These cheery little species tulips (sorry, can’t remember their name any more specifically than that) opened for the first time just before I left home on Friday. I love to see how responsive they are to the sun, opening and closing depending on the amount of shine — they’ll keep me happy for another week or so. Here’s a close look so you can see the gorgeous colour combination inside.
And look closer still to see that beautiful cobalt.
Here’s one that’s a little bit shyer, but that won’t be able to resist the sun’s coaxing much longer.
Although I was sad to leave these beauties (and my dandelions) behind, we’ve had a lovely time in Vanc’r this weekend. When I got here Friday night, Paul met me at the bus-stop and carried my bag to the apartment where he had a fabulous meal ready — pan-fried oysters to start, followed by grilled rib-eye with scalloped potatoes (made in a healthy version rather than with the full-on-cream he prefers — a wee gesture of love!), green beans, and a cherry-tomato-and-basil salad. Yumm. We ate it while watching another set-in-Paris movie, Comme T’y es Belle, well-acted, entertaining, and the soundtrack, of course, helps us get our ears ready.
Saturday we walked over to Kitsilano, window-shopped, and had breakfast at the Epicurean on 1st (always great coffee, the Classico breakfast with Ciabatta is perfect). Checked out a consignment store I’d heard about — Immersion at Broadway and MacDonald; some great stuff there, and looking for treasures in a consignment store is always fun — I’ll be back.
The opera last night — La Bohème — was a wonderful end to the season with readily recognizable, beautifully-played-and-sung music, a credible-if-predictable set (I never get tired of the magic of stage sets; I’m a sucker for the doll-house-write-large play of them), surprisingly decent acting with convincing camaraderie among the young men, especially. Perhaps because this was the end of the season or perhaps simply because it is such a well-known opera, the crowd was better and more consistently dressed than other evenings. Again, I wish I had the nerve (plus, of course, the street cred) of a Scott Schumann and could bring my camera along to show you what I see.
Today we ran, separately — I ran the seawall; Paul has a route over the Cambie bridge and back via the Burrard — had our “Number Fives with Buckwheat, coffee with cream” at La Bretagne Crêperie. Now we’re relaxing with books and enjoying the developing aroma of the short ribs Paul’s braising for dinner — our daughter and son-in-law will be joining us soon for dinner, one last hurrah for the weekend. Hope you enjoyed yours. Monday comes ’round so fast, no?!
I want a skirt that has the colours of that tulip. So pretty.
I too wish you could stealthily snap photos while at the opera. Would love to see what you saw. Sounds like a delightful weekend—as usual.:-)
I popped out into the garden on Sat and realised that I could happily potter in it all day, the work/play life balance at the weekend is all wrong. I need a 2 day work week and a 5 day play week! I too could have snapped all day Scott Schumann style. The Kings road was a rich mine of the beautiful and the eccentric, but it must take a lot of guts, and I just find it too difficult.
LBR and Alison: I have to say, first, that I love starting my Monday chatting with two good Internet friends, comparing what we did all weekend, through our blogs, talking about art, gardening, and whatever else strikes us.
LBR, wouldn’t that be a fabulous skirt — or a scarf!
Alison, I’m with you on the life balance — actually right now, I’m even beginning to begrudge the time I’ll be away from my garden next month for Paris — and that’s saying something.
For the last several weeks I have brought my camera to work and headed out at lunch, with the full intention of photographing people. But I just don’t know how to approach it at all.
Thomas: And you’d be so good at it! But Victoria is so different from the Sart’s stomping ground.