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Monday Meandering Mind

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“They” say it takes twenty-one days to create a habit… Right?  Oh hell, naw.  I just looked it up (coz I really don’t like to spread fallacies) and NOPE! The book you wrote in 1960, Dr. Maxwell Maltz, you lied!  Apparently it can take anywhere from two months to eight months to build a new behaviour in your life.  Well, shit.  Doesn’t that just blow my whole post to smithereens.  Maybe ya shoulda looked it up before, dumb-dumb.

Under Twenty One Prohibition Sign In Crossed Out Red Circle Vector Icon Stock Illustration - Download Image Now

Neither here nor there.  I am officially proclaiming that I have been in the process of creating a habit since my first run of the year on March 5th.  Why didn’t I start sooner?  Coz I didn’t.  And I live in a place that has too much snow (still) and ice and crappy conditions (until now) and besides I’m not a even close to being a die-hard runner like those I see run past my house, no matter the conditions:  sleet, snow, wind, using crampons on their shoes… no, not for me, thank you, very much.

Now that the bicycle paths are mostly clear and the temps have been hanging on either side of the freezing mark, I have made it a mission to go every other day.  So far, I’m five runs in and have increased my time.  Woot!

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

What Am I Bingeing?

I’ve had a few shows on the go.  I like to watch one, then another, and another rather than binge just the one show from start to finish.  I have noticed that when I do binge 2-3-4 episodes of the same show, I barely remember them later.  It’s like mindlessly eating popcorn until you finish the bowl and are surprised to find it empty.  I’d rather savour.

I have been challenging myself.  I am watching “The Empress” in German, with English subtitles.  I am surprised at how many words I pick up (I took German for two semesters in college, waaaaay back when.  My goodness, is it possible it was almost thirty years ago?)  It’s been interesting to learn about Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary.

I am also watching “Women at War” in French (don’t need the subtitles, though I keep them on just in case, that French from France accent occasionally gets me).  This one is darker and is the story of four women during WWI.  I’m only one episode in.

I am also watching “The Offer” – this is so enjoyable.  It’s about the making of “The Godfather” through the eyes and experience of Al Ruddy, producer.  Tell me, in the umpteen times you have seen this movie, did you ever pay attention to who the producer was?  I can tell you I did not.  Had zero clue.  Halfway through the series, and trying to stretch it out, the urge to watch The Godfather NOW, instead of at the end of the series, hit.  So, why not?  And, to make it perfect, make it dinner and a movie by having spaghetti and meatballs and wine – I mean, how can you not?  It’s so cool to see the vision, the troubles they had (No Al Pacino! He’s too short and  he’s a nobody theatre actor!), the negotiations… And recognizing bits from the movie in the series and vice-versa. If you are a fan of The Godfather, this show is like candy.  I want to gobble it up at the same time as I want to stretch it out.

Se The Offer - Stream Online | PlayPilot

What Am I Reading?

I am not a re-reader.  I can count on one hand how many books I have read more than once (and not more than twice).  For me, I figure there are so many books out there, why would I read one I already have?  I am impressed by those who have their favourites and have read them countless times.  This is the case for all the other members of the informal group from Sammi’s Scribbles. They are huge Tolkien fans and have read the books over and over, and in the case of Sammi, have multiple versions of the books.  I decided to join in for the fun of it.  We are now reading the second book from The Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers.  Last year we read The Fellowship of the Ring. It’s pretty cool. We read half a chapter per week and exchange thoughts on Sammi’s blog.  It takes us most of the year to read just one of the books.  Sammi must have been busy last week because Tolkien Tuesday did not happen.  I’m wondering if I should just read the second half for tomorrow or what…  And since half a chapter per week is not much reading…

I am also reading Das Parfum, by Patrick Süskind – the French translation, since my friend Linda leant it to me, but also because I like to keep my French skills up by reading a French book every 3-4 books.  I prefer to read in the original language but in this case, the original is in German and so reading it in English or in French didn’t matter.  I saw the movie many moons ago and remember the gist of it.  I prefer to read the book after seeing the movie anyway, because I am never disappointed.  I am not with this one, either. The writing is so rich.  I read this one in bed…. and,

I am also beta reading a book for Rochelle.  Since my Kindle is being a biyatch and won’t let me download it (I think the cable is the issue), I have to read it off my laptop – only so much book I like to read on a computer.

Do you ever read more than one book at a time?  I never thought I would.  I have gone so far as to tell those who do that they are nuts and how can they possibly follow all the plot lines?  Turns out, it is more than possible.

