A Country Summer...

Good Evening everyone.. 

How are you?  

So happy to get back to chat with you all again.. 

It is a lovely day here in New Brunswick.. 

Quite hot, actually but another fresh breeze out amongst the apple trees.. 

I sit here with the door wide open and listening to it.. 

Terry has gone to the races with a friend so it is a great time for me to check in with you all.. 

Hope you are enjoying the summer as much as we...

Been out and about.. But still at home here and the farm, too.. 

This first part of the post will be farm pics.. 

Up above is a pic of some of my plants at the farm.. 

I have taken a lot of them out there because they grow so well.. 

I have learned from previous summers that the old house must be the perfect light because they seem to thrive so much better then here.  

Or perhaps it is the country air.. smile.. 

This is a pic of a new teepee for my Scarlet Runners that Terry made.. 

This pic was taken a week ago and we noticed yesterday that they are half way up the birch posts now.. 

We have had some very warm days and they are growing so quickly.. 

I am loving having to pick lavender each time we go.. 

And Chamomile... 

I just tie up the lavender in a bunch and hang it till next time out when it is dry.. 

And dry the Chamomile on a paper towel on the table in front of the window.. 

I am hoping to have quite a bit by the end of summer..

A meal we had there one day..  

Basic Steak and Mushrooms and chopped garlic scapes... 

A few books ...

These have  been grabbing my attention lately.. 

Some new to me baskets that I found at the Thrift store.. 

They are all great for gathering herbs or a bit of swiss chard and such.

And...

My dear sweet poppies came back at the farm.. 

They are here and there in the garden and are two hues this year instead of one.. 

A few even found their way into my Lavender bed... 

You girls who follow the blog probably remember my little poppy story from the other year.. smile.. 

They bring me such joy every summer now that they are back after being absent for so many years.. 

Another little pic that I put on Instagram one day. 

All in all the farm days are lovely but short.. 

We are late getting there and late coming home.. 

We have still to stay.. 

This past week I went to P. E. I. with my sweet friend Janelle.. 

We had a welcoming committee of one.. grin.. 

He belonged to this sweet shop in Victoria by the Sea...

Here are a few pics from our little trip.. 

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We visited Brackley Beach and the gardens and food were wonderful.. 

I, unfortunately had a return of Vertigo and had to return home a bit earlier then we planned but we had a couple of lovely days.. 

Janelle's daughter Hannah was so gracious to put her Momma and I up for a night.. She is such a dear girl.. 

But as always it is good to get home..

 I did up a bunch of strawberries the other week.. 

They did not seem as plentiful as other years due to a large amount of rain earlier, I think.. 

Was really happy to get some put in the freezer and such.. 

Well my luvs... 

This is all for this time.. 

Not much happening yet I guess.. 

Our beans are a couple of inches long so I will be canning next week, I imagine.. 

How is your summer going and what have you been busy doing? 

I notice on Instagram that you girls south of the border have been pickling and canning for weeks while we still are waiting on our gardens.. smile.. 

Oh well.. 

All in due time..  

So nice to chat with you all and I do look forward to hearing from you if you have the time..

Hugs..

Enjoy your Sabbath tomorrow.. 

xo

A Prince Edward Island visit and culinary experience..

Hello dear hearts.. 

So glad you dropped by..

I have finally made it here.. smile.. 

Better late then never, I hope.. smile.. 

Today's post is about a lovely little event I attended in beautiful Prince Edward Island.. 

We had some company up from Arkansas for a few days and then they travelled on to the Island.. 

They invited me to join them in a culinary class on Wednesday.. 

Oh yeah!

Terry and I were up and about and headed out around six o'clock in the morning.. 

It only takes us an hour and a half to make it to the Confederation Bridge..  

It was such a beautiful morning... 

We drove northward through such lovely farmlands and quaint little villages.. 

And in about a half hour we arrived in New London just on time at this lovely building.. 

An old United Church.. 

Our friends were there and ready for our class.. 

The men along with Charlie headed out for their own adventure.  

Us gals went inside.... 

Oh my... Isn't it lovely! 

It is called... The Table... 

You girls who follow the blog know my love for antique or vintage dishes and they are featured everywhere.. 

