Local Lovliness

OK...first of all I have to get it off of my chest....

Apron is made for a very SMALL woman - and that I am not!

If you look up, way way up - then you will find me.

So Apron has had to be rather indulgent and is only thrown over my body at photographic moments...she gets a little ticked about that

but 'one size fits all' she is not!

Having said that - she is great to have around

and accompanied me throughout a very busy weekend.

I seem to remember some instruction about the cooking of our heritage or local favourites, and it is the latter that I chose to make for a friend who came to spend a weekend with me so that we could 'Seminar' together.

Being a lover of comfort food it was all to easy to whip up a favourite of people from these parts - especially those of Mennonite culture - Farmer Sausage (locally made of course), Warenike (home made) smothered with a deliciously sinful Cream Gravy, and accompanied by the ever easy salad - Cole Slaw. You can see the finished dinner here waiting for us to come to the table!

Warenike (perogies) and little pockets of dough which can be filled with a variety of things. My personal favourite is cottage cheese, to which has been added an egg, salt and pepper and chopped up spring onions. They are then boiled - until they rise to the surface (plus a few minutes for good measure). Some people fry them because they do not like the consistency of the dough, but boiled is the standard way to serve them. Other fillings are combinations like bacon and sauerkraut, potato and cheese, and many people enjoy them filled with fruit and eat them as a desert. They are enjoyed by many of the cultures that live here, not just the Mennonites, but the Ukrainians and eastern cultures. They will usually eat their perogies with sour cream, whilst the Mennonites will often serve them a Cream Gravy, made by butter, flour and either sour cream or heavy cream. Mine uses the fat rendered from the sausage and an extra big dab of butter. I chop lots of onions and throw then in, then add flour and as much cream as I can find in my fridge!

Farmer Sausage is a local delight. We ignore completely that any type of sausage is a heart attack waiting to happen and eat it as often as possible......on the barby, in the oven, boiled, fried...it is always delicious. And when it is left over we slice it up for sandwiches...grind it and add salad cream and pickles...or just eat it cold. Here you can see my friend Dianne - who I forced to pose in the apron...if truth be told, it fits her better, as she is not quite as long as I am!

Apron also accompanied me to a Bridal Shower,

where although it was not her responsibility to cook - she served to keep me rather tidy when eating......

The lady in red is one of my other partners in crime (if you are going to be my friend then that role is automatic!!) - her name is Patsi......and she hosted the Shower for her God-Daughter Megan.

This last picture (obviously without Apron- she was tucked up for the night already) is just a shot of Patsi, myself and Maureen at the shower...enjoying a good giggle remembering our weddings.....and just to show what fun it is to live in Winnipeg, Manitoba....our city is known as 'The Heart of the Nation' and it is a pleasure to show you the joy that resides here, and is continually being poured out in us as we experience the love of the Father for us....

Day 9

One picture says it all today....There was enough sun to sit out on a friends deck today after church....for those of you already "enduring" the warm temperatures...well, I am sorry - we are not to that point yet! Scarf was with me and He/She/It was so thrilled with the rays that there were no complaints when He/She/It was cast aside and had to wait in the shadows for another moment in the spotlight!

Tomorrow, Victoria Day will be the final day of Scarf's visit to this area.....maybe - possibly - could be.....that one or two flowers might bloom by then so that Terry's memories of Manitoba will remain intact......I shall let Scarf wander a bit and go out into the country to have a look......note: I said Maybe....you never know around here, it might snow again!!!!

I cannot remember what day this is...in fact, I think I am ahead of myself a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The sun came out this morning.....
thank God for that, and the snow vanished...thank God for that as well....and after hours of swimming and massage and more "spa-ing" we checked out of the Hotel and prepared for our drive back to the City......sadly.

My daughter and I exchanged cars as the car seat was in mine and that seemed simpler than moving it! But her car had no petrol so off we went in search of a petrol pump....We did find one in Hecla Village but it ws not working, so I was sent off to the Marina to look there whilst Erin began the trip back to Winnipeg. Even though it was a short drive, Scarf and I stopped along the way just to look at the water. I miss living by the water a lot - I do live by a river, but it is not the same thing as being by the sea...and Lake Winnipeg sometimes feels like the sea as it is so big....bigger in fact than England!

I am not normally on this side of the lake....and it seems a bit more developed than the east side...I don't know if that is true or not but everything seemed groomed - it was still so beautiful...but cultured beautiful, not quite the same...however, very easy to enjoy and drink in!!!

