The light in September is my favourite! Less crude, more gentle - it
seems to adorn and enliven everything it caresses with a golden touch.
Now, suffice it to say that I basked in this lovely September sun
yesterday, how I rejoiced! I spent my Sunday afternoon strolling the
picturesque lanes of Edwards Gardens and humming like a butterfly in the
adjoining Botanical Gardens.
Fountain Grass
Purple Beautyberry
Believe it or not, it had been a year since I first wanted to discover
the Gardens, but without a car, it is quite a hassle to go all the way
up there, all the more so with a baby... My father-in-law wanted to
spend some quality time with us so I suggested we go to the Gardens to
celebrate the glorious sun and Lola's 12 weeks. He was clearly happy
with the idea and drove the three of us there, reminiscing all the while
the last time he had visited the gardens in 1985.
À bientôt, Edwards Gardens! We spent a blissful time taking in the surrounding beauty of these gardens in the fall.
PS: Don't be surprised if while you are sitting at the Gardens Café, you sea a furry silhouette passing by you...There is a very special guest at the café...Apparently this raccoon is family there. I thought he really behaved like a "begging" dog... Smart little masked scoundrel!
Last night, Marco and I celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. Already!
He invited me to join him in a cafe with our baby Lola well tucked in the stroller, and there... SURPRISE! He offered me 2 big bouquets of flowers. I love being offered flowers in a public space, it is so beautiful to be spoilt in front of total strangers who for a second share an ounce of your joy!
Once back home, there was another surprise; a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne cooling down in the fridge waiting for us to pop the cork, which we did! Our gift to each other was to spend some quality time and cook a meal together. We had watched a Jamie Oliver show that had inspired us and had decided on the menu for the night: a tray of fish with a spinach salad, salsa verde and the best potato salad in the world! We prepared the whole menu by the book, except for the Banofee pie that will have to be experimented and savoured for another special occasion. For dessert, I had already made some lemon and poppy seeds madeleines to match our vanilla ice cream.
To see the video of the Meals in Minutes show in question, go to this link.
Jamie Oliver making a salsa with extra virgin olive oil - gorgeous!
Marco and I cannot get enough of Jamie Oliver's culinary verve, he is so colourful and genuinely enthusiastic about food that you feel like cooking as soon as the show is over. And oh boy, does he love his extra virgin olive oil, Marco and I have this private joke about him, we call him Jamie Olive Oil- we love him soooo much!
Well, needless to say that we had a glorious night, cooking, eating, drinking, and celebrating our newly born trio with Lola. Yes, we sure paid a fair tribute to the Veuve's golden bubbles and finished the whole bottle that very night...
As we were listening to our favourite David Bowie's album this morning, Hunky Dory, Marco and I realized that the song Kooks was addressed to a child. So I researched and found that the song had been written for his son, Duncan Zowie Haywood Jones, born on 30 May 1971. We voted it our song for Lola, Lolita de nuestro corazon!
For a more robust version of the song, listen to this one.
KOOKS, Hunky Dory - David Bowie (1971)
[CHORUS (x2)]
Will you stay in our Lovers' Story
If you stay you won't be sorry
'Cause we believe in you
Soon you'll grow so take a chance
With a couple of Kooks
Hung up on romancing
We bought a lot of things
to keep you warm and dry
And a funny old crib on which the paint won't dry
I bought you a pair of shoes
A trumpet you can blow
And a book of rules
On what to say to people
when they pick on you
'Cause if you stay with us you're gonna be pretty Kookie too
[CHORUS]
And if you ever have to go to school
Remember how they messed up
this old fool
Don't pick fights with the bullies
or the cads
'Cause I'm not much cop at punching other people's Dads
And if the homework brings you down
Then we'll throw it on the fire
And take the car downtown
At Rowe Farms, of course!
Marco and I stopped by at their Leslieville location last Saturday and found it hard to refrain ourselves...We ended up with a basket full of goodies: a scrumptious baguette, 2 marvelous buns to match the incredibly yummy burgers that we got, maple ham for a quiche, zucchinis and a bag of fresh yellow beans, a cream of mushroom soup, some chicken breasts, and the cherry on the cake...a delicious eye of round roast beef (for less than $22 /kg).
The very same night we made the burgers: to die for! The next day, Sunday we had our baguette toasted for breakfast (yes, I am French!), and for lunch, we cooked our Sunday roast - medium rare ;) to perfection- with a side of beans and finger potatoes. What a Sunday!
To this day, we are still enjoying the leftovers of cold meat with a bit of mayo and a fresh salad. Ça, c'est la belle vie!
A day in Lola's life: late-morning nap in the backyard, twist and shout on the rocking chair and then enjoying a little impromptu dance-photo shoot with "maman & papa"... C'est le 'fun'!
Lo.
Lee.
Ta.
"Lo-lee-ta; the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta" (Nabokov)
Last Saturday, we took Lola to her first museum exhibit at the AGO at age 4 weeks and 6 days. An early age to be exposed to art, I know. She was carried by her daddy in a front carrier and enjoyed the atmosphere so much that she slept through most of it ;o) Thanks to her grand-mother's talent, she uttered her first a-goo, which sounded serendipitous in a place called the AGO... Food for thought. Amusing.
The subject of my last post preoccupied my thoughts for a while (see: Au nom du père).
Now as life always has it, that big dark cloud has found its silver lining. The most beautiful gift has been offered onto my husband and I, her name is Lola Inès Felicity. Born on July 3rd (her due date!), she is the Light of Our Life Associated, the glory and joy of her father and mother.We just celebrated her 1st week in the outer sphere with the family and a cup of bubbly wine, my first cup in nine months!
Oh Lola! Thank you for being such a bundle of fun and bringing so much peace and love in our newly formed trio.
Lola, 1-week old.
Food for thought:
I must admit that the first few days after delivery I rediscovered very simple joys...To my fellow pregnant women, do not despair, your extra kilos will melt away ( after one week, I have already lost 10 kg!), your swollen feet will eventually get back to normal and putting on your favourite summer sandals will not be a challenge anymore; although I must admit that I enjoyed being helped by my dearest husband ;o).
And yes, you will also be able to bend forward to cut your toe nails, rub your feet, pamper, pick up something you dropped, etc. All these amazing skills will come back in one foul swoop!
Lola, 1-week old
Still I marvel at the idea that this little being (3,2 kg- 52 cm) is actually as she was in my womb, what a miracle!
