Scotch and oysters

This past weekend brought a horde of meaty oysters this way, and within minutes of them landing in the kitchen they were being shucked. Being giants of their kind, they were reluctant to open. When the shells finally gave way, however, large mouthfuls of succulent salty flesh were anointed with lemon and tobasco, savoured, and finally washed down with some Te Bheag unchilfiltered whisky that proved an ideal companion.

Now, with the work week in full swing, I am tying up a number of real estate stories, registering to cover the upcoming Canadian Horticultural Council meetings in Vancouver this March, and continuing to nurse my back. In between there’s the odd magazine to read, among them the current issue of Wines and Vines with reports on winery architecture and the 2006 grape harvest (including my report from British Columbia).

Alive, but busy

The lack of activity on this site hasn’t been because I’ve been slacking off. Quite the opposite.

September was a month of travelling, with tours through the Eastern Townships of Quebec as well as the Maritimes to view orchards, cideries, a printing house and bucolic scenes. October was an opportunity to get back on track (and get away to Hawaii, where a 6.7-magnitude earthquake was all part of the fun). But a disc was preparing to slip in my back, and for the past nine weeks I've been living a life of chronic (and sometimes acute) pain dulled by a cocktail of drugs that manage the problem without really correcting it.

That being said, I have managed to maintain a steady flow of work, the most recent item being in today's Globe and Mail. With any luck, the pain will be over soon and these posts will become a bit more regular.