VALENTINE'S PACKAGE

Every year my girlfriend, like absolute clockwork, sends me (and my daughter, and formerly, my husband) a Valentine's Day package. It is a collection of pretty and funny, and it's all very generous and fun. It is usually decorated with a bunch of stickers and colours and often includes a mixed CD. This year's theme was Minions!

Here are the contents of this year's box:

LULLABY LYRICS

Keith Green

Oh Lord, you're beautiful.
Your face is all I seek.
For when your eyes are on this child,
your grace abounds to me.

Jimmie Davis

You are my sunshine,
my only sunshine.
You make me happy
when skies are grey.

You'll never know dear
how much I love you.
Please don't take
my sunshine away.

Le petit monde étoilé de Flonflon

Rose, rose, belle rose,
Violette, la coquette,
Sympathique (si petite) marguerite,
Jolie, jolie dahlia.

Jay Livingston (sung by Doris Day)

When I was just a little girl,
I asked my mother,
what would I be.
Will I be pretty,
will I be rich?
Here's what she said to me,

Que sera, sera.
Whatever will be, will be.
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera.

When I grew up,
and fell in love,
I asked my sweetheart,
what lies ahead.
Will we have rainbows,
day after day,
here's what he said to me,

Que sera, sera.
Whatever will be, will be.
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera.

Now I have children of mine own
they ask their mother,
what will they be.
Will I be handsome,
will I be rich,
I tell them tenderly,

Que sera, sera.
Whatever will be, will be.
The future's not ours to see.
Que sera, sera.

The Overtones

Good-night sweetheart, well it's time to go.
Good-night sweetheart, well it's time to go.
I'd hate to leave you but I really must say,
Good-night sweetheart, good-night sweetheart.
Good-night.

(To the tune of For She's a Jolly Good Fellow!)

Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca.
Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca.
Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca!
Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca.

(Not sure where the tune is from) Play here:
I love you, I love you, C- F- F- A- F- F
I love you my dear.  A- (high) C-  (high) C- Bflat- G
I love you, I love you, B flat- A- A- F- (high) C- (high) C
I love you my dear. A- F- F- A- G-

Fais Dodo (Colas) Rebecca

Fais dodo, Rebecca (Colas), ma petite fille (mon petit frère).
Fais dodo, t'auras du lolo.
Maman est en haut
Qui fait des gâteaux
Papa est en bas
Qui fait du chocolat
Fais dodo Rebecca, ma petite fille
Fais dodo t'auras du lolo

Gene Autry (poem original Dr. Brewster Higley)

Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Home, home on the Range;
Where the deer and the antelope play;
Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word,
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

Where the air is so pure and the zephyrs so free
And the breezes so balmy and light
That I would not exchange my home on the range
For all of the cities so bright

Home, home on the range
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day.

How often at night when the heavens are bright
With the light of the glittering stars
I stand there amazed and I ask as I gaze
Does their glory exceed that of ours?

Home, home on the range
Where the deer and the antelope play
Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word
And the skies are not cloudy all day...

The Riddle Song

I gave my love a cherry
That had no stone
I gave my love a chicken
That had no bone
I gave my love a story
That had no end
I gave my love a baby
Got no cryin'

How can there be a cherry
That has no stone
How can there be a chicken
That has no bone
How can there be a story
That has no end
How can there be a baby
With no cryin'

Well, a cherry when it's blooming
It has no stone
A chicken when it's pippin'
It has no bone
The story of I love you
It has no end
A baby when it's sleeping
Has no crying

Hush Little Baby

Hush little baby, don't say a word,
Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird.

And if that mockingbird won't sing,
Papa's gonna buy you a diamond ring.

And if that diamond ring turns to brass,
Papa's gonna buy you a looking glass.

And if that looking glass gets broke,
Papa's gonna buy you a billy goat.

And if that billy goat won't pull,
Papa's gonna buy you a cart and bull.

And if that cart and bull turn over,
Papa's gonna buy you a dog named Rover.

And if that dog named Rover won't bark,
Papa's gonna buy you a horse and cart.

