Bloody Hell! Or Tail . . .

as the case may be. Poor Cuinn! Last week Ry was bringing the dogs in and shut Cuinn's very long tail in the gate. It looked like it was healing up OK until last night, when it opened up again and he trailed blood everywhere. It looks like an axe murderer was running rampant in here. //sigh// Poor Cuinn, he knew he was doing something wrong but didn't know what it was (and the flaming bandage kept slipping off his tail!).

As of this morning it seems to have stopped bleeding again, I guess I'll be picking up some blood stain removing solvent and a bleach pen today. . .

(1 Sep 05)Edited to add: The tail looks to be healing up nicely, thank goodness, because I can't afford a vet bill right now. I'm still finding blood stains around the house though, it's amazing how far blood can travel when flung at 40mph from the end of a tail. I'll bet a CSI would have a field day in here. //grin//

Who Wants "Joe's Notebook"?

The greyhound group I volunteer with is selling the latest edition of Joe's Notebook for $15 and get to keep all profits. Here's the scoop:

Joe Easingwood, a longtime local radio personality (Victoria, BC, Canada), is again presenting (this is edition 11) his famous notebook which includes recipes for the busy family, hints and tips on everything from setting up a home office to how to clean that plum juice spot out of your clothes, and all kinds of other things. Joe gets his listeners and also his guests, some of whom have written cookbooks or who are head chefs at the more prestigious restaurants, to provide him with recipes, tips, hints, etc. These are carefully chosen and printed in a book.

Charitable organizations are able to purchase the book at a reduced price, and then sell them for the retail price of $15. NCGL is able to purchase books to sell but we have to let them know how many by the middle of September. The books should be available in October, just in time for Christmas shopping. they are great stocking stuffers, or gifts for those hard to buy for people.

If you would like a copy, please contact me by Sept 5 so I can let the group know. Northwest Canadian Greyhound League is a registered non profit dedicated to finding homes for retired racing greyhounds from Canada's only track in Alberta and from the US, they also help greyhound mixes from pounds. My two wonderful lurchers came from this organization. They are completely volunteer run and every cent goes to the dogs.

Fur Flying!

Well, yesterday morning's routine dog business became a lot more exciting for about a minute. That's the time it took for Skye, our little lurcher bitch, to catch a rabbit, bring it to me, decide she would drop it on command, the rabbit to try to escape with a broken back (I think), Cuinn (our big goofy lurcher boy) to investigate, and me to remove the now dead rabbit. //phew// The actually catching of the rabbit took about 1.5 seconds. Skye is fast! I put the rabbit outside the dog area in the brush just in case it was not in fact dead, but had just fainted or something. If it is still there when I get home from work today, we will bury it somewhere.

Owl the (Chicken) Hawk

Here is Selena training her chicken "Owl" to be a hawk.

Well, She's Off

//sigh// My younger, yet taller, sister is officially off to the east coast and 4 years of art school. Mum took her down to the airport this morning for a 1pm flight to Vancouver, then Vancouver to Toronto, Toronto to Halifax, arriving at 130am. Apparently the Victoria to Vancouver was running late and she would miss her connection in Toronto so she was rerouted Victoria to Calgary, Calgary to Ottawa, Ottawa to Halifax, arriving tomorrow morning after an overnight in Ottawa. Yikes! We'll hear more once Niko has actually arrived and recovered enough to log online. Madame Bast, the world's fuzziest cat, was also flying today. Hopefully she will end up on the same flights as Niko and not be too put out at the other end.

I miss her already. I know we will email and blog, etc, like we always have, but I really enjoyed having her in town. What I find funny is that we often say the same thing at the same time. We do that a lot. It drives my kids crazy!

I wandered around upstairs for a while poking through the things she left behind, not the packed stuff, the stuff "up for grabs." Selena took a t-shirt to "remember auntie", Ry took a t-shirt because he needs t-shirts //grin//. Eventually we'll sort through and see what we need to keep, send the rest off to the charity shops, find boxes for the last few items she didn't get boxed, and start sending the important stuff out to the other coast.

