My brother's house last night. A winter wonderland! We were there for his father in law's 80th birthday party. As beautiful as it was outside, the drive home was very slow and took every ounce of concentration. Snow falling steadily, road covered with fresh snow and in that area they don't salt because of people's wells. It was the kind of falling snow that hypnotizes you as it drive through it, creating constant 3D effect as if you are driving through a vortex. Wierd and wonderful.
Nevertheless, it was still absolutely magical out there.
Hope you have a contented and peaceful few days ahead of you:) Happy Christmas!
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve! How did it get here so quickly?
Lots to do still as always. Heading off to the gym shortly.
37 days until we BustaMove. Yikes! Did I mention that my daughter has signed on?
The prize list is growing:) Yay. Wooden Monkey has donated a gift certificate:) Thanks. $10 donation gets you in on a draw for all this! Only 57 tickets sold to date.
She's ninety and it's hard for her to see. Glaucoma has made her world blurry and the only way she can look at her gossip magazines is with a lighted magnifying glass. The glass can't help her to read though, those days are over.
Her nails bother her and the kids joke that she shouldn't let me near them - I cut everything too short. But she does want me near them and she asks if I will trim them for her. I'm nervous about this, the last thing I want to do is injure her and I don't have my reading glasses with me. I'm at the stage where I can still read my watch and a menu without glasses, but I won't sign a contract without them and I probably shouldn't pull out splinters or go after eyelashes unless they're on. I really should start to carry them with me.
Glasses or no, she wants me to help her, and I can't say no. I pick up her cosmetics bag and find her nail trimmer and nail file. "Do I have an emery board?" she asks doubtfully. Yes, sweetie, I've got it.
I gently pick up one hand and cut the end of the nail, careful not too cut it too short. She tests the length against another finger, then her cheek. "That's perfect." Carefully, slowly, I cut and file the rest of them.
Together we examine the polish and decide her nail color is still pretty - no need to repaint. She feels all of her fingertips one by one and thanks me in a more heartfelt manner than I deserve. This chokes me up a little. Small pleasures. Small gifts. Little things that matter.
At the airport, I am overcome with the same feeling I always get when I leave her. What if this is the last time we see each other? Have I made her feel loved enough? Does she know how much she matters to us?
Cassandre starts to tear up at the airport, looking at a carved stone heart "made in Utah." She wants it to remind her of this trip. To remind her of her great-grandmother. I remind her that she'll be back next month, she'll see her again soon. She nods solemnly and asks me again to please buy her the necklace. She promises to pay me back. (Who could ask for the money?)
At home Cassandre picks up the ancient candlesticks my grandfather sent to my grandmother from England right before he was shot down and killed over Germany in WWII. I am responsible for taking care of these precious memories, but I have not washed them lately and they are tarnished and dirty. Cassandre wants to clean them and together we take them apart, piece by loving piece. We wash and dry each one, noting where the silversmith has encoded "A" "B" "C" and "5" "6" "7" so we know exactly which part goes back where. Soap and water make good progress, but not enough. We buy some polish to bring the shine back.
It makes us feel connected to do this work. Hands on labor to restore some dignity to something so precious. We don't try to make it perfect, just better.
Waiting
for our Holiday Special at Swiss Chalet. It's a tradition with us now,
every year after the Christmas Pantomime, we head here for our quarter
chicken meal and Lindor chocolate truffle dessert treat! Simple
pleasures.
* I got my Food For Boobs cookbook today in the mail! I love it. Great job Melanie! Lovely wee gift and the money goes towards BustaMove too. Bonus! Chockfull of yummy recipes. I am looking forward to trying Mexican tabouli, Fried feta & marinated pear salad, Chicken with Thai noodles and Peanut sauce, Tognetti's Bolognese, Maple curry pasta, English toffee.....nom, nom, nom, I think I had better stop now. You can order it from the sidebar on the right if you are interested.
* Here's a fun thing to do. My friend Mary, decided to collect pennies last year. She made a decision last December and kept a lookout for pennies all year. She rolled $129 dollars worth this month! She did it in half hour increments while watching Coronation Street! I'm thinking it might be fun to do the same thing. I'm going to keep a big pot and write today's date on it and start from right now. See how much I can collect by Dec 21, 2010. Mad money!!
* I got a Christmas card in the mail last week from a pal whom I've only met once. We met in Greece at a place called Claire's House where everybody sits together for breakfast. I was a young thing on my way to the Islands and he was on his way back to the US or it might have been the other way round can't remember now. We had a really great chat and exchanged addresses as travellers do. Well, over 25 years later, we are STILL exchanging Christmas cards! That's all, just a card and hello each December but it is another tradition I look forward too:) He is a poet named George Ellenbogen. I have yet to get my cards out this year (I know, I know) but I will manage a few.
