Flotsam and Jetsam

Blasting Off: My Camino Finally Begins

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Mon, 11 May 2015 20:08:00 +0000

I took this photo a couple of days ago, just outside my house. I can't imagine a more auspicious image to share right now, for I'm leaving tonight for Europe. I will spend 6 weeks on an adventure I've planned for the past several months but dreamed about off and on since the '90s: I'm walking the Camino de Santiago, 800 kms from St. Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de Compostella, Spain.

I'm equal parts excited and terrified. I haven't given myself a physical challenge since the Momar in 2004, and because I turned 50 this year I wanted to see if I still have what it takes to complete an endurance event. I know I can walk 20 kms in a day, but can I do it EVERY day for a month?

There are other reasons, too. The Camino is a pilgrimage. I have some big questions for myself that I haven't been able to answer at home in my own space. I'm also open to whatever the Camino has to teach me ... as long as it's not tooooo painful!

For the first time in ages, I'll be traveling alone. I'm going solo in order to get the most out of the internal journey. Rajeev didn't want to walk 800 kms anyway, and he had work contracts keeping him home. It seemed like a good time for me to block off 6 weeks in my freelance schedule and take off. Who knows when I'll have this opportunity again?

So you see, for a whole lot of reasons (most of which I haven't even shared yet), the Camino is calling me NOW.

I've been training for months. My left foot has recently developed some heel/arch pain, so I'm nervous about how walking 20 kms a day will affect it. However, I know that pilgrims of all ages walk the Camino every day of the year. I'm fairly fit compared to most. I'm going to take it slow and steady, just like I ran marathons. My goal is to finish in 40 days. If I have to take some days off to rest, I can always take a bus or train to catch up.

I'll share to Facebook and Instagram when I feel like it, but I'm not pressuring myself to document this journey in great digital detail.

Wish me luck! See y'all on the other side!

Animal Updates

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Thu, 16 Apr 2015 18:13:00 +0000

We have the most amazing cat-sitter. Not only does she take excellent care of our home and animals while we're away, but she sends entertaining email updates like the following:

14 Sept. 2014

4 legged weather report:

Jetsam - two cuddles in bed so far, very friendly, sunny outlook
Flotsam - licked hand and allowed a quick stroke of the head before running off tonight, outlook warming up and improving
Bailey - remains incognito or in box inside the wardrobe, outlook chilly, hopefully thawing out later in the week.

A big hug from us all.

28 Sept. 2014

Greetings from the Big Cat Reserve on Denman Street.

Its day seven of my safari and what wonderful experience it is turning out to be!

Despite torrential monsoons and a bit of sogginess, our party has managed to get up close and personal with several of the feared and renowned local cats. In particular, the warrior Jetsam with his mighty mane has been very affectionate and is so tourist friendly that he has fallen asleep on me twice in the evening and even comes into the bed. However, our tour guide says this is to be expected if he senses you have food and/ or a brush to hand.

There have been several sightings of the majestic Bailey, head of the pack and she is becoming more attuned to our presence, though the ancient and awe inspiring green plastic palace in the closet, from where she is said to rule her kingdom, remains out of bounds at this time.

The beautiful and reserved Lady Flotsam is still elusive and as local legend has it, will only come close when tasty treat offerings are laid at her paws. At the time of writing she is intensively grooming herself in the sun by some rocks after this evening's celebratory banquet of cat food and crunchies in honour of the fact that it is four pm on a Sunday.

We hope you are having a wonderful and relaxing time on your travels. Will write next week when our tour moves north to the ancient ruins of Hillside Mall.

Emma, B, J, and F

5 Oct. 2014

I got an A in my photography project almost entirely due to the fact that I am staying here and the cinematic and film particles in the air have been absorbed by osmosis.

Other mid term grades are as follows:

Bailey          Philosophy A+
                     Spends a great deal of the day pondering the big questions in life from the scratching post such as: Why does that big woman keep trying to cuddle me? When will she leave the house so I can sit on the bed in the sun? Will I get any food before Jetsam eats it all?

Flotsam      Attendance B-
                    Gymnastics A
                    Seems to enjoy being truant from classes and arrives in school whenever she feels like it.   Other staff have noticed her hanging around the bike sheds and in the out of bounds area on top of the fence by the car. Continues to shine in the school gym team - her leaps from the garden furniture and rockery have been met with stunned admiration by all.

