I Miss Canadian Food

On this, our first Canada day weekend abroad, we pause to whine about how much we miss certain Canadian delicacies. I could try to recreate some of these goodies but my attempts would be hampered by a lack of ingredients and the size of our oven (guests visiting at Christmas should be aware that I might have to make cornish game hens or quail instead of turkey).

I miss the following geographically limited goodies:
Dairy Queen ice cream cakes on Auntie Donna's lawn in William's lake *
Uncle Dick's pancakes in Williams Lake *
BBQ'd Smokies
Cheese burgers...the ones available here are not up to scratch
Ketchup chips
Island Farm's icecream...
Candied Salmon  Anything from Coombs Market
The Pink Bicycle on Blanshard St (3 words: truffle french fries)
Cocktail hour...I just can't bring myself to order a G&T or a Dark and Stormy at the local pub. And just for the record BC beer is much better than the stuff you can get over here. Except for Guiness. Guiness is better here.

Puttanesca Pizza at Fifth Street Bar and Grill
Peaches and apples from the trees in the back yard
Pickled garlic and other tasty treats from the Farmer's Market at the fair grounds
Ooh!!! Foccacia bread from Mattick's farm....oh I miss that!!!
Beacon Drive in Ice Cream: thick enough to stop your heart with one cone
The wine list at Il Terrazzo
Eggs benedict with the Peirce Clan
Real bacon. Not rashers, BACON!

 * Please note: these items only available in the summer when all the family gets together for too much fun and are accompanied by the scent of sunscreen, mosquito repellent and lake.

There are many, many more yummies we miss but my time for nostalgia is over. Back to the grim reality of over priced, over packaged food. Even the plums here come in a tray and wrapped in plastic. 


http://o.canada.com/2012/06/28/canada-day-is-there-a-definitive-canadian-food/

Father's Day Bus trip to Wicklow

We had a lovely day. Will was as good as gold on the bus and even got a good snooze in between stops. Today was Father's Day...which neither Craig nor I realised. Let me clarify: I didn't forget...I thought it was yesterday. I even made a fun craft with Will to give to Craig and had planned a large breakfast of the kind usually appreciated by fathers everywhere (omlette with bacon). He got all these goodies one day early because I'm apparently incapable of reading my schedule off my phone.

Anyways, the bus trip was lovely. I was so happy to escape from suburbia for a little while. And we even got some sun!!!!! Yes 5 exclamation points...totally justified: last week it rained twice: once for 3 days and once for 4 days. We drove through the county of Wicklow which has lots of interesting history and has more recent use as a setting for many Hollywood movies (Braveheart, PS I Love You, Michael Collins to name a few). I have wanted to see Glendalough for years (no surprise that I have also been mispronouncing it for just as long) and the Avoca handweaving shop has made me curious since we moved here. Lots of photos today. Enjoy!

PS I love you to all the Daddies

The bridge where the lead characters met in PS I Love You

water run off from the bog lands

William playing with the tall grass

Guiness Lake in the Wicklow hills. Bog water makes it brown imported French sand makes the head.

 

Gatehouse of Glendalough                                          headstone

 

The tower.

view towards the lakes with sunlight

The old church

holes for the door and locks

The nave

Lichen on a headstone

Lower lake of Glendalough

This building has a 1000 year old pitched and corbelled roof. Amazing that it has lasted.

Shamrock relief on headstone

The deal is if you can reach around this cross backwards you can have a wish granted

I couldn't reach

neither could Will

They make all these gorgeous textiles here

Victorian Loom that Will was NOT interested in.

All the different types of sheeps wool they use

This weaver kept up a rhythm that would have had me knackered in about 2 minutes.

Avoca blankets. Beautiful and warm.

"Captain" Dermot let William have command of the helm for a few minutes. Totally made his day

They offered him a job on the spot