And if that horse and cart fall down,
You'll still be the sweetest little baby in town!

Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

Baa, baa, black sheep

Have you any wool?

Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.

One for the master,

And one for the dame,

And one for the little boy

Who lives down the lane.

SPINACH QUICHE

HAPPINESS IS A DINNER YOU CAN PUT A FACE TO

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR (YEAR OF THE MONKEY)

I have dreamed of these dumplings since I ate them in Xian ten years ago. I didn't remember that I had a picture! The ducks were stuffed with duck! Missing is a pumpkin shaped one! Unparalleled. 

DAOU TAKE OUT WITH HOMEGROWN DESSERT

Pita, hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, pizza zaatar, tabouli, coleslaw, olives, rice 

Peanut cookies and DQ cupcake

CEVICHE, IN THE PLATEAU

Ceviche is a gem of a place serving Peruvian food for an affordable price.

My first ceviche: mixed seafood, veggies and lulo (a fruit that makes a delicious juice). The basis is lemon, red onion and cilantro. Unique. Wonderful. Perfect!

Fried palm hearts and plantains (tostones platter) with coleslaw (where does that come from?)

Saffron rice; buttery deliciousness!

Dulce de Leche dessert. Whipped cream that looks like meringue. Definitely did not have room, but it was delicious!

CLEMENTINE CAFÉ, 1490 SHERBROOKE OUEST

My friend and I had just finished visiting the Museum of Fine Arts Exhibit on Pompeii, and we were hungry. We looked at a few lunch menus on Sherbrooke, and this one took us in. Butternut squash soup, cappuccino and a unique take on Lasagne Bolognese, the latter ending up to be my favourite. It was made of overcooked spaghetti, which should have been the beginning of a bad review, but it is not! Somehow, bound together with egg, the baked meat sauce topped with cheese was delicious. The soup was boring and the cappuccino ordinary, but adequate, especially for a café. Still, the highlight of being wow'd by leftover pasta is the forefront of my memory. I would go back, and try another lunch menu here.

BELAY COURSE AT ALLEZ-UP

Tonight, I came one step closer to an independent climber. I took a three hour course to relearn how to tie on and belay. It was a great activity, and entirely necessary! After a twenty year hiatus, I still had muscle memory of bad habits!

I met a nice group of beginners, and a couple of work colleagues, so I hope this weekend I can get back and get my accreditation card. Then I can climb on!

Here are the basics I learned:

Communication patterns (climber to belayer)

Climbing: climb on!,  Départ: Départ assuré

Take: take on!(break), À sec: Sec assuré

Lower: lowering!, Descends-Moi: Descente assuré

Check the top rope is not tangled. Climber has end closest to wall.

Five points of harness to check - hip strap, 2 leg straps, front loops, rear clip

Figure of Eight knot: Give yourself a length of rope from left shoulder to hand, grab a loop in left hand, loop above and put rope through to form a pretzel. Thread from bottom to top loop, and start threading along the pretzel shape, from the bottom, creating a space to the right. The bottom of the pretzel should have the rope exiting to the harness from above. Tighten by pulling kitty-corner. Give yourself a fist at the harness, and at least a fist left of rope at the end.



Belay - use ATC with teeth to the ground. Thread right side with a loop of rope. Put the carabiner through both rope and atc loops. Then attach to the belay loop at the front of the harness, and lock.

To safely belay, always have one hand below ATC, and grip with thumb overlapping. Grab with left hand at eye level, and don't take too much slack at any one time with the right. If the climber falls, break down with right and get left below as soon as possible. To lower, keep left hand below ATC, gripped, and feed rope through it with right from below.

Climbing! Climb on!

ADDENDUM:
On the first day, we got accredited! We also learned that shoelaces need to be checked too!
Interesting tidbits from the security officer, Andrew: shoulder dislocation is one of the most common climbing injuries!

CAFÉ CHAT L'HEUREUX, ON DULUTH

Grilled cheese 

Cat puccino (overpriced and mediocre)

The reason for the visit (the girl, not the cat!)

Sweet!

