postcard perfect

Small boys and girls whirl around the outdoor skating rink,   their mittens and toques flashing with colour as they twirl around their more staid and steady parents.

dog gone it

Handpainted signs along a building encourage neighbourhood dog owners: "Amazing! the love you show for your dog by picking up"  and "woof woof!  thank you!"

All is still

This year's first snowfall blankets the city, we are dressed in a new cloak of muted sounds and soft white light.

good neighbours

Tireless, giving, passionate. . . words used to describe the smiling woman accepting her award for decades of dedicated volunteering with the neighbourhood house.  Her word?  Gratitude.

puppy love

Mom calls with good news. She and Dad officially admit to having fallen in love with the puppy my siblings and I bought them as a not-so-welcome surprise earlier this year.

a good night for...

It's windy tonight.  The lights are flickering and the tree on my patio is scraping against the window.  I hold on to my tea and search the bookcase for a scary story to match.

like family

Terence, Lynda, Megan, and I spend our extended lunch laughing, napping, and talking through life's various details.  It’s like being with family.

walking into golden

You knew I'd have to do it . . . fall is my favourite season after all.  And although fall, like  love, has had its fair share of poetic attention, I must post at least once about the colours and the crispness:

The fallen leaves haven't been swept and the branches reach close to the ground.  The sun lights the leaves and it's like walking into gold.

melted

The sun pours into Bean Around the World's glass baking cabinet, melting the chocolate drizzled on my Sunday morning croissant.

Waiting in the Wings

From outside the open door, I glimpse a girl dressed in a classical tutu. She's waiting at the back of a stage, and as I pass by I hear the music swell and she disappears in front of the curtains.

progress

Tuesdays are track nights and each week we get to watch the antics of a group of very lively 9-10 year old boys playing soccer. Last week the coach was entreating them to look where they were going, "Do you see what's happening? Can you tell what went wrong there?" This week he's full of praise, "Well done! That was perfect!"