Canada is for Parkas

If Paris is for lovers, then Ottawa is for Parka-wearers, boys and girls.

I mean, I'm sure there are lots of romantics in Ottawa too.  But it's hard to express those feelings when it's -20 and colder outside, you know what I'm saying?  Doesn't matter if you're in Paris, Ottawa, or the blend-of-the-two, Quebec City, that I'm in in these pictures.

So this, boys and girls, is my parka.  It's like wearing a sleeping bag.  Which is more necessary and less cumbersome than you would imagine.

I had a red one a few years back that had mange on the hood, the stuffing all fell to the bottom, and the zipper was broken.  Which meant I had to step in and out of it.  And can I tell you, that's pretty hard to do in a giant lecture hall.

Through the grace of good friends who bought fancier coats, I inherited this beauty to replace ol' red.  The hood is still in furry glory, the stuffing is where it's supposed to be, and the zipper does as I tell it.  It's a very good little parka, and in exchange for my fondness, it keeps me warm when mother nature is telling you not to go outside.

So warm that you don't even need a scarf or hat!  Now that's a COAT.

Take that, mother nature.  I don't listen to nobody, not no how.

Homage to my friend Clara

Hooray for fur-lined hoods!

I love cannons.  And matching the relief on my parka.

I also love Winston Spencer Churchill.

Because we look the same.

Parka - Hand-me-down from a friend
Mittens - Church rummage sale
Tights - two pairs, American Apparel
Boots - foolish of me, should have brought my Sorels, Chinese Laundry

So don't go outside without one, boys and girls.  Together, we can enjoy winter!

Love,

Your friend Lina

New Years and Some Sentimentality

(Crazy Belated)Happiest of New Years, boys and girls!

Each year, one hopes that THIS New Year will be the one to out-do the rest.  And I have to admit, mine have been slowly but surely besting themselves as far back as I can remember.  Back in high-school we had quiet-but-well-attended evenings round a fire and a piano with mulled wine simmering on the stove.  Then we moved onwards and upwards to more and more raucous-y parties.  I took a year out in Barcelona during the year that a lot of things changed for our group of friends (in a good way!).  And upon my return we started our destination New Year's Eve parties.

Granted, it was only to Montreal and we still basically just had a house party in my friend's apartment, but at least it wasn't lil' ol' Ottawa and that was excitement enough for us.

This year, however, we took a bigger leap and got our act together enough to make a real trip out of it.  Thanks to months of planning on facebook, we booked a hostel in Quebec City for three days for eleven of us.  A few of us had nightmares about the organizational snafu that was sure to arise, but most everything went off with a hitch.  Not only off with a hitch, but off with a bang!  It was definitely our best New Year's yet!

After coming back from Toronto for the holidays, I had one day of work and then we were heading to Quebec the next day.  At the last minute we had organized rides (thus saving TONNES of money and time on buses), and as soon as my chariot picked me up we bought a bunch of coffees and treats from my work for the ride down.  We took my friend's van so we were a cramped and cozy bunch.  The ride was punctuated with much bickering over shoulder-and-hip space (poor planning saw the three tallest of our bunch crammed in the back seat), car games that not everyone knew they were taking part in, drawing on the frosted windows, and laughing till the cows came home (stayed in their homes as we drove past them?).  We had had a bit of a late start, but the amount of fun we had in the car definitely boded well for the rest of the trip.

Foggy Canvas

Dragons!

Compatriots

Getting sneaky. . . .

Everyone is. . .

Ian and Irene brought us all Kinder Surprises!

And then we made garbage battlements for the driver

 When we arrived at the hostel in Quebec city, the other carload of our friends had already scoped out our rooms.  Because there were so many of us, we got two bedrooms of six to ourselves.  Which I'm sure was the best not only for our shenanigans but also for whatever poor soul would have had to take the extra bed.  Our bedroom had exposed brick up one wall and floor-to-ceiling windows with a view of the old town up the other.  I should also mention how nice it was to be in a room with people you know and not strangers.  I adored all my hostelry in Europe of course, but not having to worry about making noise, locking up your belongings, or keeping a tight grip on camera, phone, wallet, and passport while you sleep was another added luxury to this already formidable arrangement.

Window into the past

After a few rounds of kings to catch up with early-arrivers, it was swiftly agreed upon that we would go have an "historical snowball reinvisionment" of the Plains of Abraham on the actual Plains of Abraham.  We drew lots, making our friends Ian and Lilly Wolfe and Montcalm respectively.  We all bundled up and trekked up the super icy pathways behind the citadel to our respective fort spaces - we, the French, had the gazebo and the English got the field and tree.  With varying levels of intensity we entered into the throws of war.  Or capture the stick (the historically accurate version of capture the flag).  The snow wasn't great for snowballs, so really we just threw chunks of ice at each other.  But, after years and years of cultural and linguistic oppression, the French finally won!