Oh! And before I forget.  With all those peeps sharing their flowers, and me still buried in snow, I was beyond excited to see this:

Right next to a foot of snow.  In my front yard.  Go figure.  For a little perspective:

How do you like them apples?  No wonder I had a spring in my step and the energy to start running!

Thanks for hanging with me and I wish for you a lovely week.

 

 

 

An Evening of Culture

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Les collections 1960-1965 – Le catalogue raisonné de Jean Paul Riopelle

1960.001P.1960 – Composition, 1960

Way back in October, I purchased one ticket to go see “Riopelle Symphonique” at the Théâtre Wilfrid-Laurier (the largest of the five halls) within Place des Arts and the day finally arrived for me to go a week ago, today.  I had just seen “Sans Paroles Harmonium Symphonique”, with my buddy Julie, which was a symphonic interpretation of the the music of Harmonium, a Québécois group I was very into in high school.  It was an enjoyable experience, so I figured why not see what the same co-creators, Serge Fiori (formerly of the said group) and Nicolas Lemieux and new guy Blair Thompson did with this one.  My father had admired Jean-Paul Riopelle’s work as an artist so I knew the name, and I figured, hell, if nothing else, I’ll learn a bit about this artist and, if I don’t care for it, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is always a treat.  This year is the centennial of Riopelle’s birth, ergo, the celebration.

I skipped dining downtown and went directly to the show, which started at 8:00.  Some putz blocked the street I needed to go up to to park in the underground parking lot so I drove around and was lucky enough to find one on the street. Bonus! $15 saved (providing I didn’t get a parking ticket!)

Art on the streets next to the Quartier des Spectacles (Entertainment Quarter)

I live on the South Shore of Montreal so I don’t always know what’s going on in town.  I might hear of something but outta sight, outta mind, and all that.  What a pleasant surprise to see a bunch of bright lights!  I determine immediately that I would meander after the show and take in the sites.

Got to my nosebleeder seat…. Oy!  With no zoom on my phone, this is how far I was to the stage…. hellllloooooooo down there….

The curtains opened and we had the whole MSO and two choirs (Petits Chanteurs de Laval and Choeur Temps Fort) on either side of it!  I couldn’t quite understand the conductor, Adam Johnson’s outfit… It was not a classic tux and tails, It was a white tux with… um… feathers?  Apparently, Riopelle was a huge fan of geese and.. yeah, I don’t get that part.

The music started and it was quite lovely, two of the three screens descended and… ah hell.  All of us up in the balcony start murmuring our displeasure.  It bugged me to no end that, in creating this piece, they did not take the time to come up to the balcony and see what we would see.  I promise you it is the only “illegal” photo I took during the show because I was thinking of you, dear readers, and wanted to show you what I saw.  Oh, and thankfully, that fat head to the left sat a little lower later on…

Those damn spotlights.

I know, I know, get over it.  But still.

PHOTO : VICTOR DIAZ LAMICH – RADIO CANADA

How much more enjoyable it would have been to see the above, eh?  It took us a while to resign ourselves to not seeing the art properly and just enjoy the music.  I did. Mostly.  This was like a play in five acts, with the disembodied voice of the artist, through various interviews joining two sections. You could hear him drawing on his ever-present smoke as he spoke.

He was a “stream of conscious” painter.  He worked on one piece from beginning to end in one session.  No touching up, no coming back to do anything whatsoever the next day.  And he could not stand to be watched while painting either.

“Dans l’exécution, je n’ai pas de temps à perdre à chercher. Il faut que ça marche tout de suite.   Je n’aime pas faire le spectacle. S’il y a un spectateur, il y a une distraction. Je ne pourrais pas le supporter.”

My translation:  In the execution, I don’t have time to waste searching. It has to work right away.  I don’t like to perform. If there is a spectator, there is a distraction.  I could never stand it.

I had to laugh at one point when we heard him explain that he was an  EXpressionist and not an IMpressionist (having a complete disdain for the genre) “..as they are liars.  Unlike them, I paint what I see…”   Nkay…

Jean Paul Riopelle | Art Canada Institute

Les oies bleues (The White Geese)

He was an interesting artist and extremely successful in his lifetime – way back in the 60’s paintings could go for anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 and more.