This is a little bit of the Village of Hecla and of the Marina where I did manage to find petrol. You will have to take my word for it that Scarf was with me...it is a little difficult when you do things alone to get photos with Scarf....and some things are not appropriate to drape he/she/it, no matter how comforting she may be!!!




I was so tired on the way back home that I stopped in Gimli to pick up a coffee in the hopes of keeping my eyes open....Nice little town...bad bad bad coffee!! But I took a wander out on the pier, looking at the pier wall art and passing by the people out shore fishing.

The Marina stood almost empty, but it won't be long now until every berth is full....the season is short here so people make the most of it.


Scarf was wrapped tightly around my neck at this point because although the sun was showing her golden face to us (finally....) the wind was angry about losing some of the dominance she had gained yesterday and so was putting up a good fight.

No trip to Gimli is complete without a stop at the bakery there......it is legendary...and so armed with a lemon meringue pie - still warm and piled high (I am sure it was at least a mile high) with that wonderful topping I drove back to the city and to my daughter's house for the car exchange. I am so glad that I purchased what I did as there was a huge surprise waiting for Eithne....her Daddy had made her a brand new play room, complete with a swing......Scarf did not even see it, as she was quickly forgotten amidst the oooh's and the aaahhh's!!!! Poor Scarf...he/she/it is so hard done by!


And now this Nana is propped up in her bed with her laptop and is going to watch a movie...maybe....or read...maybe....I am so tired, and Sunday comes very soon....Scarf is already waiting in the kitchen hopeing for yet another trip to church tomorrow..we shall see..I do not like going on a Sunday, but I was too tired this evening to even think about trying to listen to a sermon. I tend to fall asleep in them anyway (not because of boredom but because I find it relaxing to sit in church!!) and if I had gone today I would have been sawing logs....Scarf would have been ashamed of me, and that would not have been a pretty picture!

Day 7

I rushed to pack my little bag this morning to head out to Hecla. Bad weather conditions made me want to try and beat the snowfall.......Scarf was a the to of my bag, but if truth be told, even he/she/it was not warm enough for me! The wind was biting....rushing in off of the shores of Lake Winnipeg and nothing had prepared me for how it would feel on the first day of the May Long Weekend - when normally people would be enjoying temperatures of around 20 degrees and busying themselves with some of the great Canadian Long Weekend pursuits......planting the vegetable garden, camping at one of the Provincial Parks, or strutting their stuff at one of the 'poser' beaches (If you are young and 'struttable' that is!!)

Since I had my Granddaughter in the car and she was sleeping in her car seat, I did not get out to take any pictures... this one I loved though...the lone tree in the middle of a prairie field....well, technically this are is called The Interlake so it is the lone tree in the middle of an Interlake Farm field!!It is called the Interlake because it is the area north of Winnipeg which is between Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg..

We are on Hecla Island right now...and driving up here I found that it reminded me of Dungeness...wild and windy! This whole area is known for its Iclandic population, in fact in the area around Gimli, not too far from here, you find the largest Iclandic people group outside of their homeland.Tomorrow - weather permitting, I will go on a History Hike tour through the Village of Hecla and learn something of the people who established the area and have worked for generations to make it what it is today.

But today, I am here for the Spa!!!!
Scarf knows already that I am the ultimate fan of all things Spa like.....so here I am, about to set off for my fisrt foray into the mosaic of mineral pools and baths, steam rooms and nordic dips....all designed to lull me into such a sense of bliss that I will be able to sleep tonight - without my hot water bottle!!! I had already put in an hour in the family pool with my Granddaughter by this time, and really should jump into bed as she has been promised a pancake breakfast and a swim - all by 9 tomorrow morning!! I cannot wait (but mostly because my deep tissue massage begins at ten...I wonder what Scarf will think of that??!!!!)

Day 6

Sometimes a little extra help is needed to make sure one gets going in the 'right direction'. So it was this morning for Scarf and myself as we attempted to find the offices of the moving company that I have hired to do some work for me during the next couple of weeks. Their old and rickety (Please God let this not be a sign of impending incompetence!!) building was in a part of town that I never frequent, so I was really thankful for my friend Tom. I do not read maps (by choice) unless I am on a long road trip and then the only reason for me is to see which village comes next...and so I love this little guy as he directs me in the way I should go. I am leaving my lofty perch above the river on account of "interesting" neighbours, and a very bad heating and cooling system which seems to carry stale smoke from next door into my bedroom....it gets so thick some nights that I get up and sleep elsewhere. So, this is all about to change as I am going into a new suite. Sadly Scarf will not be able to see it as he/she/it will be on the road again by then.

