More Bookish Thoughts...

I've sorely neglected my book reviews over the past few months but here are a couple of highly recommended reads:

In "A Spot of Bother," the follow-up to Mark Haddon's "The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Nighttime," protagonist George Hall becomes convinced that his eczema is actually cancer.  He launches into a psychological tailspin while trying to channel a host of other problems: his daughter, Katie, is raising a toddler and is engaged to the unlikable Ray, his wife, Jean, is having an affair with George's co-worker and his son, Jamie, has been dumped by his boyfriend.  Haddon does an amazing job of getting into the head of each character, intimately describing Jean's waffling over her affair, Katie's overwhelmed state as a single mother and George's depression.  The book is hilariously odd but also touching and it leaves the reader with a genuine sympathy for poor George.

I can't claim to be a big mystery enthusiast but Em recommended this book after I got my "28 on the 28th" Virgo tattoo.  It describes a murder case in which a female's severed limbs and head are found in a locked bathroom by two admirers: Hayakawa, a collector of tattoo skins, and Matsushita, the lovestruck brother of a Detective.  Two subsequent murders add intrigue to the plot and impel the investigators to enlist the services of Kamizu, the "Boy Genius."  Kamizu analyzes the deaths, interviews the prime suspects and quietly but impressively solves the case.  The book is quite a page-turner, not only because of its suspense but also because it incorporates the Japanese traditions of myth and superstition, ritual, and familial relationships.  The author, Takagi, is apparently Japan's most acclaimed mystery writer and I can see why!  

Sticky and Sweet

 

Talk about the chance of a lifetime!  Way back in June, Mel got us tickets to the Madonna concert in Vancouver.  Madonna had never played in Vancouver before and perhaps never will again; although amazing, she is 50 years old and who knows how much longer she'll want to tour. Anyways, Thursday night in front of 55,000 people at BCE Place, she put on an incredible performance complete with eight costume changes, scores of dancers and blinding light shows. Most of the music was off her newest album, Hard Candy, but she did hit some of the old favourites like "Vogue" and "Like a Prayer."  Okay, so she was obviously lip-synching, she pretended to play the guitar and, from where we were sitting, she was about the size of a bic lighter but just being in the same room as her was exciting enough!  I'll continue to be her #1 fan...along with millions of others, that is.     

28 on 08/28/08!

I had a terrific "champagne birthday" yesterday.  Jean, Holly and I went for a nice walk, which started and ended at Coles Bay in West Saanich.  The rain even held off so we got to enjoy our picnic outdoors instead of in the car!  In the afternoon, Jean took me shopping along Oak Bay Ave and bought me a couple of shirts to go along with my other presents, which included this extension to our favourite game (yes, I was feeling spoiled!).   

We had also commissioned Anita Doornekamp, Mom's talented colleague, to draw us this artichoke.  She finished it in time for my birthday and we're thrilled with it; it adds so nicely to our growing collection. 

Dan's pencil sketch (2005)

David Blackwood (2007)

In the late afternoon, we dropped by Mom and Dad's as Dad is in town for the weekend.  Then we went for dinner at Stage, a stylish and delicious tapas-style restaurant on Gladstone that was very reminiscent of Jamie Kennedy's wine bar.  Definitely one of the best birthdays yet!

Mid-Summer Highlights

Aside from the rain and 16 degree temperature today, we've managed to enjoy the late July/early August sun.  A couple weeks ago, Jean, Holly and I took a walk through Gordon Head, which culminated at Glencoe Cove/Kwatsech Park.  It's a lovely, accessible beach area with high rocks, arbutus trees and lots of greenery.

Of course, we've also been making trips up Anderson Hill with the dogs, often before enjoying an al fresco dinner in Mom's garden.  It's so nice to make a meal of easy, fresh food: bread, cheese, smoked salmon, fruit, salads and our favourite frozen yogurt "ice cream" sandwiches!

Back to Baking

It was great to do some baking last week as I'd been feeling very out of practice!  I made the cakes for Marcy and Elizabeth's retirement party, which took place last Friday at Cedar Hill Golf Course.  I think everyone had a fun evening; the cakes definitely got a good reception.  The wacky cake is such an easy classic and the pound cake speaks for itself - it has never disappointed in all the times we've made it: MJ's birthday, Karan and Mario's wedding, our wedding, ML's birthday, ML and Fred's 40th anniversary...the list goes on!  Here's the recipe courtesy of Regan Daley's In the Sweet Kitchen:

1 1/2 cups blanched almonds, lightly toasted

3 cups + 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

4 ounces marzipan, room temperature

6 large eggs, room temperature

2 tsp. almond extract

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 cup Amaretto

1/4 cup apricot or orange brandy

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cake flour

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup sour cream

2/3 cup dried apricots, chopped (unsulphured are best)

Preheat oven to 325.  Thoroughly grease and flour a 10" tube pan.  Process the almonds and 3T sugar in a food processor until finely ground.  Set aside.

