Party at My Sister’s and What I Wore

My sister and her boyfriend hosted a get together at their place on Saturday night. Nick couldn't make it so I went on my own.

She has a bunch of really nice friends, most of whom I've known for a long time, so we all got chatting right off the bat. There was also a new friend there who I was very pleased to meet. Here's to fun parties and longtime and new friends!

Pigeons

I have collected quite a few shots of pigeons around town in recent months.

Everyone knows of this bird as apparently they are found all over the world except in the Sahara Desert and Antarctica.

But did you know this about them? ...

> Pigeons have lived alongside humans for thousands of years, with images of them being found by archeologists in Iraq dating back to 3000 BC (although the place was called Mesopotamia back then.)

> They saved hundreds of thousands of human lives during the first and second world wars by carrying messages across enemy lines. One of them was even given a medal for its courageous work delivering a message even after being shot twice.

> Nowadays their poop is seen as a nuisance but in years gone by (16 - 18th century) it was very highly valued as the best fertilizer and armed guards had to protect their houses (called Dovecotes) from being robbed.

> One of the richest families ever, The Rothschilds, became so wealthy partially due to pigeons. They used to use them to carry messages between it's financial houses before the invention of telephones, ensuring they had the most up to date business information.

Party Time and What I Wore

As mentioned the other day, I went to two parties last week. I make a point of repeating this fact because it's not often I go to more than one in any given week!

The first one was a launch party for this year's Toronto Fashion Week Gala event. For several years now this big fashion show, held on the last night of fashion week, has been organized by our friends Chris and Jim. They are designers under who go by Hoax Couture, but their focus for this specific annual event is raising funds for children orphaned by Aids in Africa and the grandmothers who care for them.

What happens at this show which will take place in March, is that a group of local designers are given a length of African printed cotton, and asked to incorporate it into a piece specifically made for this runway show. Then, the garments are modeled by local celebrities. It is always such a fun event and all in honour of such a good cause.

The arrangements to properly distribute the funds raised are done through The Stephen Lewis Foundation, and he usually comes to the gala and speaks.

So the party we went to last week was the kick-off for this upcoming event. It was held at a generous couple's home, who volunteered to host. And what a spectacular home it was. We spoke to the owner who told us it had been built in 1923. He and his wife, clearly avid art collectors with impeccable taste, had it renovated beautifully.

Bits and Pieces : January 2013

Hello. Here is my monthly post showing those photos I liked but that didn't fit into any other story done during the month. I hope you like them too!

Party Animals

Hi! I held off doing my 'Saturday is Caturday' post until today because I knew I would be seeing this cool cat last night. This is Columbo and he is my sister's boy.

Cumbie came to their household from a shelter about two years ago. We're not sure how old he is, but he was fully grown when we met him.

This big guy has the thickest fur I have ever seen on a cat, making him very cuddly, but don't try to pick him up! While he is very friendly and happy to be petted and scratched under the chin, he simply will not tolerate being lifted from the ground. He likes to have four paws on the ground.