Happy New Year!

Happy Sunday everyone! Here we are, just a few days before the beginning of a brand new year. We are expecting our first snow storm of the season on New Year's Eve. I must say that I look forward to getting a nice layer of snow in the backyard. With all the rain that we had last week, and the fluctuation in the temperatures, we have a lot of ice build up on the grass. We had to add crampons to our boots. The dog friendly salt will not melt the ice as it is too cold now.  So, here's to hoping we get a fair amount of snow to at least make it safer to walk in the backyard and on trails, for us and the pooches. The parking lots are just as icy, so is our driveway. Crazy weather!

I hope your Christmas was a good one, filled with love and joy. Ours was very nice. The ambiance was just right, the appetizers were a hit, the turkey was super moist and the pooches were a total delight. It was truly a lovely Christmas dinner and I know that both sets of parents were watching from above.

Russell caught a cold before Christmas and I got it too, on Christmas Eve. The worse of mine was actually yesterday and it's still dragging on for both of us. We haven't done much since Christmas. We went for a walk once, same with the gym. It's been quiet but that's the way it should be when you have  a cold. We've had afternoon naps and cuddles with the doggies. I can't think of better medicine.

This is my last blog of 2018. We are ready to ring in the new year and leave behind a year that brought much sadness to our family with the passing of my parents in the first few months of 2018.  I also know many people who have suffered losses this year. To all, I say our loved ones will never be forgotten and will always be in our hearts. I hope that 2019 is kinder to all of us.  On that note, my loving hubby is scheduled to get a new knee in about five weeks. Cheers to something positive that will enhance his quality of life a thousandfold.

Russell and I, and our two darlings Cooper and Spicy, wish you all a very happy New Year, filled with love, happiness and most importantly good health!

From Our Home to Yours....Happy New Year filled with
happiness, health and love.

Christmas day dinner with my nephews (Sean and James)
and Sean's girlfriend Sandrine.

Everyone captured at Christmas dinner; my sister,
brother and nephews with Sandrine - Sean's girlfriend...
Spicy and Cooper are always available for a photo.

The Christmas table set waiting for the feast and the dining
to begin.

Cooper and Spicy loving up my brother Francois...the same
way they used to do with my Father.

Spicy and Cooper think they have spotted
an elf on a shelf and are on their
best behaviour...false alarm...it was Santa on
a shelf.

Crampons on boots to aid traction in an icy backyard....
Cooper is cautious as he has "four paw drive" but it is
slippery for the pooches as well.

Merry Christmas! Joyeux Noel!

So, this is it my friends, one more sleep before the big man in the red suit makes his appearance in our homes, all over the world!

We are as ready as we'll ever be. As a matter of fact, for the past three days, I found myself doing next to nothing in the afternoons. I am either really organized or there are things that I'm forgetting to do. I have a list of "things to do" tomorrow for our Christmas dinner but it seems so small....The one thing I didn't forget to do is thaw the bird. It's a big one this year, the biggest I have ever cooked, 22 pounds of yummy Butterball turkey. We will be six for dinner and one of my nephews has a big appetite. We should have lots of leftovers, for us and the pooches. Then, I will start all over again for New Year's Day. What can I say, we love turkey and I love cooking it.

Cooper and Spicy had their Christmas bath today. Our groomer did a wonderful job, as always. They both got a really cute Christmas bow, a first for Coop. Being a male and all, we don't bother with bows but we thought that this one suited him quite nicely. Their stockings are filled with a few toys and I will add a kangaroo tendon at the last minute. The plan is for them to open their stockings on Christmas morning, a tradition that we truly cherish.

Our weather is sunny, although a bit cold. That's OK, I will take sunshine and cold anytime over rain, as we had last week. For sure, it will be a green Christmas. Montreal hasn't had one of those in quite some time. Lots of sunshine for this coming week....and the days are getting longer. It's all good!

That's my blog for today, short and sweet. The four of us wish you a wonderful Christmas. May it be filled with joy, love and laughter.

Cooper and Spicy are wishing everyone a Merry Christmas
and a Happy Healthy New Year...woof...woof!

The pooches Christmas stockings are
placed with care under the downstairs
Christmas tree.

Cooper and Spicy can't wait to get into these...the video
camera will be rolling to capture it all!

Spicy and Cooper...fresh from the groomer
sporting their festive bows...thanks to Spawsys
and Kirsten.

The Duncan family Christmas photo - our tradition. Thanks
to Erika A. Photography for the lovely photo session.
We wish you all a very Merry Christmas
and a very Happy & Healthy New Year!

T'was the week before Christmas

Happy Sunday everyone! A cloudy day for us and our snow is virtually gone. Except for a few really cold days last week, the weather has been quite mild. Yesterday, it felt like Spring as we went for our walk. Just another week to go before Christmas and I do believe that Santa will have to land his sleigh on bare roofs, at least in our area.

