Ok, folks, here it is. The much-awaited and waaaaaay overdue Part II. Keep in mind this is TWO, no, sorry, THREE weeks ago. ;D I told you it's way overdue. Haha.

Anyway, previously on Part I, I talked about the traumatic bus ride to Guelph. That was Friday. In Part II, now, I'm going to tell you all about what happened on Saturday! :)

So on Friday night, Grace asked me if I wanted to visit the Guelph Market on Saturday. And I said, yeah, of course! What I was actually expecting was a WET-market-market. You know, where you get fresh fish and shrimps and poultry and stuff. It wasn't particularly thrilling, but I did wanna see what a market in Guelph, or Canada, is like. So what if it's gonna be, not so appetizing first thing in the morning?

Then Grace told me it's more of a socializing thing. Well that was totally way-out for me. Gossip and socializing in a wet market??? Wow. *raise eyebrow!!*

So on Saturday, we woke up early. Or rather, Grace woke up at the unearthly hour of 6-something, 7-something, and I woke up at (my unearthly hour of) 8am. We had a de-e-licious breakfast of scrambled eggs, swedish rye bread-cracker, bacon, and a bowl of mixed fruits, including strawberries, oranges, and grapes. At about 9.30am, we were off to the Guelph Market.

Boy, was it different from what I imagined.

Check this out!

Ok, I know. The picture is slightly discoloured but you get the idea! Those are brocolli in the foreground, pumpkins, and carrots. Check out that overturned wooden basket! It has completely no use except to sit there and look pretty. Who'd overturn a basket like that for decorative purposes in a market?!?!

If I'd appeared even mildly CBC (Canadian-born Chinese), the sight of those spanish onions absolutely gave me away. I squealed involuntarily at the first sight of them because I have never seen onions THIS huge. One spanish onion is the size of my two fists!!

I know you can get apples anywhere; but apples in those baskets? With EVERY apple looking SO good? Na-Uh. You get those in the Guelph Market. ;)

Anyway, I finally found out what 'Granny Smith' apples refer to. I have a very good recipe for baking an apple pie at home, but the only problem was the terms in the recipes. As with most of these recipes, they're in Western terminology, so ingredients like 'Red Delicious', 'Granny Smith', etc. just sound like Greek to me. Until now! Yesterday I was at Zehrs (a grocery store) and I saw 'Granny Smith' pointing to those green apples. I felt like I won Bingo! or something. Hahaha. :D

Ok, end of digression. Onward!!

I took this picture on the way out and by that time most of the bread are gone. I've always loved the sight of fresh loaves of bread. They're puffy, oh, sorry, pOOOfy, round, and they look and smell so divine. Mmmmmm.

When you buy bread like these, they cut it on the spot for you. They'll pop it into the cutting machine there. I suppose it's to give people the option of having sliced-bread, or whole loaves.

Now this is why the Guelph Market resembles even less of a wet-market. They sell potted plants like these too! Loads of tulips, crocuses, geraniums, and a whole host of others I can't remember. A real vibrant riot of colours!

They also have stalls that sell other novelty wares. Above are aromatheraphy stuff--candles, scented incense sticks, quirky pots, etc.

Along the way, you can also buy clothes, earrings, necklaces, prepared-on-the-spot donuts, sausages... Plus at the other end of the market there's a corner selling photographs of Guelph. There're some really artistic shots, some really good shots, and other ordinary shots. And that's where the GOSSIP and SOCIALIZING table is. *wink*

Here's the gang!

At this end of the market, there is a place where people can sit and chat and have a cup of coffee, or something to eat.

You can't really see the resemblance here, but Terry and Grace REALLY look alike!!! They have the same clear, bluish-greenish eyes, and the same nose.

The Friend, as she introduced herself, :D, is a really funny character. She has a loud, hearty laugh, and she is just SO full of good humor. Haha. It is SO infectious. ;)

And we were just chatting and 'gossiping' (well it's not really gossip-gossip, just, catching up on who is doing what and etc.), when Anastasia came in. She was all flushed and perspiring. And you know why?

