Tea with Regenia

 Regenia is a new friend that drops by for a blog visit on a regular basis.  She commented on one of my posts, and mentioned her mother's teacups.  I suggested that we meet for an "across-the-miles" tea party, and use our special teacups for the occasion.  Let me explain.  We would each make a pot of tea, at the same time on the same day, and sit down at the same time to enjoy it.  We would be miles apart, she in her corner of the United States, and I in my small corner of Canada, but our thoughts would meet in the air somewhere in between.   We would both use a teacup full of memories and share a picture or two with each other afterwards.  So, we set a date and time - Tea for Two, at two, on the 1st! 

At 1:30 I set out a pretty teacup, tea plate, and napkin

A little before two I put a cookie or two  on the plate, poured the tea, and  brought my favorite poetry book to the party.

Right on the dot of two, I nestled into my favorite chair, raised my cup and toasted Regenia.

Ahhh, Mary Oliver poetry, a cyber visit with a friend, and a cup of tea.....doesn't get much better than this.

Hope you had fun too Regenia. 





 

Three cheers for Columbia Sportswear

A few years ago AC and I got hooked on snowshoeing at Riverwood during our winter holiday there.  At first we used Brian's old oval, woven snowshoes seen on the left in the picture below, and we wore any old winter boot we had on hand.  Soon we invested in our own snowshoes, seen on the right in the pic below.  Not as pretty as the old oval design, but easier for trekking through narrow forest paths.



We also invested in better winter boots that kept our feet toasty warm and dry no matter how long we were out on the trails.  I am not sure when we bought them, but it was more than 5 years ago.  In the pic below, AC's boot is on the left, and mine is on the right.  Both look fine don't they?

Without looking at them closely, I grabbed both pairs of boots off the shelf and packed them in the car for our winter trip to Riverwood this year. 

Here are my boots with my snowshoes all ready for an adventure.

What a shock I got when I picked up my boots to put them on and saw this on closer inspection.  The rubber on the sides of the boot, was all cracked and disintegrating. 

I was not happy about the demise of my boots, but they were 5 or more years old, so I  reluctantly salvaged the laces, and resigned myself to putting these fabulous boots out in the garbage. 

I set them out in the snow by the side door, and took one last picture before tossing them .  I really liked these boots, and didn't want to throw them away.  Sigh!  I took them back into the house to await garbage day.

That evening while sitting around the kitchen table I saw AC's boots on the floor next to  mine, and marveled at the fact that his were purchased at the same time as mine, were the same style, and had been worn the same amount of time, but his were fine.  My sister suggested that I take the boots home with me and send them back to Columbia to see if they were under some sort of warranty. 

I had only worn the boots for snowshoeing, so the treads were almost like new, as they had only been worn on snowshoes not clomping around city streets.  I had only worn them for a few weeks each year, as our snowshoe holiday only lasted for two to three weeks.  I thought Columbia might give me a coupon for 50% off my next pair of boots, or do something like that.

When we got back home, I contacted the warranty department at  Columbia, and they advised me to ship the boots back to them, so they could look at them to determine what was normal wear-and-tear, and what could be a defect in the boot.

Look what arrived in the mail for me this week...a brand new pair of Bugabootoo boots!  I was delighted! My old style no longer existed, so they sent me the new and improved Bugabootoo boot. 

Pretty snazzy huh?

My feet should be dry and toasyt warm in these beauties, no matter how long we are out trekking around in the woods.

Three cheers for Columbia.  They stood behind their product, and passed the customer service test with flying colours.  A big pat-on-the-back goes out to Mindy also, the customer service rep I dealt with.  She was nothing but pleasant and helpful all through the process.  

Thanks Columbia, I will continue to look for your label when shopping for outdoor gear, and will pass this good news along to one and all. 

Family Fun

At the end of our busy day of trekking around Almonte and CPwith the Tuckers, we all gathered at the kid's place for dinner.

Danica was told to choose a pretty dress to wear to the party, and she choose this most delightful Princess dress that suited her to a T.

JJ opted for a more casual look, and he looked mighty fine too.

Asha wore her best fur coat, and promptly shared some of it with Uncle Brian.

JJ showed me his new Bear...

Then gave Uncle Brian some fashionable advice for his new glasses.

Danica let Buppa pose with her new bear

Then the  Princess and the Pea settled at the kid's table for dinner.  You gotta love a princess dress complete with a super hero cape.

After dinner the Princess showed Auntie Heather how to make an elastic bracelet...

...and JJ showed Uncle Brian his new book.

It was a fun and festive family time with the Tuckers.  Warm memories were made by one and all.

