Winter is coming....

....the squirrels are getting fat.

Intrepid Amy.....

Its 10:30pm, which in Amy time is past bedtime. I'm wearing my pyjamas (snoopy, red flannel - nice) and have just dropped 'Canine Mystery Stories' and snuggled down to sleep. I hear the bins outside rattling and my eyes spring open - raccoon?

I love raccoons, something about their masked little faces appeals to me (must be the dark eyes!). But I know that most of the rest of Canada thinks of them as vermin, and also that they shouldn't be cornered as they'll protect themselves.

So, I am torn between wanting to get a photo of the nocturnal visitor in action, and wanting to stay tucked up in bed. The bins rattle again, loudly. Maybe there'll be more than one. I'm feeling brave. I pull on my wellies (present from my sister, fruit printed all over), and a head-torch, grab my camera and head out the door.

I creep out to the balcony, trying to keep quiet but there is a reason cat-burglars don't wear wellies. The bin rattles again...

I make it down to the yard and the bin rolls on the floor - it must be in there. I sneak round to the end and peer in (brave aren't I?). The wind gusts up adding to the atmosphere and the bin rolls again....I crouch down to sneak a peek. Its dark in there. I take a step closer...it moves again and I squeal - yes, squeal. I am not proud, but nor am I surprised by this response....

As one of my neighbours pulls into the parking area behind me, the headlights shine into the bin and I realise it is empty. At this moment the wind blows again and the bin rolls away from me.

Yes, the bin was being blown around in the wind. And I am standing in the back yard in my Red Flannel Snoopy pyjamas, wearing fruity wellies and a headtorch.

With a sigh, I turn and wave at my neighbour, secure the bin and walk up the stairs with my head held high. I never intended to adopt the 'eccentric batty english-woman' persona, but somehow thats how I always end up coming across. Ho hum.

Mystery Book Box Challenge.....

We wandered back up for the last hour of the Rockcliffe School Book Fayre last night, intent on half-price bargain pickings. Jasper and I waited in the park for Paul as I find self-restraint much easier if I'm not in the room with the books.....As a reward for my patience Paul returned with this treat:

$1.50 worth of mystery mystery books to keep me going through the cold winter nights. Carrying the bounty home again we endeavoured to guess what treats the box contained, and came up with the 'Mystery Book Box Challenge'. Ten Categories, closest guess wins....winner gets, erm....the title of 'Mystery Book Box Challenge Champion' - a prestigious title indeed. Maybe I'll make a rosette.

Anyway, in the interests of fairness I am recording the guesses here to avoid arguments later:

Total No. of books: Paul - 12 Amy J - 10
Total of Agatha Christies: Paul - 3 Amy J - 1
Total of Kathy Reichs: Paul - 2 Amy J - 0
Total bodycount: Paul - 36 Amy J - 15
Total different modus operandi: Paul - 12 Amy J - 8
No. of characters called James: Paul - 7 Amy J - 4
Total Amy has read before: Paul - 3 Amy J - 2
Total anonymous tip-offs: Paul - 2 Amy J - 4
Total characters murdered by spouse: Paul - 3 Amy J - 4
Total No. of butlers: Paul - 3 Amy J - 3

This will be an ongoing challenge, but on opening the box we got the counts for several categories:


Both woefully underestimated the number of books - 33, should keep me busy. With 1 Agatha Christie, 0 Kathy Reichs and 3 I'd read before, our current score is 2 all....exciting stuff isn't it? I'm halfway through my first book and the bodycount is 2, both strangled with one butler.....the race is on.

Sunday evenings....

.....how did you spend yours?



No, don't tell me. Baking blue-cheese-biscuit farm animals for scientists to munch on Mondays, whilst listening to Ethiopian Jazz? No? Wierd.

Has anyone seen my turkey?

I would like to refer you to this post from April....and in particular the scientific measurements:
"I now weigh the same as
20,618 Ruby Throated Hummingbirds
or 687 Blue Jays
or 52 Mallards
or 8 Wild Turkeys."

Yesterday I returned to the museum to reweigh myself after two weeks of my new strict diet - cake, lobster, fried wontons and more cake.

Drum roll please.......(you'd better be drumming on the table people)...
I now weigh:
16, 997 Ruby Throated Hummingbirds,
or 567 Blue Jays
or 42 Mallards
or 7 Wild Turkeys.

Pick your jaws up off the floor please. Yes it is an amazing achievement. Now if we take into account that I (embarrassingly for Steve) took off my shoes and jumper to ensure I minimised the impact of winter clothing on the hummingbird quota - I still am not sure where I have lost a turkey. These birds are enormous. You can sneeze and lose a hummingbird, you can train for a 10k and lose a couple of bluejays - but a turkey? I am beginning to wonder if I have had a limb amputated in the last 7 months and noone let me know....

Anyway, I celebrated by eating a large slice of cake and deep frying some more wontons - its not that I like this food, but the numbers don't lie, this diet is working!

Sometimes....

....you wake up in a cabin up a mountain, the logfire still burning from last night, and find several inches of snow. As you hike down to find a diner for breakfast, a friendly Grey Jay follows you and makes it clear that he's hungry too.....