Weekend thread January 2026 to whenever

Somehow seems wrong to put the first weekend of this year into last year's thread.

Tomorrow we're planning an Expedition (it can count as a weekend if you're retired, and we are!). Across the road from the local hospital is a place called the Mushroom Farm, where there are several small, independent traders. DD tells us that some ladies she's been to before have opened a yarn shop there; I'm looking forward to the SPCA thrift shop, a bookstore and the Mushroom Farm's own nursey and mushroom outlet. There are also a couple of coffee shops.

Ooooh, do pick up some Hen of the Woods if it is available. My favorite by far.

Yesterday we took the recycling to the collection center and then I did chores and more work on adding length/time to my audio recordings for last year here on LT. Not going to do any more since the gang says they will find a source for that data and populate it, so I'll see then if it checks up with my own versions.

Today a few more chores (house is basically back together after our party), a workout and shower and then making progress on a two stone pendant that's on the bench - Cabalto calcite and Iolite. The construction is done, I need to get the bezel prepared for the big stone and then put it in the tumbler.

I'm just puttering around this weekend. It's -15C and we had more snow yesterday so shovelling snow is first on the fun activities list LOL.

Otherwise, I shall be tidying, taking down the tree, cooking for the freezer (turkey stock, soup, stew), refilling the bird feeders, watching the birds, playing with the cats, reading, etc.

Yesterday (Saturday) was bitterly cold (-38C in the morning!) although the forecast was for only -30 at the worst. Of course that was the day I was scheduled to volunteer at the seniors thrift shop, and put on a moonlight ski. After an hour at the thrift shop no one had come, so I packed it in. The farmers market was on, though, so I picked up some cinnamon buns. Then I went for a ski - it had warmed up a bit by then.

The ski club moonlight ski was scheduled for Saturday night, and I called Mike, my main campfire guy, to see if he wanted to cancel. He was game, so we decided to go ahead. It had warmed up to about -28 by then. So Mike and Tim and I were there before 7:30, trying to decide if it was worth starting a fire, when people started to show up. We ended up with 11 skiers and the two fire guys. One couple is from Australia, and are working for the winter with the local dog sled team racing people. Since it was calm, it was quite lovely, and very bright, although the moon was behind clouds.

Today I'm being lazy, but will go for a ski soon. It's still warming up, to about -24. It was supposed to get into the teens this week, but now the forecast is putting it off until next Saturday. It's only been above -20 once in the past 2 or 3 weeks, and I'm ready for this cold spell to break. We've also had much more snow than usual.

>1 hfglen: I envy the yarn shop visit! I need inspiration for a new knitting project. I'm making mittens for a friend's son, and am not enthused, so they are not getting done very fast.

Things are quiet. Packed up a box to go to Goodwill as I'm trying to thin out and downsize "stuff". Also putting things away as I recognize they're out of place. Dinner is in the oven. Making lists of things I want to do. (There's a new independent bookstore one town over. I feel it may be neglected or overlooked in the weeks immediately following Christmas. Therefore, single-handedly I want to ensure that they maintain a decent revenue stream in book sales.)

A quiet weekend here. Today I did some grocery shopping and had to go into work to do sub plans - I’m off the next two days, one day for a root canal procedure, the next in case the procedure gives me a migraine; better safe than sorry. And now we might watch some football. I also want to start a Lego kit of the Emerald City from Wicked.

>5 jillmwo:
Supporting a local bookshop is an admirable pursuit. As you will be aware I have exhibited that particular behaviour almost weekly.

>6 catzteach: Good luck with the root canal work.

>4 NorthernStar: -38C makes our -6C look cozy.

>3 tardis: Your -15C is bad enough. Your sister leaves you way behind in the coldness category.

>1 hfglen: I hope your mushroom farm expedition is a success.

>2 Bookmarque: Looks like you are getting stuck into the chores.

Our weekend involved relaxing and a visit to friends for dinner last night. The moon was looking beautiful as we drove to our friends' house.

Today sees most people back to work after the Christmas/New Year holiday break. My son is in his office (our sitting room) getting stuck into his tasks. I am in my office/study and have just started the new year by paying the car tax and the dog licence. I am posting here as an excuse to delay opening the electricity bill.

Yeah, someone has to do them and it's usually me. But with an audio book it's usually bearable. Plus I hate it when my house gets in a state. Then it becomes a project to clean and declutter and that's worse. Rather chip away at it and keep it from becoming a big deal. On the plus side, the pendant is ready for stone setting so I'll do that today after cleaning the kitchen. More chores, but hubby cooks so there is that.

Well it's back to work for me today, but I did something special for the last weekend of the holidays. I met a friend to see this exhibition of photos by Cecil Beaton at the National Portrait Gallery. It was glorious, and also good to catch up with my friend. While talking over tea we booked to go to see this exhibition of Lee Miller's work in a few months' time.

Further to #1: made it to the Mushroom Farm at last. DD bought some yarn. I looked at the used-book shop and the SPCA thrift shop, but didn't see anything I wanted. We stopped for fruit juice / iced coffee and ice-cream waffles at one of the coffee shops. By the time we'd finished the deli / mushroom outlet was closed. Will have to go again, which is no loss.

My birthday is in the middle of next week, so my kids are coming this weekend for an early celebration. I will probably be scarce until next week.

>11 clamairy:
Given your likely scarce presence in the pub next week I will take this opportunity to wish you a Happy Birthday!

Have fun with your offspring.

>12 pgmcc: Many thanks!

>11 clamairy: Wishing you a very Happy Birthday in advance!

>11 clamairy: Happy birthday to you! I hope you have a lovely time celebrating with your kids.

Enjoy the birthday fun with your kids!!!

>11 clamairy: Hippo Birdie Two Ewe!

>14 Alexandra_book_life: >15 Sakerfalcon: >16 jillmwo: & >17 hfglen: Thank you!

>11 clamairy: Happy birthday!

>7 pgmcc: thanks. Root canal got done but the tooth is still sensitive.

Tonight we are watching a college football playoff game. Friends will be coming over at halftime for dinner and to watch the second half.