Jetsam      Sleeping A
                   School prefect
                   Has been confirmed this week for a place at Harvard studying advanced snoozing on a scholarship. Congratulations! He has been indispensable in helping new staff members settle into the school and goes out of his way to greet them when they arrive. His outstanding ability to fall asleep on a lap at anytime is a pride to the whole school.

Love from Emma and the pupils of the Denman School for Cats x

7 Apr. 2015

We have moved on from the desert and are now amongst the celebs and stars of tinseltown! Great excitement to find a film crew along the road making some Hallmark pic and using a house on Belmont for interior shots. I can report that:

1. Colin Farrell is not in it
2. Jetsam has been trying out for various parts but has not been successful as
3. a dog has a starring role.....

Someone unknown welcomed me with a large puddle of chunder yesterday and everyone deserted the bedroom last night, but apart from that it was business as usual. Had a cuddle with Jetty, Flo had some treats and then ran off and I've just been sitting with Bailey for gentle head stroking as she seems to have neither the energy or inclination to run away any more.

Hope you are having a rest

Emma and the cats

How to pack for 5 weeks in Africa with nothing but a carry-on

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 01:41:00 +0000

We're setting off on our African adventure tonight: 3 weeks in Namibia and 2 weeks in South Africa. So excited, but so very tired from all the planning, organizing, preparing our house for the world's best cat sitter (burglars take note: she's there 27/7 and is heavily armed), and of course our family's losses in the past 3 weeks (one cat, one stepfather). It's been a bit of a roller coaster, but we made it!

We're going to need a variety of things to wear for our activities on the trip: everything from cleaning up cheetah poop in the desert to hanging around swanky wineries near the coast. We always like to travel lightly, with only carry-on bags, so it's been a challenge.

I thought I'd share what I'm packing, in case anyone out there needs some carry-on inspiration.

I use colour-coded, zippered packing cubes to keep everything organized. That way, I can easily find what I need without making a mess.

GREEN - Wildlife Sanctuary clothes
• 1 pair of grubby jeans cut-offs
• 2 old cotton/bamboo t-shirts
• gardening gloves
• 1 old hoodie for cool evenings

RED - bottoms
• 1 pair of quick-dry shorts
• 1 quick-dry travel skirt
• 1 pair of skinny jeans
• 1 pair of travel pants that zip off to become capris

BLACK - tops
• 1 quick-dry running t-shirt
• 1 quick-dry long-sleeved t-shirt
• 1 light Merino wool long-sleeved t-shirt
• 2 tank tops
• 1 flannel shirt
• 1 rain jacket

BLUE - undies
• 3 pairs of socks
• 7 undies
• 1 jog bra
• 1 bra
• 1 bathing suit

SHOES
• thongs
• sandals
• Sketchers (dressy walking)
• hiking shoes

MISC
• scarf
• sarong
• travel towel
• Gorillapod
• camera with 2 lenses
• extra memory cards and batteries
• charge cords and connectors
• purse
• phone
• toiletries
• 1 running cap
• 1 wide-brimmed Aussie hat
• field binoculars
• 2 silk sleeping bag liners
• sunglasses

• shopping bag
• collapsible 1 litre water bottle
• pyjamas

I think that's it. It ain't a LIGHT pack fully-loaded, but it won't leave my side all the way to Cape Town. Weeee!

Mountain Moonrise

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Sun, 14 Sep 2014 18:04:00 +0000

On Friday night we went to the top of Mount Doug after dark to see if we could see the Aurora Borealis. Due to a sun flare heading our way, there was a good chance we could see it at our latitude.

We weren't alone. There was a traffic jam at the top of the mountain! About a hundred other people had the same idea as we did. Fortunately I drove up there in my Smart, so it wasn't a problem to find a wee parking spot.

Alas, no shimmering lights appeared in the sky. But the moonrise over Mt. Baker was quite glorious.

Leica's spirit

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Sun, 31 Aug 2014 02:29:00 +0000

My 16 year-old cat Leica passed away yesterday, and the house is eerily quiet without her. When the vet pronounced her dead, she still felt very much present to me. It felt wrong to leave her, and it has been troubling me ever since.

This afternoon as I was journalling about it on the patio, I looked up and saw a small rainbow hovering over our house for a few moments before it vanished. It was exactly 24 hours after Leica passed away.

I know it sounds a little woo-woo, but in an instant I knew it was her spirit, stopping by to say goodbye. It was just the sign I needed to know that she's at peace now.

Somehow, that sign from nature has marked a transition from numbness to full-on grieving.

R.I.P. Leica (1998-2014)

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Sat, 30 Aug 2014 04:01:00 +0000

Today was very difficult.

