long weekend - and "Hangmen"

Beautiful - a long weekend, a sweet day of sun and cloud, and the garden exploding with green and bloom. Lucky me - the family came to visit yesterday to celebrate Eli's 4th birthday with his favourite treats - sushi, Duplo and cupcakes. And time in the garden, Eli and I watering, his favourite activity, and Ben crawling on the grass and eating some nice dirt. Here's a shot Anna sent me, Glamma and grandson with their watering cans, Eli's his fave colour - lello. Hard to believe that willow tree above us was five feet high in a flower pot when it was given to me by a neighbour who'd sold her condo to Jian Ghomeshi and was moving away.

This afternoon I went to National Theatre Live at Cineplex, "Hangmen" by Martin McDonagh, well-known for "In Bruges." This is another kind of "In Bruges," about violent, loud, racist, silly, sometimes mysterious men - also about the end of the death penalty in England and the daily life of a pub. As the nice lady next to me said, When I see something in which I don't like a single one of the characters, I wonder why I'm there. It was entertaining, a powerful production, well-acted with great sets and dialogue very reminiscent, in its menace, British class system awareness and rhythms, of Harold Pinter. But not my fave.

Now a quiet evening - it's wonderful when almost everyone in T.O. is at the cottage. Here's what I have in store:

Also Randy Bachman at 7, the HBO drama about Lyndon Johnson at 8 and maybe a documentary about Peggy Guggenheim on TVO at 9. There is just too much to do in this world, or in this city specifically! Yet it doesn't overwhelm me, as it once did. I woke this morning to the dawn chorus of happy birds, the sweetest sound, so glad to be in my own bed. This is the first time since I got home from out west, 3 1/2 weeks ago, that life has settled back into order and normalcy. I'm not struggling to keep up, I'm feeling almost in control of the chaos. A welcome relief.

Happy Victoria Day weekend to you all. Hope you too are getting through the chaos. And may you too be swamped with too much to do.