There's nothing nicer than a outdoor summer party, particularly when it finally stops raining as it did for the afternoon one day last week.
Surrounded by magnificent flowers and sunlight.
Seems that I was amongst my two favourite things to blog about: flowers...
...and food. I just love potluck al fresco.
I couldn't help but be inspired by my last two posts. Seeing so much fish, I just had to start painting them. Here's one on a creamer.
I painted a bunch of different fishies on this 8", four-sided vase.
Here are a few 10" tall vases that are kind of fun.
I really like the shape of this bowl, measuring 12" x 6.5". Nice fish too.
Richard and my "staycation" last week included a lunch out in Cornwall to Ye Old English Fish 'N Chip Shop in Cornwall, Ontario, about a 30 minute drive south of here. It doesn't look like much from the outside...
...or the inside for that matter.
But you know it's the real thing when the waitress has a British accent and they offer a choice of white and malt vinegar for the chips.
And they make their own coleslaw on the spot. I had never seen this contraption before...a large cake mixer with a grater attached to the top of it.
We had the special of the day: Alaskan Whitefish and 6 breaded shrimp with chips for $7.25. It was really fantastic.
Richard and I decided to try grilling red snapper and found a nice recipe in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything cookbook.
Fire should be medium-hot. Brush on additional marinade and sprinkle rosemary on fish as it cooks. Grill roughly 5 minutes per side. Check for doneness by peering along the central bone with a thin bladed knife. Fish should be white and flaky.
I served it with roasted potato wedges and freshly steamed peas and beans from the garden.
Last week I dropped in on Fran who got two new kittens. Here's little Bridget.
The other little doll is Amanda. They both played and slept and cuddled and chewed.
Is there anything better in the world than a kitten...or two?
These artist trading cards will be traded at today's ATC meet in Dunvegan. I tried to remember lots of little things from when I was younger...and then draw them as if I WERE younger. Kinda fun.
My little neighbour turned ten yesterday. Although her name is spelled "Aaron" and not "Erin," she is definitely a "she" and loves all things pink.
This big strawberry is in almost as rough shape as the last one I added to my big things list. It's in East Hawkesbury, Ontario at another pick-your-own strawberry place. This one is bigger and has a happy face. Cute.
Richard and I spent yesterday at the Lachute Flea Market, the best flea market ever! We have taken an annual trek there for several years now. It is packed with everything imaginable. But no trip to the market would be complete without a stop for poutine on the way home. This place was on Hwy. 148 outide of Lachute and we waited FOREVER for the food. But I saw the fries being made fresh and they were crispy outside and soft inside! And the guy did 2 layers of fries and curds. Yum. 
Richard is on vacation! So that means this week he tears out an old cupboard...
...to reveal rotten drywall.
So he had to take out the cupboard.
And then the drywall.
And then of course, you have to go into the ceiling to get out old insulation.
Are we having fun yet?
When I read Jen's blog I had to laugh because we've both chosen the same summer read. My version of the book has the original cover and not the Meryl Streep/Amy Adams movie images on it, but I'm sure the guts of the book are exactly the same. Happy reading!
After picking berries at the strawberry place, I noticed a wagon full of coloured, wooden baskets and more stacked up behind the wagon, likely waiting for the professional pickers to use later on in the day.
Coming home from the strawberry fields, I inadvertently put a basket of berries on the roof of Richard's car (to get another basket out of the back seat) and noted the colour similarity. An artful day, eh?
My tiny lily garden is amazing this year. It all started with these yellow ones which were not wanted by their owner once the blooms had faded. I popped them into the ground and after five years, they've about tripled in size.
I got these burnt orange ones last year and they're just fabulous.
These pink ones have never bloomed before. I have two plants, one snapped off during a spring storm. But this plant decided this was the year to bloom. Lovely.
I found this "big thing" in Lancaster, Ontario about a half hour from my house. This giant strawberry is in need of a new paint job. But it does makes a good companion with the giant blueberry I saw in Oxford, Nova Scotia some years back. Now all I need is a giant raspberry and I'll have one, big fruit salad.
The Phoebe nest in the barn has a vacancy sign on it. These little guys fledged a few days ago and now it's pretty quiet out back -- their mama is no longer yelling at them, urging them to get going.
Meanwhile, there are bigger things flying around in Mississauga. 
My friend Ron sent me these amazing photos taken from his office.
The windows have reflective glass so the Red-Tailed Hawks can't see you on the other side.
Amazing to be so close to these regal birds. Thanks for the photos Ron!
On Saturday I helped organize the annual book sale for the Glengarry Pioneer Museum, which was to be our last and to go out with a bang. Music! Beer! Books!
We had big plans and thousands of books.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature didn't get an invitation to the party so she rained on our parade.
But book buyers are a tough bunch and a little rain wasn't going to stop them from getting a good bargain.
My friend Julie and her daughter Shauna came prepared with a large umbrella.
Some of our musicians braved the rain until a huge thunderstorm rolled in and everyone ran for cover.
Meanwhile, others stayed dry in the old Greenfield Hall where there was more reading material offered.
At the front door, Flora and her helper Barbara were selling Flora's homemade pies for $2 a slice. (I had a slab of butterscotch pie --yum-o!)
When we got home, to put up our tired feet, another storm rolled in but this time it hailed like crazy!
I froze a bag of this amazing hail to put in our drinks on some hot night.
The better part of the folowing day was spent in Richard's gazebo drinking mojitos. And yes, it was a lovely, partly cloudy, but mostly sunny, DRY day, darn it!