We said goodbye to one of our furry feline companions, our eldest cat Leica. She had been suffering from diabetes and kidney disease for 3 years, and this week a "large mass" was detected in her belly. It was probably a tumour, and at her age (16) that wasn't good news. The poor thing was clearly on a downward trend. This month she left huge puddles of pee (and worse) all over the house on a daily basis. She was distressed, and so were we.

In my experience, cats are bundles of emotion. When you live with a cat and have a close connection with it, you communicate in all sorts of ways including touch and eye contact. I can usually tell what mood my cats are in just by looking at their eyes.

What Leica's eyes have been saying to me for a long time is "I don't feel good." Euthanasia was a wrenching decision, because I feel like at the same time her eyes were saying "Don't kill me!" But I didn't want to put her through any more suffering, and there was nothing more I could do to make her comfortable. Thankfully we are able to make that choice for our pets.

I adopted her in 1998 from the SPCA, back when they still kept cats in cages. Leica was a feisty kitten, playing with her sister who looked almost identical. I still feel a little guilty for taking her away from her sister, but at the time I couldn't afford two cats. Who woulda thunk I'd end up with four?

I called her Leica because I was dating a photographer at the time, and Leica was the brand of my first camera. When I told a friend what I'd called her, she said "Oh. Like a what?" Like a pussycat, I guess.

Leica wasn't an easy cat to love. She hated being picked up. She howled bloody murder every time she had to go to the vet and usually peed inside her carrier (and on me, when I tried to put her into it). She slept under the bed most of the time and had no desire to go outside. During the rare times when she would cuddle with me in bed, one of her paws would find its way onto my face and razor-sharp claws would dig in. She'd never cuddle for long, and only slept on the bed when it was stormy outside. In fact, her sleeping spot was usually a good indication of the weather.

One of her quirks was that she would quack "Gesundheit" every time someone sneezed. If we ever needed to find her, we'd just sneeze and she'd make a quacking sound that lasted 10-30 seconds depending on the sneeze. The sound was a bit like the noise cats make when they see a bird outside, only louder. Perhaps she was trying to mimic the sneeze sound?

Speaking of sounds, I recorded her meow and purr last night:

We're very thankful to Kindred Spirits Veterinary Hospital for their gentle care over the years, especially at the end. We've never had to euthanize a pet before, so Rajeev and I were quite emotional. Even the vet was in tears. Every member of the staff is super and I can't imagine taking my cats anywhere else, or a more loving environment in which to leave this Earth. We buy our cat food at Kindred Spirits too, and get a multi-pet discount on services due to the size of our herd ...

... a herd which is now, sadly, a little bit smaller.

Goodbye, Leica pussycat. Sweet dreams in the big beyond.

Chicks' weekend at Lake Cowichan

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Sun, 10 Aug 2014 07:00:00 +0000

I've had to pinch myself several times this summer. The weather has been hot and sunny almost every single day. Since my freelance work schedule allows flexibility and deadlines have been sparse, I made sure to take full advantage of the weather by getting outside as much as possible.

One of the blessings of an early, long heat wave around here is that the lakes warm up fast. Consequently I've been swimming at Thetis Lake a few times a week. If you haven't been to Thetis, it's a magical place. The water is clean, warm, and better than conditioner for your hair!

In the middle of the heat wave, my friend Jan invited me to her 'glamping' property on Lake Cowichan while our husbands were away on their annual motorcycle trip. We had a great couple of days enjoying the hot weather, warm lake, giant Mohitos, hiking, kayaking, and socializing with the neighbours (coincidentally, all women at the time). I also got to overnight in my camping hammock for the first time and had a surprisingly comfortable sleep.

Here are some pics from my time at the lake.

Our 6th anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Sat, 09 Aug 2014 07:00:00 +0000

We celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary recently by spending a weekend on Galiano Island.

On the advice of a colleague, I rented a large bungalow at Driftwood Village as our home base. We did some kayaking, hiking, and exploring. Here are a few photos from the weekend.

Just where EXACTLY did we go?

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Fri, 08 Aug 2014 07:00:00 +0000

Last weekend we went to Sidney Spit via kayak. [Read all about it here.] Rajeev's rental kayak had a compass on it, and since the weather was clear and the seas calm it wasn't difficult to find our way there.

Nevertheless, he was all excited to try an app called My Tracks which uses GPS to track our route. Below is a screen shot of two of the routes we tracked: our night kayak, and our route home.