Cream the butter with the remaining sugar until mixture is fluffy and pale.  Add the marzipan and cream until well blended.  Add eggs two at a time, beating after each addition.  Beat in the extracts, the Amaretto and the brandy.  Fold in the ground almonds.

Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the creamed batter in three additions, alternating with the sour cream and ending with the dry ingredients.  Fold in the dried apricots and scrape batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until a wooden skewer comes clean and the cake is starting to pull away from the sides of the pan.  Cool the cake on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a thin-bladed knife or a palate knife around the edge of the cake and the center tube.  Invert the cake onto a wire rack.  Allow cake to cool completely before serving or storing.  It keeps well at room temperature for 4 days or can be wrapped and frozen for up to 2 months.

Serves 20-30

Pound cake

All three

Dairy-free chocolate

Camping With The Cormies

We had a lovely weekend with our faithful hiking partners!  Jean and I made it to Qualicum Beach early Saturday afternoon and, after consolidating our gear into one very full car, we headed up to Elk Falls Provincial Park with John and Rosemary.  We claimed our campsite and then hiked to the falls on a pretty, forested trail that wound through land owned by BC Hydro. The falls themselves were quite an amazing sight:

We were more than ready to relax when we got back so we had dinner and settled down for the night; at least we tried to...the bachelor party next door made it a little difficult!

Sunday morning we took the ferry over to Quadra Island and found a very nice privately owned campsite in Heriot Bay near Rebecca Spit.  We were looking to do a day hike and I had wanted to check out the Maud Island trail but after half a day of wandering logging roads in search of the trailhead, we gave up!  That was a little disappointing but we ended up walking around Morte Lake in the afternoon, which provided great scenery as well.  Jean even got her swim in while John and I did the hour loop around the lake.

A little lost...

In the evening, we took a walk to Rebecca Spit and enjoyed the views of the Mainland:

We didn't go too far as we wanted to save the Rebecca Spit trail for the next morning.  It was a great way to end our trip - an easy, leisurely walk partially through the woods and partially on the beach.  

There's still so much more to see and do on the Island but I think we all had a great time exploring some new places in some perfect summer weather.  I know Holly did!

More bookish thoughts...

It takes an especially talented author to produce work that captures the interest and the imagination of both adults and children.  Books by James Heriott and Roald Dahl usually fall into the "young adult" category but, despite pushing 30, I immensely enjoyed my two latest reads: "Dog Stories" and "The Wonderful Tale of Henry Sugar and Six More."

I loved Roald Dahl books as a child but I recently realized that I still haven't read a lot of his work. This book contains a wonderful collection of stories, offering a clever mix of fantasy and reality. There's the young boy who rescues and talks to a giant sea turtle, the plowman who discovers an incredible buried treasure, the cunning

 hitchhiker who pick-pockets faster than the eye can see, and the wealthy man who learns how to read playing cards face-down.  In addition to memorable characters and fantastic plots, this book also contains the story of how Roald Dahl became a writer, as well as a copy of the very first nonfiction story he wrote for the Saturday Evening Post. 

Herriot's collection of fifty short stories perfectly captures the unique personality of every dog and highlights the quirkiness of many pet owners.  Herriot begins with a fairly long and amusing introduction about how he became a vet before going on to share the most memorable anecdotes from his Yorkshire practice in the 1930s.  He tells of "Judy the nurse dog," who cares for all the barnyard animals; of abused or abandoned dogs who find new and loving homes; and of dogs who contract distemper or leptospirosis, fatal diseases against which vets now routinely inoculate.  It's a volume containing humour, heartbreak and fascinating veterinary history.    

Before and After

So long, ugly peach and blue!  After three days of rain delays, our house finally has a new look; talk about a facelift!  We love our new paint job and we're thrilled to no longer be the neighbourhood eyesore.  

The before...

    

And after!
         

The Big 3-0!

