It’s the perfect day to come out of blog hibernation: it’s time to celebrate our second Pandaversary! Two years ago we met – last year we celebrated year 1. I can barely remember what life was like before Panda – she’s such a constant, happy, sweet, goofy presence in our daily lives. Her joie de vivre makes it really easy to appreciate things you would otherwise be groaning about – like mountains of snow in February. It comes as no surprise that Panda brings smiles to just about everybody she meets – she’s a real cheerer-upper, so if you’re having a low day, drop by my Instagram and prepare to smile. After some advice and requests from friends I’ve decided to start a Tumblr so that you don’t have to wade through the rest of my pesky life to get your Panda fix, so stay tuned for that. Here are a few ways that you can celebrate Pandaversary:

- Take a walk outside.
- Take a nap.
- Share kisses and hugs.
- Smile at a stranger.
- Eat some carrots.

Those are all on Panda’s agenda for today. We love you Panda! Happy Pandaversary!!

Don’t forget to support your local shelter. Thank-you Frontier Animal Society.

Getting back into things after a few months away! Howdy and nice to be back. Everybody needs a little break now and then. Speaking of breaks…

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Some Mondays start off real ordinary and then a dear friend drops by and then you go out for lunch and then she takes you and Panda for a hike up a mountain and then you go home and eat cherries together and suddenly, your day was awesome.

The first farmer’s market of the season! Last summer we happily became regulars of this weekly Hudson event, and I’ve been longing for this day ever since it closed up last fall. Yesterday I picked up a Boston lettuce bigger than Panda’s head and a bunch of asparagus which I used to adorn the most delicious prosciutto melts for two days straight.  It’s a small market, but you can get a great selection of vegetables once the season really starts up – there are also meats, baked goods and other delights such as maple syrup products, jams, cheeses and home-cooked dishes. In the parking lot at the corner of Main and Selkirk, every Thursday afternoon from 3-7 pm. Have a lovely weekend everyone!

 

The title of this post is a bit of a misnomer because I generally spend most of my Saturdays in Hudson. But last weekend was Mother’s Day, and with so many lovely visitors coming over, we wanted to milk our new hometown for all its worth. And it sure delivered.

The first strategy was to switch Mother’s Day from Sunday to Saturday. This was because it was the only day my sister and her girlfriend were available to join us, and we wanted to surprise our mum. So on Saturday morning, Christian and I picked her up at the Vaudreuil train station with flowers and (of course) Panda – then Sonja and Ali joined us at our house shortly afterwards, much to our mum’s delight. After hugs and Panda cuddles, we moved on to the next important order of the day: lunch. Our favourite Hudson spot for meals is Carambola – oh, such yumminess. Hello salmon risotto, pulled chicken poutine, crispy shrimp sandwiches! I can’t believe I don’t have pictures of lunch, so let’s just say that we were enjoying ourselves so much we forgot to do anything else but eat. Hungry? Go, go to Carambola.

Next on the agenda: Finnegan’s. Parameters: 1) self-respecting person 2) anywhere near the Hudson area 3) on a Saturday in the summertime. You would not miss a visit to Finnegan’s Flea Market. My flea-market-garage-sale-craft-fair-obsessed dear sister Sonja had never been – oh joy! We browsed the tables, Panda made a million more friends and we sampled some delicious gourmet popsicles. Christian and I hadn’t brought anything home the last few times we’d been, but this time around we got lucky and hauled home a little brass plant stand, a wood-framed bird lithograph, an inlaid wood box and a little mirrored tray. Mega scores. We picked up some apple strudel and a gluten-free brownie from one of the stands and went back to our place to enjoy it with some tea.

Was our day over yet? No way! It was sunny, warm and breezy – after snacks, it was time to head to the beach. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, Hudson has a beautiful sandy beach and you get to enjoy a gorgeous, short walk along a stream through the woods to get there. Total bliss.

It was an amazing Mother’s Day in Hudson. I have so much love, admiration and respect for my beautiful mum – she deserves this every day, so hopefully we can do this again really, really soon. We love you Mum. xoxox

Having such a lovely, busy weekend that I haven’t had time to post until now! It was a gorgeous, sunny, mother-filled Mother’s Day weekend around here – full recap later this week. This was the view from our bedroom on Saturday morning. Hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

Pancakes and a walk in the woods on a rainy spring Saturday. Have a wonderful rest of the weekend!

It’s another wacky weather day. The temperature is climbing and the air is thick with humidity. Panda couldn’t take it anymore.

So off we went – for a very different beach walk than the previous time. Calm waters, bare arms, warm winds swirling summer promises through our hair. Spring.

Things have been a little more hectic than usual around here – so yesterday, after running errands, Christian drove past our usual route home and we took a little break down by the beach. The sky was dark and the wind had whipped up the lake water, allowing me to momentarily pretend that we were by the ocean – the sound was spectacular. We went home to our waiting to-dos, wind-blown and chilled but smiling…

It’s the first day of spring, but it’s sure been feeling a lot like summer around here. Apparently we’re in for a few more days of extra-warm temps before they drop back down to normal. I’m no fool (I was born during a massive snowstorm in April) so I know better than to get used to it, but in the meantime we’ve been taking advantage…

To celebrate the first day of spring, we took a long walk down one of our beloved Hudson trails. We were a little startled that it was warm enough for short sleeves – but it sure felt good. Later, we’ll be barbecuing some burgers and perhaps whipping up a margarita or three.

Years ago a dear friend of mine introduced me to the tradition of Persian New Year – I couldn’t agree more that the new year should begin on the first day of spring! So much more appropriate than during the freezing, dark days of January, no? Happy Norooz! Hope you all do a little celebrating today.

Subscribe

Categories

• Chez Nous
• Design
• Girlfriday
• Graphics Governess
• Happiness Is…
• Illustration Inspiration
• Panda
• Sketch of the Week

Recent Posts

• Happiness Is…
• Happiness Is…
• Happy 2nd Pandaversary!
• Happiness Is…
• Crankiness Is…

Archives

• April 2013
• February 2013
• November 2012
• August 2012
• July 2012
• June 2012
• May 2012
• April 2012
• March 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• September 2011
• August 2011
• July 2011
• March 2011
• December 2010
• November 2010
• October 2010

Friends

• English Muffin Blog
• Full Contact Enlightenment
• Holley & Gill
• Lake Jane