I'm ready for my closeup....

A couple was vacationing in Banff and had set their camera on a self timer to take a photo when this curious squirrel wandered into the shot. THE.CUTEST.THING.EVER. Read more here.

Julie & Julia

I saw Julie & Julia the other night, and I thought it was just fantastic. It seems that everyone who saw the movie is saying this, but Meryl Streep's performance as Julia Child is just amazing and, as much as I love Amy Adams, I couldn't wait until the Meryl/Julia storyline was back on screen. I have also read Julia Child's "My Life in France" and found her story very inspiring. I just like the fact that at around the same age as me - 37 - she discovered her passion for cooking and turned it into a career. Late bloomers rule!

Mini Break

We are back from our "mini break" in the Annapolis Valley. We had a truly wonderful time. We were only there for two days, but each day was glorious and sunny - which is pretty special in a summer that's been 90% rain so far! We went back to the same cottage we've stayed in for the past three years - it's a cute little place right on Evangeline Beach with views of Cape Split in the background. The little fellow above is an Inukshuk made by some previous tenants.

We visited many of our old Valley haunts, including the Port Pub (twice!), the farmer's market and some new favorites - a photo above is from the Gaspereau Vineyards, where we did a fun tour. We also went blueberry picking, but only lasted about 15 minutes in the hot sun - farmers we ain't. The blueberries were tasty and plentiful though, and we managed to pick quite a few in that time.

Evenings were spent walking along the beach and cooking dinners made from our farmer's market bounty. The Bay of Fundy has amazing tides - in the afternoon the water came right up to the edge of the backyard but by early evening it had receded so far we could walk along the mud flats.

When the sun set, we had a fire in the backyard chiminea and played crazy eights. My idea of a perfect mini break. We are thinking of staying for a whole week next year.

Stompin' Tom

I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted! I have spent the last few weeks of this rainy summer knee deep in paper and ribbon. But - I'm taking a bit of a break this week and spending a night on the South Shore and a couple of days in the Valley. And - tomorrow night my Nan is visiting and we are going to see Stompin' Tom, who is a bit of a Canadian Icon, especially for us here on the East Coast. He sings about all the things that we hold dear - getting drunk on Saturday night, pick up trucks, hockey and...potatoes. Enjoy the video, and I'll be back next week with photos of my trip.