It's a sunny day, although they are predicting showers for this afternoon. Gotta get out and get some gardening done before then.
So this is going to be a quick summary of the last couple of weeks - which have flown by and I can't believe we are already in the middle of July.

I organized a Ladies Who Lunch for the fourth down in Guelph. We are fewer in number with the absence of Elizabeth - who died last year, and Pat - who died in April. We miss them terribly. Still, the six of us had a tremendous visit, catching up on all the news of our families, past vacations and upcoming adventures. We all worked together back in the day at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. We congratulated Susan, who has her arm around me, on the upcoming marriage of her son Ben. She's very happy since fiancee Bailey is already a welcome part of the family. Around the table from left to right are: Vivian Webb, Ornella Osborne, Carmelle Noel-McCloskey, Helene Gadoury, Susan Murray and moi. Great bunch.

My friend Jane came up from Toronto the very next day, and stayed over the weekend. I've known Jane since the late 1980s, when we both worked at the Ministry of Natural Resources. In the before times (pre-pandemic), she would come up to the farmette every once in a while during the summer to get a break from the city.
Which is what we did this time, too. The Kincardine Scottish Festival was on, so she and I headed out on Saturday morning for the hour-long drive. While a terrible fire at the one end of town (no one was hurt) scuppered the parade, the competitions went on, and we caught this photo on a side street where tables were set up and the judging took place.

While the weather was a bit dreich, we did manage to get a wee walk in at the beach...which was pretty empty because of the Festival, and because it was, well, cold, grey and damp.
Finally, yesterday, I went over to sister Sandy's and we visited the Collingwood Farmers' Market. After 13 years of living in the area, Sandy said she'd never been, so we went. It was chock-a-block with local produce, baked goods, beer, meat products, jewellry and crafts. There were also lots of unusual products, and she and I picked up some blackberry flavoured cider. I think she'll be returning...

Back at the Thornton ranch, we had a leisurely lunch and nap and then took a stroll through the property and gardens. We didn't go into the bush, because Sandy said we might be carried away by the mosquitoes.

Instead, we visited the horses in the barn. Here's Sandy sucking up to George, who's the latest addition to the herd, and niece Rachel's project in progress. He's only young, and just getting used to having a human on his back. He's lucky to have landed here, where the accommodations are equine-perfect and the care is top-notch. As usual, the visit was a wonderful, relaxing and fun day - like the others - and I'm so grateful for every one of them. Until next week.
Gratuitous cat photo courtesy of Calvin, who sometimes relinquishes this spot in favour of his other chair - Rob's lap.

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