He also got into sculpture.  I’m not a fan but hey, art and subjectivity and all that 🙂

La Victoire et le Sphinx (Victory and the Sphinx

I am happy I went to see this, though in all honesty, I am not sophisticated enough to appreciate the joining of the music with the art.  The music changed for each of the five sections to purportedly match the different eras of his art, but, to me, it didn’t feel quite so.  I read a few reviews after the day after, and it appears I was not alone.  One said, and I paraphrase : “The music could have been for anything, including a biopic of Maurice Richard (hockey player) or some historical saga.  The music, while competent enough, does not detract from the lovely visual, but that it would not be the reason to see the show, nor buy the soundrack.”  Maybe I am not as unsophisticated as I thought?

I always take the final bow

I made my way down the crowded staircase and finally out the door for some welcome fresh air.  There was much gaiety all around.  I discovered that it was “Montréal en lumières” or Montreal in Lights.  Quite the fête, let me tell you.  It was still going strong at 9:30 p.m. on a Thursday night.  And since I’ve already taken up way too much of your time, I shall just leave you with a few pics 🙂

Ferris Wheel on St.Catherine
Lights you can turn
Slides that had everyone hooting and laughing
Walking through a tunnel
Hanging by the “fire”

And a short video.  There was dancing and skating, too (I didn’t go up to the rink…)

On my way home, I passed in front of this sculpture. The traffic light serendipitously turned red, so I opened my passenger window, leaned over and… click!  (I had never seen it lit up, couldn’t pass up the chance, eh?)

Spooky Is As Spooky Does

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On Monday, Frank J. Tassone hosted dVerse’s Haibun Monday.  He said:  “Let’s feel the spooky sensation of this coming Halloween/Samhain! Let’s celebrate that emotion of dread. Let’s write our haibun that states or references fear.”

Looking for a particular photo and some inspiration I went through my pictures.  I found a couple (though not the one I really wanted) and settled on this one.  Shall we?

Nicole was practically skipping as she made her way home, still feeling warm and fuzzy from the lovely evening she had had with her besties. Getting together for dinner and a movie was always so much fun.  In the spirit of the upcoming holiday, they had gone to see Halloween #27. (Seriously? When were they going to give it up already?)  She giggled as she thought of how ludicrous the whole thing was until she noticed how dark and quiet the woods seemed suddenly.  Where was the birdsong? The buzzing of insects?  She tripped over the roots of a tree, just managing to stay upright.  The willies crept in and she imagined the tree branches reaching towards her to grab her.  She stumbled forward, fear overtaking her reasoning as she hurried to get out of the now-scary woods and out into the clearing. What the hell was wrong with her anyway?

Fear courses through veins

Causing heart palpitations

None of it is real

I’ll Take It! – Friday Fictioneers

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It’s Wednesday and I’m on a roll!  Friday Fictioneers is here with this wonderful photo by Sandra Crook.  Thanks always to Rochelle for hosting this weekly party.  If you care to join, please click on the frog below and add your 100-word story.

Frog Aircraft Stock Illustrations – 46 Frog Aircraft Stock Illustrations, Vectors & Clipart - Dreamstime

Click to play

 

This is perfect!  I’ll take it!

Are you nuts?  Look at this mess. Why the hell would you want to take it upon yourself to deal with this?

D’you remember “The World According to Garp”?

Crazy movie.  But yeah. What’s your point?

Remember when the plane drove through the house they were visiting to potentially buy?

Uh… yeah.

Like he said, ‘It’s been pre-disastered, we’re gonna be safe here.’  We can clean it up and get it going.

Honey… there’s a huge difference between a plane hitting a house and high tides brought on by storms!

Pish-tosh! I love it!

 

For those of you unfamiliar with the film…

2019 Attitude of Gratitude Challenge

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Funny how things work, sometimes.  I can’t remember if it was Thursday or Friday (2nd or 3rd of January) when I thought to myself: I wonder if Dawn is doing her Attitude of Gratitude thing this year. Not two days later (or three) what do I get in my inbox but Dawn’s post! Serendipity at its best. Let’s just say that if she hadn’t, I would have been sad and maybe, just maybe, I would have done my own anyway. It’s kinda nice to be part of something that already exists, dontcha think?

The rules are really simple.  Set the timer for 15 minutes and start listing – very stream of consciousness, this thing.  I will do exactly that by listing whatever pops into my head and at the end, shall return to my list and clean up typos, remove duplicates or even maybe cheat by adding more deets to the items, because, well, if I stop to write all the whys, then my list will be shorter.  Then again, this isn’t a contest so, does it matter just how many I have? Maybe cheating won’t even be necessary!  Okay, Rogerson, just shut up and write already.

