December News

1. Margot had her ballet recital.
Her class was divided into smaller groups. The title of her piece was "Winter Fun"

Waiting in the wings

Making a snowball 

?

Sliding on ice

Toasting hands by the fire

Looking to the right

Looking to the left

2. Simon and I went to Mtl. to add coolness to our lives:

Carré St-Louis

Evening at the Old Port

Music for the public to enjoy

I would love to live in one of those houses!

Ah!!! Diner lunch!

Just because :)

3. Decorating the xmas tree:

4.  An early Solstice walk on a Sunday morning.

5. Margot's photography project and drawing (to make you smile!)

       

Series: Animals with Fruit

Margot's drawing while in the car

(we keep the Boogie Board in the car)

I Dance on Thursdays

It's about time that I write about my extra-curricular activity, since it's been going on for about a month. Every Thursday evenings, from 7:30-8:45pm, you can find me in my Beginner Contemporary Dance class at The School of Dance.

We're a group of 10 students, all beginners and all ages. No show offs there! It's a welcoming energy.
The facilities are beautiful, the teacher is fabulous and the percussionist who accompanies us is very talented. Live music and dance go hand in hand.

This is a beginner's class, so we're not doing anything too fancy…yet.
A few side stretches, pliés, dégagés, relevés, chassés, spine work, jumps (fun!), turns (deceivingly confusing!) , travelling across the room, leaping over imaginary puddles.

But, above all, it's so much fun! Time flies! I feel rejuvenated and youthful (extra youthful!). Dance is liberating!
I concentrate so much to follow the teacher and the beats. It's such a different way of thinking and moving. I also need to trust that my body has "marked" the steps or mini-choreography. There are no breaks. It's work from the moment we step into the studio.

I'm sorry to inform everyone that there won't be a performance… :)

Go Jays Go!

Last weekend, we visited TO. The big city.
Our primary reason for the visit was to meet our new niece, Lily.

First pic of the three cousins together!

Margot really liked Lily's little feet.

We also tagged on a visit to a Blue Jays game, the team of the year! The Jays are on fire this baseball season!

Before we headed into the stadium, we had to fuel up with street vendor hot dogs (they are double the price in the stadium). Yummy!

Our Blue Jays gang: Nathalie, Margot, Simon, me, Jonathan

The stadium was brimming with electricity. They won 10-4 with 3 home runs. It was an exciting game!!

 

We also had a nice little picnic on the beach in the city: The Scarborough Bluff.

Jumping in the waves

Overall, it was a fun-filled Labour Day long weekend. Summer is coming to an end...

Simple Pleasure: Camping

We went camping this weekend. Nothing too complicated, nowhere too far. We booked our campsite at the last minute because we were keeping an eye out for the weather. There's nothing worse than camping in the rain.

Us + Dave (Simon's friend who joined us)

We went to Voyageur Provincial Park, about a 90-minute drive east. The weather was perfect and there were no bugs!!!

Camping is messy and smelly. It can be uncomfortable. I sometimes dream of this tent. I'm sure it would enhance my experience ;)

Our "3-person" tent was awfully small...

Yet camping is also strangely satisfying. You're outdoors, in touch with nature. You can eat as many sticky roasted marshmallows as you wish. The pace is slower. There's really nowhere to rush to.

A summer isn't complete without a camping trip, even if it's just for 24 hours.

Margot declared a few times: "I love camping!!!"

Kissing Winter Goodbye?

Well, the sun is shining; the birds are singing; the grass is peaking from under the snow. Can it be? Is it possible that a new season is under way?

Before we kiss Winter goodbye, here's a reminder of how fun it can be:

But also how cold and unfriendly it sometimes is:

I hope this is the last time you see me with my white and black coat, black snow pants and red tuque which I have adorned on every walk this season: