Long overdue Birthday photos

So, Liam's 4th birthday was back in June, but I have been really lazy about making posts recently. I keep thinking I will do better, but so far... I am lame.

Liam woke us up nice and early as usual since he knew it was the day he was getting some gifts. He was a little too keen on getting gifts I must say, but at least he was excited, which is fun to watch.

He is in some slick robot PJs while doing the first round of gifts.
A little later on, after getting dressed, Oma, Opa and Bernhard arrived. Of course they had more gifts. The big exciting surprise was the train shed for his Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas is still about the most popular thing with Liam, although in the past month or two, firemen are pretty big as well.
Very very soon after opening this, all thoughts of eating were gone and Bernhard was recruited to help build some elaborate new train routes to and from the shed.After the cake and gifts, the big event was on... but that is the next post.

Fraser the Baker makes a Cake

So it was just Claudia's Birthday a week ago and I decided to take on the project of making a cake for the occasion. I have never made a cake before, so it was going to be an adventure. We had a look in the cookbooks for something she would enjoy and settled on "Vanilla Rasberry Cheesecake"

Step 1. Toast some oatmeal. This was pretty easy.

Step 2: As graham crackers are not available in Germany, I smashed up some plain cookies as as substitute. Also, get a whole mess of butter.

Step 3 : melt the butter and mix together the toasted oatmeal and crumbs to make the cake base.

Step 4: Press the base in to the cake form, then chuck it in the fridge to set.

Step 5: Get a bunch of sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and lemon and orange zest/juice. mix them all up in a bowl. Then get some whip cream. whip it and fold into the filling.
Step 6: get the base out of the fridge (it has been in there an hour or so) and then put the filling on top. Put it in the fridge again for at least an hour.
Step 7: mash up a bunch of rasberries and pour them over the top. viola. finished cake.
In the end it looked pretty much like the picture in the book and tasted pretty ok. It was a little on the sweet side, so I may have put too much sugar in the filling, but I think everyone enjoyed it.

There was no actual baking involved, so I am not sure if this counted as baking a cake. I would probably give it another try, but since I don't really like cake all that much, I will probably stick to more main course type cooking in future.

I love this.

A nice day out.

Recently we had a nice weather weekend and decided to drive down to Lake Constance, which is about an hour away. This is the lake that borders Germany, Switzerland and Austria. A very nice spot to visit with lots of lakeside action.

First thing we did after driving down was stop and have a packed lunch in the park. This was followed up with an ice cream dessert. Can you tell that we never have any eating issues with Liam when ice cream is involved?
Since it was a nice sunny day, we then rented a paddle boat for a little tour out on the lake. Liam always enjoys some boat action and he got to sit between us and steer. Well, he mostly steered towards bigger boats and we had to take over, but he thinks he was doing a good job.
Then we had a walk along the waterfront to just generally enjoy the nice weather. I made Claudia and Liam stand under this tree so I could take a nice photo of them.
For the drive back, we decided to give Liam even more big fun and ride the ferry across the lake from Konstanz to Meersburg. A boat that you drove the car on was a huge novelty for Liam. Here is the beloved Mini-auto parked in its spot on the boat.
Liam was out of the car like a rocket and off to explore the huge ferry.All in all it was a fine day out. nice weather and a nice little day trip.

Canadian Delicacy - Poutine

There were a few foods that I wanted to eat on my trip to Toronto, and honestly I did not get most of them, but the one thing I did enjoy was a nice big Poutine.

For those of you not in the know, Poutine is a yummy dish from the health loving folks in French Canada. It consists of french fries, which then have cheese curds added to the top and then are smothered in gravy, melting it all into a big mess.

As you eat it, you can sometime hear your arteries hardening.

Anyway, it is definitely not an everyday treat, and I think the last time I had is was about 2001, so I thought I could indulge in a treat.

like most snack food of this nature, I like to think the best place to get it is from street vendors. And the more run down and grubby looking the booth, the better the food tends to taste. Those vendors who waste all their time cleaning and worrying about the board of health should be devoting themselves to perfecting their dishes and coming up with clever banter.

Right in front of Toronto City hall, there is always a long row of food wagons, I was walking along Queen st anyway, so it was a good spot. There were a few choices, but since I saw the "Bavarian Bratwurst Wagon co" I was won over. Not only was it Bavarian (like my wife) but according to the name, this was not just a wagon, but a whole corporation. That seems to indicate quality to me.
I took a closer look and saw that this wagon had a LOT to offer. Open 24/7. Bavarian #1, a wide selection of sausages and other treats. Their selection of condiments for hotdogs and the like was also very complete. A very good indication of a fine establishment.
I was not here for a sausage though, I wanted scrumptious poutine. So I ordered up a small one for $3, a very reasonable price. It took a few moments, but then I was able to reap this wonderful greasy reward.It was every bit as fine as I remembered. Nice gooey melty cheese, scaldingly hot gravy and chunky fries. Sooo good.