This past week was good and busy...what else. It seems that we have a true ability to fill our calendar with stuff...some of it is good like going to the gym and dog therapy visits but lately we seem to have more going on. If I have a 'hole' in my day, I fill it with something. I suppose it has to do with the time of year, getting ready for Christmas and all. There is always something to do or an errand to run. I must say that I skipped the gym all together last week. I didn't quite feel like working out and decided that I could use the free time to do other things. I have four classes booked this coming week and I plan on attending every single one of them. Russell has been diligent with his workouts, good for him.

Spicy and I had a full agenda last week. We visited a college in Lachine and met with many students. Spicy and two other dogs brought much joy and comfort to all prior to their exams. We also visited a retirement home and met with some residents. This time, we shared the visit with Rudy, the Labradoodle. It was fun. I include a couple of photos that I took of the dogs.

Cooper and I had our last Fun Obedience class before the Christmas break. We did a mini "fun match", which we had never done before. It was a fun class. We resume mid-January.

Today, we had Auntie Lorraine over for lunch. It was great to see her again. Cooper and Spicy got all spiffed up, with matching bow and tie. Russell managed to get a photo of the two before she arrived. Cooper didn't mind the tie at all, it was as if he was used to wearing one. Too funny. We wished we had gotten a photo of Auntie Lorraine with them.

So, this is the week before Christmas. The malls will be crazy busy, luckily I don't have to go anywhere near them. I hope this week is a good one for all of you. This time of year can be stressful and emotional, we need to be mindful of that and take time for ourselves. I leave you with a few Christmas photos and a couple from our visit at the retirement residence. The second photo below is a montage of the Christmas decorations that my siblings, nephews and I made when we were kids. My parents would always display them at this time of year. Last year, I put them all together, took a photo and had it framed for my parents. It is now a cherished memento in our home. If you look closely in the upper left corner, you can spot the ornament that I made when I was 5 years old.  That ornament is now hanging on our tree. Precious. Have a great week everyone!

The Christmas stocking are hung with care...Cooper and Spicy
know they are there!

The Christmas teddy and the montage of hand made
ornaments made by me, my siblings and nephews. We
actually love OUR DOGS!

Spicy and Cooper sporting their finest formal wear and
patiently waiting for Auntie Lorraine to arrive for
a little pre-Christmas lunch.

Spicy in her Therapy Dog vest sitting pretty
in front of the Christmas tree at the
Maywood retirement residence.

Spicy gets lavished with attention by
all the residents she meets...and she
loves them back.

Rudy the Labradoodle also visits the Maywood
 to bring happiness to all the residents.

A festive getaway

Happy Sunday everyone! I hope your Christmas preparations are going well. The weather seems to be cooperating so far, although I'm not convinced we will have a white Christmas. We have a thin layer of the white stuff and it's hanging on only because it's been cold the past few days.

Russell and I got back from our pre-Christmas getaway a few hours ago. We had a great time. It started last Wednesday after we dropped off the pooches at Camp Talemaker. To say that they were excited would be an understatement. So, we said good bye and carried on to the Windsor Arms Hotel in Yorkville. It was our first time staying at that hotel and we were not disappointed. It is a boutique hotel, only 28 rooms, very quaint and cozy, not pretentious. After a cocktail at the bar, we had dinner at Sassafraz, a fixture in Yorkville. The food was excellent and on the light side. We both had the sea bass. Yum and Yummer!

On Thursday, we had a leisurely breakfast...an egg white omelet for me. I'm on an egg white kick these days, what can I say. Totally tasty. We then went to Sherway Gardens, just for fun, and then to Sheridan Nurseries. We were looking for copper string Christmas lights and found them. We drove back to Toronto and had lunch at La Societe, another favorite of ours on Bloor Street. A typical French Bistro in the heart of uptown Toronto. That night, we had dinner at Dimmis, our all time fave restaurant, again in Yorkville. We've been going there forever, and although we do not go as frequently as we used to, the staff recognizes us. It is a small Italian trattorria, cozy and incredibly reasonable in terms of prices. We always have the same thing...a bottle of Verdicchio and a pizza (each). Simple but delicious. BUT, before going to Dimmi's, we went to the Toronto Christmas Market to take in the sights, sounds, smells and lights. It was a true feast for the senses!

Friday morning came and we left for Niagara-on-the-Lake. On our way, we made a pit stop in Vineland to have coffee with Pat, a former colleague of Russell's, dating back to the 80's. It was truly nice to get together after all these years. Over time, we have gotten to know each other more through the magic of Facebook. Quite nice actually. After coffee and yummy shortbreads, we made our way to NOTL. Our room was ready and it was as I had requested: on the main floor, no stairs, being conscious of Russell's knee. It was probably the best room we had in a long time, with a fireplace to boot!  We had lunch at the Irish Harp Pub, great lunch, too good actually. We shared a decadent spinach and artichoke dip with homemade kettle chips, to die for. My motto these days, you only live once so it's OK to splurge from time to time. That night, we had a lovely tasting menu paired with wine but on the light side with fish as the main course....so it all balances out in the end.

