Thursday 29 May, Penticton

Rain overnight so it is going to be cooler today. My day then starts the same, with 4 fur babies eye balling me to share my Vegemite and today's breakfast! This is now a daily occurrence and puts me under a lot of pressure...

Vicki and I go to the museum to deliver some of her newly made rose petals jelly. Late morning we all head off to Penticton which is a good hour's drive.

Joe drops Vicki and I off at Value Village, which is like Savers, while he takes all the recycle bottles and cans to a depot. I find a couple of good windcheaters I like and Vicki finds some wine glasses so we are happy shoppers. Time for a late lunch at Brodo where we each order a brodo bowl. We are told that the rice is cooking and will be 5 minutes. That's okay so we seat ourselves and 10 minutes later we are told the eggs are coming and will take 6 minutes. That's okay too. Eventually about another 10 or so minutes our lunches come out. They were worth the wait, plus we are given free dessert of hazelnut slice because we had to wait!

the photo doesn't do justice to all that was in the bowl. What a Fusion of flavours! and it was so filling that I couldn't fit in my slice so we had to ask for a take away container. Time to waddle out of the restaurant and we head to Walmart to pick up a few things. This place is a K Mart, Aldi and Target on steroids! Not sure that it really was on the shopping list but Vicki grabs up a battery operated bubble machine that she simply has to have! Purchases made and now time to head for home. What a lovely drive.

We drop off all the goodies and Vicki takes me for a drive around Hedley, pointing out the homes of friends I've met and various landmarks. We popped in to the library to check out how the book sale has gone. Thankfully the books I had my eyes on have been snapped up so I don't have to worry about how I was going to try and squash then into my suitcase. Alexandra confirms that she will need some help to pack up at 7pm so I agree to head back then to help. How's this for a view of the mountain behind the house? the old Mine buildings are visible near top left.

We head home again and no sooner do we get indoors and Vicki gets a message that she has won a pizza because she guessed the lucky number! Only thing is that she has a half hour drive to collect it from a place that we passed on the way home from Penticton. So she had put again to collect our dinner and I go back to the library to help pack up. With 3 other ladies there to assist, we had the job done in about 25 minutes. I wander back home and shortly after Vicki arrives with the pizza. It was lovely. Probably not quite as neatly put together as my efforts, but very tasty. Joe's plan to make ginger beef for our dinner has been put on hold. We watch a bit of TV and it's my bed time again so I head upstairs and off to the land of nod.

Wednesday 28 May, Community Centre

It's going to be a hot one today with temps expected to reach into the 30s. I wander off to the community centre to help Diane prepare today's lunch. I am put in charge of putting the pizzas together. Diane has set up a production line of all the toppings for the pizzas, most of which we prepared yesterday. I finish spreading the tomato sauce on the pitta bread and then begin my sheltered workshop task to add each topping. Being slightly OCD and taking my job very seriously I am most particular about adding the toppings evenly and neatly. Diane has a laugh at me being so particular as she says that she usually just kind of throws them all towards the middle. That will never do while I'm on the job! I am so pleased with my first effort that I rush to take a photo.

It is then I realize that I've left off 2 toppings! Diane is really having a chuckle at me now... I did consider deleting the photo and not admitting my rookie mistake but have decided to use this as a learning experience to not get too big for my boots and accept that I am still am apprentice pizza topper, not a master. And voila, my first tray of pizzas with everything are ready for the oven.

The pressure is now on a I work in the next tray. A lady comes in and asks if she can have a vegan pizza. We aren't even open yet but locals wander in and out at will. Diane assures her that we can, but we don't have began cheese. The woman says she will bring some back so I am now put in charge of preparing a vegan pizza. Oh dear Lord, the pressure. However, I am wearing my big girl pants, so step up to the challenge and make a mushroom, capsicum (oh alright, peppers) spinach leaves and her pretend cheese topped pizza. I'm keen to hear how she likes it but she then returns later to collect it, once it is cooked and we open at midday, and takes it to go! Oh well, I can only assume that it didn't poison her as there was no call out for the ambulance during the afternoon. And now the locals start wandering in and ordering their pizzas, dessert (that I had nothing to do with), coffee and pop (soft drink to the rest of the world). Diane has now put me in charge of the cash register! I have to get used to the different money. At least the notes are different colours but their$5 note is the same colour as our $10 note which is a trap for new players as I have to double check myself each time that I'm not giving back twice as much change. I'm sure the locals think I may only have primary school level maths as I keep counting out the change aloud as I hand it back to them. I'm sure Diane must think I'm in the spectrum. But, I manage to redeem myself when I manage to correctly insert the paper roll into the EFT machine, something she was unable to do. However, everyone gets what they ordered and I even do some table service fetching and carrying.