Tomorrow I am cleaning my sewing room. I need to make room for a quilting machine my mom and I bought. It’s currently at her place, but her health has gotten so bad that she wants me to go ahead and take it. She doesn’t have the energy or strength to quilt anymore. :(

>19 catzteach: Oh, I'm sorry. (Both about your tender tooth and your mom.)

We're going out to lunch on Sunday with the running group we went to Iceland with. That's about it for excitement, but I've got a to-do list which can duke it out with my pile of books for my attention the rest of the weekend.

>19 catzteach:
Sorry to hear that your tooth still hurts and that your mother’s health is not so good.

Today we are meeting up with my wife’s siblings and cousins to discuss new information about an uncle who went missing at Pearl Harbour and was assumed to have perished in the attack. It turns out that he survived, got married and had a family but never got back in touch with his family, either his siblings in Ireland or sisters living in the US. Contact has been made with his children, another family of cousins who are living in the US.

>19 catzteach: I am sorry to hear that your mom's health has gotten worse...
I hope your tooth will improve soon.

>23 pgmcc: That is the plot of a novel right there! He wasn't stuck on an island thinking the war was still on, was he?

>23 pgmcc: What an extraordinary discussion to have to have across family members. I hope that at some point you'll be able to share more.

>23 pgmcc: Whoa, I wonder what his story is. How was he found?

>23 pgmcc: What an interesting piece of family history! How exciting to find you have new-to-you family members.

Today, Friday was a good start to the weekend. We travelled to a location called Rathmines and had lunch in a small French creperie called Voici. After that we visited Alan Hannah's Bookshop before meeting a friend. The friend was treating us to a film experience in The Stella Theatre. I was only in The Stella once before and that was in the 1980s. At that time it was generally known as a flea pit. After a period of closure it was totally refurbished and is probably the most luxurious cinema in the country. All the seats are plush armchairs. There is a little table beside the tables with a table lamp. A footstool if provided for one's comfort. Drinks and food are served at your seat. A complimentary prosecco is presented to one as one arrives. Most civilised.

Our friend was treating us to a Friday afternoon showing of a classic film as a Christmas gift. The film we watched was Fiddler on the Roof. It was an excellent experience and a very enjoyable, if challenging, film.

The view from my seat before the film started.

>28 Sakerfalcon:
It generated great interest and excitement. Contrary to my understanding no contact has been made with any offspring of the late found-again uncle, but they all went away with knowledge of new entries in their family tree.

One of my wife's cousins was doing a genealogy programme at Trinity College and as a project for her course she started investigating the history of the uncle. She searched Ellis Island records, sailing records, birth and death records, census data, US military records, etc... Through the various records it was identified that he had made his way to Honolulu where he had an aunt living. The census showed him to be living with her in 1939. In 1940 he applied to join the US military. According to records he did not actually serve. After 1941 there was no known record of him until this cousin did her research. This was why everyone thought he had died in the Pearl Harbour attack.

Through census records it was discovered he was still alive and that he made his way to the continental US and married in his forties. A death certificate was found dated 1973.

Interesting information to add to the family archives.

Apart from that the day was a great success bringing together about twenty cousins who seldom meet and they managed to meet at an event that was not a wedding, Christening or funeral. It led to a commitment to arrange a monthly time for those that can meet to meet.

One of the other benefits of the day was the location chosen for the meeting. It was a eatery run by the husband of one of my wife's cousins, so it was great to be able to put some business their way. The cousin's 17 year old daughter was working there that day and she got to meet family she had never met before.

A very successful day all round.

I have many exciting chores ahead this weekend. Defrosting the freezer, for one thing. This is the perfect time of year because everything can be put outside while the freezer is being worked on. Other than that, paint some trim, pet some cats, read a few good books... the usual.

Staying put over the weekend since it's going to be something like 30 below zero Fahrenheit tonight and not much warmer for the next 4 or 5 days. I'll take another stab at doing some claw and other gemstone setting and maybe do some reading, but that's about it. Lift some heavy things too, probably.

>29 pgmcc: How gorgeous and cozy!

>32 Bookmarque: We're pretty much staying put, as well. There's no real end in sight for this cold spell, so hunkering down for a couple of days is in order.

We do have to venture out early Monday morning. My mom is having an injection in her back by a pain management specialist that will be done under local anesthesia, so she needs a ride home. It will still be bitter cold and I can only hope there's no more snow to deal with between now and then.

I'm hunkering down right here straight through until Tuesday.
Snow, sleet, temps down to the mid-to-low teens (F) with the wind chill dropping into single digits to hit Saturday evening.
When this house was built (50 years ago,) the building code was set for a minimum of 25°.
Fireplace is ready; lots of wood in the garage; plenty of food, and I've got 58 solar panels and 3 batteries on the house. I'm good.
The only thing I haven't got is a sofa in the sunken living room (where the fireplace is.) I must might make a quick trip to IKEA in the morning.
Anyone have any recommendations that way?

Minding three grandchildren aged from 5 to 9 years old. Currently sitting in cinema about to watch “The Spongebob Movie: in search of squarepants”. I am so excited.

>35 pgmcc: I love your enthusiasm 😁 I hope the grandchildren loved the film, too. Did they find the squarepants?

>36 Alexandra_book_life:
The children loved it.

I cannot tell you if they found the squarepants. That would be a spoiler.
:-)

There was a bit of humour about lucky bricks.

The hubby and I are headed out in a little while for a local stage production of "Murder on the Orient Express."

I love live performances! This one should be fun.

>38 terriks:
That sounds like fun.

We are minding three grandchildren under ten for the weekend.

>38 terriks: Enjoy!
>39 pgmcc: You enjoy yourself, too!

It was fun, and I did enjoy it. If you're familiar with this mystery, the bulk of the story takes place on a train, with action inside passenger's compartments. I was interested in how this would be achieved.

Not perfect (actors knocking on imaginary doors) but the acting was good and it made for a good play. Plus - Agatha Christie! ❤️

The theater is a very old one, recently restored and it's literally within 10 minutes of my house. I go a few times a year. :)

This weekend has been very nice and relaxing. I had a day off on Friday, so we went to visit my in-laws and get spoiled with good food. There was also a very important task of finishing the Christmas ale that they had bought in December, and then we couldn't be there for Christmas because they had the flu.

Saturday is my birthday, so I'm going to do fun stuff: book sale at the public library, reading, and going out for dinner with my husband.

