We’re HOME!!

Awwwwwwwwwww, home sweet home!

Oops, sorry wrong picture!

Oh well, close enough!

I’m still a bit giddy from the long-ass drive. We drove through major hurricane strength winds (seemed that way, anyways) several times, got caught in bumper to bumper traffic several times (construction, accidents, cottagers coming  home from the weekend away) so didn’t arrive

til 10:30pm. 

My sweet little pumpkin-noodle had ordered chinese food and it arrived about 5 minutes after we did. (Now that’s something we could never do in PEI, everyone closes up shop by 9pm at the latest in our area so there are a few good things to be said about living in the city!)

So we stuffed our faces and talked, talked, talked. 

Kazi had gone to a major electronic music festival in Algonquin Park (WEMF) that lasted 3 days and I think it took her 3 days to tell us all about it!
NEXT DAY
Forgot that I started this post yesterday – my mind and body are still disconnected!
So I will post it now and get cracking on some schoolwork. Either that or continue with the
unpacking…I’m undecided.
What do you think?

Home Again Home Again Jiggety Jog

Yes, it’s official – another snow day tomorrow! As I’m starting to get a little cabin fever I better make sure to get outside

for another walk, grab a coffee somewhere, hang out at the library and read the free magazines and newspapers. Hang onto that $20 bill in my wallet for one more day. Today was the easiest NO Spend day ever!

Ta da!! Behind door #2 is a brand new car…side mirror!! 

I don’t know about you but this tree looks really cold to me standing there all stiff and frozen and pointy.

You know, a person can get feeling lazy and lethargic after two days of sitting around. I did get on my exercise bike for over an hour yesterday and today but have also spent a lot of time on my computer and watching movies that we borrowed from the library last week. And I do think there is such a thing as TOO much togetherness.

I did finish getting the house decorated so I guess the day is not a total loss.

Must make a plan for tomorrow – I don’t like going through a day and feeling like I didn’t accomplish anything much. In case you haven’t noticed, I find it hard to totally relax:)

So tomorrow I will:

• do something nice for Kazi and Michael…I know…I will make a nice breakfast to share!! I’m thinking french toast – yummy!
• write a post having absolutely nothing to do with the weather
• walk outside for at least one hour & check to see if the grocery store parking lot is plowed
• make a list of ingredients needed for my Christmas baking
• go to the grocery store if the parking lot is plowed:)
• pick out a new book to read from my “to be read” pile
• write my Christmas cards/make a Hallmark Smilebox ecard of family photos to send to my family members

There – I feel so much better. If I can accomplish all/or most of those things I will feel like it’s a day well spent.

Ummm….yeah, it’s still SNOWING!!!

Ok now, this is starting to get ridiculous. For a little while it looked as though the worst was over and just some very fine, sleety kind of snow was falling, but once again it is heavily snowing and blowing. The schoolboards had a message that all schools were staying closed on their websites by 6am this morning which was superduper of them as I didn’t have to leave the house. In the past they have been very wishy-washy and I’ve ended up at school after a death-defying drive only to find out schools were closing. So thanks for having some common sense this time around oh mighty employers of mine:)

Oh my…the difference between yesterday and today is quite noticeable. Another 45cm accumulating today and tonight and another 15cm predicted for tomorrow. City council met with police this morning and were very close to declaring a state of emergency. OK – enough about the weather!!

So the No Spend days are going pretty well lol!!  Michael and I did brave the storm around 7am to walk down to the variety store in hopes of a daily newspaper (yay – score!) but I paid for that with scrounged change.

Oh no!! The other day I posted that I needed a NO Spend week to make up for an extravagant weekend…does that mean that this blizzard is my fault? Is this God’s humorous answer to my plea??

No, couldn’t be…

Scenes from Sunday’s (FREE) Walk

 Many thanks to psychsarah for suggesting this spot in London, ON for a walk – the colour palette is more limited at this time of year but there were still many miracles of nature to enjoy.

 The weather was simply glorious – brilliant sunshine and just enough of a nip in the air to make exercise comfortable.

 I thought this spot looked like fairy land – enchanting.

 Hills and valleys…challenging enough to feel it in your calf muscles and to make you huff and puff at little when you reached the top of an incline.

 Have you ever seen a more vibrant shade of blue?

 Dried up and dying – but still maintaining a graceful attitude.

 Enjoying the fleeting warmth of the sun – sunset today was at 5:02pm…sigh.

 I love the fall because: no flies, no bees, no mosquitoes:)

 Still a little colour and life to be found.

Why do these, whatever they are, remind me of Pekinese dogs?

See and Be Scene

Checked out the music scene again a couple of weekends ago. London, Ontario has a great indie band scene and Michael has been a willing partner in exploring new bands and different genres of music. Using the Scene Magazine I chose the Trole Brothers who were playing at the Black Shire pub. They were described as playing rockabilly punk which I figured was a fusion of two types of music I have always loved.

We arrived at the Black Shire around 11pm and paid a $5.00 cover charge to get into the upstairs space where the band (duo) was playing. We missed the first set but enjoyed two more rowdy, very entertaining sets that wiped away any hesitations I had when first seeing only two wee band members squeezed into a small corner of an already small room – looked like a pretty shabby and amateur operation at first glimpse.

When they started to play we were blown away by the obviously stellar musicianship of the two Trole brothers and the uptempo rockabilly arrangements of some classic rock, blues and country songs. They also played some of their own original tunes which you can listen to on their MySpace page . It looks like the band broke up back in 2008 as they used to have an upright bass player and a drummer – now its just the two brothers – J. Trole Taylor(lead singer and rhythm guitarist) and J.H. Taylor (aka The Fiddly Bit Kid) on lead guitar and vocals.

These two guys had so much raw energy and talent and an obvious core of very devoted fans judging by the small group around us that they had no trouble at all creating an electric atmosphere and winning over two more fans – US! After watching some of their youtube videos however, I really wish I had experienced their full band – it looks like they put on quite a show.
I also wished I had purchased their CD so I hope they play around London again some time soon!

Check out their song “Drug Money” ….

See and Be Scene

Last Saturday night a local band with SOUL held a CD release party at The London Music Club on Colborne St. in London, Ontario. Ever since I purchased an Open House Arts Collective anthology CD last year entitled “OH” I have been super impressed with London’s best kept secret – its musicians and bands. Every original song on the CD was written and performed

by a local London band and they were FANTASTIC!

The Cool Mothers did not disappoint. The lead singer, 51 year old Pete Tangredi, has more energy than the engergizer bunny and in trying to keep up with him I severely wrenched my neck – how long does it take for the effects of whiplash to go away – my Advil bottle is empty!!

Pete cites some of his musical influences on THE COOL MOTHERS website: The Beatles, David Bowie, The Kinks, The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Lou Reed, The Ramones, Bob Marley… all favorites of mine so it’s no wonder I loved them. The band is funky to say the least and all the influences from rock to punk to reggae can be felt as well as heard. And it didn’t hurt to see that they are all “mature” musicians but oh so young at heart. Never say never – releasing their first CD at this time of their lives must be especially sweet – and it is getting constant play at my house:)

If you’d like to check out their music I have provided their myspace link:
www.myspace.com/thecoolmothers – my favourite “We Need Each Other”.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

Gibbons Park, London Ontario