graffiti, originally uploaded by mintyfresh.

I went to Ottawa over the weekend and I must confess that it was SO NICE to be home. Except it wasn’t. Home, that is.

It’s odd, but somehow it just stopped being home. Now it’s a place I lived that I’m really (really) fond of. A place where I cram my 24 hour visit full of a lot of my favourite people, perhaps most notably this awesomely talented one, whose take on our little photographic visit brought some of you here.

I have often run past the graffiti park in the middle of the downtown core and admired the amazing artistic works you can find there, but have never stopped to take photos. “There will always be time!” I would think to myself. Except then I moved away, and there wasn’t.

Until now.

Afterword: It should be noted that I might be a difficult subject – I much prefer to be behind the camera calling the shots than in front of it. But Kym has a way with “I have a crazy idea!” and that is how I found myself willingly jumping up and down in the middle of a field in downtown Ottawa. The results are a testament to her patience – and her fantastic eye. And they are marvelous!

homemade pesto, originally uploaded by mintyfresh.

It’s been hot here for so long that I’ve forgotten how to cook things that involve heat – using the stove for anything has been an impossibility.

But a break in the heat meant I could spend some time in the kitchen for a change, with burners on, and everything!

Today’s project? Homemade pesto from the field of basil we have growing on the balcony, and fresh fettucine, the perfect use for the Tipo 00 flour I scored the other day.

While the process takes patience, the end result is totally worth it.

Currently reading, originally uploaded by mintyfresh.

This is how I earn my music nerd street cred: A 300-page book about Bach’s Cello Suites (and by extension, Pablo Casals).

And through it I discovered that Montreal has a Bach festival. Yay!

Early music education made me this way, I had no choice.