Dralion, Derby, Birthdays, Cinco de Mayo, & Supermoon!

We were off to Halifax for the weekend ... the girls got off-island and into a different Backyard & Kitchen for a change - Cheryl's! Well, her backyard is a parking lot, but she does have a cute little deck which is sort of the city version of a backyard - complete with BBQ and bistro set!

Sammy keeping an eye on  Halifax below

Saturday afternoon Cheryl, Cindy, Ana and I went to see Cirque du Soleil's Dralion at the Metro Centre. This was an early birthday present from L'il Sista. Thank you thank you thank you! Up until now, I had only seen Cirque on television - I haven't lived!  It was fantastic! You must see it. I was inspired to keep working on my handstand and perhaps be a Dralion for Hallowe'en this year.  Here is the official trailer for the show:

As soon as we got back to Cheryl's condo, it was time to watch the 138th running of the Kentucky Derby. The most exciting two minutes in sports!!! And this race was especially exciting as a Mexican jockey won it on a Canadian horse. Ana was proud. In case you missed it, you can see it here. You're welcome.

Then it was time for Lewis&Terry's birthday party! Since it was also Cinco de Mayo, I had made a Pastel de Tres Leches to celebrate both occasions. Adele (who we found crossing Windsor on our way back from the Commons, AND as it turns out, lives across the street from Cheryl - go figure) helped me put the finishing touches on the cake (whipped cream icing and sliced mangoes) before she had to rush off to another soiree. No wonder she is in demand - such a loooooovely lady! And this is how the cake turned out:

Pastel de Tres Leches with extra sauce on the side

Pastel de Tres Leches is basically a white cake soaked in 3 types of milk (sweetened condensed, condensed, and whole) and frosted with whipped cream. Moooooooooo. Not great if you're on a no-dairy diet. Or any kind of diet, really. There is a great recipe for this cake (there are many versions) at Pati's Mexican Table.

 

Sammy looking cute, hoping some cake crumbs fall her way

Finally, around midnight, we went out again in search of Supermoon. We had tried to find it at the official moonrise time of 8:14pm, but the sky was clouded over. By midnight it wasn't so supersized, but it was superbright. The best photos by far are on Jody's facebook page. If you are his fb friend, check them out.

Supermoon 2012 over Halifax

This morning, Cindy came over for breakfast and Cheryl made froached eggs (fried, yet poached). They were delicious with fresh fruit, coffee, and toast from my bread-machine bread. I will definitely froach my eggs from now on: put a little butter and a few shots of water in the pan, simmer it, and toss in the eggs.

froached eggs

A hearty breakfast.

Ana and I took a jaunt around the corner to the used book store before we left the city. I found a Graham Greene novel, Monsignor Quixote. I read a couple of his novels for a class at Dal; he creates interesting characters and his plots often involve international espionage. This particular novel is set in Spain, which is really what drew me to it. A quote from Spectator on the cover says it's his "best, most absorbing, adept and effortless novel". This could be an adequate match for my attention span.

One last spin around the block before heading back to the country.

Any more FUN and we might have stayed!

Cheryl's place