It was one of those very hot days where even the birds were either sitting dazed on the lawn or flying about, back and forth, through the lattice on the deck, probably wondering why the bird bath was empty (I felt so bad that I had forgotten to fill it this morning before traipsing off to the fleamarket). And it was so hot that I forgot to take pictures at the market of all the great things I found but did not buy ( you might remember all the de-cluttering of the old kitchen because the new kitchen is much smaller) like the Pepsi Cola box from 1967 which had been repaired but she would not take my offer of thirty dollars to her asking price of fifty. Still great fun going to the market just to look.
But who needs a Pepsi Cola box when you've got a view like this to enjoy every night?
Tried something a little different with this bag; the blue and white lining only extends half way. The straps are pieced together with two inch squares left over from the blue and white quilt. And the bottom of the bag is squared off by removing a three inch chunk of the linen and then matching the seams and stitching it up.
Watching Rachel Ray prepare Chicken Vesuvio the other day brought to mind one of our favourite movies, Return To Me. The special of the house at the Irish-Italian eatery where Bob (David Duchovny) and Grace (Minne Driver)
meet is the Chicago chicken dish. It looked so good that Mr. Cowboy tried the recipe and it is fantastic. Fresh peas and spuds from Tranquille Farms made this dish extra tasty. Just ignore the cabbage roll; it is store-bought.
We were up very early waiting for the carpenter to arrive to install our new kitchen. At one point I felt like a character from A Year in Provence. Peter and Annie Mayle are up early waiting for their workmen to arrive to install their new kitchen; they stand at the end of their driveway, waiting. I did the same thing. It is a very hot day.
But as you can see, our new kitchen is done. It took one guy ten hours to put it all in place and he did a great job. In two weeks the new floor will go in and then Rudy will come back to attach the crown moulding and the toe kicks. And once that is all done our very expensive plumber will hook up our dishwasher.
Went downtown early on this hot and hazy day to take in the Market. Filled our bags with cherries and baby zucchini, stopped to smell the flowers and have a little chat with friends.
Had our Cowboy breakfast at the lookout; huge muffins filled with fruit and strong coffee laced with ice cold cream.
Finally finished my Cowgirl Bag. The cross stitch panel was a thrift store find which I appliqued to a square left over from a quilt. The bag is roomy and lined with my favourite polka dot cotton, the straps are long, and there is a pocket on the back.
Fortified with a frittata made with sweet onions and zucchini and eggs from the Farmers Market, we finished gutting the kitchen in the first unbearable heat of this summer.
The kitchen may be in a shambles, we're tired, hung over, and we haven't eaten or slept for two days but we still found the time to
Hull and freeze a flat of strawberries (eight pounds for $30 from Golden Ears Farms)
Harvest all the garlic and put it out in the sun to dry
Cut and bundle all the lavender and hang it to dry in the basement
And have our Cowboy breakfast down at the park with a few of our friends.
A nice way to start the day: a chat with Daughter #2 from Mallorca, Salt Spring Island Coffee, and a hike up the mountain.
And a great way to end the day: a chat with Daughter #1, buttermilk shortbread biscuits with local strawberries and a dash of cream (sorry about the blurry picture) and fireworks.
