Now that we're locked into leaving 'daylight saving' time for the duration of the winter, we bemoan having standard time imposed. We're late risers, tending to stay up late at night and the consequences of moving time forward an hour is not a happy time for us. It's mostly my fault that we retire to bed so late at night, since I find it the most congenial time for me to write on my blogs. Having done so, and expended my mind's energy for the day, I quickly fall into a deep, comfortable sleep at night.

We also have our dinner much later than most people would. Any time after 7:00 p.m. We take our time enjoying our meals, and eventually get around to other things. Irving does a lot of reading, and he watches drama series on his computer screen. We just never at any time, watch television. I do some catching up on the social media site I'm accustomed to, and then settle down to writing; it's a release of tension and relaxing for me. Much as what occurs when we're out every afternoon in the ravine with our puppies.

Last night I decided to make a fish paella and that kind of comfort food more or less sets the stage for the evening hours. The meshing of flavours from the vegetables, the seasonings and the fish make for an agreeable meal. We both love rice in any kind of meal combination. I use short-grain, sticky rice for some applications, but for the paella it's long grain rice that works best. Chopped garlic and onion simmered in olive oil begins the process, followed by chopped bell pepper and tomatoes, sprinkled with herbs, hot smoked paprika and saffron.

Once the vegetables have been reduced, in goes the rice, mixed with the slurry, and then chicken stock.  Once the rice has been cooked, the fish is added. I usually use haddock and shrimp. The final addition is frozen green peas. The result is a colourful, flavourful meal that doesn't need much of anything else to complete it, other than fresh fruit for dessert.

 

After breakfast today comprised of oranges and bananas and bowls of hot oatmeal, coffee and tea, I decided to bake butter tarts. They're favourites with both of  us. I rolled out the pastry dough, cut rounds, fitted them into paper cupcake forms in a large-size cupcake/muffin tin, added raisins, and then poured the batter over. While I was preparing the filling something nagged at me, and it wasn't until I had the cupcakes in the oven that I realized I'd forgotten the butter...of all things.

 

This has been a tardy day all along. It seemed as though we were both pretty busy. I spent some time on the Internet aside from some rudimentary cleaning, and by the time we were prepared for our afternoon walk, it was close to four in the afternoon. Precisely when dusk falls. We knew that in another ten minutes it would be dark. So, for the first time in ages, we grudgingly agreed to taking a walk on the street. If there had been snow down we would have been able to manage the ravine; the glow from city lights hitting the sky and bouncing off the snow in the ravine would provide enough light, but not with no snow.

 

So we were reduced to taking Jackie and Jillie through the neighbourhood instead, in a circuit somewhat resembling a forest circuit. We came across a few neighbours doing the same, and stopped to chat awhile. It was also interesting to see the Christmas decorations that some homes are festooned with at this time of year. Some quite imaginative, and some managing to convey an attitude of quiet comfort.

Jackie and Jillie didn't seem to mind this alternate to their usual forest romp, although they had to be on leash. They were both curious about all the odours they detected, and sashayed here and there to satisfy their curiosity. That kind of walk would never be our first choice, but until the snow flies seriously and begins to remain, leaving a winter snowpack, it's an alternative.

 Our puppies are seriously concerned. Everything's not quite as it should be. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say they're confused and somewhat troubled by the nasty turn that's been taken. They know to the minute of the day when their breakfast is ready to be gobbled up, when their afternoon snack is expected and certainly when dinnertime rolls around. Their sense of anticipation and entitlement can rival any atomic clock.

Someone, it seems, is tampering with their rights and expectations. They've forgotten that this has happened to them before. Life can be cruel when you're a little dog dependent on your just due, a trusting little fellow who takes it for granted that you and your sister can rely upon the punctual delivery of meals at the appropriate time. Right now, they're living a somewhat confused life.

Come to think of it so are we. Though it's doubtful that knowledge would be greeted with any sympathy by Jackie and Jillie. After all, it's our duty to do certain things at certain times and we've been fairly dependable up to now. And then, suddenly, we dropped our guard and left our puppies confused, disturbed, pensive about whether or not they're as loved as they thought they were.

Meanwhile, we're still trying to get our heads around what the actual time is as compared to the 'new' time imposed on us by switching back to 'standard' time, from daylight saving. We've reset the clocks (most of them) and keep reminding ourselves what the 'real' time is, and that would be the time we've been forced by government diktat to abandon. Oh, I know, give it another day or two and this mental confusion will dissipate.

However, it is irritating and we totally commiserate with Jackie and Jillie. This is a rather passe tradition; we're no longer an agrarian society. And the irony is that here in Canada, the largely agricultural province of Saskatchewan has chosen to remain on standard time year-round. The original purpose of the time change was to allow farming communities to take better advantage of daylight hours. Balderdash!

As though we weren't aghast enough at the close of daylight hours arriving earlier in the evening on 'daylight saving' time. Now, dusk falls at half-past four and speedily turns dark and dismal. Jackie and Jillie aren't concerned about that, just the fact that on the new time schedule waking time and eating time has been affected. Bah, humbug!

We were out a bit late for our afternoon hike through the forest trails today. Both of us were busy with household things; me mostly cleaning the house, he helping, but also starting the process of installing new interior shutters on one of the bedroom windows, with a view to starting new stained glass windows to fit into the shutters.

Today has been a wickedly icy day. Not only the temperature that has held steady at 0C, but blustery winds ranging up to 50klm at times. We did see some sun, but by the time we launched ourselves out to the ravine the sun had retreated and the sky busied itself hoisting white flags. The snow flurries we had earlier in the day were held in temporary abeyance, but they'll be returning overnight. 

We missed our usual daily hike yesterday thanks to unending rain, so Jackie and Jillie were beyond pleased to make up for the lapse in their recreational romp in the woods today. Jackie is so determined not to miss anything, he  veers all over from one side to the other, looping his leash around, under or over Jillie's. You can feel dizzy just watching his busy little legs carrying him hither and yon, back and forth endlessly.

We noted that the thousands of spruce and pine cones that had fallen over the last month have been collected by the diligent squirrel population, padding their cupboards for the guarantee of winter sustenance. And now, with the frost settling into the ground and the -6C night time temperatures, conifers have been shedding their cones anew. The little white carpet rose at the front garden has finally given up the ghost, the lovely white/yellow/pink blossoms that devoutly kept blooming are now shattered; cut-back time.