Pentecost 9

Hello Blog Friends!

Here we are nearing the end of July and this week we had two  Day Camps happening-one in Alberta and one in BC. Although, sadly, without our travelling teams I cannot publish “Postcards from Day Camps” but I did hear positive Day 1 reports from both communities with 21 Campers and 12 teen helpers in one camp and 20 Campers, also with 12 teen helpers in the other. As the week has progressed there have been further updates with one Camp reaching 35 campers.Woot! Woot!! Perhaps it will be possible to put together a” Postcards” post after all! I have sent out a plea for photos and some have already arrived from one camp, so watch this space 😊,

 Two coordinators who held camps in the 3rd week of July have responded to the evaluation form and it has been encouraging to read that one camp in Alberta had 60 campers 😊. Both respondants also replied”yes” to the question asking if they would recommend the CTM programs to other churches and communities. YAY!!!   Unfortunately we still seem to be experiencing a fair number of technical problems with the Google Drive platform. I think it is a combination of lack of experience on the part of those receiving the various packages plus lack of communication regarding “sharing” of files. Everyone is being patient and it seems all issues have been resolved. Next year we definitely need a more in depth training session for everyone, which should go a long way in smoothing out problems 😊.

Tuesday I prepared and sent the agenda for next Wednesday’s Day Camp committee meeting, also included was the job list template in preparation for work to begin on next summer’s programming. Then on Wednesday morning Pippa came by to pick up the JYC nametags, which I had completed. She and her family had been stuck in Nova Scotia for an extra day on their drive home, after a brutal storm closed roads due to massive flooding. When they finally made it back to Montreal they were greeted by a flooded basement as a result of the terrible storm we had here a week ago last Thursday. Ugh! Pippa and I reviewed all the nametags to make sure they were correct and then she hurried off to get them laminated. I was glad to tick that task  off my “to-do” list 😊.

That evening I also held an online session with some of the Junior Youth Camp (JYC) staff in order for them to fill out their Police Records Check forms. The meeting went fairly smoothly, now I wait to receive the forms via snail mail after which I still need to fill in the sections that must be completed by the CTM “Responsable” and finally put everything in a big envelope and take it to the post office. Sadly, it is far too late to receive the approval responses from the police department, before camp starts on August 4th, however at least we now have copies of the forms on file.

Other office time has been occupied in sending thank you cards to several  people who have donated towards the JYC food expenses and work has also started on a poster for the autumn “Cook-Along” as well a preliminary draft  outline for the Alumni Advent Study Program and an initial read through of the Creative Connection chapter from the previous iteration of “Signposts” as this is the program we will be using in 2024.

All in all it has been a full week so there hasn’t been much time outside of Day Camps and office but Monday afternoon I tackled the quarterly task of cleaning my pantry shelves and Thursday afternoon I did enjoy a nice FaceTime chat with committee member, Sharon. I was expecting to have an in-person lunch visit today with Emmanuel , a Day Camp Team alumnus with whom I have maintained regular contact. Yesterday he asked if we could postpone to next Thursday , which is okay, however I had already spent time this Thursday afternoon prepping several items (including a crostina for said lunch) to bake yesterday, assuming I wouldn’t have time today  so I had to move ahead and bake  and thus have had to temporarily freeze the crostina as it would not be at it’s best by the end of next week! Sigh, the vaguaries of youth.

In terms of crafting, the blue shawlette has now been blocked and packed away in my Christmas stash and a pair of socks is now on my needles. I also made an autumn bunting as a combined housewarming/birthday gift for my friend Michelle. She will be in Montreal towards the end of August to, once again, settle her eldest daughter at McGill and as her birthday is in August and since the family has just moved house I thought a gift was in order.  

As I do not have to dash off and bake today I’m planning on getting out the sewing machine and making a gift bag for said gift so I will end off here with the crostina recipe.. It being the season for soft fruits, this versatile pastry can be made with any combination you have on hand 😊.

Peach, Plum & Lavender Crostina 

  • Pastry for 1 single piecrust
  • 2 lbs. peaches , plums, nectarines or any combination of soft fruits
  • 1 Tbsp. dried lavender
  • 1/2 cup raw cane sugar
  • 3 Tbsps. tapioca starch
  • 2 Tbsps. butter
  • 1 egg yolk, mixes with 1 Tbsp. water

On a floured surface, roll the pastry out into s 12” round and place on a large, parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill briefly, while making the filling. Combine the sliced fruits, sugar and tapioca starch in a bowl and toss together then pile the mixture in the centre of the pastry, leaving 2” of pastry all around the edge. Fold and crimp the edges up and over the fruit and brush with the egg yolk then dot small pieces of burrer over the fruits. Bake in a preheated 375ºoven for 30 minutes until the fruits are bubbling and the pastry is golden. Allow to cool on the baking sheet before carefully transferring to a serving plate. Serve with whipped cream or cheddar cheese. Serves 2-3 as a main dish or 4-6 for dessert 😊. 

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