As you can see in the image to the left, our night kayak involved paddling rather aimlessly round the lagoon close to the campground. We were looking for bioluminescence. The part where we go in a circle is where Rajeev found out what happens when you skim your paddle over a bunch of floating seaweed -- it lights up like a Christmas tree.

Note that we forgot to turn off tracking as we walked back and forth to the outhouses afterward :/

The image on the right is the route we took back to Sidney from The Spit. No wonder it took 4 hours, compared to the 1 hour it took to paddle in a straight line on the way there!

The app also allows you to play a video of your route, using Google Earth. I can't figure out a way to export the video, otherwise I'd share it here.

Ain't technology the coolest thang?

Kayaking to Sidney Spit

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 16:13:00 +0000

There's a small island not too far from us called Sidney Island, and at the northern end is a long spit of sandy beach. It's one of those heavenly places with white sand, rainforest, a campground, and a lagoon, that makes you feel like you're very far from civilization even though you're still on the flightpath near Victoria airport.

I've been there a couple of times on day trips by sailboat and kayak, but not for ages. Yikes - probably not even in this millennium, come to think of it! Last weekend Rajeev and I decided it had been way too long since we've gone kayak camping, so we rented kayaks and paddled on over to Sidney Spit for an overnight adventure.

If you're looking to rent kayaks, we highly recommend Pacifica Paddlesports in Brentwood Bay. We've had bad experiences with the kayak rental companies in Sidney, so this time we went with Pacifica even though it meant picking up the kayaks in Brentwood, putting them on top of our car and driving over to the other side of the peninsula. The kayaks were excellent and the service was superb even in the midst of a hectic holiday weekend.

If you put in at the little beach near Sidney pier, it takes about an hour to paddle straight over to the Spit.

I booked a campsite for us and this is what it looked like.

It was in an open field next to the lagoon, with gorgeous vistas. The campground has reservable campsites and about 10 sites that are first-come-first-served. Amazingly, there were about 5 sites empty while we were there -- on BC Day long weekend! Next time I'm not going to bother paying the extra fee to reserve. Most people take the little passenger ferry over to the Spit, pick up a complimentary wheelbarrow for their camping gear, and walk to the campground. It's dead easy.

We kayaked right up to the campground and found a shady spot for our kayaks.

It was gloriously hot -- probably over 30C. With no trees at our campsite, we had to improvise. We rigged up a tarp between our tent and picnic table, and hunkered down in the shade.

Rajeev did a little happy-baby yoga.

Fortunately the temperature cooled off nicely in the evening. We saw shooting stars and watched the planes taking off and landing over us.

We also went for a night paddle to see the bioluminescence! Rajeev had never seen it before. The moon was a bit too bright and for awhile I didn't think it would happen. We set off in our kayaks just after sunset, when the sky was still quite bright. I was concerned about our safety, because neither of us are expert kayakers and being in the water at night adds an additional element of danger. We stayed in the shallow lagoon well within earshot of the campground, just in case.

After floating in the cool, dark, calm waters as the sky darkened, Rajeev busied himself trying to take a photo of my silhouette in the kayak. I kept putting my paddle in the water to see if the little plankton would put on a show for us, but for about 10 minutes there was nothing.

Then ... I twirled my paddle in the water and saw a few sparkles. It was there! We paddled around and it was as if we had stirred up about a thousand twinkly stars in the water. We found that if we glided our paddles across pieces of floating seaweed, the surface of the water lit up like crazy. It's one of the coolest phenomena. Totally magical.

The next day we paddled home a longer way, via James Island and the coastline south of the airport. It took about 4 hours including a lunch stop. What with all the paddling and lugging kayaks up/down the beach and onto/off of the car, my arms were like jelly.

It took a couple of days to feel fully rested, but I do love an active holiday! Even if it was only a little overnight adventure.

How to make a fine wine smell like dirty socks

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 22:21:00 +0000

Q: How to make a fine wine smell like dirty socks?

A: Keep your wine glasses in a 100 year-old stinky cabinet.

About a month ago we were thrilled to find a beautiful mahogany cabinet in Charmaine's consignment shop. We'd been looking for something classy to replace the Ikea make-do shelving unit in our dining room, and when I saw this, I was in love.

We bit the bullet (for it was a budget-buster), brought it home, loaded it up with our glasses, bottles of Scotch, martini paraphernalia and cookbooks. We marvelled at how grown-up our dining room looked now.

The inside of the cabinet had a musty smell, but nothing alarming. I assumed it had just been in storage a long time.

