A Couple of Finishes

I sewed the 16-patch top together yesterday.  I really like how it turned out.  I know it is August 1st, but I am counting this top as a finish for July.  Now I still have to quilt it.  Wonder how long that will take me.

Another finish is the home stay with our Japanese students.  We took them to the school this morning, with all their suitcases.  They will take a bus to Bark Lake, where they will spend the next 5 days or so doing all kinds of Canadian outdoor activities, like swimming, canoeing, rope climbing and archery.  It was a very emotional goodbye.  The girls were sad to leave, but I know they will love camp once they get there.  I know I would!  I am sitting down because I think I have overdone things a bit lately.  Too much walking.

The bus was all ready to go, but the girls did not want to leave yet.  There were lots of tears and promises to return one day.  These were a terrific group of girls.  It was such fun to have them stay with us.

Pizza Night

Another busy day yesterday!  The girls went to school in the morning and then to the Eaton Centre in the afternoon. They did some shopping for clothes and souvenirs. My DD picked them up from school and we had a do-it-yourself pizza night.

I made the pizza dough in my bread maker and divided it into 8 balls when it had risen.  The girls than took one ball each, flattened it and added the toppings they wanted.  Their favourite was ham and pineapple. Then we baked the pizzas on a stone in the oven.  It was possible to cook this last night because our weather has been more fall-like than summer-like and the kitchen remained cool even with the oven at over 400F.

Here is where I have to apologize for my forgetfulness.  We took the girls to Bluffers Park on Lake Ontario, for a short walk after dinner and I forgot my camera!   But it was getting dark and the photos would probably not have been the best anyway.  The girls had been to Bluffers Park on their first day in Toronto. They ate their lunch there before going to the CN Tower.  When I asked them how they liked the bluffs and the lake, they said, "What are bluffs? and What lake?."   I couldn't believe that they had been taken to one of the most beautiful parks in Toronto and not been shown around it.  I will show you a photo of one of the boat launching docks which I took a number of years ago.  It still looks the same.

I am off to my sewing room today.  I want to work on a couple of things.  A day just isn't complete without a bit of quilting going on!

Playing Through

My DS and DD took the girls to a Glow-in-the-Dark Mini Putt Centre last evening.

I stayed home because there are too many things to trip over at one of those places.  But the girls had a great time!  My DS did too.

The place is very dark and black lights are used.  It makes the area seem surreal.  Everything is very colourful.  Here is my student taking her turn.  They didn't keep score, but just had a fun time.

It was impossible to take photos inside because it was so dark, so here is one my DS took outside of the building.  Will the next Tiger Woods please stand up.

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Only a couple more days before the girls leave for camp.  I wonder what we will do this evening.

Cooking Japanese Food for Us

We thought it was going to rain today, so we stayed home and the girls cooked a delicious meal for us.

Sorry, I can't tell you what the dishes were because I have forgotten already, but everything was fantastic! And not only did they cook the meal, they also cleaned up afterwards.

On our way home from my DD's house it started to rain and thunder and lightening.  The storm is growing increasingly intense and now I am fearful that our power will go off.  So I think I'll go to bed.  See you tomorrow.



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At the Beach

The weather man lied!  It was actually a wonderful day.  The air was warm and the water was too.  After we ate our lunch we went for a swim.  Just testing the water here, folks.

We played some games.

And sang some songs.  This was practice for Monday when the girls have to sing at a community centre.

All too soon it was time to go home.  But we had a fantastic day.

The Beaches Jazz Festival

We try to go to the jazz festival every year.  It's a lot of fun.  Lots of music, entertainment, food and people! I love to go 'people watching'.  Queen Street is closed to vehicular traffic for about a kilometre.  We walked and walked and were totally exhausted by the time we got home.

But this morning we can sleep in.  (Well, not me exactly. I always get up early.)  and today we will be able to relax on the Beach at Sibbald's Point Provincial Park.  (That will be me doing the relaxing!)  Maybe we'll play some ball, Frisbee or badminton.  If the lake is warm enough we can swim or just float around on air mattresses.  I think I will take my hexies along so I can do a little stitching while sitting on the beach.

 

This Year's Students Have Arrived!

If you have been a reader of my blog for a long time, you will know that we try to host some Japanese students each summer.  This year is no different.  It is such a great experience!

The girls attend school during the day, to increase their knowledge of the English language and to see the sights in and around the Toronto area.   In the evening they stay with us, to experience what we do in our day-to-day lives here in Canada.  They arrived on Tuesday evening, but I have not posted anything until today because I kept forgetting to take photos.  And you know that I don't like to post anything without a picture.

But last night we took a walk along Lake Ontario out in Ajax and I remembered my camera!   It was already starting to get dark, so please excuse the poor quality of my photos.

We walked along the paved path that goes along the lake.  It's a wonderful area.  Lots of wildlife and birds. We even had a coyote cross our path.  The geese were talking to us from the lake below.  One of my DD's friends met us at the park.  She has a 1-year old daughter who just learned to walk by herself two weeks ago.  The girls loved looking after her.  I had trouble keeping up with them on the walk, so my HD (who came along) and I sat on a bench and enjoyed the nature all around us.  The others continued on the path.

Hopefully I can add some quilty stuff when I do my Japanese student blogs in the future.  But I have not had much time to sew lately.  I hope to find some time today.