learnings and findings

lately we’ve been interested in art. i got jeremy acrylic paints for christmas and it turned out to be a gift for both of us as our new favourite weekend activity is sitting side by each in the art room, trying out different paint techniques. jeremy likes the group of seven or their modern day contemporaries like david grieve. i like impressionism and fauvism and especially the bright bold colours of kees van dongen.

coco chanel is a fascinating character. the particularly juicy bits are her humble beginnings and her love affairs with boy capel and igor stravinsky. although there is something unsettling about her willingness to engage in relationships with married men, the times she lived in were different, her lack of family status a very real obstacle to marriage, and marriage itself much more of a social convention than the standard of equality and partnership it is today. she loved, she created, she lived – and all outside of what society had in store for women of that time period. plus hello beautiful clothing!

in our outdoor adventures we’ve been taking weekend hikes in corruthers woods. it’s a section of the don valley that is directly behind our apartment and can entertain one (or two!) for hours with its meandering trails and riverside ambles. it’s really remarkable how much green space toronto has and how easily accessible it is from so many places in the city. this weekend we’re doing a hike from the lakeshore, all the way up to the brick works on the lower don trail. we're meeting mel and alan in the distillery district then we'll hop on the trail from the lakeshore, meandering our way slowly north, stopping to sight-see and share sandwiches.

wheatberries are a remarkable grain. they have an almost ground-meat-like texture which jeremy noticed and i capitalized on by suggesting we season them with spices and use them for veggie tacos - delicious! we've also used them to make stuffing (wheatberry and cranberry) and to add a little crunch to our salads. they're used to make an eastern european porridge called kutya by cooking them slowly over a period of days. how alluring is something that takes that much time? in a world where everything is instant or quicker? very i'd say. i'd like to fill my bowl up with slowness please and savour every. single. drop.