Hospital vs. hidey hole!

October 15/11.

I'm very happy today, despite the rain and grey, dark, dismal sky, (not to mention ultra-humidity hair). Gak. Don'tcha HATE it when that happens?? - DOH!

The unnamed patient at Toronto East General is now home!

So I no longer have to visit this place! It's been a wild, five-day ride and I'm happy it's over. (More on this, if I ever get permission from the patient to write about the experience).

While I was hanging out in hospitals, my sister Carrie has been mucho busy. She opened on Friday night in Tafelmusik's Glorious Bach and Zelenka production, (two sublime masters of the baroque), conducted by Ivars Taurins. Carrie (a supreme soprano) has been singing with Tafel for many years.

Check the Tafelmusik ad for info here!

Tafelmusik publicity shot. Carrie is fourth from left.

Carrie says the music is very beautiful, but challenging, even for this extremely skilled and talented choir. Last night, Adrienne Clarkson (former Governor General of Canada) and her husband, writer John Ralston Saul, were in the audience!

During some downtime, Carrie paid a visit to the old "Hidey Hole"! Yep. (our late Mum's house).

All the new windows are in now, and a brand new door too.

The new owner, Dang, has been doing reno work there for months. I saw it in progress a few weeks ago, but so much has been completed since then and Carrie got a sneak peek the other day & was blown away by what she saw! (all this, just days away from the one-year anniversary of Mum's death, fast approaching on October 19th. - Sigh).

The kitchen is particularly fab. Absolutely unrecognizable from Mum's previously simple space. FINALLY, there's a dishwasher, tons of cool cabinetry, a new floor and new everything! Beautiful!

The wrecky, decrepit old basement is now perfectly finished!

Carrie, hangin' in the basement!

Great flooring!

And there's a brand new basement bathroom. Such pretty window panels. Wow! Outasite! (I'm stuck in teen idol '70's mode here I think).

And lo & behold, the washer & dryer I would LOVE to have had there these past few years, so I wouldn't need to take all Mum's laundry away to do it at home!

If someone showed me these pics out of the blue,

I would NEVER have guessed it was Mum's old house!

Even the backyard garden is slowly being cleared. Teddy (the dearly departed guinea pig's grave) seems to still be there, way at the back.

Perhaps my favourite shot is this one - Carrie at the fireplace. We chose to leave this brass screen in the house, (hoping Dang might use it), and he DID! It's the only part of the place that still looks familiar and brings a tear to our eye. We miss the house, the hidey hole and most of all, Mum. I'm sure I'll write more about her on October 19th. Can only hope she likes what Dang has done!