Sunday, I have a Zoom visit with my sister and step-sister. It will be nice to catch up.

>43 tardis: Happy birthday! Buy books, spend an hour or two reading those books, and then go out and have a wonderful dinner with your husband.

>43 tardis:
Happy Birthday!
We look forward to your book sale report.

>43 tardis: Happy Birthday! Have a wonderful day and good luck at the book sale :)

>43 tardis: Happy birthday, and have fun at the book sale!

>43 tardis: Happy birthday! Have fun book shopping!

I’ve been sick for about three weeks now so I’m once again resting. But today is supposed to be warm so hoping to spend some time on the porch reading. I do need to do some cleaning, though.

The book sale was a disappointment. Normally I go on the Friday because it's less crowded, but yesterday I forgot. Big mistake. Not only super crowded but also almost stripped bare in the fiction sections. I did get one book, The Apocalypse Codex by Charles Stross.

When I got home I noticed there was some snow melt pooling on our driveway so had a happy half hour chipping a channel from the driveway to the alley. Always fun to play with water :)

>49 tardis: Sorry the book sale was crowded, but at least you didn't walk away empty. :)

Hope your dinner tonight is wonderful. Happy birthday!

>43 tardis:

Happy birthday!

On Friday we usually order from our favorite Laotian restaurant. I get Mango curry and my husband (Brian) tries new things.
Saturday we don't do much. Sometimes on Saturday he does a few chores. Sunday is the day he does most the chores though.

P.S. One weekend soon we'll visit with our new grand-daughter.

P.P.S. Spring forward with you clocks!

Thanks (rather belatedly) for all the birthday wishes :)

This weekend I have a two-day printmaking workshop. The topic is "reduction printing", which for those unfamiliar is where one carves the parts of the linoleum block that need to stay white, print the first colour, then carve the bits that need to stay the first colour, print the next colour, etc. I have tried it before on my own but I'm hoping that I'll learn some useful tips in a proper class. Even if I don't, I'll have fun.

>52 tardis:
Enjoy. That sounds like fun.

Our daughter and her family are over from the US and we are heading to a house on the south coast (Hook Head) from Saturday until St. Patrick’s Day, Tuesday. Our other daughter and her family will join us there. There will be twelve of us including five grandchildren under ten. One of our sons and his partner cannot come as they have a cat recovering from a recent illness.

Hopefully we will have good weather and will avoid the forecast ice and snow.
Being realistic people we are bring games etc. to cater for a possible indoor holiday.

On Sunday we are all going to a restaurant to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Tuesday will see our two daughters and their families heading to Waterford to watch the St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Just staying put which is normal, but with the blizzard coming, it's also smaht. Wicked smaht. We're supposed to get 1-2 feet from tonight to Monday or so, then a break and more snow on Wednesday. Mostly I don't mind since I don't have anywhere to go and we have a big generator that runs the whole house. So do my neighbors, so we'll be all good here on the street. Funny that no one had one until we put one in, the power cut for a few days and then everyone got one after that. Ha. Then next week I can break out the snowshoes for maybe the last time this season. Water won't be frozen though, so no bog walking.

Here is the result of my weekend workshop on reduction printing. I'm very pleased with it, even though I made a major error and got one of the stages out of order, which means I had to skip two stages. I might try the same design again at home with all the stages.

>55 tardis:
You should be pleased with it. That looks great. If that is what it looks like when you make a mistake I cannot imagine what it would look like if you got it right. :-)

Well done.

>55 tardis: That is lovely! Thank you for sharing it with us.

>55 tardis: Oh, this is lovely! I am very impressed.

>55 tardis: This is amazing! Just really lovely.

>55 tardis: That’s beautiful! You're the only one who knows you got a step out of order, because this looks great to me. Love the purple here!

Thanks, all - I'm glad you like my orchid :)

This weekend is mixed. Today (Saturday) I don't have to go anywhere. I started making an alliterative list of what I have to do: shot (diabetic cat needs insulin), shower, shovel (woke up to fresh snow), sit and see (youtube videos), sow (tomato seeds), and sort (photographs). There will be some non-alliterative activities in there, too, of course, like reading.

Tomorrow is Seedy Sunday (fits with the Saturday alliterative theme), so I'll attend that. Always a good time: browsing seed displays, listening to talks, visiting with other keen gardeners, etc.

I also have to do some prep for Monday, which is my husband's birthday. The kids are coming for dinner so I need both meat and vegetarian options and a cake.

>61 tardis: I wish you a lovely celebration on Monday! 🥰

This weekend started very nicely, on Friday I treated my mom - and myself, he he - to an evening at a spa. We had a wonderful time!

Yesterday we took a walk in the sun. It's beginning to feel like spring! Look:



After our walk I did some cleaning out on our little deck. I took away mountains of dry leaves back in November, and there were still mountains to clean up now. Oh, well. One tries. At least now it looks like a place where humans might want to spend some time. I also cleaned the drainpipe, that tends to fill with leaves during the autumn and winter. Then they rot. My husband usually does this, but this time he cheerfully refused, saying "it's really easy, you just need plastic gloves and no sense of smell." I did all right 😁

I don't know yet what I will do today.

Yesterday was the monthly Railway Society library day at Inchanga, so I had to go. It was still dripping rain and cloud after Friday night's essentially all-night storm. I took the old road rather than the freeway: winding, very scenic and, apart from one short stretch, no 18-wheelers. The scenic part looks down into the Valley of 1000 Hills, one of our province's top tourist sights; it was easy to see why the car in front only went at 40 km/h, with the green scenery and scraps of low cloud decorating the hills (fortunately he turned off). But oh woe! Inchanga was in outer darkness; Eskom swore they'd have the power back by 12, but two hours later there was still no sign of life, and the library was like the Black Hole of Calcutta, so I left early. Not before working out with the chairman that if next month's speaker at the evening meeting doesn't get his act together, I can give something at short notice. So not a total waste.

>62 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you!

In honour of his birthday, I have added something to our weekend: tonight (Sunday) we are going to see Project Hail Mary in the downtown cinema, with dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory first. I'd have probably arranged this outing at some point anyway - I want to see PHM and I think he'll enjoy it - but his birthday is a good excuse to do it today. The downtown cinema isn't the fanciest, but it is rarely busy (there have been times we were almost the only people in the theatre) and we get almost door-to-door service on public transit.

