Pentecost 9
Hello Blog Friends!
It has been a very full week around here. Last Saturday afternoon my friend Anna, and her 10year-old son, Elijah, arrived on the train from Halifax NS, for a five-day stay, leaving, late in the day, on Wednesday; thus, all my work revolved around various comings and goings and the preparation of meals. I love planning and preparing special meals and, as this trip held some difficult circumstances for my friends, I really wanted all the food to be extra nice and they were both most appreciative!
Meanwhile, all the work of Day Camps and general office tasks needed to run smoothly. As of today, the staff of CTM’s sleep-away camp have arrived at Cedar Lodge and, tomorrow, the Campers will join them. Right up until yesterday, three of the staff were still having issues submitting their Police Records Checks! Two of the younger staff seemed incapable of filling in forms but, with a lot of help from various adults, they finally submitted all but one of their documents, which is syupposed to0 be dropped off, here, tomorrow! The third records check issue was harder to deal with since the staff member lives in Ontario, was applying online to the Provincial Police, and required an official letter from CTM requesting a records check. After typing out two separate versions of the letter, I think she was able to attach it and submit her form Sigh.
Thursday, my workday was inverted as Jillian, Victor and Amelia came just after 9am so that Victor could finally have his tutorial on how to make Kombucha. He is currently on vacation and will soon go on parental leave, as Jillian’s baby is due in less than one week. We started by having a snack of iced lattés, Tea Cake and Cheddar, then launched into the complexities of Kombucha brewing.
Late Wednesday evening, I had managed to finish sewing the extremely complicated diaper bag Jillian chose as my gift and I surprised her with it just before they were leaving. She was really pleased and has promised to send me a photo after she has packed it ready for the trip to the hospital.
Thursday evening was also our monthly Day Camp committee meeting. We welcomed a guest, in the person of Ruth Lee, who is considering possibly joining the committee (I hope we didn’t put her off!!). We had some really useful discussions and heard, firsthand, from Jeff, how the Day Camp is going this week at his church. Tomorrow,they will vbe holding a closing worship gathering at their morning Service We also looked at plans for all the Autumn activities and I was able to update everyone on who has volunteered to help with various tasks and events and later today, I’ll be sending more of this info to the committee.
Yesterday was also a sort of upside-down work day as Victoria and her three sons (my Godsons) came for brunch. They had spent the last week in Newfoundland and, as she had left her car at the Montreal Airport so they were able to stop by for a visit before driving back to Ottawa. We enjoyed a vegetable frittata with sourdough English Muffins, followed by a Date and Orange Loaf and slices of melon. After I sent them on their way, Thomason went for an extra walk and then I put in a few more hours on the computer, ending the afternoon by doing some prep for today’s Bake.
This morning began with laundering my sheets, so I could hang them over the deck railings to dry in the sun. Next came a garden whiffle, in the excessively dry and dusty flowerbeds. It is becoming increasingly depressing to watch everything wilting as we have not had any rain in more than 10 days, which, combined which extremely high temperatures, has been a recipe for drooping plants and yellowed grass. Now, I’m established in the kitchen with plans to make hamburger buns, dog biscuits, a pan of granola and a zucchini loaf.
Victoria and the boys brought me a bag of special coffee beans, roasted in Nfld. and a lovely pair of earrings made from a stone only found in Labrador (and very fittingly, called “Labradorite!!). This afternoon I’m going to make a fresh batch of cold brew with some of the beans. Yay!
So, it is time to close off with our recipe. While Anna and Elijah were here, I made a batch of Lemon-Lime Ice Cream, simple to pull together and so refreshing on a hot day!
Lemon- Lime Ice Cream
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon and 1 lime
About 1 hour before making the ice cream, chill a stainless-steel bowl and beaters in the freezer. When you are ready, place the sugar, juices and zest in the chilled bowl and stir well, until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the cream and begin to beat, first on low speed and gradually increasing, until the cream holds stiff peaks. Using a wide spatula, transfer the mixture to a glass or ceramic loaf pan, cover tightly, and freeze for several hours, until firm and scoopable. Serves 6