We’re in a real superhero phase here. Our suitcase has become Mission Headquarters, complete with a mission control panel that is basically a paper with a bunch of buttons drawn on it and the various words I was asked to write on them. Find Bad Guys. Get Bad Guys. Look for Crows. Measure Something. Eat a Little Tomato (to fuel up, obviously). And of course, Mission Complete. On joint missions, I have to stand in the closet until I’m told to come out and get my instructions (which are essentially the same as the ones listed with the addition of Make Me a Snack).
Today’s superhero name? Unicorn H Popcornmaker. It’s unclear what the H is for.
While on our visit home I promised Thomas we would go to the CN Tower. As soon as the words were out of my mouth I immediately regretted them because I fast realized that just going and looking at the tower, safely from the ground, would somehow not be enough. We were going to have to go up it. And I am terrified of heights. Now, I will be honest and say that there have been times that I`ve been able to get away with not doing something, for example going to the Capilano Suspension Bridge, by pretending that there is a sign that says that its closed that day (a trick that I obviously picked up from my dad who admitted to me some years ago that when I was little and I wanted to go to a nearby park and he didn`t, we would leave the house and he would pretend to peer into the distance and would say “Oh dear! The big kids are on all the swings! Oh, nevermind. We`ll go another time.” Truth was, you couldn`t actually see the park from where we were. So mean)
Anyway, I knew that this was something that we really should do so I gathered my courage and headed for the elevators before I could back out. I planned on also holding my breath to stop myself from bursting out in nervous, hysterical laughter, but then the announcer said the ride up would take close to two minutes BECAUSE OF THE HIGH WINDS (ahhhhhhhh!). I was trying really hard to pretend that I was loving the whole thing and pinned this terrible forced grin on my face. I think I was pretty successful…….
Thomas: Mum! Look! Look down to the ground! We`re SOOOOO high up! Look!
Me: Oh, I am! I am! Yes, very high! Very high indeed! What fun!
Thomas: No, really look!
Me: I am!
Thomas: But you`ve had your eyes closed all the time. How can you see?
Me: I just can, alright. Just look out the window.
All fun and excitement from the ground
So, you`re sure you don`t want to just see it from this parking lot?
gulp!
Okay, that`s it! You`ve seen the tower! Let`s go home! What? UP the tower? Errr….well…..
Hello CBC!
Hello massive hail storm blowing in off the lake and blowing RIGHT OVER US
Andrew has this habit of chalking things up to “being a farm boy at heart” because he “grew up on the prairies” in Saskatchewan. The reality is that he grew up in one of the biggest cities there (maybe the biggest city? the capital city? errrgh, I didn`t really pay attention in geography), Regina, and he pretty much saw the inside of a farm on grade school field trips and spent the remainder of his youth playing video games and hanging out at Manchu Wok in the mall like all other, non-agrarian, Canadian kids. Thomas will have just as much right to the phrase “farm boy at heart” as his father after his three hour adventure to Riverdale Farm in Toronto this past weekend. I sense that this would be Andrew`s kind of farm, smack dab in the middle of a big city with a Starbuck`s within walking distance. Seriously though, it was this amazing space in Cabbagetown that made you feel like you were`t in the city and we had such a great day there. And here`s a whole lotta pictures to prove it!
The windmill. Clearly.
Chickery Dickery Doc.
A very mean Turkey. I`m glad there was a fence between us and his beady little eyes
Jemimah Puddleduck and friends
This was the cutest thing ever: the mama would stick her head through this gap and call to her kids……..
…..who would come over all “What mom? I`m busy”
We were getting the real stink eye from this cow.
If Henry had his way, he would have been in the pen with the goats
Mendin`fences
Being wistful
I liked this little creature the best. We were allowed to pet him and feed him. We took this one home.
