Christening the Dining Room

Yay! It’s Bruce, Caryn and Patsy For Lunch Day. I’m just a little excited.

Yesterday began with a plaintive cry from Leon. I hurried out of bed, thrilled to hear a voice that had been silent for three days. I fed him … and he ate a little! And I saw him drink — all this after three days of pure lethargy and no food or water.  

We cuddled, he purred, I cried, we cuddled some more and then I lit a huge fire to keep him warm. I kept it going all day. His improvement really lifted my spirits. And this morning he woke me at 4:30 for food. He’s definitely here for a while longer.

He’s not in pain and as long as he continues to love lying by the fire and take in food and water, I’m loving every second we have together. I’m going to take him out for a little walk in the sunshine today. I know he’s up for it and it’ll make him feel good.

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And … I’m feakin’ giddy because tomorrow work starts on my fence!

I’ve contracted a practical and ethical man (Darrell) to build my fence and to renovate my studio. Once the fence is done he’ll start on the studio. He gave me confidence as we discussed both projects. It’s going to be pricey, for sure, but I’m going to have a studio that excites me as much as my home and serves as another guest room. And … I’ll have a safe yard for Leon and Sheba.  

I’m going to remove the current dropped ceiling and put a wood ceiling under the rafters and put in lots of shelving, bright lights and a wood floor so it’ll be nice a cozy place. Darrell has an associate who can mill the large tabletop I want for my work surface and best of all: We can install a woodstove! I’m over the moon about that.  

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I cooked and baked all day yesterday. I made a delicious thick Italian main: Tomato, Chickpea and Bread Soup (recipe: Yotam Ottolenghi) that I’ll serve with honey and pumpkin seed bread from the local Slow Rise bakery. And I made my favourite salad: another Ottolenghi recipe called Sort-of-Waldorf Salad. And for dessert I made Apple Cake with Maple Sauce, a recipe from the Butter Bakery in Dunbar.

Today I’ll serve the first meal I’ve hosted here and I’m really stoked. It’s the first full meal I’ve made since my breakdown I think and we’ll be christening my new dining room table with it.

Tomorrow, Paula arrives for the weekend and on Monday Allyson and Peter arrive for a few days — and friends thought I’d be lonely here!