A Good Day to be Canadian

Under Ian's tutelage, we spent the morning fishing for walleye.  No bites but it was not for lack of effort or enthusiasm.

When the lure of fishing wore off, we decided to take advantage of the frozen water to explore some of the islands that are harder to access during the summer.  We hiked a "mountain" on an island to play King of the Castle.

At the "summit".

After lunch, we participated in the ultimate Canadian winter activity: ice skating on a frozen lake.  This is certainly living the good life.

 The whole time we were accompanied by the happiest dog on the planet. 

Out of pure joy, Ayla must have made a hundred snow angels over the course of the day.

Ice fishing, mountain climbing, ice skating and snow angels - winter in Canada does not get better than this whether you are a human or a dog!

S'more, Walk & Roll

Winter cottaging is the best.  After fuelling up on hot dogs and s'mores roasted over an open fire, we went on a sunset hike across the lake, complete with rolling down some snowy hills.  Great friends, gorgeous weather and making amazing memories; life doesn't get better than this!

Lots of Love on a Very Chilly Day

If it is going to be frigid out, what better way to spend Valentine's Day than in a roasty, toasty cottage with your very favourite people?

The cottage's snow mountain is a kid's winter paradise.  Add some snow shoes and a frozen sand box and you have heaven on earth for Liam and Seamus.

It is too chilly for Alistair to play outside today but he didn't mind staying indoors as long as he could pretend that he was still on a farm.  Right now every animal says "Da!" but he loves it when you make the rooster crowing sound for him.

Alistair was ready to deal with his brothers' drippy noses when they came in from the cold.

"For you!"

"You don't want it?  No problem, I'll just eat it instead."

There is no better meal on a freezing winter's day then chilli, especially when Liam and Papa make it with lots of vegetables and freshly ground venison.

For my part, I am just happy to don my lamb slippers, relax with my family, and stay close to the roaring fire.  There is nothing like woolly slippers to insulate your toes, being surrounded by loved ones to warm your heart, and the heat from a real wood stove to chase the chill from your bones.

Wishing everyone lots of love to keep you warm on this very, very chilly day.

It Ain't Easy Being Green

It is Norstar onions for the win!  They are officially our first sprouts of the 2020 growing season.  Liam only planted them on Saturday and they are already up reaching for the sun.  They might be a little on the white side but I am sure they will go green before we know it!

A Picture Perfect Punch of Cute

Someone once said that 'good looks will only get you so far' but I say, 'never underestimate the power of cuteness'.  For proof, look no further than Gael Glen Farm's favourite three munchkins.

Alistair managed to use his puppy dog eyes to get Grandma to agree that he should be allowed to wear the dogs' toy basket as a hat.

Seamus used his adorable-ness to convince Papa that it was a good idea to let him use a (plastic) knife to prepare a healthy snack at Beavers.

 

And Liam finally got me to sew up the hems on his Tae-kwon Do uniform, a task I have been avoiding since September.

His picture perfect punch with his new shortened sleeves is just heart melting.

Ah, the things we do for our irresistibly cute kiddos.  We are powerless to resist their wily charms.

My Bread Niche

I have discovered my new favourite specialty bread: the breakfast tea loaf.  After my successful raisin & tea bread from the other morning, I decided to incorporate Ian's favourite Harney and Sons tea into tomorrow's breakfast loaf.

The dough needs its second proof overnight in the fridge but I cannot wait to bake it up in the morning.

Who knew that using tea leaves in baked goods would impart such an incredible flavour?!  Maybe the breakfast crowd is my niche market.

Gael Glen Farm's Bakeshop is now taking custom orders for our breakfast tea bread - you choose the tea and we will feature it in a loaf of our artisan bread.  Please get in touch to arrange tea drop off and fresh bread pick up.

Update:

Victory!  A truly stellar loaf.

Mid-Winter Bathroom Break

Seeing wiggling bees bums inside the hive is always a welcome sign in the middle of winter.

On warmer winter days like today, honey bees take the opportunity to make a quick trip out of the hive with one thing on their mind. Poop.  Like all civilized ladies, honey bees take great care not to poop all over the house.  Instead, they store up all their waste and then wait for a relatively warm day to take a "cleansing flight".  Sadly, some ladies do not make it back from doing their business; however, seeing a few bees littered on the snow in front of a hive is a good indication that the hive is, in fact, doing well and that the ladies are going about their business exactly as they should be at this time of year.

You know you're a beekeeper when you get excited to see bees leave the hive for a mid-winter poop.