The sun DID come out today, but it was still bitterly cold, so Scarf came with me almost everywhere..including to a funeral this afternoon....well, almost. I left he/she/it out in the car as it was not an appropriate location for a Scarf to be doing "it's thing"! I did let Scarf pose in the car outside of the church.

This is a local Pentecostal church, but its nickname around town is 'the church with the blue roof'....say that and everyone will know the place you are talking about. Of course, from this picture it is impossible to tell why on earth it would be given such a name....

Back to the business of moving.Not all of the furniture in this apartment will be going with me. This green futon belongs to my son and daughter in law and this evening they came to take it back. I was holding it for them and now - in their own new house - they need it. It will be a miracle if Scarf makes it back home in one piece after the way it is being treated here...my granddaughter thinks it is a wonderful thing to have around and so it travels with her as well....and my Sean and Natasha....well - as you can see from this picture...ha, they have no respect for the games mother plays!!!!

I do have a daughter as well....maybe you can 'guess' from this bag what she does with herself during work hours, and maybe, if I am very sneaky and very lucky I will be able to take some photos of her tomorrow as we are going away into the countryside to a Spa together...Erin (my daughter) Eithne (my granddaughter) and me...oh and of course - Scarf. He/she/it will finally be out in nature....
and spending time in and around all the various treatment pools and mmmmmm..oh yes, it is going to be delicious. The weather forecast is promising snow tomorrow, so that is rather sad and miserable..but once we are in the hot pool (which is half indoors and half out) it will not even matter!

Scarf sure has been in church a lot this trip.......Four times so far as I did not mention that I took the Scarf with me to a concert of the Riverwood Singers on Monday evening...one of the ladies in our Book Club sings with that group and so a couple of us went along for the evening, which was held in one of the local Anglican churches. I love the performing arts...in just about every form and so am thrilled whenever I can attend. Winnipeg has a vibrant arts community which I think brings much needed life, hope and inspiration to any community. So many of us are awakened by these expressions of hidden thought...OK OK...I will stop before I get started on one of my 'pontifications' and wish you all a good night from this cold and windy city....
NO.....I will NOT be taking Scarf to bed with me to keep me warm - I have a hot water bottle for that!!!

Day 5

I am sitting upstairs and listening to the wind howl around this building. The windows are rattling and there is a constant roar....All day long the rain fell...I was out and about by 7:30 this morning and already the streets looked like one big swimming pool. The weather has been so bad that any great plans for touring around have been put on hold.

It is not that Scarf has been bored....he/she/it has been keeping my neck warm. The most fun time with Scarf was this morning when I took my granddaughter for a long long walk in the driving rain! We bundled up and here is a look at us....



I do not know for sure what tomorrow will bring (other than more rain)...but Scarf will accompany me....

Day 2

Although it is not a usual occurrence for me to be in church on Sunday - I have been (along with my guest - The Scarf) twice today! My normal habit is to attend church on Saturday evening. Having read the accounts of The Scarfs whereabouts on previous
weekends, I thought it best not to disrupt its schedule and I allowed it/him/her to lead me in the 'way I should go' - at least for this week!

The church I attend is in a city named Steinbach. My family and I used to live there many years ago when it was still a town....it has grown by leaps and bounds but is still the Mennonite Community that it began as. Of course, many other people groups have been added to the mix now - but it is known throughout the rest of the Province and nationally and internationally as "Mennoville". It is a very religious community and there seems to be a church around every corner, and until a couple of months ago it was a "dry" town....but times have changed and you now can purchase a glass of wine without leaving the city limits! Some of the religious attitudes resulted in a lot of rebellion and the community has known its fair share of trouble with teens struggling to free themselves from what they consider extreme repression, but where there has been a good expression of Christianity, life has flourished and I would say that it is a fairly balanced place to be right now..

Scarf lay happily over the chair in front of me waiting for the early morning
service to begin...well, actually waiting for people to wipe the sleep from their
eyes and arrive at the building!!!

I took a longer route home as I wanted to show Scarf some of the fields that still lay under flood water.
Although it is receding, it is taking its own sweet time to disappear...

