Yesterday: 19° in Paradise

I was up early yesterday and got to work furiously. I vacuumed the whole house and took the rugs outside to beat them clean. I did laundry and hung it up outside! There was no need for a fire in the house. And then I blind baked the pastry shells for the tarts. I also made the pastry cream that will go into the bottom of each one. On top of the crème, I’ll put a thin layer of raspberry infused whipping cream. On top of that will be the berries: a lovely big blackberry in the centre of each one, and raspberries all around. Just before serving, I’ll dust them with powdered sugar.

Then we went for a walk. It was a glorious morning to walk, and as we cruised through the forest, I thought about all I’d do in the garden when we got home. I started with the edible garden. Cleaning up all the raised gardens and the ground. I took out the dead raspberries canes and did a thorough tidying of the herb garden. It was truly lovely working outdoors. I had my radio outside to entertain me as I worked.

Whoa! At 12:30, I had to take a break. My back was killing me, so I doffed my gear and slid into the healing waters of the spa. I was quiet again, and I could go au naturel because the men working for David and Ursula do not work on the weekend. It was quiet, warm and wonderful, and a fabulous way to allow my back to loosen up.

Once dried and changed, I was back outside. It was 19°! I had a huge tarp to clean and then fold up into a moveable size. And I stacked all the wood bucked from the fallen branches. As I worked, I made a mental list of what to do today. And then, when it was time to call it quits due to the time of day and my sore back, I cleaned up and then got to baking.

I made a raspberry purée that I folded into whipped cream. It went on top of the crème pâtissière and holds the fresh fruit on the tart. I’m taking 8 tarts to Stacy’s, and I had 4 left over, so I took them to Deborah and Alwin because Deborah shovelled my walk this past Winter, after a storm. Then I got a chair and its cushion from my studio and sat in the sun with Sheba and a book.

It was glorious driving to the south end of the island to Stacy’s place. I was in the best of moods because of the sunshine and the warmth. People on bikes whizzed past in shorts and tees, and I saw my first horses on the trail when I stopped to walk a little in the forest with Her Highness. She came to Stacy’s with me. She’s always welcome there.

When I got to Stacy’s, there was no answer at the door, so I got back into the car to go to Nancy’s to see what she knew. I passed her on the way to her house, so I turned round and followed her back to Stacy’s and Stacy was up from her nap with her granddaughter. The dinner was a little chaotic because of Rory, the granddaughter, but I took immediate delight in her company.

We’d assembled at 5:30, so we were quick to leave Stacy with Rory. I was home by 9:00 and I went immediately to bed.

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Today is another spectacular day. I’m looking forward to doing lots of work outdoors and enjoying our long trail walks. Woo hoo!

Malaspina Point on my heavenly island. Taken yesterday.