While the circumstances of my spontaneous visit home to Ontario were not ideal (if dad really wanted a visit he didn’t have to go to such extremes as having emergency open heart surgery) it has turned out to be a really lovely time at home with my family. We’ve had some amazing sunny days and lots of time with cousins and at the beach, the park, out for bikes rides and eating our weight in ice cream in Port Dalhousie.
Building the Taj Mahal
Being a crab
Bonding over a shared love of toast with marmite
cousin Bronwyn, 2 going on 22.
The only smile I ever managed out of my nephew Gethyn, who was otherwise wary of me for the whole visit.
Sunset walks to the lake
Very pretty
Beachcombers!
Mum and T
Hiking the Green Ribbon Trail. Walking stick in hand
“Mum? Can I poke at birds and stuff with this?” Ummmm, no David Suzuki, you may not.
A little game called “spot the frog”
“Mum, I’m fishing for water here” He was far more successful than I’ve ever been at fishing for fish.
With dad home and well, back to his baseline and joking that he really did all this just to get the free membership at the YMCA for rehab (always hated to pay membership fees, that cheapskate), we managed to make a not so great trip home, into a great visit.
As I write this, my amazing dad, is recovering from emergency bypass surgery. I am so thankful to my equally amazing mum for acting so fast so that he is where he is. Yesterday, after running the gamut of feeling terrified, anxious, relieved, thankful, etc, just when I thought my own heart couldn’t possibly take any more, Thomas came home from daycare with this picture that he drew
Have you seen The Fantastic Mr. Fox yet? You MUST! It is the best. I actually saw it when it first came out and I was nine months pregnant with Mr. T (Thomas, I mean) and Andrew and I went on this epic Christmas Day walk that ended up being 4 1/2 hours in total but had a nice little movie break in the middle. Anyway, I LOOOOVED the book and the movie, for once, did the book justice. Ever since, I have really wanted Thomas to have a little fox toy of some sort but I could never quite find what I was looking for so…… I made this guy….
The hipster fox, complete with an infinity cowl as they`re all the rage.
I love this guy! I used a pattern for the head but then winged it for the rest of him because I was picturing a fox with long, spangly limbs. As I was making the long, skinny legs I was thinking about hipster guys with their skinny jeans but because I have no idea how to even begin crocheting skinny jeans, I decided to give this hipster guy an infinity cowl instead. Why a cowl you are undoubtedly asking your collective selves? Well, yesterday at Meinhardt`s (over priced fancy grocery store that sells DE-LISH-US macaroons) I was sort of blankly staring at the person in front of me, admiring their cowl and figuring out how I could make up a pattern for the same when the person turned and….ohhh, hello SIR, I like your man-cowl. So you`re wearing cowls now are you boys? Alrighty then, hipster fox with a cowl it shall be.
Of course, no hipster photo op would be complete without the requisite old-timey moustache pic……
I`m a crafty fox, seeee. And I got this stach, seeee. (read that in an old timey villain voice)
And if the fox is going to do it…..
Mwaaaa haaaa haaaa!
We then headed out for the day and, of course, we took foxy with us for some city adventures. (note: my apologies for the poor quality of many of my photos lately – I`ve been taking lots of pics with my iphone which just don`t look as nice when inserted here.) Every time I tried to get a pic of Thomas and Foxy, Thomas would turn Foxy to look at him so there were a lot of shots of Foxy`s tail in different parts of the city.
Dudes
It was an exhausting, but fun, afternoon. Sullied only by a brief pit-stop at the doctor`s to find that I have strep throat, booooo. Nothing that a hot tea (and antibiotics) won`t cure.
Foxy had a latte. Skinny, obv.
Later, I made a mini-foxy to mail to a friend. I`ll post a tutorial for the little guy this weekend some time. Here are a few pics of Foxy and his little friend and of mini-fox, staring out at the rainy day and wishing he could have a city adventure like Foxy did. Sigh Some other time mini-fox.
Buddies!
I should have crocheted a tiny tear for his little cheek