It was almost noon by the time I returned to the city and Scarf and I certainly felt it was time to sit back so with buttered popcorn and ice tea in hand we wandered into theatre #7 at Grant Park, sat with ten other people in a large room and enjoyed a movie.....Earth
Yes, those are my feet - up on the chair in front of me with my shoes on AND yes, i did take an illegal photograph - for you - in the theatre - on a Sunday as well...goodness.....!

After some afternoon packing of boxes and a visit from my son and daughter-in law I drove over to "their" place for a fire night with their church....what a wonderful ending for Mother's Day. We roasted hotdogs and ate smores....read The Book and discussed John 2...prayed...sat together until the darkness fell, reminding me that 6 would be here before I even had time to shut my eyes if I did not jump into the car and get home! Scarf came in handy there as well and had a good time, although she is (for the moment) rather smoke ridden, and like her wearer, is longing for a shower!

Day 1

A spring day in Winnipeg...I looked outside and all I could see was snow...it filled the sky and it settled on rooftops. Normally I throw open the windows now - but I kept them shut this time...It was so cold.
Thank goodness the Scarf arrived just in time for this Winnipeg Weather setback! I had it wrapped around my neck just about the whole day!

For the last few weeks I have been visiting a friend who has been 'shut-in' because of knee surgery, and this morning was no exception...I arrived at her house with some new (to her) DVDs in the series she is watchingand today's copy of the Local Rag. You should be able to read some of our city and provincial news here.

Something had happened to her PC and so I was commissioned to "sort it" - I think it was Saturday's magic workday anointing that helped me to fiddle with the right wires until the Scarf and I celebrated the victory together.



I knew I had a bit of work waiting for me at home ....so I drove back to the centre of the city..this picture is obviously not taken today...but it is a view of the downtown of Winnipeg.
I live in one of those three buildings - for another couple of weeks...then I am moving. My patch is referred to as Osborne Village - it is a place that is quite sought after by those who have an artistic streak, and it is a hangout for those who consider themselves 'the people to be around!' It is a funny mixture of fun and sadness, rich and poor....and even though there is a lot happening, it is a very lonely place. Each day I go to my local grocery store and there are the same lonely people sitting by themselves at St. Arbucks and the same wealthy people walking by the same beggars who stand by the garbage cans outside of the movie rental store. Obviously, it is like every other city.

Back to my Saturday work!
I iron EVERYTHING. In fact, I love ironing. It is one of the chores I can do without injuring myself and so my iron and I are great friends. I knew I would be going out again in the evening to babysit and so I threw my jacket and The Scarf over a chair and they watched me as I set to the business at hand! My equipment is pretty basic...an iron, a small jug of water (I always use my little red jug - even though I have a variety I could choose from - boring I know!!) and my little spray bottle of lavender linen water that I make myself from French Lavender...I am partial to this variety (you could challenge me on that as there are actually many types of French lavender) for mostly sentimental reasons having spent so much time in the south of that wonderful country. Like many mothers I despair over the lack of ironing done by my offspring...but if that is their greatest fault then really I have nothing to worry about - unless of course, the Queen shows up for a cup of tea!

I finished up and came over to my Granddaughter's house. Her Mummy (my daughter) and Daddy were off to see The Pirates of Penzance and so I was in charge of the before bed time wander through the neighbourhood and then of course - lights out! Here she is...we wandered through puddles and ended up at a local play park...her name is Eithne and I call her "Little Miss She" - with great fondness of course.
She is two years old and she has featured many times in a rather prominent posistion on my blog.

I am now sitting in front of a roaring fire = it is still cold, although later in the day the sun came out and the wind seemed to fade and peace melted over this part of the province. Throughout the day The Scarf was my companion and kept me warm..travelled with me through the mundane but the necessary. Tomorrow will bring its own journey and The Scarf will touch different places and different lives...and it's story will be told..that is half of the fun..the telling of the tale..............

The Package Has Landed

I arrived home after a VERY COLD day - spent helping at a Garage Sale...and on return found my postbox "rather full!"


The package has arrived....
in Winnipeg, the Heart of the Nation.
And more specifically - at my house
up on the twentieth floor apartment which overlooks the river and the Legislative Assembly of our Province.

Tonight - other than to alert you to its new status - the scarf will rest. It is a long journey from Norway....and it is going to need all the strength it can muster to keep up with the antics of the days ahead!