O Canada! Welcoming Diyan!!

If you've felt a new tingle in the Canadian air of late, it's probably because a whole bunch of folks were recently made Canadian citizens here in Vancouver. And ONE of them was our dearly beloved pal Diyan. Why, here she is now - ever the early bird, sitting in her seat waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Not only was this momentous event cause for celebration, but it provided AMPLE reason for some of us to slip away from our day jobs to witness the event.

We were armed with iPhones, digital SLRs and video cameras.

Of course, we were posting play-by-play messages on the interwebs.... Ah technology!!

After all, it's not everyday that one gets to see a friend join our ranks as we all bustle with national pride!

The crowd awaits their new Canadian status....

We weren't allowed to shoot the proceedings, but we WERE allowed to leap up like proud parents and snap away once the deed was done! Did some of us shed tears during the ceremony? In the words of one American conservative "you betcha!" I've altered the colour on this one (note Canadian spelling of COLOUR -it was, after all, a CANADIAN citizenship ceremony.) But this was taken moments after the swearing in...... the arrow points the way to our gal. The New Canadian.

Newly minted:

With lovely sister:

With proud partner:

This made me cry a little.

So did this. And I don't even KNOW these people!

With Her Majesty, the Queen:

And later that night, Susan hosted a New Canadian Party for Diyan in which Mister Man got to play his Canadian song set on his iPod.

And Diyan - well, she got to dress up. And you have to love ANY occasion in which you get to don the red and white.....

O Canada!!!

Hopscotch

A few weeks back, we packed up our troubles in our old kit bag, and made our way to Hopscotch, an annual scotch and beer festival here.

So how does one play Hopscotch? You gather some of your favourite people (Annie and Lara and Karen and Kathrine) and you head on down to the Rocky Mountaineer Train Station. You pick up your scotch tasting glass and you buy some "tasting chips" (which look like poker chips, but they'll be buying you tastes of some of the finest scotch from around the world....) And then you sip your way from booth to booth.

There was so much flavour in this room: from peet-y scotch that tasted like it had just been scooped from the moors and mountains of Scotland to smooth, smooth scotch that would give Chet Baker a run for his money with the smooth factor. And we got to sample to our hearts' content!

Oh yum!

Still my fave....

There was much exchanging of notes....

And laughter....

And love....

And that glorious glow that is brought on by an excellent game of hopscotch...

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Sweater

It's from the sickbed that I write this catch-up post. Some sort of buggy flu/cold thingie has been running up and down the corridor at work, taking us out one by one. So my good blogging intentions were replaced instead by a hacking cough and an "icky" feeling that was followed by being horizontal and sweaty.

But I'm happy to report that I'm on the mend, so please accept this belated post from moi to toi.

A few weeks ago, the BBQ Club gathered. Mister Man was in charge of the main course. He decided he'd do pork chops. He picked out some fine specimens at WholePaycheque - I mean Whole Foods, and set about brining them. We arrived at the Grossyjadis (our pet name for Susan and Diyan) and were serenaded by Ms. Susan herself, who has been taking guitar lessons. Okay, she may only know one song so far, but it's a great song!! Isn't she adorable?

Mister Man hit the grill. What you CAN'T see this in this photo, is that his camouflage hat is adorned with a built-in light on the brim...... He is nothing but classy!!

As we waited for dinner, Susan brought out the most recent acquisitions from her mom. (We can't WAIT to meet the world-famous Ann G. who will be arriving in July!!!) Ann G. is a knitter. And she makes some extraordinary sweaters and such....

Recently, she sent a package to Susan and Diyan that contained a GORGEOUS sweater. There was only one hitch. The sweater seemed a little large for our tiny friend Susan.

I know it's common for our mothers to think of us daughters as larger than life.... So maybe that explains it! We decided that we should ALL try on the sweater for size. Perhaps it was meant to be for ONE OF US!!

Vanessa put it on and showed us her best Tyra pose.

Then Mister Man tried it on.

Then E. tried it on (while Vanessa modeled another item that was made for Diyan).

Then it was my turn. (Pardon the funky colour...) Here, Ms. E. is modeling an item that gave us all a great deal of pleasure as we played with the many ways in which it could be worn. And we decided that we would TAKE TURNS wearing the sweater. We would each take it for one month, and have the pleasure of wearing it and taking it on adventures. I am the first member of the sisterhood to wear the sweater, so you can anticipate a sisterhood of the traveling sweater post soon!!

Now back to the white thingie..... Part "shrug", part "scarf", what could it be?

And how should it be worn?

or???

Okay, okay - we know it should be worn like this:

And then, it was time for the main event. V and E seem fairly fixated on the table.

As do S and D.

Of COURSE they were chomping at the bit! Who wouldn't??

We finished the evening off with V and E's Bananas Foster. What a wonderful, filling winter dinner...

And I, for one, was a little relieved that the sisterhood of the traveling sweater featured a slightly oversized garment....

What We Did this Canadian Thanksgiving

Tomorrow, our American friends and family will celebrate American Thanksgiving. I thought it might be fitting to share a little about how we spent our Canadian Thanksgiving this year (which actually included time with American friends!)

Dinner was the usual spectacular fare that's offered up at the parents of Mister Man (AKA Bob 'n Mer). Most of the Mister Man clan were on hand to enjoy the turkey and fixin's and the laughter that always manages to fill the room on such auspicious occasions. And when the last dish had been washed and put away, we sat down with a cup of tea and watched our niece, Andie, work her magic with some beads. You see, Lisa had a hankerin' for some new baubles, so right in front of our very eyes, she commissioned Andie to make her a necklace.

The concentration on Andie's face was intense.

It was matched only by the expression of sheer joy on Lisa's face.

Somehow, in all the excitement, I forgot to take a photo of Lisa WEARING her new work of art, but I DID manage to snag a photo of the work in progress, moments before it was finished.

It continues to bring joy to Lisa. I know this for a fact, as I saw her wearing it just days ago! If you are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow, may joy surround you...... (like a necklace made with love by a fabulous niece).