Two weeks later, we had one of Rajeev's work colleagues over for dinner. We'd just been out to Everything Wine in Langford and stocked up on wine, where I'd had the chance to taste a nice Vinho Verde that would complement our main course.

I poured three glasses, we toasted, we sniffed ....

"It's got quite the nose on it," our guest remarked.

I wasn't so charitable. "This smells like dirty socks!"

How could this be? I had tasted (and smelled) the wine in the shop. Obviously the wine wasn't the culprit.

We turned around and looked at the new cabinet housing every glass we own.

I walked over and put my face inside the cabinet for a whiff. Sure enough, the old musty smell that I had noticed when we bought the cabinet was still there, in full effect. Somehow it had permeated all our glasses, giving the dirty sock pong to any liquid therein.

Over the past couple of weeks, I've done everything I can to get rid of the smell. I washed it with a vinegar/water solution, I tried Murphy's Oil Soap, I bought an odour deodorizing thing called "Bad Air" and left it inside for a week, I put a bowl of baking soda inside.

Nothing gets rid of the smell.

I went back to Charmaine's and asked for their advice. They let me smell the furniture polish they use on most items, but it didn't smell like my cabinet. They suggested I look online for advice (which of course I had already done).

Alas, I am turning to y'all for help. Do you have any suggestions (short of refinishing the whole thing)? I've washed all the glasses and our kitchen/dining room looks like a pub with our booze bottles and glasses all over the counter. I'd rather not have to wash them again. I'm waiting for the miracle cure.

How do you get rid of a strong smell in a cabinet?

Hop on over to my Facebook page and let me know. Thanks!

Recipe: Creamy Cashew Milk

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Thu, 03 Jul 2014 21:11:00 +0000

Looking for a dead-easy vegan milk alternative? This is it.

I've recently started making my own cashew milk, and it's so easy that I'm kicking myself for not doing it YEARS ago. I love creamy cow's milk in coffee or tea, but I'm making a conscious effort to cut down on the amount of animal products I consume. For the longest time, my go-to alternative was soy or almond milk, but when you read about the chemicals, sugar, additives, and general cancer-causing, genetically-modified yuckiness in them, it's enough to scare you off your caffeine.

Plus, even though we are recycling fiends and have cut down our garbage to about one small bag a month, our recycling output is huge. My next goal is to cut down on recycling by not accumulating in the first place. That's another reason why making my own cashew milk is a winner.

Here's the recipe:

Take 1 cup of cashews. Put them in a bowl. Cover with water. Place in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight). This makes them a little softer so they'll blend better.
Rinse the cashews.
Put them into a blender. It doesn't have to be a fancy, high speed blender. I have a retro Osterizer I bought 20 years ago, and it does the trick. Add 2-4 cups of water and blend until the nuts are pulverized. I usually start with about 1 cup of water, blend, then add more water until I get a consistency I like. Since I'm mostly using the milk as a coffee/tea creamer, I like a thick consistency.
Add a little vanilla and/or honey if you like, and blend again.
Bob's yer uncle. Place in a jar in the fridge, and VOILA! You have just made a week's worth of coffee/tea creamer with only a few ingredients. No animals were harassed in the process. No plastic was created. No containers were shipped around the world, only to be used and discarded/recycled.

The milk might have a little *chew*, especially at the bottom of your cup. But I don't mind that. If it bothers you, you could always strain the milk after blending.

[And not to get into the whole vegan debate here, but ever since I was a child, the thought of consuming cow's milk always grossed me out. Cow's milk is for baby cows. Period.]

Canada Day, around these here parts

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 20:14:00 +0000

This was my view for most of yesterday -- lazing about underneath an interesting sky on a catamaran in Saanich inlet.

Mandy invited us out for an afternoon on a friend's catamaran in exchange for a little help scraping the hulls of their winter barnacles. How could we resist? I often lament that even though I live on an island, I hardly ever get a chance to spend time on the water. I just don't know many people who own boats, I suppose.

We left from Brentwood Bay and headed straight across Saanich Inlet for Bamberton Beach.

That's our trusty ride, the S.S. Tantra:

Rajeev grew up on an island too (Bombay), but didn't have any experience with sailing until he moved here. Yesterday he got right into it.

And since Mandy is a colleague as well as a friend, we set off in the dinghy with a can of beer for a "business meeting."

Le pique-nique

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 23:20:00 +0000

Well, THAT was interesting!

We had a really good time at Le Dîner en Blanc, despite the chilly weather and Long March to the secret location. Weeks of preparation (and not a few bucks) had gone into our participation in this outdoor, all-white, flash-mob picnic. It was nice to show up in a taxi with all our stuff and just go with the flow.