Because she had just ran in from Toronto!! TORONTO!!!! My Gosh!! When I heard that my jaw dropped, though I tried to remain composed and inconspicuious. Hahaha. Well, her svelte and trim figure says it all, eh? ;)

We found out also that she just got engaged. Her fiance walked in later too, and Sheryl said, "This is the guy she's going to marry. And we all approve." Burst of laughter, and it was just such a good moment.

I haven't told you about Emily. She's younger than me, and Grace and Sheryl told me she never ever wakes up to come with them to the Guelph Market, since... since she grew up. You know, we wanna sleep in!!! YAY for sleeping in!! :D:D And Guelph Market is a weekly kinda thing for Sheryl and Terry, so.... we wanna sleep in!!!

Ok so bottomline is: Emily made a rare appearance that Saturday! :):) Grace told me it's because she wanted to meet me, (I'm sure it's because Grace has me on her lips ALL the time. Haha.), that she wanted to put a real person/face to that online blog. This online blog, pardon me. So, I'm really honoured. Thank you, Emily! :)

Oh, and Don and Grace has Emily's pictures all over their fridge, too, so I'm always reminded of her. Pity we didn't talk very much. I didn't really think she was there specially to see me, but if she were, I was sorry we didn't talk more.

Anyways. After the Guelph Market, we were going to drive back to Grace's house because we've got a girlie hair appointment at noon. But we were walking out and I saw this castle-lookalike building. Grace told me it's an armoury.

These pictures are especially dedicated to CHARLES! This armoury reminded me SO much of those RTS games (Cossacks, Stronghold, Age of Empire series, etc.etc.) that he plays; when I saw it, it was like the game came alive for me, like, OMG, I'm looking at a building in the Game.

Apparently this armoury is not like a locked-down place--they're still using it now to store, well, arms. ;)

Here're more shots!

After this, we went home. At the garage, Grace decided to drop in next door to see if we can bring the doggie over for a while.

A little background: The dog's name is Scholtzie. Grace and Don looks after him whenever their neighbours go away for holiday. On most Saturdays, Scholtzie also comes over for a while. He absolutely loves Grace. At the sound of Grace's voice, he goes positively nuts. He scampers around, like his paws can't move fast enough, jumps up and down excitedly, wags his tail like you wouldn't believe it, and he is just SO excited. It's almost like he's going to hyperventilate from all that excitement.

Don tells me Scholtzie just loves to be scratched. He will just sit there allllllll day if you scratched his head and rubbed his back.

Well I think if someone gave me a backrub, I'd stay in that spot all day too. :D:D Haha.

Anyways. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Scholtzie!

AWWWwwwwww! Isn't he just the Cutest little doggie EVER??? He looks a little sad in this picture, because it's just before Grace takes him back.

More Scholtzie shots!!

He is the best little dog ever. When Grace let him out into the backyard to run around and take a little sniff down the hedge of the fence, because he loves the smell of rabbits and little animals, he bursts out of the door. When he scrambles back into the house, he'll stand obediently and good-naturedly on the cloth Grace has placed on the ground so that Grace can wipe his little paws before he runs around the house. HE WILL ACTUALLY STAND THERE and wait patiently for Grace to come!!

And, he won't jump on the furniture too. Grace has a special blue cloth for him that she puts on the couch. When he sees the blue cloth, he goes mad. And he'll just stay in the blue region when he's carried onto the couch! Isn't that just amazing? He is just adorable.

Scholtzie is the most affectionate dog EVER. And he has the softest fur. Like plush toy, but better. Jeree!! Don't you just love him???

And it's time for our girlie hair appointment! :) Grace wanted to get her bangs trimmed, and I needed a trim all over. We went to New Images.

Meet Danielle, my hairdresser, the daughter of the owner Kevin and Donna.

Danielle is really sweet. And she gave me a good trim and I had bangs a little like hers.

I got a wash before the cut. Danielle trimmed off the awful V-shape that my hair had grown into, into a lighter and neater shape. My hair was absolutely fabulous after she blew-dry and used the straightening iron on my hair--but sadly, I can't maintain that look because I don't a straightening iron with me. Sobs!

