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

ANGELS & DEMONS


The Da Vinci Code is one of my favorite books, and I was pretty disappointed with the movie. For this reason I wasn't sure if I was going to see Angel's & Demons, even though I had just recently finished the book.

Yesterday afternoon I had some time to kill before meeting up with friends, (which you can read all about here) and decided to go see it.

I am happy to report that I really enjoyed the movie! They changed it quite a bit, but I liked the changes and I think it made for a better movie. I'm really glad I decided to see it after all.

There is something quite decadent about leaving work early to take in an afternoon movie by yourself and I'm sure I'll be doing that again in the future.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

JERSEY BOYS GETS EXTENDED AGAIN!


I woke up to happy news, the "Jersey Boys" has been extended here in Toronto right through the summer, until September 27th, 2009!

I love this musical. I first saw it back on March 24th with a girlfriend and was truly blown away. I left the theatre knowing I'd be back to see it again. I purchased first row of "premium seating" (which means your actually in the 3rd row) for Rob and I to attend on Saturday, May 2nd not long after seeing it. It was amazing, again! And it was great to be so close. Seeing the facial expressions of the actors helped get me into the story even more, as well as all the great songs. Rob really enjoyed the show too, more then he thought he would. It's hard not to sing along and get up and dance! I'm glad you get a small opportunity to do that at the end of the show, it's much needed!

As much as I love all the music in the show, it's Frankie Valli's story that truly impresses me. His loyalty to his friends, even when they may not of deserved it, is heart warming.

Jeff Madden, a local actor plays Frankie like he was born to do it, and the whole cast if fantastic.

It's a show you can't see just once and I'm sure I'll be seeing again now that it's been extended for a few more months, and they say "third times the charm!"

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

SUPER EASY PORK RIBS RECIPE


I like to cook, but don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen, so when I find a fast and good recipe, I like to share it.

This one is for pork ribs, and they turned out wonderful, very moist and tender. We had them with a garden salad, corn on the cob, and baby potatoes. This was our holiday Monday meal, and it was a good one!

The recipe:

1 bottle of BBQ Sauce (any flavour you like, I used the 750 ml size)
1 Cup of Orange Juice

That's it!! Mix together and pour over ribs in a roasting pan. Bake at 250 degrees for 3 hours, or remove from oven after 2 hours and place on hot bbq grill for a few minutes per side while continuing to brush with sauce mixture.

I did them in the oven for 3 hours, but next time I'm going to try to finish them on the grill, and see how they are.

Recipe was found at www.cooks.com
Enjoy!

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

RELAXING LONG WEEKEND



We had a very quiet and relaxing long weekend due to the fact that Rob is fighting a horrible cold/flu. We only left the house once on Saturday, in the morning to get groceries. We didn't leave the house at all Sunday except to sit in the backyard for a while.

Monday we decided to go out and enjoy the sunshine and warmer weather even though he wasn't feeling the greatest. We started with brunch at the Sunset Grill in Bloor West Village. It was ok, Dr. Generosity wasn't opened yet or we would of went there. Next we went to High Park for a walk. Below are pictures of some of the things we saw during our 2 hour stroll.

Female Swan sitting on her nest.

Pair of Wood Ducks.

Tree Swallow perched high above us, next to his house.

A grey female squirrel grateful for a peanut.

I found this sign interesting and amusing down at the small zoo in High Park.

TEN ON TUESDAY


My top ten favorite cities, towns, or villages:
(That I've visited)

1. Toronto, ON
2. Salem, MA
3. Nashville, TN
4. Banff, AB
5. Cavendish, PEI
6. St. Jacob's, ON
7. Niagara on the Lake, ON
8. Tatamagouche, NS
9. Cleveland, OH
10.Orlando, FL

Monday, May 18, 2009

MANIC MONDAY


If you could completely redecorate any room in your house at no expense to you, what room would you choose?
The basement. It needs to be redone, the bathroom is in the basement and it's quite small, I'd love to enlarge it quite a bit, have a large tub with a corner shower stall, double sinks and lots of storage space.


Which hour of the day do you feel goes the slowest?

Probably after lunch, from 1-2PM, and then I leave at 3PM.

If your birthday could be in a different month of the year, when would you have it?
October, I love the fall season and Halloween.

Click here to play!

Saturday, May 16, 2009

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES - THE MUSICAL


Last night I went to see Dancap's production of "Anne of Green Gables-The Musical" at the beautiful Elgin Theatre with my very good friend, or should I say "kindred spirit", Amanda.

I had seen the play performed at Stage West a few years back and really enjoyed it, but this was the first time seeing the musical version like the one that has been performed in PEI for the past 45 years and counting.

It was wonderful! Some parts of the play were a little lighter then the book or movie, but they kept the heart of the story in tacked. The dancing and musical numbers were very enjoyable.

We each enjoyed an ice cream during the intermission just like Anne and Diana at Anne's first picnic. We were happy to discover that the gift shop was selling Raspberry Cordial, that I know we will both enjoy over the long weekend.

This is a must see for Anne fans!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

TEN ON TUESDAY


Click here to play!

My top ten places to shop:

1. The quaint little shops of St. Jacob's.
2. amazon.ca
3. Chapters
4. Apples of Gold (a lovely store in Jackson's Point Ontario)
5. Max's Market in Bloor West Village
6. LCBO
7. Reitmans
8. Marks Work Wearhouse
9. Farmer's Markets
10.Loblaw's

Saturday, May 9, 2009

M & M CHARITY BBQ DAY


Jenn, Angie, Amanda and myself.


For more then 20 years, M & M Meat Shops all over Canada have held an annual charity BBQ, where 100% of the proceeds go to the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada.

I have attended these BBQ's for many years, as my family is personally touched by this disease, and more recently a good friend was diagnosed with it as well.

This year, in memory of my grandmother, who suffered with Crohn's, I volunteered to work at one of the many BBQ's taking place in Ontario.

A good friend of mine, Jenn, was head organizer at a location in Mississauga, so that's where I was along with a couple other good girlfriends, Teena and Amanda.

The store owner was friendly and got us set up and organized at our various positions. The day ran smoothly and we had a steady stream of customers despite the on and off rain showers most of the day.

I had a good time, and I hope we raised quite a few dollars for this worth while cause. I think as M & M's have done, I will make volunteering at this event an annual thing too.

Teena on the grill.

The whole volunteer gang!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

TEN ON TUESDAY


Click here to play!

This week...Ten Awesome Bands (In my opinion)

1. Def Leppard
2. AC/DC
3. Original Guns and Roses
4. Metallica
5. Airbourne
6. Motley Crue
7. Bon Jovi
8. Scorpions
9. April Wine
10.The Four Seasons (I've been on a huge Frankie Valli kick lately!)

MANIC MONDAY


Click here to play!

Which household chore do you dislike the most?
I don't like to mop the floors, I'm thankful that Rob does that chore. :)

What's the best museum you've ever visited?
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.

It's Star Wars Day today. I've never seen any of the Star Wars movies. What "common" movies haven't you seen?
Slumdog Millionaire, I may see it eventually.