Hello Blog Friends!
I had thought about delaying this post until later, so as to be able to report on today’s High Tea Party but decided it would be best to talk about that next week, as enough has happened over the past week to fill this post!
Let’s see what needs highlighting!
Monday, I spent a lot of time trying (unsuccessfully) to access the one, outstanding Records Check application, as the applicant had shared it in Google Docs but was not responding to my requests for access. I also put together a draft template of the Junior Youth Camp nametags and sent it to the directors for their approval. Other office work included putting together the draft of the CTM annual report for the 2025 Synod Convening Circular, and sending it to our President for review.
On the side, I wasted a lot of time attempting to access my online account for School Taxation. I tried on 2 different browsers and, by Wednesday had resorted to email correspondence (probably with AI), sending screen shots of the problem section on the website and receiving additional advice, none of which helped, sigh.
That same morning, I got up extra early in order to mow the lawns and get to office work before Sarah came for brunch, followed by a second tutorial, for her, on how to use a sewing machine. She managed to successfully hem a pair of scrubs (she is a nurse!) and left me with the more complex alteration of a summer dress that was beyond “beginner” capabilities.
The Wednesday Words blog post about the Service Project Day Camp is still stalled, due to my only having received photos and no reflections from either the host church or the team from FFBCM. It may be necessary to simply wait until the end of August and publish one comprehensive post giving snapshots of all the Day Camps that happened over this summer. It still seems to make sense to have a separate post about the Promised Church camp so that we can also highlight the experiment of creating a collaborative Service Project in order to make this camp possible.
Thursday’s work time was largely devoted to contacting all people who have been suggested as editors of the 2026 manual or to be involved in other areas of program preparations. Some are more likely to respond to texts, while others prefer emails or in person invitations. It will take a while to fill all the spots on our “Job Sheet”, which is why I’m delighted to be tackling in July and not in September!
Yesterday, after wrapping up various loose ends, my attention turned to the upcoming High Tea, taking place at 4:30 this afternoon. Committee member, Christopher and his wife Fabienne have visited me on a couple of occasions, including a Spanish Inquisition but I have not yet had the privilege of meeting their one-year-old daughter, Elenora, as, during the academic year, the family lives in Nfld. (where Christopher teaches at Memorial University). On top of all the potential chaos when combining a visiting toddler with Thomason, female members of the family have multiple food allergies, which have provided level of challenge in planning a Tea menu!
Thus, both yesterday and today have included some “outside the box” food preparations. I’m not totally satisfied with the final menu, but have done my best!
Right now, it is time to set the table and gird my loins for the fray! Check out next week’s post to see how the saga unfolds.
But, before I hit the “publish” button, here is a super tasty Asian salad recipe, which makes a great supper on a sticky July evening!
Summer Roll Noodle Salad
- 4oz. fine Udon noodles
- 8oz. cooked shrimp, (thawed if frozen)
- 1½cups tightly packed mixed herb leaves (such as cilantro & mint)
- ⅔ cup roasted and salted peanuts
- 1½cups shredded carrots (about 3 carrots)
- 1 cup micro greens
- 2 handfuls baby lettuce leaves
Dressing:-
- 1Thai chile, thinly sliced
- 2 to 3 limes, juiced and zested
- ¾cup peanut butter
- 2Tbsps..okonomiyaki sauce
- 1Tbsp. freshly grated garlic
- 1Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
- 1Tbsp maple syrup
- 1Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1Tbsp. fish sauce
Cook the noodles, rinse with cold water and set aside, to drain well. In a large serving bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients, whisk well, adding a little cold water to achieve a thick but pourable consistency. Remove ½ cup to use for drizzling. Add the noodles, vegetables, herbs and shrimp to the dressing and toss evenly with a wide spatula. Drizzle with remaining dressing and sprinkle with a few more herb leaves, serve immediately. Serves 4