* Just made a loan this morning via Kiva to the Pure Joy Group in Ghana. Don't you love their name?? 62 other Kiva lenders and I made the $1,775.00 loan and it will be used to buy goods in bulk to expand business. This is my 11th loan and I must say it is an easy way to make a difference and learn about the world. It is interesting choosing who to help. I tend to pick women to help. You can do it in $25. increments which is great. It gives me a lot of joy.
* Hooray! Daylight will start to reclaim it's territory starting tomorrow. Winter has officially started. Longest night of the year tonight. Light a candle and enjoy.
I am keeping this here on my blog until Dec 30th. The BustaMove BIG PRIZE DRAW
, hoping that you might be interested in donating $10 to help purchase
a digital mammogram machine & be entered in our fabulous draw. Help
make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Thanks to all of you who
have done so already:)) Prizes are continuing to be added:) Latest is a CD by Shannon Quinn! Winner takes all. Great odds!
December Views
Don't
adjust your computer. This ia a picture of my Christmas tree! I had a
happy accident with the camera and was really chuffed when I saw what
it looked like so of course I fooled around a bit more. Basically I
moved the camera around as the shutter was going off. Not rocket
science but fun to do.The room was too dark for anything but the lights
to register.
This one is a picture of our tree topping. I snapped and quickly tilted the camera down as I was taking the pic:)
We have a gigantic storm bearing down on us. I was looking at the radar and it appears as if we are going to get a LOT of snow. Click on the wee arrow above the radar picture to see it animate.
I've been to the store and stocked up on goodies, filled up the car and now am firmly ensconced awaiting the big blow:)
I am keeping this here on my blog until Dec 30th. The BustaMove BIG PRIZE DRAW
, hoping that you might be interested in donating $10 to help purchase
a digital mammogram machine & be entered in our fabulous draw. Help
make the boobs of Nova Scotian women merry! Thanks to all of you who
have done so already:)) Prizes are continuing to be added:) Latest is a CD by Shannon Quinn! Winner takes all. Great odds!
December Views
Love this picture! It is a print in my shop called Winter Bunnies. Notice the snowman:)
I am weary right now, late night, early morning and lots of good stuff in between! Our pancake breakfast was another success:) I just wanted to log on and thank everybody who came! It is always a fun event but..... smiling, talking, cooking, tidying and enjoying everybody makes one sleepy by the time 3pm rolls around. Dare I take a nap? After all it is Saturday. I am not a napper by nature but I might just pop into bed with The Scarpetta Factor, P. Cornwell's latest book and a cup of Tazo Chai. mmmm.
Finally got our tree up and it looks warm and festive with it's twinkly lights and decoration. Now if I could only get to my Christmas cards! Maybe I'll do them tomorrow as the snow falls.
Now that the Pancake
Breakfast is over, I am focusing on this wee draw. Please think about
donating:) I will keep this here on my blog until Dec 30th. BustaMove BIG PRIZE DRAW
For $10 you can help purchase a digital mammogram machine & be
entered in our fabulous draw. Help make the boobs of Nova Scotian women
merry! Prizes are continuing to be added:) Latest is a CD by Shannon Quinn! Winner takes all. Great odds! Thanks to those who have purchased:)
December Views
Ok,
so we won't have a view of cattle, and we won't be serving in a log
cookhouse, and there might not be cowboys but.........we will have
delicious pancakes and coffee and it will be all you can eat for $5 and your money will be used to purchase a digital mammogram by the BustaMove charity! Served up by the #Halifaxchicks team:)
8:30-12 noon
Sat 19th December
Clayton Park Sobeys, Halifax
See you there!
Just when even I thought I couldn't get any more spoiled, my husband took me to Paris to see Sting on my birthday. Our friends Jan and Paul drove us to the train station in Aix in the morning, kindly relieving us of the burden of leaving our car overnight in the expensive lot there. Just being on the train was a treat for me. I love to travel by train. You don't have to go through security or get jostled by your fellow travelers in long lines, the seats are comfortable and offer plenty of leg room, and there's always the view! You don't get to see the French countryside race by your window when you're on a plane.
My clever husband worked the numbers and figured it would cost the same amount for me to pack us a picnic lunch with a split of Moët & Chandon Champagne than to pay the extortionist prices for a lunch from the bar car. I packed us some club sandwiches, potato chips and Ferrero Rocher chocolates. Is it just me, or do club sandwiches always feel like vacation? They remind me of going to Florida with my family as a child. Are club sandwiches a very "hotel restaurant" menu item, or is it that nobody ever makes themselves a club sandwich at home? Whatever the case, they were tasty and felt like a treat.
