Polska!

I'll start this a big apology for the lack of posts.
Poppet commenced Grade 3 a few weeks ago and things are going swimmingly. The school administration made an effort to separate her from the personalities who caused her so much grief last year and her confidence is already on the up as a result. She has the same teacher but many different classmates and is very happy so far. Relief!
We are still having lunch together twice a week and are cherishing the down time. We have half an hour on these days to play UNO and do puzzles and just hang out. TV and other gadgets are banished and it's a real pleasure.
Poppet has also started formal piano lessons (instead of her mother bungling along teaching her in a very haphazard way) and she is enjoying them immensely. The work we've already done means she doesn't have to sit down and learn the true basics. Her teacher encourages a bit of experimentation along with traditional practice which is exactly what we're looking for.
On a 'grown-up' note, we've been thoroughly enjoying the Toronto International Film Festival (despite the colds we've had since the get go). Each film we saw was excellent but special mention goes to "Prisoners" (Hugh Jackman is always worth the effort) and "A Field in England" (an English experimental piece which we adored). We are a little weary and footsore but are on the other side of the festival now and have promised ourselves that we'll see even more films next year. It's never enough!
Next week we'll be hitting the Just For Laughs comedy festival (back to back, September is an exhausting month!) and we are looking forward to seeing Janeane Garofolo, Sarah Silverman and Hannibal Buress. And lots of others. Somehow we will get through it. It's a hard knock life!
This weekend the Polish Festival has been on literally at the end of our street. The neighbourhood shuts down and the biggest Polish festival in North America takes over for two days. Highlights include the fastest ferris wheel I've ever seen, a lot of non-Polish things like Malaysian food and Panpipe musicians, street performers and all the Polish hotdog, borscht, pierogies and vodka you can manage. It's a lot of fun but it does feel like the same album has been playing on repeat since 11am yesterday morning. A whole lotta trumpets and oompa-pa. Only two hours left to go!
Here are some shots from our weekend. Look at that sky!

Poppet spent this morning doing maths (or "math" as they call it here) and the afternoon tracing some of her favourite comic artists. I'm just about to take a Guinness and steak stew out of the slow cooker for those meat eaters in the house and I even managed to make a vegetarian version for me. Tomorrow I'll turn the leftovers into pie. Hooray for leftovers!
Summer is almost over and the leaves have just started dropping. Looking forward to planning our Halloween celebrations and picking some apples. Fall is by far my favourite season, and it hasn't truly occurred in my hometown of Perth since I was small. Shall stock up on some organic hot chocolate and marshmallows in preparation for those chilly afternoon walks home from school.
Oh, and I have an ENORMOUS amount of custom orders to plough through over the coming months. This makes me very happy indeed. I have some photos to share for sure.
Til next time...