The following are the things for which I am grateful or simply bring me joy and peace:

  1. B – for what you give and what you agree to receive;
  2. My sisters – no matter what’s what, they will be there
  3. Mom – same thing, without you, I’d not be here
  4. Dad – no longer here, you still influence some of my decisions
  5. Mick – no matter that you’ve been gone five years, you are still a huge presence, not to mention a great muse for my writing
  6. Writing – the ability to share what I want to say and have people receive it
  7. Reading – we learn so much about life, the world when we open ourselves to reading
  8. Friday Fictioneers and Rochelle in particular for being the first challenge that opened me up to writing more
  9. Blogosphere – for introducing me to so many fantastic writers
  10. Friends made over the blogosphere – it’s amazing how close we can become, like you, Sawsan, now a flesh and blood friend
  11. Julie, Giselle, Linda, Cathy – my girlfriends who are there to drink, eat and be merry with
  12. My guy friends – who keep me laughing
  13. My boys – for keeping me real – whether I like it or not
  14. The scent of petrichor in the summer
  15. The sound of rain on a window when lying in bed
  16. Being able to sit outside on a covered porch when it rains
  17. Big fluffy snow in winter, especially on Christmas Day
  18. Zeke – for giving me a reason to get out and enjoy the fresh air
  19. Standing outside, and realising all is silent and being in the moment
  20. Coffee!
  21. Wine (and beer or spirits 😉 )!
  22. The sound of the wind in the marcescent leaves
  23. My house – it keeps me safe from the elements
  24. My health – it might have blips from colds but otherwise, I’m healthy
  25. DK – for introducing me to soooo many books and for being you, who shares such beautiful things
  26. My laptop – which keeps me connected to so many people
  27. Hang Outs – which allows me to chat with my bestie face-to-face
  28. Warm thick socks in the winter
  29. Dresses in the summer
  30. My capacity (capability?) to smile through the tough stuff
  31. My ability to love freely
  32. Photography – a way to capture everything that grabs my attention
  33. Sunsets
  34. Being by the water – lake, river, ocean
  35. Travel – introducing me to cultures and broadening my horizons
  36. Cooking – not only to nourish but also to show my creativity
  37. Discovering my creativity, which I was so sure I didn’t have till it was pointed out to me
  38. Movies – being able to escape into another world for a couple of hours
  39. Merril – for introducing me to poetry and inspiring me to keep trying it
  40. Frank – because you introduced me to sooo many fabulous bloggers and your concerts were the best that I was honoured to act as your Maître D’ and because I want you to know that I am going to miss you – blogging. I shall hound you elsewhere 😉
  41. Light to see
  42. Dark to rest
  43. Love, in general – amorous or friendly
  44. Sex and the joy of sharing intimacy
  45. My eyes – so I can appreciate what is out there
  46. My ears – listening to the sounds around me, music, my loved ones’ voices
  47. My limbs – though they sometimes let me know they need more limbering
  48. My sense of humour – which helps keep me out of trouble
  49. My ability to connect with people of all stations
  50. My intellect – which permits me to have proper conversations on all sorts of things
  51. My curiosity – which keeps me learning always
  52. My snarkiness, which keeps me from not being taken seriously
  53. To you authors who trusted me with your works and allowed me to be a beta reader – I am beyond chuffed
Mom
Dad and Mick
Cathy and me
food
Zeke and me
Iain and Aidan
photography
Linda and me
Julie, Giselle and me
Three sisters

Just the Bridge Then? – What Pegman Saw

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Given the… uh… excitement… going on in Alabama, it was hard to not do so, but I was damned if I was going to go there.  Had to lighten the mood somewhat.

This week Pegman is in Selma, Alabama in the US. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to write up to 150 words inspired by the location. You’re free to use the photo supplied with the prompt, or take your own tour of Selma via Google Maps. There are both streetview and photospheres at this location.

Once your piece is polished, share it with others at the link up below. Reading and commenting on others’ stories is part of the fun.

Click me to play!

Just the Bridge, Then?

“Was cool to visit New Orleans, wasn’t it? The music, the food. So good. On the drive home, we’re gonna cut across diagonally, driving through Alabama, then Georgia, before heading north.  What’s to see in Alabama?”

“All sorts of civil rights places – kind of ironic. That bridge in Selma. What’s it called?  Oh yeah, Edmund Pettus.”

