HARVEST

After work yesterday I went down to the last day of the Main Street farmer's market. I tried to avoid buying too much, but as always that was impossible. Everything there was so perfect. The harvest season is such a great time of year. Being on the west coast it's a little different than on the prairies (it last longer here, for one) and there seems to be a greater variety of fresh produce and also a greater appreciation for all the amazing things we can grow right here in the Lower Mainland.

The bounty.

HEAVY THINGS I HAVE CARRIED IN RECENT DAYS

Ok, I had some help.

I bought this Consew industrial machine for a really great price after Genevieve forwarded me the craigslist ad a couple weeks ago. R and I drove down to the south shore to pick it up but it had been sitting in our van ever since - there was just no way the two of us could get it up our 33 front steps alone. Finally this past Wednesday our friend Chris came to the rescue and the three of us hauled the damn heavy monster up these:

And these:

And, worst of all, these narrow little wedges of steps right at the top, ugh:

Second, R and I bought a dresser yesterday, something I've been in dire need of ever since we moved here nearly two months ago. I had precise specifications for the sort of dresser I wanted - a tallboy, narrow and with at least 4 drawers, raised off the floor and with extra storage for all the little jewels and junk I leave lying all over the house. I'd been eyeing up this old beast for awhile and finally brought it home yesterday afternoon.

If refinished it could be a really beautiful, simple piece. Chances are slim I'll get around to that anytime soon, but at least my clothes are off the floor and I have myriad surfaces, nooks and drawers to store my treasures.

Hooray to useful purchases!, even if one must break their back to get them up the stairs.

NORTH VAN

The only good thing about a wedding installation this past weekend was the view on the way back to Vancouver.

STANLEY RACCOON

The bf and I went for a walk downtown and through Stanley Park on Saturday. It was leisurely and the weather was beautiful, plus the park was full of disturbingly domesticated raccoons and geese. Cute! We wouldn't have fed them anyway, but especially not after observing the Swan Tamer -- an elderly woman who clearly invested a substantial amount of her days at the park making sure the birds behaved themselves and ate the proper food. We witnessed her educating a a young boy on why not to feed the birds bread, shortly after she had scolded one of the swans for being a bully. It was remarkable.

THE CLINK

My camera is in the Canon county lock-up, ie. the repair shop, for the next week or two. I've become so addicted to having a camera with me at all times that this separation is way harder than expected. Anyway, you can probably anticipate somewhat sporadic posts from me in days to come, at least until I'm with camera once again.

Here is what I've been up to over the past week (just pretend there are accompanying photos):
- Went to a free music festival at the old port on Sunday past
- Ran errands, including a trip to my favorite new leather shop, collecting materials for some consignment items I'll be making special for Nokomis and Victoire (stay tuned over at Ursa Minor)
- Saw Casablanca in a special showing on the big screen (still such! a! good! movie!, Bogart is a total babe)
- Drove out to Wakefield QC for a visit with R's mom and brother and watched The Burning Hell play at the local venue
- Drove into Ottawa for lunch and *finally* met lovely Regine at the beautiful new location of Katie's and her store, Victoire.
- Entertained R's mom as a guest at our home and went on various long walks everywhere until our legs fell apart
- Attended the AIDS Wolf CD release party and got drunk and chatty with a new friend
- Ate a lot of food

I know, I know, the details of my life are just fascinating. Ok, I'm going to go look for my old, broken digital camera now or, perhaps, invest in a disposable. Tiny attention span! Must have pictures!

SMOG AND SUNSETS

At least poor air quality makes for a colourful display, right?

LOVELY BIRTHDAY BRUNCH

I threw a small birthday brunch for a girlfriend last weekend and it was my favorite sort of simple food. I then followed it up with the richest most ridiculous cake I could think of from a Tartlette recipe and an afternoon at the Vancouver flea market. I love days off.

GLIMPSES OF THE HOME LIFE

Wednesday morning in our living room, enjoying early coffee with Marilyn and the cat. The weather in Montreal is so hot these days that my laundry will dry on the line within minutes. This makes waking up early imperative for getting any work done. I think an afternoon of reading in the park sounds nice, maybe underneath a shady tree.

One day soon I'm going to buy two little wire chairs to put in our living room, I already have my eye on them. And then someday, when the time is right, a kitchen table will find me. And another day, very much in the future, I'm going to recover all my furniture in shades of grey.