Another fun but busy weekend in Vancouver. Dinner in Friday night, thanks to Pater — and he’d picked up Disc 3 of Season 2, Heroes. Ah, the vegging night! Perfect.
Saturday, we each had a short run, then he drove the 15kilometres out to pick up his parents in Port Coquitlam and brought them back downtown to have crepes with us and check out their grand-daughter’s baby belly. Lots of driving work for Pater, but young and old seemed to appreciate the effort and we all enjoyed our Number 5s with Buckwheat (Dad broke away from the pack and ordered a Number 4, scrambled eggs instead of sausage, apple, & cheese — and he seemed to think he’d made a good choice. Hmmmm.)
While he drove them back home, I did some errands and just happened to find this dress at Club Monaco. Simple and classy, with the sexiest V at the back, not so deep that I can’t wear a regular bra, but deep enough to be dramatic/intriguing, I like to think. Pater’s not going to know about it (unless he reads this) until next opera night. I’m thinking about a skinny metallic belt and maybe some new dress-up-only-totally-impractical-otherwise shoes. Also popped into Banana Republic hoping to try on the black skirt (just like La Belette’s orange one) and jacket I saw there two weeks ago. And hey, I heard something about some kind of credit crisis, problems with the economy, etc., so who’s spending money on MY Skirt and Jacket — no fair! Yes, sadly, there was only one skirt left, no jacket, and that skirt was in a size 14, not my size.
Saturday afternoon was a baby shower, held by my daughter’s friend Kris, at Bronwen and Adam’s place (which is a bit bigger than Kris’s) so I got to see the baby’s room — très cute, two-tone teal-ish with white chair-rail molding, all done by dad-to-be. And the expensive and very stylish new stroller/pram which will be the transport of choice for Babyfamilias. Many very cute baby items were circulated and oohed and ogled over, and since B&A have chosen to be surprised by baby’s gender at birth, all of these were gender-neutral which seemed a plus to me — wonderful graphic work is being done in greens, browns, yellows, rusts, and the difference from the often-saccharine baby clothes of my kids’ infancy is welcome.
Baby’s due date is mid-November, and expectancy’s building (well, beyond the obvious expectancy of the burgeoning tummy), especially now that the concerns raised several weeks ago over the first transverse, then breech position of the young ‘un have been assuaged thanks to a successful External Version. While waiting is now over for a French Fry who was similarly positioned the wrong way up, we’re still in a holding pattern.
If I weren’t waiting for this baby, I’d be tempted to catch a plane down to a certain marina in San Diego and spend some “girl time” with my friend, Alison, who’s currently on a year’s sailing trip with her husband, and blogging about the adventure. Sheposted today about finding herself crying as she perused blogs that reminded her of the kind of talk she’s been missing — you know, about the important things like makeup and shoes and the latest book and the best hair product . . . She’s come fairly recently to Blogs (and with her usual good taste sussed out La Belette Rouge as a blogger to follow) and recognizes, and marvels at, the community they provide. (Plus she says a nice word or two about me, blush!). Her blog’s worth checking out — Alison’s a perspicacious writer and a talented artist whose charming watercolours enliven many posts. I’m also having fun watching her Birdlist for the trip grow in the right column.
And as for the wonders of blogs, I was alerted weeks ago (by a friend we islanders call “Flute Jenny”) to the clever, thoughtful, satisfying, entertaining fun of Jeremy Denk. Jenny recommended Think Denk to me because she knows about my previous life as an erstwhile amateur pianist and professional music teacher. It’s true that some musical knowledge will make this blog more meaningful, but I think anyone could appreciate Denk’s most recent postwhich purports to be an interview with Sarah Palin about her assessment of Beethoven’s Hammerklavier Sonata. F****ing Hilarious! Absolutely! You must read this — he obviously has an ear for much more than music notes.