>63 Alexandra_book_life: oooh, crocuses! So beautiful, and so welcome at the end of winter. Nothing is close to blooming here yet. I look forward to it.

>65 tardis: Enjoy! We expect a full report on the film.

>66 clamairy: I thought Project Hail Mary was very good. It's been too long since I read the book for me to really compare, but it was definitely enjoyable. My husband, who went in cold (not having read the book) also liked it.

>67 tardis: I am very happy to hear this!

We are going to see Chris Hadfield (retired astronaut, first Canadian to do a spacewalk, former commander of the ISS) speak this afternoon! I'm excited!

Afterwards, we'll find a pub or something for an early supper, and then go home to watch the new Spinal Tap movie. Or maybe the old Spinal Tap movie (if we can find in on one of our streaming services) to refresh our memories before the new one.

Today is another sloppy winter mix day so I'll be in working at the bench, have a bracelet that needs an adjustable toggle clasp, so I'll just make one.

>69 tardis: My Husband would love to go to something like that!

We are having a warm spring day. I get to learn how a laundromat works because our washing machine broke the other day and won’t be fixed for a few days. But I’ll get to sit and read while the machine is doing its magic so there are worse things.

And then I will work on organizing my sewing room and reading on the porch in the sunshine.

Overall, a pleasant day.

>69 tardis: That sounds great!

My family is taking birthday dinner and dessert to Dad at the facility later this afternoon.

>69 tardis: This sounds so cool!

We are having abysmal Easter weather: rain mixed with snow and vice versa, hail and icy winds. We stayed at home all day yesterday, lazing and making nice food. Today we decided to ignore the weather! We went to a museum and looked at lots of thousands-of-years-old things from the Mediterranean region. Lovely🏺

Tomorrow is my husband's birthday, so we'll make nice food again and bake something 🤩

>69 tardis: I love that man! (I have ever since I saw his rendition of A Space Oddity!) Oddly enough I just finished listening to his book a couple of hours ago, so I am extra envious. Enjoy!

>69 tardis:
Enjoy the Hadfield event. That is exciting.

Tomorrow we are attending my nephew David's wedding. It is taking place in Castlebellingham, in the castle, which is now a hotel.

David has really impressed me with how he has organised his wedding. Storm David is currently lashing the country with high winds and a lot of rain. How many people can conjure up a storm named after them for their wedding day?

>76 pgmcc: Perhaps he doesn't regard it as quite such good organisation. Best wishes to the happy couple anyway.

>76 pgmcc: Best wishes to the happy couple. I remember when hurricane Katrina hit the US - my co-worker's daughter (named Katrina, of course) got tired of being compared to it very quickly. I hope Storm David is less destructive so he doesn't get the same treatment.

Chris Hadfield was awesome. Highly recommended if he's ever in your area. He talked about his own experiences and also the Artemis mission. He even sang "space oddity" at the end. Standing ovation. One of the local indie bookstores was selling his books in the lobby but I didn't buy any. I've read the Apollo Murders books from the library, though, and they're pretty good.

>78 tardis: That sounds so cool - glad it was such a good time. I love that he sang Space Oddity!!

We couldn't swing it today, but will be taking my mom to see Project Hail Mary on Tuesday instead. It's been a couple years since I read it, and I think it will transition to the big screen just fine. My mom is not what you'd call a sci-fi fan, but she's game for this one.

>76 pgmcc: I hope the wedding goes well. Maybe the storm will had some ambiance.

>80 catzteach:
Thankfully the storm passed over during the night and we had a beautiful sunny day with only a few April showers. The wedding is going well and the meal was excellent. Currently the band is setting up for dancing. Scheduled end-time is 1am.

>81 pgmcc: Good to hear that the storm wasn't a problem.

We're having wild spring weather this weekend. Last night, my husband was outside grilling with his down jacket on, and today reached 80°F so he cut the grass wearing shorts. Michigan, I ❤️ you.

I did get my mom out last week to see Project Hail Mary - despite my reservations, she seemed to really enjoy it! Parts of basic sci-fi humor flew by her:

Grace (seeing an object coming at them): Computer - raise the shields!

Computer: This ship has no shields, Dr.Grace.

Grace: .......!

Good stuff for us geeks. In further honor of PHM, here's my take on Miss Finn by her empty kibble bowl this morning:

My sister is visiting and we went to the Orchid Fair on Friday. I also had another printmaking class this weekend - this one on mokuhanga, which is Japanese woodblock printing using watercolours instead of oil-based inks. Very beautiful translucency in the colours. I ran out of time and didn't finish my picture, but I have everything I need to do that at home. Maybe not today, though - I'm exhausted!

Spent most of today making a ring shank and a gem setting, but they don't go together so will end up in different projects.

We've had a really nice sunny weekend. It's still chilly, though (between -1C and 5C - 30 and 41F). We went to a nature reserve and had a wonderful long walk. There were lots of birds and enthusiastic bird watchers. The bird watchers were very happy to tell us all about this and that rare species they had seen. We nodded sagely (=clueless).

Some photos:







There are lots of spring flowers now, it's lovely:

>86 Alexandra_book_life:
Great pictures. It sounds like a lovely walk.

>86 Alexandra_book_life: Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

>86 Alexandra_book_life: Love the photos, especially the flowers!

>87 pgmcc: >88 Sakerfalcon: >89 clamairy: Thank you, everyone :)))

>86 Alexandra_book_life:. You know, sometimes the kindest thing one can do in a social situation is allow the enthusiasts to ramble on and on about their passion.

>91 jillmwo: I agree! 🥰

>86 Alexandra_book_life: Wow - you did have a beautiful day! Great pictures.

>91 jillmwo: Agreed. In this case, it would be wonderful to hear about all the rare birds that were there - and wonderful to listen to the enthusiasm from the bird watchers that they're there. It all makes for a happy time.

>93 terriks: Thank you! I enjoyed it all very much, including the bird watchers' enthusiasm.

This weekend all I have is a board meeting, and I am not mustering much enthusiasm for it.