Now I am all set until 2015 when I am allowed to eat Poutine again.

pooped

Sometimes playing can be more than a boy can handle, and he needs to stop right in the middle of a busy construction session and just catch a few zzzs. I sympathize a great deal with him and would often like to do this in the middle of meetings at work, however at this moment, we dont have any big long cushions in the conference rooms that I can haul out and collapse on.



I particularly like that he fell asleep clutching a CD.

Happy Birthday Ryan

Oh Yeah, I should make a nice post.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

If you google image search "happy birthday" for extra large images. This is what you get. Overall, I am tremendously satisfied.

Best News !

I just read the news! Futurama will return with 13 new episodes!

Link

This is one of my all time favorite shows.

Soccer Debut

While I was in Canada, I had the chance to go and see the first soccer game of the "Bradford Screaming Eagles"

This was a real treat, since my nephew Adam is #11 on the yellow team. I was expecting the highest caliber of age6-8 play.

First the yellow team took to the field and warmed up a bit. Showing fine game day form.Here is action Adam receiving a pass in the warm ups.
And then challenging a defender with his sweet moves.
The game got started and like most sports for little kids, it is essentially a ball in the field with a pack of 10 kids around it. They have still not really figured out to kick the ball to the OPEN areas of the field or to go AROUND the opposing players.

Pretty much they all just move up and down in a big pack, and the biggest kid tends to break out with the ball now and then. Unfortunately, Adam is still on the low end of the age scale here and therefore not one of the biggest kids.

Number 11 did manage to get quite a few touches of the ball though and he put in a strong enthusiastic effort. Look at this power:
Adam was also on the field for the first goal of the year, putting his side up 1-0. Look at the celebrating little screaming eagles.
I saw Adam playing mostly in the backfield on defense, I think he will need to get a little bigger and faster before he is up front pounding in the goals. But as far as the backfield goes, looks pretty safe with this guy guarding it.
The good guys were up 4-1 at one point in the game, but the greenish-blue team tryed to stage a late game comeback, and beat our poor ginger-haired goalie on a couple of shots.
The yellow team did manage to hang on though, and took home a win with a score of 4-3. All in all a fine first game, despite being rather cold damn and blackfly filled. I received more than a few bites.

The end game handshake.
So, I need to call Canada now and see how the 2 next games have gone since I saw this display of awesomeness.

New Bike

So, Liam got his BIG birthday present a couple of weeks early...

He was very very interested in getting a new bike, and we took him over to the bike store last weekend. He right away wanted a blue one (although initially he wanted a blue and green one,) and gravitated to this particular bike.

He also insisted on getting a bike with training wheels, no doubt since it is so much easier for him to ride. We really wanted him to not have any, but we caved and got them for him. He was rocketing around the store and when we got home, he has asked to go ride his bike pretty much constantly since getting in the front door.

Here is the maiden voyage around the block.

The initial departure out past the "mini-auto"The reverse angle as he gets underway on the sidewalk.
Of course, it would not be a Liam experience if there was not at least one aspect where he behaved like a freak. Due to his great bravery, Liam does not like to go fast on anything. This translates into not wanting to ride the bike down hills.

We live on a hill. so he gets off and walks the bike down the hill, then gets back on and pedals back up. This seems contrary to about every other cyclist I have ever met. Going down hills is the good bit.

If it is a long gradual hill, he just rides the brakes the whole way down, coming to a total stop every 5 metres or so. Then he starts up again. Going up the hills, he is like a rocket...
The longish flat stretch on the street behind our house is about the favorite part of his ride at the moment.
After two days, he was announcing to anyone who would listen that he does not want training wheels anymore and that "Mama and Papa and Liam will all do a bike tour together." I have explained that he needs to bike faster than we walk before a bike tour will occur.

I am very pleased that he remains enthusiastic about the bike though. I look forward to the practice.

Toronto restaurants that I miss...

Some of the places that I miss from Toronto may just get a visit when I am there next week.

I am sure most of these are not even close to how I remember them, but in my mind they are the stuff of legend.

Thanks to the wonders of google, I can find pictures of them whenever I miss the thought of grease.

First up... Johnny's Hamburgers. A place introduced to me by Plaka. Thanks so much for this heaven of Hamburgers. A place with no tables, no chairs. Get your food and leave. Or eat on an old picnic table outside.


Along the same lines... Apache Burgers in Etobicoke. A spot I first visited around 1988 on a comic book store run. I think that the burgers are not quite as good as Johnny's, but the onion rings from this place are worth a visit on their own. As I recall, you can crack one open and watch the fat drip out. mmmmm. fat.
A Place of Legend... the VESTA LUNCH. We became acquainted with this lovely establishment when Gord and the lads had their downtown place. It was directly in the middle of our to-from path for weekend club/pub visits. It was ideal for a place to stop off for dinner, or the on the way home greasy snack.

Now, I am sure the place is 100% clean, passed all the health code regulations... but if there was ever a restaurant that looked like they should be smoking while they handed you your food, this was it.

As I recall, the best thing in here was Souvlaki, and also a wicked tasty milkshake.
Last but not least, a restaurant I never actually visited, but they did a food booth in the Phoenix where we used to go for our big music nights. They were home of the "Awesome Jumbo" an eggroll the size of a softball as I remember it. Mr.Pong's.

