Feeling Hot Hot Hot!

OMG its been soo hot this Summer so far.  With temperatures reaching 40* with humidity.  That's too hot for us delicate English flowers.  Well Small is okay because he has Indian skin apparently.  When he was born the nurse asked me if his father was an Indian (Asian).  Of course not but who knows what our heritage has in it!

Anyway, Huffle got the pool up and running in order for us to get in and cool down.  However, it got a hole in it as big as a football and him and Small mended it, and now our ladder has a pair of crocs on it helping to stop future holes.  We also have a deep end, well a dip that we fall into every now and then.

it's a dirty job but someone's got to do it

Noodle Boy

SPLASHHHH

JUMPPP

Trying to get some peace.  He calls it Lilo Banter time

Peace Interrupted

Underwater

We have been to a Blue Jays game which they didn't win but it was still good.  it gave us a chance to have a wander around Toronto while we got hungry and found a new place to eat which was very nice.

All of us got invited to a party which consisted of a magic show.  The party organiser, MrsWiggle, knew the boys liked to dabble in magic and got them up on stage to help with the Lady Magician.  it was very entertaining and the desserts afterwards were amazing.

The boys had the piano recital.  Small played Bohemian Rhapsody which was very long and Smallest played Eye of the Tiger.  Both played really well.  they have come on such a long way since the days of me writing the notes on their fingers.  I'm really quite jealous.  I might have to have lessons myself.

Reports came home just before Smallest finished school and just after Small finished his exams.  Both had very high marks.  Both are very pleased to now have a full two months off.

There has been an awful lot of football practices, games and refereeing.  Smallest has just finished a weeks worth of football camp where he went everyday 9am-4pm for four days.  He has two blisters that are now infected and getting some Mummy treatment with the help of our local pharmacist.  He walks like an old man and we keep losing him because we forget he can't walk as fast as us!  His team are now in Ottawa playing in a tournament.  to be honest we wouldn't have gone anyway seeing as it's a mere seven hours drive away, despite the fact our poor little bear can't even walk let alone kick a ball and run!

Small's games are getting very violent.  Already he has been headbutted and the goalie has broken his arm!!" 

On the subject of football, one of Smallest's coaches disappeared for about ten days.  No contact, no nothing, just walked off and was found 2 hours drive away ten days later.  He is under care (not sure what that means) but good that he is safe and well(ish).  Must have been terrible for his family and it certainly upset my sleep though I did dream he came back (premonition?) but his wife had a beard (didn't come true as I saw her the other day ha!).

Strawberry picking is always a huge deal in our house.  Unfortunately we chose the hottest day of the year to pick, but we got a tractor ride to the right field and back and picked a hefty amount which we made into 23 jars of jam, ate with scones made by Huffle and saved lots for the rest of the week.

Huffles Homemade scones

We all attended an Open Gardens West of Toronto where one of the women I garden with lives.  I acted as a Garden Ambassador for her garden while the Huffle and the Boys went to some of the other gardens finding lemonade and cookies and walking to the beach.  It was really hot and after listening to a talk from JM, we went for a lovely pizza nearby.

Speak No...., Hear No....,  See No.....

The vegetable garden has started producing rhubarb, lettuce, beans and courgettes so far but the rest is looking very fruitful.  Small started picking red currants this weekend and the raspberries are starting to turn red.

Our flower garden is looking very healthy and has loved the big rains, cooler start and now high humidity of the season.  Our shrubs and trees are loving the sun and everything is very showy!

The school's Spring Fair had us setting up our Jar game again which brought in a lot of money for the school funds.  Everyone that won a sticker, had to add it to Smallest's face (don't know why!).

 We went to the Peony Festival for the first time.  Lots of plants, too many people and a very hot day!  Not too hot for the silly antics of our boys though!

 Smalest lost his tooth during a football practice and despite his mouth pouring with blood, the coaches made him play on!  He got more money though as it was a big double!

Small has continued his gardening job with Frenchie and we took a brief moment to chill out on her hammock.  He is also working at The Greenhouse once a week doing jobs none of us want to like emptying wheelbarrows and pots and filling beds with soil etc.  He has been working on a Saturday morning but now he is off from school he goes in with me on a Tuesday, but he gets paid!  His other income is still from his refereeing which is about once a week at the moment.