La Transportation

The 1000+ guests had been divided into groups for transportation from around Victoria. Our group met at the fountain behind the Grand Pacific Hotel.

Here we are at the meeting place, waiting for the busses that didn't actually come:

After we'd been standing around for awhile chatting with the other members of our group, we all started heading towards James Bay -- on foot! Ours was the one group that did not receive transportation to the secret location.

I was a bit dismayed that we were walking, only because that meant that our picnic location was in James Bay which is the chilliest part of Victoria at any time of the day. I had been hoping that we'd be transported to a beautiful farm in Central Saanich, or to the lawns of Royal Roads University, or even to a protected part of Beacon Hill Park.

La Destination

Our destination? Fisherman's Wharf Park.

The Long March was a sight to behold: about 200 people dressed in white, carrying tables, chairs and picnic baskets. Tourists kept stopping us, asking if we were part of a wedding party or something.

We joined forces with a Scottish couple who were having trouble carrying their heavy table, and as luck would have it were assigned a table spot right next to them. We spent the whole night talking and laughing with our new friends.

Here's the view from Row M:

Le Dîner

As for the food, I assembled a multi-course gourmet picnic including ingredients from Charelli's and Patisserie Daniel:

1. Baguette with rabbit liver pâté, cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes
2. Yam and feta quiche with spinach salad
3. Fruit tarts
4. Cheese
5. Coffee with homemade cashew milk
6. Nougat

We had more courses than most people around us. It was fun opening up our retro picnic basket with a flourish and a French accent, announcing yet another course. Naturally we shared.

But my $50 groceries budget? Blown to smitherines. More like $90.

Le Disco

There was live music at the beginning of the evening, a small group singing French folk songs. Later on, Le DJ took over:

La Vidéo

Can't wait to see aerial footage from the drone that kept flying over us:

Les Femmes

It was obvious that Diner en Blanc attracts two types of people: couples and single women.

Note to single men: get on the waiting list for next year! It's a perfect place to meet people.

Les dommages

We ordered a bottle of white wine in a prudent effort to keep our whites looking white. Others were not so sensible:

La future

Now that we've spent a small fortune accumulating all the required elements for Le Dîner en Blanc (read about our preparations here), it will be much easier and affordable next time around.

We loved meeting Robyn and Blair, our new Scottish friends who were also Dîner virgins. Hooray for new friendships.

On a related note, our friends Tami and Marcin, who were bussed in from across town, were assigned a table spot only FOUR tables away from ours in the same row. Incredible.

We sincerely hope that the organizers pick a more sheltered spot for the Victoria picnic next year. I understand that they want maximum visibility for the Long March, but many people were grumbling about it.

Ah well. At least it didn't rain. Vive le pique-nique!

#DinerEnBlanc: What it REALLY costs

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 00:01:00 +0000

I'm really excited about le Dîner en Blanc. An invitation-only, secret-location, all-white, flash mob outdoor gourmet picnic? Yes please! I registered for the waiting list months ago, and was thrilled to get an invitation via email on June 3.

If you don't know what it is, check out the video of last year's event in Victoria:

Looks great, doesn't it?

But as with any work of art (which, surely, this special event IS), there is more than meets the eye. An event like this doesn't just happen on the spur of the moment. It takes hundreds of hours of preparation.

Even as a participant, one cannot just show up at le Dîner en Blanc. There is a registration process, during which you are required to sign up your table partner (you can't go alone) and you are given instructions on what to bring. EXACTLY:

folding table (white)
folding chairs (white)
table cloth (white)
cloth napkins (white)
cutlery (no plastic allowed)
white dinner plates, appetizer plates and dessert plates (white)
stemware (no plastic allowed)
picnic basket with gourmet picnic (unless you purchase the food provided)
battery-operated votive candle

And as for what to wear, the dress code is ALL WHITE:

elegant attire
white shoes
head gear (hat, fascinator, etc.)

Oh and "be prepared to walk up to 500m with all your gear," which means that if you want to wear high heels with your elegant white dress, you must also bring white flats for the walk.

And if it rains? Better have a white umbrella because this event goes ahead, rain or shine.

GULP.

As someone who owns next to NO white clothing, this was a real challenge. I've spent a lot of time shopping for all the accoutrements over the past couple of weeks.

