Monday, August 12, 2013

Tons o' fun around here

First off, I would like to report that Mr. Conehead is doing very well!


He was snoozing on the front deck today, using the railing as a chin rest. Don't feel sorry for him in that  cone. Feel sorry for ME! He rams into my legs with it about 20 times a day. I swear he's doing it on purpose.

His incision is healing very well and he seems like his normal happy self. Long may it continue!

I had fun on the weekend.

Gordon and I ran the 5K in the Great Raisin River Footrace yesterday! It was a lot of fun and a beautiful course around Williamstown. Our friend Sigrun was there doing the 11K. Next year we'll do the 11K too.


Sigrun's my inspiration. She started running about a year before I did and I was so impressed!

And Kathrine Switzer, who ran the Boston Marathon in 1967, when women weren't allowed, was at the race. What an amazing woman, with an amazing life. She was the one who announced my name as I ran across the finish line. How cool is that? Afterwards, she signed my bib and gave me two hugs! She was very encouraging about my running. What a great lady.

I took a few seconds off my previous 5K time, and Gordon took 2-1/2 MINUTES off his! We want to do a 10K race this fall.

The race gave us free admission to the Williamstown Fair, where I went to see my honey...


That's it on the bottom left, with the red FIRST PRIZE ribbon!



Yaaaaaay!! Our friend Dave took these photos for me. I was really happy. Scored 98/100 on the honey.  Lost two points for bubbles, which I knew was going to happen. I've been bedevilled by bubbles this honey harvest. It's an aesthetic thing; doesn't affect taste!

I can't really take credit though. That belongs to...


... my  beautiful bees who did all the hard work for me, with a little magic thrown in. The honey, in my opinion, tastes incredible this year.



Thank you girls!


They were working very hard today.


And I have been terribly remiss. No duckling photos for days! So here you go...


They are growing like WEEDS. Still totally adorable though.


More duckling photos to come!





31 comments:

  1. Congrats Natalie on the run, the honey win and surviving all the leg rams. You did have a good weekend. You and Gordon look so fit. Puts the rest of us to shame. I love that the bees got to see their ribbon. They must be proud. :)

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    1. I have to say, Gordon amazes. Never in my wildest dreams did I think he'd take to running and stick with it. But he seems to be a natural!!

      I thanked all the girls for their good work. I talk to my bees all the time. Good thing the neighbours are so far away!! They'd think I was nuts.

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  2. Congratulations on your race and first place for your honey. Keep on running. I enjoyed running and gave it up at 71. I wish I was still running.

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    1. Thanks Red! We had a few people in the 80 - 89 age group in the race. They put many of the younger runners to shame.

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  3. 98/100 is better than any mark I received while at school with your husband! That honey looks mighty fine! And Deb is right: the two of you look incredibly fit; Gordon, dare I say it, even buff? Eastern Ontario definitely agrees with you!

    And THANKS for the photo of duckie *in* the water bowl!

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    1. Aww, thanks Brian! I run so I can eat more. ;) ANd I have more ducky photos to come!

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  4. Anonymous11:26 pm

    Bravo on the race, the honey and dear old Tristan! Oh, and the ducklings, too! I didn't know first place winners got red ribbons in Canada. I've got a lot of red county fair second place ribbons I'd be glad to trade with you. :)

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    1. Hahaha! Mail 'em in! It's funny, because I would say stuff like "Blue ribbon recipe" or whatever. It's ingrained in me to think of blue as first place, but I remember even in grade school getting a red ribbon for winning a sprinting race! Red is #1 here.

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  5. Anonymous12:19 am

    Congrats to you and the girls on the honey, and also your run. Glad to see the cone-flower doing well.

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    1. Thanks so much! And Tristan doesn't seem to mind his headgear. I like "coneflower"! I think I'll start calling him that.

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  6. What a fun filled post with lots of good news and of course such an adorable ending :)

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  7. Prize winning honey too; what a weekend!

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  8. So many congratulations are in order today! Yay on finishing the race and double yay on your first prize! Extra congrats on having the cutest little ducks evah.

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    1. Thanks Maureen. Oh, I'm so addicted to those ducklings! So cute and I love their little antics. A bunch of feathered charmers!

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  9. Congratulations to everything you did. You two are amazing. I did a 15 km hike on Sunday around Tübingen.

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    1. That is a VERY LONG hike!!! Great work, Willie!!

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  10. Well done bees (and keeper)!
    Aww those ducklings...

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    1. I love how they run up to the gate of their enclosure whenever they see me. SO CUTE!

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  11. Love all the photos, but the first and last stole my heart! Congrats on the ribbons. I didn't know red was first in Canada!

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    1. They like to mess with our heads up here. ;)

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  12. Congratulations on the run and the ribbons. Those hives are beautiful, I take it that the numerous uppers are a sign that this is a good year for honey.
    I hope Tristan keeps on doing better.

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    1. Alain, thank you! And yes, a stellar honey year for me. I have already taken numerous honey supers (the smaller boxes over the two deep bottom ones) off already, and still I have these to deal with. Plus I added two more yesterday. A full box would be 40 - 45 lbs of honey. I've been doing a LOT of extracting and bottling lately!

      Thanks for the kind words on Tristan. So far, so good!

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    2. It is a pity I live so far. If I did not I would offer to help you, just to be working with bees! I love them.

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  13. It warms my heart that Tristan is recovering so well! I love the duckling photo you posted last too!

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  14. Hehehe!
    Honey is wonderful to replenish energy!!!
    I'm going to start exercising this week also. Enough of inactivity!
    I love ducks! When I was a kid I had one little duck that followed me everywhere.
    Thanks to the visit and comments.
    Kisses
    Marilia

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  15. Congrats on the win! We use to enter stuff into the fair all the time.

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  16. Lots of cuteness in this post and I am glad that Tristin is recovering well :-)

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  17. Yay, you won first prize! Congrats! That is so awesome. Hopefully we can enter our honey in a contest one of these days. And congrats on the 5k as well - so wonderful that you both improved on your previous times! Very glad to hear Tristan is recovering and healing well. And I was so happy to see the duckling photos - adorable!

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  18. Tristan is doing well.
    You and Gordon are running well.
    The honey is winning well.
    The ducklings are growing well.
    Great stuff!
    Jane x

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Thank you for all your comments, which I love to read!