Daytrippin'

Nearly a month has flown by without a word shared here. It has been busy with work, school and lots of DIYprojects. I took my first ever float plane ride to the big city several weeks ago to attend the Interior Design West (IDW) show at the Vancouver Convention Center.

Me with my laminated Harbour Air "ticket" Olympic torch on the waterfront right beside the Convention Centre

It was a fantastic day spent with my very stylish and uber creative cousin, topped off by meeting two of my favourite Canadian designers. She and I ended up shopping so enthusiastically that I missed the mid evening ferry and had to scurry to catch the last one of the night!

IDW was filled with wonderful ideas and trends. Eco decor is here to stay, I think, and with that, renewed popularity for things made of wood. Wood certainly seemed to be the dominant new trend along with brighter colours (goodbye greige), more vibrant patterns of fabric, more natural materials (cork and cotton), lots of attention to outdoor spaces and living accessories.

Contrasting with the eco-natural-homespun trend was a bolder-sparkly-glam that, while perhaps not always practical, was so much fun to look at.

I LOVED the use of Ikea Dandelion lights in this kitchen,

the vibrant wallpaper, velvet sofas, silk pillows and leather poufs at The Cross Design,

the incredibly glamorous lights at Richardson lighting (the bubble chandelier over the bathtub was so

strikingly beautiful it caused us to stop in our tracks with simultaneous gasps of wonder),

the gorgeous teal accents and perfect styling at Parliament,

and the beautiful furniture at Liberty (that's the Sarah Richardson Garfield chair piped in black) and Home Delight.

While I felt VERY dorky about lining up to meet Sarah Richardson and Tommy Smythe, they were gracious, funny and very warm. Tommy was wearing a fantastic pair of black and white plaid socks and when I complimented them, he went off on a long and very funny story about buying them in Montreal. I kept running into him at several vendors after his and Sarah's presentation and at one point, he came up to me and said "Really now dear, you MUST stop following my socks!" I was completely charmed.

Happy Thanksgiving

This was the was one of the views on my walk up the hill to the grocery store earlier this week that confirmed that fall is indeed here.

We are headed up to Parksville to celebrate a family birthday along with a lower key Thanksgiving dinner. The rest of the weekend is a quiet one for us, hopefully with a few walks outside (if the current rain lets up) to break up the main project of repainting our kitchen and front entrance.

Jeff and I talked over dinner this evening about how we certainly don't have to look very far to find plenty of things to be grateful for. Wherever you are, we wish you a a thank-filled weekend with people you love.

End of summer

September disappeared and I'm not quite sure where it went. We have had a beautiful Indian summer with balmy days, blue skies and clear nights. 

Bumble bee photos by Jeff

When I asked Jeff what exactly I did in September, he silently pointed to the freezer. Oh yeah... we two Nanaimo bears are ready for a long winters nap. 
 

I canned 25 pounds of tomatoes, 20 pounds of peaches and pears, 10 pounds of pickles and 10 jars of apple sauce then froze 25 pounds of roasted tomatoes, 15 pounds of green beans, 10 pounds of nectarines, 25 pounds of bell peppers,10 bags each of blackberries and raspberries- so along with our stash of salmon, we're in good stead. Thank goodness for generous in-laws with a very large freezer! My eyes were certainly bigger than my freezer space.


I never thought I would become a woman who wears an apron much more frequently than lip gloss and who feels genuine joy at full pantry shelves. This whole experience is teaching me that I do need to find a more simple way of living. I think that's a good thing.

Chef Jeff strikes again

Chef Jeff, our emerging resident culinary genius, has become much more experimental than I in the kitchen. Several weeks ago, he was inspired by my favourite character Lula in the Stephanie Plum mystery series and decided he would make some Southern Fried Chicken (of course, spoken with a strong drawl). While we will not discuss the calories or other nutritional information of said chicken, I will tell you that it was out of this world. Jeff couldn't wait to get some on a plate to try it out and I'll admit- it was pretty good on its own. When we regained our sense of civility and served it up with coleslaw, green beans and iced tea, it was the best of the south right in our kitchen.

Mini Break

In mid September, Jeff was off to Victoria for three days to complete a fibre optics course at Comosun College. With my newly flexible schedule and forecast for sunny skies, it seemed a great opportunity for me to tag along. Because carpooling arrangements for several of Jeff's colleagues were uncertain until a few days before he left, we decided I would take the train and we would meet up Monday night.

VIA's Dayliner runs from Victoria to Comox and back every day. It's not the most modern train around but for a $20 fare, provided a relaxing ride with some great scenery. The train driver slowed on our approach to the Niagara Canyon trestle bridge (close to Duncan) so we could enjoy the view. It was a little unnerving to stare 300 feet straight down, but Jeff later reminded me that it would have been much more unnerving if the old wooden bridge was still in use. Thankfully, it was retired a while ago.

Cowichan Chamber of Commerce photo

Cathedral Grove photo

The train arrives in the Victoria inner harbour and provides a great view of the BC Legislative Buildings as it crosses the Johnson Street bridge and arrives at the station.

Jeff met the train and we had a great night, chatting over dinner at the much loved Rebar restaurant, then walking around down town. We watched the Blackball ferry quietly sail out of the the harbour at dusk (it travels back and forth between Victoria and Port Angeles, WA) and were absolutely delighted when it bleated its horn.  Unlike the entire fleet of BC Ferries, it was actually in tune. For two people who live a block away from the Nanaimo BC Ferry terminal (and hear out of tune ferries several times a day),  it was welcome music to our ears.

I think Victoria is one of the prettiest cities in Canada and don't know why we don't spend more time there. It was great to have two days to explore, window shop, have coffee, hang out with my cousin and be a tourist on my own island.