1) the Canadian Museum of Human Rights continues to take shape

I spent a week in Winnipeg a couple weeks ago giving my perspective to the provincial government on a couple issues of which I am very involved with, and am back there for yet another week in “The Peg” in a week. I love Winnipeg. It often is the butt of many Canadian jokes, which is unfortunate as the people are great, it’s hands down one of the friendliest places in Canada, and the arts & culture scene is great (witness the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the funky Exchange District). And how can you not love the place that uber star Keanu Reeves calls home! I’m there so often that G and I have half-jokingly thought of buying a place.

The week I was there the weather was stunning! Early May and temperatures near 30C each day (but very windy). I ran a couple times down by the Forks which was lovely.

2 & 3) at the Forks

Meanwhile, back in Vancouver G and I attended a macaroon class at VCC last weekend which was tons of fun (and taught by pastry chef extraordinaire, Leanne Bentley, who was pastry chef at the Pacific Rim Fairmont Hotel and is currently on route to hold that same post at the Fairmont St. Andrews, Scotland). We’ll be using this connection down the road for sure as I’ve both free golf lessons and free rounds of golf as gifts as part of my Fairmont Platinum membership this year.

4) raspberry macaroon; 5) chocolate ganache macaroon

In other news, I scored a Le Creuset grill pan at the Bay a week ago for, get this, CAD$81 (tax included!) … regularly these go for well over CAD$200 … I love a deal. G and I ventured over to North Vancouver’s Lonsdale Quay Market on Seabus to buy a steak that was delicious. Locals head to Lonsdale Quay; tourist to Granville Island Market (prices rise accordingly). We rarely eat beef so this was a real treat even if our tummies thought otherwise!

6 & 7) the new pan and steak

8) inside Seabus crossing to North Van; 9) the city looks so tiny from over here!

10) G heads into Lonsdale; 11) using the zone to get a better view … our Vancouver condo is the tall one to the far left in this shot

We’ve enjoyed watching things grow through March at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park. It’s but nanoseconds from our condo here and we regular cross through it on our way to Chinatown and dim sum on Sundays.

12 & 13) Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park and flowers

14) it’s so pretty in the park even when it’s overcast

15) shot this from my office last week … not sure what was happening over by one of Vancouver’s iconic condos – the Erickson (architect Arthur Erickson) – on False Creek; 16) yes, I’m now a fan of Instagram (even though the evil empire, Facebook, owns it; neither G nor I ‘do’ Facebook). This is G one morning as the sun spilled into our bedroom

Finally, and most importantly, a shout-out to the most beautiful young woman in the world – my neice P. Here she is a couple weeks ago in London trying on her graduation dress. She graduates from high school in June (omg, is that possible that my wee neice is now model-stunning and heading to college?!)

17) breathtakingly stunning eh! Damn, we’ve got great genes … and she’s near tall as me and I’m 1.90m