Cherry Blossoms and Wind Storms

I did a little painting over the weekend for a friend's baby girl...

Cherry blossoms!  Even though most of the cherry blossoms are long gone around here, they're my favourite part of spring. It's like the crocus up north -- when they bloom, spring has officially arrived.

We made a quick pit-stop to Island View Beach on our way out to Cam's parents' for dinner last night. The 70km/hr winds knocked out power (and trees!) in the area. But these windsurfers couldn't be happier!

As for dinner -- we had a great time eating by candle light. Thank god for gas stoves and fireplaces!

All By Myself....

"Don't wanna be, all by myself
Anymore..."

So Cam's been outta town since Wednesday. I must admit it's been GREAT having the place all to myself. I'm one of those gals that doesn't mind entertaining herself. Plus Jersey was happy to have me all to himself. Though he does get a bit clingy.

Anyway, while Cam's off doing some kind of bike fitting course (paid for by his work!) in Seattle, I've been putting in some good rides. I thoroughly enjoy having the iPhone along to snap quick pics.

Please excuse the filthy bar tape. White bar tape is more of a curse than a great fashion statement.

I cruised on out to the flying field, and wished I had Dad along since he's such an avid flyer! One guy was flying his plane straight up in the air, then stalling it and doing these crazy spirals back down.

No, these guys weren't flying planes. Since I was already in the countryside, I decided to stop by and visit my favourite old pals.

On another ride, I visited the Centre of the Universe... which just happens to be at the top of one helluva climb. But the view from the peak is well worth it:

See that wee house down there? Don't let it fool ya, that house is a MANSION.

But of course, all this time hasn't been spent spinning my wheels. I'm in the midst of finishing a painting for a friend. Deadline is Sunday... but I'm not posting pics of it 'til it's done!

So long for now... if everything goes to plan, Cam should arrive home late tonight. I don't envy him the very rainy ferry ride :)

Buzz Cut

It's a goat!

Moo, it's a dairy cow!

Wait a second, it's a lion!

It's JERSEY?!?

A grumpy, sheared sheep of a Jersey.

At least he came back from the vet well accessorized!

Riding, Banana Pies, and Fluff

It was a pretty quiet weekend here in Victoria – we both spent a good chunk of our weekend riding,

and when we weren’t riding, it was cleanup or making wonderful things to eat. Like this delightful banana peanut-butter cream pie. I didn’t have all the ingredients on hand for Jill's recipe. So I did some hunting online and found a recipe that was do-able with the minimal supplies we had on hand.

This pie lasted all of two days in our house!

Crust: Graham Crackers + butter

Peanut Butter filling:
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter (do not use old-fashioned or freshly ground)

2/3 cup chilled heavy whipping cream

Chocolate shavings 
 
Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and powdered sugar in medium bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla, then peanut butter. Beat cream in another medium bowl until firm peaks form. Fold large spoonful of whipped cream into peanut mixture to loosen, then fold in remaining cream in 2 additions. Place sliced bananas in one layer on the graham cracker crumb crust. Spread peanut butter layer evenly over sliced bananas. Chill at least 3 hours. DO AHEAD Can be made 8 hours ahead. Keep chilled.


Thinly slice remaining banana on diagonal. Toss with remaining 1 tablespoon orange juice, then pat dry with paper towels. Arrange banana slices around top edge of pie. Sprinkle chocolate shavings over bananas, if desired, and serve.
 
 
 
 

I’ve also been working on my first quilt, and it’s going well. It was a daunting task in the beginning, but surprisingly the quilt wasn’t as hard as I thought it’d be in comparison to some of the other projects I’ve made! This is the stage in which I'm figuring out how to lay out the pattern:

 

 

And Jersey, well, he had a great weekend too.

He’s been shedding a lot, and leaves clumps of fur EVERYWHERE. I even find clumps of fur on the floor at work because they hitch in on my pant legs.

Jersey, it's time for a shave... mwha ha ha haaaa

Panorama-rama

Here's a quick panorama photo from my ride yesterday out along Martindale Rd. The sun came out from behind some ominous clouds and lit up the whole countryside. I'm so lucky I get to ride here, even if it was a chilly 10 degrees. (Those of you in Whitehorse would probably disagree with "chilly.")

There are more photos to come from this weekend! I'm working on a quilt (my first.... eeeee!) and Cam's got a hill climb race tomorrow morning. So there shall be lots to document. I'm also inspired to make a banana-peanut butter cream pie... yum.......

I must also plug this great new blog I discovered. It combines cycling and fashion in Copenhagen, where everyone rides a bike.

Hot Cross Good Friday

The weather was cross with us today! A raging storm brought 80km/hr winds that threw boats around and knocked down trees.

Then the power went out for four hours.

But when it came back on, I was ready to make some hot cross buns. Since we didn't have any raisins, I used cranberries instead, and they taste just as good (if not better).

Some actual buns in the oven.

They looked so goooooodd coming out.... but they needed the final flourish...

Voila!

Now let's see how long these stick around for. They might make it until Sunday... but knowing how certain people around here have second, third, and sometimes fourth dinners, this is doubtful.

On a very sad side note, Eva  passed away last weekend. She worked tirelessly to raise awareness about cystic fibrosis and promote the importance of organ donation. Be sure to catch her documentary, 65_Red Roses, on CBC's The Passionate Eye.