Category: Girl Who Would be King

Girl Who Would be King

Happy Holidays

Hanukkah, Christmas, New Years – what; already?

Well here we go again. The holiday season is always a good time to reflect on our blessings and seek out ways to make life better for ourselves and those around us.

During this holiday season instead of blogging or vlogging, I will be glögging.  For those unfamiliar, it’s the ultimate winter warmer – a Scandinavian-inspired mulled wine from California with German roots.  It’s a spiced wine blend of half dry red wine and half port intermingled with spices of cinnamon, cardamom and orange peel. You just pour it into a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat until hot but not simmering, about 5 minutes. Add sliced orange, some fresh cranberries, a few cloves and a cinnamon stick (but you don’t have to).

I’m obviously craving warmth.  The warmth of the sun, the warmth of cozy PJ’s, the warmth of a cup of hot tea or glögg.  Good food, good company, good movies, my dog and a couple days by the ocean.  A change of scenery from spending time in the Desert.  Nothing to complain about.  No major resolutions.

How about you? What are you looking forward to during this holiday season?

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Girl Who Would be King

May Days

What’s not to love about May

May brings promise of brighter days ahead, spring flowers, a few showers and a general lightness of being. Something we need right now is Optimism.

Here are a few things I love about MAY.

Sunday, May 2nd, was the first day of our local Kitsilano Farmers Market.  Shopping fresh and prepared local food products are always a feel-good source of groceries for me and many other locals.

Open May-October, this weekly market offers locally sourced produce, artisanal crafts & food trucks.

This cute little trailer is a food truck.

Odd Society is Makers of Fine Spirits. Now that’s the spirit!

 

 

 

And fortunately we’ve come to a “Dead End” here at this booth.  Forbidden Fruit Winery

In Full Bloom
My friend Tammy alerted me to a local floral delivery company called “Bear’s Blooms“
Located in Kits, and starting at $39 per delivery including shipping, they’ll deliver a unique locally grown fresh selection as often as you’d like!  Once a week, once a month….whenever.
Your selection will be handpicked and delivered right to your door, fresh from local farms!  You can sign up on their website here…
https://www.bearsblooms.com/

Only problem is I’m not sure whether I want to go with Alma or Cecilia.  Holly and Julia are pretty nice too.  Such a dilemma!

Cecilia

Alma

Then there’s…Crafted Vancouver 2022 

Feast Food events feature foraging, harvesting and food preparation demonstrations & workshops, walks & talks and more. The true meaning of hand-crafted food.

https://craftedvancouver.com/

Today (May 3rd) is Layla’s fifth birthday!  Happy birthday little one.  We’ve got a fun filled packed day ahead.

Lastly;  I’ve been working (if you can call it that) on an upcoming podcast with a friend.  We’ve experienced a few learning curves as we go along with designing our logo and website and learning how to edit.  It’s almost at the completion stage now, and once we’re up and running I’ll be able to share it with you.  One thing for sure is we’re discovering people and places and having fun while doing so.

That is the reason why I’ve neglected posting as often as I have of late.  That, and a lack of fashion/film/restaurant openings as you can only imagine.

  But here’s hoping things pick up real soon.

Better Days Ahead

 

 

 

 

Girl Who Would be King

Feel-good Friday: Stir Crazy

The only upside of self isolating is all the time you have for self reflection. Which, by the way, can be a positive.

Photo: d. king

 

Having said that, we would prefer it be of our own accord.  Not a forced thing.

But since this is a totally new situation we try to make the best of it.  I don’t know how you’re handling it but I’m spending quality time with my dogs (more than usual), getting back to reading, watching movies on TV (mostly comedies; one million ways to die in the West, etc.) and stirring the pot; for real.  Good opportunity to get back to good ol fashioned cooking. Something else that had fallen by the wayside with my over abundance of socializing.  Also time to work on a little project I’ve been mulling over to do with Palm Springs.  More on this later – no one’s going anywhere for now.

As I’m leaving Palm Springs shortly I’m using up the contents of my fridge and trying to be as creative as can be with the contents.  Note: there’s not much left to the imagination.

So last night I roasted fresh compari tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, spices and chilli peppers. Fresh squeezed lemon over top and grated toscano pepper cheese. Very simple comfort food with spaghetti. Simply delicious.  It doesn’t take many ingredients to make a great meal.

Photo: d. king

I also want to say that I posted a few poems the other day. To those who follow via e-mail I believe I made a mistake in publishing one of the poems.  At first I thought it was timely, but when I re-read it, I realized it was more depressing than uplifting so I decided to delete the post from my website. Also; we don’t know who the author is, so best to leave it alone.

These are strange times for sure.  Something like covid-19 virus has never happened in our lifetime.  Let’s hope things get back to normal soon.   However, maybe this will make us wake up to what is most important in life in general.  Simple but important things like Health, Family, Friends. 

And one more positive – it’s officially SPRING!  I’ll meet you back here very soon.

Girl Who Would be King

Feel-good Friday: Love Stories

On this Valentine’s Day...

My dog mat. 

Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won’t either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning. You have to love. You have to feel. It is the reason you are here on earth. You are here to risk your heart. You are here to be swallowed up. And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself you tasted as many as you could – Louise Erdrich

A cute story as told by a friend:

When I was a young child, my mother used to tape silhouette figures of cupid on a few of the walls in our house as Valentine’s Day approached.  And being a youngster, I never quite understood why it was that she did that.  When I asked she’d say that cupid (whoever that was) would be visiting me while I slept and would shoot an arrow of love through my heart.  The tooth fairy is a better story; at least you wake up with money under your pillow.

Of course as a child that didn’t exactly sound like it was a good thing to have some unknown figure shoot an arrow through my heart.  I saw what happened to those so unlucky on television when I’d watch the adventures of Robin Hood.  But my mom tried to reassure me that it wasn’t like that.

The next morning we’d get a card and some chocolate; and at school girls would send me cards saying be my Valentine.

And now as a grown man I understand love isn’t something you get to plan on your own terms.  It’s something, some magic or energy that overtakes you like an arrow in the night while you sleep.  One whose purpose is to set us free.

It’s all a mystery to me, but without love, life would be meaningless and empty.  So embrace love every day; not just today!

…on this Valentine’s Day

 

 

Girl Who Would be King

It’s february

Let’s leap right in and check out a few things that are taking place this month:

Starting with one of my favorites…

Photo: d. king

Photo: d. king

Followed by

Trying to get them to smile is the hardest.

This Sunday, February 2nd.  The theme is Mod Dogs and Cars.  Place: Cody’s Courtyard at the Riviera Hotel 3-5 pm.  Donation to Animal Samaritans.

It’s catching on. This is from Yappy Hour at the Ritz Carlton in Laguna. Photo: Locale Magazine.

Then…

It’s Valentine’s Day….but I’ll be celebrating a birthday with someone I love – my dog.  Photo: d. king

I’m going to a Fashion Retrospective “Through the Looking Glass”

A runway show of the finest vintage apparel. Showcasing Emilio Pucci, Givenchy, Lanvin, YSL, and Halston. There’ll be a couple of Pop-Up shops.

Pierre Cardin, the 97 year old fashion icon will receive a long awaited star on the walk of fame,  February 20th.

And that’s only a snippet.  With so many things going on in one little resort town you have to pick and choose.

Header photo (Greetings) – d. king

C’est la Vie!

 

Girl Who Would be King

Monday Mood: Fall Ahead

What I’m Falling for this season:

Everything in the Fall 2019 Box of Style

 

Make a Statement

Fall calls for bolder jewelry like the gold plated Elisa statement necklace from DANNIJO which can dress up everything from a pair of jeans to evening wear.

JJ WINTERS Ivy leather crossbody bag in rich caramel looks great with everything from late-summer dresses to fall’s chunky knits and jackets.  Crossbody bags are my go-to especially for hands-free dog walking.

Time to Make-Up

 with Hi-Shine Gloss Lip Lacquer from Marc Jacobs Beauty.  Insanely beautiful sheer colors that are non sticky and easily buildable to feel good on the lips.  We were offered one of two choices but there’s more in the collection.


  • Hydrating Lip Gloss Stick in “One Mauve Time”
  • Hi-Shine Gloss Lip Lacquer in “Sugar High”

Fall calls for a change in skincare which for me, means going back to using a high quality serum.  I love  SHANI DARDEN’s Texture Reform Gentle Resurfacing Serum.

Even sensitive skin types can benefit from this gentle retinol serum. It encourages cell turnover, softens lines and reduces signs of sun damage which is especially important after the long summer months.

Time to VIFF

 

MOVIE MONTH begins

Looking forward to viewing some fascinating films and documentaries.

Time for COMFORT FOOD

I’m making pizza, roast chicken, pot roast, thai veggie stew, pasta dishes……and it’s only September.

What are you craving for Fall?

Girl Who Would be King

Feel-good Friday: MARCHing on…

With every new beginning we look forward to a fresh new start. When March arrives it puts a little Spring in our step because we know that better weather is right around the corner.  A few quotes I chose to mark this month;

A few fresh photos:

February 28/2019 – me on a tree trunk

Cousin Elizabeth from Montreal here visiting for the first time

Always something new to ponder

On that note…wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Girl Who Would be King

Feel-good Friday: February

What can we say about this month?

“February – the month of love..?!!
No wonder the shortest one in the calendar.” – Dinesh Kumar Biran

I prefer this quote:

February days are a marketing gimmick; love happens every day. Randeep Hooda

Always look for hidden treasures.   I tend to find them in the least likely places.  Like on a recent hike:

Photo: Tammy Preast

You know what they say…one persons rubbish is another persons treasure.  But look at what became of this desert treasure:

A piece broke off so I placed it in a vase with fresh flowers around it… the old with the new.

My friend Leonard then created an outdoor mixed media of sorts using the larger piece and mushrooms that light up for a unique solar light installation placed in a terracotta planter with mixed gravel.  From the desert floor to my floor…