Taking a break

A 16 hour road trip to New Brunswick deserves some perks. Ours was a great night in Quebec City, complete with fine dining, gorgeous croissant at breakfast and a stay at the Chateau Frontenac.

No, the kids are not with us (they got to fly with their gramps)

Summer head gear

 It does get crazier than this (like a baseball mitt while watching Seb's game in Monday night's broiling heat - poor visiting George) but these are two great shots from our wonderful patio supper with Carrie and Brian on Friday. Both items actually belong to the ever-tolerant Carrie!

Be-you-tiful

Last week,  Seb attended the arts-based Guerilla 12 camp. Just as good as last year and with a widening circle of classmates, schoolmates, soon to be school mates and neighourhood friends. The week's theme was Performance Art, Body Expression and for their big 'piece', they created affirmations which they handed out to strangers on a particularly dire stretch of the concrete jungle...

The utterly amazing Alex

Pals from school and the 'hood

The whole affirmation gang

Our boy prepares

Seb affirms a stranger

Seb's affirmed

The final chalked up venue

Zia Maria and LK

What a treat it was to host a dear friend and her exuberant almost-3 year old! As you can imagine, it was a colourful and chaotic house last week. Sure it was hot in Toronto but nothing compared to Senegal where these gals are living. That didn't stop the youngest from dropping her clothes at every opportunity...

Our kids played so sweetly with the younger ones. They both have great childcare futures ahead of them.

What a weekend!

In semi-celebration of 25 years of friendship, our family headed off to Sauble Beach to spend a weekend with the ever-great Mona and David (and 3 kids). It was a super inauguration to Ontario 'beach culture', helped along by some fine weather and finer spirits (of both sorts).

Gorgeous sand, sky, girl and some muck thrown in to boot

He has you in his aim...

Protecting the beach

The man knows how to build a sand structure

and that if you start, children will join...

catching a lift

25 years later

Made my famous cottage zebra cake - invite me and it's yours...

The collection of children at one breakfast

The drive gave us a chance to start our newest summer series

Warning - Rated 18 (or 8) and over

I just thought it was a quick dinner before t-ball practice. I was in charge of Seb, Sophie and our visiting almost 3 year old. Hot dogs or sausages, plus some crudites was on the menu.

Seb (in his quiet voice): Mum, I saw two people having sex today.

Me: oh... really? [pause] in public?

Seb: Yup, they were kissing with their tongues

Me (quickly and with great relief): ohhhh. they were just kissing. That's not sex. Sex is [can't go back now] when a man and a woman use their penis and vagina; or two penises if they are men [don't take me there today, folks]

Seb: No, Mum. That's making out.

Me (quick, trying not to have a superior smile) : Actually, making out is kissing with tongues. ...[why didn't I stop here?] I should know.

Seb (eyes suddenly goggling at an important revelation)

Me (in a quick, trying to be relaxed voice) : But I am an adult

Seb: So you have kissed Daddy like that

Me: Yup

Seb (with a gleam in his eye that really said "I knew this part already") and you had sex?

Me (with a shrug): Well, we have 2 kids, Seb

Seb smiles and finishes his hot dog. The girls remain oblivious.

Family BBQs

Blueberry gal

Headed over to some new friends for a family BBQ this afternoon; left 6 hours and many drinks later... We enjoyed an impromptu concert, a neighbourhood visit from the firefighters, other neighbours dropping by, racoons. Fabulous evening all in all!

On to live-streamed Wimbledon on Sunday, plus the arrival of Zia Mari and her almost 3 year old. Can't wait to hug them.

Looking good, family!

One of the best shots from our family photo shoot last month.

Southern Africa was good to me

View of Durban at dawn - could also see the footie stadium

Durban's terrific boardwalk

a Soweto bollard - where we spent Youth Day

As close as I will ever get to the great man (M has a photo of his ear in a crowd...)

Met up with lots of lovely folks from my past. Here Christine and I had no idea what the other was wearing until we met for lunch!!!

Meet my yet to be named warthog

The indignity of being crated up for travel.

My lunch time stop in Lieden, Netherlands. I also bought cheese from the weekly market for our teachers' picnic on the following day.

Pride 2012!!

So proud to be Canadian!

Started the day with Ontario strawberries with pancakes, did some body-painting, then headed to Pride where we marched in the parade with Jacqui and the Ontario Human Rights Commission. Off to the condo of our lovely friends Kevin and Arthur high above the crowds to watch the rest of the festivities and/or the Euro 2012 final. Then some white pizza and a streetcar ride home. Jo collapsed on the coach, while the kids headed to the park for a few fireworks.

Strong and Proud

What a  day!!