La Ronron: A crazy generous pomegranate, green apple, roasted almond slices, chèvre, arugula salad

MMFA ARCHITECTURAL MOTIFS

Ceiling chandelier in the 1912 Beaux-Arts Hornstein Pavilion (NorthWest corner)

Detailed ventilation grate

Floral railing

Shadow of the floral railing

CAFE PIKOLO

How hard is this? But it's standard with a cappuccino at Pikolo Express on Park north of Sherbrooke. Third wave coffee. Nod to my hipster bro!

IMPROMPTU SNOWMAN ON THE WAY TO THE MAILBOX

FULL MOON ON MOUNT ROYAL

One night going to work I had the good sense to bring my snowshoes in the trunk of my car. I hit on the perfectly clear night, and with some trepidation, and letting a colleague know before I went where I was going, I set out after my shift in -18 degree celsius weather, and climbed the mountain through the woods on the snow pack. It was magic, and the tiny risk it felt like I was taking made it all the more romantic and thrilling. By the time I reached the paths on top, there wasn't enough snow, but it was pretty rough going uphill for most of the trek, and it was most fun I had had in ages!

I made it to the lookout carried my snowshoes, and met a group of 6 people on their way down. We were the luckiest people on the planet last night, with the twinkling Montreal lights in the crisp air creating a spectacular view. The real beauty was in the woods, though. The moon seemed impossibly high to give such light, but reflecting off the snow was a bright glittering light, better than an city could ever achieve.

View down to de la Montagne

OUR SNOWBALL MAKER SLED

It was one of those rare winter days with just enough humidity and just the right temperature to make snowballs. Pulling my daughter on the sled was a great way to generate a bunch of snowballs that led to my back being the sole target! This is no ordinary sled. It has a secret. You can't buy it like this. You have to pull it over many intersections without great snow coverage for a couple of years before you can have such an efficient machine. Here is the secret, revealed!

Snow ball maker sled with snowball thrower

Snow ball maker sled

The secret at the bottom of the sled. 

BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

Nutella, banana, reese's pieces crèpes

FIRST DECADE BIRTHDAY PARTY

Add caption

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

CAT PASTA!

Cooked

Dry

UNICORN (RAINBOW) POOPS

Nerdy Nummies fan with six unique rainbow colours

Perfect creamy cheese turds!

Step three

Logs of colour

Last twist before the final cookie making

FIRST TRACKS, CROSS-COUNTRY STYLE

SCALLOPED POTATOES - YUM

Betty Crocker classic

A PERFECT HOT COCOA

INSPIRED BY AGATHA CHRISTIE

It has been a goal of mine for a few years now that I read all of Agatha Christie's work. I have her autobiography, and a list of her books. I have even marked off a dozen mysteries that I have already read, and divided the novels into Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple stories. I have watched both collections of Miss Marple mysteries and am watching the second season of Poirot on netflix. So here I find myself at the beginning again, starting with The Mysterious Affair at Styles, introducing Hercule Poirot and his recording companion Captain Hastings.

Hercule Poirot's Christmas (also Murder for Christmas/A Holiday for Murder) was an interesting story. Here, the story is divided into 7 parts, each spanning a different day, over the holiday period of December 22-28. There are no less than ten characters before the murder occurs, and the juggling of them is dizzying. I found the psychology interesting. Parent and child relationships. Marriage dynamics. The character of the murdered man.

Hilda said gravely:

"There is a certain kind of meekness-of submission-that brings out the worst in a man - whereas that same man, faced by spirit and determination, might be a different creature."

False identities. Motives, opportunities and alibis. Disguises and lies. Shakespearian quotes and myths.

Poirot said dreamily:

"The character of the victim has always something to do with his or her murder. The frank and unsuspicious mind of Desdemona [Othello] was the direct cause of her death. A more suspicious woman would have seen Iago's [Othello] machinations and circumvented them much earlier. The uncleanness of Marat [a physician with dermatitis herpetiformis] directly invited his end in a bath. From the temper of Mercurio's [Romeo and Juliette] mind came his death at the sword's point."