Vacation time is approaching ( Auberge du Vieux Port )

And IF you wanted to visit a city with a European flair but didn't want to leave the continent - well you could visit Montreal - and if you wanted to make it very special you could stay in " Old Montreal " - and be transported back in time by staying at this beautifully Romantic Inn.................

Conde Nast review HERE

AUBERGE du VIEUX PORT



Let's go check in, shall we?



Now then, which room will you be staying in?

And once you've unpacked - maybe taken a quick nap

and wake up just in time to have dinner " al fresco "

AFTER DINNER YOU COULD CASUALLY STROLL DOWN TO THE PORT

WHY MONTREAL?

( you may be asking yourselves )

WELL WE'RE THE FESTIVAL CAPITOL OF NORTH AMERICA

( with over a hundred festivals annually ) 

SO............YOU COULD COME DURING GRAND PRIX WEEK 

OR DURING THE INTERNATIONAL FIREWORKS FESTIVAL

OR PERHAPS YOU'D LIKE TO COME WHILE THE INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FEST IS GOING ON?  ( THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD ACCORDING TO THE GUINESS BOOK OF RECORDS )  THERE'S PLENTY OF FREE ENTERTAINMENT 

THEN OF COURSE THERE'S THE " JUST FOR LAUGHS " FESTIVAL

( a favorite of mine ) 

 THE MONTREAL HIGHLIGHTS FESTIVAL ( MONTREAL EN LUMIERE )

A 10 DAY ( OR SO ) EVENT OF CULINARY - PERFORMANCES - LIVE MUSIC - 

FASHION SHOWS

AND LIGHT SHOWS

THERE ARE A LOT OF FREE ACTIVITIES INCLUDED - 

THE FESTIVAL ENDS WITH " NUIT BLANCHE " OR " WHITE NIGHT "

AN ALL NIGHT EVENT THAT STARTS AT 6 P.M. AND ENDS WHEN THE SUN COMES UP 

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE IS THE THEME I SUPPOSE

AND AFTER AN EXHAUSTING DAY OR NIGHT - WE OFFER TRANSPORTATION OF COURSE - ON OUR

" CALECHES " ( HORSE AND BUGGIES ) 

OR OUR RENTAL BIKE SYSTEM - " BIXI " WHERE YOU CAN RENT IT FROM ANY LOCATION AND DROP IT OFF AT ANY LOCATION

AND THEN OF COURSE YOU HAVE TO LET ME KNOW YOU'RE IN TOWN SO WE CAN MEET UP FOR 

COFFEE

OR 

COKE

OR 

WINE

OR 

BEER

( I'M VERY FLEXIBLE ) 

BECAUSE EVEN IF WE MESS UP WITH OUR POLITICS

WE ACE GOOD TIMES

WE REALLY DO

OH AND ROMANCE

WE'RE PRETTY GOOD AT THAT TOO :)

________________________________________________________________________________

ALL IMAGES CAN BE FOUND ON MY

MONTREAL PINTEREST BOARD

For which I received this email

Good news! Your board is now being featured on Pinterest.

Hi there, One of your boards has been picked to be one of the recommended boards for new Pinners to follow when they first sign up for Pinterest. What this means: we think your board is amazing, and it really demonstrates what Pinterest is all about! Also you might notice a bunch of new people following your board for the next little while. Thanks for Pinning with us, The Pinterest Community Team ________________________________________________________________________ WOW - really - just WOW....................... So.......................when are you coming? Your room is waiting after all Have a wonderful Tuesday everyone Much love, ( don't you think Montreal should be paying me to do this? )

Come join me at these PARTIES !!!

Common Ground                               The Charm of Home                         French Country Cottage
My Turn for Us                                 My Romantic Home.                         The Shabby Nest
One More Time Events                     Life on Lakeshore Drive                    My 1929 Charmer
Redhead can Decorate                      That's what Che said                         Stone Gable
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia      A Stroll Through Life                         Coastal Charm
Kathe with an E                                Adorned from Above                        Ivy & Elephants
Savvy Southern Style                        Katherine's Corner

Half Empty or Half Full? ( that is the question )

I'm a very impatient person - wish I weren't but I've always been - since as far back as I can remember.

Too impatient to wait for gardens to bloom
Too impatient to wait for new books by favorite authors to come out
Too impatient for Spring to arrive - and then too impatient for Summer to come and finally too impatient for Christmas to be here - which brings me back to being too impatient for Spring to arrive - a vicious circle and a true example of how now to live.  Talk about destroying " living in the moment ".
Too impatient to wait for paint to dry
Too impatient to wait until funds are replenished to finish renovations.

It's an awful way to be - and I wish more than anything that that particular trait of mine were NOT a particular trait of mine.

It's a trait that falls under the category of " negative " and while I am usually an upbeat type of person I just can't shake it.

A glass is ALWAYS half empty in my world and I'm constantly dashing around trying to fill it up to the brim.

So this morning when I went into ( what I'll very loosely call the " mud room " ) I nearly wept.
It seems like I never stop - and yet every time I turn around there's another monumental task that
will zap all my energy and money ( of which we are close to being paupers with this whole renovation business )
I panic - and this is a sample of what goes through my mind because I truly intend for this house to be party central this summer - with the pool and all - you have to read the next bit very very quickly to see how my mind works

people will have to come through this s*it hole to get to it - and what will they think - and OMG I HAVE to do something with it - it's just unacceptable - I'll die of embarrassment - and maybe they can come through the front garden and through the gate to get to the back - but oh oh - they'll have to use the bathroom at some point so there's no escaping it - everyone's going to see it - but there's still so much to do INSIDE the house - and how can I justify doing this little section when we're drowning in a million other sections.................

All that was crowding my brain in a matter of seconds.

I literally sat down on the chair below and put my head in my hands..................( feel sorry for me yet? )

and then I looked up and saw this - I mean I really saw it - and perhaps because of the stark contradiction
I was almost taken aback...........I'm in and out of this back room many many times a day - is it really possible that I never took the time to actually see how far we've come?

I've been so busy filling glasses I haven't taken the time to be thankful for what we've accomplished
Not at all.

John says - WHY are you sitting there taking pictures of the kitchen?
Suzan says - Looking at my glass from a different angle
John says - What glass?
Suzan says - The one that's always half empty
John says - You're the most nonsensical person I know
John says - It's like living with the bloody Riddler

I'm more impressed than I can tell you that he even knows who the Riddler is...................
But I'm too busy looking at my half full glass to pay him any mind really

At least that's the way it looks to me while looking in from the mudroom

Trust me when I tell you it looks seriously half empty from every other view in this house :)

But dare I say the worst may just be over?  ( ok - there's a bathroom that's just as bad - but it's a bathroom not an entire kitchen  )

Think I'll hang out in the mud room more often - bring a book out there - with a half filled glass of wine instead of whine- and look up every now and then...................

Have a wonderful Monday all !
XOXO


Come join me at these parties !!!
Between naps on the porch                              Coastal Charm                 My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Not Just a Housewife                                       Homework                      The DIY Dreamer
Savvy Southern Style                                       The Dedicated House      From My Front Porch to Yours
Bloom Design                                                  Common Ground            The Charm of Home
French Country Cottage                                  Shabby Art Boutique       My Turn for Us
My Romantic Home                                        The Shabby Nest             Funky Junk Interiors
One More Time Events                                   Life on Lakeshore Drive   Stone Gable
It's Overflowing                                              My 1929 Charmer           Redhead can Decorate
That's what Che said                                      Under the table & dreaming
A Stroll Through Life                                     Kathe with an E                Home Stories A to Z