Into another world

It doesn’t take much for me to become lost in my surroundings. Leave me for a moment around water and soon you'll find that I’ve already transported myself into a dreamland with princesses and talking Heffalumps. Saturday was no different, in fact it offered just the perfect opportunity to disappear into my own little world. With the wind quietly rustling around the edges of the St. John River and the sun soaking every living creature with its warm summer blanket, I went for a stroll with papa along a small, rocky patch near the river that was just wide enough for us to gain our balance and stay dry. It was only a second before my sandals were off and I was ankle deep in the cool, blue river water. I’m quite positive my little adventure didn’t last for more than a moment, but it was long enough for papa and I to be whisked away by giant mermaid who brought us to her underwater castle for a feast of peanut butter sandwiches, cookies and apple juice. We were the guests of honour to an amazing concert featuring an underwater orchestra with a memorable cast of creatures. I can still remember the trio of turtles losing me in the rhythms of their tambourines and the starfish mezmerizing us with their fantastic flutes. It was at that point when I heard Izzie calling us from the cliff above. For the rest of the day, each time the wind whipped around us, blowing my hair into my face, it was as if those terrific turtles were trying to say goodbye one last time.

Entertaining the entertainers

Don’t tell me you haven’t played peek-a-boo around trees before. Elle and I ventured off to King’s Landing this weekend where we saw chickens, pigs, horses and bulls. (By the way, those bulls need to chill out just a bit, any animal that size with horns like those needs to be a tad more zen before I’ll go too close.) We walked down dusty trails, traipsed through old houses and watched funny people dance. In the middle of the park, we sat down to have our promised picnic lunch. It wasn’t long after the last pretzel was devoured and the final carrot munched that we decided to put on a show for anyone who would care to watch. From what we learned it was custom at the time for kids to perform for their meals. Although we weren’t outfitted in traditional 19th century garb like the others at King’s Landing, that didn’t top us. Elle danced and sang her favourite number from the Backyardigans, while I played my patented peek-a-boo game and waved to everyone who came our way. I think we were quite the duo. What’s not to like about two smiling little girls on a mid-summer afternoon.

Welcome Francine

Sssh. You must be very careful, you wouldn’t want to disturb Francine. She’s our new fish and if you believe papa, she’s been through quite a harrowing adventure in the last few days. Izzie and I woke up Sunday morning and to our delight we had a beautiful blue fish. For months we’ve been pressuring papa for a water animal to balance out the cats and dog. Before we got too close, papa cautioned us that Francine is a fighting fish. While she is trained to be a lethal fishy force, it almost came down to a duel during little Francine’s rescue. Here I thought maman and papa were simply attending Nicolle and Fenton’s wedding on Saturday afternoon, as it turns out it was just an elaborate cover story for an elite counter-insurgence mission of unimaginable proportions. As papa tells it, there were evil pirates holding peaceful fish hostage so he had to bust Francine out with his brute strength and outrun a gaggle of thugs chasing them down a back alley. Papa says every fish deserves peace, order and good government, but these rogues were denying Francine her liberty. I was right with papa until the whole brute strength thing, but alas maman isn’t much help on corroborating the story as papa says she was given some sleeping potion that made her forget what happened. Anyway, I’m not taking anything for granted. I’m going to keep watching her from afar, just in case.