Shirley arrived in time to get desserts sorted as neither Diane or I wanted to be the one to cut and serve equal portions of the blueberry cheesecake, the smores cupcakes or bread pudding! She then did all the dishes so I was free to have lunch and enjoy my pizza. With all the kitchen cleaned up and the locals well feed, Diane said I could finish up now if I wanted, but it was almost 2 o'clock and I had been invited to play crib with my sister and a couple of others so instead I settled in with Kate and we were soon joined by Vicki, Jaquine (a retired criminal lawyer from New York) and Billy (a retired archaeologist and museum curator). I instantly knew I was out of my depth in offering to play crib with these people. They may have sensed my fear as it was quickly agreed that Kate and I would play separately and the other 3 would play each other. Kate very patiently talked me through the game and although I eventually understood the aim of getting cards to add up to 15 or 31, I struggled to count the different points earned, especially when 2 counted were being used to record the points. This probably reinforced local opinion of my low level maths abilities... But as luck would have it I won the game against Kate with no idea how I did so. Vicki won her game too. I was then asked if I wanted to play again but my brain was hurting at this stage from concentrating too much, so declined and I think I heard a sigh of relief from the others, but I'm not sure. During our high stakes game, Alexandra the librarian, had come into the back of the hall and was setting up tables of books for the big book sale tomorrow. We were allowed to go and have a sneak preview so Kate, Vicki and I were having a look around. As an avid reader I found a number of books I would love to grab but I am also mindful of how little room I have in my suitcase and books aren't light so had to put the books back on the tables. Alexandra wanted to take some photos of the tables to advertise the event on the local Facebook pages so guess who ended up being poster girl for the event?

I am now being claimed by some locals as a Hedlite but I remain unconvinced that Hedley is ready for 2 Robinson women to be here full time! It is now time to head home and it is already after 5pm. Where the heck has the day gone as I've been out since 10.30am? Time for a wine and sit down. Diane has sent me home with a couple of pizzas so dinner for the night was pizza, noodle salad and stuffed zucchinis. We ate like kings on our left over dinners! Watched a movie (which was considerably better than last night's offering, something we reminded Joe of) and time for this little black duck to head to bed. It's been another big day in Hedley. The temp got to about 36 today so my upstairs room isn't too cool, but the fan is on and I'm sleeping at the other end of the bed to take advantage of the breeze. All is well in my world.

Tuesday 27 May, the Wedding

Quiet morning and then out to the community centre to help Diane with food preparation for tomorrow's lunch at the centre. I was in charge of slicing the capsicums (they insist in calling them peppers) and mushrooms for pizza topping. Diane then put me in charge of the electric mandolin to slice the pepperoni and salami. No one told me that the pepperoni had two plastic coatings! I think I've removed all the sliced plastic now.... We'll find out tomorrow when we put the pizzas in the oven and the plastic melts! Oh well, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. LOL Diane was very patient with me and as we were the only 2 there I suppose she had to put up with me. When Vicki came later Diane put her in charge of the mandolin to shred the cheese. I took to washing dishes. We duly finish the prepping so Diane and I went to the museum for coffee. Diane is from Quebec and is French speaking or more correctly, she speaks Quebecois. She had to learn English when she met her future husband who had a house in Hedley and hence she moved here. After coffee we went back to the community centre and Kate was offering a craft afternoon so Vicki was well into card making so I made a card too. Time to head home (one block away) and Joe made us his famous BLT sandwiches for a late lunch. One of the local guys (Clive) announced on Friday in the community chat pages that he had asked his Mexican girlfriend to marry him and she said yes, so the ceremony would be on Tuesday at 7pm and if anyone was in town they were welcome to attend! At 5pm a harried Clive rocks up to the house and wants to know if Vicki has any white material that might be used for decorating the hall. With that, the Robinson girls spring into action. Within 45 minutes we have set up a candelabra, peacock chair, flower arrangements, table decorations and backdrop in the hall (20 metres away).

Guests have been told to be at the hall at 6.30 so we have enough time to head home, have a glass of wine, get changed and head back to the hall just after 6.30. I have no idea how this works but some people are taking food, some bring gifts, some cards and a number bringing their own drinks in open containers that they drink from as soon as they enter the hall. Some brought nothing but were quick to hoe into the food and drink after the ceremony. I'm pretty sure some of them have had a few before they arrive too. The fashions are all over the place. One fellow with an eye patch(Terry) is wearing jeans and a white singlet. Sandals and dark ankle socks are common on some of the older men. One woman is in blue jeans, a black tank top and wearing a black akubra which she never took off her head all night. Another woman wore a black t shirt and black shorts. I think I may have been over dressed! The wedding went off smoothly but it's the first wedding I've ever been to where an interpreter was needed for the bride to understand the English wedding vows. I'm assured this was a fairly typical community style event...

