photobooth love!

when stefan and i were in london and passed by the ace hotel in shoreditch, i practically ran inside to find their photobooth (all their hotels have one, well, the one in palm springs did).  sadly, it was out of order but then the next day while visiting the columbia road flower market, we came upon an extraordinary photobooth!!! it was meant to be... so we did.

photobooth prints feel special... happy memories front and centre :-)

have a wonderful weekend everyone!

weekend pics, a winter rhythm

it's rare to have a day mostly to myself, maybe a few hours but not an entire morning and afternoon.  i find myself loving it (looooong shower, lunching with a lovely friend, attending a play) but at the same time wondering what moments i'm missing with my boys (while i was out, stefan texted me that kai scored a goal at soccer... happiness until i realized that it is now the second time i failed to witness one of his "spectacular" goals).  i convince myself that it's okay, it's good for my boys to create their own moments, it's good for me to bond with friends, it's good for kai to see me have a life outside of family... and indeed, the day was a loving one. 

snehal and i strolled granville island, we lunched, drank wine, and we attended a most wonderful play called a brimful of asha.  the play was funny and endearing.  as we entered the theatre, samosas were served and the real-life son and mother team welcomed every single person entering the theatre.  they share their story of arranged marriage, of culture and generational differences, of family love.  this beautiful story plays until february 8th, if tickets are still available, go see it.
   

on sunday, my boys and i visited the same mountain for skiing and snowshoeing... it was bright and gorgeous up there.  we see the same red sled tugging along, smell the same mountain air, admire the same scenery,  drink the same best chai latte and smile when we lay our eyes on the dame woman who each week runs the snowshoe grind not once but twice in the time it takes us to do it once.  a little rhythm to welcome our sundays.

  

 





stefan and i hiked a bit further beyond the tippy top of the mountain and found ourselves surrounded by mountains and more mountains.  so. very. pretty. 



after our snow hike, we hung out with friends.  how cute are they all dressed up in their seattle seahawk t-shirts for the superbowl :)  it was a lovely few hours spent eating, chatting, laughing and playing.  and there is always shenanigans happening when jason is around... kai loves it.



 

 

was your weekend a lovely one too?

 

call the midwife

i have consumed copious amounts of time watching call the midwife.  have you seen this british television series?  i have worked in women's health for decades and specifically reproductive health so it's no surprise that i am loving the series. 

it's a period drama exploring the joys and the horrors of midwifery.  it's based on the memoirs of the late jennifer worth, a midwife at the royal london hospital, who wrote about the shock of being a sheltered young woman first encountering east london of the 50s.  the more the series unfolds the more brilliant it becomes.  there's a good balance of humour and romance thrown in too.







will you watch?



 



 



going to the theatre, again

last night i attended the first of ten plays of my arts club theatre season!  in other desert cities the wyeth family reunites for christmas, a time for warm and fuzzy feelings and good cheer.  but in this family drama hurt feelings, sharp words, painful memories and a secret come to the surface.  the drama and the love of being part of a family was portrayed in a funny and clever way.  it was so enjoyable to watch.

weather at the stanley or the granville island stage, it’s such a good evening of entertainment.  i think i will take kai with me to see mary poppins and stefan with me to see spamalot (he might enjoy the monty python humor more than i). 

if you like, take a peek at my last two years of arts club plays here and here. 



bard on the beach

did you get to bard on the beach this summer? bard on the beach is canada's largest professional shakespeare festival; it's held every year in open tents in vanier park.  i finally bought tickets this summer and it was fantastic.  
 
first, there was a lovely picnic and game of croquet by the water in vanier park with the phillips.  after we indulged in good food, company and sunshine the phillips ladies and i headed over to see hamlet.  i have only ever heard good things about the festival so i had high hopes of enjoying myself!  despite the cast appearing in modern day clothing - i was, at first, a little disappointed that it was set in the 21st century with ipads and cell phones - i was immediately absorbed in the story... adultery, murder, revenge, the quest for truth, deceit, and tragedy... a story that could take place in any century. 
 
and i must say that the actor playing the lead role of hamlet was exceptional.  i first saw jonathon young playing the role of a ladies man in a laugh out loud ludicrously funny play (see my boeing boeing post here).  and then again in hamlet, i couldn't take my eyes off of him, he was so very convincing as the profoundly sad and tormented hamlet.  two very different roles and two awesome performances.  he has been compared to fred astaire,

"the way he moves, he’s magnetic. it’s like he’s dancing all the time, but you never see it. you feel like it’s so fluid and gorgeous and organic that you never disbelieve it but it’s always this incredibly thoughtful efficient economic way of moving. and i think that’s one of his amazing things; the way he uses this body and his natural charms and his courage."

 
shakespeare on a vancouver beach in july...  i'm certainly going to do it again next year!









 





weekend pics

this last weekend before back to school was a lazy at-home kind of weekend with some lovely outings mixed in.

at home, i read, watched a couple of these shows (i finished up the first season - have you watched?), and read some more.  kai spent an uninterrupted afternoon playing video games (he was without most of the summer) with his dad; suffice to say, he loved it.  we devoured stefan's cooking - pureed peas with curry-salted halibut and roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and back-to-school scones and sliced up peaches for dessert... what a treat we had.  we watched more star trek.



 

 

 

outdoors, we scooted and seabused to english bay to enjoy brunch and sunshine - it was bittersweet since the lovely melanie and family were supposed to join us (they are back from spain, so nice to have them close again).  what a gorgeous day to have had at the end of a rainy week.  oh, and we happened upon a group of statues whose purpose are to inspire laughter, playfulness, and joy.



 



 

 

 

 

we dined with our friends enjoying tomato soup and a salad dressed with only lemon juice and olive oil  - both were absolutely lovely. and that walnut spread was gorgeous.  kara giggled and giggled enjoying kai's antics and loved being chased too.  we had a play at the park and we chatted and tried to scheme up a way to travel to greece together next summer - alexia's family has a home there. 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the boys went to a whitecaps game too.  upon returning home, kai provided the details - whitecaps tied the game in the very last minute, they had awesome seats and with a big grin, he presented me with the mostly finished huge bag of popcorn that he devoured.  they had fun.

i am glad the weekend turned out the way it did - we have had a lovely and full summer -   and today kai is well rested for school!