today is the greatest day

let's start our walk through Takhini North, my neighbourhood

wood piles, getting ready for chilly days ahead

love all the gardens!

our neighbourhood berry patch. click to make it large enough to read

down to the wooded paths behind the school

stopping to pick up rocks, a favourite pastime

more wood ... it's a sign!

a neighbour's front door that I admire every time that I go for a walk

comfort food after our nice walk

I must be on some kind of roll, because today was just ones of those days that couldn't have gone better.

Today Winslow joined his buddies for our friend Jeff's bachelor party. They were to go fishing all day, out for dinner and then hit up a bar. Winslow decided to be DD (designated driver) so he took off with the car, which forced Noah and I to stay home and be homebodies today. It was really nice.

In the morning I had my friend Sarah and her daughter Abby over. When they pulled up, I noticed one more get out of the car, it was our friend Carol-Ann who had taken a sick day as she wasn't feeling all that well. We hung out in my kitchen for much of the morning sipping coffee and tea and eating these pumpkin muffins. We rounded the morning off with a little walk over to the park behind my house to let the kids play. It was so good to get caught up with them, it felt like it had been too long.

Then in the afternoon, Noah took a nice long and much needed nap while I got dinner into the oven (a whole roasted free from antibiotics chicken) and worked on some photo edits. After Noah's nap Carol-Ann came back over for a quick visit with her son. Noah and Jack played and played and we caught up some more, something we hadn't had a chance to do for a long time.

After our visitors left, Noah and I went for a walk along the route that we like to take. We walked through the neighbourhood and then down into the wooded area behind the public school. I always enjoy Noah's and my walks together because I love hearing him talk to himself and when he asks me "was dis?" (what's this?) to everything.

Along the way we stopped to pick some raspberries that have been planted by the city in our very own neighbourhood berry patch. We joined some older kids who had the same idea and I talked to them about the different berries that were there. We all had fun picking the berries.

Then we were on our way for the rest of the walk.

Down past the new construction of new homes that is going on, to the wooded area we went. We walked along the little paths stopping to look at rocks and pinecones. I was on the lookout for signs of Autumn, as we have been getting very chilly nights as of late. I saw a few leaves starting turn colours and noticed bright berries all popping up along the paths, ready for the animals to eat. I stopped to get a close look at a mushroom that looked very pretty, but don't worry I didn't touch it as I can't identify mushrooms. We walked some more and then found our way back on our route to our house.

Upon arrival at our home we were greeted with the delicious smell of the roasted chicken cooking away. I got to work on peeling potatoes for mashed potatoes and made some of Noah's favourite food, brown rice. I did some simple green peas and made some gravy to go with the chicken and potatoes, after all that walking and the fresh air, Noah and I deserved a hot comfort meal. We sat down together at the kitchen table where I had lit a candle. We said our blessing and then I hopped up to put on the radio. It was a live concert by one of my favourite singers, Chantal Kreviazuk. She was accompanied by the Winnipeg orchestra (her hometown). Noah and I dug into our food and I listened to the music, imagining that I was there at her concert (I've seen her live once ... amazing). It was such an enjoyable meal.

And that was my day dear friends. Perfectly simple and homey. Exactly what I needed with no stress at all. One to take note of and remember.

Oh and unrelated but on my mind, I was looking through some old blog posts of mine last night and had a really good time going back in time to see Noah so little. It amazes me how much I had forgotten about what he was like when he was a baby. If it weren't for this blog I'm afraid those memories would be gone forever. Just one of the many reasons that I love blogging. A personal capsule of time, so that I never forget.

Hope you are having a lovely day or evening dear friends. I'm off to bed now.

xox