10/52

"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013."

the 52 project: 10/52.

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It's been a full week with photo shoots, potty training info sessions, Butterfly Feet, Gracie exploring in and around Lynn Headwaters, hiking to Quarry Rock with little friends and running at Jericho Beach. A little refuel session: green smoothie in hand, engaged in her favourite pastime - looking for Tod, the King of the neighbourhood cats.

Such a naked, simple love sometimes...

"No, no Monty - get your own smoothie."

voices of the earth

Awe inspiring birdsong at Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. 

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"Some kids don't want to be organized all the time. They want to let their imaginations run; they want to see where a stream of water takes them." // Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods (2005)

Sometimes it feels like the whole world is blooming around me, with Gracie at the core. Sometimes, I want to be unorganized - to let the blooming seep in. Today I felt it, the flourishing, as we drifted through dappled sun, listening to the voices of the earth: the roar of Lynn Creek; the whistle of gentle wind; birdsong so perfectly consistent with our experience we had to tell ourselves to hear it. 

Gracie's world: blooming, new, beautiful, humbling. 

Tiny petals, frozen fingers holding snowmelt, wet rocks flying into the creek, skip, skip, skipping along the river's edge with a dear friend - these are a few of the things I will remember about today.  

May we live in the forest for all of our days.

good times with the visitor

Cat-sitting = good times for Gracie. 

vinaigrette to salivate over

eating green in 2013: very green vinaigrette, recipe found here. 

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simply. more. green.

Everyone ought to have at least one "nutrition nut" friend in their lives. For me, that friend is Freya Kristensen*, the author of the blog Baboon Reviews. In my experience nutrition nuts, Freya being no exception, often bring not only the best food to dinner parties, but also food that is fresh and unfamiliar. This past Saturday Freya shared this vinaigrette with myself, Sean and a handful of friends, leaving me itching to whip up a batch as I too am incredibly bored with the basic olive oil/balsamic vinegar mix (see Freya's blog post). The "Very Green Vinaigrette" is a brilliant dressing, the agave nectar perfectly balancing the tang of the dijon mustard. In addition, adding this dressing to an already green salad is a clever way to consume a variety of green herbs (rosemary, parsley, and tarragon for example). G and I shared an all green salad for lunch today, but this dressing was all mine, all mine!

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*Freya, we truly like and appreciate you for more than just your prowess with healthy food, for example, we love your desserts too (ha)!

All green lunch, devoured. 

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{**I'm experimenting with a new image size, hope you like it!**}

spring: so close now

Bits and pieces of what's currently growing outside... Spring is so close now! Signs of renewal, a hopeful attitude, and loads of seasonal local produce (spinach, asparagus, rhubarb, and radish) are symbolic of spring for me. Looking forward to longer, brighter days, riding with the baby in her bike seat, afternoons by the ocean with Monty, making my first foray into foraging, planting a small herb garden and perhaps a road trip or two.

Hurry hard spring!

9/52

"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013."

the 52 project: 9/52.

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We spent the whole week waiting for sunny skies and warmth, hence when it finally happened (the sun shone!) we headed straight for the hills. Friends and family gathered at Mt. Seymour this morning for a deliberately slow-paced snowshoe to Dog Mountain. Gracie continues to fear snow, but seems to forget how scary the white stuff is if she has a cookie in hand, happily having "a sit" (as she says), protecting her goods from any smart and crafty ravens who may be lurking about.

A bluebird sky, snow melt dripping from old growth Douglas-fir, the sound of Gracie singing as we trekked down from the peak, ravens the size of beavers - these are a few of the things I will remember about this day. 

Hello! 

saturday coffee

Saturday coffee with Uncle Fun. 

Happy Saturday, friends. Hope you're staying dry!