“Sunday Bloody Sundaaaay!”

“Ha! Funny guy. You know, some of my favourite chick flicks take place in the muds of Alabama.  Let’s go see some of them! ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ – Title says it all, right?”

“Sweet Home Alabama! Girl, I’m coming home to you!  But, no, most of it was filmed in Georgia:  Fayetteville, Crawfordville, Rome.

“Damn. Wait! ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’ is in Alabama except when Idgie saves Ruth from Frank, in Valdosta, Georgia!”

“Nope. Juliette, Georgia.”

“Jeez. I know! ‘My Cousin Vinny’!”

“Monticello—”

“Lemme guess.  Georgia.”

“So, just the bridge, then?”

 

Making the Best of It

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There are those days when you want to throw your hands in the air and just say Fuck it!  Yesterday was one of those days.

As I prepared for my “date”, the skies were beautiful and so full of promise…

Why I don’t listen to my gut, is beyond me.  Must be that little naive bit of me that I refuse to let die.  Or maybe it’s the optimist that once and again shoves the realist out of the way because maybe, just maybe, you’ve got to give it a shot.

Well phooey! Gave it a shot.  Wasted my time.  Most of that time was spent idling in the insufferable traffic jam that is the island of Montreal.  For what?  To clean off my car in this sub-zero, digit-stealing, toe-numbing, nostril-freezing friggen blast of arctic cold we are going through this past week.  To thaw out in said car, heaters blasting, nose now running, fingers and toes now tingling, to sit through one log-jam to get onto the highway, to pass those who cannot seem to follow the speed-limit, to cross the bridge, then slow to a crawl to get to another highway, only to be redirected, to finally realise this has all been for naught.  To decide then and there to say Fuck It and to get off at my first chance.  (All this “Fuck It Attitude I am blaming on Grace and Frankie – gotta love this trailer, totally uncensored, by the way.)

To decide that this will not be a total waste of my time as I turn around and make my way to the Montreal Forum Cineplex and park inside where is is snow-free and warm. (Because really?  I am NOT gonna putz around looking for parking on the still-uncleaned streets from our latest dump of snow, only to actually find one and then have a snowplow (miraculously) completely box me in so that I now need to shovel to get out, after I have frozen my ass walking from the cinema).

Notre-Dame Street (Shhh… there was no one behind me and I stopped and snapped but still managed to have a blurry pic)

Driving up St. Marc Street, on my way to the Forum, I am struck by a beautiful mural (this is your fault, Resa McConaghy!) and wish I can pull over so I can take a proper picture but this street looks pretty much like the one above, plus I have someone right behind me.  Thankfully, I am stopped at a light and can open my window, brave the cold, and snap a quick pic.  I will definitely have to return to take some better shots without the bloody parking signs and do Resa proud 😉  I have to admit I’m surprised at just how nice and bright this did turn out.

I walk up to the main level of the forum, re-bundle up so I can then cross the street outside because, why is this the one non-underground connecting section of Montreal?  Fucks sake.  Or is there one and now I am even more of an eejit for not knowing it?  Goddamn! It’s cold.  The wind rendering my face instantly numb, I wait inside for the light to turn green, then hurriedly make my way to Roasters, a little BBQ Grill & Bar, because at this point, I’m gonna have me a Rickard’s Red with something decent to eat.  I have over half an hour before my movie starts and I am NOT having an A&W or McDonald’s burger after having wasted an hour and half to get here.

I am more than pleasantly surprised by my chicken wrap.

With almost ten minutes to spare, I re-bundled up just to cross the street.  I swear, this is not a day to leave your coat open and dash…  Upon Merril‘s recommendation, I purchased my ticket for “Cold War”, a beautiful 89-minute black and white escape into another world.

The movie is sent during the cold war in Poland, Wiktor and Irena are driving through Poland, recording various people singing old folk tunes.  They then want to create a choral ensemble to tour.  During these auditions, Zula appears.  Wiktor sees something in her and decides to accept her into the troupe.  They fall in love and so begins a most difficult relationship.  Can people be too in love with each other?  They go from bliss to separation, back together and apart.  Between all of these comings and goings is beautiful music and gorgeous cinematography.

I probably shouldn’t share this particular video with you but I really, REALLY wanted to share the whole choir singing “Two Hearts” because it is heart-breakingly beautiful.

