MIND(ING) THE GAP: 2015

Greetings of peace, love and light at Christmas to all our family and friends. We've had another epic year with fantastic travel, food and friends. We have so many reasons for gratitude this year, and every year as we live in abundance of not just material things but the love our our family and friends. There really is a pot of gold at the other side of the rainbow - watch for it.

We kicked off the year in Paris, with my cousin Jean-Francois, Rozita, and their daughters, Shadie & Shirine. My parents visited at Easter and we hopped over to Ireland searching for leprechauns. Catherine and Joseph got acquainted with Joseph's "homeland" in May. The spring saw the Mariano's visit again and we attended Alaina's graduation from Sandhurst. Marissa, Chantal and her daughter, C, joined us during the summer. Sylvie and Anna had a gastronomic tour of London this autumn. Jasmine had a quick stop-over. Karen-Anne joined us again this October. Did I miss anyone? To date, we've had 41 visitors and I lost count after 110 overnight stays- the equivalent of having someone every weekend we've been in the UK.

Le gai Paris - starting 2015 off right!

Am I happy because the Eiffel tower
is growing out of my head
or just because this is an awesome place to be?

Yeah, this is pretty cool

And I'm looking the part, cheri.

Vee are zo chic, non? Rozita & Shirine

Beating the Winter Blues

Seeing that our original February break plans didn't quite work out for us ... (see Turkish Delight meets Midnight Express)... we adapted and overcame - with food and drink of course.

Proving that simple fresh ingredients like really good bread, perfectly ripe avocados, smoked salmon, fennel and some greens can taste like spring on a plate. So light and healthy. It was a well intentioned start....

...until we hit British traditional pub fare...

Beer... roast dinner...You going to eat that?

The Royal Standard, where they shot of a scene for The Theory of Everything.

Then there was carnage in Brighton....

Do you think my butt will look fat after all this?

We celebrated a Happy Birthday to Liz

The Trooping of the Colour is Queen Elizabeth's annual big bash celebrating her birthday. Again, another perk of living in London as ex-pats and being fortunate to get tickets to the event.

All the ~~Kings~~ Queen's men and all the Queen's horses worked on putting Humpty Dumpty back together again.

Here comes the Queen!!

The Birthday Girl!

When I grow up... and up...

Even Tall Girl looks short!

Hey, he cracked a smile. Think he'll lend me his lid?

Hey, give that back before I get in trouble!

So this is how models do it - and make it look like they're not really freezing.

When in Rome do as the Romans. Or when in England do like a Londoner and go for tea. This warmed us up!

Partners in crime, Michelle and Delisa... waiting for the Champs

Just saying, ... back when I was a little girl

Oh, the lavender shortbreads...

E got adopted...

...but we lost her along the way. Can you find A & E? Even the detectives will have a hard time

The Luck of the Irish

My parents' visit over the pond included a hop to Ireland where the first Dublin stop was the pub... well the brewery... the Guinness Store House.

Don & Fern angling for a beer

What can I get you?

I think this is larger than a pint?

Christchurch, Dublin

Kilmainham Gaol

Kilmainham Gaol is probably one of the most important Irish monuments as representative in the struggle for Irish independence. In operation from 1796 to 1924, it is where almost every significant Irish nationalist leader was imprisioned.

The head guard at the prison, Edmund Wellisha, was convicted of undernourishing prisoners in support of the rebellion.

The English Market in Cork - lots of good food in that town

If you don't mind it looking at you

...chasing its tail...

or, talking to you...waste not want not. Irish humour.

The English probably don't want to admit this, but the Irish scones are way better.

Psst, can you hear them?

Make it stop! They keep singing Molly Malone!

Leprechauns are everywhere

My Downton Abbey look. Is it working for me?

Climbing the walls at Ross Castle

Look, we match.

Are we in Cape Breton or Ireland?

You're kidding me?

Are you sure we're not just in Antigonish?

Guess the sheep are the tip off that we're in Ireland and not Nova Scotia...

...plus the fact they haven't super-secured the scenic views for dumb tourists

Yup, no railings, straight dowwwwwn

Hey, Grampy, do you think Mom really thinks this is true?

Well, E, I'd say you could add beer to that list.
Just look at how happy I am.

As long as there is good food to go with it!

Sorry, they won't come out for pictures.

Let's go find that pot of gold!

There's a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

With precious time left until returning to Canada this summer, we're still attempting to inject some European culture and class into our colonial ways...

So we tried by dressing up...

Keep trying Stephen...

Yeah, that's better....

And we thought James Bond just had Bond-Girls! Here are the Bond-Boys!

...we ate fancy food...

I can't leave out the fanciest epic meal (yes, everything is epic in London) at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay that Sylvie and Anna treated me.

Truffled buns

Lamb 3 ways

White chocolate strawberry ice cream balls on dry ice, elderflower jelly and salted caramel chocolate...
Should I be put on the firing line, I want to eat here as my last meal

...E sang with the school choir at Royal Albert Hall...

...we went to the ballet...

We so posh!

Swan Lake -extraordinary

...and to a play...

Michelle & Delisa

...sighted Nicole Kidman at Photograph 51

Met VIPs....

Adrian's charmed life while Cinderella stayed home... Did I also mention that he met Prince Charles last year? Did I mention our privileged life here in London?

Prime Minister Trudeau at Canada House London with CFSUE UK staff

But sometimes you just can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and regress back to our philistine ways...

And what are you looking at?

I saw that...

...ending up in the Paddy Wagon.

No worry, just a minor infraction.

We went visiting....

Hill and dale....

Castles....

Warwick Castle

Another planet's flora...

Freaky flowers at Kew Gardens

No. These are not kiddie pools - they're real lily pads for mutant giant frogs

Can we launch off these lily pads?

I went home and took the advice.

We visited friends....

Norma's family in Germany

Enjoying Belgian beer with Anton

En compagne avec Sylvie et Jose

Les Richieros en France

The amazing tea Emma laid out. We were so delighted with it that we forgot to take pictures of the Evanson-Goddard family!

We wish Rob & Judith would invite us to more parties but realize
that their house insurance might not cover the risk. Fortunately, only hot dogs were hurt in the blaze.