weekend delights

My neighbourhood Roman Catholic church, Église Saint-Édouard in the borrough of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie. I love living so close to such a grand church. I find the sound of the bells to be oddly comforting and grounding // La chocolatine (also known as pain au chocolat) is my all-time favourite Montreal pastry. It would not be a stretch to say that I live for the chocolatine. I often eat several a week.

A display of vintage hand wall hooks at Style LABO, an incredible vintage boutique in Montreal's Mile End that features an impressive, carefully curated collection of antique furnishings, objets d'art, and curiosities. It can often be expensive, but some of the finds are so unique and intriguing that they are worth indulging in. I took home one of the smallest hand hooks and am already thinking about creatie ways to put it to use // My Sunday night bedside reading. I picked up the Penguin's "Great Ideas" edition of Virginia Woolf's A Room of One's Own on a whim from Libraire Drawn & Quarterly this weekend, my favourite Montreal independant bookstore. It is such a wonderful read. 

Andrew sent me a few photos of life in Laurentian Valley this weekend as the first signs of Spring emerged (the snow has finally melted!). As everything is slowly coming back to life, the backyard has been overflowing with a variety of species of birds (which has put Hunter into a craze) and he managed to capture snapshots of a few, including one of my favourites, the Morning Dove (left), as well as a Red Wing Black Bird (right). I wish I could spend Spring in the country this year and awake to bird songs and fresh crisp air every morning, but at least I will get to visit in a couple weeks and I will be able to spend the summer there. For now, my mornings are welcomed by pigeons in the back of my Montreal apartment and broken sunrises over the buildings and through the tree tops.

weekend delights

reading for my train ride // friday night snowstorm on our drive into Ottawa

glimpse of some goodies from the forthcoming nova lily porcelain series // mimosas at Sunday brunch

view of the winter landscape through the train window (somewhere in Quebec) // new Kamik rubber boots (made in Canada and 100% recyclable!) that andrew got me for spring

lovely little vintage short-sleeved sweater find in Montreal // maple pear crepe with ricotta and a side of fresh fruit, also at Sunday brunch

we're back from our weekend run into the city (me to Montreal; andrew & glasgow to Ottawa, where i met up with them again on Sunday afternoon). it went SO fast. a little too fast, but it's nice to be back in Laurentian Valley where life is cozier and much slower. i've grown so used to small-town, country living that going back to the city is somehwhat jarring. not only do i feel out of place even as i blend in, adapting to the movement and attitude of the city (which also saddens me, how immediately the city changes your state of mind and way of being), but i have become extremely sensitive to the smells! the city really does stink. the air is thick and heavy and so much harder to breathe. that being said, i also love so much of what the city has to offer: art, culture, food, shopping, education, etc. it's a love/hate relationship, i suppose. and i definitely feel myself changing as i am getting older and embracing small-town life. i didn't take too many photos over the weekend, but the few that i did seem to capture slowness rather than speed.

i won't be too active here on the blog this week as i dive into writing my comps, although i'm sure i will make some brief appearances for a breath of fresh air or change of pace. in the meantime, you can always find me on twitter and please do have a wonderful week!

weekend in the city

i am making a quick jaunt to Montreal this weekend, primarily to gather library books that i need to write my comps. andrew is taking me to Ottawa this evening so that i can catch the train, where he will spend the weekend catching up with old friends. although it will be a quick in and out, i am hoping to find time to visit some of my favourite shops and stock up on a few of the delightful things the city has to offer.

i love this colourful and quirky map of the city from Issue 6 of Pure Green Magazine, illustrated by Bess Callard of the English Muffin. my apartment is pretty much between the Mile End cup of coffee and the Petite Italie flag at the top right of the map, in what i would argue is one of the city's best neighbourhoods.

have a wonderful weekend, friends!

a print version of the Illustrated Map of Montréal is available here.

39 - montreal spice station

last weekend i finally checked out the new Spice Station in Montreal's mile end neighbourhood, right next door to one of my favourite local shops, Arterie Boutique & Friperie (how can i not love it? we do, afterall, share the same artful name!). the gourmet shop, which originated in Silver Lake, California, offers a stunning array of carefully selected and blended herbs, spices, chiles, salts, sugars, and teas from around the world, displayed in large apothecary jars on floor-to-ceiling shelves made from relcaimed wood. warm and inviting, the mix of colours, textures, and aromas tantalizes the senses and opens up a world of possibilities.

i came home with only a small selection based primarily on what we were preparing for dinner: whole pink peppercorns, first friday fish blend (a fish seasoning made with organic dill pollen), cinnamon sugar, and sherwood forest herbal tea.

but i am eager to try some of their chiles (there were so many to choose from!), whole black lime, harissa blend, himalayan pink salt, bali coconut lime salt, french lavender, sassafras leaves (used to make root beer), cinnamon saigon, raspberry sugar, and bourbon vanilla rooibos bush tea, among so many others.

or how about this cooking with Julia quintessential french spice and herb set? it would make a wonderful gift, but is also a great way to get your Julia on!

sigh, i think i'm in culinary heaven. and if i've wet your appetite, you can order almost any of these and other delights from the Spice Station website.