I wasn't really sure where to start so I sat in the least cat hair covered chair and ate the ice cream I found in the freezer. Thanks Nik!

New Toy pt 2

I love the new Brother scanner/printer/fax thing we got. It prints about the same speed as my old HP722C but it scans at lightspeed compared to the old Canon. I scanned a huge stack of photos in about 30 min that would have taken hours with the old machine. So far I've only tried 2 of the 6 functions and have been pleased.

Since we don't have a regular phone line I can't try out the fax features yet. I think I may get a land line this fall so Selena can talk to her friends without worrying about running out of minutes. Also, it occured to me the other day (as I was home alone choking on my dinner) that it would be handy in case we even need to call 911. Instead of trying to give directions to our house in the sticks and explaining that we live in North Cowichan and NOT Chemainus (my cell phone number is a Chemainus one for reasons known only to the Rogers rep who signed me up), the emergency people might actually be able to find us on their own.

Misadventures in Dessert

Or as Ryan pointed out "Creme sans Brulee." My plan was to make creme brulee for Niko's going away dinner. It didn't exactly turn out. The custard was OK, the eggs cooked a little but still tasty. The problem was I forgot I don't own a blowtorch so the sugar on the top would not caramelize. //sigh// So we had Creme a la Mode instead. //sigh// Maybe by the time Niko comes back for a visit I will have perfected the technique (and acquired a blowtorch).

A New Toy

I really shouldn't have bought my latest bit of technology but I did. Since I don't get paid until Friday it took a bit of creative borrowing and in the end I owe Ryan some $$. The story behind my purchase is that 1) our computer mouse died the same time as the hard drive, I got a new mouse free when I got the machine fixed. It was wonky and I got many complaints from the game players in the house. 2)XP refuses to recognize my ancient scanner.

So after our visit to the old people we went to Future Shop, found a nice blue & grey optical mouse and decided not to buy one of the 2 scanner models available. Selena picked up some headphones for her Game Boy and Niko got a PSP. Yeah, they liked us at Future Shop today.

Next stop Staples, on the way home. They had 4 whole scanner models availabe. Niko suggested looking at the "all in ones", you know the scanner/printer/fax/copier things. Why not? I spent more than I had planned to (but with 2 rebates it was only $20 more than the cheapest scanner) on a very nice Brother "6 in 1 Multi Function Centre." Very grand sounding name for a scanner/printer/PC fax/Fax/copier/photo capture (it takes camera memory cards). The nice thing is that it has separate ink cartridges - black, cyan, yellow and magenta - so no more buying a whole cartridge when only one colour is out. Of course, if we want to send a fax we still need a land line. Now I have to hook it up and start playing. //grin// Yes, I too am a geek.

Comment Spamming & a Few Changes

At first I didn't realize I had comments disabled on this blog so I changed that a few months ago. A couple of days ago the blog was comment spammed (long advert stuck in the comment field), so I have enabled "word verification" for comments. That way I can still get comments, but have that extra step so only people not computers can leave comments, hopefully anyway //shrug//.

Self Portrait by Selena

I was digging through my photo files for some dog pics I downloaded in the wrong place and found these pics of Selena. Taken sometime last year, she "borrowed" my digital camera and took these pics of herself and her cat. It must have been early 2004, I think, because I got the camera for Christmas 2003 and it's been a while since she had the red/orange stripe in her hair. You can click on them to see bigger views.

Happy Dance! I've Got a Job!

Fatima asked me to stay on at Vinoteca! I'm so happy, I really like it there. The only proviso is that I need to be faster. I'm sure that it won't be a problem to pick up speed again, seeing as I slowed down to match the pace of the kitchen when I first arrived.

So my first official day is Sunday. I have to remember to ask for time off for my graduation ceremony in September. Of course, I totally forgot to ask how many hours she'd have for me, etc, etc. Oh well.