Feeling warm and happy that my evening turned around, I got into my car and made my way home.  Of course the tunnel leading to the Jacques-Cartier bridge was closed.  Sigh.  Slowly forced to take an exit which is, of course, very slow going, and once I get up the hill, the bridge is not lit up in green or purple or whatever, as per usual.  I fear it might be closed I might be taking the long drive along Notre-Dame to the tunnel to get home but no.  Miracles of miracles, it was just a section of the tunnel being worked on which caused the redirect.  Through the thick snow I drive, across the bridge, onto properly moving traffic on the highway and back home before 10 pm.

I wash off my face, change into jammies, pour myself a glass of wine and I catch up on my blog readings.

That’s definitely what I call making the best of it.

#Weekend Coffee Share – March 4, 2017

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weekend-coffee-share-nerd-in-the-brain-2

Well hello friends, do come in.  It is freezing outside today.  I swear, when Mother Nature has teased us with temps like 14°C, it is way not cool to, a few days later, drop down to -18°C but feels like -21°C!  Welcome to March in Montreal…

So, I should think a warm beverage is in order.  Would you like an espresso, cappuccino, lattè, good straight up filtered?  Maybe a little splash of somethin’, somethin’?  It’s Saturday, why not?  Of course, if you prefer tea I’ve quite the selection as well, Earl Grey, Orange Pekoe, Breakfast, green and 5-6 herbals, should you prefer.  Please, it is no trouble.  The kettle goes on, voilà!

Alrighty, now that we are comfy on the couch, let’s chat.  How has your week been?  Busy? Relaxed? A little of both?

If we were having coffee, I’d say it has been mostly a nice week, starting with Sunday night at the Oscar’s – yes, in my home, on  my couch, alone.  But that was okay.   I actually enjoyed this year’s and apart from that Kimmel and the tourists bit, didn’t find it boring or too long.  The tourists… five minute would have been enough!  This year I only saw two of the movies.  I am promising myself – for realz this time, that next year, I will do better!  Mind you, the two that I did see were La La Land and Fences – for which Viola totally deserved her Oscar!

If we were having coffee, and you happened to be here last week, you know that I foolishly attempted to go shopping at Ikea.  On a Saturday afternoon.  Wrong!!  So… take two!  I went on Monday and bought 18 bottles!  And some candles.  All those baths I was taking when I was really sick put a serious dent in my candle inventory.  Oh, and of course, I did absolutely have to buy those bloody cinnamon raisin rolls that they ensure we sniff all through the store…  Decided to do a Costco/grocery/gas run and on my way through the back way was teased with a fabulous setting sun.  Parked my car, zipped out and snapped a few pictures.  Oh, where I was parked, I kinda blocked anyone from passing!  When I realised a woman was behind me, I smiled sheepishly (she smiled back) and hopped back into my car!

Sun settomg dpwm
Fluff on Fire

Got home and bottled my lemon and orange nectar….

20170304_153528

I cannot tell you how disappointed I am that my orangecello did not even have the slightest tint of orange.  Sigh.  Can only tell them apart by scent – HUGE difference – and by the labels I will be putting on them!

Iain and I had been talking about making grapefruit cello and I wanted to make some lime so, these fruit I picked up, along with the alcohol and now, two new batches are blending to do their thing!

img_20170227_223402_066

Think I’ll be making some sorbets or salads, or juicing them and freezing for later use.

While I was out gallivanting, I had a lovely blade roast cooking away with, of all things, pepperoncini.  (Thank you Facebook!)  It smelled so good when I got home!  Plain old potatoes to soak up the juices and some GI Joe Cabbage (brussels sprouts to the regular folk) sautéed with Serrano ham, shallots and apples.  Iain and I enjoyed immensely.

16995959_1316268511752810_771129214761498584_n

So that brings us to Tuesday.  Fat Tuesday.  Mardi Gras.  Pancake Day!  Only.  I had brined a chicken the night before so I really had to cook it.  But, come on, we’re supposed to have pancakes for supper!  Well, not wanting to disappoint anyone, I served both.  The option to use my fabulous gravy (no, really, you know when you make something and dang if it doesn’t surpass your expectations?  This was the case on Tuesday…) or maple syrup.  Made no never mind to me, ‘sall I can say!  There were sugar snap peas for that veggie element but… didn’t bother asking them to pose for the camera…

Crêpes
Roasted Chicken
Gravy!!

