What I did on my summer vacation.

I took the first week of July off because I wanted a chance to enjoy the nice weather especially because I work strictly evenings. It was mostly a stay-cation, but I spent more money than I wanted to even though I did as many free things as I could. (Because I totally needed that $22 Little Mermaid t-shirt with original poster art, really)

I tend to win stuff off the radio, movie passes, lunches etc. My boyfriend N. and I don't get days off together because of our work schedules, so that was a nice treat. We took advantage of it, and went up to Pentaguishine to check out "world famous Dock lunch". It was okay, (Webers north of Orillia is way better) The free gravy was pretty sweet though. We also checked out this beautiful Jesuit church, and snuck up into the choir loft to check out the pipe organ. I also manged to find a used copy of Book Five in the Mortal Instrument series.  (again spending $$) After Penetang we went to Midland and watched The Lone Ranger, just for a change of pace going to a different theatre. (I enjoyed it, the 2 and 1 /2 hours totally flew by) The we made our way to Orillia for Arby's and Target. I got a shirt for $1 from Northern Reflections because the one location was closing down. What can I say, I love bargains? Here's a pic of my famous lunch and the church.

  The next day, we took my neighbours Matt and Marilyn to a movie, because I won free movie passes with drinks and popcorn. We saw This is the End, it was funny, but not something I would see again. It was cool seeing Emma Watson, especially having seen in her in person at the Toronto International Film Festival last year (Siobhan won tickets to the premiere of Perks of Being a Wallflower, and we were front row for the cast q&a) Anyway prior to going to the movie we used a voucher for  a wing place and had a good appy sampler, so we didn't pay for dinner either. I had also got a free drink voucher from this bakery/cafe and N. had a pastry coupon for signing up for their loyalty programme so that was another free excursion.

I spent a fair bit of time at the beach too, soaking up the sun reading the Mortal Instrument books. I wore my first bikini in about 17 years or so. For those new to my blog, this is signficant because in the last 4 1/2 years I have lost 65-70 pounds. I also have a lot of body image issues because of the weight loss and struggle with disordered eating,

Of course there was some theatre involved. I went to the Toronto Fringe Festival and saw the show The Musical of the Musicals (The Musical) with my friend Siobahn. It was a really campy spoofy production. It had 5 different vignettes playing of the works of Roger's and Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Sondheim etc. Each of the vignettes had the same basic plot a young ingenue can't pay her rent. I learned that the same team wrote Chicago, Cabaret and Kiss of the Spiderwoman. I really like Chicago, and do a mean cover of All that jazz, but I lost all cred last time I performed it by falling off the stage and twisting my ankle at a work Christmas party but I digress) You would have had to seen alot of the shows to get most of the jokes.

Before the show, I had gotten a little lost and found my way in the wrong end of the city, because the map said Clafouti -(this cafe I was looking for - was at Queen St east not west. Fortunately everthing worked out, and I made it to the cafe and to the show on time. I wanted to hit the cafe Clatoufi to try something called a "crookie". It basically a croissant with Oreo cookies baked inside, boy is it good!  I blame my friend Judy, because I never would have consumed the 500 calories, if she hadn't turned on the news when it was being featured. I would have never known about it. Something I had to try though, a once in a lifetime thing, just like the lobster poutine I had that day. Here's a pic of the crookie and poutine

Getting back to my bargoons I was quite excited to find the Kobo cover I have been lusting after ever since I got one for Christmas was on sale for $10! It is regularly priced $48, but I saw on the Indigo website that is was on sale, but the cover I wanted was sold out. I called my local store and double checked that it wasn't just an online thing, and it wasn't so they held one for me.I raced over in my beachwear to get it as it was near closing time. I am a huge Jane Austen fan , and have read all her work  (I still get emails from the Jane Austen Society of North America from when I was living in London, Ontario) I digress I really wanted the Pride and Prejudice kobo cover even though they are trying to pass it off as the first edition cover art. (It's not because any Jane-ite knows that P&P wasn't initially published under her name, but by "a lady". It wasn't until after her death that her identity was revealed. Anyway here's a pic:

                                                                                           
I ended my vacation at my Aunt Michelle's farm having a birthday barbeque for my grandmother Joan. One of the highlights was getting to hold a baby chick which I haven't done since I was a baby. Here's a pic of my Grandma Betty, Grandpa Dan and I with a chick when I was a baby and here's one of me from the farm.

All in all it was a relaxing vacay, mother nature co operated for the most part, because I was expecting a lot more rain.