Christine's Blog

Wednesday Memes

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Lobster Dinner Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Tue, 03 Nov 2026 05:00:00 +0000

Last month we went to Fishman Lobster Clubhouse Restaurant. Daughter L got a big raise at work and chose this place to celebrate. They will show you the lobsters they are going to cook for you, having approved the sizes. Then you get these lobster towers as pictured above.

Grandson C also had a good time. Husband M would take him outside for little walks in between courses and they enjoyed looking at the sunset. Grandson C would copy him and say 'wow!'. He is 17 months now.

Paris Baguette

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Mon, 02 Nov 2026 05:00:00 +0000

While at the clinic for my recent eye surgery we were looking for a place nearby to grab coffee and a snack. On Bloor Street we found Paris Baguette. It is a worldwide chain and we decided to try it. It is a Korean chain, the 'Paris' name might be misleading. It has a large array of sandwiches and desserts, on the pricy side. Husband M enjoyed the latte and a croissant with a sausage inside. I tried the curry croquet, it was ok.

Hey It's Sunday and SITAR- Nautical Themed Picture Frame

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sun, 01 Nov 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Gillena's Hey It's Sunday and to Nicole's SITAR!

I did a hand painted nautical themed picture frame for you in acrylic. My friend S had given me a few of these frames and suggested this theme. Both husband M and S thought the frame should've been a bit more full, more blue, more seagulls for example, but my style is minimalist!

And welcome to November! Brr!

An evening out and Happy Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sat, 31 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

sweet versus sour non alcoholic cocktail

beef and lamb kebabs

latte

The weekend before my Oct 21st cataract surgery we met up with some good friends for dinner at Tabule restaurant. We have been there many times and enjoy the food there, not to mention it was good to see our friends and catch up. I forgot the name of my cocktail except that it was sweet versus sour.

And have a great Halloween!

Friday Art - Gloster Canary

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Friday Art! This is my Gloster Canary ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in acrylic. It has a natural bowl cut!

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Enjoyed my cocktail and I am feeling well guys

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Thu, 29 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

zero proof vino cool, 0% vermouth, blood orange, soda

Husband M and I were at the mall picking up a few things at Walmart a few weeks ago and we decided to stop in at Joey's for some drinks and appetizers. I really liked my non-alcoholic (zero proof vino cool, 0% vermouth, blood orange, soda) cocktail. Those were shrimp and nacho appetizers.

For my friends who keep asking, I am feeling well, today I am allowed to wash my face fully and start exercising although no weight bearing over 10 pounds for another week. I can come off one of the cataract meds today, but there are a couple more that have to be taken 4 times a day for another week. Then I go down to 2 meds for the next 2 weeks after that.

My cornea seems less cloudy but I won't know until Nov 6 when I see the retina surgeon, how well it has cleared by then. Hopefully I can then go on to the next step. I am taking special salt drops 4 times a day until Sunday to help the cornea clear.

Again, the vision in my left eye is really good.

Husband M says this is all a lot easier than my retina surgery where I slept face down for a month. How quickly one forgets, he is right.

Wednesday Memes

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 28 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

I posted these memes accidentally a few days ago and some comments had already been posted before I managed to repost with the correct date. Here are the lovely comments I saved fyi:

Barbara https://barbandjohnsretirement.blogspot.com/

Lol! Love the cookbook one.

Rostrose https://rostrose.blogspot.com/

Dear Christine, I really like your memes! And I read about your eye surgery—I truly hope everything turns out well for you!
All the best from Austria! 🤗

The Happy Whisk https://www.thehappywhisk.com/

All good ones. Of course for me, the witchy poo cookbook eating kids is THE BEST!

Mary Kirkland https://scarymarythehamsterlady.blogspot.com/

These are great. I hope you are feeling well.

Jules https://alongthewaywithj.blogspot.com/

The last one is definitely me :)
Thanks for the happy. Xx

Angie’s Recipes https://angiesrecipes.blogspot.com/

Thank you, Christine.