Because it was such a quickly arranged wedding, they did not have rings to exchange so exchanged beaded bracelets. Clive assured everyone that that they will have real rings soon enough. The bride (Gabriela) goes back to MexiCo tomorrow so I have no idea how this all works but apparently they have known each other a couple of years and Clive has another house in Mexico which is where he met her. They have been going back and forth for a while so don't know what prompted him to pop the question now and why the hurry. It really was one for the books and not one I'm likely to ever be involved with again. We headed back to the house, time for a wine and debrief of the day. What a day!

Monday 26 May A day of rest

Not sparking on all cylinders this morning. My cough has taken hold and I'm feeling a bit rough. Thankfully Joe is going grocery shopping today so he kindly adds a pharmacy visit to his list to get some cough mixture and cold and flu tablets. So my day is a very restful one with reading and puddling about the house. While I'm helping Joe bring in the groceries 2 ladies rock up to the craft cupboard. 1 is having a lovely time going through all the items. They want to know if the studio is open today but as Vicki is busy making different jams and jellies we have to turn them away. They are visiting Hedley so say they will be back again and hopefully the studio will be open. Vicki's studio (and house) is a testament to all the different crafts she turns her hand to. I have to follow a pattern for any thing I make whereas she sees the possibilities in almost anything and creates a one off.

Lunch is home made pizzas and I think the cough medicine is starting to take hold a I'm feeling a lot better than I did this morning. Throughout the day the fur babies have kept me company and at times it has been a real struggle to keep Matilda on my lap and Roxy wedged by my side as I try to read a book!

We are going to craft at the community centre tomorrow. This is a very self sufficient community who, wherever possible make what they need and put their craft and artistic talents to good use. Although Vicki is more into fibre crafts, like spinning and felting she has a go at anything. The synapses in her brain must be bouncing around full throttle in her brain 24/7.

Kate popped in during the late afternoon to say hi. She is leading the craft group tomorrow. Time for dinner and we have baked stuff zucchini which was delicious. Joe wants to watch a movie that had just been released for pay TV so we 3 settle ourselves in for a night at the movies. We watch Mickey 17 with Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo as lead actors. OMG it has to be up there with the worst 5 movies I have ever sat through. I was contemplating scooping an eyeball out with a rusty spoon at one stage but stuck it out like all good sister in laws should. When the final credits rolled and we saw that Brad Pitt was one of the executive producers, all I could do was shake my head and tell Joe that I am rethinking my membership of Team Joe! It definitely was now time for bed.

Sunday, 25 May Okanagan Falls

Another glorious day weather wise. A good morning for simply sitting back and reading but by midday we are on the move. Vick has booked us both in for a sip and create afternoon. Joe is our driver who duly gets us to the Noble Ridge winery in Okanagan Falls, about an hour's drive. Along the way the scenery is gorgeous. Yellow River is a standout.

Arriving at the winery, it is a beautiful setting.

There is 1 other lady doing the class with us so we get straight into it. we are going to create a silk scarf! Krista is a great teacher and so while we are selecting which wine to drink she is setting up the colour palette we have chosen for the individual designs we want to try and create.

Krista showed us the process and let us have a play with creating some different designs. She really made it look easy but I'm still nervous as I don't want to stuff it up, but she is very encouraging so I'm going to give a go. Thankfully Vicki is prepared to go first so I'm happy to have a second chance to watch the process.

Vicki and I check out the paint patterns she has created just before seeing the scarf into it.

Vicki is as proud as punch with her finished silk scarf.

And just like that it is my turn.

I may have needed a confidence builder along the way... But then it is time to set the scarf into the paint solution and hope for the best. I was really pleased with the end result and loved doing the class.

Thank you Vicki for a fun afternoon. Joe had arrived to take us home but we stop for a late lunch at the OK bar and grill which had been operating since 1950. It had had amajor refit and tree I ened in 2023.I had chicken Kung Pao and it was excellent. We all had a laugh at the sign of premises opposite the pub.

Not sure if there are 2 different businesses or you really can get Chinese massage food...? So we are now back on the road to home and take the scenic route (mind you every direction you look is scenic). At one point we had our eyes peeled for the local wildlife.

And while I'm putting this blog together and at the point of the turtle sign, Vicki reminds me that apparently as a small child (pre Vicki's arrival) mum was out the front of our home gardening one day while I was playing nearby and a lady walked past and started chatting with me because I was so cute. I may be ad libbing a bit. Anyhoo ... she asked me my name and my reply was Murtle the turtle. But that's enough about turtles as I'm much happier using the nom de plume my dad used to call me 'Princess'! We are now safely back home and a the weather is so nice and warm we sit outside and watch the world go by. It actually got a bit hot so we ventured back indoors, watched some TV and as I wasn't hungry skipped dinner and went to bed. My cold or allergy or whatever it is has taken hold and I'm well and truly ready for bed.