Yesterday I quite literally spent the whole day on the couch with my feet elevated. ... napping off and on. I was a little unsure as to whether that was the best approach or whether I should soldier on and keep moving. As it turns out, I think I made the right decision to stay put. My ankles stayed relatively smallish and today my ankles and knees aren't very sore and last night and today I have no problems walking (what little I've done). Two nights ago I could hardly walk to get myself to bed, they hurt so much and my legs felt so weary and sore.
I recently finished reading The Good Mayor by Andrew Nicoll. Read more about it here at Amazon.ca. I really enjoyed the book , especially the honest and poignant observations about human nature. It has a quirky but sweet style and is a love story, though not in the harlequiny sense. Someone mentioned that it reminded them a bit of Stephen Leacock and someone else said it brought Amelie to mind (it being one of my favourite movies). I wasn't quite so enamoured of the last part of the story, I must say, but the first parts and the unusual story-telling style and beautiful writing made up for it. The author obviously has a love of language.Nicoll caresses words. The story is full of sensual detail, of brass bands, fat night moths, dewy cakes – and snows “sweeping the town with frozen feathers that fell into the Ampersand with a hot hiss.” It takes place in an alternative mid-20th-century time frame of clattering typewriters, high heels and trams.That last comment is exactly how I feel about it.
The story works because it is beautifully told.
This magical debut novel is a love story. It is also a story of loss, magic, friendship, wonderful food, a brass band, an Italian witch, a large lawyer, an occasional dog and a car chase at a walking pace. Set in the little town of Dot in a forgotten part of the Baltic, it tells the life of Tibo Krovic, the good and honest mayor of Dot, and his love for his secretary, the beautiful, lonely — and married — Mrs. Agathe Stopak. In the quiet, respectable town there is nothing that Tibo can do about his love for Mrs. Stopak. Then one day, when she accidentally drops her lunch into a fountain, everything changes — and their lives will never be the same.After Note:
It doesn't take much to wear me out, so it seems. I'm exhausted from doing only a little this weekend. No regrets, though. Today needs to be a very quiet, inactive day.
Our pal, Kevin, joined us for dinner and the Rider game. And the game was a goody! YEAH!!
When I described my recent hair growth to someone, they likened it to PigPen from the Peanuts. I wish I could remember who said that because it perfectly describes my hair. I still look very bald but there's this sparse collection of hairs growing ... some dark, some light ... and not as long as Pigpen's but as thin. I can't wait for them to start filling in!
Thanks, Sylvia, for these! They are so pretty and were a nice touch, along with the gerbera's from Nosegay, for my splurge party. It was so thoughtful of you and a very nice surprise at my door when I came home from the grocery store.
During this nasty cancer ordeal, every day I'm at least reminded of the kindness and care of family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, health professionals and even people I don't know or don't know well.
When "Cindy" said she'd come by early last night to help me get ready for Splurge Club, I wondered what the story was with the name "Cindy"! It wasn't until she arrived that I realized "Cindy" was short for "Cinderella"! How funny and how sweet! Bonnie had been thinking of my story of how I used to hate doing dishes so much that I would save up a week's worth and then don one of my bride's maid dresses to do them. I would pretend I was an ill-fated princess. Somehow it made household chores a whole lot easier to face when I was glammed up. So here is Bonnie, as Cinderelly, sweeping my cinders.
The other thing I served that I think was especially good is a relatively new flavour of Boursin Cheese (cranberry and pepper) and I served it with cut up pieces of cranberry bread (from Sobey's) and Margeret's Artisan Crisps (in Cranberry Pumpkin Seed and Goji Berry Pistachio flavours and available at Sobey's). Very easy and very yummy.
This is the butcher block island thingie I bought with my splurge club winnings and tonight I host my splurge club where someone else will win. My splurge club pals so kindly offered to bring all the fixin's so I wouldn't have to go to any work, but I already planned a menu and I have the stuff and I'm looking forward to hosting. It will be a busy day. Thanks, Kevin, for sweeping and washing floors last night and for the other cleaning you did, too. 
While in Vancouver, I read Little Bee by Chris Cleave. It was very good and I recommend it. I hadn't heard of the book before being drawn to it in the book store. I knew nothing about it and, luckily, it turned out to be a gem. Just to wet your appetite, from the book jacket ..."This is the story of two women. Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again ..."
I think it's true! I think I feel better as the days pass. Again this morning my ankles are near normal. Last night they were puffy but not as puffy as they had been. The rest of me feels better when the edema is reduced.
Here is a close-up of one of the two Monkey Puzzle trees that stand outside the hotel we stayed at in Vancouver. I find them fascinating! I'd never seen one until we oved Hannah to Vancouver 5 years ago. While I was taking pictures an older gentleman stopped to tell me a bit about them. He told me that there's a mating pair on Vancouver Island that supply a lot of the world with seeds. They're native to some places in South America.
See? Tall and thin! Both Kevin and I.
This is one of the photos I was glad to have recovered. Thanks, Lori!! This is me waiting on the sidewalk for Kevin to come out of the corner store. I like this photo of me for several reasons, one being that I look so tall and thin. I mostly like that it's the opposite of how I feel. Right now I feel like my face is the biggest part of my body (my face and my ankles, that is). Here it's the smallest. A veritable pinhead! Me? Yes. ME!! There is no evidence of my extra double chins or moon face in this photo. In fact, I look dark and maybe even dangerous. What a contrast to how I felt that day as I inched along the sidewalk, toddling ... looking like a walker might in order. Pardon my vanity, but this is my current favourite photo of me.
My cousin, Super Lori, swooped in with her tools and tricks and was able to recover my lost photos!! I AM THRILLED! It's not that there were so many or that they were SO special, but they were ones I had planned on using.
Yesterday was our last day in Vancouver. It was a beautiful, sunny day. Here is a rare photo of Hannah with her hair down. It's always shocking to see how long it is! We visited Hannah's apartment, went for coffee and then stopped in at Eugene Choo, the little fashion forward shop where Hannah and Leah work. And then, after a quick stop at a big fish store, it was to the airport from which we eventually made our way home. Thanks, Don, for picking us up at the airport.
Last night we went for dinner with another bunch of Hannah's friends ... Ado, Josh and Nina ... and then went to the Orpheum theatre to see Nosferatu, which was SO FUN!! Hannah is wearing a tuxedo that is over 100 years old, which is why it has faded to a greenish 
colour. My Mom only had to tailor and fix the jacket a bit, though it took her a lot of time to do. The rest fit Hannah perfectly. Mom even remembers the name of the man who wore this tux on his wedding day. Her friend, Jill, is with her in the photo above. She hadn't had time to costume up. She only recently returned from Iceland with a few of Hannah's other friends. Surely I don't have to tell you who Hannah is costumed as. And, no, it's not Hitler!
What an environment the Orpheum theatre is! The theatre is amazing inside. Grand architecture. Ornate staircases going in all directions, almost like the Escher drawing ... and they all meet on the main floor. Kevin even saw someone he knew there - Kelly Homenick and his girlfriend! Kelly was dressed up as a nerd, Kevin didn't think he was dressed up at all except that he had a 7-Up button on of which his dad would have been proud! After the show, it was especially cool to stand in the lobby and watch everyone slowly coming down the 
many staircases in their costumes. It really let us see admire all of the costumes and they were fabulous! The film was funnier than I had expected, mostly because of the "silent film" level of expression and the orchestra was splendid. Then everyone spilled out into the street and it was an opportunity to enjoy MORE costumes. This Van Gogh and Painting costume was an award winner.
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