Saturday 24 August 2013

Friday/Vendredi, August 23rd

It looks like the jet-lag is over as I was up at 6 am and Joe at 7am...4 days to adjust to a 12 hour time difference seems quite good to me.
We had a big brekkie and then set off for what is called Old Montreal, down by the docks. Joe's feet are blistered and very sore and I was in fear of my ankles swelling up again but we set off gamely....I had cabin fever ;)

There are several houses in this old area dating back to the 1750s which is nothing by European standards but would be unheard of in Australia....anyway here's a few pics...




this was where the early markets were held though I'm sure there were many simpler markets around than this fabulous building, it now houses some very up-market boutiques...no need for us to go in there but can you see what looks like tiny fences along the edges of the flat roofs? They're to stop heavy snow from sliding off the roof and onto people below...


the house and carriage or caleche is very popular in both Montreal and Quebec City...


there are a million places to buy poutine in Canada but we were tempted into this one in Rue St Paul by the promise of a lovely terrace out the back..it was indeed very appealing and the poutine with smoked meat that we shared was very good...it's hot chips, gravy, curd cheese with slices of smoked beef, Jewish style, on top and the dish below looks far bigger than it actually was('onest)...




the statue of Admiral Lord Nelson that British Canadians were quick to erect after winning the Napoleonic Wars...the beautiful copper clad roof of the municiple building must have been cleaned recently...


floral displays are very popular in this country of long, white winters...



Now this was a sad mystery, as we walked past it was obvious the building was empty and many of the windows were boarded up...google showed it to be the Gare Viger or Viger Railway Station, built by the Canadian Pacific Railway at the end of the 19th century, it has been vacant since at least 2006 and awaiting re-development of some sort... the tiles on the roof are green and the red bricks came from Scotland...

last but not least, like several other major cities world-wide, Montreal has a rent-a-bike system...pay for a week or a day etc, pick up a bike in one location and leave it at another, a great way to get around and leave the car at home!


Goodness I feel tired just re-living our walk.

I'd like to send my condolences to a dear lady in the US named, Hedy King, who has been following Priscilla's blog and praying for her and supporting us all. Hedy's beloved husband, Steve, was also battling cancer but passed away last week, we are sending our love and support right back to you now, xxx Stay strong and know you're not alone.

Love to every-one back in Oz,
Sue



Friday 23 August 2013

Thursday/Jeudi, Week One

Just today's pics, Montreal is a young and vibrant city at heart, arts and music are big drawcards, there are comedy festivals and an International Film Festival is currently running. Several city streets have Victorian era street lamps to make them suitable for filming movies of recent eras.
Joe's eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw an actor from a favourite Quebec film, "Barbarian Invasions", buying his lunch in the food hall under the Hyatt Hotel! It was Roy Dupuis.

We may or may not have an enjoyed a small Mexican plate of afternoon tea ;)
There are amazing murals on many city walls, some several stories high...have a peek...
a Uni library


can you see the mosque?


this Arabic mural seems to be related to the Mosque


close up of the concert mural..


Loved this, a hat-maker's shop dating back to 1932


Will post again soon,
Love to ya'll
xxx

First Post from Montreal

Hallo Every-one, my first chance to post since we left on Sunday morning.We've arrived safely after a marathon trip lasting 48hours non-stop from door to door! Our hotel is comfy, in an interesting part of Montreal really. We're surrounded by the buildings of the University of Quebec at Montreal or UQAM but it's also where a lot of street ppl hang out so there's plenty to see and consider. My first two pics show the spire of the old cathedral that was destroyed/re-used to form Uni buildings, the magnificent spire was retained and is quite a landmark.






Nearby is the church that Joe often attended as a child...you can see him hurrying past it clutching two large bottles of Quebec beer...say no more!


We have kitchen facilities in our little 2-room apartment so we shopped on Tuesday and I made this pita pizza with salsa/cooked BBQ chicken/maple syrup bacon and orange cheese... saves money and we eat better too

I've bought some wine in a one litre carton, it's lighter to carry as we're on foot and my feet and ankles have only just come back to normal after the flights etc...


Twitch has settled in at his holiday home, there are 2 other lop-earred rabbits and a rather large guinea pig to talk to! A posted a photo of him looking very fine but I can't copy it to share here.
I'm having trouble posting photos on Facebook btw.

The following pic is from San Fransisco where we had a 12 hr stop-over at the airport, there were plenty of booths with power points for passengers to use, Joe re-charged everything here...



On the first morning in Montreal we went walking and Joe had to go in and have his favourite cafe food from his teen years, a hot-dog and proper hot chips with a Pepsi...The Montreal Pool Room Diner is 101 years old, it's very 50's style with chrome fittings etc...



Yesterday we went up to visit Joe's Mum as it was her 81st birthday, 90minutes each way on the subway and then a bus was quite a trip but we had a nice day.
It's raining a little today but still warm. Joe is meeting a friend at 6pm and we may go and buy some post-cards for the grandies this afternoon.
I hope all is well with you,
Will post again when I can,
Love from Sue
xxx

Tuesday 6 August 2013

A Lovely Knitty Blog

Hallo there Aussie Maria, what a lovely blog for my knitty heart and your Swing Pattern is gorgeous.

We can download this sweet pattern for just $3 Au and I'm sure it will knit up quickly as it uses 8 ply yarn and 4mm needles, I love it! Off to buy mine!

All is well here, we're just finishing off things like Mail Holding/prescription buying/weeding and cleaning before we leave next week,
Bye bye for now,
Sue
xx

Friday 2 August 2013

A Pumpkin and Fruit Cake?

Does that sound very odd to you, vegetables in a cake? Clever cooks now use grated zucchini, carrots and beets to make lovely moist cakes and pumpkin is well-liked here Down Under in muffins, scones and cakes too.


You'll need

125gms butter
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of cooked and mashed pumpkin(I think sweet potato or even regular mashed potato would be nice too)

Beat these together then add

2 eggs
2 T golden syrup or honey
a cup of dried fruit/seeds/nuts
2 cups whole self raising flour or plain flour with 3 t baking powder
a pinch of salt

If it's too stiff and dry add a little milk or yoghurt to get a smooth consistency .

Bake in a loaf tin for 1 to 1 1/2 hours at around 180C

Enjoy your weekend,
Love from Sue
xxx