When you are a le Dîner en Blanc virgin, the upfront cost is a little hefty. Here is what it is actually costing us, when all's said and done:

Yikes! I bought my white outfit at discount stores on sale to try to cut costs, but it's still adding up to a scary number. I also have to borrow something white and warm to wear for after the sun goes down, and watch the weather forecast to see if umbrellas will be required. If we didn't have a few items already, and weren't bringing our own home-cooked picnic, imagine how much more it would cost! No wonder some of my friends turned down my offer to sponsor them this year; they probably took a look at the instructions, did some mental calculations, and decided they'd rather not.

However.

Despite Le Horrifying Grand Total, I remind myself that this is a unique experience. It will be much cheaper NEXT year without having to accumulate so many things. Plus, it's all about the experience, right? We know three other people attending and hope to find them in the sea of 1200 people at the secret location.

I am looking forward to our initiation into the world of white. I'll post a few pics on Instagram between courses, and will update here after the event. Follow along and stay tuned!

Soundscape: Christmas Morning in Singapore

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 20:33:00 +0000

Is there a finer place to be jetlagged than Singapore? I don't think so!

We arrived on 23 December 2013 after a marathon flight from Vancouver via China. I can't sleep on planes, so this kind of flinging-myself-to-the-other-side-of-the-world always knocks me out for days.

I woke up on Christmas Eve to find myself alone in our room. Rajeev was out exploring the neighbourhood, checking out how close we were to Orchard Road and finding some good eating spots.

We stayed in Newton, an inner suburb known for it's amazing outdoor food centre.

Most people go to Singapore and stay in an ultra-modern high-rise. But I was yearning for the Singapore I saw when I went there as a backpacker in 1989, when the city still had a lot of charm and character. I hunted around on Airbnb.ca and found a room in an older, two-story Singaporean house. We paid extra for the front room which had a little balcony. (Here's the listing, if you're ever in Singapore)

It was so nice to be able to watch daily life on the street, and wake up to the sound of tropical birds:

I loved that we were in an older house with a tile roof and white walls. Singapore has changed so much over the years, and you have to know where to look to find the old, colonial charm.

Our little street, Jalan Aruan, was a blast from the past! Apart from the garbage trucks that rumbled past every morning (Garbage pickup EVERY day? Bizarre, but that's Singapore.), the only traffic we'd see was people out walking their dogs.

Our place is the one with the green and white striped awning:

Look at the contrast between our building and the high rises!

Here are a few pics of the neighbourhood and the view from our balcony:

Our little balcony is also where Rajeev whipped out his laptop to look for "How To Tie a Bow Tie" instructions on Christmas morning when I surprised him with a black silk bow tie.

Success!

First day of summer

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Sat, 21 Jun 2014 19:14:00 +0000

Hooray for the beginning of the best season! In honour of the first day of summer, here are a few of my favourite sunny shots taken with my mobile phone while out walking, picnicking or sunset gazing the past few months.

When I don't have time to blog here, I share my mobile photos on Instagram. Follow me at ahemobile.

Self Care for Digital Divas

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 05:54:00 +0000

Who says you have to be chained to your computer all the time?

One of the big topics of conversation amongst the freelancers I know is how to take care of yourself when you don't work 9 to 5. Many of us are into yoga, meditation, and various forms of outdoor exercise to try and keep mind, body and soul on the right track. But there's a tendency to slack off during deadline crunch and the next thing you know, you're stiff, you can't sleep, you don't feel productive, and you're wondering what the hell happened.

Sandy and I had the right idea this week. We met for lunch at the Oak Bay Beach Hotel (a table on the Snug's patio, overlooking the ocean), then ambled down to their waterfront spa for the rest of the afternoon. For $50 you can use the outdoor mineral pools for three hours. Sandy had a pedicure, which included as much time as she wanted in the pools.

So we swam, we soaked, we sunbathed, we rested.

Did we talk business? Of course!

As an exercise in self-care it was the most restorative Friday afternoon I've had in ages. Must rinse and repeat often.

Looking back

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 02:26:00 +0000

The first half of 2014 is almost over and now that my work schedule is calming down a teeny bit, it's time for a little reflection.

I have hardly posted at all since we got back from India in January, and there are many reasons for that. I spent the past 6 months working for Open Cinema on a cool project called Connecting the Docs, which involved creating visual and written content for social media, writing and designing newsletters, managing logistics, and basically being a digital multitasker on-call. It was a lot of fun, and I'm so proud to be part of an innovative program that was nominated for a Social Media Award.

Meanwhile, I've been hired as a narrator and video editor for a variety of projects which are currently in progress.