Tea was being served to those who were early enough to enjoy... 

We wandered around admiring the decor... 

Remnants of the church were featured here and there.. 

Altar chairs and pews amongst them.. 

I loved the window frames with old plates.. 

And antique love seats and wing back chairs here and there.. 

The ceiling has been stripped away and it is just so lofty and airy.. 

This was the belfry.. 

On centre stage was the glorious old table set with eclectic place settings..

China, candlesticks, goblets and cutlery.. 

Cloth napkins and napkin rings each different from the other made it so lovely..  

Only eighteen places... 

And one was mine.. smile.. 

I was just so excited! 

Then at the back..

The kitchen... 

An old antique hutch was repurposed for an island... 

I wish I had taken a pic but it was green.. (my fave colour)

There on the counter top was our first task... 

Each person was to have a hands on experience by helping with each dish.. 

We seasoned the chicken and made the stuffing.. 

We each had our own individual cutting boards, knives, peeler and veggies.. 

The chef who was trained in the culinary school in Charlottetown taught us some neat knife skills and peeling and chopping tips.. 

We did potatoes, carrots and onion.. 

We made biscuits and cake and they were put in the oven.. 

We learned a method of stacking the biscuit dough to create layers in the biscuit and each helped with the rolling and mixing of the cake batter.. 

Then we moved on to making Cod Fish Cakes.. 

Glazed the carrots and mixed up baked beans... 

Also some turnip was piped into cones and baked in the oven.. 

I loved this way to store and display kitchen tools.. 

And spices.. 

The views out of the window were gorgeous!

We chatted among ourselves and met folks from the U. S. A. 

Becky learned that one couple had a cottage home in the same area as her parents and another couple from two different states had a common friend.. 

Such a small world we live in.. 

Very soon all was ready and we took our places.. 

All eighteen of us.. 

Just beautiful!!..

I so love a pretty table... 

Don't you?  

First course..

Cod Fish Cakes decorated with Johnny Jump Ups.. 

I like their peppery flavour ... 

Salted Cod Fish was used for the fishcakes along with mashed potatoes and onion.. 

The biscuits were tasty... 

Roast Chicken, turnip, stuffing, glazed carrots and baked beans.. 

Then the dessert!! 

Simply delicious!

During the lunch a dear girl shared her knowledge of 

Lucy Maud Montgomery author of the Anne of Green Gables books.. 

I had such fun and would recommend it to anyone who loves the kitchen.. grin.. 

They also serve eighteen guests each night during summer.. 

Different menus and different guests each night.

Here is their link.. 

THE TABLE ...

I am thankful to have had such an enjoyable experience.. 

I was telling Shonda that I was so excited that I just kept smiling and then I noticed Christine (owner) taking pics of everyone and I thought she probably wondered ....... grin.. 

They will be emailing us more pics and recipes soon... 

I will be smiling in every picture.. lol... 

Neat though,  eh! 

I thought I would share the rest of our day with you... 

We bid our friends farewell and headed for New Brunswick.. 

We noticed some chickens on someone' s lawn.. 

Terry knows how well I love Victoria by the Sea so we decided to at least have a peek in on our way home.. 

It was as beautiful as ever.. 

Little streets filled with colourful shops and homes.. 

I love the Book Store above.. 

It was just a quick trip around town a couple of times enjoying each street... 

Looking at their gardens and such.. 

Then back to the harbour... 

We pulled over to the side and put our windows down.. 

The wind was blowing, the Lupins were dancing in the breezes 

and the waves were calling our names.. 

smile.. 

We laid our heads back and just relaxed for a half hour.

A boat was coming into harbour..

The sea air was just so enchanting!  

I wish I could buy a candle that smelled like that...  

We arrived home around six o'clock... 

Only twelve hours and all that enjoyment.. 

But still... 

There is no place like home... 

Thank you, Lord.... 

Well, that is it for today my friends.. 

Will share more with you again.. 

Probably some farm journals quite soon.. 

We had coffee with our friends today on their homeward journey to Arkansas.. 

May God give them safe travels... 

And may God bless and keep you sweet ladies.. 

I look forward to hearing from you all and have a great Lord's Day tomorrow!

Hugs..