Buying a high chair for granddaughter Isla’s first visit
Monday, October 2nd: Today is the closing day for the sale of our Toronto condo. We are living out of boxes, hundreds of them, unwilling to unpack too much of the kitchen stuff because the cupboards are being redesigned. Discovered a rank smell emanating from the floor of the sunroom at the back of the kitchen that leads to the garden. On investigation it turns out there there’s a huge wasp nest on the underside of the floorboards. Contacted the exterminators to have it removed. Pinot loves the garden and has made a spot under a tree among vegetation her own.
Tuesday, October 3rd: Had to come into Toronto for a medical appointment at 10 am – GO bus from Fairview Mall in St. Catharines to Burlington, from where I take the GO train to Union Station. Following my medical appointment, a tasting at the LCBO (the next Vintages release). Then back on the GO train. While I was in Toronto a 500-bottle wine cabinet was being construced in the hall leading to our bedroom. Now I can unpack the wines that have been sitting in the garage.
Wednesday, October 4th: Another day of emptying boxes. Walked Pinot along the water at Martindale Pond.
Fall comes to Port Dalhousie
Thursday, October 5th: Into Toronto again for a winerytohome.com tasting at Doug Towers’s with David Lawrason. Deborah drove me, as she is picking up her sister Suzanne to come and stay for the weekend. After the tasting, made my way over to Michael Vaughan’s in High Park. He, Rosie and I drove to the Distillery District to see the farce Picture This. The traffic was horrible and instead of eating onion soup at Cluny’s we had to settle for a hurried pick-up pizza in the car – I had had pizza for lunch at Doug Towers’s! Slept the night at Michael’s.
Friday, October 6th: Michael and I went over to the LCBO for a Vintages tasting of the October 28th release. (Don’t miss the Kilian Hunn Pinot Noir 2014 from Baden ($18.95). Amazing value for a Burgundian style Pinot.)
Terrific Baden Pinot 2014
My daughter Annabel, her husband Ian and their boy Declan are visiting from Vancouver. And my son Guy, his wife Sasha and their daughter Isla are also coming to stay. So we have a full house. Deborah is working the show at Balls Falls for the next three days.
Annabel with an armful of our grandchildren
Saturday, October 7th: Suzanne and I went shopping at the covered market in St. Catharines. Picked up a shoulder of pork, which Ian roasted for dinner. Opened up a double magnum of Stratus Red 2004, which was delicious.
Sunday, October 8th: Dinner at John and Laurie Nadeau’s, who are near neighbours – turkey and all the trimmings with lots of Domaine Queylus Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot.
