The week in review

It has been an up and down week with Lee a little under the weather. The dogs managed the house for a couple of days while Ken and Tom continued The Project. Downstairs the hall is finally complete and almost back together. The stairwell is pretty much done and the upstairs hall is underway - amid paint cans and artwork that has been dispossessed. New oil tanks were added to the property - thanks to Tank Xperts - as The Project expanded. By Friday, Lee was much improved and work was underway to prepare for the busy week end ahead. Soup for the ATA Sanction Matches on Sunday was finished and stored, paperwork was moved forward and income tax organization was begun. Then Saturday arrived - a party day for the women while Ken had the sad task of attending a friend's funeral. He was off early and Chantelle and Lee departed late morning. A group, comprised of long time friends, got together at Margot's for a cooking course. We are very fortunate to have discovered Kelly Taylor's professional life (highly qualified chef) as we enjoyed her friendship after purchasing her Regalridge Airedale. Since food has been a common thread in holding many of our parties we all decided that, provided Kelly was in agreement, we would hire her to offer a one day course at Margot's - this time with a Valentine's theme. There is little question that the neighbours were jolted by the laughter that poured through the walls on this cold Saturday in January. It was an amazing learning experience - Dawn showed us her egg separation trick (who knew!), Chantelle displayed her rare chocolate moving skills, Margaret and Lee sliced grape tomatoes without losing digits and Cheryl ensured they were positioned perfectly on their roasting tray. Margaret offered a 'show and tell' with her garlic machine, while Kelly taught us yet another use for the microplane - Lee Valley rules! We discussed reductions, salts, oils and chocolates, learned how to trim a whole tenderloin (what an art and one that is now manageable) and reconstituted mushrooms while being taught the method of straining the priceless liquid. Of course, the molten cakes were a highlight and aside from Margot's questionable ramekin buttering skills we looked forward to that part of the meal, every one of us with the intention of recreating this dessert at home. Dawn has committed to the bruschetta through the show season and may even try risotto once more since she has gone through the step by step process with Kelly (likening her first attempt to wall paper paste she quickly understood the error of her ways). Wine flowed freely and Crockett and Zeus kept a close eye on the proceedings while Dover occasionally surfaced, wondering where Margot had disappeared. When we sat down at Margot's lovely table, the meal was all we had hoped for. From the sauce to the complex flavours of the risotto, the perfectly prepared asparagus to the molten chocolate cakes with the best ice cream any of us had ever tasted, it was a fabulous experience and one that we hope we may be able to again schedule as winter progresses. We highly recommend Kelly if any of you are thinking of an activity - days don't get a lot better than this.

The dogs are well and keeping warm in the kennel. With the cold has come a reduced activity level. Kirby is content to assist in the daily inside kennel chores and is marching up and down the inside run area supervising the cleaning and replacement of water buckets and the changing of the blankets. Sophie is eating well and enjoying her time in the exercise yard interspersed with time inside watching the kennel activity. Liard has joined us for a few days as has Ruff, both seasoned inhabitants and happy to move along with the routines.

The house dogs are doing well. Patti is happy, eating her potion and keeping everyone in line. Sophie is eating very well (although never from a dish - that simply isn't done) and the little characters are barrelling around telling everyone what is happening and how it might be improved. Einstein is settled for the winter in his bed on Lee's desk - watching the birds eat underneath the chestnut tree and snoozing the days away. Finding Lee unwell for a couple of days was an added bonus in his books as he moved between the upstairs bedroom and his regular perch. It takes very little to keep a cat happy.

And tomorrow is another day . . .