Saturday 21st August

Different day today.  The weather is overcast and threatens to rain all day.  We have a lazy morning, bit of reading, then head off to Haliburton for lunch.  All cottagers seem to have the same idea and the first two restaurants we try are full with a ¾ hour wait.  The third seems more countrified, but has a free table for 6 which we can all fit round.  Lunch is good – they even do veggie burgers – and all is served in a basket.  The waitress loves that we are English – then comes back and asks about how the Coronation Street storyline has developed – here they are about 9 months behind.  Helen and Ellie enjoy predicting what will happen in the coming months.  Walking down the street, we hear a band playing in a carpark round the corner – great rhythm and blues accompanies us around the town.  We find a neat shop called Cranberry House and find a little present for Russ and Lee – they have invited us for dinner tonight and the more I hear, the better it sounds.

On the way back, we stop for ice cream at the Kawartha ice cream factory shop.  It must be good because there are about 50 people in a queue that you’d more often see at a theme park!  The flavours are many and varied – including Wolf Paws, Moose tracks and Bear Claw.  The wait is worth it and the ice cream is delicious – Wolf Paws is a vanilla with pieces of chocolate caramel in it - lovely.  Alison gets a pack of Moose Tracks to take to dinner this evening.

We are running a little late now for dinner. Although Lee hasn’t specified a time, it is after six when we get back to the cottage.  A quick change (and for the girls a remarkably quick hair wash) and we head back out to Russ and Lee’s place.  Their place has been extended massively over the 40 years they have had it and is a large, comfortable “cottage” with fantastic views across the lake.  The steps down to the lake are less severe than at Ken and Alison’s cottage, but it’s still quite a way above the water.  They have a big family kitchen, two living areas and I don’t know how many bedrooms.  One of the highlights for me is the open sided outdoor conservatory type area on the side which is completely shielded from bugs, but allows you to relax outside whenever, without getting bitten.  We see chipmunks, and loads of quite exotic looking birds – attracted to a tree high feeder.

Russ’s dad, Budd is there (they live on Budd’s Lane) and it’s his birthday.  He bought the cottage many years ago and has worked with Russ to extend and maintain it.  He even has a “honeymoon suite” (a separate self-contained cottage alongside the main one) which he lives in with his wife Betty when they are at the cottage.

Lee has done a fantastic job with dinner! She has made a veggie pie which is delicious as well as a load of different salads – curried chickpea (my favourite), three bean, grain salad and potato salad –

which are all fantastic.  There is fresh corn which Budd has picked from his regular farm just the day before on the way up to the cottage.  The corn here is delicious, but this is extra fresh and tastes fantastic.

It’s in desert where Lee and her family really excel.  Gilly has spent the day making cup cakes and they are decorated brilliantly.  Some are chicken legs (I have to admit I had my first chicken leg for about 30 years tonight), some have carrots and peas, some are mashed potato with butter and gravy on top.  A load more are decorated with bugs – centipedes, spiders, mosquitoes – and all are delicious.

We have a great night with some fabulous people who go out of their way to make us feel really welcome!  This is what I like best about Canadians!