a peek inside the fishbowl

We’ve been trying to focus more on Doing Things As A Family, which was easier said than done over the winter. Well, the weather is better now (er, sort of) so it was time to get off the couch and press the pause button on Netflix. Literally.

Sidebar: the girls are older now, and much more independent. It’s easy to assume that they don’t want to hang out with us – they have so much on the go – but they do still enjoy a family outing. (!) I am pleased and surprised and I hope that it lasts.

Last week we decided to catch the Jungle Book at Lansdowne Park. We’ve been through the area a couple of times as a family, but dropping by in the middle of winter isn’t quite the same as seeing it when it’s alive with people. And it really was alive! We arrived early with plenty of time to wander. I was surprised to see patios were packed with people, the playground full of families young and old, and kids of all ages on the skateboard ramps or just hanging around.

The sun was setting so we made our way back to the theatre, where we played a four-person game of Pac-Man (I lost)…

… and the girls did a virtual high-speed tour of Spain on a motorcycle:

As for the movie? It was great. I definitely recommend Jungle Book and I am actually looking forward to seeing it again. And Lansdowne? I feel like this is a place I can get used to again.

I had a bit of an epiphany. Awhile back I wrote about my personal saga with hair colour .

The last time I had my hair coloured I opted to go with something a little closer to my natural shade. Well, that colour has since washed out to reveal the former dark blonde dye job underneath, but for the most part, er, it is blending with my natural roots that are growing in.

I was at the grocery store the other day when I spotted THREE women sporting MY natural hair colour. Three! This is a rare occurrence and I sense we are on the brink of real acceptance. (Although now that I’ve typed that out I’m not sure if I’m talking about MYSELF or Society at Large.)

At least one of them must have caught me staring. I’m sure of it.

Three women! With hair that was neither blonde nor brown! I’ve always referred to this colour as Flat Mouse but continuing to do so would be a terrible injustice to these gorgeous, confident women. From now on I will refer to it as STORMY CLOUD with streaks of lightning grey. (Or maybe platinum?)

I have decided that I need to step up and own this rare and unusual hair colour. It’s a gift. It’s who I am! Next time I am at the salon, I’m skipping the colour.

I was up early on the morning of Mother’s Day, very early. Piper woke me up around 1:30 (!) with incessant scratching, licking and gnawing sounds. She has seasonal allergies and they’re kicking in earlier and earlier every year. I got up, donned my housecoat, and went to let her out. THAT’s when I remembered that we’d just spread a yard of soil over the grass in the backyard, and THAT is when I realized it was raining.

I put Piper on a leash and guided her to a woody part of our yard that wasn’t covered in mud. I waited in the rain until she finished her business and then brought her inside to rinse off her feet.

Amazingly, Mark did not stir during any of this.

I went back to bed, only to be wakened up at 5:00 a.m. with Piper pacing around our bedroom, her nails clicking on the floor. She was clearly unhappy. I got up again, and rummaged in the bin under the sink to see if we had any of her allergy pills from last year. Hallelujah. I wrapped it in cheese and it was gone in one gulp.

I fell asleep on the couch and eventually went back to bed. Only later was I allowed to come downstairs to this:

There were lovely gifts and cards too.

Afterwards, we layered up and went to Cyclofest on Preston Street. We were going to bike there but it was too cold, so we parked and walked. There was a bike parade (which we missed), various cycling displays, and entertainment on the street.

It started to rain as we left. We stopped at Art-is-in at the City Centre to pick up a baguette (it was PACKED in there for Sunday brunch!), stopped for a few other groceries, and made our way to my in-laws. The agenda here included some hard-core newspaper reading (for me), (watching golf (for them), napping (for me), and lots of snacks (for all).

Mark BBQ’d some kebabs we picked up at Saslove’s (A+!) and we stuffed ourselves with bread and salad too. Sarah made one of my favourite desserts: a Pavlova. If you’re not familiar with this heavenly confection, just imagine layers of meringue with whipped cream and strawberries.

All in all, it was a pretty awesome day. Every Sunday should be like this!