National Gallery, Byward Market and Winterlude fun with the Tuckers

Back in 2006 we went to the National Gallery, and experienced a most amazing musical display in the Rideau Chapel.  I raved about it to anyone who would listen, and my sister listened with BOTH ears.  
I received a newsletter from the National Gallery informing me that this most awesome musical display was back for a limited time so The Tuckers planned a trip to our area so we could all experience The Motet together.  Below is a picture of the sound system in the Rideau Chapel, inside the National Gallery.

Janet Cardiff: Forty-Part Motet
Until 17 February 2014

Rideau Chapel

The publicly and critically acclaimed Forty-Part Motet is back on display at the National Gallery of Canada for a very limited time. This brilliant sound sculpture by Canadian artist Janet Cardiff is a reworking of Spem in Alium by Thomas Tallis, a 16th-century English composer. Forty separately-recorded choir voices are played back through 40 speakers positioned around the Gallery’s Rideau Chapel.

The effect of the work on visitors is deeply moving, earning it a popularity rarely encountered by contemporary art. "Most people experience this piece now in their living rooms in front of only two speakers," said Janet Cardiff. "Even in a live concert the audience is separated from the individual voices. Only the performers are able to hear the person standing next to them singing a different harmony. I wanted to be able to climb inside the music."

The entrance to the National Gallery, with a view of the Parliament buildings off to the left.

Heather and I checking the map inside the Gallery for directions to the Rideau Chapel.

We finally found our way around and sat through two presentations of the music.  Cameras were not allowed in the chapel, so I have to make do with the one  in the newsletter above.

While the Tuckers toured the European gallery, AC and I went to rest our weary backs in the cafeteria.  Below is a picture taken through the windows along the back wall of the Gallery.

By the time we finished trekking through the Gallery, it was time to head over to the Byward Market for dinner.  There are lots of pubs to choose from, but we settled on The Highlander, and it was a good choice. 

Good food, good service and great company.

The Byward Market is such a fun place to saunter through.

After dinner we walked over to the Crystal Garden Winterlude Display.

We walked along the Canal, but this is a view looking down on it on our way back to the car.

What a fun and fabulous day. 

Tea and memories

My niece sent me a tin of her favorite tea, so when Heather was here, I dusted off mom's teacups, and made a pot of the delicious brew to share with her. 

English Rose tea was a new experience for me, and I used trial and error to figure out how much loose tea to use for a cup or a pot.

I got this pot just right.  We drank it without milk or lemon, and it was the perfect tea to drink with homemade cookies

  We chatted about mom while we sipped tea from her teacups, and it was  heartwarming  indeed.  Delicious tea and memories shared with a dear sister.

My most amazing sister

This past weekend my sister and her husband came for a visit. We explored the National Art Gallery, The Byward Market, Winterlude, The Wool Shop, Almonte, and of course spent lots of time visiting at home whilst drinking tea. 

Here we are enjoying a delicious cup of English Rose tea, in mom's teacups.  MMMMM good.  We both look like roly-poly bears in this picture, but we were wrapped up in big sweaters and afghans on this chilly February afternoon.

At one point during the weekend I stood behind my sister while she was sitting in the rocking chair, and I caught a glimpse of what she was working on.  Looks interesting doesn't it? 

What is that?  I asked her.  She explained that it is her visual journal, and she does this double page "artwork" each week to record her thoughts, dreams, lessons, favorite quotes, projects and activities that she thought about or came across over that past week.  At the end of every week, she has another amazing piece of art.

I asked if I could take pictures, and she happily obliged.  Each week is an amazing work of art, filled with free hand doodles, stickers, drawings, poems, quotes, etc.

Isn't this fabulous?

After I took pics of the full page, I tried to focus in on some close-up pics of her drawings.

Beyond words.

Even the page titles are works of art.

This is the page for projects she wants to complete this year.

Not only is this sister of mine an amazingly creative person, she is a very generous thoughtful soul too.  Tucked beside her in the chair she was sitting in was a gift bag full of treats for me.  

This is what I found inside...a new journal, stickers and special pens to get me started creating my own visual journal.

The blank page awaits....

More BD pics

Lots of fun and festivities happened all day long to celebrate JJ's 5th BD.  He does enjoy playing with action figures, and this is the latest series that has his attention.  I think the game can be played on its own, or it can be hooked up to the Wii for additional fun. 

He looks rather pleased doesn't he?

We like to add a book to any gift, and JJ does like his story time with Buppa

What a nifty cake for a 5 year old hockey player

Waiting to blow out the candle.

Enjoying a laugh with dad after supper

Time for a story with Buppa before heading home to get ready for bed.

Danica wandered around with the camera taking lots of pictures.  I think I was getting ready to cover up the remaining BD cake in this pic.