Hello everyone..Sorry I haven't been in blog mode the past week or so...just too many things on the go and...and I have had the dreaded cold. It is now on its way out, which is a good thing. So wasn't it an awesome day outside today? The sun was up and shining and we were outside a little after ten. I hauled up the hoses and sprinklers from the garden finally..We had a little frost last night, thus it was time.
I spent over three hours in my garden and did a lot,but it still needs lots of homework. I don't know if the alf- alpha weeds came from the manure or the straw,but holy christopher! The roots are longer than a parsnip and had to be half dug out to get them out of the ground. Lets just say it was rather back breaking and there are still more,all integrated with my strawberry plants which I would like to try to salvage, since I planted them new last year. 2008,technically will be the year that I get the best strawberries
...if they are purged of weeds!After my back couldn't take it anymore, I came up for a pop and then progressed to the Walnut trees. Surprisingly, they both looked like the past...initially, many walnuts,and then it looks like there are hardly any.. I am sure that last year, the whiskey jacks and squirrels hauled off most of them. Things are different this year...we have NUTS! Yea!.. Morgan suggested to use the pruner to waggle the tree limbs and that is what did. Kabonk! Off the nogan a few times, but the the nuts in their pods came down like a bad a hail storm. Then it was a task to shuck them of their husks,and pick up all the nuts.
More backbreaking as I stomped and picked and then finally cleaned up the mess and the leaves..seems as tho the leaves and nuts fall at the same time! I amassed one nearly full bucket of lovely walnuts. Our first real nut harvest! Hmmm...lets see, once they are cracked open, I'll be lucky to have a sandwhich bag full of the nuts! Can you believe that the tree has been growing there for well over ten years,and this is the first real crop!
We headed for the hot-tub, once the nuts were picked up. Emil had mowed the lawn and the two of us had sore backs by this time. We opened up the hot-tub and climbed in for a half hour. It felt very good! Oh yes, I forgot to mention that in the process of shaking the trees, I was stung by a badassed wasp on the inside of my upper arm. You should see it now...swollen and red down to my elbow. Where he stung me, it was inflamed with a little bubble of yuchy stuff.
I didn't see any stinger, but picked away at it anyhow and put on some polysopporan. I think I'll try some aloe vera cream before bed.
Tonight,thanks to Chris and Carolyne for an early Xmas present, we forayed into the city for the grand wine tasting event at the Grand hotel... How very cool. The entire first floor of the hotel was transformed into the wine master's dream come true... In every room, and every nook and cranny, there were representatives from probably every Okanagan winery, plus a few from the Napa valley and Trail's ne and only. In addition to probably over a hundred wine reps,with not less than five kinds of wine each,there was also the best selection of appies and deserts in every room.
Now get this , they even had the kitchen opened as one of the wine gallies..so here you could watch the chef prepare appetizers such as ,spring rolls,skewered chicken, mushroom tarts, deep fried prawns in a crunchy batter. Lets just say, the food was extraordinary ... breaded oysters, filet minon chunks, in wine and served with a peppercorn sauce...then there were the scallops in butter and lemon..YUM....and at the other end of the hotel, in the banquet room, a chef was frying up giant tiger prawns... By 9:00, I was too full to eat those, but Emil had a couple.
Allen's gourmet chocolates had a chocolate fountain that you could dip fresh sticks of pineapple or fresh strawberries into.. Follow that with a fresh made truffle or a piece of chocolate coated ginger.! The hotel spared nothing, because the food kept on being cooked and served at every little station until we left at 10:00. By then the empty wine bottles were stacked up in tubs and bins by the dozens and again, if you never got your fill of wine, it was your own fault. All the while, servers walked around, offering delectables from their trays. I was full after the first hour.!
Emil sampled loads of wine, but we both agreed the best was one red Foch from the winery in Kelowna called
House of Roses it had won 8 awards and when you sipped it, you could see why...No bitter aftertaste, not too sweet and it flowed over your pallet as smooth as ever. I even had a taste and quite loved it...now if all red wines were as wonderful, I could graduate into red wine! I did taste a few whites and then went to H20..I was the DD, so I was good!
Ok...nighty night...My back is still giving me some hell, asking for horizontal...Love ya all!
"The Creator"
