I certainly hope everyone had a relaxing weekend. Or an exciting one if that was what you were going for.

I enjoyed my birthday weekend, starting on Friday with supper with our good friends Janet and Ron. Then on Saturday we had supper with the family at Mum’s house in town. (No, my brother is not in the witness protection program, just respecting his privacy) (We often share a birthday cake cuz our b.days are two days apart.)

​We came back to our temporary home on Sunday where I played with the fabulous writerly pretties my wonderful friend Cara Carnes sent to me.

​I can vouch for the excellent quality of both sets of stickers.
www.etsy.com/shop/AshwoodArts
https://www.etsy.com/nz/shop/INTCO

But man, was it hot this weekend! Not the normal temperatures for this time of year. And you know what? I’m done with summer. I’m ready to move on. I’m craving thick wooly sweaters and mulled cider or wine. Yum.
​
Are you ready for a change of season?

​A very important weekend starts right now! You might be glancing at the calendar on your wall or desk and be thinking “okay, the autumnal equinox is today at 5:02 PM (Atlantic Daylight Time) in the Northern Hemisphere, big whoop”.
 
Which would be an understandable reaction unless you were part of my family because this is a big weekend for birthdays. Son2 celebrates his. As do I. As does my brother.
 
I know of people who celebrate a birthday month. And my friend Janet celebrates birthday week – part of which is eating cake for breakfast the day following the big day.
 
Brilliant! That’s a tradition I’m starting this weekend.
 
Here’s the recipe for birthday cake in my family.

​Aunt Hilda’s Chocolate Cake
 
2 cups sugar
½ cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
¾ cup sour milk (milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup cocoa, dissolved in 1 cup very hot water
 
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and dust with cocoa a Bundt pan, tube pan, or two 9-inch layer pans.
 
Sift together flour, soda, baking powder and salt. Cream sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and beat until well combined. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk and cocoa water. Mix until well blended (mixture will be very wet).
 
Pour into pan, or pans, and bake for 45 – 50 minutes. (25 - 30 minutes for layer pans). Tester inserted near centre should come out clean.
 
Cool in pans on rack for 10 minutes. Turn out and cool completely.

​Use the frosting or icing of your choice. Son2 prefers chocolate butter cream frosting. Brother enjoys coffee flavoured icing. I like vanilla. Or as an occasional change of pace, orange flavoured frosting. It captures that chocolate-orange combination that’s a slice of perfection.
 
Cheers!

​If you look at a map of Nova Scotia—here, I’ll make it easy for you--

​Down there along the bottom, south east of Halifax, you’ll see a promontory on which lies Lunenburg (our future home – squee!) A hair’s breadth beyond that is the tiny village of Kingsburg. A slice of heaven.
 
The beach is gorgeous.

We visited with friends of Hubby from his grad school days who had rented a house on the beach for two weeks. Clearly a superb spot for a vacation.
 
What does this have to do with Wine Wednesday (WW)? Especially since we visited last Tuesday? Well, before our hosts served a delicious supper of grilled chicken & peppers, and roasted baby potatoes & carrots, the other couple in our party served the appetizers. Warm and gooey brie cheese, and smoked salmon, with a fun selection of crackers. Yum! An easy accompaniment to local wines and beer.
 
To no one’s surprise, we supplied the dessert, my current favourite cookie.
 The Best Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies 
Cheers!

​The best laid schemes ‘o mice an’ men
Gang aft a-gley
Robert Burns
 
Nothing we can do about the weather. It happens. Or as my brother says, “it is what it is”. Evidently tropical storm Jose is heading north along the east coast of North America and will be arriving in our neck of the woods tomorrow and Wednesday. I doubt it’ll remain a tropical storm by the time is gets here as far as the winds go, but there will be rain. Heavy at times. With thunder and lightning. Not the sort of weather one wants when one is in a tent. Or when one’s only means of getting to safety is a kayak. And so the camping trip is cancelled.  We are both mightily disappointed.
 
In other news, last Monday I shared a picture of two insects and speculated about their mode of communication. And the topic they might be discussing. Well…

​I think this answers that question. Ha!
 
They’re still hanging around the exterior of the house, either singly, in pairs, or—ah—as couples.
 
Here’s a picture I snapped this morning and blew-up to see the details of those little appendages below the wings.

​They look like oars to me. When I was speculating on their function, Hubby and I said, simultaneously, “radar”. Ha! A few minutes of research would give me the answer, IF I had internet service at my temporary house. Or IF I was within easy driving distance of a library. Since neither is my reality I’ll go on thinking it’s radar and that’s how they arrange for romantic connections. <very big grin>
 
Cheers! 

P.S.  My apologies for misnaming the tropical storm in an earlier iteration of this post. My error was pointed out by TWO people, only one of whom is related to me, LOL.  I've corrected my error.