A day at one of the world’s premier Shakespeare companies, in photos.
Our trip included a tour of the set warehouse and costume stock. We saw The Sound of Music and Hamlet. And some pretty swans. Totally perfect. And I tried on some smashing capes!
Definitely put this on your Must Do List.
Xo Al
Thanksgiving in Niagara on the Lake is always beautiful. With our family it’s a tradition to enjoy the best of Niagara’s wineries to do some tastings. 
First stop, Konzelmann Estates.
We picked up a tasty Peach wine and some Shiraz.
Hamminf it up for the camera. My mum and my wife.
Next stop was at Big Head winery. That deserves its own entry – more on that later, but a huge piece of cheese and 15 wines later – Big Head is one of the best times I’ve ever had out at a tasting.
And then.. It’s time for a fabulous meal with family.
Baked Brie and artisanal cheeses.
Roasted potatoes
Roast beef
The table set for eight.
My grandparents’ carving mirror.
A full plate. Brussel sprouts. Asparagus. Fennel. Roast beef. Potatoes. Yorkshire pudding.
Pulling out the stops with the big reds.
Pumpkin pie cheesecake (made with tofu) a la mode.
With late harvest Riesling.
Cheers to family and delicious food!
I got an invite to attend a workshop of a new Opera, Selfie. It was a witty, ironic, restrained but powerful performance, about online and text bullying. Inspired by current events that lead, ultimately, to numerous suicides, truly important issues were covered by this work in progress.
We started our night at Ethiopique for a delicious dinner.
In the distillery district, Tapestry Opera is housed in the hive of artists, businesses and studios.
the show: intimate, on book, charming, funny and raw.
As a workshop for the piece, the director and writer were seeking feedback and asked us to offer up our thoughts post-show.
Loved being part of the process and thinking about how this kind of art will help change our schools and cultural landscape.
the company that I dance with in Toronto spends hours together in the studio… Outside our day jobs as consultants, crown attorneys, teachers, pharmacists and designers
So when it’s time to unwind, we enjoy a good social. Most recently we headed to The Beverley Hotel on Queen Street West, where the staff was friendly, the vibe was relaxed and the food was outstanding.
I had wild mushroom soup, and a perfectly sized peanut butter and chocolate mouse topped with pecan brittle. Guacamole and tortillas, great mixed drinks and house wine from Niagara were popular picks.
Cheers to dancing like EVERYONE is watching. And no one. And continuing to do the thing you love, even and especially when. Life gets busy.
In the hills above Mississauga, on the Bruce Trail, there is a maze of trails to explore. With our fave couple, Morgan and Elise, my wife and I headed out to explore the fall forest. With foliage changes just starting, the air was crisp and the leaves were shades of green, gold and red.
Ready to hike, Elise is no slouch in the energy (and looking good) department. With her cute pup, Marshall, we hit the trails.
Morgan is the most outdoorsy of us all. If the world was about to be thrown into chaos, I’d pick her for my survival team.
The trek begins. It was really fun going down. And we were cursing our glutes on the way back up.
They thought I was stalling. Nope. Just a great photo op; I hate to see her go, but I love to watch her leave 🙂
The Bruce Trail system is maintained pretty well and I’ve been hiking various parts of it for my entire life. I remember going to the waterfall and hiking in the forest as a child, back in the days when you could go out all day on your own and no one was worried you’d gone missing.
We walked around the base of an old kiln building: lost deep in the Canadian Shield, these are the kinds of ‘ruins’ you find in a relatively young country. Canada’s 1867 confederation makes us a baby among nations.
The texture and light in the fall is just amazing.
Blue markers lead the way.
Marshall is doing a great job keeping up, and like us – he is layered for warmth.
Taking a breather; we decided next hike will be gourmet – we are bringing honey comb (this will make sense later), brie, fresh bread and cider.
In town we stopped to buy local honey from the Caledon Hills apiaries (#supportlocal) and to peruse the town store.
Pom-pommed, vested and in two shades of denim – a truly Canadian outdoor outfit.
Honey for our morning and evening tea… or on cornbread, which Allia has promised to bake tonight, to eat with the chili that is chillin’ in our slow cooker!
It might not look like it, but this was absolutely fantastic: pumpkin cheesecake with gingersnap crust, and the remains of a magic bar (basically a Dolly Bar)… the perfect end to our meal of grilled veggies and goat cheese sandwiches (all courtesy of the delightful local coffee shop).
In the village there is a network of artists who practice their craft in open studios. Here a glass blower is hard at work.
A large cast of a live elephant… with two adorable photo bombers.
My one and only.