On a more positive note, it took me a week to finish it, but here's the final print from my class. It is imperfect in many ways but I learned A LOT and am keen to try a new project.

>95 tardis: Oh, this looks really nice! I am impressed.

>95 tardis: That's lovely. I hope you keeping putting those new skills to good use.

To commemorate the upcoming celebration of Earth Day I joined the local Audubon Society chapter to clean up the beach that is part of the county park behind their nature center yesterday. This morning I am drinking my tea while sitting with a heating pad on my back. LOL Yes, they have those little grabby things, but they don't work well on disintegrating plastic wrap which was about 90% of what needed to be removed. I will be taking it easy today. Which is fine because it's not that nice out.

Husband's flight was cancelled out of Minneapolis on Friday, so he came home yesterday at an airport in the same town as a record store I've never been to, so we went to the Record Store Day event there and came home only to discover our 8 year old dishwasher died. They really don't build them like they used to. While spinning the vinyl from the store, we went into research mode and now await someone to talk to at a local chain because it's impossible to find any information about installation and removal of the old machine on their idiotic web site. Two big box stores have the item, but the one with the lower total price has a 3 week wait on the color we want, if we pay $150 more for installation from the other big box store, we can have it Thursday. Already called said big box store and they won't price match on the total, only for the item itself. Grr.

>99 Bookmarque: Ugh. What brand was it? Just so I know to avoid them when I do my kitchen refurb.

It was a G.E. and we kind of knew it wasn't the best, but we had some limited options based on where we live at the time. Now it's better and we're going to pull the trigger on a Bosch.

>101 Bookmarque: Understood. I replaced a KitchenAid with a KitchenAid when we were in Connecticut. And while it was much quieter and more energy efficient it took almost twice as long to do a standard load. The built-in obsolescence thing is a real problem. My sister redid her kitchen about a decade ago and she is already on her third microwave.

I'm sure our landfills thank us. Groan.

>103 Bookmarque: It's horrible.

>102 clamairy:
I learned today that France is bringing in a law making built-in obsolescence illegal. People responsible for such actions will be liable to serve prison sentences.

It sounds like a nightmare to implement, but some technology firms openly admit that their products have a limited lifetime and that they release models that could be built to last but don’t. I recall a memory chip manufacturer in 1980 boasting that they had already developed three new generations of chips before launching the latest chip they were releasing to the market. It was their plan to get eighteen months revenue from each generation of chip regardless of the fact they had already developed the chips that left their latest and several subsequent releases obsolete.

>99 Bookmarque: I feel your pain: our new washing machine won’t arrive until mid May. We will have been without one for over a month by that time. As far as dishwashers, we are on our third one and we’ve been in the house for 15 years.

>105 pgmcc: Well I hope the rest of the world catches on to this! I know most manufacturers make at least a few models that last, but they are usually so much more expensive than the ones they are actively trying to push out the door.

Even the mediocre machines cost a lot. Found the 2018 receipt for the broken one and it was just under a grand installed and with the old one hauled away to the landfill. Now it's going to be another few hundred bucks closer to two grand. Ugh.

On Saturday we went to check how the cherry blossoms are doing :) I hope to see more next weekend. It depends on the weather, though. The temperatures are supposed to plummet this week, with a chance of wet snow this coming Sunday.

>95 tardis: Beautiful! You learned enough to put out some lovely work.

>98 clamairy: I hope your back is better! It's all for a good cause. Hopefully it was very gratifying to be part of the effort.

>105 pgmcc: Good for them! I hope it has an impact and more countries join in to apply pressure to these manufacturers. They think it's a joke to put out sub-par products that force us into their stores within a decade.

>101 Bookmarque: There's a GE in my kitchen that was here when we moved in 3 years ago. We've already had it repaired once, just because we know the sellers installed it in 2017 when they remodeled, and I'm trying to get it to last 10 years. It's running all right now - but these folks were rough. The tines are bent, the rinse aid dispenser is cracked, and they apparently tossed out the covers on the silverware basket, so everything flops around.

I haven't been actively looking, just do some muttering each time I run it. Mentally preparing myself to likely drop $2K on a dishwasher is taking some time. ;)

I have a fun weekend ahead!

Saturday and Sunday are the first two days of an etching course; the course also runs next weekend. I've taken this course before but I still have a lot to learn. The instructor is excellent and so encouraging. I've found all the stuff I need to take with me (including 2 small travel mugs for tea) and I have two sketches for potential etchings.

On Saturday evening, my husband and I are going to the local concert hall to see the organist Anna Lapwood. We had planned to go out for dinner first, but the timing is too tight, between me getting home from the course (which finishes at 5) and getting to the concert hall. If you like organ music, you should look Anna Lapwood up on YouTube. She's fantastic.

>111 tardis: This does sound like a fun weekend! Have fun with the etching class - I love the way they look. Hope you share your finished work with us in the Pub!

I do like organ music. Thanks for the tip on Anna Lapwood - enjoy the concert!

We're heading out to a play tomorrow, after an early dinner. I really love being able to have a dinner someplace where I can just walk to the theater. We're seeing Fiddler on the Roof - haven't seen a production in years, but I know the music since we had to sing Broadway hit music in high school choir all the time! So, fingers crossed - l'chaim! ;)

>111 tardis: Sounds lovely! Have a great time at your course and the concert! :)

I'm halfway through the second weekend of my etching class. I'm having a lot of fun. I finished etching the plates last weekend, so today and tomorrow I'm just playing with colour and printing techniques. It's really therapeutic :)

It's Monday, but still the weekend because it's Victoria Day, aka May Long. Traditional date on which Canadians plant their gardens. This year, not so much. Saturday was much too cold. Sunday was better, but I had a board meeting for the orchid foundation so didn't get as much outdoor time as I would have liked. Today was actually very nice and I mostly pottered around in the garden. I had to make one quick trip to Home Hardware for a copper connector for my pea trellis as I lost one someplace. I'm sure it's in the garden or the shed and will turn up at some point, but I needed to get that trellis assembled because I already planted the peas. Not that they're up yet, but I hope they will be soon.

My Saturday is overbooked.

7:30 am - leave home to get to the annual Run for Women race. I'm doing the 5K. I have to be out of the house at 7:30 in order to get parking, but the 5K race itself doesn't start until 9:30. I am a slow runner so I expect it to take me almost an hour to finish the race. Good thing I didn't sign up for the 10k.

