The Stick Insect in The Kitchen!

Not sure how this beauty got indoors but it was fun to watch before I very carefully took it back to the garden...

glass is very slippery and I fell off!

Things are a little more normal today, whatever that means. Joe cannot wash the dishes so he vacuumed instead and we went out to get a little more shopping. Special friends are coming over later, we haven't seen them for over 2 months so it will be lovely to catch up.

This morning some-one shared this on Facebook, it makes me cry in a good way every time I watch it,  it's from Noah and The Whale

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0RLmYg58P4

Enjoy your weekend
xxxx

'allo

not a post but a quick hallo as Joe is in hospital being treated for an abscess in his hand and that coupled with all the traveling and jet lag etc has given me no time at all to scratch myself, think or  post and keep in touch. Bear with me, normal programming will resume shortly ;)
xxxx

Edited to add that Joe came home this afternoon and is quite well...eating like a horse but I think he'll be having an early night tonight!
Thanks for all your loving messages too, they really matter when the chips are down
xx
 

Montreal Nord/North Montreal

I don't seem to have had time to scratch myself this week with changing hotels and making farewell visits to family and friends. Yesterday we spent with Joe's mother and brother at her home on the north shore of the island. The St Lawrence River runs along the south shore and the Riviere des Prairies runs along the north shore of the island of Montreal.
Maman lives in an apartment in a block for senior citizens, she has a lively social life and still manages most things for herself despite her age and the awful arthritis she suffers from.
I went across to the park to take some photos...

The beautiful Canada goose was enjoying the sunny afternoon on the sandbank, they will be flying south to warmer climes very soon. They are as large as a swan and quite impressive.
In the park are 2 areas to play petanque or boules, there is exercise equipment and many beautiful trees and flowers.
We took Maman a large pot of asters ...

these pumpkins/gourds are everywhere now as Autumn and Halloween decorations

this was once the seminary attached to the church across the square, now it houses a library and public buildings

several local parks have these enormous green chairs, what fun, can you see them in the next photo too?

the church and the view from our windows, the subway station is in the square as well as a cafe and the lovely plant and fruit shop, the bells are currently chiming for noon, they also ring at 6pm for Angelus prayers

funnily enough we have the H and the O of hotel on our windows lol You can see too that my ankles are no longer swollen lol

We leave in 2 days so will probably not have time to post again,
Have a great weekend
Love to you all
xxx

View From the Second Floor

I'd forgotten how much I enjoy people-watching and just generally watching and our second floor room on Avenue Du Parc is perfect for this lol

We walked at least 5 miles today so there are more photos to upload. This weekend there is a two-day POP festival in the Parc(k) nearby as well as a big bike race and the regular drumming at the statue of George-Etiene Cartier on Ave du Parc. I was delighted to see a big food truck already in situ as one of my favourite US TV programmes is called Food Truck Race and I love to see what they can concoct in their kitchens on wheels....this one is called something like the "Pigs' Feet" which doesn't sound very appealing!!!

Wishing my beloved son, Gordon, a very happy 34th birthday for Saturday

 see you soon,

Have a great weekend every-one

Love Sue

Come For A Walk...

Just next door is a Brazilian cafe, feijoada is served(the first pic) with manioc flour, rice and collard greens

and next to that is the Australian Pie Shop, apparently Hugh Jackman visited and said they were the best in the world!

their version of the Pie Floater

these fire escapes fascinate me and remind me of films set in New York

this painting covers the walls and ceiling of a nearby garage, the artists are listed below

How's this for a Fire Station? More like a fairy tale castle!

this huge painting is in a stonemason's yard on one of the main streets of the city

and across the road we ate at the world famous Schwartz's Restaurant, as with most of the meals I've shown you we shared one meal and took doggie bags away with us, portion sizes here in Canada are very large

the bells of the Portuguese church sound wonderful on Sundays

this poster is advertising the 1925 Lon Chaney silent movie, "Phantom of the Opera" with live piano, organ, viola(?) and soprano...what a glorious spectacle that will be

a Lebanese shared lunch, lots of salad here, Mum (lol)

this building is having new windows installed and the facade replaced, the orange you can see is polystyrene for insulation

I thought I'd have a play around with black and white photos after seeing so many metal stairways etc...these are just the buildings opposite again...there is a huge restaurant supply store that is open to the public so we plan to go and have a look at their carving knives etc...

They look like they were taken in the 1950s (to me)

Hope you've enjoyed our walk

A la prochaine...until next time

xxxxx

Inner City Gardens

One thing that Rhonda at the Down to Earth Blog and Forums is often asked is, "How can I live a simple life in the city?". Rhonda tells her readers that you can live a simple life any-where at any age and income by starting slowly and making gentle changes as you move through your days.
Here in Montreal most homes are re-cycling, in fact many homeless people collect and return beer bottles and cans etc for the 10 to 20 cents they are given per bottle.
Today, while out walking in our neighbourhood, I was thrilled to see so many tiny but intense gardens on the sunny sides of the streets...all front gardens too btw

beautiful purple beans growing over a fence and up to a balcony(below)

pots of tomatoes

this eggplant/aubergine is almost ripe, it was about 5 inches in diam.

happy, smiling sunflowers

this "hedge" of large tomato plants was very fruitful!

a gorgeous dahlia

this was a lovely cottage style garden

cherry tomatoes growing on a 2nd floor balcony.

We also saw a large apple tree in one of these small garden as well as chillies and silverbeet...and Montreal has a relatively short summer but these canny neighbours have made the most of their little plots. Rhonda will be delighted to see these pics :D

Sue

xxxx