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.

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.

CHOCOLATE, PLEASE

These photos are by an Australian photographer currently living in Vancouver, you can see her blog, Mocking Bird here. This table setting reminds me so much of Bubo in Barcelona, (one of our favorites).
I cannot believe I have yet to go to the Thomas Haas cafe. I love the many chocolate bars they produce (I have almost tried them all) and these photos bring me back to a few happy mornings in Europe. I think I need to go sit and have a cappuccino and a croissant (okay and a piece of cake!) very soon.

A LOVE OF CHERRIES

I can honestly say that I bought these cherries simply because I thought the leaves attached were so pretty. I certainly did not need any more cherries, still I ate all of these the day I got them and have since gone out to buy even more. Vancouver is positively gorgeous right now and I am stocking my fridge full of fruit (and my pantry full of coffee and popcorn) for when mine and Elizabeth's mother comes out to visit me here on the coast. She and her husband will be here in a few hours -- I can't wait! (I hope they brought their walking shoes!)

SPRING = CANNING?

Well to me it does. The fruit trees are all starting to bloom here in Vancouver and I am already thinking of the harvest. My co-workers and I are excitedly scoping out the selection of potted herbs on a daily basis, figuring out which ones to buy. I've really wanted to get into canning for the last couple of years. Our mom makes jams and jellies and sauces almost every year and Elizabeth too has tried her hand at spicy pickles and other treats.
It's not just what's in the jars that thrills me, nor the process of creating and preserving something of your own (one must prepare for the harsh winters of Vancouver, right?) but I also love the jars themselves. The old standard masons are very pretty indeed, but I felt inspired to see a little note on the beautiful and unique Weck jars in Martha Stewart. Now to get my hands on some those.... unfortunately it's still several months before I can start using them.

AND H.B. TO R.B. TOO

Slovenia love, hanging off of a balcony at the Olympic Village.

THIS JUST IN:

Scarf season in Vancouver is over as of today! I just declared it. Now I can go back to wearing scarves by choice, not out of necessity (because they're just so pretty, aren't they?)

A MOMENT PLEASE

This is what is outside my window right now. The rain is pouring and the wind is gusting. Flooding is happening all over BC. The power is out, water is contaminated.
Still, a day like today helps me keep it all in perspective. I'm sitting in warmth, with the lights on and a sleeping cat clinging to me. I'll go eat lunch soon and walk over to work for an afternoon shift. I'll come home and maybe go watch a movie with the bf tonight. Even those unfortunate people and families in BC who have been dealing with the true force of this downpour will be back to work next week, drinking city water, airing out carpets, and cleaning off driveways.

The decisions you make are your own, but please don't ignore tragedy. Yéle Haiti is a foundation created to help build awareness about Haiti and "transform the country through programs in education, sports, the arts and environment". Currently the foundation is focusing all efforts on relief during this natural disaster. This foundation has helped Haiti before, it is helping Haiti now and it will continue helping long after the western world has forgotten. Your money is going directly to Haiti relief. The founder himself, Wyclef Jean, is right now moving rubble, removing bodies, talking, listening, and aiding. Go to the website, donating is easy. Or to Doctors Without Borders, or the Canadian Red Cross. The world is talking about this because it is important and financial aid is needed. That's all I will say.

CHRISTMAS LANTERNS

My bf showed me these very inspired Christmas lights on our walk home from an amazing dinner last night.

LEATHER BABY, PART I

For months now I have been fiercely, impatiently, hungrily awaiting the arrival of the one piece of clothing I can't live without. Ever since looking at F/W '09 catalogues with Jessica last February (was it really that long ago?) I've been obsessing over The Jacket.

Let's talk about The Jacket. The Jacket is a handcrafted, hand dyed, knockout leather coat from Vancouver line MONO or, as my friend John put it, "the best line to come out of Vancouver in 10 years". I can't help but agree. I love The Jacket. I love how it makes me feel ferocious yet still girly as all get-out. I love the shoulder detailing reminiscent of feathers or petals but also touch-me-not barbed armor. I love that the shoulder detail can be zipped off for a more streamlined look. I love the zippers at the wrists for easy cuffing. Most of all I love that I am the only person in the city who owns The Jacket. This may change, of course, but for today, and for a little while, I'm going to revel in my one-of-a-kind showstopper. I feel like I've been waiting for this coat my whole life.

I need to make a little adjustment on one of the front seams, otherwise . . . perfection.

COASTAL CITY CLICHÉ

GARY FISHER

BOWERY LANE

MASI

ABICI

SOGRENI

Owning and riding a bicycle. Such a thing seems perfectly normal, advisable even, as well as convenient, economical, fun, environmentally conscious, innately European and therefore also stylish. My bf encourages me at least on a weekly basis to invest in a bike so that I could enjoy the practicality and freedom that comes with owning my own personal mode of transportation, other than my feet. Romantic bike rides along the seawall are also being mentioned. In a city such as Vancouver, with moderate weather, self-sustaining neighbourhoods, and relatively compact city limits, owning a bicycle seems to be entirely logical.
All these things and yet still I am not running off to one of the many bike shops all over the city. Truthfully, and I am embarrassed to share this, I am a closet bicycle-phobe. I love to hear the bf talk of all these outings and experiences we could share together on our bikes, but in these imaginings I am not (as is actual fact) a person who has not rode a bike in over 10 years. I don't doubt the saying to be true: surely I could pick up the skill again once I only try -- if I only try. In the meantime I think I will just continue to fantasize about my superior bike riding skills, while looking at these beautiful and fully functional, vintage inspired bikes that I dream of owning. (I almost always prefer the style of the men's models -- alas if only I were taller.)

Oh and for a real special treat, check out Electra's brand new Ticino line of bikes. I'm dying to own the Ticino 20D (it is gold for goodness sake) but I'm afraid that it is just a wee bit more than I would like to spend, especially considering that I would rather look at it than ride it.

LAST LOOK

I already miss you Vancouver (and you too Little Edmonton).

SEE HOW THE MAIN SAIL SETS

When I was a kid there were four places I wanted to live: boarding school, tree house, attic bedroom & boat. Something about small intimate spaces, the kind of place where you get to live in your head a lot of the time, that was the kind of place I wanted to be. Nothing's changed for me really, I still crave unconditional living (though I've since crossed boarding school off my list). I will always yearn for a certain seclusion, for my own magic realism.

This afternoon Mary and I visited the Maritime Museum in Vancouver. We boarded the St. Roch, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Schooner and the first ship to completely circumnavigate North America. It was the perfect place to renew a childlike imagination on a cold and rainy day overlooking the Burrard Inlet.