10:00 am - Horticultural Society perennial exchange starts. I'll be lucky to arrive by 11, but I have to drop off some of my spare tomato plants and I won't stay too long. It's not like I need any perennials, although I'll browse the native plant offerings and say hi to a few friends. I've already loaded the tomatoes into the car so I don't forget them.

11:00 am - Community Garden season opening work bee. I went over tonight (Friday) and turned the compost so I hope they'll forgive me for not arriving on time. I hope to be there by 12:30.

After that, I need to pick up holds at the library and then I'm going to have a shower, put on clean, non-sweaty clothes, make some tea, and sit and read for the rest of the day.

I have no committments for Sunday, so I will finish planting the veg garden and do more reading.

>116 tardis: You have a pretty great weekend ahead of you. Good luck with everything :)

>116 tardis:
That is a fill Saturday.

It is 08:05 here. I am eating breakfast having returned from walking the dog.
After breakfast I will be packing for France. Our ferry leaves Dublin at 16:30 and arrives in Cherbourg at 12:30* tomorrow. Then a drive of about six hours to our secret base.

On the boat this evening we hope to treat ourselves to a nice meal in the ‘posh’ restaurant.

*French time.

>116 tardis: I got tired just reading this.

>118 pgmcc: Safe travels and enjoy!!!

I was outside working in the yard all day yesterday because it's supposed to rain for the next 3 days. I might still try to get to get my new marjoram plant in the ground between showers today. This is at least the third one I've bought since I moved here. It's supposed to be a perennial, but every place I've ever lived I've never had them last more than a few years, and this last Winter was brutal so I lost a bunch of herbs. Meanwhile my lavender is about 6 feet wide, and despite the fact that I planted my chocolate mint in a clay pot it has taken over a huge patch of my herb garden.

Tomorrow is a family gathering at my brother's. We usually do an outside picnic for Memorial Day Weekend, but that will not be happening this year.

On board and awaiting departure. Sparkling rosé and red imbibed on deck in the sun.

>120 pgmcc: Have a good sail and enjoy your time in France!

>120 pgmcc: Have a wonderful time! :)
Bon voyage!

>120 pgmcc: Excellent! Hope it's a pleasant crossing!

>120 pgmcc: looks like a nice day for a crossing!

>120 pgmcc: Bon voyage! (Can we say that for a basic crossing?) But I wouldn't envy you a six hour drive once you get off the boat.

Switching back to this side of the pond. I've been productive today.
-- Two bags of winter clothing packed and stored.
-- Three bags designated for donation.
-- One bag to be tossed out entirely. Even good quality clothing will only last you so long.

There will also be one small bag of books to go to the Thrift Store. Mostly just DNF titles.

I am also going to approach the spouse about clearing out one of the kitchen cupboards. I want to get rid of unused crockery, such as unnecessary coffee mugs and/or ancient souvenir glasses. (You know they're old when the name of the establishment has been nearly worn off in the dishwasher.) Note: That this may require much strength of will on behalf of both myself and the spouse. But we're a household of two now and I swear some of the glassware has been with us since we got married umpty-umpt years ago.

>121 Karlstar: >122 Alexandra_book_life: >123 clamairy: >124 catzteach: >125 jillmwo:
Thank you all for the good wishes for the trip. When we arrived in Cherbourg it was 26C. On our trip south it reached 32C. Before going to the bunker we went to our favourite local Asian takeaway, Khmer Wok, to pick up dinner. It was 8pm when we arrived there having disembarked at 13:30. Now, to be fair, we made a stop at The Wine and Beer Supermarket to pick up 24 bottles of essentials (and the man threw in a 25th as a little gift). We had two comfort stops one of which involved our eating a ham sandwich and some water. We have just finished dinner and sampling the little gift. It was very palatable. I am now sitting in the downstream direction of the air conditioner posting this update on my phone.

Have a great weekend everyone.

>126 pgmcc: Sounds wonderful except for the heat.

I don't think we even got close to 60° F here yesterday. Our family picnic was indoors, and my brother dragged his grill under his giant patio umbrella. We have had 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) of rain so far this weekend, with more expected today. I'm not going to complain too much because we need it badly, but I would rather not have it all come down on a holiday weekend.

My race was satisfying - it felt good and I was a whole MINUTE faster than last year LOL. Now, flushed with success, I am considering signing up for more races over the summer and fall! My husband says to lie down until the feeling passes...

I managed to make all my other events, too. On Sunday, some friends came over to pick up some of my spare tomato plants and we had a lovely visit.

>128 tardis:
Well done with your improvement on the 5k. I would agree with your husband about booking other races.

Also, congratulations on making all your appointments on that robust schedule. That also deserves a lie down.

>127 clamairy: Oh, you're getting the tail end of the system that was tormenting us the last few days! :(

The good news is that, once the rain stopped, the humidity dropped overnight and the sky has been clear and bright - gorgeous! At last!

It's Monday - Memorial Day holiday here in the US. It's a holiday to honor and remember those fallen military members and their families.

We're on the deck tonight with a sparkling Brut rose, crackers and three different cheeses. The Stilton blue lost its wrapper and isn't in the picture - it was a little stout for my taste. Blues aren't my first loves. Tonight the peppercorn was the star.

>130 terriks: You can mail me your under-appreciated blue Stilton. Just kidding... It can be strong. I often smear a cracker with softened brie first, and then top it with a blob of blue Stilton.

The last of the rain finally ended around noon. It's still very humid but at least it's not in the 40s anymore. Going to be sunny and warmer here tomorrow, thankfully.

>128 tardis: Congrats on the improved time!

>131 clamairy: I think we've had it before and I didn’t get slapped by it like yesterday! Blues have to be on the mild side - there's one called Saga blue that I recall as almost liking. Lol

Glad the weather has warmed up for you!