We slipped and slid our way back to the hostel, warmed our feet (in turn making the room reek for the following forty-eight hours), and then headed out for the evening.  A smaller group of us went out for nachos and pints, and then met up with everyone at this super-dive bar.  There was NO ONE in there save for our formidable group.  But there was a tiny little dance floor complete with lasers, mirrors, and one redundant burst of a fog machine.  I wouldn't have guessed it, but absolutely everyone was down to cut a rug!  Even the boys who I've known practically my whole life and who I wouldn't have ever expected to be into dancing were tearing it up.  We stayed all night and had a hell of a time.  I can always tell, because my knees hurt the next day.

The next morning, a select few of us got up for the last dregs and crumbs of the hostel breakfast, and then headed out for the morning to catch the sights and sounds of the old town and play with our cameras (more on that later!).  The Chateau, waterfront, and historical feel of the older town in Quebec City never fail to charm me.  And man, was it ever cold boys and girls!  Nothing makes you feel quite so Canadian as braving that sort of nonsense to marvel at the wonders of snow-capped nature.  Suffice to say we duly rewarded ourselves with savory waffles, hot chocolate, and a mid-afternoon nap.

My favourite lady tourists!

My dream house - seafoam green and nineteenth century

Cross-generational poses

Transportation

 

Afternoon of Champions

After resting up, our room started the party pretty early.  And this was the sort of party that involved G&T's and stolen hard-boiled eggs from the hostel breakfast.  At four p.m.  The ladies then clubbed all our knowledge of outfits, hair, and make-up together to get ready pretty early (with the added boost of protein provided by the eggs).  We were never the sort of girls who would do such a thing in high school, so we figured that we are just going through this stage of life a little later on.  And the boys even noticed!  We were super impressed.  And we probably lost all paint and hairspray we had so duly applied by the time we left the hostel.  But we had put it on for ourselves and that's all that matters.

We spent the evening of the New Years at an Irish pub around the corner from the hostel.  Almost as soon as everyone got settled we took over the little dance pit that had formed around the house band of fiddlers, strummers, and drummers.  Everyone was dosedoing, clapping their hands, and having a knees up in no time.  At one point one of our friends mentioned that Emilie, my best gal, went to Julliard, so the fiddler handed her his instrument and she played for the whole bar.  I was just a few sheets windward, and just little bit proud, so I may have cried all the way through.  But not without dancing the whole time too!  We weren't expecting to have had such a good time in this last-minute little venue, but it ended up being just perfect.

That was, until about ten minutes before midnight.  Someone decided, and I guess the majority was with them, that we should run to try and catch the fireworks.  From the walls of the old city.  And so with just a few minutes to spare, we all booked it through the streets and up the steep climbs of snow-covered stairs to the top of the walls to watch the fireworks and revel in the good cheer of it all.  More than a few of us got kind of hurt in so doing, but I'm sure it was all worth it.  I spoke to my brother just after midnight (my family always calls each other to wish a Happy New Year because we never spend it together), and he was pretty impressed with our rather flamboyant way of ringing it all in.  And I admit I was pleased as punch as well.

The next morning we awoke to clear out of the hostel and to track down some food.  With none of us really knowing where to go we ended up wandering the streets for quite a while, eventually settling on a hotel buffet.  Which was exactly what we needed to recover, satiate, and fuel us for the long drive ahead.  Our car had a marvelous time bonding all the way back over shared experiences, old and new.

It really was the best New Year's I've ever had.

Which really helped a few days after when my man and I broke up.  I was bummed cause I really liked and still do like the dude, but one of my first thoughts after the fact was that I truly have the best group of friends a girl could ask for so I know I'll be ok.  That weekend many of the same folk rallied around me with lots of support.  And after my protestations that everything was fine, the conversation always tended towards how marvellous our trip had been.  And how unconditional our friendships are.  And how we're going to have to do this for ever and ever, because this kind of long-lasting and absolute-understanding friendship doesn't happen very often.

We have incredible fun, and I have incredible friends.

Best of in the New Year, boys and girls!

Love,

Your friend Lina

Merry Christmas!

I hope you had the Merriest of Christmases, boys and girls!

Because I sure did.

My Christmas this year was perfectly book-ended, and crammed, with all of my favourite traditions.  Just a few days before the day-of we had our Christmas tree decorating party with many of the old friends who have been in attendance for years and years.  This year also marked our first multigenerational festivus, as one of my sister's friends came complete with wife and tot in tow.  There was much cooing, much eating, much drinking, and a little bit of decorating to boot.

The tree pre-decorating

I made chocolate-orange-pecan (not pictured) and parmesan-black pepper (above) biscotti for friends and family this year

Hep-cats and Be-bops

Just a taste of some of our Christmas decor - the snow-globe with Santa we've had for as long as I can remember

Starting to get busy

The Tannenbaum in all it's glory! Note the first issue of my new favourite magazine!

The day after, we celebrated Christmas with my sister as she and her husband were leaving for his family do on the 24th.  I have to say it was pretty nice to split the festivities up over a few days.  Who doesn't want their absolute favourite holiday to last longer than is proscribed? I ask you.  My sister got me these hilarious flip-flop socks from her recent trip to Japan: they almost look like mittens what with the big toe in its own little compartment and the rest all smooshed together.  With those she and her husband also got me a subscription to Nylon (isn't Santa good at communicating my wishes?) and a copy of Kate Beaton's Hark A Vagrant!  I've been a reader of that most wonderful of all comics for years and years now, so I was not only delighted that I now have a hard copy of some of my favourite strips, but also that the fine girl gets supported!  What a good sister and broseph-in-law I have.

The next morning we saw them off after breakfast.  That afternoon took us to the yearly Christmas Eve open house that family friends have, where my brother and I usually just stake ourselves out next to the crab cakes, layer dip, salmon mousse, and bacon-wrapped-water-chestnut-stuffed prunes.  Can you blame us really?  As soon as we got home my brother got all suited up to play Santa for our neighbour's kids.  We've been doing it since their little girl was just an infant, and I think she must be about six or seven by now.  It was easier to pull off when they lived across the street from us but this year they moved a few blocks away, presenting Santa and his chauffeur with a new set of problems.  Along with the anxiety that this will be the year that they are discovered to be frauds, they also had to sort out how to hide the fact that Santa got into the Crompton's van and drove away after delivering the presents.  Not too sleigh-like our caravan.  Nor could my brother just walk home as he was wearing my boots and they're a mite too small for him.  So apparently my father was waiting a few doors down to pick him up with the headlights off, and they just threw the car into neutral and rolled down the hill, hoping the kids wouldn't notice.  They confirmed in the morning that the ruse was a good one when they exclaimed at the breakfast table that when they ran to the window to watch him leave, Santa had magically already disappeared!

Santa on his iPhone (my favourite picture of the season!)

As fore-mentioned, these same neighbours came over for Christmas breakfast first thing the day of.  We had already opened our stockings (a book, mascara, a chocolate orange, and a real orange for yours truly), but we postponed family gift-giving until after the feast of frittata, Canadian bacon, panettone, stewed cranberries and apples, and lots and lots of coffee.  The little ones really liked the presents my parents got them (these librarians really know what they kids these days like to read), and us old folks really liked a repetition of our lovely little holiday tradition.  After they left we opened gifts (a generous cheque to help pay for the DSLR that I've been saving up for plus a library of books), took naps, and talked to family near and far on skype.  Our close family friends came over for nibbles and drinks (again, of course, a long-lasting tradition), and almost as soon as they were gone, my aunt and uncle arrived for Christmas dinner. 

All my wrapping this year was green paper, twine, and handwritten green-on-beige cards

 

Can you tell what I got my brother?

After gifts with them (can you tell we're blessed?), we watched Joyeux Noel.  This one was actually a new Christmas film for us.  Normally our staples are White Christmas and the Alastair Sim's Scrooge (aka A Christmas Carol), but as this was playing on TVO we gave it a go.  And, boys and girls, I would be perfectly happy having it become part of the Crompton Christmas Canon.  It's a German/French/British film about the Christmas Truce of 1941, the first year of the First World War.  It follows a few key characters from German, French, and Scottish battalions, dramatizing real-life occurrences from along the trenches.  The men exchange drinks, gifts, and a few words of salutation, as well as sharing mass, a football game, and shelter in each others's trenches when the artillery starts to fire again on the day after Christmas.  Of course the censors get wind of this when the men write home about their Christmas comradery, and HQ cracks down on all sides to ensure such fraternization never happens again.  We were all in waterworks the entire time, as you can imagine, which is the stamp of a good Christmas movie in this household for sure.

This film was extra-special for me because The First World War is one of my favourite historical events to study

I wish I was trilingual and gentlemanly as well

On boxing day we drove down to Toronto to continue the festivities with all of the extended Cromptons.  Throughout our visit I was able to see my good friend Ariana (she had come home to the GTA from her stint in rural New Brunswick), and spend a whole day with my most excellent cousins and aunts and uncles.  We've now got four generations going strong, so our big family lunch and dinner is quite the party!  There's almost too many of us to be able to catch up with everyone.  Time really flew past and it's sad to think that we won't be all together again until next Thanksgiving.  But an awesome time was had by all, and even though it was too short, it also was too sweet!  After everyone parted for the evening the remaining Cromptons gathered round to watch Scrooge, my favourite Christmas movie if not just favourite movie in it's own right.  It was the perfect end to a perfect Christmas!