When we arrived in Paris, we went to our hotel in the 20th arrondisement, Mama Shelter. I read about this cheap and chic hotel in Vanity Fair and can't rave about it enough. A standard double room is just €89 per night. The decor is Phillipe Starck, the products in the bath are from Kiehl's and the computers in the business center are all Macs. The restaurant had a cool, loungy vibe with overstuffed couches, a foosball table and a projection screen showing Tex Avery cartoons. I think it is the hippest place either of us has ever been.
After dropping off our luggage, we proceeded on to the most posh place either of us has ever been, the Ritz. We missed our chance to have afternon tea at the Ritz in London (the proper kind, with little pastries and sandwiches with the crusts cut off) as our British friends had recommended, so we thought we'd give the Paris one a try. We knew we couldn't afford a real meal at the restaurant in the Ritz, but we thought that afternoon tea in the Bar Vendôme or the Hemingway Bar (he drank enough at the Ritz to get a bar named after him!) would be more in our price range and would allow us to soak up lots of fancy atmosphere without paying a fortune for it. WRONG. Afternoon tea at the Paris Ritz is €67 per person. SIXTY SEVEN EUROS PER PERSON!
Since bringing my own sandwiches wasn't really an option at the Ritz, we settled for a cup of tea for Johann and a hot chocolate for me. Johann very sweetly pressed me to order a cocktail, seeing as it was my birthday and all, but there wasn't a single alcoholic beverage to be had for less than €30 and I had to assure him that I just wouldn't be able to get thirty euros worth of enjoyment out of any one glass of anything, unless the glass was filled with gold coins or diamonds or something. Please. That's just ridiculous. As long as we're on the subject of "ridiculous:" His tea was €11 and my hot chocolate was €13. Of course, it was very good, very rich hot chocolate, and his tea was also lovely, served with two types of honey and a tea cozy that was nicer than our duvet cover... And it came with a plate of six insanely good sweets, citrus and chocolate mousse inside tiny white chocolate and milk chocolate cups. Still, at the end I took the monogrammed napkins as my souvenir to even things up a little. Now I know why Hemingway was always so damned broke in "A Moveable Feast."
Johann has mad skills when it comes to getting great tickets, whether it's cheap airfare, first class seats on the high-speed train, sporting events or concerts; and this was no exception. THIRD ROW SEATS! We were fifteen feet away from Sting. The concert was held at the lovely Salle Pleyel, which has a restaurant where concert-goers can enjoy a pre-show dinner. We had dinner there (with more Champagne!) and then went to the show, which held me spellbound. His new work is very mellow, all ballads set to an otherworldly blend of instruments played by the musicians that packed the stage with him. He was called back for four encores and performed my favorite song, Ghost Story. I just can't remember the last time I was so blissed out. Merci beaucoup, Johann! More pictures are at right under "photos."
Ha,
not a wintery picture today, but fighting back at the weather. Our
first really cold day has arrived. -27 outside. Thought I would post
something escapist. Sweet dreams. Taken in September. My brother built
the wee pool house this summer. They have a lovely home not too far
from here and visiting is like going to a resort!!
Last night I went to a Christmas Concert of the Rankin Sisters! It was wonderful!! A few times, the man sitting next to wiped tears from his eyes. Goosebumps, tears, laughter, fiddling, step dancing and the Halifax Boy's honor choir. It was a marvelous down home night.
Prize Draw! I will keep this wee announcement here on my blog until Dec 30th. BustaMove BIG PRIZE DRAW
For a mere $10 you can help purchase a digital mammogram machine &
be entered in our fabulous draw. Help make the boobs of Nova Scotian
women merry! Prizes are continuing to be added:) Winner takes all. Great odds! Thanks to those who have purchased:)
December Views
I'm
having fun with this! Picked up an old wooden chair at the flea market
for $15 and am slowly transforming it into something wonderful:) Every
now and then I pick up a brush and dabble.
Still have to do Christmas cards and get a tree!!!! Such a busy time of year:)
If you are in the neighborhood....the HalifaxChicks BustaMove team are having another Pancake Breakfast this Saturday, December 19th at the Clayton Park Sobeys from 8:30 until noon. Quick go write it on your calendar before you forget:) Hope you can come!
Prize Draw! I will keep this wee announcement here on my blog until Dec 30th. BustaMove BIG PRIZE DRAW
For a mere $10 you can help purchase a digital mammogram machine &
be entered in our fabulous draw. Help make the boobs of Nova Scotian
women merry! Prizes are continuing to be added:) Winner takes all. Great odds! Thanks to those who have purchased:)
December Views
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