Chicken, Owl or Hawk?

Or all of the above? Since coming home from camp at the Raptor Centre, Selena has being training her chicken (named Owl) how to be a hawk. //sigh// I guess I should have expected that one, since I said she can't have a Harris Hawk until she is older and gets a falconry license.

Poor Owl pecks around the chicken house with a hawk bell on her leg, then Selena goes in to teach her how to sit on her glove and fly off on command. Oddly enough the chicken doesn't seem to mind and is actually learning.

A Couple of Countdowns

3 days - until the end of my work experience.
Fatima has talked about keeping me on at Vinoteca, so I guess I'd better ask her if she meant it. If not, I'll be job searching next week.

1 week (aka 7 days) - until Niko leaves this coast.
Selena wrote it on the calendar as "Sad Day". We will miss her and hopefully can go visit in the spring. We are having a little Farewell Feast on Monday, after we get home from visiting the old people (aka Silvester Grandparents) in Victoria. Must remember to coordinate with Dad & Cat for a visit too.

18 days - until the kids go back to school.
Ryan to grade 11 and Selena to grade 5. Almost time for clothes shopping. That should be fun considering how they have both grown over the summer.

Phew! What a Week!

This week went fast and it seemed like it would never end. We were short one server and one cook because they are sisters and their family went on vacation. Of course, the restaurant has been packed all week!

Fatima and I did lunch to a full house on Wednesday with Ry doing dishes and one server. Thankfully we did so well at lunch that we could be closed for dinner. Thursday was full but we had another cook and another server. Dinner was crazy! Friday there was a wedding rehearsal dinner on a set menu and a few other tables, still packed but not so bad. Saturday and today lunch was packed, Saturday dinner as well, today dinner was slow so I could leave at 1700.

We had our share of interesting customers this week too. Mostly people who showed up for lunch or dinner and couldn't understand why they needed a reservation even though we were full. One couple today complained that every time they come the restaurant is full or closed. Um, make a reservation!

The prize of the week goes to the lady who sent back her salad because it was "rotten". It was overdressed and the leaves had started to wilt and cook a little because the group she was with decided to dawdle tasting wine while their sandwiches sat (she was also the only person to complain, everyone else ate the salad). I sent out a new one with way less dressing, she sent it back again because the lettuce was "moldy". The lettuce in question is a variety of romaine called, oddly enough, "Freckles". It is a bright green with burgundy/brownish spots. We sent some out nekkid so she could see it. She still insisted it was rotten so we gave up. Fatima was really annoyed, she pays $13 a pound for fresh organic salad greens and we don't send out rotten food. //sigh//

I Want to Go to Day Camp!

Selena is off to day camp this week at Pacific Northwest Raptors bird of prey centre. It sounds like so much fun, I wish I could go too.

Ahhh! Happy Feet

One thing I noticed about standing on my feet all day is that when I get home my feet hurt. I didn't notice it so much at school but probably because the kitchen is WAY bigger and I did a lot of walking. The kitchen at Vinoteca could almost fit inside the walk in cooler at school. It's small. So not much walking, more standing.

I think losing a few pounds would help the situation but since that is not going to happen overnight, I splurged and got myself a foot spa. It's a Dr. Scholl's Remote Control foot spa. I had a coupon for Sears and they only had about 4 to choose from. Anyway, my feet love it!

"Where are you now?"

We had our own version of the "can you hear me now?" commercial the other day at the restaurant. Some people phoned for directions because they thought they were lost. They were about 2 minutes away, but it took at least 10 minutes (maybe more) for them to arrive. Here is Fatima's end of the conversation (rd names changed to protect the innocent) "where are you now? Okay, you are almost here, no, don't turn down That Rd, go straight . . . what do you see? No that's not right . . . you didn't turn on That Rd did you? . . . No, I said DON'T turn on That Rd, you are going the wrong way. Turn around. Turn left when you get to the corner. /minutes pass/ No, you need to turn around That Rd doesn't cross Other Rd. /more minutes/ Okay, now when you get to the corner turn left. Left. Yes, that will get you here. I drive that road every day, it will come past here. /pause/. Yes, turn left. No - LEFT! Yes, now go up the hill to the 4 way stop and turn right at Our Rd, we are the first driveway. Are you at the 4 way stop? Good. Oh, yes I can see you from the window. Turn right. /pause/ Where did you go? No, I said turn right, Our Rd only goes right, Another Rd goes to the left. You need to turn around. /pause/ Okay, I see you again, go straight. See the vineyard? The gates are on the left, yes there."