 DonNoQuotey has finally sold his house and has left the Hamlet.  He blew me a kiss as he left but shrugged when I asked where he was going!  He's not gone far though as he was spotted driving past earlier today.  The new people are not moving in but going to do work to it.   They have been in and out all weekend doing little buts and bobs.  Very interesting.  We have named them temporarily DonSon as they are Koreans and we know nothing about them yet.

how many men does it take to load an old half of a car?

In a months time we will be in England for our holidays (and a wedding).  Wahoo

LizzieDotDot's five days

A long time ago, LizzieDotDot decided she was coming for a visit.   Once Miss4 was old enough to be left, LizzieDotDot’s hubby booked her a ticket for her Birthday.  We had been ticking off the days and finally she arrived last Saturday late evening when Small and I collected her from the airport.  We took the UK bunting with us and waved it in her direction, not that she was looking in our way.

We took her home where she emptied her case of ‘randoms and orange smarties’, we had a cup of tea and all went to bed.  Poor LizzieDotDot didn’t get a lot of sleep due to the time difference.

The following day, Sunday, Smallest made us pancakes (Small went off to work at the greenhouse) and we had a leisurely morning until Small came home and we went off to the Gourmet Truck Food Frenzy.  There we sampled Curries, Tornado Potatoes and MacDonalds coffee (yuk).  We didn’t like the dessert/ice cream selections so popped to the local supermarket, grabbed a cornetto each and headed for the harbour for a small walk on the beach.

That evening, Huffle, LizzieDotDot and I went on the train to watch FlorenceandtheMachine.  It was an amazing concert, outdoors in the sunshine (until it got dark).  We danced and sang and had a fabulous time.

On Monday, LDD and I went to the local Conservation Area and fed the chickadees, laughed at the squirrels and chipmunks and saw a raccoon.  We walked down to the beach stopping to feed birds and take photos before settling by the lake in the sunshine and eating our picnic.  It was lovely.  We walked back, through a bit of a swamp and went and fed the birds again.

On Tuesday we decided to go into Toronto on the train again and wandered StLawrenceMarket.  We stopped for a mid morning pastry, a coffee and a facetime with Miss4.  Next we walked to the DistilliaryDistrict where we perused shops, had a massive sandwich, a gorgeous coffee and took silly photos.  Then we went and looked at various sculptures around the city.  We finished Toronto with a wander round the harbour and a Gelato before getting back on the train and getting back in time to collect Smallest from his football game while Huffle watched Small’s game.

On Wednesday, as the weather was warning of rain and storms, we had a food shopping morning where I introduced LDD to Walmart and Dollarama.  In the afternoon we went for a lovely long forest walk before collecting Small from his mowing job.

On Thursday, LizzieDotDots last full day, I made the decision to drive to Niagara.  It was a long 2.5 hour drive but eventually we got there and went to see the Whirlpool where we met an old resident who told us about the catch pool that caught dead bodies!! And various other local information.  We drove, stopping for views, to the car park and walked through the amusement part of Niagara.  Noisy, bright lights, lots of people and then gardens and views of the American Falls where we watched the zipliners.

We had our packed lunch watching people feed a fat furry squirrel and picking the tulips (naughty) for the photos!  We walked to the falls taking photos and trying to get out of people’s way.  One man asked us to move (not very politely) so we stayed just that little bit longer.

We visited a few tat shops and then drove to the Botanic Gardens for a lovely walk in the sunshine amongst the many flowers. 

Next we drove to Niagara-on-the-lake whee we had a lovely pub meal and a wander along the shop Lined  streets.  We left to drive home around 6:30pm but my sat nag decided to take me a really silly way and it took us forever to get back.  However we did see a great view of the Toronto skyline.

The following morning we had to get up at 5am in order to get LDD to the airport in time for her flight home.  I had a fabulous time with her.

Her flight was on time but she had to land in Montreal due to a passenger medical emergency.  She got back about two hours later than originally scheduled but her family were waiting.  I bet they missed her.

Back to normal routine for me.  I managed to get through the rest of the day with just one tiny little snooze early afternoon.

Great visit.