Friday the 13th

I actually have nothing to contribute to the superstition that is Friday the 13th, but I thought it was high time I posted again. I think by now my regular followers know that I frequently lose my mojo and disappear for days or weeks at a time, but I do like to post an update before everyone forgets all about me, and Friday the 13th seemed like a fitting day to reappear from the dead.

To start with, I've been reading a very interesting book called Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl. I assumed this book would be much like all the other self-help-for-your-most-superficial-closet-related-problems kind of book (and for the record, I love those books), but it is actually very much not what I expected. It's what I'd call half-fun, half-philosophy. The ideas in this silly-looking little book are actually quite challenging. The author deconstructs the lifestyle of the French and ends up presenting her reader with such a common-sense approach to life that I'm kind of left wondering how we here in North America could've possibly missed something so obvious. It's really gotten me thinking about how we rush through life here, missing all the beauty and joy in small things, bombarding ourselves with so much choice that we're overwhelmed, and stressing out over the mountains of "stuff" we own, instead of surrounding ourselves with a few things we really, really love. Who'd have thought that a bargain book in the "beauty and grooming" section could be so thought-provoking?

I have also been deeply immersed in my August photo project. And when I say "deeply immersed", I mean I've been snapping shots of everything from the potted plants to my kids in silly poses between trying to clear the kitchen counters of all the fruits and vegetables that have started coming in at lightning speed. Our recent heatwave, and lack of proper air-conditioning, have made it all a little painful. Here are some highlights:

The aforementioned heatwave. I love how kids can take something we find miserable and turn it into an opportunity for fun.

Anakin is getting big, and now interacting semi-appropriately with the dogs.

The Captain has been home on summer leave for a couple of weeks, so we've been drinking his proper home-roasted coffee every morning.

Doesn't this old Eaton's catalogue house have character? My neighbour and I took her kids and Firstborn to her parents' place for a swim yesterday afternoon and I got a few shots of this old house. Unfortunately, it's no longer fit for living in, so they built themselves a new place on the property and will be having this one torn down. Between the loss of all the old buildings and the Enid Blyton books being updated for a more modern audience (What?!! The kids don't exclaim "Rather!" and "I'm jolly confused!" anymore?!!), in 100 years, I wonder if there'll be any evidence of the past left.

And on that very depressing note (Way to go, Captain Killjoy!), Happy Friday the 13th!