Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)

Lets go to the Ex !!! Doggie, doggie, doggie ...... There are some things you are glad not to hear. Just love my annual foray to the Ex and made sure I caught a bunch of shows, avoided those fraudulent vendors that were nabbed at the end of the fair, never ever ever eat the "fat on fat" specialty foods that lots of people seem to clamour for (boggles the mind !!!) and took a turn on the zip line (new this year and almost killed me on the climb .........)

Soulpepper - Angels in America Part 1

A long and varied play, with two intermissions. Set in the period when AIDS was beginning to take its toll and AZT was experimental, we follow three relationships as they grapple with illness, courage, loyalty and disappointment. Serious soliloquies and philosophical rants are interspersed with comedic visions and fantastical characters. The actors display their versatility and virtuosity in multiple roles, including some gender bending. Can't wait for Part 2.

Fern Resort

Just got back from another awesome week at Fern. This is the perfect family resort - close to Toronto, lots to do for kids and adults, plenty of opportunity to have fun with your kids or spend time alone with your spouse. From paintball to extreme ropes to peddlecarts, paddleboards and kayaks, cruises and water sports, tennis, golf, biking, hiking - the list just goes on and on. The staff are amazing, the food is great, with lots of choice for vegetarians, gluten free, weight watchers and the rest of us. The desserts are irresistible.  I tried a few other resorts and they just haven't got it all, so we've been going back to Fern every summer for quite a few years now. Strongly recommended for families with kids of all ages.

Soulpepper - Entertaining Mr. Sloan

Quite an enjoyable little farce. All the characters were charming in their malleability, alternating between gullible and insightful. Amusing and definitely entertaining. Recommended for a fun night out - but closing soon, so don't delay!

Gem Expo, Live Green Toronto Festival

A double header for today, we started the day off at the Gem Expo, held at the Hyatt Regency. Perused a lot of good quality gems, stones and silver. All in our party were able to find something to take home and fashion into a new piece of jewellery. Spent a longer time than we expected - although the show wasn't large, there were a lot of special things to check out. Next show will be in November.

Next stop was the Live Green Toronto Festival in Dundas Square. With Yonge St closed between Dundas and Queen and bands performing at both ends, it definitely had a festival feel. Lots of new and great organic and natural vendors and products, willing and able to answer all of your questions. If you are thinkging about going green, this is a good opportunity to do some face-to-face research - try and catch it next year.

Big on Bloor Festival

A quick little jaunt is all you need to check out this sidewalk sale style collection of wares from the stores and independent craft vendors, but it was definitely worth the trip as we discovered a little gem of a restaurant for an enjoyable snack on the patio. Karelia Kitchen has great food, friendly staff and is a rose on this section of Bloor. I understand the brunch is also amazing and I most definitely will be coming back to try it out myself.

Soulpepper - Great Expectations

I really enjoyed this show. In the first half you didn't quite know what was going on, although you could make some guesses, some of which were right and some of which were not.

The second half was tantalizingly intriguing, as all the realtionships began to unravel and the truth became clear.

The bride was really good, somehow malevant, keeping you on your toes. Pip was a convincingly sincere naive young man.