Sugar Shack Times!

This winter is never ending. It started in November and I'm not sure when it's going to stop. It's nearly April. Spring? Yeah right! This is the season we call "still winter." I'm so ready for the summer sun but, for now, I must find ways to entertain myself to get through these Baltic days.

Our friends Jess and Daniel have a car and give us a shout whenever they head outside the city. Last weekend, we went to a Cabane à Sucre at Auberge le Baluchon, or Sugar Shack, the annual Quebeçois pilgrimage to the woods where you can top up your layer of winter fat with a feast drenched in maple syrup.

At the Auberge, we boarded a sleigh which took us to our cabin. There, a massive, coma-inducing brunch ensued. Ham, beans, scrambled eggs, tourtière, potatoes and the most delicious oreilles de crisse. The table was loaded with homemade condiments like ketchup, pickles, breads and maple syrup. As soon as you've adjusted your belt, out comes maple sugar pie, fried dough, and quite possibly the best dessert ever invented: pudding chomeur.

Stuffed like piggies waiting for slaughter, we hobbled out into the frigid air to find, fittingly, a trough of snow with tire sur la neige (maple taffy). Stuffed much?

Off we went to try and burn some calories, but first, a little sloth-like sit-down in front of a fire? No. Jess would not be tempted, so we headed back out to find the tobogganing hill. (On the way, we found the barn, where I fell in love with a newborn goat.) After sliding down the (magnificent) hill several times, we returned to the cabin and Farah and I cozied up by the fire while Jess and Daniel experimented with cross-country skiing. An adventure they will likely not repeat!

Thank you J & D! These trips help revitalise our souls and remind us how beautiful winter can be outside the city walls. Might even help us keep sane while we wait for the daffodils to emerge...

Photos of me were taken by Jessica Mcgovern, a good friend of mine who bakes the best treats here in Montreal. She's from Galway but shur we all have sins to bear. Check her out here. Thanks Jess :)

McGill Track and Field Meet!

My challenge for 2014 is to create a sports portfolio and work on bringing my biggest two passions together. Here is the first sports event I have ever shot, I'm looking forward to many many more. The room was filled with a familiar smell, deep heat and sweat. As I walked around trying not to get in anyones way, a million things were happening. Warm ups, 3000M, high jump, pole vault and long jump while shot putt and hurdles were in the beginning stages. I needed eyes on the back of my head, in the front and in the camera. I decided to just pick a spot for the 3000M and hope for the best. Patience is key, I sat there waiting for what I felt was about to happen and trying to read the persons every move, all the while looking through a small hole. That same person was moving at an intense pace and in a second what I was trying to capture is over, so back to waiting game I went. Frustration sometimes broke in after missing a key moment or because my camera reacted too slowly. Lessons have been learned and I am off out again tonight to see how I get on shooting basketball and tomorrow an ice hockey game.