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It will be fun and entertainment. Friday is here and the weekend ahead promises to be a pleasant one for me. In spite of numerous chores that must be completed, there is going to be lots of good stuff packed into the next two days and evenings. Tonight, date night with my sweetie, has been arranged. We're not folks with high demands when it comes to something like this; just finally finding a few hours to sit together and relax over a glass of wine while catching up on our week is typically enough.  So, when I say it's been arranged, it's because getting my husband to stop working in time for even this anticipated ritual can be a challenge. This morning, however, he was duly warned — we meet at 5:30 in the living room, with a white for me, a brew for him,  in hand. Saturday will hopefully be the opportunity I greatly need to catch up on some housework before the good times begin. That evening, a group of us are heading out to a  nightspot to listen to my s

"We are making photographs to understand what our lives mean to us." — Ralph Hattersley, photo critic. At important life events,  I will generally have a camera on hand to record them.  With age, I've come to recognize the importance of freezing these special moments in time, of creating keepsakes of cherished occasions and places, of immortalizing loved faces. I'm also a nostalgic person, ever grateful for the present moment, but thrilled to enjoy a little wander from time to time down memory lane.  Whether it's a song that takes me back or an old photo album,  the sentimentalist in me is okay with leaving the here and now to remember the there and then for a spell. Because of this,  I have by default become the keeper of the family photographs. As my husband and I, along with our siblings,  emptied out the homes of our ageing parents,  weathered albums, mounds of black-and-white snapshots and fading polaroids made their way to the stack of items coming t

"(A child's) need to be outside is not just a thrill. It's a physical and emotional need. We've just forgotten it." I have no idea who came up with this little adage, but I can't think of words with more truth.  My kids were raised in fresh air and sunshine. They splashed in spring puddles and danced in the rain. They spent summers building sandcastles and swimming at the beach, acquiring a new healthy glow to their skin.  They jumped into and hid beneath piles of crisp autumn leaves. They slid down winter snow,  constructed forts and lobbed snowballs. They have grown into adults, therefore, who appreciate being outdoors and on the move. Our oldest thrives in wide, open spaces. His younger sister loves to walk and garden. The baby finds comfort in the extreme — majestic mountains and deep blue oceans. But it is our older daughter who is perhaps most in tune with the outdoors. From childhood, she was least likely to spend time in front of a television

It certainly wasn't what it usually is, however,  I'm more than ready to move on. Not to wish my life away, but my heart sings for spring. Winter in our Snowbelt, was not so so bad for a change. Temperatures were relatively mild and the white stuff that typically blankets the landscape in deep fluffiness, arrived late and was kept to a minimum throughout the season. It was, in terms of a usual Canadian winter, pretty English-like. A little damp and grey, but passable. And yet, I am eager for the colours and life of spring.  To open the windows and let the fresh air chase away the staleness of a house locked away from the elements for months wakes me from hibernation.  Though spring's official start date is still a few days away, this past weekend, my wardrobe saw a little freshening with some purchases that inspired me to begin the switch over from winter to spring attire.  I'm so ready to break out of the cocoon of dreary black, browns and greys, and festoon my

Well, another full and satisfying weekend has been added to the memory bank. The soundtrack for this one could have been My Favourite Things as it was full of everything that matters to me — family, music, reading and some surprise visits. I even enjoyed some bonus time, having taken a half day from work to attend a distant concert on Friday night. While it was all good, probably the nicest for me was an afternoon of shopping with my daughter.  A love of clothes and spending money on them is a frivolous practice  I apparently inherited from my mother. Hedonistic, perhaps, but even if I don't waste money on yet another item of clothing I might want, but don't need, I enjoy the process.  As does my girl, though she leans towards more practical spending, looking for great bargains and sticking a little closer to necessity purchases than indulgences. On this particular sunny Saturday, though, I really did have a reason for entering my favourite women's fashion store.