It’s going to be a quiet and hopefully sunshine-filled weekend for me.
Everyone around me is sick and I feel like I’m coming down with something.
I don’t have the dreaded scratchy throat yet, but I’ve had a few unusual sneezes.
And I’m tired, but that’s probably from lack of sleep.
I’ve gone to bed consistently late this week, I went to bed at 1:00AM last night; I blame it on the holidays.
Next week’s intent is to get to bed early.
Tomorrow, I’ll sleep in…

I’ll read some old favourites and a cookbook; and maybe make something sweet from said cookbook.

I’ll eat the just-in-case-I-get-sick soup, well… maybe even if I’m not sick – soup heals the soul.<,br/>
There’s rice and beluga lentils (that’s like caviar in vegetariana!) in yummy tomato and olive oil  broth.

I’ll paint my nails the colour of plums.

And take down the Christmas tree and decorations, albeit reluctantly – I still can’t believe the holidays are over!

And If I’m feeling up to it, I’ll hang out with the little guys and we’ll paint something magnificent.

I’ve probably mentioned before that I find old churches comforting.
I remember attending church services with my grandma when I was little.
She went to a beautiful old Presbyterian church on top of a hill in her hometown, and the only times I ever went to church was when we visited her.
I love the sound of hymns sung in ancient churches, and when it’s empty, the peaceful and solemn atmosphere creates a welcoming space to sit, reflect and gather one’s thoughts.
There’s just something sacred and divine about that.

I found all sorts of little churches in Paris; my favourite was Eglise Saint-Merri.
It stood close to our apartment and I could see it from our window.
I’d sneak in when I needed moments by myself, or wanted some peace and quiet from Le Marais
I’d take a pew, meditate for a few minutes and I’d feel refreshed again.

The old Presbyterian church down the street from us is being torn down.
I don’t know how I feel about it, I’ve always loved the building, the architecture is beautiful, very Pacific Northwest.
I attended Christmas Eve service there once and it felt welcoming, but that’s the only time I ever went there.

The whole ‘tearing down the church’ business reminds me of the line in Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi: “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot”
A couple of years ago, the city turned a few of parking lots into parks and green spaces, and when people complained I remember thinking how much it was like that song, except in reverse.
I felt like I lived in utopia or someplace similar were parking lots beautifully get transformed into gardens.

Soon the church will become condos, people will move in, life will go on and we’ll eventually forget the old church that once stood there.
The old church in Paris was built in the 1500s; and has for centuries come to mean all sorts of things to all kinds of people.
The old church on Comox Street was built in 1906, there are a few people still hoping to keep it around for a few more years.

Who knows? Maybe centuries from now it’ll still be standing, giving hope to others.

I have seven glorious days left on my mini break before I have to go back to work.

I feel like I’m trying to cram a lifetime of activities into these few days.

I spent the day out, walking, sightseeing and browsing – being a tourist and taking in the city.

Later on in the day, we made lunch, helped my mom set up her new sewing machine, drank glögg and took tons of pictures.

It made me think of wishes…

Endless days… I wish for days that would never end…

Ceaseless laughter and time with loved ones

A beautiful life, with beautiful people.

Beautiful things and beautiful moments.

I took the day off yesterday.

I haven’t taken a day off in a while, nor had a good vacation in over a year.

I had a staycation last year, which wasn’t bad because everyone seemed to be having one of those then.

Taking a day off is a little different from being on vacation, taking a day off is like a glimpse into what life would be if I were independently wealthy and didn’t have to wake up each morning to go to work.

I’d have more time to hang out with this little dude before he gets older and thinks I’m uncool. Soon I’ll have to bribe him with video games just to get him to hang out with me.

I’d have more time to play in the rocks.

I met a mother and daughter at the grocery store, it was early in the day still and there was an air of leisure in the store, no one seemed in a hurry to be elsewhere.

The mother and her young daughter couldn’t agree on which kind of apples to get, they argued playfully.

I envied them a little, for a minute I wanted to be a part of their little playful clique.

I couldn’t help it, I smiled at them and suggested the jazz apples – her daughter would like them I say.

I walk away smiling… I’m think of limitless possibilities for my limited time off.

There was so much to be done, I could go shopping, hiking, a movie or a lunch date maybe…

I’m rejuvenated… we go to the beach in the afternoon

The water is cold but it’s a sunny day; I bring along a ton of reading materials and pretend I’m going to spend the rest of my life at the beach.

We watch the kids play and secretly wish they remain kids forever.

But everything had its end, soon enough it was time to pack up and go home and await the grind.

Back at work today, I felt a little refreshed, I needed that break and I’m glad I took the day off but I couldn’t help but look out the window every once in a while and wonder what it’ll be like if I didn’t have to be here.

I’ve been making my own bread for years now since I got a bread machine.

I wish I had a pile of money saved to show for making my own bread and not buying bread from the store.

My initial reasoning for buying the bread machine was… ‘think about all the money I’ll save’.

The bread machine has become one of the hardest working appliances in the kitchen, and to think I got it on a whim. It’s a sturdy little workhorse that makes the most perfect fluffy loaves.

You wouldn’t think a bread machine would be versatile, but it is – I’ve made pizza dough, cinnamon buns and even bagels. Then was the disastrous summer of jam making, when I tried and failed miserably to make jam in the bread machine (don’t ask).

Sadly, I haven’t been making bread lately; I’ve been a bit lazy and� buying bread from my local Cob’s Bread. They have amazing bread but it’s not the same as baking my own.

I really have no excuse, baking with the bread machine is one of the easiest and uncomplicated tasks there is. I’ve decided to use this post as motivation to start making bread again.

I tried my perfected modified quick go-to wheat bran raisin bread.

I normally use whole wheat flour and a cup of white flour to counter the denseness but I’m all out of wheat flour.

I use olive oil instead of butter because of the whole “I don’t eat dairy products” business

Ditto for almond milk – I use about a cup and the half� (eyeballed) to about four cups flour.

A cup of wheat bran to make it a ‘wheat bran raisin loaf’

Nutmeg and almond extract gives it that nutty aromatic flavour

Yeast, honey and a bit of salt to finish it off.

It’s pretty important to follow the machine instructions.

After many disastrous experiments, I’ve come to realize (of course I could have easily read this in any baking book) that baking is a science, you just need to know the right flour to water to yeast to salt ratio

My machine recommends putting in wet ingredients before dry ingredients, so here the almond milk, honey and oil goes in first, then I throw in the nutmeg, sometimes I add the nutmeg after I’ve added the flour but I have this thing about the yeast and nutmeg touching.

It’s all in and the machine gets to work.

Here’s my dough kneading away, I normally do a quick check here to see if I need to add more water or flour.

Raisins are added when the machine prompts, and it folds it in perfectly!

After a long nap, I come to check on my bread and it’s almost done.

It turns out a simple chewy perfect loaf every time.

The End