And sorry for the late post ... In fact it was not really an excuse, it just has not taken the time to write on the blog in recent weeks.
We spent New Year's Eve in Victoria, on Vancouver Island. Eve
A rather exceptional "To Say The Least," full of surprises and encounters ... All
began when we learned that Jean-Baptiste (my "second" half-brother, sound engineer, for those who need to relocate), passed on December 31 in Victoria with his girlfriend Judy, with the parents of this last. A passage Express because they had planned to start at Montreal on 1 ... at 5am! He thought therefore that it does not leave enough time to see us, and anyway we would have expected something else.
But Judy (I've never met) contacted me on Facebook to invite us to come anyway, and to surprise JB. Obviously we said yes without hesitation. And then Judy has fortunately decided to change their return to Montreal on Jan. 3, saying she wanted to spend more time with her parents in Victoria.
So we arrived for brunch on the 31st, and JB, who did not expect at all to see us put a few minutes to recover ...
Judy and her family were excited because it was one week they kept the secret. And there we were very proud of our surprise (especially since I mounted a canard to say that JB actually was a bit short for us to see, and we had planned a Christmas Eve with our friends, etc ... and he swallowed everything: P).
Except ... You know the scope of the biter bit? Bon ben this time it was us. As a surprise awaited us in our turn (and hat to the Murphy family who managed this feat twice).
After brunch, then, we went for a walk along the water before returning downtown for coffee. We are really installed on the benches of "Habit", where we're seeing Marc Lapprand Insook and her friend (which is not surprising as Marc, who is originally from the encounter between JB and Judy, lives in Victoria and is also invited to supper in the evening at the Murphy), but just behind the ... Parents! Dad and Pascale were made the trip from Montreal to surprise us all and spend Christmas Eve with us in the family of Judy (Mark and Marc Zaffran Lapprand are friends for quite some years, looking not too much, it's complicated). A completely unexpected visit, and nearly had a poor JB cardiac arrest for the second time that day (even if he had seen him a week earlier, while we were had not seen since Christmas 2009 ...)
short after being recovered from our emotions, we spent two days very pleasant, thanks to the very welcome warm Sally, Eric and Katherine Murphy (parents and sister Judy) who organized the dinner on Christmas Eve and January 1, lunch in their home. Moments of sharing incredible, delicious meals around.
The first lasted six hours anyway! The first glass of champagne at the last 19h spoonful of pie around 1am. Between the two, duck foie gras (prepared by Pascale Montreal, fatty liver is rare around here), small mussels and clams entry, grilled salmon with cherry wood, green salad with dressing with cider vinegar and honey, and finally pies "berries" and tart lemon.
Everything is prepared and as far as meals and washed down with French wine (the Bonezeau with foie gras, thank you and Dominique Yvette!) And American (a delicious Pinot Black 's Oregon) and decorated with delicious homemade caramels Eric .... I think I forget anything. Oh yes, very good Cougar Gold cheese, produced at the University of Washington (a little salty Parmesan, but creamier), and the delicious green tea served in abundance throughout the weekend ...
And I Forgot to mention earlier details of the brunch: scrambled eggs JB, 'rolls' (a little brioche buns) in spelled and pears in syrup Katherine ...
The next day, 14h rebelotte at a luncheon this time with "traditional" family of Sally (from the southern United States). Eric cooked ham, corn pudding and pickled peaches Katherine, "yellow-eyed beans (a variety of beans) and" kale "(a green plant is prepared like spinach but belongs to the family of broccoli) Sally and hazelnut cake and candied fruit for dessert. And I almost forgot to mention that Brice also (!) Had cooked for the occasion: a double batch of chocolate chip cookies that were a great success.
After lunch (ie to 16h), Mark Insook and parents are left and the rest of us went to watch a beautiful sunset from the heights of Victoria. A sky of incredible color, from blue to bright orange through pink, yellow ...
A weekend of celebrations would be complete without a few games (Uno course, and this year's return of an old classic: Monopoly) and a film not too brain: Elf with Will Ferrell (laughter guaranteed, especially with the "communicativité" from that of JB).
Sunday 2 January, I attended Katherine in the preparation of raspberry muffins for breakfast while the rest of JB Murphy and tapped the ball on the tennis court. We have prepared muffin flour Spelt complete (ground at home!), A little white flour Spelt trade, and a cup of quinoa flour (whose fragrance reminds me that pea pods just open, but I think it's just me ...). In short, a delight of course, with cheese and plums in syrup Katherine always ....
Then we had an appointment with the parents in the city center, at Russel Books (a book, or should I say a cave of Ali Baba's book ...) . I came out with two illustrated books, sewing books and a few more "classics": a collection of plays of Oscar Wilde short stories of Canadian author Neil Bissoondath and a novel entitled " Jason "by Henry Treece, a rewriting of the Greek myth of Jason and the Argonauts. Brice has also reported some of the classic Anglo-Saxon literature: Charlotte's Webb and Stuart Little to EBWhite and James and the Giant Peach by Dahl Roal ...
Marc L. We were then taken to a Vietnamese restaurant soup (soup "Pho, ie, broth, rice noodles and thinly sliced meat just cooked in the broth ... very good and ideal after lunch feasts of the previous days ..). A coffee at Dolce Vita before saying goodbye to parents and return home to prepare our business for Brice and I embark on the ferry 17h to return to Vancouver ...
Review of the new year. A few delightful days (full points), highly gourmet as you'll understand. A very good meeting with Judy and his family suggests a reunion not pleasant months in the future ... in short fence in 2010 and opened in 2011 unforgettable ... And thank you again to the Murphy family!
We leave you with this clip chosen to the soundtrack of our weekend (hard to select a song from the Beatles' discography, but I know someone who has a little weakness for it, so ...):
Click the photo to see the pretty gallery
mong the things, some depend on us, others do not.
