TIFF - BOND 007 Exhibit

Long line-ups for this exhibit in its closing days. Lots of costumes, props, gadgets, etc. with film clips or stills showing them in the film. It was lots of fun to go through and see what you remembered, reflect on your favourite films, on the different characters that have played Bond over the years and the consistency of the franchise, even among these very different, but all debonair leading men. If you have time to spare, you can read all of the commentary and glean some interesting tidbits about the actors, the ideas behind the gadgets, etc. Depending on how much time you spend reading, you should expect to spend at least 45 min wandering through the exhibit. Definitely recommended for the Bond fans - it has motivated me to go back to the beginning and start to re-watch all of the films.

TIFF - Samsara

Absolutely wonderful film - the cinematography, the content, the variety, the perspective - all of it was wonderous to behold. Spanning over numerous countries, the filmmaker endeavored to show us the many faces of the world. I saw familiar people and places, magnificent ones I had heard of and ones I never knew existed. This is an incredibly creative and fascination film and I encourage you to see it. We brought our teens with us, who, to our disappointment, found it to be a little too "arty". I suspect they have been spending too much time with video games and anime over the holiday break ...........

Off Mirvish - Without You

A one person play, told in a narrative voice - this is Anthony Rapp's story, backed by an awesome five piece band who occupy an elevated platform at the back of the stage.

Tonio, as his mother endearingly referred to him, experienced a resurgence of his career, through the lead role in Rent. During this time period he also lived with heightened anxiety over his mother's health, as the cancer she beat years before returned. This is a bittersweet play, juxtaposing the excitement of Rent with the struggles of the characters in the play. We see why the play resonates so well for everyone, through the reflection of the real life challenges of the cast and writers/producers, their grief and personal dramas and the choices one makes for love.

As the second installment of the new Off Mirvish series, we were not disappointed and eagerly anticipate the next production.

Ross Petty - Snow White

Well, this was a little more fractured than normal, but no less hilarious. Ross Petty has a real knack for taking a popular fairy tale and weaving in adult in jokes, local politics and popular culture into it. In this year's production, Snow White was paired with a motley crew of other fairy tale charterers instead of the dwarfs. Add 007 to battle the bad guys and you have a real mix-up. My daughter called it right when she said she expected to see Gangum Style pop up at some point.

As usual, the audience booed the evil stepmother (Ross Petty as cross-dresser), although they had to be cued - must have been mostly new comers. A young heckler from the audience, attempting to give away the plot, was quickly dispatched and absorbed into the story.

Attending Ross Petty's panto each year at Christmas time has been a tradition for our family for many years now and it never fails to disappoint. My son, now a teenager, wasn't planning on joining us this year, but was glad that he did. Book your tickets right away as the last performance is Jan 5.

Soulpepper - A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol is one of my all time favourite stories and I look forward to enjoying several versions each year during the holiday season. My favourite versions include the 1951 Alastair Sim movie and Soulpepper Theatre's live production, which they seem to mount every other year.

Joseph Ziegler plays a magnificent Scrooge. He captures the character perfectly and handles the transformation from "humbug" to regaining his inner joy in a truly believable manner. I just love watching him slowly melt from a crotchety unhappy soul into a foolish and giddy friend to all.

This is a magnificent play and I strongly recommend you include it in your Christmas plans in the future.

British Columbia - Sun Peaks Resort

A 45 min drive from Kelowna British Columbia is the best family winter resort I have ever been to (OK, its the only winter resort I have been to, but I'm sure it has to be one of the best - tons of ski hills at all levels, snowshoeing, lessons and tours, outdoor swimming, skating, tubing in the snow, cross country skiing, restaurants, shops, bars, coffee shops, grocery store, accommodation to fit any size of party or need. It takes a while to get here and there are no flight deals to take some of the sting out of the overall cost, but it is well worth the stay for those that are keen on either learning to ski or those that are looking for challenging hills, no crowds and the opportunity to spend some fun family time together. There's lots of fun things to do - something for everyone.

Day 1 I slept in, then enjoyed a very good latte with some friends in a cute little cafe. Picked up some snow shoes and a trail pass (cheap at $20 for the day) and followed the yellow snowshoe trail. What a gorgeous walk - along a narrow path cutting through the trees and winding up and down the mountain this was truly a most enjoyable and peaceful way to enjoy this winter wonderland. The trees were heavy with snow, the vistas were awesome and it was just so quite and peaceful. I felt as though we were just meandering along for a little while, but we walked for 2 hours. Those snowshoes really make walking over snow easy - duh!

The snowshoe trails are groomed every day and wind their way through some beautiful vistas. You can easily spend several hours wandering along the well marked trails. Remember to bring some water and snacks. Its very cheap to use the trails, if you have your own snowshoes, but it is also low cost to rent some. Some Australian friends gave me some good advice for sore muscles - gin and tonic, as the quinine in the tonic acts as a anti-inflammatory (and the gin makes the medicine go down better ..........).

I tried the snow limo tour, which is where you are strapped into a dog sled and a highly experienced skiier takes you down the hill. Its a great opportunity to experience the thrill of skiing, without any of the work or personal risk, particularly if you're not particularly co-ordinated, like me. It was a bit of a surreal experience, similar to the sensation of watching an IMAX film, but you also have the direct sensation of the weather. Definitely worth a run if you don't plan on doing any skiing.

The outdoor pool is fun, although not as warm as we expected. Lots of the accommodation choices also feature an outdoor hot tub, so you may want to go this route instead.

Transfers to the resort from the airport are very well organized and the driver will generally wait for you, if your flight is late, which seems to be the case very regularly from Calgary. Make sure the transfers are available on the day you're flying, before booking your ticket, particularly if you're going early or late in the season.

TSO Pops - A Merry TS0 Christmas

Another one of our favourite family traditions is to take in the TSO Christmas POPS concert. It officially starts the Christmas celebrations off for our family in earnest, unleashing shortbread, goodies and eggnog.

The program this year was wonderful, with no shortage of talent joining the orchestra. The show featured the ESA Choir, Holiday Dancers, Highland Creek Pipes and Drums and Colin Mochrie as narrator. The closing piece, The Twelve Days of Christmas, was an absolutely charming piece with a wide cast of characters appearing for each of the gifts. Among the many vignettes unfolding was the two turtledoves meeting, dating, breaking up over a french hen, and finally making up again. The pear tree was particularly charming as she slogged through her part over and over and over ...

This was the last performance for this year, but I recommend you watch out for this show next year.