Bread machine II

It was a weird bread that I made the other day. (Laughing)
That's for sure, "Wil".

But, I did it all after the manual.
Liquid and butter first, then the flour and at last the yeast. Shut the lid and pressed the start button.
Maybe it was programmed the wrong way??? It must be that, there is
no other explanation.

Today I had another go. Just to make sure that it is do-able.

This time I didn't go after the manual.
I mixed the flour and the dry yeast first, poured the liquid in and gave it a few rounds with the spoon. After that I filled the dough into the bread machine and choose the setting:
basic white, medium.

3 hours later: Tada!
A nice bread. A little weird form, but very tasty.

I am not a big bread eater, but I like this bread better than the ones you usually buy in store. They are all way to fluffy and soft for my taste. Just "Air" and no substance.
And the bread machine take the job of kneading! That's the one which stops me from baking my own bread more often. So, when I got the opportunity to try a friends bread machine, I did. Now I know what I would get if I wanted to buy my own.

Best would be if I could make my own sour dough rye bread.
Maybe I do that once in the future......

Another day of gorgeous fall weather

While other parts of Canada experience the first touch of winter we at the coast have still nice late summer days.
I have been busy with my two jobs and had not much time to blog a lot lately.
The "summer people", as the Islanders call them, have started to leave. Same with the birds. One or the other humming bird is still around, but many are already on their way south. The black berries finally are ripe and mountain ash trees are full of red berry clusters.
That is a sure sign that winter getting is closer.

Today's produce: tomatoes, carrots and squash

I cleared a little in my garden, took the chicken fence down, pulled some of the old plants out and weeded. It's not the end of the season yet and there are still carrots in the ground and tomatoes on the wine.

The should-be-a-bread-thing

Tried to bake a bread in a borrowed bread machine. That didn't turn out too well. And yes, I read the manual first. :))

Went through my receipts to figure out what I had spent through the last four month. I guess I was frugal enough to please myself.
And last not least I keep enjoying a cup of coffee and a brownie on the deck.

Fall is in the air

Yesterday we had the last day of 82F (27C), my last chance to give Molly a bath and dry her outside in the sunshine.

 She is not overly enthusiastic about it, but most dogs aren't.  Even the once that like to swim in the ocean.

 As soon as the word "bath" is out they look miserable.

All fluffy and clean

She might look fat, but she actually lost weight. Last year she brought 61 lb (27 kg) on to the scale at the veterinarian's office. This year she is down to 57 lb (25 kg). That's ideal for a dog her size and age (10 1/2).
The rest is all fur.

And right I was. Today the temperature was just above 70 F (21C) in late afternoon. In the night it dipped for the first time under 50F (10C) and the morning with a brisk north-westerly wind felt like "fall was in the air". Soon the trees will start turning red and yellow.

If anyone remembers my garden project from last summer (from square to linear).

It turned out fine and the flowers are profound.

Just the way I had envisioned it. They cover the whole fenced area.

That was about two weeks ago.

And this is today.
Cosmos and Pot Marigolds, corn in the background

And they will bloom until the first frost, and long after the vegetable garden is cleaned out. So beautiful.
I have taken a lot of seeds already, my next years bloom is secured.
Gardening is such a pleasure to me.

Except the couscous, all produce are out of my garden. Tomatoes, beans, parsley, dill and garlic. Dinner for one.

Double-double, not coffee but WORK!

I haven't been blogging lately and there is a reason for it.

I am busy, busy, busy, because I got myself another job. Now, I change between working at the Campobello Whale Watch Motel

This is an old photo, hence the blur.

and at our local grocery store (Campobello Village Mart ), where I try to be useful in the deli department (subs, sandwiches, salads and that kind of stuff).

Right now, while I am blogging, I am on night shift at the Motel. I "baby-sit" the location while the owners are entertaining private guests at their residence.
The good thing with that night shift is that I am allowed to use my laptop to shorten the night hours. Molly didn't have to stay at home alone either, she may keep company with the office dog "Gracie".

 Neither seemed to really be in the mood to be photographed tonight.

Molly isn't used to the faint rumbling noises from the guest on the second floor. That spooks her. Maybe she would rather be at home on her own bed right now. Who knows. You cannot have it all.

The Motel actually hasn't a water view, but they have a "whale" view. Fran and Jim have some cute little whales "splashing" around in the flower beds. Theses toy whales do their job watering the greenery.

 

One of the things I most like with these jobs is the flexibility. Where else would I find that?
We all try to work together and make things go around. Some days when I am needed at the Motel I get off at the Grocery Store and vice versa. In the afternoon I bring Molly over as well. She stays outside on the Motel's porch and watches us at work.
Even when there is a guiding tour coming up I have been lucky so far. I always could get off to do the tour and "go to work" after or before.
The tour around the island is of course pure pleasure time.
Everybody knows how important all our visitors are for this small island community and we all try to be as accommodating as possible.

Boy - where has summer gone?
My garden is a bit neglected, no wonder!

but there are squash, and bell peppers, carrots and peas, green and yellow beans lettuce, tomatoes and all kind of herbs.

I am not starving. Food is plentiful, I even have enough to share with my friends.
This year I am also lucky with the flowering peas.

Maybe because I didn't do anything. Laugh!

Now time is flying by and soon we are in September can you believe it? The fall season will be there. 

A beautiful orb spider web. They crop up everywhere, a sure a sign of autumn to come.