Cooler weather brings out the baker in me

I love to spend Sunday afternoons baking, especially with Fall and Winter approaching. Last Sunday I spent the afternoon making "Orange Buns". Even though they took hours to make, allowing for the "risings", they were very good.

Reading is . . .

my escape, my passion, my companion during this illness.

I have recently discovered Historical fiction and now I can't seem to read it fast enough.

I'm currently reading "The Queen's Fool" by Philippa Gregory. This is a captivating book told from Hannah Green’s perspective, a young Jewish girl who flees Spain with her father to escape persecution and lands in England. She is a seer and is sought after during the troubled times for the Tudor court. This is the third book by Philippa Gregory that I have read and I highly recommend them. She is becoming one of my favourite authors.

A Sea of Graduates

A picture taken from my Daughter's June 2008 Graduation ceremony.

"This above all: to thine own self be true" Hamlet quote (Act I, Sc. III).

We just returned from a mini vacation to Stratford, Ontario where we spent much of the entire time at the Shakespeare Theatre, oh, and um, shopping of course. This year's headliners are Christopher Plummer, who is playing Caesar in "Caesar and Cleopatra", and Brian Dennehy who is playing the King of France in "All's Well That Ends Well"

We spent the first morning taking a backstage tour of the Theatre. Wonderful time!! We saw where all the costumes and props are made, the rehearsal halls, the dressing rooms, the sound and lighting booths and got to wander around the stage and empty theatre.

Next we went across town to the warehouse where the costumes for the past 60 years are stored. 88,000 square feet of costumes and props, aisle after aisle of wonderful "stuff". For a much clearer picture, click on it to see it full size.







The next afternoon, we went and saw the performance of Hamlet. We all enjoyed it immensely. We're already planning a trip back next year to see Midsummer's Night Dream, Julius Caesar and Macbeth.

We did find time to wander around this very charming little town and found a wonderful book store that had the most awesome prices! When we left "The Book Vault", we left with a box of books, not a bag!

Even though it was a very short trip, it has done me the world of good to get away for a couple days and try to forget about everything that is not so well in my life right now. I feel much more re-charged now to face whatever comes my way.