It has been full week around here. Despite being quite confined due to the current lockdown and curfew there has been lots of work to keep me busy.
Monday Mae Anne and I had a productive FaceTime meeting looking at all the documents that will need to go into the Team Leader’s Folder for Day Camps 2021. As mentioned previously we feel it necessary to continue preparing for both in-person Programs and a Virtual Experience plus transitioning away from a “Travelling Team” model means revising many of our documents to reflect the changes and to hopefully meet the needs of those in host communities who will be taking on leadership roles.
Tuesday Christopher and I also FaceTimed and talked both about Day Camps programming as well as about his work teaching in Winnipeg at the University of Manitoba. That afternoon the monthly Diocesan Council Meeting took place (on Zoom of course 😊) and that resulted in 9 pages of handwritten notes, which needed to be transcribed, over the next few days, into intelligible minutes.
Meanwhile during morning office time I set up the Minutes template for the Board Meeting, happening tomorrow and sent out the meeting documents to the members.
Since the Day Camp Committee meets on Monday that agenda and documents also needed to be distributed. There are always some extra work related issues to deal with, like sending E-Transfer payments for the CTM Insurance Policy and other invoices.
Thursday evening Jessica and I ate dinner “together” over Skype and discussed everything from snow shovelling and knitting to Theology and (of course) Day Camps. Jessica has completed the final version of the 2021 Program Manual “Follow the Leader” as we had to go back into the already completed document, originally intended to roll out in summer 2020, and do some adjustments to reflect the shift from Travelling Teams. Sigh.
All week I have continued to spend a bit of time in the late afternoons doing hand sewing as the issue of my broken sewing machine remains unresolved. There are always bits and pieces of mending to do and with changing the decorations Thomason needed some new seasonal bandanas! The seasonal masks I’m sewing for myself are coming along and I’m trying not to think about the fact that I could have made 4 of them in one afternoon on the machine and that I’m now into the 6th afternoon hand sewing them. I really do enjoy hand sewing but it is sort of like enjoying being alone- it is one thing when one has chosen to do it and another when one imposed upon!
Lastly, on the handwork list, I have almost completed the winter slipper socks I desperately need. In the autumn I regretfully had to dispose of some cosy slippers Victoria sent me about 8 years ago as they were truly worn out and it is way too cold in the house in January to go around in stocking feet so I’ll be super happy when this pair is completed!
As we are now in the middle of a nasty snowstorm I had better close of this post and tackle some more shovelling. The neighbour who rents my driveway is a TV news announcer and so needs to go to the television studio despite lockdown so I must keep the drive as clear as possible so she can easily get in and out.
This week I made a tasty Roasted Root Vegetable Soup, VERY suitable for January in northern climes. Here is the recipe: –
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 lb. each parsnips, carrots and pumpkin, peel and coarsely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsps. olive oil
- 1 tsp. each turmeric, ground ginger, coarse salt & Herbes de Province
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 7 cups vegetable stock
- 2/3 cup whole milk
Arrange all the vegetables on a large parchment lined baking sheet and roast in a 400º oven for 30-40 minutes until just tender. Transfer to a soup pot, add the spices, herbs and stock and simmer for an additional 20 minutes. Cool slightly then purée in a blender or food processor. Return to a clean pot and stir in the milk. Heat gently until ready to serve. Makes 4-6 generous servings. Freezes well.