All Hail the Queen!

I have seen a few good plays on Broadway in my time, though I must admit that this one was special.

It was supposed to be sold out, but we sent our daughter to the box office whilst we sipped tea with our blog pals.  When we returned, we discovered she had scored the last three seats in the house, in the 3rd and 5th row, and at the student rate of $40 USD a ticket.  Really. 

I was, as they say around here, within spitting distance of Dame Mirren, and she did not disappoint.

The productions was mesmerizing (and yes, Fred, they give you a lovely cheat sheet about each Prime Minister when you go in!) and the acting, sublime. 

And any play with corgis in the cast is the play for me!

There were moments throughout the play of complete and utter gooseflesh.  She delivers warmth, humour, imperiousness, kindness, and joy, and she takes us along with her.

It is no wonder this play swept the awards in London - I suspect it will do the same come Tony time. 

If there was one place in the play that lagged somewhat, it was, ironically enough, the audience with Margaret Thatcher, which went on a bit too long.

My only picture from the show is from the intermission, when two guards stand on stage:

Also during intermission, I rubbed elbows with Martha Plimpton.  I didn't recognize her, though my daughter did, which is likely because the last time I saw Martha in a movie was this:

And now she looks more like this:

She was with her mother and they were both striking looking, though of course I could not think why until my daughter told me.

I have a similar story about me and Stacy London this trip.  But that is for another day....

But back to Dame Mirren.  This play was a gem and there is a reason she wows everyone.  She was a joy to behold and the play was amazing.  If you can snag tickets, by all means do so.  This is a performance for the ages.

Happy Sunday!

xoxo Wendy

Finding Friends in New York City

Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up.

Allen Klein

There are so many stories to share about our recent trip to New York City - the food! the shopping! Helen Mirren! The Waldorf-Astoria! The Fricke! - but I felt that my first post ought to be about some of the fine people who pop in here from time to time to share their thoughts on some of the random nattering that I do.

This is no fancy blog - I am not modelling my constant clothing purchases, not travelling to exotic places all the time and rubbing shoulders with the rich and the famous.

I live in a small place in a small corner of the world.  I have a budget.  I could use to lose some weight.  I am mockingly optimistic, even when things go wrong; I believe none of us get out of here without some terrible heartaches along the way, but then I see a sunset or talk to someone who is living an interesting life, or I eat a good plate of french fries and I think "hey, it's all worth it, isn't it?"

And having friends, however we come by them, create the colour of our world!

So I am always thrilled when anyone stops by here.  And I know many are shy to comment and that's okay as I can talk to for many (and do!), but I do delight when someone says something and mostly they say nice things because mostly people are nice, especially to people who are just plodding along like me!

Imagine my delight when a bunch of them agreed to come to the city for a cup of coffee and a meet and greet!  It was so much fun to put faces to names of people who've stopped in here or whose blogs I have long admired.  We met at FIKA cafe, a good (and random) pick by Louise she of Ingredients fame and soon to be my designer of choice (she probably thinks I am joking about this but I am serious!).  The company included Barry and myself, Louise, Knityarns, (and her patient son!) Well Fed Fred, AJC Shopping Habit, and Teacups.  Sadly, Marie was unable to make it due to a personal matter, and can you believe it - she dropped a gift off to me at my hotel - a gorgeous scarf from Anthropologie?  I was touched!  And it was funny when we walked in as Fred knew me right away!  What a delight!  We laughed and people shared stories and we got lots of recommendations for good restaurants.

if you want to see the picture, go here!

I will not tell who is who, as some people prize their privacy and I am not one to break it!

Suffice to say, everyone was delightful and interesting and so kind to us!  We had a wonderful time and hope to see you all again soon!

Tomorrow, I think I may discuss The Queen.

In the interim, my good pal Dani was discussing the snow on her blog yesterday.  I giggled when I saw the pictures as they reminded me of the scene in Crocodile Dundee when he says "That's not a knife, THIS is a knife..."

And thus, a picture of Barry standing in his parent's driveway last week.  Ours is nearly as bad..

Note: this is NOT at the end of the driveway where
the plow has gone by - this is how much snow we have gotten.
For reference, Barry is 6'3".

Yes, we are a long way from being snow-free here.....

Have a happy Saturday!

xoxo wendy

Snow Day

Again....

I feel like I am on a train, in an endless loop, with these fine folks...




But I am ever hopeful and I am now dreaming of my trip to the Big Apple next week, seeing old and new friends, catching a show (I hope), having some good meals and if all goes well, actually buying one or two new things to add to whatever my Spring wardrobe is (it's been so long since I actually saw it).

Things I am going to look at in the big city:

"They" say it is sold out online.  Which is fine, because I only want it if I can try it on myself!

Gosh - I wonder if this would have been put in the 30s, 40s, or 50+ section?
Ack!  Screw you J Crew!  I'll try it all!

The review says this is very low cut...  le sigh...

