The ornament returns.

I have been a bad diarist, again, but this time I have an excuse, of sorts. Hubby and I were at a music festival whereat he was the composer-in-residence and I was the ornament upon his arm. I brought my tiny netbook with me and was able to scaffle free WIFI at a café in town, but never seemed to have enough time to do more than check my email and beat up a few monsters. So I apologize.

Except for a brief rain shower on Friday morning, we had perfect weather the whole time. The festival was in a tiny town on the shores of Lake Ontario southwest of Kingston, cottage and vacation country, with a micro-climate that allows a flourishing viniculture. We stayed in a beautiful stone farmhouse which had been both restored and renovated, so that it kept its rustic charms, but offered all the modern amenities.

We drove on Wednesday after Hubby’s class (on the history of rock music; it’s probably the most-attended lecture class at the university), arriving at around 11 p.m. after dealing with construction, Montreal rush-hour, several accidents on the autoroute, and generally not knowing where we were going. We met the owner of the house in town at the realty where she works, and followed her out to the country where she gave us a key and a tour, and then left us to our own devices.

The next day consisted of rehearsals for Hubby and the musicians, a concert for school children, and the opening concert of the festival in the evening. At least one piece of Hubby’s was played at every concert and the audience simply ate him up. My in-laws drove up on the Friday and stayed over at the farmhouse as well. We dragged them to the after-concert receptions, and they definitely looked lost, but insisted they were enjoying themselves.

Yesterday we were sitting on the deck at the farmhouse, enjoying the morning sun, and a man drove up whom none of us recognized, carrying a Bible. It turned out to be a Jehovah’s Witness wanting to talk to us about the Holy Spirit. Eventually he left. It was kind of amusing.

On the Thursday night Hubby and I ate at a wonderful restaurant. We tried to eat there again on Saturday night, but it was full up, and we ended up at a “family restaurant” where we also had breakfast this morning. My in-laws really are the salt of the earth, and earthiness is what they prefer. Hubby and I cringed at the grease-laden meals, but they were in their element. Oh well.

Anyway, it’s over now. We’re back home, safe and sound. Our house survived in our absence, and tomorrow it’s back to the old grind. I still don’t know how many students I have. Ever a mystery, ever a surprise.

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