Rub a little Solstice on it...

So I have written this post a total of three times in the past two days. For whatever reason the computer Gods are frowning on me - not allowing me to publish the finished post. 
This was going to be a post about Solstice, and all the peace and love and sunshine that goes with it. 
That was then. I ain't gonna lie people - if I am not allowed to publish this - the fourth, (and final) time, all the good karmic energy I have collected over the past week will evaporate. Leaving me no choice but to high kick this computer down the back ravine, perhaps setting it on fire first...you know, for good measure and to teach it a lesson.


Deeeeeeeeeeepbreathslookingformyhappyplacewhereisitwhereisit? - here goes...


Frustration aside Solstice was lovely. We spent it with the Get Bent Records family and their friends at the Bent Family Summer Solstice Celebration. An annual event held at the "R Farm". A local farm with acres of fields, ponds, and wooded areas (that they are lovely enough to share). It was a day filled with music and art and all over good vibes. From noon until midnight an impressive roster of bands played. A large open field made the perfect setting to throw down a blanket and take in the day. A creek wound itself around the back of the stage, providing shade and much needed cooling off throughout the day. Old and young, kids and dogs, all hung out together enjoying each others company and the music. 


I was fortunate enough to be asked to help decorate the venue, and I always jump at the chance to lipstick and rouge...even in the wild.


Here are some shots of the days leading up to the event, and the event itself.

The stage before...

The inspiration...

The process...

Then it started to get a bit Hippy Blair Witch Project...

The usual sidekicks...

The day of...time to enjoy...

This truly was the most enjoyable outdoor festival I have ever been to. The perfect way to kick off the summer season. Check out the Get Bent Records website for a complete list of who played and perhaps find yourself a new favourite band (that Cry Wolf song is on heavy rotation here at the house). Bradleyboy has a new cd out which you should definitely give a listen too. And check out my husband Paul's blog post about the day...Georgia shaking it with Meghan from The Stone Sparrows to Bradleyboy playing live...Solstice personified.


Hopefully see you next year...peace and love xo

Pants are for suckers...

It has been awhile since my last post, but after spending months moaning about the weather and threatening a head in the oven (mine), I have been out soaking up every ounce of the good stuff. Finally the sun has made an appearance, and it will most likely be a few weeks before we all start complaining about how hot it is. Until then we are going to enjoy our first summer in the country. 
The kids have a big yard with a creek full of fish running around the back of it. We have tackled the back yard, and it promises to be an epic battle between my sheer will and the will of a few decades of weeds run rampant. I have always moved into places with well established perennial beds, so this is a bit of a challenge. Planting a garden with two three year olds is also proving to be a challenge. Both have inherited my "more is more" outlook on life, so planting involves me going behind them and digging out the fistful of seeds shoved in each tiny hole. It also involves me agreeing that their new "best friend" of an earth worm/frog/toad is indeed beautiful, but no, mama would not like to hold him. I found Shep the other day watching television, holding up a garden slug so it too could enjoy the brilliance that is the Backyardigans. 
I don't think the slug was very impressed.
So, to catch up - a few shots of the past month out here in Orono. Digging, planting and fence building (Paul did it all by himself). A first fish, and a first dance recital (note the bug bites, (did I mention that there are a ridiculous amount of insects in the country?!).
And last but not least, Frannie. Francis was our cat for the past decade. She enjoyed sleeping and eating and snuggling. I found her as a kitten in Kensington Market and thought she would be a great gift for my then friend Paul. We ended up married and she ended up mine. Francis loved it out here and was very happy with our decision to move out of the city. 
Sadly she was killed by a dog last week. This was the last picture I took of her, sleeping in the clean towel basket.
Happy with the sad, luckily much much more of the former. We buried Fran out back and will spend the next few weeks, in shorts, planting beautiful perennials all around her. xo

RIP frannie xo.