the help...

 There was a party happening in our neighbourhood over the weekend.

Friends of ours were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.

No...we weren't among the invited guests.

But we found a way be part of the goings-on anyhow!

We arrived an hour before the guests...
in black pants and white shirts.

We were invited in.

 We weren't there to eat, drink and be merry.

We were 'the help'!

Eric and Irene invited their original wedding attendants and spouses to come for dinner.
The spent all day preparing a feast for their guests.
We offered to dish it up for them...
while they sat at the table and enjoyed their own party.

We surveyed the table...
and noticed the names on the place cards.
We have only known Eric and Irene these past few years...
and never for a moment thought we might know any of their guests.
What a surprise to discover that one of the groomsmen was a childhood friend of my hubby's.
And another guest was a childhood friend of mine...
our parents were good friends.
How nice to meet...
and serve...
old friends!

The napkins were leftovers from their wedding.

Who still has napkins...

40 years later?

How special is that?

As for the dinner that we dished up and served...

it was most special as well.

* * * *

Our 40th Anniversary Menu

Honeymoon Greek Salad

Fresh lettuce leaves garnished with crumbled feta cheese,

English cucumber slices, green onion tidbits, fresh basil, and

ripe olives, augmented by a

homemade dressing of olive oil, lemon juice,

and simple seasonings

Sorbet

Amore Stuffed Breast of Chicken

Tender chicken breasts gently stuffed

with asiago, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses,

fresh mushrooms, peppers, and crumbs

of homemade bread, delicately enhanced with

fresh basil, salt and pepper.

Always Faithful Twice-Baked Potatoes

A classic favourite, baked potatoes filled with

mashed potatoes blended with sour cream, green onions, and

cheddar cheese.

Lemon-Kissed Vegetable Medley

Fresh carrots and green beans adorned with

hints of lemon, garlic, basil and cracked pepper

Sweetheart Cranberry Sauce

Sweetened whole cranberries simmered

to perfection

Darling Dessert

Old-Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake,

like we enjoyed at our wedding receptionfresh

strawberries and whipped cream

hugging a tender cake

* * * *

Would you not love to eat in that restaurant? 

All dishes on the menu were recipes from the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog or cookbook.

They just came with new names!

The party favours for dinner guests were signed copies of the MGCC cookbook.

How fun to be a part of Eric and Irene's special evening!

It seemed inappropriate for 'the help' to pull out a camera while serving the guests...

and so I will share with you a photo of the hosts...

taken 40 years ago.

They won't mind...

I'm sure.

 They are out sailing the high blue seas for the next while. 

Though 'the help' was quite busy in the kitchen all evening...

 

...I couldn't resist a few moments of reprieve on their back patio.  

They have the loveliest of gardens...
and a creek in the background.

Though we may not be that informed on the 'do and don'ts' of proper table service...

we had a fine time being 'the help' for one night!

when the lights went out...

 We spent the night in the city.

We went for a nice long walk...

and found ourselves at the waterfront as darkness settled in.

The kiosk at Canada Place is a friendly reminder of the winter games we hosted here just two years ago.

Coffee and triple-berry cheesecake...

on a patio on the pier...

on a warm spring evening...

was just the perfect way to end the day. 

Who knew the sails at Canada Place changed colour every few minutes?

We know now!

A change of scenery from time to time is a good thing.

Even if there's not much that can compete with the view at home!

vancouver's van dusen gardens...

On a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon...

we decided to visit the big city. 

We had no agenda set in stone...

and visiting Van Dusen Gardens was not in the plans at all.

We were just beginning to think about dinner as we drove by the gardens...

and saw the sign for the garden restaurant.

What could be nicer than dinner on a warm patio...

...overlooking the gardens?

We came to the city...

and then found a quiet spot to eat.

We really are country folk at heart!

Once dinner was done...

we decided we really should stroll the gardens.

We were glad we did!

Van Dusen Gardens is situated on 55 acres that was once the Shaughnessy Golf course.

It first opened to the public as a garden in 1975.

Though there are more than 7,500 varieties of plants...

I'll just show you a few today.

I promise!

