Wednesday, June 7, 2023

First week of summer break

It's the first full week of my summer break, and I'm trying to concentrate on enjoying myself. I've already done plenty of reading, napping, and hanging out in the garden, and there's still a full month left. I'm trying to soak up every bit of relaxation possible during this pause between jobs, because once I go back to work, I'm going to have a steep learning curve to get over. 

Thanks for all the concern about my finger (see last post). I'm happy to report I still have 10 of them despite my shenanigans with the knife! I never did go to the doctor. It seems to be healing okay, although it's still a pretty awful looking wound. There are no signs of infection, though, which is the main thing. I wash and rebandage it twice a day, and it's coming along better than I expected.  Typing without the use of the one finger is difficult, though. This will probably be a short post!

The little party with my girlfriends went well. We had a load of good food, and I made punch that we mixed with champagne and sipped while sitting on the back porch. There's nothing like spending time catching up with old friends. :)


The Greek pasta salad I suffered (and nearly lost a finger!) for just prior to 
mixing in feta cheese and chopped romaine lettuce. It was delicious, at least!


A very bad picture of really tasty food: ham and Swiss puff pastry roll ups, brushed with lots of butter and sprinkled with sesame seeds. 


Desserts! Chocolate eclair cake made by Martina, pound cake made by me, and strawberries from the farm down the road.



Five Fruit Celebration Punch with cheap champagne for mixing. Yum! Fun!



Fairy lights on the porch after dark.

Oh, and we got a new roof the day before the party. It looks great! The crew did good work and repaired/painted trim in addition to the roof. So we're thousands of dollars poorer now, but our house is in good shape! :) It's going to take diligent saving for the rest of this year (at least) to make up for such a big expense, but at least we're happy with it. 

So that's been my first week of summer break! I hope you all are well, and I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone.

31 comments:

  1. I hope that your finger is healing nicely- I still get weak in the knees thinking about it.
    You definitely know how to have an excellent party, YUM! Take naps, loads of them, it is like taking a little vacation!

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    1. I get a little weak in the knees looking at it when I clean it and change the bandage....

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  2. All that food looks so delicious! I'll have a big helping of everything! Glad your finger is healing cleanly.

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    1. There was so much Greek pasta salad that I've made lunches of the leftovers all week. :)

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  3. I am glad your finger has remained securely attached to your hand. It looks like an awfully nice party, and the finger food looks great. (See what I did there?)

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  4. Happy that your finger is intact and the party was a success. Happy gardening.

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    1. The garden is growing like mad, I'll share pictures of its progress soon.

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  5. I'm glad that your finger is healing up well; make sure that you have full range of motion with it. Hands are tricky since we need them for so much! I want some of that Greek salad and the eclair cake. I'm off to look up a recipe!

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    1. I could share the recipe for the salad if you'd like. It was fairly simple: the dressing was just olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, and salt.

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  6. I am glad to hear you have all your fingers. The party food looks delicious. My new roof will be scheduled in August, the first appointment available and it will take 4 or 5 days of work.

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    1. Good luck with Bounce during the installation (unless you're leaving home with him while the work goes on). George was okay after a while, but Poppy trembled and stayed at my side all day long because of the scary noises.

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  7. Gosh, you really put on a great spread. It all looks superb.

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    1. We also had spicy hummus with tiny pita breads, courtesy of Marla. I didn't get a picture of that, but it was delicious!

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  8. All the food looks delicious, but my favourite are the ham roll-ups! I love a glass or three of nice, well-chilled fruit punch with champagne. We usually make a peach "bowl" (that's what we call it) with dry white wine and sparkling wine for my Mum's birthday. It is totally refreshing... and goes straight to your head :-D
    Good to know your finger is healing well. You are right about getting as much out of your break as you can, since the start of the new job will be demanding.

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    1. I would love to have your recipe for a peach bowl! Will you share it with me?

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    2. Sure!
      For a really BIG peach bowl (think: birthday party with at least 10 people), you need one bottle of dry white wine, two bottles of sparkling wine or champagne, and two cans of peach, in halves or dices.
      Leave the pieces of peach overnight in a smaller bowl in the fridge, fill up with white wine and some (not all) of the juice from the tin. (If you intend to have the bowl in the evening, it is enough to get this started in the morning.)
      Then, shortly before serving, put the peaches and mixture in a larger bowl and fill up with the rest of the white wine. Last, add the sparkling wine.
      Needless to say, everything should be well chilled. While the bowl is out of the fridge for serving, it should be kept on a bed of crushed ice or some other cooling device.
      Enjoy! (Works with strawberries, too, and I imagine mango would be great, but have never tried it.)

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    3. Thank you! That sounds delicious!

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  9. That party food! I don’t know what you’re talking about. Those puff pastry roll-ups are beautiful. Happy HAPPY summer break.

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    1. Thank you, Mitchell! I hope you're doing okay today. xx

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  10. I'm very glad to hear your finger is healing! That sounds like a really nice gettogether with friends and food. Keep enjoying that break! Well deserved! -Jenn

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    1. The finger has a long way to go, but at least it seems to be knitting back up.

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  11. That food looks so tasty! I am glad your finger is on the mend. Enjoy your summer days as they go by ever so quickly. And enjoy looking at your new roof!

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    1. Every time I think about my bank account and want to cry, I'll go out and look at the roof! :)

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  12. Sounds like all is going just as it should. Rest and enjoy, heal and enjoy some more.

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    1. I'm trying to pack as much fun and relaxation as possible into these few precious weeks!

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  13. Great Header! I've got also a finger problem - no wound or infection; but some kind of numbness - probably a matter of the ulnar nerve. So far, no change.

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    1. I had the beginning of an ulnar nerve problem in my right hand earlier this year...too much typing at work, I expect. Luckily it seems better at the moment!

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  14. The chocolate eclair cake, boy do I want to put my head in that x

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  15. Glad your finger is healing nicely. Your girl's party looks like it was lots of fun.

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  16. glad your finger is better...the food made me hungry.

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