The artists’ hive, consisting of old barns, historic buildings and some great, unusual spaces.
The gallery.
Our final stop was the Apple Factory; local produce, apple pies, decadent yogurt in glass jars, apple jelly, big glass bottles of un-homogenized chocolate milk… and pumpkins!
Happy Fall! Get out and enjoy the local colour, fresh air and the magic of autumn!
We love visiting my parents in Niagara-on-the-lake. It’s like having our own personal bed and breakfast. This week we went to Chicks and Chocolate (a pairing event offered at Peller Estates) to sample wines and chocolate, as well as their neighbouring winery, Two Sisters.
We started in the upper tasting room with four glasses and four intriguing chocolates.
A flight of wine and chocolate
We began with the sparkling Ice Cuvée Rosé, a Champagne-style wine infused with icewine, to cleanse our palates.
Paired with a chocolate from Madagascar.
Then we moved on to one of my favourites, the 2012 Sur Lie Chardonnay: a huge, buttery Chardonnay that reminds me of oatmeal raisin cookies. We paired it with a milk chocolate, and learned about listening to the break of the chocolate, smelling the fresh cut edge, feeling the back of the chocolate and pressing it to the roof of our mouth.
Wines one and two.
Chocolate number two.
There are worse ways to spend an afternoon. Our hour took us through all four of the pairings. Next, the merlot: a ripe, fruit forward wine, paired with the third chocolate.
Santa Domingo, 70%.
A tasting table set for the event.
The final taste.
We concluded our tasting with an incredible Cab Franc Icewine, as José guided us through the proper tasting methods.
It’s always good to get a refresher. Despite working at Peller a number of years ago, I love learning new things and trying wines; the best advice: you are never wrong. No one else can tell you what you smell or taste.
As we left Peller, we decided to stop in at Two Sisters, a winery I had never visited before. The imposing facade certainly seems to have something to do with the high price-point for their wines. Each detail of the interior was equally well-chosen for visual impact.
Two Sisters Winery
The grand entrance
Tasting room and store
The bar
Tasting tables
All told, this is a lovely way to spend the day; I hope one day you get a chance to try Niagara’s unique wines, influenced by our cold climate and escarpment, and to experience the hospitality of our sweet, chilly in Spring, but wholly welcoming peninsula.
Wine. Love. Wine.
Allia enjoying Peller 2012 Sur Lie Chardonnay
I have Irish ancestry. I love beer and I love any reason to celebrate; this year, however, family and friends took St.Patrick’s Day in a new direction. We decided to cross the ocean, but instead of Ireland, we ended up in Paris. At Paris Crepes, specifically: a delicious, French themed restaurant-café in Niagara Falls.
Mussels Mariniere with Frites and fresh baguette
Cheers to a meal of French onion soup, mussels 4 ways (for March Mussel Madness) curried, provencale, mariniere or blue cheese, free corkage when you bring your own wine and crepes, both savoury and sweet. Although we saw people running by the glass front window of the café, shamrocked and in onesies, I think this is a tradition that deserves some consideration. Cheers to friends, family and a twist on green beer that will leave your taste buds green with envy!
Images from Paris, including Le Chat Noir and Moulin Rouge
Paris Crepes Café
Homemade Sweet Crepes
With our server, Star, we celebrated St. Pat’s with a twist
When the weather gets teasingly beautiful, I start to fantasize about throwing open the windows and getting the yard ready to move life outdoors. After a Friday night dinner party, and the end of last week hitting 8 degrees Celsius (which, in Canada, means that people were out on patios) I start to dream; one day, when I grow up (because phrases like that still make sense at 33), I will have an outdoor space that makes me feel like I’m on vacation. A girl can fantasize, right? What landscaping or outdoor living spaces make you salivate? Here’s a peek into my house-porn collection (courtesy of Houzz.com)
A spot to swing, lazily, under the shelter of trees
Lunch and hangouts, ironic signage, and plenty of seating for friends
Whimsical and eclectic with statement indoor features brought outdoors
Covered seating, casual landscaping and lanterns to light the way.
Does it get more luxurious than custom lighting, turquoise water and a swanky area to chill, in your own backyard?
Cozy, and practically a Canadian pre-requisite, a fire pit, lots of greenery and comfortable seating
With a view from indoors, this courtyard keeps luxury front and center, recliners inviting you to take a moment for yourself, perhaps to contemplate ‘how did I get to be so lucky?’
Hip, casual and cool, but cheeky in its effortlessness, this bright spot is just begging for foodie guests and an al-fresco lunch
Again, with the lights, the overhanging architecture and comfy seating. Trying too hard? Hardly.
