Photo of The Hostess by my friend Laurette.
We had a wee dinner party last weekend at Quarterdeck Cottage.
Two couples joined us...
one couple sailed over in their boat and the other couple bunked in with us at the cottage.
On the menu:
Wontons stuffed with crab (Julie's creation)
Fresh grown heirloom tomatoes with balsamic crema.
Ina Gartens Parmesan Chicken served over a bed of arugula.
Baby new potatoes roasted
Chocolate Mousse with fresh raspberries.
We had a sad thing happen in our family.
My SIL passed away quite suddenly.
I heard that she was not doing well and that my husband's nephew was driving up from Oregon.
I kept in touch via text and he told me they were getting her to the hospital asap.
As soon as she had a bed I picked a bunch of roses and took them out and had a visit.
We had a great chat, I held her hand and we were laughing...
I thought that she would get the help she needed and be back home soon.
That was Thursday afternoon.
We got a call Saturday night and she had passed away from
Congestive Heart Failure.
We have wonderful friends...
Found a pottery shard on the beach...
it goes with the blue and white ironstone that I have at the cottage.
~ Beach Vibes ~
We had some foggy and rainy days but the rest of the week was sunny.
The air felt cooler and there was a Feel of Fall.
A pair of "new to me" mugs from Good Things in Oak Bay.
I knit a bunch this week...
I found it very therapeutic as I was still trying to process the death.
The shawl is called Easy Goes It...I made it in pink last winter.
To lose a loved one is hard...even when they have lived a good long life.
Thank goodness I got to see her before she passed away...
I will hold that visit close to my heart.
A precious memory and a true life gift.
My Sea Glass necklace designed and made by Charlene Hall is getting lots of wear!
I never tire of searching for Sea Glass...
The sunsets were so beautiful.
The mauve shades were quite spectacular...
I enlarged this photo to see what boat this might be...
I thought at first it might be Holland America.
Turns out it is a different cruise line altogether...
I must be waiting to get some repairs or maintenance at a local shipyard.
Pender has freighters that anchor in the bays but this is a rather unusual sight.
Home today and am tackling the laundry and made Pasta Carbonara for dinner.
Very comforting...
We have a few things to tend to this week.
The painters will be here refreshing the front porch and fascia boards.
I'm going to be making soup for a friend who has cancer and is starting chemotherapy.
Hope that I will be back at the pool.
Aqua Fit classes are up and running and the pool has been refurbished.
Other than that,
I have some dead heading to do on the roses and the apples look ready to pick.
My husband will be bringing in a harvest of tomatoes for me to freeze.
What are you up to?
~ Be Well and Be Kind ~
32 comments:
What a beautiful yellow rose. I am so sorry for your loss; it is so hard to lose a close friend suddenly. The cottage is in a soothing spot - those gorgeous sunsets, and the passing sea traffic. How unusual to see a Polar cruise ship. I really like your Sea Glass necklace, which is absolutely matched by your Sea Glass finds! The dinner party sounds truly delicious. Hope you are well.
I'm so very sorry to learn about your SIL. What a blessing you managed to have a visit with her. Sending you a jumbo hug.
Take care of yourself and your family during this difficult time. So glad you had the foresight to rush over with lovely flowers for a heartfelt chat. I would be interested to know what soup you made for your friend. I too have someone going through chemo but she doesn't have much of an appetite.
How old was your sister in law?Thats what I have and have been putting off a call as I think I have a cold but it could be the heart stuff!
I’m so sorry!!
It’s Fall down here too!
Beautiful but chilly!
I LOVE the photo of you taken by your friend!!FRAME THAT!
Xx
Seeing your pottery shard reminded me of happy years in England 'mudlarking' in rivers and gathering copious amounts of beautiful shards, bowls full as you have of sea glass; which in earlier years I gathered on the shores of Chesapeake Bay.
I am sorry for your loss, these days such life episodes draw near. What a blessing you got to be with your sis-in-law.
So sorry about your SIL. Life is so uncertain. i just love your quarterdeck cottage. So charming. Your sea glass finds are amazing. I often look on ebay to buy some but they can be pricey. I'd love the Carbonara recipe or which one if any you use. Most anything by Ina Garten is delicious. I have made that recipe and it's a winner.
Beautiful sea glass, comforting pasta, preparing soup for a friend, knitting…
all things soothing as you process a family loss. My condolences Leslie.
Joan
I'm so sorry for your loss. I love your blue and white platters / plates. As always, your roses are just so beautiful - I love seeing pictures of them and feel like I can almost smell them! I, too, would be interested in the soup you're making for your friend going through chemo. I've been roasting tomatoes from the garden - what a good thing and I've never done it before this year. I cut similar sized tomatoes into quarters, remove the seeds and "goo", and put them on a foil lined jelly roll pan along with a couple good sized cloves of garlic still in their skins. I sprinkle on kosher salt and olive oil and toss. Roast at 325 F for an hour and a half to two hours. When done, I put everything (remove the skins from the garlic) in my food processor and whir. I end up with either tomato sauce or tomato paste (depending on how long I roast - the longer I do the more likely I end up with something more like tomato paste) that I freeze in jars. It's a good thing!