Denise https://anenglishgirlrambles2016.blogspot.com/

Love the funnies and wise Christine. Thank you and I hope all is going well with your recovery. Happy week to you :)

My Cataract Surgery Update/Story

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sat, 24 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

This is a bit of a read, for those interested in the details of my recent cataract surgery.

On October 21 I went for my (light adjusted lens) cataract surgery on both eyes. Everything went smoothly on my left eye. The right eye had undergone a few detached retina surgeries (including a vitrectomy) in the summer. The cataract surgeon discovered that half of the threads that hold the lens in place (called zonules) had been inadvertently cut. There was no mention of this in the retina notes from that clinic. He got on a call with one of the retina surgeons and explained what he had found. He then removed my scarred lens and said it is now a retina problem.

I had a follow up with the cataract doctor Oct 22, the next day. By that time I had gotten a consultation appointment with the Retina specialist for the morning of Oct 23. Anyway the cataract doctor told me I might have a choice of going with a LAL lens like the one now implanted in my left eye or with a traditional mono lens. It seems that any new lens would have to be attached to the eye wall (sclera) since there are no threads anymore to attach it to.

Husband M did a lot of research that night and decided that the traditional mono lens is the way to go, it has a more secure hold in the eye wall than the LAL lens.

At the consult Oct 23 the retinal specialist gave me the option of just getting eyeglasses or contact lens to fix my problem, requiring no surgery. But I decided to go with the mono lens. He said my cornea is cloudy likely because I just had surgery. He will see me in 2 weeks to see if it has cleared. If not, I will be referred to someone else for that problem. If it has cleared we can schedule the lens surgery.

I still have to go to the cataract doctor to continue treatment for the LAL lens now in my left eye and coordinate with what is going on in the right eye.

I have to look forward, not back. Cataract surgeries are mostly very routine, this was not to be the case for me. I am in good spirits, taking all the regular cataract eye drops and some saline drops to help the cloudy cornea clear.

Life goes on. The vision in my left eye is already amazing. I did find out that you can still see even if you have no lens in your eye, the cornea enables some vision.

I did ask the doctors if they thought the surgeon had made a mistake when he severed my zonules. They said it was a complicated surgery and things cannot be guaranteed, or something like that. As I said, no looking back.

Possible Blog Break - cataract surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sat, 17 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

bee hives

I got a date for cataract surgery next week at a private clinic in downtown Toronto. Here is the view from the clinic. It has a view of the Royal Ontario Museum. You will notice the bird deterrent spikes on the building window sill. I also thought it was interesting seeing these bee hives through the window.

I chose to go with Light Adjustable Lens in both eyes which will require me to wear these UV eyeglasses for 4-7 weeks after my eyes have healed from the surgery. Healing requires a month of regular daily eye drops administered 3-4 times a day. My vision will be adjusted with these UV light treatments at scheduled appointments after surgery. It is the most expensive option but husband M and I decided it was worth it due to my detached retina issues in the summer.

I may be taking a blog break as I am unsure what to expect from this process. Apparently I will be able to see pretty much immediately. As you might know I am addicted to my blog so I probably will be checking in.

Friday Art - Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Fri, 16 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Friday Art! I did a spicebush swallowtail caterpillar ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in watercolour pencil for you today. It mimics a snake with fake eyespots to evade predators.

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Cottage Cheese Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

I made this cottage cheese salad which can also be used as a delicious dip as pictured. It is a good way to use cottage cheese.

The recipe says it is for one serving.

3/4 c chopped cucumber

3/4 c cherry tomatoes halved

3 tbs red onion chopped

1 c cottage cheese

1/2 - 1 tbs white wine vinegar

drizzle of olive oil

oregano or parsley (I used 1/2 tsp dried dill)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

In a small bowl mix tomatoes, onion, cucumber, salt, pepper. In another bowl mix cottage cheese, vinegar. Scoop the vegetables in, leaving any extra liquid. Top with herbs, olive oil.