>131 clamairy: There used to be a food website called "The Surreal Gourmet" (not sure how it relates to the current TV show). The guy was an enthusiast for blue cheeses. I remember him telling a story of how one evening he was dining somewhere in Austria. After an excellent dinner he decided that a bit of cheese would be an appropriate finish, so he called the waitress and asked to see the cheese selection. She wheeled the cart over and he looked over the offerings — some blue cheeses but he wondered if there was anything better, so asked the waitress what else there was. Without a moment's hesitation she drew aside a curtain on the cart to reveal an array of the ooziest, most threatening organic matter some of which seemed to be on the point of getting up and walking away. He chose some selections, asked for and received a glass of red wine, and enjoyed it all very much. I remember that the wine was an Australian one.

Completely irrelevant, but the first meal that Mrs H and I ever ate in Austria was lunch at the then restaurant (Mörwald im Ambassador) in the Ambassador Hotel. It was a very good lunch, but I noticed that the wine list had six separate vintages of Grange Hermitage (one of the truly great Australian red wines), of which the cheapest was €600 a bottle.

>133 haydninvienna: You have to love a cheese with legs... Also a wine with legs! He's a question: why does red wine have legs and white wine does not?

Google tells me that both red and white wine have legs, but they are often much more noticeable in red for various reasons, including lower sugar content and higher alcohol level.

>134 clamairy:
It depends on the viscosity. It is more noticeable with red because it is red. White wines are more transparent.

>128 tardis: Very well done! :)

How do you watch the second act of a ballet? I'll tell you how.

I've had a very busy day on Friday, and the week had been busy too. I came home, took some cheese out of the fridge and settled down, looking forward to a nice evening of doing nothing. At around 18.50 my mom texted me: "Hi! Where are you?" Me (confused): "Hi! I am at home."
My mom: "The ballet?" Me: OMG OMG OMG. I had put two reminders on my phone! Nope, there is still no brain in my head, apparently. So I ran! On my way to the opera, it hit me that aristocrats used to show up for the second act, it was a fashionable thing to do. I giggled and thought I was cosplaying an aristocrat. I suppose I didn't look very much like a noble lady when I ran through the door (underdressed and out of breath), because the stuff just looked very surprised and asked "Are you here for the performance?". Me, brightly: "Yes! I'll just wait for the intermission, here is my ticket!"

I ended up enjoying the ballet very very much! :))))) (It's based on a fascinating true story, you can read more about it here.)

>137 Alexandra_book_life: I can sort of beat that ...

While Mrs H and I were living in England we went to Birmingham one Saturday for a concert by the Australian Chamber Orchestra. It was only when we were having an early dinner pre-performance that I realised that the concert had been a matinee.

It was another ten years before I managed to catch the ACO in England, but that was at the Proms.

Friday night I had my book club over. I'd chosen Louise Penny's first Gamache novel - Still Life. Spent most of Friday cleaning house and preparing snacks. Only planned on actually preparing two, and ran out of time, so only made one. The rest was dips, crackers, chips, nuts, cheezies, chocolate, cream puffs, and of course wine and various non-alcoholic beverages. The one thing I made was a raspberry sorbet. I found a fantastic deal on fresh raspberries at the grocery store, so all I needed was a fresh-squeezed lemon, some sugar, and water. Simple and delicious. I have a lovely ice cream maker that has an inner cylinder that stays in the freezer, you bring it out, pour the mix in, and stir it as it freezes. Of course I couldn't find the rest of the bits at first, and thought I was going to have to stir it with a spoon, but fortunately figured out which cupboard I'd hidden the rest in before it was too late. All the food was a hit, and for a wonder everyone liked the book. I'd gone with the first in the series, as I knew several of them hadn't read any of them. It was a lovely evening, and my house is much cleaner than before. Saturday I was moving a bit slower than usual, but went for a run, had my running partner over for leftover sorbet, and had two more groups of visitors - very unusual for me. And there was a fire call, just down the street. Kids setting fires in the bush. My neighbours kids sounded the alarm, and it was put out pretty quickly. So glad the bush is not as dry as the last few years! Not often I can answer a fire page right from my house, either. Tonight I went to a pot luck, then to a movie - The Sheep Detectives - if you haven't seen it, it is lots of fun. This coming week is seniors week, and there is all kinds of free stuff happening all week in our little town.

>137 Alexandra_book_life: >138 haydninvienna: >139 NorthernStar:
I am enjoying all the drama.

>137 Alexandra_book_life: That ballet sounds very interesting!

>137 Alexandra_book_life: Glad you made it!

>138 haydninvienna: Yikes.

>139 NorthernStar: Sounds like a very full weekend. That sorbet sounds delightful. What exactly are cheezies?

>137 Alexandra_book_life:. I had never encountered that bit of Swedish history before and certainly had been unaware of any ballet. But you pulled off the aristocratic entrance just fine!

>138 haydninvienna:. I am both amused and horrified. How on earth could you have muddled matinee vs. evening performance? (We're the sort who always end up arriving a good 30 minutes before the curtain rises, because my husband is always so excited about live performances that he can't wait.)

>139 NorthernStar:. I think starting out with the first book is really the wisest introduction to that particular series. The flavor of the subsequent books shifts over time.

>139 NorthernStar: Your raspberry sorbet sounds fantastic. I hope everyone appreciated your effort.

>138 haydninvienna: Ouch. I think your story beats mine...

>139 NorthernStar: A wonderful weekend! Your raspberry sorbet sounds very delicious :)

>140 pgmcc: I am happy to oblige...

>141 Sakerfalcon: It was a really nice performance. I also appreciate when someone finds new stories for classical ballet.

>142 clamairy: Phew. I was very relieved!

>143 jillmwo: I did my best! I don't know whether I'd want to do it again, though :D

>142 clamairy: Hawkins Cheezies are iconic Canadian puffed cheese snacks made of extruded cornmeal covered with powdered cheddar cheese. I know the US has something similar, but cheezies are better LOL.

>151 tardis:
In the course of my work duties I had a tour of a factory producing extruded snacks. As a result I cannot bring myself to eat any such snacks.

>143 jillmwo: Just one of those things. You get into a "concert starts at 7 pm" mindset and forget that they sometimes don't.

Next Sunday afternoon! I'm hoping to get to a concert at QPAC. Queensland Youth Orchestra. Beethoven's 6th and Richard Strauss's Eine Alpensymphonie. Wish me luck.

>142 clamairy:, >151 tardis: - what tardis said. A classic Canadian snack food. I had to refill the bowl twice. >152 pgmcc: - if you ever get the chance, try cheezies.

