A New Farmers’ Market in a New Home Town, a Visit From One Sister, Washing the Car and a Children’s Concert

…..needless to say it’s been a busy weekend

On Saturday my husband and I drove to Hamilton to return my daughter’s husband and dog (see yesterday’s post). It was probably the warmest day we’ve had this season. Both my husband and I were uncomfortable with the sudden heat. I’m not sure if Hamilton was warmer than Toronto but it certainly wasn’t that warm when we left the big city.

When we arrived our daughter was in the process of putting away dishes in the kitchen. There are still a lot of boxes that need to be unpacked. I really thought we were going to help with this massive job but G and B had other plans for us. B and I drove up the mountain to the paint store to pick up paint and G and her Dad walked up the street to pick up some lunch.

After lunch K and I walked to the end of the street to check out the Farmers’ Market. It was pretty big and there was a great selection of produce, meat, fish, cheese, baked goods, coffee and spices. There were also a number of vendors selling crafts.

When we returned B was already prepping for painting. I guess until the painting is done there isn’t much that can be done in the way of putting things away. We had a feeling that our help wasn’t really needed. We enjoyed a cup of coffee that we picked up at the market. It is literally only a five to ten minute walk from the house. When we left, B was well into painting the living room.

On Sunday, my sister from Chatham dropped by before heading back to the farm. She was in town to visit her two children. Her daughter was suppose to leave for Nepal this week for a three month co-op placement. She needs this in order to graduate. Fortunately for her the trip was cancelled because of the earthquake. Actually she was very disappointed but my sister was relieved. I’m sure the school will come up with another placement.

It was nice catching up with my sister. We didn’t even see each other at Christmas so one of the reasons for the visit was to pick up her Christmas gift which had been gathering dust in the corner of my living room.

I’m embarrassed to admit it but Sunday was the first time since the fall that I washed the car. It was also the first time that I took the car to one of those do-it-yourself car washes. It was the best $4.00 I ever spent. If I’d had more change I would have washed the floor mats and vacuumed the inside of the car. Next time!

On my way home from the car wash I got a phone call from my friend L and she reminded me of the children’s concert that we had talked about earlier in the week. I had completely forgotten about it but luckily it was being held in the neighbourhood at the Assembly Hall. I quickly fixed dinner and then I walked over to the college. The concert was put on by the Etobicoke Children’s Chorus. It was a special night because it was the farewell performance for the choir’s choral director.

As you can see it was a pretty busy weekend. In between all the fun things I’ve written about I also managed to do a little gardening, I cleaned up the kitchen, started cleaning the refrigerator, did some laundry and drove to Canadian Tire to pick up some household items.

Share Your World – 2015 Week 17

….four more thought provoking questions from Cee

What is your most favorite smell/scent?

I love scents that are citrusy, light and fresh.

Do you prefer long hair or short hair for yourself?

I prefer hair that is shoulder length or just above the shoulder. Anything shorter and I feel older. These photos were taken six years ago, four years ago and last summer. Each year my hair has gotten a little bit longer. I also lost a fair bit of weight between the second and third picture so that might also influence my decision about hair length.

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Do you plan out things usually or do you do them more spontaneous (for example if you are visiting a big city you don’t know)?

My husband and I tend to be spontaneous. We might have an area in mind or a food we’d like to experience but we don’t plan to the nth degree. If something better comes along we’re just as likely to drop our plans and go with our gut feeling.

What is your favorite outdoor activity?

I’d have to say my favourite outdoor activity is walking or riding my bike.

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Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I’m grateful for a positive visit to my husband’s endocrinologist. We thought we were facing a tour of radioactive iodine treatment in the next month but his thyroglobulin levels were so low that the doctor didn’t think the treatment was necessary at this time. They will check his levels again in 6 months. Now we don’t have to worry about being around our pregnant daughter or having to give the dog away for a month while he’s radioactive.

This week I’m looking forward to more nice weather. The only downside is that the grass and weeds are growing so quickly that I’m going to have to do some heavy duty yard work over the weekend. Our daughter and her husband are also moving this weekend and I’m looking forward to helping them set up their new home in Hamilton.

Great Weather, Great News, Great Concert

….it’s been a wonderful weekend and I can finally share my big news

1. Finally a beautiful weekend, weather-wise. Sunshine and warmer temperatures. I managed to get out on Saturday for a walk with the dog and took some photos of the neighbourhood.

2. Also on Saturday, my husband and I picked up our youngest daughter and her dog Lucy and brought them back to our house. G’s husband was on a business trip so she was looking for some company and she needed a break from packing boxes. This Friday they will be moving from their tiny apartment in uptown Toronto to a 4 bedroom Victorian semi in Hamilton. It’s a move they need to make because they needed more room to accommodate the new baby that they are expecting in October. Yeah!!!!!!!!! I’m finally going to be a grandmother. That’s my BIG news!

3. Today my friend DM invited me to a concert downtown. The Women’s Musical Club of Toronto hosted a live competition to present the Career Development Awards. The concert featured the three finalists who were chosen from a pool of 10 candidates chosen by CBC regional producers. Usually a jury of musical experts from across Canada rank all the entries based on written and audio materials and select a winner but because this was the tenth anniversary for the award (given every three years) a live competition was held. Prizes of $20 000., $10 000 and $5000 were awarded for first, second and third place.

All three competitors played magnificently. There were two pianists and one cello player. First prize went to Charles Richard-Hamelin on piano, second prize to Stéphane Tétreault on cello and third prize to Pierre-André Doucet on piano (my personal favourite).

I’ve found Pierre-André Doucet’s performance of Carl Vine’s Piano Sonata No. 1 on YouTube.

Stéphane was the youngest performer at 22 and played this beautiful arrangement of Hayden’s Divertimento in D Major.

I couldn’t find the exact piece that Charles Richard-Hamelin played today but here is a sample of Chopin.

Weekly Photo Challenge – Motion

….this week’s WP photo challenge involves motion

My photos for this challenge include Lucy running towards us, a swan stretching his wings, a ride in mid-air at the CNE, a wind surfer, a young boy skipping a stone while his father fishes and seagulls scrambling for bits of food.

Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge: Geometric Shapes

some of my favourite black and white geometric photos have appeared here more than once so it was time to create some new ones

My all time favourite geometric photos are those of the new addition of the ROM here in Toronto but I’ve used them before and didn’t feel right about using them again. For those who may not have seen them, here are some thumb-nail shots.

So Cee’s Geometric Challenge drove me to walk around in my neighbourhood and look for interesting shots of geometric shapes. I live in an older neighbourhood of Toronto and many homes are being renovated. A number of people have opted for a modern geometric style of architecture. People either love it or hate it.

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Back in March, my friend D and I went to the new Aga Khan Museum here in the east end of Toronto. Persian art features some beautiful geometric designs.

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Too Tired to Write

….so I’ll post a few photos of my weekend

It was a somewhat busy weekend with running to clinics, grocery shopping (twice), painting, reading (but not enough), walking and running (yeah, I can still do it), blogging, laundry and helping a friend sort through 40 years of paperwork. I’m exhausted and need to get to bed before 11:00. Here is a gallery of my weekend.