Family

Thank you Brenda (McEvoy) for putting me in touch with Lionel (Lauzon) and Ruby. All cousins. It was so nice to talk with them. Lionel and Ruby represent both sides of our mother's family tree, Grant and Rozon.
  
I will happily correct any errors or omissions. 

Lionel shared a few pictures with us.

Below is Aunt Mildred and Joe. This is Grandmother Grant's (nee Rozon) sister. This is Ruby's mother.

Albert Levins and William Grant. William is brother of Isabel, Raymond and Peter. He is the son of Alexander (Alex) and Lillian (Lilly) Grant, our Grandparents (or Great Grandparents) on the maternal side of our family (Isabel MacDonell, nee Grant).

Lawrence (Larry) Grant and Peter Grant. Peter is brother of Isabel, Raymond and William. He is the son of Alexander (Alex) and Lillian (Lilly) Grant, our Grandparents (or Great Grandparents) on the maternal side of our family (Isabel MacDonell, nee Grant).

Middle Row, Far Left, Lawrence (Larry) Grant and Far Right, Peter Grant. Three unknown.

This very pretty lady is Sally Grant.  She is Donald Grant's daughter.  Donald Grant is our Great Uncle (Great, Great to many reading this).

Great Grandmother Isabella (Bella) Grant (nee MacDonald) married to Alexander (Sandy) Grant. Great, Great Grandmother to a few readers here. Isabella is Isabel MacDonell's (nee Grant) Grandmother.

The baby in the picture is Isabella's grandson, Joseph Alexander (Ackie) Lauzon, son of Elizabeth (Lizzie) Grant and Paul Lauzon. This is Lionel Lauzon's father.

Great Grandfather Alexander (Sandy) Grant. Great, Great Grandfather to a few readers here. Alexander (Sandy) is Isabel MacDonell's (nee Grant) Grandfather. Alexander (Sandy) and Isabella had seven children.

YouTube

After owning a YouTube channel since 2008, I decided to populate it with soap and travel videos along with a few from the home front. Robin has his own video channel.

You can catch the videos on:

www.youtube.com/aprilmacdonell


Robin has had a YouTube channel since 2008 also.  He has some very interesting videos also:


www.youtube.com/user/rmccubb

We tried to keep them short, although there are a few longer than five minutes.

Take care,

April

April's TV Debut on Fairchild TV on D.I.Y. Projects

Hello Dear Family and Friends:

Here is my TV debut on Fairchild TV. It is Cantonese. See translation below.

Translation:

- most people buy soap from a store but making it can be very fulfilling
- homemade soap makes a very excellent and personal gift
- (pictures of soap) looking at this table, there are a lot of cakes. However, those are not cakes but rather homemade soap
- when something is given as a gift, people need to find places to store them. However with soap, it can be used immediately
- However April's soaps look so beautiful that most people don't want to use it so that it doesn't get ruined

- (general instructions on soap making in Cantonese)

- question from the reporter - does putting too much extras in soap (such as chocolate) make you hand darker when using the soap?
- if homemade soap is to be sold in retail, it needs to be approved by Health Canada - but if given out as a gift, no approval is needed

Afternoon Tea

I love Afternoon Tea. It is a cherished ritual. I had one of the best Afternoon Teas at Clark and Nadia's home this Sunday. It was beautifully conceived as you will see in the following slide show.

*Artwork by Clark and Nadia's daughter.

Ah, but it was not just the Afternoon Tea that made this day remarkable, we were among raconteurs and were given magical glimpses of Marrakech, Fes and the Sahara and were transported there with stories of Omar and other denizens of this mysterious land. And this is how midnight arrived so quickly.

Thank you Nadia and Clark. It was a pleasure to meet you Leah.

Individual pictures. Click to enlarge.

Lemon Curd

I have just made Lemon Curd for the first time. Mum made it at Christmas and New Years. It have always loved it. I just had to taste that memory today, so I made my first batch. It was just like the curd she made, but perhaps a little tarter (if that's a word).

Here is a link to the recipe I used:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/mar/07/nigel-slater-lemon-curd-recipes

And here is to you Mum.

On my way home

Hello Family, Friends and Neighbours:

Good bye Singapura.

I am on my way home today. I am flying to Hong Kong and staying overnight. I leave Hong Kong on Monday and arrive in Toronto Monday around 6:00 pm. I will be greeted by the chilly fall air.

I have seen so much during this trip. This planet is amazing.

Please continue to follow our blog if you wish. I update it frequently.

All my love,

April

Singapore Sling, Raffles Hotel, Long Bar

Finally a trip to the Raffles Hotel's famous Long Bar. I would have tried the Singapore Sling, but at S$25 I gave it a pass. Robin thinks it is a "girlie" drink. Now I can say I was in the bar.

Here is the recipe. Enjoy.

IBAspecified ingredients*	4.0 cl (8 parts) Gin 2.0 cl (4 parts) Heering Cherry Liqueur (cherry brandy) 0.5 cl (1 part) Cointreau 0.5 cl (1 part) DOM Bénédictine 1.0 cl (2 parts) Grenadine 8.0 cl (16 parts) Pineapplejuice 3.0 cl (6 parts) Fresh lemonjuice 1 dash Angostura bitters
Preparation	Pour all ingredients into cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake well. Strain into Poco Grande glass. Garnish with pineapple andmaraschino cherry.