Poor Fatima! She was trying to cook and at the same time hand hold these people who weren't listening, all of us in the kitchen were practically peeing our pants but trying not to laugh out loud. Then when the guests arrived they told their server that the directions had been bad. //sigh//

Something Wrong with This Picture

Even though I was dead tired yesterday I managed to drag myself out of bed to go up to Nanaimo with Mum, Gramma, Niko, and Selena. They were heading for Zellers and I was in need of fleece. Turns out that Zelles doesn't have fabric department anymore. Oh well, they did have a sale on and we got Selena her /whisper/First Bra /end whisper/ for 1/2 price. I did manage to find fleece at Liquidation World (and a few more bras for 'lene).

Anyway, the point of this post is that after that little journey I was even more tired. I slept like a rock last night until Iolaus wanted to go out at 3am. Grr! I got up, stumbled to the door in the dark with my eyes barely open, let him out and stopped by the bathroom on the way back to bed. Fortunately I had the light on when I came out because I looked down and there were 2 cats, not unusual in our house, but one of them was Iolaus. Okay, now I'm awake! Which cat did I let out? After checking everywhere I discovered it was Sorsha, of course, it had to be the all black one. It turned out she didn't go far, just to the end of the walkway but I didn't know that until I'd gone past her and gotten the motion sensor light on. Then I put the right cat out and went back to bed. //sigh//

Long Day's Night

I know I'm quoting it wrong //grin//. Sunday night was the BC Day Gala Dinner at Vinoteca. It was a 9 course wine pairing extravaganza prepared by Jorg Gabler with help from the rest of us kitchen peons. It's a bit of blur, but I remember sending out, not neccessarily in the right order:

• Organic greens with rose petal & lychee dressing (divine!), topped with dried chips of Roma tomato that kept blowing away every time the servers walked outside.


• Green gazpacho soup with creme fraiche.


• Lemongrass braised Salt Spring Island mussels on soft polenta with lemon balm and garlic infused cream - we had problem with all the mussels opening and this course took forever to plate


• Apple braised pork, served with apricots braised in pork stock and preserved kumquats.


• Roasted fig with chocolate sauce, peppercorn goat cheese and crisped pancetta.


• Maple, star anise and brown sugar marinated venison, then grilled and served with fresh beans and yellow zucchini. Holy crap, it tasted like candied venison, so good!!


• Free range duck and rosemary risotto with duck liver and morel mushroom compound butter and a parmesan wafer. The duck was to die for! We all ate the leftovers right out of the pot.


• Peppercorn crusted grilled ahi tuna with some sort of berry sauce. Yum, yum, yum!


• Carmelized apple in phyllo pastry with creme anglais and fresh berries

It was a lot of fun working with Jorg (pronounced Yorg), he is an instructor at the Nanaimo campus of Malaspina and has worked in a lot of interesting places (like the Ocean Pointe in Victoria). What a long day though - 13 hours not including travel time and the stop at 7/11 on the way home (Ryan "needed" some chips).

So, should you you ever go to a Gala dinner or even a big event, please remember the staff have been there a lot longer than you have and tip accordingly. //grin// Seriously, though, planning these things is a long involved process. Fatima and Jorg started in June choosing wines and planning the menu, then Jorg started prepping on Friday and the dinner actually started at 530pm on Sunday evening. Ryan and I were almost the last to leave at 1am Monday morning and there were still dishes to be done.