Oh...

and a few birds as well.

The purples and greens...

...were most lovely at the close of the day.

And we couldn't have picked a better time to stroll the rhodo garden.

We had to think about our visit to Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile, Alabama at the beginning of March...

when their rhodos were in their glory.

We are just a wee bit behind up here in the far north!

I won't even pretend to know the names of all the plants and trees.

But I sure appreciated the signs throughout the garden identifying them.

The rose garden will look better in a few weeks...

I know.

The wisteria...

iris...

magnolia...

poppy...

...and lupine.

Succulents...

poking through every nook and cranny of the rock wall.

The Canada geese have made themselves comfortable in the gardens as well.

They seem to feel at home wherever they roam!

It was peaceful and quiet...

beside still waters.

There's nothing like being in a garden at the end of the day.

Earth laughs in flowers.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

changes in my neighbourhood...

Saturday morning dawned sunny and clear...

a beautiful day in my neighbourhood.

It was the perfect day for the garage sale next door.

Of course I went to check it out!

 Stuff...everywhere!

Moving day is fast approaching ...

and our long-time neighbour is cleaning house.
She had her first garage sale a few years ago...
but then her house never sold overnight.
Now her days next door are numbered.

Her daughter was orchestrating the garage sale.

She was enjoying coffee and sunshine on the patio.

We will miss her (in the pink)...

a good neighbour for many years!

I came home with treasures for my granddaughter.

Maggie will be most thrilled with Barbies...

that come with their own private jet...

and motorbike.

As I left the garage sale...

I noticed a lot of action at the nearby intersection.

A tractor rally?

I went down to see what going on.

 This intersection was the scene of a serious car accident two weeks ago.  

The road was closed for hours...

and the jaws of life were called out.

The accident was caused when a vehicle pulled into the intersection while unsafe to do so.

However...the driver of the car that was inching forward could hardly be blamed...

since a hedge on the adjacent property totally obstructed the view.

After years of complaints from motorists about that hedge...

the neighbours made arrangements with the owners of the property to have a 'hedge-removing' bee.

 The owners agreed...

and the hedge came down in short order.

 The shrubs were hauled away.

The neighbours even brought in sand to fill the holes.

Neighbours working together...

make for a great community.

I've seen a lot of changes in this neighbourhood over the years.

Some good...

some not so good.

It's always sad to have good neighbours go.

As for the hedge...

I'm glad it is gone!

some things last for ever...

Others...not so much!

We planted a row of  red sunset maple trees along our driveway seven years ago.

Once established...they would grace the lane forever.

So we thought.

 Over the years...

two have broken off in wind storms. 

So we have a few wimpy ones...

where the replacements went in.

Several weeks ago...

we noticed that the first tree in the one row...

was not getting leaves this spring. 

That's it.

Seven years and it is finished.

For no obvious reason.

We found out that we can get a replacement tree from the nursery...

about that size.

But there will be no more digging until fall.

We are to leave the dead one in place until then...

and get in an excavator to dig it out...

along with a large hole to put a new tree into.

So...I'm wondering how to make that dead tree at the road look inconspicuous until fall.

I'm open to suggestions!

Some things do last a very long time.

Almost forever!

We bought a swing set for our children when they were wee things.

When they outgrew it...

we passed it along to friends with a much younger family.

When our first grands arrived...

the friends decided we needed the swing set back...

and delivered it to the farm.

It was looking a little worse for the wear...

and I didn't really want it back.

But there it was.

(Thanks, Gord!) 

A few years later...

we moved on and Jeremy and Broni moved into our old  farmhouse.

The swing went with the package!

It served them well.

Emme, Spencer and Ryder had a lot of fun on that old swing.

It seems they have outgrown it though.

Jeremy tried in vain to find a new home for the old swing set...

and yesterday it went to recycling.

It served us well for more than three decades.

Amazing!

((I think it was made in Canada!)

Speaking of 'lasting forever'...

I'm still mowing lawns with the John Deere mower we bought in 1988.

I'm not always happy about it...

but it still gets the job done.

The lawns are mowed.

The sun is shining.

Have a great weekend!