But never mind, J Crew is hardly the only game in town...

I plan to finally stop in at Bergdorf-Goodman's and pay my respects...

If I can, I may see the Queen:

She's looking at you, Barry!

Hit a few bars for a few drinks...

Add another plate to my collection from Anthropologie:

Maybe a treat from Tiffanys?  Nordstroms? The Met Museum Shop?

Or maybe just some Chipotles...

Kidding!  Well, I will have some Chipotles, but I plan to have a couple of nice meals as well...


I may even find that Brora shop Dani!

Well, imagining my trip has cheered me up completely, after the latest dump of snow today!  Which is still coming down...

See you next week NYC!  Hold the snow, please!

xoxo wendy

 

Pastels on a Snowy White Day

We are in the midst of blizzard #4 or #5 or #6 today (really who can keep track?) and so I have been writing and cooking two little chickens and reading and generally trying to stay in the house, and where would you go anyway, since everything is closed.

Even the birds are hunkered close to the house.  We are going through our bird seed now almost every second day.

What is there to do but to dream and divert oneself with something pleasing to the eye?

I saw this book at Chapters last week and thumbed through it.

I liked it enough that I wanted to have it in my collection, but I ordered it online because it was significantly cheaper for me to buy it at Chapters.ca.

For the longest time, I was drawn to deep, rich colours, all the better to match my antiques and vintage furniture and my love of colour.

But last year I decided I must lighten up, in all things, and one way to do so was to choose lighter variations of colours I love.

Old picture.  This chair is elsewhere and there is crown molding now...

So when I saw this book, I was intrigued.  I had always associated pastel shades with children's bedrooms, southern climates, shabby chic and romantic interiors.

In my mind, pastels could so easily creep into this:

No thank you.

But as I looked through the book, I saw some interesting and lovely pastel spaces in among the other, to-be-expected, spots.

And while most of you might steer away from pastels, the book is as soothing as a strawberry ice cream cone on a hot summer day.

The creams, pale pinks, blues, greens and violets remind me of cottages, Sweetheart Candies and the flowers in my garden.

I should decorate with some pastels, I thought to myself.  Just a wee hint here and there.

But then I began to look around and saw that I had already nicely accessorized my home in pastel shades, in addition to the richer hues that I also adore.

Years ago, I had set out to make my house a cottage in the woods, so that, along with my gardens, I would have a little oasis of coziness to cocoon myself in.  It seems I have done that.  There is no formality in this house and I doubt there ever will be.  It's just not me.  And while I can admire it in others' homes, I don't have it in me to replicate it in my own.

So the pastels have cheered me considerably in the midst of this winter of the snow that never ends.

Anybody else have a touch of pastel here or there?

Have a great day!

xoxo wendy

A Valentine

Tis the day of pink and red and hearts....

Champagne kisses

Red Cashmere

Someone forgot to tell the Amaryllis to stop blooming...

Red Tulips

Glass Hearts

Pink Sequins

Tiffany Hearts

It is also the 30th anniversary of my first date with Barry.  Which was followed two months later by my engagement to Barry and four months later by our marriage.

You'd almost think I was a mail order bride or something, wouldn't you?

We've spent the last 30 years getting to know one another, which, if truth be told, is not a bad way to spend 30 years.

 

The week of February 14, 1985 Wham's Careless Whisper was #1 on the charts, but we were obsessed with Tears for Fears, Ziggy Stardust and U2.  I think we listened to a lot of Kate Bush then, too, because Mark Lutes was obsessed with her.  We outlasted Wham and Tears for Fears, but at least Bowie and U2 are going strong!

We were in our last year of university and to say we had the future plotted out wouldn't be a gross exaggeration, it would be an outright lie.

In fact, during the three years that followed that first date, we lived all over the country, were happy, were unhappy, had adventures, had boredom, but most of all, had a strange optimism that things would all turn out okay in the end.  And mostly, they have.

The best things we did were these two people

This picture, taken by my cousin Ana, is still my favourite of the two of them

and the friends we've collected along the way.

I have spent my whole life being insanely curious about the people around me.  I love people and I love their stories.  As a police officer, he was always a little more circumspect about the world.

Barry is my valentine,

and tonight we are going to Brewbakers for dinner, where, exactly 30 years ago today and when it was the Cosmopolitan Nightclub, we went for a drink and I asked "Are we just going to be friends?" (yes I was always that straightforward) and he famously replied "I have enough friends".  Hard to argue with that kind of logic.

But besides my family - McLeods and other others - my many friends are also my valentines:

• My old pals from St. Stephen
• My high school buddies from Fredericton
• My university friends
• People I've worked with throughout my career who turned into friends
• People I've found through the 'net

One of the happiest things in life is discovering that there is no limit to the number of people you can love.

We are only limited by our capacity to embrace people and be open to their gifts.

So happy Valentines Day - May you blessed with love and may you create it.  Nothing else matters.

xoxo wendy