#298 - Impromptu Date Night

We were up early to catch a train into the city.

We left by seven thirty and made our way to the station, Traffic was remarkably low and we got to the station in no time at all.

Arriving at the station, the all stops train was late as usual, but another train was due before because of the delay. The platform for the all-stops was jampacked with people, so we decided to take the slower train and make sure we had a better quality of ride and to ensure we got a seat without any hassle.

By the time the train left the second last stop it was standing room only. I didn’t do any writing on the train, instead choosing to close my eyes and get more rest. We arrived at Union Station without incident and disembarked. The day was cool and it made for perfect walking weather.

I convinced Robyn to stop at Au Pain Dore where we got our breakfast sandwiches. Robyn suggested that we sit and eat our meal first instead of going straight to the studio. The café has some outdoor seating, and it made for a lovely way to start the day. A few small birds bravely approached us hoping for any scraps or crumbs. Robyn obliged them with pieces of her croissant which the little birds happily beaked-up.

A quick stop at Tim Horton’s for Robyn to grab tea and then we headed to the studio enjoying the cool weather. Outside the studio was another small bird, perhaps a young one that was just sitting there on the walkway. It was in no hurray to move. It didn’t appear injured and after looking at it for a little while we headed in.

I started up my machine, but soon I was chatting with people as they arrived. One of my painters was interested in pickingmy brain about pens and paper I liked as he was taking more and more notes for a class he was taking. I offered up my Zento Signature as a good and fairly inexpensive option and let him try it out, suggesting he might want one with a .3mm or .5mm nib after seeing how small his writing was.

I suggested some Tomoe River notebooks, Rhodia and a new one I can’t remember the name of I found on Amazon. We discussed the change in paper quality we experienced with Moleskine notebooks, and I suggested he try a Lectrurm1917 as a modern replacement as they still used good paper stock.

After talking for fifteen minutes is was time to get down to work and everyone settled down into their tasks.

My first meeting was about converting painted backgrounds from daytime to night using a series of gels and adjustment layers in photoshop. This was one of those meetings that could have been an email. But the correct information was passed on and the opportunity to raise concerns was given.

For lunch, we brought leftovers from home. We sat with some friends and colleagues, eating and sharing stories to pass the time. It was a delightful way to spend the lunch hour.

After eating, I went back to painting a background, while carrying-on discussions with my supervisor who sits next to me.

At three I was in another meeting, but one that did not require my direct input. I was there mainly to absorb and listen to the information After the meeting, one of my painters handed in the last two paintings for the last show, so I switched gears and did some approvals.

It took a little time to get everything in order, but in the end I got it done.

With nothing else to do, I went back to my painting and finished the day working on it.

Leaving the studio, the day had warmed up, but it was still very pleasant outside. I put forth theidead of exploring the St. Lawerence Market to Robyn and she readyily agreed. The historic building houses all kinds of litte businesses inside like bakeries, tea and coffee, butchers, cheese mongers and many other things as well as fresh fruit and vegetables.

We purchased some Serano bakery canolies while we were there and picked up some Creole spice mix from a small spice shop. On the way out I suggested that we could have dinner at RoyWood’s Caribbean at the station. They make oxtail stew which just happens to be one of Robyn’s favourites. I also love their BBQ chicken sandwich.

I ordered a Ting to go with my sandwich and from now one I will always get one as my drink. It’s a bit like Fresca but sweeter and less acidic. Deliscious.

After stuffing our bellies, we headed upstairs to catch a train. It was a half an hour wait for the next one, so we found a seat nearby. I played a game of chess and Robyn read her book.

There were plenty of Blue Jays fans milling about and we expected the train to be really busy as a result. Somehow, we managed to get a seat together and soon after, one of our co-workers joined us. We got to chatting for a bit about cottages and this and that until his stop came and he left us.

The doorbell cam sent me an alert that someone had come to the door, but in the video, it looked like someone had left our house. Which was odd because the kids weren’t home and we were still on the train.

I drove home anxiously, hoping that everything was as we left it.

Turns out the person had stuck an ad into our door jam and my camera settings weren’t sensitive enough to catch his approach. I fixed that right away, happy that our little home was intact.

We arrived home just after eight and headed upstairs. We put on some television shpws and just enjoyed some relaxation time.

That’s all for today.

Until tomorrow.