A week ago Thursday, I was sitting outside in my favourite chair when from out of nowhere I heard the ominous thundering sound of an old plane making its way towards me from the south. I looked up just in time to see it fly by overhead, seeming only to clear the trees by a few metres (though it must have been higher than that, but it was really close).
It was a Avro Lancaster, a British-made plane that had been built in the early 1940s and that had seen action in the second world war.
Now, I’m not some plane buff who just saw it and said ‘Hey look, it’s a Lancaster Bomber.’ No, it was Nick who quickly identified it, based on the sound alone which is the only part of the plane experience he got as he was inside when it flew by. I went in to tell him about it and without missing a beat he told me what it was. I was skeptical that he was right based on the sound alone so I looked it up, and sure enough, that is what I had seen. His bits and pieces of obscure knowledge often freak me out. The man should have become a history teacher.
At the time of the sighting, I had completely forgotten that it was the time of year for the annual airshow over Toronto’s waterfront. But following that, there was no forgetting it since our skies were filled with the roaring of planes and a flash of wing here and there, for the whole three day weekend.
On Labour Day Monday, as we ate our lunch outside we were serenaded by the sound of aircraft. It was interesting but not so romantic.
I finished lunch in time to grab my camera and get these shots of the final act. The planes are the Snowbirds, the Canadian aerobatics team whose purpose is to “demonstrate the skill, professionalism, and teamwork of Canadian Forces personnel”.
And since the title promised a salad plate, here is what we were eating during the Snowbirds’ final performance at this year’s airshow.
This plate was quickly assembled with things we happened to have in our fridge at the time. We both like to make marinated salads so there is always at least one on the go at any given time, ready to be eaten as a quick snack or a side-dish. This particular time we had one that each of us made, I the Chickpea and Rice and Nick the Pasta Salad. Also I had made the dressing for the green salad for our dinner the previous evening. The slice of pickled beet is something that Nick made and always keeps us supplied with.
So presto, we had a nice lunch that was ready in a flash.
Yes, we are talking fast planes and fast lunches here folks.
There are links to the recipes if you want your own make-ahead salad plate!
Really Delicious Pasta Salad, made with added slivers of sun-dried tomatoes.
Rice and Bean Salad, modified with Chick Peas and whole grain rice.
Raspberry Vinegar Salad Dressing. The link includes instructions to make berry vinegars.
Easy Pickled Beets
And if those choices are not right down your flight path, here are a few others that we often make too. In fact, I’ll be making the coleslaw recipe linked below this weekend because we have a nice cabbage in the fridge just ready to go.
Coleslaw
Quinoa and Corn
Light but Tasty Potato Salad
Greek Salad
Antipasto Salad
Pickled Vegetables
Aside: When I was little I thought a cabbage salad was called Cold-Slaw because it was cold and it was sometimes just called a slaw.
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Thank you for dropping over. I hope you’re in for a great weekend.
xo loulou
