The Olde Angel Inn, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

Gord and I had supper at the pub in the Olde Angel Inn. It was a busy spot and there was constantly a line-up.

Gord ordered a shrimp basket.

I ordered a burger and fries.

Both were good.

"Damn Yankees", Shaw Festival, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

Gord and I saw Damn Yankees this afternoon ... it is part of the Shaw Festival.

Joe Boyd is an out of shape, middle-aged man who has the misfortune to be a Washington Senators fan. One deal with the devil later, he is Joe Hardy, a young ball player with a knack for hitting home runs. Can he help his favourite team finally beat the powerhouse New York Yankees? The final score: a delightful, fast-paced, crowd-pleasing, romantic musical.

It was good ... lots of singing and dancing! Mike Nadajewski as Mr. Applegate, a.k.a. the devil incarnate, stole the show ... he was awesome!

And here's George Bernard Shaw, who the festival honours ...

Queen's Royal Park, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

After breakfast, Gord and I walked a couple blocks towards the water and walked around Queen's Royal Park ... it's a cute park. 

That's Toronto waaaaaaaaaay off in the distance

 That's Old Fort Niagara across the water in Youngstown, NY.

It was nice to walk along the water.

Stagecoach Family Restaurant & Ice Cream Parlour, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

Gord and I had breakfast this morning at the Stagecoach.  It was a busy spot!

Gord ordered bacon and eggs and coffee.

I hadn't eaten since lunch the day before and was hungry and ordered the Cook's Favourite (so an extra egg) and a glass of milk.

It was lots of food and neither of us were able to eat all our homefries.

It was funny to see the old-school bill.

The Irish Harp, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON

Gord and I had lunch at The Irish Harp in Niagara-on-the-Lake.  

Gord had Irish Egg Rolls (corned beef | cabbage | sauerkraut | grainy mustard aioli) and I had Gold Medal Chicken Curry (chicken | yellow curry | jasmine rice | mango chutney | bread).  Both were very good!

Book ~ "The Marsh Murders" (2016) Victoria Abbott

From Goodreads ~ Jordan works hard to improve Vera Van Alst’s collection of classic detective stories. So when Chadwick Kauffman - heir to the Kauffman fortune - offers a very good price on a fine collection of Ngaio Marsh first editions owned by his recently deceased stepfather, she is thrilled to meet with him at his fabled summer estate, Summerlea.

The next day, Jordan and Vera are shocked to read that Chadwick has died in a fall from the grand staircase at Summerlea. But when the picture in the paper is of a different man, it becomes clear that the ladies are victims of a scam. And they’ll have to unmask the imposter fast, because someone is trying to frame them for murder.

Vera Van Alst, an older crusty recluse, gets an invitation to purchase a Ngaio Marsh first edition collection from Chadwick Kauffman, who had recently inherited it.   Jordan's job is buying and reselling books for Vera ... she enjoys her job and the cute apartment in Vera's house that comes with it. Vera, along with Jordan and Kev (Vera's handyman and Jordan's not-so-smart uncle) are invited to lunch for the transaction.  All goes well and they are surprised to learn the next day that Chadwick had been murdered and Vera, Jordan and Uncle Kev are the suspects. They discover they have been set up and the man they transacted with wasn't Chadwick.  Not surprisingly the police don't believe them so it's up to Jordan to prove their innocence.

I thought this one was okay (it's better than the last one) and I found the story interesting.  There was a lot talk about characters from what I'm assuming are Ngaio Marsh's books ... I didn't know who they were so that was dead space for me and I skipped over these references.  The whodunnit came out of nowhere but I was okay with it even though it seems too unbelievable to be able to pull off.  

Though this is the fourth in the Book Collector Mystery series, it works as a stand alone. It is written in first person perspective in Jordan's voice. As it's a cozy mystery (so there is no swearing, violence or adult activity), it was a quick easy read.  Jordan met Tyler, a police officer, in book 1, they started dating in book 2, he was off on a mysteries job training in book 3 and in this book (book 4) he breaks up with her.  I know it's a cozy mystery but there's zero romantic interaction between them.  Jordan has a best friend named Tiff who is conveniently never around ... she's off working in faraway places.  She never add any value so what's the point in having her in the stories?  There are recipes at the end.

Scented Candle Making Workshop, Yummi, Toronto, ON

This afternoon Gord, Dawn (our pal, neighbour and fellow scented candle addict) and I did the scented candle making workshop at Yummi in the Distillery District.

Me, Gord and Dawn

Our supplies were at our stations

Caelen and Arieh were our instructors.

Smart Serve Certification

When we buy beer or wine at No Frills, we have to pay at a "Beer Lane" checkout and I wondered what a cashier has to do to able to sell me alcohol. 

Well, they have to take a 4 hour online sales, service and delivery Smart Serve Ontario training program approved by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), write a 33 question proctored exam and get 80% or more to pass. Apparently Smart Serve is mandatory for working where alcohol is sold, served or handled. 

Curious I enrolled in the training, just wrote the exam and passed. Whoohoo! The material was interesting and I learned a lot.

Book ~ "Things We Do in the Dark" (2022) Jennifer Hillier

From Goodreads ~ When Paris Peralta is arrested in her own bathroom - covered in blood, holding a straight razor, her celebrity husband dead in the bathtub behind her - she knows she'll be charged with murder. But as bad as this looks, it's not what worries her the most. With the unwanted media attention now surrounding her, it's only a matter of time before someone from her long hidden past recognizes her and destroys the new life she's worked so hard to build, along with any chance of a future.

Twenty-five years earlier, Ruby Reyes, known as the Ice Queen, was convicted of a similar murder in a trial that riveted Canada in the early nineties. Reyes knows who Paris really is and when she's unexpectedly released from prison, she threatens to expose all of Paris's secrets. Left with no other choice, Paris must finally confront the dark past she escaped, once and for all.