Wednesday, Wednesday… what did I do Wednesday.  Oh yes!  Wrote my Friday Fictioneers, went on a coffee date.  Determined after one coffee that it was lovely to meet you, but move along.  Ugh.  I hate this dating thing.  It’s exhausting.  I know I haven’t really told you anything at all but I was on some dating sites.  I am no longer.  It was fun for a while.  Now?  Not so much!

How could I forget!  I finished reading “Swimming Lessons”, by Claire Fuller.  What a fabulous book.  So very original.  I definitely recommend it!  I have now started on “The Gift” by Louise Jensen, like Claire, this is her second book.  It it’s as good as her first one “The Sister”, I shall not be disappointed.

Thursday came along and I saw my friend (through Mick) Leonard was on-line so we chatted a bit.  I asked him when we were going to finally get together and have a beer and catch up on stuff.  He said he was meeting his buddy Steve (usually my “date” when we go see Leonard do stand-up) to watch the hockey game and that I was more than welcome to join them.  I asked him if he was sure I would not intrude on their “Guy-Time”!  Was told I would never…   We met at the Irish Embassy Pub on Bishop Street downtown.  Let me tell you, when there is a home game, ya gotta leave early because traffic is intense!  It ended up taking me a good 40 minutes, which was pretty darn good.  However.  Parking was a whole ‘nother kettle of fish!  After going around the blocks a few times, and just missing one – blast you, guy who cut in front of me!  May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your nether regions!  So, I gave up and decided to go to Mick’s old favourite inside parking three blocks over.  First time I ever end up on the top floor!  Eesh.   Hustle my way to join the gents.  See scads of empty parking spaces.  Pump fist up at the gods of parking but decide it’s a waste of time and keep walking.  Later find out that two streets over on the other side, there is indoor parking five bucks cheaper!  Sigh.  Had a great evening with these two jokers.  They tag-teamed against me occasionally.  Buggers!  Habs were losing 1-0 when Leonard decided he was done and left us.  Good thing too.  Not five minutes later, the Habs tied the game!  I told Steve, had we known all we had to do was get rid of Lenny, we would have sooner…  With six seconds left in the game, we beat Nashville and our beloved PK Subban.  Was kinda nice to see the fans cheering him on despite his wearing a different jersey.  His ex-teammates weren’t so enthused…

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A nice Irish stew and a couple of Kilkenny Pints and lots of great conversation.  It was one of the first times I had the chance to have such a great conversation with Steve.  He is a good man, lots of responsibilities but has the most wonderful mantra every morning:  Today I will try to be the best husband, father, brother, son, employer I can be.  Some days, no matter how hard you try, you do not succeed fully but come the next day, the slate is clean and you can start over.  I like that.

On Friday, I was very proud of my eldest son.  I drove him to the SAAQ  (DMV, for the Americans) so that he would not have to get up so early.  15 minute car ride vs. 1+ hour bus ride.  Came home and pfaffed around for a bit.  The whole gang was home for dinner – on a Friday night!!  I still had some chicken left-over with that fab gravy so I made us some hot-chicken sandwiches.  Went to the convenience store for some crappy McCain fries to bake and go with.   (I did not have a potato in the house.)  Seriously, those fries are the worst.  No matter how long I cooked them, they would not get crispy.  Note to self:  Don’t buy ’em again!

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So this Saturday, we were supposed to get a group of us together to participate in the Illuminart going on in Montreal.  Sadly, one of our gang hurt her leg and hip and could not walk for any distance.  That made it easier for one to decide to cocoon in his home all day.  That left Julie and me.  They were calling for “freeze-your-butt-off” temps and neither one of us was that enthusiastic to go in those conditions!  So we opted for dinner and a movie!

There is this great little Korean restaurant with amazingly reasonable prices and fantastic-tasting food.  Julie had never been and I’ve now been three times.  Mon Ami (My Friend) restaurant… How cute a name is that?  Their Bibimbap is delicious and they tell me their fried chicken is the bomb – maybe next time!  There was a line-up at 7:30 pm but we didn’t have to wait too long.  It was so hard to choose what to eat as everything looks good!  I’m hoping the next time I go, my dinner partner wants to join me in their BBQ platter that cooks on a hot plate in front of you…

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Mon Ami on Ste.Catherine – their photo

We had time to have a coffee before our movie.  We went to see “Hidden Figures”  and both of us loved it.

Oh my goodness.  We’re on our third cup already and I’ve totally gobbled up way too much of your time!  Thank you for sharing this time with me!  I hope I managed to keep you entertained and that I did not torment you too much with the food pics 😉  I wish for you a most fabulous Sunday and week ahead!