After a nice breakfast, and a visit from Santa who was getting ready for his parade (I truly was hoping for a pic with him), we drove to Mississauga to have lunch with a good friend and former neighbour who lost his wife in June. It was really nice to get together with Roland. We spend some good quality time catching up and it felt good. Then, we made our way back to Toronto, to the Windsor Arms Hotel for one last night. We saved our last getaway night to have dinner with good friends, George and Diane. George and I go back a long way, having been work colleagues for quite some time. A great night, as always, at Cibo Wine Bar, in Yorkville.

So, that sums up our time away. We got home in record time, a five hour drive including two pit stops for the doggies. The road conditions were perfect. Thank you Russell for driving us home safe.  Before I end this blog, I want to thank Darlah for doing such a wonderful job at shaping and thinning Cooper's legs and chest, and Spicy's feet. We do not trim their coat but at times it becomes necessary to thin and shape, especially for Cooper. She did an amazing job and we are grateful.

That's my blog for today. I may have gone overboard with the details of our trip, you can just skip over them.....or ask for more details. This week is quite busy: tomorrow, Spicy and I will visit a college in Lachine as part of our therapy dog program. Tuesday, Coop and I have our last Fun Obedience class before Christmas. It will be special and I will bring goodies for the humans. Wednesday, Spicy and I have another visit at a seniors home. Then, I have to focus on Christmas...a bit more baking, meal planning, etc. It's all good. I leave you with a few pics of our getaway. Have a great week everyone!

Russell and I in the lobby of the
Prince of Wales Hotel and their lovely
Christmas tree.

Santa Claus made a special visit to the Prince of Wales,
morning breakfast service ahead of his parade in NOTL.

The Prince of Wales Christmas tree
is splendid and fully decorated to the
maximum!

I took a moment to pose with the tree in the lobby of the
Prince of Wales.

The Christmas lights in Yorkville are amazing....Russell
captured this moment.

....more of the Christmas lights in Yorkville!

Some of the bright lights of the Toronto Christmas
Market in the Distillery District.

Cooper and Spicy enjoying quality time at
Camp Talemaker...they love it there!

Cooper sporting his freshly trimmed/shaped feet and chest...
Darlah did and amazing job!

A Christmas orchid in full bloom at Sheridan Nurseries.

Missing the sunshine

Happy Sunday to all! Another cloudy, rainy day, so much rain! I don't remember when we last saw the sun...and I miss it badly. I heard somewhere that we may see Mr. Sunshine on Tuesday. That would be nice.

All is good with us. We are getting ready for Christmas. Our trees are up and I got a good head start on the baking. Most of it is in the freezer and will remain there until a few days before Christmas....otherwise, I would have to start all over again! I still have a few things to bake but I will do so when we return from Toronto. I had forgotten how time consuming baking is...probably more so because I'm a super neat baker....I like to clean up as I go, I can't stand a mess in the kitchen. That's just me, what can I say. Russell graciously tasted a few cookies and gave me the thumbs up. Much appreciated honey!

This past week was good and busy. Last Monday, Spicy and I visited the students at John Abbott College. It was our first time visiting students and it was an amazing and rewarding experience. There were six therapy dogs and I'm guessing over 80 students. Spicy and the other five dogs gave the students much needed love and comfort, ahead of the year end exams. We wished them well and hope to see them again in the Spring. We will be visiting another college on December 10th. We look forward to it.

On Wednesday, I had an unexpected visit at the dentist. Last Sunday night, I lost of small piece of a crown. Lucky for me, my dentist was available for an emergency appointment at 7:20 am Wednesday. As I suspected, I need to have the crown replaced. I was quite anxious about the appointment due to my jaw issues but all went well. I now have a temporary crown for two weeks. It's all good except for the cost LOL!

Russell and I are looking forward to this coming week. We are off to Toronto and Niagara-on-the-Lake, a yearly pre-Christmas getaway. We are looking forward to both some alone time and meeting up with friends. It will be a busy getaway but a good one, filled with new memories that we will make. Our two pooches will be spending their time at Camp Talemaker. Lots of fun!

That's my blog for today. I wish you all a wonderful week!

Doggie corner on the Christmas tree...
ornaments collected since our return
to Montreal.

The Family spot on the tree....love to decorate the tree with
unique and meaningful ornaments.

An old fashioned ceramic Christmas tree graces the
cinema room downstairs.

A festive selection of part of my baking...Russell asked if
this was his portion or Santa's?

Spicy and Cooper, wet from the rain,  keep a keen watch on the baking...
hopeful for a few crumbs...not likely on my watch.