Wednesday Memes

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Whole Wheat chicken fingers

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Costco sells this huge box of whole wheat chicken fingers. Husband M said a lot of people were buying them when he went there, they were on sale. We decided to try them. They are convenient and you can't go wrong with chicken fingers can you?

And yes they are good with a crunchy whole wheat texture.

Dried Tarragon 2026 and Canadian Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Mon, 12 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

It is the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend!

Grandson C's Daycare Art

Hope your Thanksgiving Day is filled with laughter, joy, and delicious delights!

dried tarragon leaves

all crumbled and ready to store

It is that time of year again, I dried some tarragon and basil a few weeks ago. The tarragon pictured above keeps its green colour.

Here is a post from last year where I dried the tarragon. This is a great video that shows you how to do it.

Sunday Smiles and SITAR - Craft Picture Frames

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Couldn't resist this one for Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend!

My friend S got these wooden craft picture frames for free and asked me to paint one for her and keep the other 2. So this is the one I made for her. No telling when I will get the other 2 done.

Linking to Gillena's Sunday Smiles and to Nicole's SITAR.

Anniversary Cake and Yam Leaves

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Daughter L made this chocolate/coffee cake for husband M and my 38th wedding anniversary which we celebrated October 8th. She said she put a lot of sour cream in it, maybe that's why it was so moist and delicious. I had 2 slices.

My sister gave me these yam leaves from her garden and a recipe. I prefer spinach, but a healthy green nonetheless. It had a slimy taste.

Friday Art - Brown-and-white Panda

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Friday Art! I am showing a Brown-and-White Panda ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in watercolour pencil based on the fun fact above.

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.

Egg White Frittata

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Daughter L had a box of egg whites expiring within the week so I used it to make a frittata. I added fresh rosemary, cheese and mushrooms. A 500g (2 1/2cups) box of egg whites is equivalent to about 24 eggs, so each slice above is about 3 eggs. It was good.

It is husband M's and my 38th wedding anniversary today.

Wednesday Memes

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Ikea visit

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

think twice before throwing it away

falafel with couscous

meatball meal

We visited Ikea recently, I had not been there in awhile. Husband M and I shared the falafel with couscous and meatball meals as pictured. The falafels were just ok but I did enjoy the couscous. There are places where you can get really good falafels.

I liked the environmentally conscious sign on their garbage can.

Uh Oh

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Well I take my coffee cup and my phone to the bathroom in the mornings the way people take a newspaper you know. I guess it is not a good idea. I reach for the mug, and it falls into the tub, splashing coffee all over and ruining half a roll of toilet paper. That was my morning adventure a few weeks ago, sigh. I lost a favourite coffee mug too, the handle broke off.

I have stopped taking my coffee to the bathroom.

Sunday Smiles and SITAR - Fingerprints

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sun, 04 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Gillena's Sunday Smiles and to Nicole's SITAR. Showing some fingerprint art made by Grandson C's babysitter specially for the grandparents.

Pork Tenderloin Bulgogi

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

I made this delicious pork tenderloin bulgogi using supermarket Bulgogi sauce.

400F

4 tbs bulgogi sauce

3 tbs olive oil

2 pork tenderloins

Pierce the tenderloins all over with a fork. Marinate in olive oil and bulgogi sauce overnight.

bake for 45-50 min on a sheet lined with parchment paper. At 20 mins into baking, slather the rest of the marinade all over. Slice and enjoy.

They have a kalbi marinade I mean to try, but I decided to use the bulgogi sauce I had.

Friday Face Off - Brown Pelican

noreply@blogger.com (Christine) — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Showing a Brown Pelican ACEO (2 1/2" x 3 1/2") in watercolour pencil. It showed up on my laptop screensaver.

Linking to Nicole's Friday Face Off and to Gillena's Art For Fun Friday.