Happy Birthday Jean!  We had a lovely time celebrating both a birthday and a belated anniversary at Sooke Harbour House.  After a routine Saturday morning of chores and errands, we headed out to the Inn and arrived at around 3pm.  The woman at the front desk showed us to the "Underwater Orchard," a room containing oceanic artwork, a fireplace and a soaker tub (on the deck).  The staff includes so many little touches, too: a plate of cookies and truffles, a bottle of port, a birthday card and even treats and a bed for Holly!   

   After settling in, we went for a walk along Whiffin Spit and then took in some of the art work and the gift shop before dinner.  Not surprisingly, we had an amazing meal.  Jean ordered the chicken broth with morel mushrooms, chives and day lily oil; the rosemary roasted pork tenderloin and the hazelnut chocolate parfait with cherry compote.  I chose the salad with garden greens, blossoms and cherry vinaigrette and a whole Dungeness Crab with seasonal vegetables!  Need I say more?

   Before we left this morning, we took a tour of the garden with one of four full-time and two part-time gardeners.  We got to sample a huge variety of edible plants and flowers and got lots of inspiration for our own garden.  What a great way to celebrate - we're already planning to go back for MY 30th!

                                                                  our (well, mostly Holly's!) couch   

 

the painted floor of our room

 

 bathroom sink

 

   

edible gardens   

    

 view from our tub 

Growing up fast

Jean had a great time visiting our niece and nephew (and their parents!) at the end of May. Josephina has certainly developed her own little personality at two-and-a-half and baby Andrea is already approaching five months!

We also joined in the celebration of Quinn's second birthday over the weekend.  Happy Birthday Quinn!

How does your garden grow?

I was so excited to see our first Iris blooming! Mom gave us a bunch of rhizomes last year but I wasn't sure any of them would come up.  I hope we get some purple ones too, though the yellow is different.

Our raspberries seem to be growing well, as do our herbs - we have enough rosemary, chives, oregano and sage for the entire neighbourhood! Jean just planted some more vegetables: fennel, leeks and squash to go along with our carrots, beans, snap peas, lettuce and kale.  Of course, the row of carrots that she planted are sprouting nicely; the row I planted has yet to show signs of life.  Go figure! 

Some bookish thoughts...

 I currently count Ian McEwan among my favourite novelists so I was excited to read his latest work, On Chesil Beach.  Above all, this book highlights McEwan's genius at manipulating language; the sentences flow seamlessly and vividly capture the points of view of both protagonists.  The short novel does lack in plot development but it's not meant to be an action-packed book.  

McEwan describes a couple on their wedding night. The pair were born at WWII's conclusion and grew up during the decline of the British Empire. Florence and Edward come from different backgrounds but both are trying to depart from the norms they experienced as children. Both know what they think they want from life, but neither can truly understand the other's aims. This lack of understanding becomes clear as each character muses on the consummation of marriage. Florence has never had a person to share intimacies with; she feels wholly alone but disgusted at the thought of what is to come. Edward, however, has come to the conclusion that marriage leads automatically to connubial bliss. 

I enjoyed this book a lot; it emphasizes the need for open communication but also cherishes solitary pursuits and dreams. I wouldn't recommend the novel as a first exposure to McEwan but if you're already a fan, it won't disappoint. Besides, how bad can 166 pages be? 

 I read The Girls by Lori Lansens a couple of months ago but, now that I have a blog, I feel compelled to contribute to its publicity!  The book presents the fictional autobiography of the world’s “oldest surviving craniopagus twins.” Rose and Ruby Darlen, born in the blacked-out aftermath of a tornado, are joined at the head; they share a common blood supply and can never be separated. Abandoned by their birth mother, they get adopted by a delighted nurse, Lovey Darlen and her husband Stash. As the twins' thirtieth birthday approaches, the bookish Rose decides to fulfill a fifteen-year-old promise and write her life story. She invites her “somewhat lazy” sister Ruby to write a few chapters as well, though they agree not to read each others’ work. The result is a captivating, tender story of identity, attachment, and love....plus, it comes from Canada! 

Spring at last!

Finally some nice weather after the record-breaking cold of April and early May!  I had Ian in my charge today so I took him and Holly up to Anderson Hill where we met their pals Daisy, Lily and Poppy.  So many border collies; I had to make sure I took the right one home!  At least Holly was easily recognized...

First Anniversary

I can hardly believe that Jean and I celebrated our first anniversary yesterday.  It's fun to look at the pictures and to remember the lovely day we had despite all the stressful planning and preparation that went into it.  Good thing it was last year, though; this year we would have all been wearing toques outside!