October 2014
Sunday October 26
James relaxing in the living room
Both Ann and I have been battling colds over the past couple of weeks. Ann got it first and stayed home from work on Thursday. She then shared it with me, so I stayed home on Friday. The worst of it was over in 48 hours, but both of us have had a lingering tickle in the chest and a few sniffles over the last week.
Ann has spent much of this weekend at the church. Yesterday she helped serve and clean up at the Annual Tea and Bake Sale. Today she was up early to go to the monthly Early Risers' Breakfast which was followed by choir practice and the service. This evening she is back there for the weekly discussion group on world religions; tonight is Confucianism and Taoism.
Starting tonight until Hallowe'en James will be volunteering in a house of horror over in Woodlawn though I'm not sure exactly what role he'll be playing. He tells us that it is quite scary: kids under 10 should stay away. It's all in aid of the Autism Society.
Monday October 13
Happy Thanksgiving!
Shubie Park on Sunday
When the weather is good, it's hard to beat Nova Scotia on Thanksgiving weekend. Ann and I had a couple of chances to get out and enjoy the blaze of colours in Shubie Park over the past couple of days, but on Saturday we were too busy preparing Thanksgiving dinner for sixteen: four of us, including Emily who arrived home on Friday evening; Emily's friend Margaret; Ingrid, Mike, Maiga and Alex; Jim and Valerie; and Amina (one of Ann's school buddies from Dalhousie) along with four teenagers (not hers, but that's another long story). We moved it up to Saturday this year because Ingrid and Mike weren't available on Sunday or Monday. Ann has decided that this is a good idea (because we can get a fresh turkey at the market on Saturday morning and not have to make space for it in the fridge; and because we have two days to clean up the mess) so we may do it again next year. I spent the morning making pies (pumpkin, apple and blueberry) and the afternoon roasting the turkey while Ann made potatoes and vegetables.
This afternoon Ann and Emily went to see Gone Girl, a psychological thriller that they both enjoyed although, apparently, it played with their heads. When they returned, we just had time to wolf down dinner before taking Emily to the airport for her trip back to Ottawa.
Sunday October 5
On the island of Murano in Venice
Once again I have no topical picture to show, so here is another one from our summer holiday.
This week two of our friends had openings for photographic exhibitions. On Thursday we were at the Dart Gallery in downtown Dartmouth to see D'ance: A Dancer's View of Dartmouth a collaboration between our friend photographer Cathy McKelvey and choreographer Leica Hardy. The pictures were of young ballet dancers at various locations in downtown Dartmouth. You can see them on Cathy's web site. The coffee shop seen in several of them is Two If By Sea, just up the street from the church, where Ann and I often stop in after shopping at the waterfront market on Saturday mornings.
On Friday evening we were at the Artz Gallery in Halifax to see our fiend Roxanne's photographs as part of Photopolis Halifax. Roxanne's photos were all taken in the Elizabeth Bishop house in Great Village, Nova Scotia. They are currently featured on her web site.
I forgot to mention last week that Ann and I went to the first Neptune show of the season on Friday. Usually we go on Saturday, but we had to change because of Ann's trip to Lunenburg with her book club. That meant there were only the two of us, both for dinner at the Baan Thai beforehand, and for the show, Into the Woods. I have decided that I don't like Stephen Sondheim's work much. Over the years I've seen West Side Story, Gypsy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd and now Into the Woods and I haven't liked any of them. But the dinner was good.