SUN, WHERE ART THOU ?

If it`s not out there, it`s in our hearts right ?
So what if the weather is crappy.

The question these days is not if it`s going to rain today but WHEN is it going to rain today .

But hey, the summer is young.

Does it prevent us from going with the regular summer programming? Heck no.

As I am writing this our beloved Maryna, is in Trois-Rivieres and will soon be leaving our Belle Province to return home.

Before she left, she came over for a last German meal .

It was delicious , to say the least.

Fortunately, she taught Pierre and me how to do it .

She even gave us the special cooking equipment to do it again.

We shall, trust me.

Maryna, bless her heart, made sure that Pierre knew exactly how to do it, since she knows that cooking and me don`t get along.

Ask my kids.

Félix once said in front of a lot of people : " When mommy cooks, the smoke detector always go off ! "

He was dead serious.

But Pierre is there right ?

And when he`s not there ?

293-6900 : Théo Pizza

or left-overs.

And that is why I have initiated Rosie to the fine art of cooking since she was 3 years old.

We make dessert together all the time.

What a great way to learn.

In a few years, Pierre will teach her the rest.

She ain`t gonna be handicapped like Momma this one !

Anyway, back to Maryna.

The meal was friggin`delicious and as usual , we ate too much.

Maryna had the hiccups for about an hour.

There are two mottos at my house:

#1- After 5 minutes at my house, you are no longer a guest, you want something, go get it.

#2- You ain`t leaving this house hungry!

Marie-Luce showed up at around 8:30 and my kids were ecstatic!

We had coffee and talked for hours when Félix Mailly showed up too.

He was returning Marie-Luce`s stuff he " stole " from her car.

" That`ll teach her not to leave her car windows open " he says.

Thing is, Marie-Luce never noticed stuff was gone until he had to tell her at the prom.

In the stuff he brought back, was a genuine pink sheep wool blanket from New Zealand.

I didn`t know there were pink sheep in New Zealand ?

Seriously, the cutest and softest thing ever .

A gift from her grandma, Marie-Luce said.

We had coffee and herbal tea while Pierre ( to Félix, Marie and Maryna`s request ), came up with HIS yearbook from 1984 !

Pierre attended Le Séminaire St.Josephe in Trois-Rivieres at the time.

I attended St.Patrick School a few streets away and we would meet for lunch at the Parc Des Pins.

Sooooo romantic .

Don`t know why the kids thought it was funny.

I was quick to tell them that Pierre had flushed me the year after, a month BEFORE my prom !

And look closely at Pierre `s pedigree, he had MY name under LOVE of his life that he eventually scratched off with a pen ( after one of our numerous break-ups ) !!

Suffice to say, we laughed a little.

I tearfully drove Maryna home since it would be the last time we would see each other.

I was leaving for Ottawa the next day for 4 days.

By that time, she`d be gone.

I gave her a matching ring.

I have the same one so it would remind me of her.

She gave me my favorite : Marzipan chocolate ( I LOOOOOOVE Marzipan ! )

and the sweetest, nicest letter anyone has ever written me.

I already miss her.

And so the next day, we wake up early and at 9:00 a.m, we`re set to go.

First, we need to go to Steve Lacerte`s house, Maryna forgot some stuff at my place .

I was hoping to see her one last time but she was gone at the hairdresser`s with Josée.

We talk with Steve, then we stop at my sister`s house which is just a few houses away.

A quick stop we say, we`re an hour late already!

I ask Caro to feed my cat, give her my key, last bathroom pitstop and off we go .

It`s 11:00 a.m !

Ottawa, here we go !

And what a stay it was.

Strawberry picking, cuddling, Sex And The City movie in English ( again )for Nadia and me.

And GUITAR HERO !

My sister and my brother-in-law ( TonTon Sébas ) initiated us to the game and we were ALL instantly addicted to it .

My sister and I played 8 hours straight one night with the guys : girls against the guys.

We had 2 guitars so it was perfect.

I want this game !

It`s an addiction!

We also bought the usual German sausages and cold cuts we find at the Ottawa market : a German deli with the best food and dessert imaginable.

I got my Marzipan too, of course.

And next thing you now, it`s time to go.

Boohoo.

I `ll see my sister in 10 days since we`re going to our traditional 3 days in the cabin far in the woods annual trip.

It wouldn`t be summer without that.

We`re usually just the 3 sisters but since Caro is doing major reno`s on her house, we`ll be 4 : Nad, Line( her best bud), Katherine Bourgeois ( ma grande noir ) and me.

It shouldn`t be boring, to say the least.

I`ll get to see Nadia start a fire in the pouring rain.

I call her the Fire Guruof the night.

She can start a fire under ANY weather conditions.

It`s like snapping her fingers , it`s that easy.

I swear , I`m filming it this year !

Aaaah, the woods, :the lake,the food,the magazines to read without any interruption, no phone, no electricity, no t.v, no music, no kids, no men.......pure bliss.

Every year, I tell Pierre to put my face on the milk carton just in case I don`t wanna come home.

In conclusion, here are pics of our vacation so far :

This is delicious !

Aaaaaaaaah!

Strawberry picking in Gatineau : every time Félix saw a bunch of strawberries, he`d yell :"Jackpot ". Too funny.

As you can see, Rosie had tested a few strawberries to make sure they were ripe.

What a great way to spend an afternoon.

Strawberry fields forever.

This is the view from the terrace where you can eat fantastic ice cream as a reward for a grreat harvest. It`s right next to the strawbwerry field.

Ice cream and strawberries MMMMMMM.

Thank you Matante Guidi for the ice cream and the coffee !

Our 2 bitches sharing lunch : Baileys and Maggie.

No, that is not a beer can in Rosie`s hand. They`re just 2 kids waiting for mom to give the green light to play guitar hero. " Can we play now mom ? Can we play now ? "
Give this girl a guitar and she`s thrilled to the gills.
My guitar heroes.


It may not look like it, but we are having a wonderful time ! We take our fun seriously.
Next step, I`m getting a tattoo.

¸Tata

Annie xx