Monte's Chocolates

Over the years I have been privileged to have the friendship of Monte. We have played music together for almost 30 years, both in each other's homes and in Flutissimo (a recorder orchestra). Along with music, one of his passions is making chocolates which he does every year and then shares with his friends. He makes a large variety, from chocolate dipped orange rinds to clusters of nuts and dried fruit, chocolate covered biscuits, chocolate-coated almonds and his own variety of turtles. And even chocolate covered halvah.



Several years ago, he came to my place and we made chocolates together. He shared his "secrets". I tried making them once more on my own, but did not have the finesse of Monte. His friendship has been a treasure. The chocolates are just a bonus!

Day 363: Fabric

Day 363: Fabric, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Back to Aux Délices for more food and friendship. We stopped in at Maison Calico which is attached to the cafe (it's actually the cafe that is attached to the old building which houses the quilt shop. I love the many colours, shades and patterns on the fabric.

The building itself is over 250 years old. It once served as an inn. The broad wood floors creak a bit, reminding us of their age. It is fittting that this old building houses a craft that was so prevalent at the time of its construction. Quilting was a time for women to gather together to share their stories and their lives. The building still brings people together, for food, for quilting, for connections.

Day 348: Meeting Friends

Day 348: Meeting Friends, originally uploaded by susanvg.

Sometimes we get so caught up in work and the myriad of things to do in our lives we forget to set aside time for friends. A colleague and two former colleagues of mine have made a point of meeting a few times a year for lunch as friends. Today we met in Aux Délices, a small restaurant located in a building over 250 years old.

I first discovered this building when I had gone to Pointe Claire Village and, being early for an appointment, wandered around. My eye caught sight of a quilt in the window all blues, purples and turquoise - truly magnificent. I had to go in and look more closely. The building housed a quilting store with fabrics on the main level and room for classes upstairs. I enrolled in a quilting class and learned to painstakingly create templates, trace them onto fabric, cut and then piece the shapes together to create a sampler of quilt squares. I naively planned for a queen-sized quilt for my daughter. Five years later I still have the 15 squares I made, waiting to be pieced together. I keep planning to get back to it, but....

I used to say that about friends. When I have time we'll get together. But as I get older, I realize you have to carve out time for what is important. And there is nothing more important than people. My friends and I have already planned our next meeting, this time a supper. Together we piece together the fabrics of our lives and sew our lives together in a friendship quilt.

Day 211: Thinking of Daniel

Day 211: Thinking of Daniel, originally uploaded by susanvg.

I found out today that a friend passed away. I knew him through music; we played in Flutissimo together and had both gone to music camp. This shared love of music was the soil in which our friendship grew. We saw each other on a regular basis at our Flutissimo rehearsals and chatted about music as well as our work together on Flutissimo's web presence. I admired his sense of humour and most of all his passion for life. Well-travelled, knowledgeable and eclectic, he shared his ideas, his experiences and his outlook. But he did not share how sick he was, so today's announcement came as a shock.

I shall miss him.