Truly the space of my dreams. Fair skin protected by custom shade panels and lighting for evening, … perfect view of the pool
This space has the best of all things. Hammock. Fire pit. Seating. Dining area. Greenery. I’m in love.
Sensing a theme? The sitting and dining areas with shade-cover, romantic lighting and water views. I’m pretty sure the cabana has room for guests.
If I, for some reason, found myself in an arid climate, this mod-zen look would keep me house happy.
Vacation vibe? Check. What’s behind curtain number one?
Obviously, every dream home has its own bocci court.
Sigh.
Sweet dreams, folks. Houzz.com is a Pinterest users wet dream.
Over the last little while quite a few ads for foundation and BB creams have caught my eye. Given that ‘skin that looks great’ after a full day of work is my elusive product gap, and my long hours, dirty, dry and poorly lit work environment adds its own challenge, a good foundation is something that an effective ad can really get me salivating over.
But each ad claims, while showcasing a beautiful face, that I’m going to have amazing results. Let’s see.
RIMMEL
Georgia May Jagger looks pretty flawless. Rimmel has quite a few products that promise to get me there. I went to the local make-up aisle to check the effectiveness of the goods.
Clean Finish Matte Foundation says I’ll look 100% poreless. The coverage is pretty good (shade 120 ivory is a good match), but the poreless-ness is more hype than fact. My skin looks good, but not ‘perfect.’ The Fix & Perfect Primer seems more about wish-fulfillment than reality, and doesn’t really amplify the product. If I’m using a lightweight foundation, I don’t necessarily want the added step of a whole extra layer in order to make the foundation do what it’s supposed to do. Skip this. The Lasting Finish 25 Hour Foundation (shade 100 – ivory) has me curious. I have it on the left side of my face and we’ll wait and see if, after going to dance rehearsal for 2 hours tonight I’m still getting the ‘extended perfect finish’. Both sides of my face seem more even, obviously, than pre-foundation, but the Clean Finish seems to smooth the skin while drawing more attention to the fine hairs on my face. Around my eyes I tried the Match Perfection Skin Tone Adapting Concealer; a little goes a long way and the finish is brightening and even. Of the first three, none stand out as a clear front-runner, but at $7-12 (on sale) they are a cheap everyday-wear make-up. Lastly, my chin got a dab of the Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation (Lightweight Shine Control in 100 Ivory). This one felt the best on my skin; it improved the evenness and texture, while also concealing small blemishes and brightening. The matte quality didn’t make skin look cake-y or dull.
I’ve been making a concerted effort to go to the gym more. While taking care of ‘body’ I also want to be working on ‘mind.’ So, I’ve taken to listening to audio books and podcasts. Sometimes it’s “Serial” or history programs. Either way, I tend to lose track of time and just listen, making my minutes on the treadmill fly by.
One of the wellness podcasts that I’ve checked out is “The Overwhelmed Brain: The Personal Growth Podcast for the Critical Thinker,” by Paul Colaianni. You may initially find that the calming voice and affirming tone is off-putting. I like to think that I’m able to solve my own problems. However, I’m also realistic enough to know that there are some nagging thoughts that seem to replay on a loop that, despite my competence and self-awareness, I haven’t managed to shake.
In Colaianni’s episode, “Closing the past to Open the Future,” he outlines some truly helpful questions that you can use to investigate what he terms the ‘open loops’ of unresolved past experience that have formed into negative mindsets. He explains that you need to ask yourself, “What’s wrong? How do you feel about that? Why do you feel that way? What about that makes you feel that way?” Be specific about the cause.
These are pretty obvious questions, he admits, but how often do we stop at the ‘obvious’ problem and avoid figuring out why it upsets us so much? I found that listening to things I thought I already knew and then trying to be even more transparent about what, specifically, upsets me about a given situation can really help to take down the level of emotion, making it more manageable.
The last question, in that series of suggestions, is “If you had all the time, energy, knowledge and resources at your disposal to deal with this right now, what would you do?” Answering that question can help to get you closer to figuring out what is actually bothering you.
Check out “The Overwhelmed Brain” where Coliainni explores the questions below.
How to dig down and figure out what is really upsetting you: The Drill Down questions:
1) What’s wrong? You’re looking for an emotion.
2) What’s causing this emotion?
3) How does that make you feel upset? For example, how does losing your job make you feel sad? How would that be bad? Follow it to the worst-case scenario to figure out what, at the core, is really upsetting you.
4) How would that be bad? Usually what is bothering you is a deeper-level fear. Keep going. The worst-case scenario in our mind is somewhere underneath.
StyleSaVie 