But it's ok. I still love the haircut. Thanks to Grace and Danielle. ;) And it's growing out nicely now, so I'm happy. :)

While at the hairdresser's, there was news of an impending winter snowstorm. Check this out--it's taken on the way back:

See? The sky is all hazy and smokey-looking. Really, the whole feeling was just an air choked full of snow and dirt--it's like having a bad cough and trying to suppress that cough but when it comes out it's louder and worse. Yup, that was how the sky pregnant with the promise of a storm felt like.

When we got back it was about... 4-something? I showed off my Canadian Haircut to Don--and men being men, he said he can't see anything different about it.

"It IS different, Don!!" I insisted.
"Where??"
Fervently, I combed and patted my hair and made sure he saw the Canadian bangs I got.
"Ohhh, now I see. Yeah, your fringe looks different. Yeap, you look better now."

Thank you, Don. *beams*

Grace was preparing dinner, and I was in the toliet, when the power went out. This is the blackout I promised to talk about!

At about 5-something, we took out the candles and lighted them. Days are short in winter, so by 5-something the sky was darkening fast.

Being terribly un-tuned-in to a Canadian blackout in winter, I was pretty nonchalant, actually. Blackouts in Singapore only last, what, 10 minutes?? Max??

Until Grace and Don started talking about crawling in together under the blanket in the same bed. And having to call pizza for dinner. And how they may not even have pizza cuz the malls might be out of power too. Because the winter storm has really hit Guelph hard. Then it really, really struck me.

That I'm without power in WINTER. In CANADA. With the winter STORM blowing outside. !!!!

That means, no electricity. Means, the furnace is not working. Means, there's NO central heating!!! In Canada!! Do you know how COLD it gets way up here in Canada???

We had this blackout for 1 hour and 12 minutes.

Haha. Oh well. I didn't really panic. I had a lovely duvet from Grace that'll keep me toasty. :D So I took out my camera, and Don and I had some fun. Hee.

Haha! See, it's all up to you to have fun. *wink*

Remember I said I wanted to tell you why these entries are called "Tale of Two Cities"?

Well, it was so deafening, the blackout we had. If we all kept quiet, we could hear each other's breathing, and the pitter-pattering of the storm outside. Freezing rain, gusts, and the trees were hurled left and right.

Don asked me what I was studying and if it'll be too difficult for him to understand. I told him I was reading storybooks. Haha. We got to talking about Dickens's "A Tale of Two Cities", which I was agonizing over at that time, and I told him briefly about the book.

At that moment, Grace quipped in that when I talk about my getaway to Guelph, my blog will be like a story of Guelph and Waterloo--so that's like a tale of two cities.

Kinda silly, eh? But we were all really taken with the idea, and feeling rather pleased with ourselves about it too. Hahah. Anyway I think it's a good idea, so. Take it or leave it!! xD

And as suddenly as the lights went out, they suddenly came back home.

Phew!! Don decided to have a drink to calm his nerves. He had a foul-smelling something that Grace said I wouldn't want because it's bitter and strong. She had an orange-something that I also cannot remember, also she told me twice.

They asked if I would like something to drink too, and I said no. Because even if I wanted something, I didn't even know WHAT to ask for. In the end, I took Grace's suggestion, and this is what I had:

It's White Vermouth. It's really light and sweet. It's also what they call an imperative--means it's something you drink before meals.

With Don and Grace, I'm learning so much about wine. ;)

Papa! Mama! I'm gonna be a wine connoiseur!! Hahaha! In other words, an alcoholic!! *big grin*

I had another picture of Don, but it's poorly taken, so I'm not publishing it here. Don looks green. :(

For dinner, we had grilled beef, mashed potatoes with sour cream and margarine, and a brocolli casserole. Yup, with red wine. I think because it's beef, like red meat, that's why we have red wine? I'm not sure. I think sometimes you just go with the gut feeling. Literally. ;)

I loved the dinner. Plus the brocolli casserole was so good and super easy to prepare! Just pour Cream of Mushroom soup (without water, maybe a little milk) cooked with cheese over cooked brocolli; garnish with salt and pepper and croutons. Stick it in the oven, and voila! Dee-E-licious brocolli casserole.

And.... a parting shot. My lovely Canadian angels, as Jeremy calls them--Don and Grace! :)

Stay tuned for the last part of Tale of Two Cities! I will be talking about the visit to Grace's church, the lovely people I met, and Ann Wilson who took us out for lunch!

Tata~!