My friends, my loved ones,
Let me share with you a few snippets of life from the year 2024!
Some of my friends and family friends are no longer with us and I think of them often, but there was also the arrival of a little angel who made the whole family very happy and who did not escape Mamie's gentle embrace.
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| Welcome to this world, Reece! |
Once a month, I meet up with a group of Italian friends in Hudson to chat, play games, listen to music, movies, eat good pasta and biscotti, handmade of course, and all this in order to speak Italian together and share our love for this beautiful country. I started taking Italian lessons again with the handsome Massimiliano! Some will remember him at a memorable evening of heavy wining and dining on Allée Glendale. 😜
Once a month, I also go to the Hudson Village Theater to watch repertory movies. Plays are also presented there. A very old theater that, to be honest, is a fire hazard, but you just have to sit near the emergency exits...
I remember one of the promises I made to myself on January 1, 2024: “ … Do everything you can to get back to your healthy weight so you can enjoy life better... ”
Well, I kept my promise. Since July, I have been boxing training at Club 201 in Saint-Clet. My trainer, Mélissa Gravel, is excellent at motivating me three times a week to move that well-coated tush! I have regained my former muscle mass, but, unfortunately, my menopausal fatty padding is tough to break through! When I was younger, it was very easy to gain 5 kilos and lose them just as quickly. Now, it's a whole different story. At least I kept my promise, but I'm going to have to box for the rest of my life to reach my goal! 😂
Notice that I cut off the bottom of the photos... out of self-respect and I thought it wasn't really necessary to traumatize you on the first day of the year. 😉
At the end of November, I needed to accompany Mamie to an appointment at the hospital. I was in a hurry and preoccupied. When I left home, I turned the corner and accelerated absentmindedly. The red and blue flashing lights of the Quebec Provincial Police brought me back to reality. The first thing I said to the handsome young policeman: "I know I was going fast. I have to pick up my mother to take her to the hospital.” I thought I would attract a little sympathy... Driving too fast in a 50 km zone changing to a 30 km zone and having forgotten my registrations, my first ticket in 25 years cost me an arm and a leg. I wish it had cost me my butt! 😂
Mamie has fallen several times this year. Fortunately, she is light, it is easy to get her back on her feet. She even fell at the doctor’s office. Sitting comfortably in the waiting room, I heard a boom. I knew it was mom who had slumped to the ground. At least she was with a doctor! The decision was made by the cardiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute: a pacemaker ASAP! My mother now has a bionic heart, but also a bionic body thanks to the cortisone injections she receives every three months. Add to that some SQDC capsules and strawberry daiquiris, her new favorite drink, and we can say she’s on fire!
This year, my mom and I discovered several great restaurants. For example, we had dinner at the 1171 restaurant of the Auberge des Gallant in Ste-Marthe, which offers not only an evening menu, but also a breakfast, brunch, bistro, and even High Tea menu. The place is beautiful, warm and the meal was delicious!
For those with big plans this year, the auberge is a beautiful place for great receptions!
We stuffed our faces at Furley's in Hudson. They have the best croissants!
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But THE place you absolutely have to try this year is Smoked Meat Pete in Île Perrot! It's a small wooden shack with a mouthwatering choice of smoked meats. The ryhtmic blues makes us move our butts in our chair and a blues band also perform several nights a week. It feels like you’re in deep Mississippi. Don't miss it!
I continue to paint:
For Christmas, my mother and I went to a concert at the St-Thomas-d'Aquin Church in Hudson to listen to opera sang by Louis Langelier and his son, Gabriel, a participant in the Voice. He has an exceptional voice! Listen to him sing until the end: https://youtu.be/vF775rW7OMU?si=tgpt9Iu_AGZUSQ0e
We had an extraordinary F1 season! Nice surprises and nice victories! Can't wait for next year!
What will happen in 2025?
A trip to warm weather is planned in the coming weeks! Jamaica, here we come!
When we come back from our trip, boxing, horseback riding, writing awaits me and we cross our fingers that the bionic woman continues to do well!
Happy New Year 2025 my friends, my loved ones!
Kisses
Diane