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!
A Saturday in Hudson
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.
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
Happiness Is...
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.
There must be more to life
From his books to his poignant, bittersweet and sometimes hilarious interviews later in life, Maurice Sendak's work and influence play an ongoing role for many of us. Where the Wild Things Are is definitely one of his most famous works, but I also pored over his Little Bear series, In the Night Kitchen and one of my favourite sets, The Nutshell Library. Every Christmas I re-read his gorgeous version of The Nutcracker and as a child, I used to listen to Higglety Pigglety Pop! Or There Must be More to Life, on vinyl, narrated wonderfully by Tammy Grimes and soundtracked by Mozart, pretty much all the time. To some it may seem like one odd tale, but as with most beloved children's stories, the oddness and darkness are what make it vividly memorable.
A few years ago, when Christian came home from a location scout to say that he would be working on a short film called Higglety Pigglety Pop!, I just about jumped into the sky. I was so excited he didn't really know what to do with me. So, when the production got underway, he brought me to the set. It was thrilling and really wonderful to see him in his element, and watch such talented artists doing what they do best. The sets were fabulous, the lighting was (of course) perfect and Jennie, well - she was exactly as she should be. The NFB did a lovely job of documenting some behind-the-scenes footage, which you can check out here.
Thank-you Maurice Sendak, and farewell, wild thing.
Happy birthday and sneak peek...
Some people like to get pampered on their birthdays - not my husband. When I asked him what he wanted to do today, he said: tackle a house project. Ummm - you sure? Yah.
So, we did. Here's a little sneak peek of what's to come... To my dear beloved Christian, happy, happy birthday - I love you so.