Here we are on the weekend that would have marked the end of Day Camps 2020. This Saturday usually sees a couple of the Teams travelling home, or even already back in Montreal and others still in their host communities preparing to lead their final Closing Worship Gatherings, but things are so different this summer.
Instead, this past week we published the final Terrific Tuesday post and it is still very hard to know how many children actually participated as there has not been much feedback from communities, which is rather discouraging.
Next week I hope to send out a simple survey to all recent host communities asking them to comment on several possible scenarios that the Day Camp Committee has formulated and hope to roll out for next summer. No one knows what things will look like for summer 2021 so it is extremely difficult to work on planning but we do believe it is important to explore new ideas and new ways of presenting the CTM Day Camp Program. I really hope we are able to solicit some feedback otherwise we all feel as if we are working in a vacuum!
After getting the TT post out on Monday much of the rest of the week has been spent fine tuning the survey and drafting an accompanying email on the subject as well as meeting (virtually!) with committee members to share ideas. I have also been looking at some of the supporting documents such as the Community Application and the Planners to see how they can best be modified for 2021. Next week I’m going to be meeting with at least one other committee member to continue working on this process.
Outside of office hours I managed to design and sew a Birthday Crown for my eldest Godson, William who will be turning 11 (!!!!) in a couple of weeks and, of course, to continue sewing masks, which I guess will be an on-going task for the foreseeable future.
I also cast on a second “stripy” shawl and have made good progress with that project.
Early in the week Québec was in the path of a hurricane. Fortunately it had been downgraded to tropical storm before reaching Montreal but we still experienced a couple of days with torrential rains and high winds so needless to say I was not able to tend my garden! Now the sunshine is back I’ve been able to get outside and clear up the mess of downed branches etc. and have also been trying to eradicate a huge number of giant toadstools that have sprung up overnight among my flowerbeds. UGH!!!
I would have liked to do some baking today but my fridge is looking very bare since the organic grocer on which I rely for the majority of my supplies has been closed for the past two weeks and will not reopen until next Tuesday. They needed to give the employees a bit of a break after they have worked tirelessly the past 5 months under very difficult pandemic conditions and the store also plans to be open to the public for a few hours each day rather than only filling pick-up or delivery orders, which is all they have done since last March. It will be good to be able to enter the store again although I expect to continue for the present to rely mostly on pick up orders.
Well, even if I cannot bake I do have lunch to pull together so we had better end off here with our weekly recipe.
During the hot weather I’ve often enjoyed Summer Rolls and last evening made these with a cashew and tahini dip. Yum!
Veggie Summer Rolls
- 16-20 rice paper wraps
- 1 large zucchini, spiralised
- 1 large carrot, grated
- ½ green pepper, finely chopped
- 1 head green leaf lettuce
- 4oz. fine udon noodles, cooked and cooled
- ¾ cup loosely packed fresh mint
- 1 avocado, thinly sliced
Cashew Tahini Dipping Sauce
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- 2 Tbsps. sesame oil
- ¼ cup tamari
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
- 1 Tbsp. sriracha
- 2 Tbsps. lime juice
- 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger
- 1 clove chopped garlic
Place all the dip ingredients in a blend or food processor and puree.Set aside in small bowl.
To make the summer rolls, fill a shallow pie dish with cool water. One at a time, dip 2 rice paper wrappers in the water for about 20 seconds each, shake off the excess water and lay them on clean work surface overlapping them by about one third, forming a flat oval. Lay a single lettuce leaf in the center of the overlapped wrappers. Assemble a small quantity of each ingredient on top on the lettuce, forming a log shape. Now starting at the tip of the oval roll gently but firmly, folding in the side edges to make a neat bundle. Place wraps on a platter. Serve immediately, accompanied with the dip. The summer rolls can be made a couple of hours ahead of time, covered with damp paper towels and refrigerated until ready to serve. Makes approximately 8-10 rolls.