Last Day of School

Good bye Grade 2 and SK. Hello Summer!

Saturday = Family, Cherries and Wine!

Yesterday, we went on a family outing to the Niagara Region to spend the day. The weather could have been warmer but we saved on sunscreen! ;)

We went to Cherry Avenue Farms to pick cherries. It was our first time picking cherries in a cherry orchard. I wanted to do it last year but missed the picking season. It didn't take us very long to fill our basket.

Of course

we visited some vineyards and tasted some wine. We did our wine shopping too!! The girls were very patient with us. They wanted to get to my cousin Laura's

house so they could play.

We had a lovely bbq with my cousins Laura, Barb and their families and Aunty Joan. The girls had a great time jumping on the trampoline, swimming in the pool (even if it was raining) and playing dress-up and store in the basement with Emily and Sandra.

Traffic was great (even with the G20 in town). As we drove by the airport, we caught a glimpse of Air Force One and the other G8 airplanes parked on the tarmac. Kind of cool to see such a sight.

We had a great time. It was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday.

Celebrating La Fête Toronto-style!

Today is June 24th. Here's how we celebrate Saint-Jean in Toronto!

1. Dress the kids (their idea) in blue and white for school and 'fake' tattoo them from head to toe. (no holiday here...it's a regular school day...yes, school is still in session. School's not out until next Tuesday!)

2. Distribute bracelets, necklaces and 'doo-dads' purchased at Easter (or was it March Break? or maybe May long-weekend?) at the Dollarstore back in Montreal.

3. Decorate the house with above 'doo-dads' purchased on same Montreal trip.

4. Go the the grocery store after work to buy fixings for hamburgers on the bbq for supper. Absolutely possible since stores are open today! (except for those closed because of the G20! Completely unrelated!!)

5. Run out of propane half way through cooking the hamburgers. Finish cooking supper on the stove. Send Eric to the store to fill propane tank for next time. Of course this is still not a problem. Like I said, the stores are open!

6. Post pictures for family and friends to see!

Bonne Fête de la Saint-Jean!

Earthquake

This afternoon there was an earthquake. It seems the epicentre was 45 km north of Gatineau and registered 5.5 on the Richter scale.

I had just stepped out of the school assembly for a moment and was in the classroom by myself. All of a sudden, it sounded like the wind had picked up and was blowing so hard that the walls seemed to shake (as if I was in a tent or log cabin) and the windows rattled. I just felt a mild rumble and it only lasted a moment.

I wondered at first if it had been an earthquake or just a really wobbly chair at the computer station!

Nobody in the assembly seemed to notice! With 400+ students plus staff, can you blame them?

Mamma Mia!

Mamma Mia! Here I go again! My my, how can I resist you!

Last night, Eric and I took the girls to see Mamma Mia. It was my Mother's Day present but it's kind of funny how I 'cashed' in my gift on Father's Day weekend!! It was last week that I realized that, with the G20 in town this week, the theatre was going dark early and cancelled the last week of shows. Ooops! Gotta buy my tickets fast! Yikes! But yes, that's me, always leaving things to the last minute.

What a great show! We had good seats for last minute. There was a last minute promotion on tickets and prices were super reasonable. We were on the balcony but right in the middle so we could see the whole stage. (When we went to Sound of Music, we were on the side and I always felt we missed the 'edges'.) The usher at the front door was nice enough to inform us that booster cushions were available at the coat check. Thank goodness we knew about it before climbing up to the stairs to the balcony. (Poor people who we crossed on the stairs on their way back down the stairs to pick up their own boosters!!)

The four of us loved the show. The music was great. The spandex costumes in the finale were hilarious. The set was simple yet so amazing. I am always impressed with how they can take a simple set of two walls on wheels and swing them around into different positions, add a few props and completely change scenes, all the while still singing.

Alia's review - "I liked the first part and the second part." (cute...there was only act 1 and 2!!)

Kyra's review - "I liked the wedding and all the dancing at the end."

Traffic getting downtown wasn't too bad. We got there early and had supper at Penelope, a greek restaurant across the street from the theatre. It was the perfect evening to eat on the terrace. The waitress complimented the girls on their behaviour in the restaurant. Guess she has seen her share of kids-run-amok in her time! Alia and Kyra were perfect!

What would life be? Without a song or a dance what are we?

So I say thank you for the music, for giving it to me.