Paul won one of two prize draws at PodCamp over the weekend of our Housewarming!
He has been jumping up and down looking out for the postman ever since – it finally arrived today. His prize is a Moviepix HD DV Cam (pocket video camera), very appropriate as he was volunteer cameraman for parts of the conference.
As he is increasingly involved in editing and posting video to YouTube for Tyco Electronics, it is also a timely addition to his ‘toolkit’ (in other words, another great techie toy!).
Some thirty friends, neighbours and acquaintances (plus small children) warmed our first Canadian home by their presence on Friday evening.
We were thoroughly spoiled, not just with bottles of wine but with a number of more personal gifts – totally unexpected and heartwarming. Paul’s Tyco colleagues live at some distance, so didn’t make it, but we were taken completely by surprise by the appearance of an ‘Edible Arrangement’ from them on our doorstep, a lovely gesture which we much appreciated. It made a great addition to the spread of finger foods I’d prepared. I’ve never really done this kind of food before, more usually offering a full buffet, but received good reviews!
The party ran from 6pm, as we know many of our neighbours have young children – till 8 or so, there was a pleasant pandemonium! It was an interesting experience to open the door to one or two people we had never met (we invited all our closest neighbours in our street, as well as a couple who had contacted us by e-mail to welcome us), but it worked well. We were also really pleased to be able in some small way to say thank you to the many people who have been so supportive during our first few months.
As often happens, a smaller group of closer friends stayed on, with the party winding down by around 11.30. This was perfect, as Paul had an early start to go to PodCamp on Saturday morning (a podcasting and social media conference). And we also had a party to go to in the evening (champagne cocktails to chase away the ‘winter blahs’), as well as a gala opening at a friend’s gallery – busy days!
At an evening of poetry, music and more at Luc Sculpture, I encountered the term vocable for the first time; essentially a vocalised sound that you might think is a word in some unknown tongue, but actually has no verbal meaning.
I’m still trying to work out what it is about such sounds that sets them apart from more obviously non-verbal vocalisation. Yet songs sung in this language of the heart, wordlessly lyrical, have a wonderful quality and a capacity to connect with inner worlds.
Check out www.myspace.com/annmarieboudreau – Ann Marie is a psychotherapist and soundwork practitioner, as well as multi-instrumentalist and vocal performer.
I hope the ability just to pop down to the park to skate never looses its magic! This is a natural rink – no fences, no Zamboni to clean the ice, just the good-will and hard work of local people to top the water levels up and clear the snow.
In choosing Canada as our home, we were aware that one of the possible downsides is that paid holiday (vacation) time is significantly less than in the UK. However, we felt that this was balanced out by an apparent Canadian capacity to make the most of leisure time. The weekend just past certainly saw us embrace this spirit, nourishing mind, body and soul!
Friday evening: etchings by Rembrandt and Freud – the Rembrandt so incredibly fine and detailed, the Freud bolder but no less masterly, both capturing so much more than a visual likeness of their subjects; then fabulous photos, model ships and (as AGO members) VIP entry to the King Tut exhibition, recapturing an earlier fascination in the breathtaking beauty of so many of the items on display.
On to fire and ice – the Angel of the Apocalypse belching flame into the darkness as we skated, the trees glinting red and gold with Chinese lanterns to welcome the new year of the Tiger, as pillow-fight snow-flakes drifted down; a huge screen, held in the embrace of City Hall’s twin towers, provided a constantly changing vertical stage filled with oriental images and peopled by fan dancers, stick fighters and more. (On Sunday we caught a different acrobatic spectacle by Compagnie Les Passagers with a more elemental theme.)
Appealing to our senses, the foodie explorations encouraged by the fixed price Winterlicious menus are a delight – we enjoyed two great meals over the weekend. A late Saturday lunch at Pure Spirits took us to the Distillery District, followed up with the post-prandial pleasures of checking out our favourite galleries there, as well as lusting after high-style lights at Artemide. And we can’t seem to resist the wonderful Quebecois cheeses, St Lawrence Market offering up this week’s temptation!
On Sunday, we went Tumbling Into Light – amazing music, dance and visual imagery! Deeply moving, its intention to reflect the constant spiralling of light into darkness into light (individual, cultural, cosmic), I was awed by the twin awareness of the hugeness of the human capacity to encompass pain and the hugeness of the human capacity to manifest beauty.
On our way home from an early supper (Moroccan at 93 Harbord), Winter City claimed our attention again with an eerie performance by Glacialis, an Ice Orchestra. Who would have believed that ice tubes would resonate so wonderously in response to a hot flame!
So often here I am conscious of that I can still be that saucer-eyed child, utterly present, utterly entranced and engaged . . .