June 24, 2007

Assemblage

We get all celebratory come June, and today is my birthday. I made a project of keeping it quiet this year, which I thought would be somewhat mature of me and worthy of a woman of twenty-eight years. And so this weekend has been easy and sunshine, and full of the things we like best. We’re just back from brunch and are set for bbq tonight. And with all our celebrations, we’ve got a regular shrine going on at our house. A lovely assemblage of cards here, as well as the two splendid flower arrangements which were such a surprise. The tall, gorgeous wild one was courtesy of my sister, and the other in the magnificent vase was from Bronwyn. They’re not normally side by side, and it’s rather glorious to have flowers all around the house. In none floral news, I received so many lovely things (incl. a Miffy umbrella!), but one in particular I’ve got my nose stuck in. Stuart got me A Memoir of Friendship: The Letters Between Carol Shields and Blanche Howard. But then that much goodness is certainly overwhelming, and I have to put it down for a breath every moment or two.

June 20, 2007

I've got a bucket of berries

We’ve been terribly busy around here of late, mostly with celebrating whether it be our anniversary, fathers, or my cousin’s upcoming nuptials. Last night Stu and I had dinner out at Kensington Kitchen, whose patio is entirely not overrated. We were in Peterborough for the weekend where fun was had, and we went strawberry picking with my dad on Sunday. Indeed, I had a bucket of berries and if all goes well (fingers crossed), by this time tomorrow I should have four tubs of jam. How exciting! I am obsessed with learning how to preserve, and one day I’ll have to tell you the story of of how Pickle Me This got its name. Among other stories to be told within the next few days. I’m bursting with them, but I just haven’t had the time. Things are promising to wind down soon, and this weekend we’ve got on nothing. Which is perfect.

Just finished reading Carry Me Down by M.J. Hyland, and I’ll review it here tomorrow. A little poetic action, also reading It’s Hard to be Hip Over Thirty by Judith Viorst, and loving it– strikes me as early Nora Ephron in verse. And tonight, a page or two before I fall asleep, I will begin Making it Up by Penelope Lively, who I’ve never failed to love. I’m looking quite forward to that.

The garden is desperate for weeding.

June 18, 2007

Beloved doesn't come much bigger than this

Happy Second Anniversary to Stu.

Though I do like to be beside the seaside, most of all I like to be beside you.

More than the sky. xo

June 10, 2007

Lettuce

Last night was a very exciting one in the land of Pickle, as our vegetable garden has yielded its first crop. The tomatoes aren’t ready yet, and so our salad was a scant one, only one of lettuce, but never, ever, has lettuce tasted so good.

June 9, 2007

Home Again

It’s bad to be home, only because away was so extraordinarily good. Our landing was delayed by last night by a fierce thunderstorm which forced us to land for an hour in Ottawa. We finally got home to find that lightning or wind had wrangled with our tree, knocking most of it down, which is quite sad. But otherwise all is fine, and we’re exhausted after a week of super touring and nonstop fun. Stay tuned for pictures, and for more pictures throughout the summer as I extend my vacation in spirit. Now rereading Bliss and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield, on the tale of the marvelous Thieves. Coming up: On Chesil Beach!!

May 31, 2007

Think of England

Pickle Me This is on vaca. We’ll be all summer holidaying the next week or so, fun to be had including learning to drive on the wrong side of the road, weekend in a North Yorkshire village, Bronwyn’s wedding, touring the moors, trekking over to Lancashire, family reunion, seaside fun, Cumbria, and maybe we’ll even see the Wordsworth squirrel? Time will tell.

May 27, 2007

Spins

While last weekend was splendidly slow, this one spun so fast that it is nearly finished just as soon as it began. Friday we spent devoted to gardening. The results as follows, so that we could have a backyard almost fit to sit in when Chris and Andrea came over for a bbq Saturday night. Big big burgers, super saladas, and a perfect peach pie. Fun was had, and continued right into today, as Britt, Jennie and Deep came for brunch. Delicacies included banana scones fresh from the oven, fresh fruit, pastries, and Stuart whipping up eggs and bacon on the grill. After we walked down to Trinity Bellwoods to let the dog play, and to snap obligatory photos of the three of us, an Abbey Road-inspired shot, and later Jennie checks out the Murdermobile, and lives to tell the tale.

May 17, 2007

Better Days

And so we post a photo of feet in honour of days better than this one. Tonight has been awfully scabby for a variety of reasons, none of which have to do with the greatness of expensive feta or my wonderful husband. Now reading Poppy Shakespeare and The Girls is coming up next. I am always drowning in the periodicals I subscribe to, all of which arrive in the same day or two. And so the moral of the story is that I’m not about to run of reading material anytime soon, no sir. The other moral is that the day flies by too quickly.

May 7, 2007

Park Life

It is hard to reconcile the inherent rubbishness of the world with weekends like this one. Oh weekends, you are the one thing that makes me pleased to be back in the workaday life. Though as a student/housewife every day was the weekend, that sort of took away the very point of it. And this weekend was extremely pointful. We went out for sushi and ice cream Friday night with Erica and Alex, which was splendid. Saturday we did our Kensington shop, which was a sweet summer dream. Saturday afternoon was a bike ride to High Park where we sprawled on our blanket all afternoon, ate strawberries, read books, and later I climbed a tree. The park was fullsville but the wonderful thing about parks is that we all share that wonderful space. It really was splendid, and nice to get the bikes out of the garage for the first time all season. Today Stuart was doing boyish things with other boyish types, and I was writing writing. The marvelous Natalie Bay came for supper, which was great. She’s just come back from Japan and brought us omiyage– pnis shaped cookies. I’d post a picture, but this is not that sort of blog.

I’m adjusting to my new life, and so reading/blogging have been slow of late. Though I’m working on two books at the moment: 28 Stories of Aids in Africa by Stephanie Nolen, and The Ladies Lending Library by Janice Kulyk Keefer (and there ain’t a better book for a summer’s day).

April 29, 2007

Summer by your side

So far, it’s been weekend most glorious.

Saturday Stuart and I went to afternoon tea at The Four Seasons, which was my treat for finishing school. We tried to savour everything for at least four bites, the scones were oishi, perfect jam, and we absolutely fell in love with pear tree green tea. Nothing short of delightful.

We were thrilled to accept an BBQ invitation last night by the Brown-Smiths, and we enjoyed our city rooftop summer night, until it got cold and we had to go in. It’s only April after all. But even indoors, the night continued in hilarity. Carolyn and Steve are wonderful company, and our glasses kept magically refilling themselves.

Today was fun in Trinity Bellwoods with Curtis. Tealish refills, Type Books birthday party (we had a piece of a cake shaped like a typewriter), fish and chips, and a fabulous game of frisbee.

Later I wandered lonely as a cloud.

And as if you needed any more proof…

All we need now are leaves on the trees– but then shade is overrated.