On the family front, there were all sorts of things keeping me away from sharing here. Won't go into any detail, except to say that it involves aging relatives with health and/or legal issues. If you've been there, you know how debilitating it can be.

To my horror, I returned from India in a jet-lagged haze to discover some mean-spirited comments on a blog post I'd written four years ago. It's the first time in eight years that I've had any negative comments, so it took me aback. And to stick the knife in a little further, the comments were by two people I know socially. If you know someone, isn't it more polite to address sensitive issues with them in person (or in a private way, such as an email or phone call) rather than in a public forum? I shouldn't let that sort of thing put me off, but with everything else going on, it was another source of stress whenever I thought of getting back into regular blogging.

Rajeev and I are currently planning a big trip to Namibia and South Africa, and that has taken a ton of research seeing as it's a part of the world that we don't know much about. We have work visas for Namibia in progress (gonna work on a cheetah conservation project for two weeks!), flights are booked, and we are close to confirming the details for our self-drive safari through Etosha National Park.

And to think that I haven't even blogged about our LAST trip! Jeez, I'm slack. Stay tuned, is all I can say.

p.s. Isn't this peacock's butt gorgeous? He was showing off in Beacon Hill Park in the early morning about a month ago, and I liked this view the best.

This calls for a Mohito

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Thu, 22 May 2014 18:45:00 +0000

When my mum was downsizing from a large house a few years ago, I inherited several beautiful pots and plants from her garden. One flower I was eager to see in bloom was a peach-coloured Iris.

Now, lord knows I've got enough Irises, but since this was in a pot I figured it wouldn't have notions of garden domination like its purple and brown cousins all over my property.

I'm not sure that Irises like being potted, because the peach one doesn't flower every year. I was thrilled to see that it bloomed today for the first time in ages.

AND that this one stalk has about four flowers on it!

Hooray for garden miracles.

I think this calls for a Mohito, seeing as the mint's up too. (Any excuse, really ...)

The Women of Bridges, take three

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Tue, 20 May 2014 19:39:00 +0000

Last week I had the honour of photographing the staff of Bridges For Women. It was my third photo shoot with them since 2010 (the first one was all about leather, the second one was all about business).

Bridges is a non-profit agency offering employment training and supportive programs for women affected by trauma, violence, or abuse. Their website openly declares that they are "a gutsy, innovative, heart-centered community agency." At each photo shoot, it's my job to try and capture that sentiment.

This year's theme was "Superheroes," and they rented costumes to get into character. In addition to group shots, I also took portraits of each woman, to be used on their website and promotional materials.

In short, it was a three hour romp around Beacon Hill Park with flying superhero capes. Loved it!

Here are some of my favourite pics.

Long live the Delicious Monster!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Fri, 09 May 2014 00:07:00 +0000

Last week I was admiring a friend's Monstera Deliciosa (a.k.a. Split-Leaf Philodendron) and said that if it ever created a baby, I'd love to have one.

To which she replied "But it did! And I've been keeping it in a jar for the past 5 years! You're welcome to it."

Amazingly, this cutting had survived in a dark basement hallway for years, sending out a long root around and around the jar of water, biding its time.

I've planted it in a pot and am hoping for the best. Will post updates when I see signs of life!

soundscape: Christ Church Cathedral

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Tue, 06 May 2014 22:06:00 +0000

There's nothing like walking past a cathedral when the bells are a-ringin'.

Why Namibia?

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Mon, 05 May 2014 17:21:00 +0000

When I tell people I'm planning a trip to Namibia, their eyes often betray them. Sure, they've heard of Namibia, but many wouldn't be able to place it on a map.

"That's in southern Africa, right?" Yup.

I've always been attracted to deserts and remote areas, hence my obsession with Australia. For me, Namibia is my last frontier. I want to climb the largest sand dune in the world, camp under the stars, and see big cats.

Namibia is one of the most photogenic places on Earth. When you search for videos about Namibia, you find nothing but stunning cinematography and editing. It's as if every shutterbug has this place on the bucket list.

Watch this video and see why I want to go there:

And if you've been there, I would love some suggestions!

Booked!

noreply@blogger.com (Angela Hemming) — Wed, 23 Apr 2014 17:33:00 +0000

Yippee! We finally booked our flights to South Africa. If you have been to that part of the world, I need your help. We are going for 5 weeks and don't want to cram in too much (like we usually do).

Here's my wish list:

see big cats in the wild
see big cats in sanctuaries
Cape Town
Wineries
Namibia - sand dunes!
Botswana