First night in T.O. - my cousin's lil'est guy pulling apart the Christmas tree

Crompton arms, and can we talk about the wallpaper!

Soup and Vessel: Marvelous

Some awesome signage downtown (speaking of el cheapo?)

I'm glad this exists

Four generations of twenty-four Cromptons

We drove back to Ottawa this morning, so I guess now Christmas is officially over.  But, as the Spirit of Christmas Present says, Christmas does not live in man's hearts but one day of the year, but three-hundred-and-sixty-five!

I'll be keeping my heart full for the upcoming year, boys and girls.  I hope you can too!

Love, and Happy Christmas,

Your friend Lina

Silent Night

Which would be the Christmas version of radio silence, boys and girls.

I apologize for the absence, but I've found myself cameraless for the past week or so.  However, I have been working away like a good little elf on Christmas presents, Christmas baking, and Christmas cheer.

Yet I have no way to prove it to you.  Such is life in the blog lane.

Suffice to say, I am super excited for this week.  Tomorrow my sister comes to town, and we'll be having our annual Christmas Tree Decorating Party.  This year we've got about 15 people coming to eat and drink delicious things, get into the spirit with harp-based Christmas music, and deck our halls (and our massive and wonderful tree, I promise I'll get some photos!) with all of childhood's ornaments and memories.

Then we'll come upon parties with old friends, parties with my parent's old friends, and the final show!  I cannot wait to get cracking on all my favourite traditions!

And to all a good night,

Your friend Lina

Coureuse des Bois

You gotta love that fifteenth-century Canadian scarves are still in fashion, boys and girls.

My mother recently dug up some boxes from the basement filled with old scarves, mitts, and hats of mine.  In an attempt to sort what I would keep, I came across this beauty, which actually used to be one of my mom's. 

I used to wear it all the time in highschool, but of late I haven't been as addicted to scarves as I was.  I spent a wine-soaked eve the other week with a good friend of mine, which descended into looking through old high-school albums.  And the scarf problem was endemic, can I tell you.

However, I'm glad this baby made it through the plague and subsequent recovery 'cause it's just the right amount of historical and festive for my December tastes!  Paired with these green tights (I swear they err on the side of green and not teal in real life), anything red turns just an average outfit (all black in my world) into pure Christmas cheer!

Scarf - My Mom's
Coat - Urban Outfitters
Shirt - Forever 21
Skirt - Forever 21
Tights - Simons
Shoes - Forever 21

Well boys and girls, I just polished off my first box of clemintines!  Tomorrow I'll be spending the day buying supplies for the gifts I'll be making by hand and securing those that I won't.

I hope you're loving every single day of December as much as I am!

Love,

Your friend Lina

All Wrapped Up in a Bow

It's no surprise that I ADORE Christmas, boys and girls.

Already being a sucker for tradition, what happens when you throw snow, scarves, eggnog, firesides, cookies, music, family, and friends into the mix?  Well then you get make the little Christmas Elf in me the absolute happiest in the whole world!  I have a few Scrooge-ish friends, and every year I make it my mission for them feel the miracle that is the Christmas season.

So consider yourself forewarned.  This whole month I will be a big festival of Christmassy gushing.  And holidays outfits.  And over-the-top matchy-matchy in red, white, green, gold, and blue.

So why not kick off my favourite time of the year in a saccharine-sweet little ensemble?  This outfit also counts as a haul post, cause I scored this red duffle coat (I had been wanting one for aaages and it was one sale!), this scarf, and these gloves over my weekend in Montreal.  I love the little bow detail on what would otherwise be just a regular pair of cheapy mitts.  I kept things Lina by wearing all black otherwise, but I couldn't resist throwing on my bow headband to match the gloves.  I've got the same headband in leopard print as well, which, come to think of it, would be pretty smashing in this ensemble too, no?

 

Coat - Urban Outfitters
Scarf - H&M
Headband - H&M
Gloves - H&M
Tights - Last Year's Christmas Gift
Boots - Last Year's Payless

Ok, let's get real, boys and girls.  I just threw on a few of my favourite tunes from the Sufjan Stevens Christmas Opus while my photos uploaded, and started to cry.  Because I love Christmas SO MUCH.

Now maybe you'll have some idea of what you'll be dealing with here ;)

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

Love,

Your friend Lina