I am so sorry for the sudden loss of your sister-in-law. How lovely that you were able to visit with her and take her the roses. Knitting is a meditative process that helps process things like grief.
Your sea glass necklace is lovely, and your time on Pender always sounds delightful and relaxing.
I'm so sorry you lost your SIL. It seems this is the age where we start to our contemporaries, and it's so sad and frightening. Glad you were able to have a beautiful, final visit with her. The photo of you is wonderful! Kathy
I am certain the beauty and calm you bring to so many through these digital pages is but a token of what you shared with your SIL. I hope all are finding comfort.
The rose is Julia Child by David Austin...she loved butter so it seem fitting that they created a yellow rose! Hope all is well with you!
I am really grateful that I went when I did...it was a fast trip out to the hospital and I needed to see her before we left for the cottage. I really had no idea how serious her illness was at the time.
I am making a creamy cauliflower bisque...I thought it wise to make one without a lot of strong spices but one that might be comforting. I use the Soup Sisters Cookbook for most of my soups. I highly recommend it.
My sil was afew weeks short of her 83rd birthday...you would have loved her! She was one in a million and she lived life to the fullest. A flamboyant style and a dramatic flair. Perhaps I should frame that photo Laurette is a very talented photographer.
Oh I love the word Mudlarking!!! That sounds very descriptive of those of us who explore the seashore. Very grateful I had such a lovely visit...I was so surprised when she passed quickly but she didn't suffer too long which is a blessing.
Life is very uncertain and things can change in a heartbeat. I went online and found a simple carbonara dish using the Google Search engine...it called for cooked bacon, 3 eggs and 1 and a half cup of grated parmigiana reggiano...you boil the water and add the pasta...drain it and reserve a half cup of the water....you add the water gently whisking to the egg and cheese mixture then immediately add to drained pasta and toss. It is very quick!!!
Joan I am grateful that I had some quiet time knitting and gazing out to the sea...the passing of my SIL was a shock and I was caught off guard, but I have over 50 years of wonderful memories to remind me of her.
I am making a creamy cauliflower bisque from The Soup Sisters Cookbook...it is not too spicy and very comforting. I am going to be doing up the tomatoes later this afternoon...the house will smell of garlic!!! I will try the food processor too...thank you. Hope you are enjoying the start to Fall....
Thank you Lorrie...you are so right about knitting being meditative.
Life is very precious and we are never truly ready to say goodbye to those we love. I am keeping busy with the bountiful harvest here at home. Love preserving food and making soup...these simple things allow me to focus on simple pleasures and I find comfort in my home and kitchen.
Take care
XO
Kathy, we were at a celebration of life yesterday for a friend we knew through boating. He was kind, funny, and a loving husband and father. Over 150 people were in attendance and the tributes were wonderful, a slide show if pictures and many people spoke...it does remind me of how precious life is and how fast it seems to fly by.
Keeping busy here in the kitchen making soup and putting up tomatoes. If my hands are in action I feel much more in control of things that are beyond my control!
Sending sincere condolences to you and your family on the loss of your sister in love. Such a blessing to know you shared beauty from your garden and had a loving visit with her. Life is so unpredictable. I agree about the photograph.. it’s a lovely capture.. frame-worthy! Sending good wishes and smiles your way for a pleasant week.
I add my condolences to those of your other readers. It was a gift for both of you that you were there on Thursday. Sadly, I know this is the time of life when deaths of family and friends become more frequent. And a pointed reminder to create some joy in the lives of others and by extension our own.
Hi Leslie, Gorgeous photo of your by your friend. Love seeing these glimpses of the PNW. When we lived in Anacortes we saw some of these interesting smaller cruise ships sailing by. Love your denim dress, I have a similar one that I'll be wearing constantly this fall. How fortunate you were able to have a lovely visit with your SIL. I'm terribly sorry for your loss. xo
Lovely picture of you, Lesley. My condolences on the loss of your friend - gratitude that you were able to see her near the end.
Wonderful photos! I'm enchanted by the sea-glass.
Oh, so very sorry for your loss - but how nice that you visited and got a chance to speak with your SIL. Have not been home for over two weeks, on a great trip - but at one point while walking in a cemetery in Paris we realized...that is where it all ends, so enjoy each day. Sympathy to you and your family as you grieve and recover.
Thank you Susan,
The passing of time has a way of gently healing...I am feeling very grateful.
Time has a way of putting things in perspective. We are at a stage in our lives where people are passing and we must cling to those precious memories. Thank you for your kind words.
Juliet,
I remember when you lived up here in the PNW! I have been wearing that denim dress quite a bit...so easy and comfy and I am wearing it with capri tights! our weather is lovely right now but there are some chilly fall days where I need that extra warmth. Happy Thanksgiving from Canada
My friend took that picture and she is an excellent photographer! Happy Thanksgiving Sheila.
Ann, I never did get to that cemetery in Paris...we have a beautiful cemetery close by the Humble Bungalow...lots of trees,m deer and interesting headstones...it feels more like a park. Take care
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