I also saw Mr.Pong's food wagon driving around the city.

I remember hearing a story, that a chain of local robberies in the 1990s in fact led back to Mr.Pong's. Many stories I googled referred to stories in the Toronto Star mentioning how the restaurant was a front for a fencing operation and the police found a dumpster full of assault rifles....

However, did I mention the Awesome Jumbo? Criminal or no, Mr.Pong made a mean egg roll.Lets see what the schedule and hunger is like next week when I am in Toronto. I may just have to take a trip down memory lane to some fine fine eats.

Six Days until Canada

So, the big trip draws ever closer.

I am flying Air Canada (thanks to my airmiles) and when I booked the flight, I made sure that I was going to be getting on one of the new airbus 77w planes.

I had a look around the internet to learn about the various planes as I booked my ticket. I have flown enough times to know that planes cary quite a bit and on a long flight I want to make sure that I can have the least discomfort possible along with the most amenities.

From all accounts, the 77W seems like quite a nice ride. Here is a photo of the economy cabin, where I will be spending most of next Thursday.
The features I found most appealing were the fact that all seats have a power port for laptop computers (yay!) as well as a pretty advanced TV/Movies system.

I am sure that I will still find lots to dislike about the flight... food, space, boredom. However I hope that I will be amused enough with the plane that I can enjoy it at least a little. I will be fully stocked with electronic distractions from my laptop and ipod as well as a lot of book to get through.

I will be sure to be a little more diligent in my picture taking and documentation of the trip. I know I have really slacked on my blog in the last while.

And for all you in Canada who are planning to meet up, look forward to seeing you! Plans are still to have the big meet and greet in Toronto on Saturday the 24th in the evening. Venue is not final, but the invites went out on my Facebook to those of you on there too. If you know a good place to meet up and chat & snack, I am very open to suggestions.

Gardening - Part 1

Recently Claudia decided that her new hobby was going to be gardening. This basically means that my new hobby is going to be shoveling. There have been a number of lengthy involved projects over recent weeks, and I have to say I was pretty horrible at photographing most of them. But here we go.

The first small project was to put in a little tree in front of our house.

After going to the nursery and selecting a tree, we returned home and had to remove the small shrub that was currently in the front garden. It is a nice enough shrub, but we thought it was a little small for the spot.
Here is the new tree in his pot. I would tell you what kind of tree it is, but I don't remember and really don't care enough to check....
Some digging and moving around and here is tree in his new home...
another angle of our new green buddy.

Wasserschloss

We recently drove 20 min down the road to a little castle. Because it was a couple of weeks and I failed to write it down, I totally forget the name of the place...
To Liam however, this is "RITTERBURG" which is German for a knight's fort. It does look quite like that sort of castle from his little books.

It is quite a small castle with a moat around it, but it looks pretty nice.
The real reason we came here was to go to the cafe that is in what used to be the stables and kitchens of the castle. They are renowned for the quality and size of the cake.

Here is the entrance and the outdoor seating area.
Knowing that he would have a nice treat inside, Liam had no trouble marching right in like he was king of the place.
It has a very interesting decor inside. It quite felt like being in a nice old castle.
I sadly did not take a photo of the cake, which seems silly in hindsight, but trust me, it was HUGE and tasty. I am sure we will go back sometime and I will make sure I capture the actual cake in the next visit.

Another Evening of Board Games... Zooloretto

On the second evening of the Jones' Easter visit, I pulled out a game that I bought over a year ago when it won the German "Game of the Year" prize and went on sale cheap cheap.
The theme of this game is that the players are each zoo owners, and we are competing to fill our zoos with animals in order to attract the most patrons.

Each player starts with an empty zoo and 2 coins. In the centre of the board are delivery trucks (1 per player) and a pool of tiles.
When it is a players turn, they can either:

1) Draw a tile and load it on a truck (each truck has a capacity of 3)
2) take a truck with at least 1 tile and drive it to their zoo
3) do something with money (expand zoo etc)

The tiles that are drawn can either be an animal, a concession booth, or more money. Here Claudia draws a tile and places it on a truck.
It is a pretty light game and it was easy for everyone to understand the rules quite quickly. There is a little more to it, lsuch as managing animals in the barn and pairing fertile animals to have babies, but it is not at all complex.

Here is my Zoo near the end of the first game. I had a completely unreasonable strategy of ensuring I had lots and lots of Pandas. There was no real reason for this other than I like Pandas.
Ryan and Claudia seemed to take to this game quite quickly. Look at them coming up with evil zoo plans.
As the first game finished, it looked like Doris had won, but in fact I(all my fault) had counted the points wrong and it was Claudia's zoo who won. Look how Claudia displayed fine sportsmanship as the morally crushed Doris sadly clutches a panda.
Ryan seemed to have some special zoo skills and managed to win the next two games. Another bonus is that this game moves very fast, so we were able to try it a few times.
It turns out my "must have lots of pandas at all costs" strategy was not a good one as I came dead last in every single game. As a forfeit, I tried to pose like a sad panda on the box with a pretzel.
I could not quite get sad going since I kept giggling though...