Because the only thing worse than a murder charge are two murder charges.

Paris is a yoga instructor in Seattle who has been married to Jimmy, a much older actor/comedian who is making a comeback, for a couple of years.  When she arrives home early from a weekend yoga conference, she finds Jimmy dead in a bathtub full of blood.  Though Paris assumes he has committed suicide, she is arrested for the murder of her husband.  Things look even worse when it's discovered that she would inherit almost $50 million at his death.  Did she murder him for his money?

Twenty-five years ago in Toronto, Ruby was a single mother who dated married men in hopes they would leave their wives and take care of her.  She takes her frustrations out on Joey, her young daughter, by abusing her.  After a fight with her latest married beau, Ruby kills him in a fit of rage and is sent to prison for life for his murder.  Joey is sent to live with Ruby's sister and her sister's family north of Toronto, who only take her in because they are paid to.  Once Joey is old enough, she heads back to Toronto and becomes friends and roommates with Drew and Simone.  Joey is tragically killed in a fire in her apartment a couple years later.  Ruby is paroled and Drew, a reporter, decides to do a series of podcasts about her.

This is the first book I've read by this author and I liked it.  I liked the writing style and found the story interesting.  I look forward to reading other books by this author.  It is written in third person perspective with a focus on Paris and Joey.  The story bounces back in time from Paris' story today to Ruby and Joey's story in the past.  As a head's up, there is swearing, violence and child abuse.

Honeycomb (aka Newfie) knitted mittens

I just finished knitting a pair of Honeycomb (aka Newfie) mittens. They are fun to make.

I used 4 ply yarn and 5mm double pointed needles.

Wrist

1. With A, cast on 42 sts
2. Knit 1, purl 1 for 18 rows
3. Purl
4. Purl, increasing 2 stitches on each needle for a total of 48 stitches

Pattern

1.  *Knit 4 with B, slip 2 purlwise with A*, repeat to the end of row
2. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
3. Purl 2 rows with A
4. Knit 1 with B, * slip 2 purlwise with A, knit 4 with B*, repeat to the last three stitches, knit 3 with B
5. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
6. Purl 2 rows with A
7.  *Knit 4 with B, slip 2 purlwise with A*, repeat to the end of row
8. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
9. Purl 2 rows with A
10. Knit 1 with B, * slip 2 purlwise with A, knit 4 with B*, repeat to the last three stitches, knit 3 with B
11. Repeat this row 4 more times (5 in total)
12. Purl 2 rows with A

Thumb

1. In step 12 above, purl 2, put 7 stitches on a stitch holder for the thumb and cast on 7 stitches, purl to the end.  Purl 1 row.

Mitten

1. Knit the pattern until long enough (I did 6)
2. Knit 1 row
3. *Knit 4, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
4. Knit 2 rows
5. *Knit 3, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
6. Knit 2 rows
7. *Knit 2, knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
8. Knit 2 rows
9. *Knit 2 together*, repeat to the end
10. Thread the yarn through remaining the loops and pull tight
11. Weave end inside

Thumb

1. With A, pick up the 7 stitches from the holder
2. Pick up 7 stitches around the thumb hole for a total of 14 stitches
3. Knit to fit length of thumb
4. Knit 2 together all around
5. Thread the yarn through the remaining loops and pull tight
6. Weave end inside

Gladstone House Bistro + Bar, Toronto, ON

After our float, Gord and I were hungry (you are supposed to just eat a light meal 60-90 minutes before your float) so we had lunch across the street at the Gladstone House Bistro + Bar.  It's been a while since we've been there.  They recently renovated so we were curious to see that changes.

Gord had Beef Tartare (Fried Capers, Burger Sauce, Pickled Shallots), House Chips and Cured Egg Yolk for the first time and liked it. 

I had a Melody Burger (Two Smash Patties, Brown Butter) and fries, which was good.

Float Toronto, Toronto, ON

Gord and I went for an hour float this morning at Float Toronto (on Queen Street W at Gladstone).  We find floats very relaxing and haven't done one in while so we were due.

Also known as Floatation Therapy, REST Therapy (Restricted Environmental Stimulation Technique) or Sensory Deprivation, floating involves lying in a salt-water solution in a specially designed tank (often referred to as a float tank, sensory deprivation tank, or isolation tank). Your experience in a floatation tank is about everything you won’t be doing. You won’t be fighting gravity. The 850 pounds of Epsom salt in the water takes care of that while you lie on your back. The water is kept at a skin receptor neutral temperature which means that you lose track of where your body ends and the water begins. Your ears stay just below the water, and the tanks are insulated against sound – noise from the outside is unable to reach you. After you shut the door to the tank, you float in total darkness. 

During your float the outside world is gone and amazing things happen. It turns out that when you’re not fighting gravity or constantly taking in information your body has a lot of extra resources at its disposal. Your mind is free to navigate without distraction, your brain pumps out dopamine and endorphins, and your body gets to rest, de-stress and heal. It’s likely to be the most relaxing thing you’ve ever experienced.

The tank is high enough for me to stand up, wide enough for me to stretch my arms out and my fingers just touch the side and a lot longer then me.  Today I left the meditative music and the light off so was in total blackness.

Something in the Water Brewing Guided Beer Tasting, Toronto, ON

Something in the Water Brewing Co. is a new brewery that opened four months ago in Liberty Village.  We've been a few times ... it's a cute spot and we like their beer.

Tonight they had their first ever guided beer tasting and it was led by Steve, one of the owners, and Tea, who is a Level 3 Prud’homme Beer Sommelier as well as one of the brewery’s founders.

Something Light for the tour