Something old, something new

Has it been so long since my last post? How sad.

November 11 was Remembrance Day, and we went to the cenotaph on a clear, crisp day to honour our veterans. I realized that this was the day of my own private tradition: remembering my UK grandfather (my dad's dad) Daniel (Dane) Dunnett as well as all the other fallen (my mum's dad who I never met, my dad's friend Alan, Nana, and all the others who have passed on).

Well, when my Grandpa died in early December last year, I didn't really mourn him. I was sad in an abstract way, sad that I hadn't know him better, sad that my parents were leaving for England and wouldn't be back until January... nervous that I'd be spending Christmas with Steve's family (who I didn't know barely at all). I wondered that I wasn't mourning him more, but really wasn't that fussed about it.

Until November 11. Apparently, my day to remember my Grandpa also was my day to mourn him, because I was in tears from Oh Canada until Reveille. Poor Steve. Poor Grandpa. Poor Grandma.

So, in remembrance:

My Grandpa grew up in Wick, in Northern Scotland. He joined the RAF as a young man and worked as a mechanic on planes. He was stationed for a while in India. The experience of watching other young men fly away in planes he had worked on -- and not come back -- scarred him so that he didn't get on a plane again until in his sixties. But he did get on -- he was brave, and kind, and teased me about saying "what?" when I was a kid. He married my Grandma, a divorcee with a young son, and loved them very well. He drew little animals in the margins of his letters to us. He was a wonderful Grandpa, even with a continent and a very cold ocean between us.

And on November elevenses, I will think about him and miss him.



And, on a much more weddinglike front, last weekend was the Roberts Creek Craft Fair held, conveniently enough, in the Roberts Creek Community Hall. I went (of course) and even dragged Steve. It was a great opportunity to a) do some pressie shopping, b) take photos of the hall and c) get that darn contract signed! I tracked down, pinned down, and stuck a pen onto, the hall manager and made her sign! Done and done.

I was also very pleased that the hall was prettier and more perfect that I remembered. I hadn't seen it since last winter, and was actually quite worried it would be cavernous and bare, gloomy and dark, with a tall cavernous bat-infested roof. It is, in reality, not too big, homey and light. Here are photos, though keep in mind there won't be a craft fair going on in there for the wedding :-)

This is the hall taken from the stage. I estimate that the pillars are 10 feet apart and 10 feet from the walls, which means the total dimension is approximately 40 x 40. The kitchen annex is over to the right, along with bathrooms. You can clearly see that the ceiling is painted to look like the sky (and not in a cheesy way, either).



This is the hall taken from the front entryway/mudroom. You can see the stage from here! I admit, the sunset is a little cheesy.



This is the kitchen, large and old-fashioned. The cupboards are full of cups and bowls and plates. The plates are mostly nice (but I'll rent a few so as to not use the truly fugly ones) and the silverware is completely sketchy, so will need renting. There isn't any glassware at all. Good think the rental place penciled me in!



There is also a little prep/serving room right by the kitchen, though I think we might have the food laid out along the wall by the kitchen to prevent bottlenecks. Here is the serving room:



And here is the outside of the hall. The kitchen annex is on the left. Isn't it sweet? Sweet, fun and wonderfully rural.




That same day, we took a walk down onto the pier and the gazebo. It was a stunning day, bright and sparkly, with a chill in the air that warmed the soul. Aren't Steve & Angel cute?





Then we went down to Secret Beach. Usually Secret Beach has the loveliest rocks, but the tide was high and the pickings were slim. Fortunately, Monday's walk at Snickett Park in Sechelt was more productive. Mmmmm... rocks. Lest you think these are the ravings of a madwoman, as opposed to wedding related -- rocks are figuring in the decor. So there.



"Still life: table with rocks"