What else? Let’s see, there was a lovely, long seawall run in the rain this morning; Kimchi Chahan and the best, best gyozas at Gyoza King last night; a missed bowl of Ramen at Kintaro today when a certain daughter forgot about fall falling back . . .
And now I’m back home and ready for another week. Was yours a good weekend as well? Care to share details?
You sure pack a lot into your week-ends!! I sat out in the garden, during a lovely sunny day, and read home decorator magazines and dreamed…
Some of those new strollers are awesome, I just wish I could have whizzed around town with one instead of the dinasaur I ended up with.
I agree the credit crunch looks pretty thin here too, I can still not find anything my size in most shops.
Apart from my date with Mr Bond, this weekend I bizarrely ended up in Cambridge, 203 photos later my battery final gave up.
I will be posting some tomorrow.
The menfolk went camping with the Scouts this weekend, so I spent most of Saturday pottering around at home (it was a public holiday, shops shut), reading the back posts of a lovely blog called Chez Larsson ( chezlarsson.typepad.com). She’s a Swedish lady who writes about her life and her lovely home. In the evening I was invited to go with friends and their kids to see High School Musical 3. There were a lot of 8-year old girls there – ’nuff said! (But I must admit the dance numbers were great.) Sunday the guys came back, 3 of us went to church (the 14-year old has decided he’s now an atheist!) and then watched some Fawlty Towers. Nice and relaxing for me, kind of cold and uncomfortable for the guys! Patricia
Cybill: On the Vanc’r weekends we do pack a lot in and I’m always a bit tired for the week ahead. When we stay home on the island, it’s all about my leather club chair and the weekend papers! Sunshine and magazines sounds like a wonderful combination — a long, dark winter away from me, unfortunately.
Alison: Well, your outing with mom and daughters was pretty special. Although, of course, couldn’t hold a candle to being stalked by Mr. B!
Patricia:Oooh, that was probably my favourite activity back when I had a full household — to get a day or two when I had the house to myself. Even now, when I’m on my own during the week, I treasure that time alone in my own space, puttering, following my own body rhythms instead of fitting them to everyone else’s. I bet you loved it!
I am so sorry they didn’t have your size. Did you check on-line? And, did you receive the 25% off BR code they emailed out last week? It is such a great skirt. Would hate for you to miss out.
Your dress sounds amazing. But, I couldn’t tell which one it was from the link you have posted.
Thank you so much for posting about Alison. I am delighted to discover her lovely blog and today’s post. I also thank you for the kind words you said about me on her blog and for the kind shout out here. Merci mon amie.:-)
I think I am posting about my weekend later this week on my blog. So, until then, let me just give you one word: In-laws. I will let you imagine what kind of weekend I might have had.;-) As Nietzsche said, “That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” I am stronger for surviving this weekend.
It sounds like a lovely and busy weekend, we puttered and read, the kind of weekend that was a rare treat once in busy lives. It still doesn’t seem to happen frequently enough.
lbr: I probably should check the website — are you really loving your skirt?
And you know every “kind word” I say about you is true — you’re a great blogger and a wonderful blogging friend — look forward to hearing about the delayed Halloween horrors of your weekend with in-laws.
Mardel: I’m hoping for one of those weekends this upcoming one. I can’t do too many of the busy ones in a row!
thanks for the plug re. my baby blog. And the updates on babyfamilias. It’s such a sweet time, waiting for that first one (as a mom, and I can imagine as a grandmother–oh that word doesn’t seem right. I think a new word should be invented for grandmothers like you–still fit and beautiful, dynamic, engaged with the world). grandboomers? grandmavens? any ideas?
Alison: You’re more than welcome. Your blog is worth the plug, truly!
And the word, hmmmm? Well worth coming up with something, isn’t it? Although I’m going to happily accept being a grandmother, I don’t think the word reflects how I feel, such connotations of blue-rinsed perms and comfortable pastels in dubious fabric. Where’s CBC’s Wanted Words when you need it?