Thank you to Emily from Nerd in the Brain for hosting this shindig – I have to find out why I am not get notifications for the coffee shares but do for other posts… Hmmm…

If you’d like to join in, just click on the coffee share box at the top and you will be brought over to Emily’s blog.

Lotsa Love,

Dale

 

Gratitude Sunday – March 1, 2015

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Oh thank GAWD!  February is OVER! Does that mean we’ll get warmer weather and a sign of spring?  I’m not asking for much… just maybe a little closer to zero Celsius would be nice.  Don’t want to be too demanding… They are predicting +1ºC on Wednesday.  I will not, however, get too excited.  Still, it would be a nice change from the nostril-sticking-together, to-the-bones, rather-stay-curled-up-in-flannel cold we’ve had during this past month.  All over the country (and our neighbours to the south of us) records were broken for cold.  Apparently, it was the coldest February in 115 years.  One hundred and fifteen years!  Seriously.  No wonder we were all bitching in harmony.

OK. I promise not to complain about the weather unless it truly forces me to.  I am a fairly tough broad and can handle pretty much anything but it was just getting a little ~ much.

This past week there were plenty of moments to be grateful for.  It’s funny how this gratitude thing works.  I was thinking that I had spent the week curled up, miserable and sad but as I look back, there were mere moments.  This gratitude thing really does work.  You can’t help but feel better, more positive if you are focusing on the good instead of the bad.

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For our concert, the music started, Bryan took the microphone and turned it to the audience and we sang the whole first part… It was AH-MA-ZING!

Gratitude List

  1. Thank you Cathy for inviting me to be your date to the Bryan Adams concert – and for dinner at Ye Olde Orchard Pub!  What a fantastic evening: great show, super company and good food.

  2. I am so glad I remain friends with my ex-boyfriends – especially when they are in the legal field and know what I need to do, help me fill out what needs to be filled out, register what needs to be registered and transfer what needs to be transferred.  I cannot thank Daniel enough for his help these past two months and know he will be there for what still needs to be done.

  3. I finally got a chance to make the “high-heel cupcakes” that I’ve been dying to make ever since I saw a picture of some.  Fun stuff.  Thanks Anna & Yolanda for the orders!

  4. Is there anything better that a hot bath by candlelight?  What a way to warm your bones when nothing else seems to work!  I don’t indulge that often as I have a ridiculously huge tub (for 2) which completely empties the hot water tank of hot water before it is completely full!  Good thing too, because by the time it is full, only cold water is coming out and I would scald myself!  I know because I foolishly thought I would get in before it was full. Yeah. No.

  5. So happy for Patti & Georges that they got their house!  ‘Twas a nail-biting supper before our movie night (The Kingsmen) waiting for “the call” which finally came announcing that their offer was the winner.  Fun stuff!

A Question of Timing

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There are times when you can be at the “right place at the right time” or “right place, wrong time” or “wrong place, wrong time”, or even “wrong place, right time”.  All a question of perspective, I guess.  Or is it more?

Meeting up with an old friend in a place neither of you usually frequents, getting that great photograph at the perfect moment, just missing your train/bus/plane, being splashed with slush by an driver who did or did not see you standing there not paying attention ~ these are some of those moments.

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Last night my boys and I decided to go into to town to the only movie theatre still playing the third part of The Hobbit, The Battle of the Five Armies.  The movie started at 8:30 pm so we had to leave between 7:30 and 7:45 to give us time to get there, park and purchase our tickets.

Well, we leave at about 7:40 and make our way to the highway.  We drive for about 3-4 km and traffic stops.  I mean. Stops. Not slows down to a crawl. Total stop. Ah hell we all think and say.  What is going on?  Suddenly we hear sirens and see two police cars come up on the left shoulder; then two more on the right one followed by two fire trucks and finally an ambulance.  This is NOT a good sign.  Oh I hope it’s not too serious.

Iain cranes his neck and sees that the pedestrian overpass seems to be cut in half!  Holy Toledo!  This highway is divided by a median so we cannot just simply turn around and go back where we came from. Or can we?  Yes, we can!  Some fancy manoeuvering and we are turning around onto the shoulder and are now being directed by the police through a passageway created by them, which allows us to go up on the exit and over the highway so we can go home!

Read about the story here.

Needless to say, even though the boys were disappointed about the movie, I was super grateful that we had not left two minutes earlier…