>151 tardis: & >154 NorthernStar: Google tells me they are similar to Cheetos, but made with Cheddar. (I have found all natural Cheetos made with white cheddar that were quite good.)

>155 clamairy: their texture is very different from Cheetos. Hard and crunchy.

>156 NorthernStar: There's a whole line of crunchy Cheetos, and I definitely prefer those. They probably lifted the idea from Cheezies.

My weekend has only one significant thing: tickets for the local Folk Music Festival go on sale at 10am on Saturday and I have to get ours before they sell out.

Oh, and today was the start of the quarterly book sale at the downtown branch of the public library. I bought only one book, but it's a doozy: The Arts & Crafts Companion by Pamela Todd, weighing in at 1.8 kg.

Only thing noteworthy here is that there's some rain coming. After about 10 days of sun, dry air and open windows every night, I resent having to turn on the A/C to fight off the clammy air, but can't deny we need the rain. ;)

We're still going to try to grill out tomorrow - haven't had chicken on the barbecue in over a year.

>158 tardis:
That sounds more like a weights training aid than a book.

I'll call today a pretty good Sunday. Went to see Mrs H a bit earlier than usual so as to be able to get to the Queensland Performing Arts Centre by 3 pm. Concert by the Queensland Youth Orchestra: Beethoven's 6th Symphony (my favourite symphony by The Man) and Eine Alpensinfonie by Richard Strauss, which I've not heard performed before. The Beethoven was fine, but I don't think I'll mind if I never hear the Strauss again. Sorry, but it's just loud (you know they're serious when there's four percussionists lined up at the back of the orchestra), and for much of its length it didn't give me any clear idea of where was going, just meandered around making loud noises.

The QYO might not be the Vienna Philharmonic yet, but they do OK. They're giving the Mahler 7th in August and I think I'll go to that.

And to top the day off, my bus connection home worked. Kind of a pity in one way: I'd decided that if I got to where I had to change and saw the other bus disappearing I'd go into the the pub just down the street for dinner.

And the rain held off till I got home!

>161 haydninvienna:
“and for much of its length it didn't give me any clear idea of where was going, just meandered around making loud noises.“

Just like driving through the Alps.

ETA: Sorry the efficient running of the buses spoiled your dinner plans.

Today we are having a sandwich at the market in Amboise. It is a nice day and we are relaxed. We had my daughter and her family here for a week. Need a restful time after having three grandchildren under eleven years of age with us.

Here are tonight's cheeses.

The Merlot cheese goes very well with red wine. All of them have been delicious.

It took me several minutes to get them all sliced up, they sat too long at room temperature. I ended up with a gnarly mess of cheesy goodness!

>163 terriks: Oh nice! I love a good Fontina!

>163 terriks: Mmmm, those look delicious.

I had an event on Friday, a kind of reunion of many of the people who worked on implementing the library consortium catalogue starting about 30 years ago. The consortium has recently been disbanded (must remember to tell Tim - it's a source for LT) and the members have mostly gone their separate ways. I've been retired 9 years, and the library I worked for was eliminated, but some of my former colleagues came, plus a lot of the people from other libraries that I worked with so it was nice to catch up.

The rest of the weekend is supposed to be rainy and I have nothing planned, so it will be all the amazing fun of cleaning the basement and other such indoor chores. Today, I ripped out the carpet in the basement office, except the bit under the file cabinet, which I can't move.

>164 clamairy: >165 tardis: This Fontina was lovely, too! All 3 were very good selections. Yay!

>165 tardis: Glad your reunion was fun. Ugh - cleaning out the basement is always as much fun as it sounds! Good luck.

Went on an NRF field trip yesterday with a professor of entomology and had a nice time while learning a lot. Came home and just hung out on the dock for a while with a book. Then our friends came by and picked us up for a boat ride around the river. We love them. Today I'll do a few chores and hang out in the yard again, dock or deck, maybe both.

I have a long list of ‘projects’ to get to. But there’s the book l’m longing to finish and it won’t read itself. . .

And l feel like baking today. I’m thinking cinnamon muffins, granola, Chex snack mix, a pie, and maybe flan for dessert tonight.

>168 nrmay: Sounds great. I'll swing by for dessert!

Books will not read themselves, no - you have chosen wisely.

>163 terriks: The cheeses look lovely and delicious!

>165 tardis: I am glad you had such a nice reunion :)

>168 nrmay: Mmm, delicious...

No, the books will not read themselves. I think the choice is obvious ;)

I spent the weekend with good friends at a lovely summer house they are renting. We went swimming in the sea (it is now 18C - 64F in the water, wonderful) and in the lake (24C - 75F, which is even more wonderful). We enjoyed each other's company and the weather was lovely.

>173 Alexandra_book_life:
Lovely time.

>174 pgmcc: I was feeling sad when it was time to leave. But I've added to my store of good memories :)

>175 Alexandra_book_life:
That is always beneficial. Memories are invaluable.

>173 Alexandra_book_life:
Beautiful scene.

>173 Alexandra_book_life: That's a beautiful spot!

>177 nrmay: >178 Sakerfalcon: Thank you :) It was a happy weekend.

>173 Alexandra_book_life: Oh lovely! I'm glad the water was a swimmable temperature.

>180 clamairy: I want more summer days like that... :)

>173 Alexandra_book_life: Beautiful day! The water sounds like it was absolutely perfect.

Being sad to leave is the best indicator of a wonderful time. :) And now it's stored in your memory bank.

>173 Alexandra_book_life: Thank you for reminding me of a much-missed "honorary aunt" of blessed memory. When she retired from nursing at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary in 1955, she came to us for an extended visit. (When we took her to the Kruger Park, she couldn't get over the fact that Papa stopped at a roadside stall and bought a whole bag of oranges for not much more than a single orange cost at her local greengrocer, as if this was the most natural thing in the world; ten years later on my first trip overseas she made a point of introducing me to the greengrocer.) When she left she assured us that when she could no longer get around, she would "take out a memory" and enjoy her visit all over again. May you do the same in coming decades.

>182 terriks: Very, very true :)

>183 hfglen: These are wonderful memories!
"Taking out a memory" is a beautiful way of putting it. I should do it more often :)