I suppose we’ll start with the Pride, then, shall we?

Luckily my apartment overlooks the parade route, because it was too bloody hot out to fight with these ridiculous crowds.

Plus I didn’t want to accidentally brush up against one of these

Thankfully most people were more appropriately dressed for the crowds

The floats, as usual, ranged from fanciful to risqué:

Finally, a parting shot from some window-graffitist:

I wonder if it’s a comment on the advertisements across the road at the Brass Rail…

Time for pets!

Some new kitty fodder (because I know 3 of my 5 regular visitors only come here for the kitties)

There has been an unusual amount of nesting on my desk recently…probably because I haven’t cleaned all the papers and junk off it for months.

Budgie has taught herself a new trick recently, the prevention of which necessitated the building of barriers of dishes and duct tape:

In other (non-kitten) animal news, Jonathan and I visited Riverdale Farm over the weekend.

And in a less cute-and-fuzzy vein, Sophie and I visited the greenhouse above my lab.  Somehow I neglected to take photos of Sophie petting the bearded dragons, but here she is terrifying some painted turtles:

Here’s where the pottery and pabulation get all mixed up together.  We had to stop for a snack before pottery:

…mmm see-food.

Sophie here models one of her excellent creations.  It is, as I’m sure is obvious, for pouring juice, and works better than you might expect.

And of course there was the usual Chinese food extravaganza afterward.

(the plate art thing is becoming a tradition - I’m going to have to start taking photos of all of them for posterity)

This is the part where the (ostensibly heretofore extant) narrative completely falls apart and I just start posting random photos from the past weeks:

Radishes (left over from one of the experiments at the lab)

Dad with a prosciutto tongue

Sophie being a frog…or possible a puppy.  It’s so hard to keep track.

Last but certainly not least, pandas riding horses.

…Dag because I spent it in the company of my favourite Belgian Girl Wonder, the infamous Turbo-Powered Sophie

We spent the day on Toronto Island, playing in the water.

Well, Sophie played in the water.  I mostly played in the mud.

In non-Canada-Day-related news, last time Sophie and I got together, we did some fingerpainting.

The first piece is entitled “Damn Now My Shirt Is Covered In Cat Hair”, and the second is “Family Of Birds On My Windshield”

I’m not a baker.

Sure, my mom taught me all the requisite skills.  I can make a light and flaky pie crust, cookies that are chewy on the inside and crispy on the edges, and meringues that defy gravity.

But I don’t.

Today I was reminded of precisely why I avoid the kitchen at all cost.

Today I made cupcakes.

Doesn’t sound so bad, right?  Cupcakes are easy.  Throw the ingredients in the bowl, mix it up, pour into cups, toss ‘em in the over for half an hour and then whip up some buttercream icing while they cool.  No biggie.

Yeah, right.

I began with the devil’s food cupcakes. Simple, straightforward, delicious. While they were cooling, I stepped it up a notch and got into the angel food cupcakes.  These of course require a full dozen egg whites, whipped into a frenzy and then gently folded together with flour and sugar. Oh look, here they are.

Next I went for the lemon cupcakes.  Yes, I zested and juiced the organic lemons by hand.  Of course I did.  I did not stop at putting lemon zest and juice in the batter, though.  Oh no.  I poked holes in the cupcakes and spooned lemon syrup (made on the stovetop) over the tops before icing them.  Are you beginning to see the problem?  I have some kind of baking OCD.

All the cupcakes got a layer of buttercream icing, of course.

And that’s when things left the path of sanity and headed straight over the cliffs of WTF am I doing.

Thankfully my lovely assistant arrived about then and helped with the “fun” parts.  Yes, I made marshmallow fondant.  Yes, it hurt. It’s like trying to stir concrete. Unpossible. But oh, it makes beautiful decorations!  I also used marzipan, which I split into two batches, one darkened with cocoa powder and one au natural.

The devil’s food cupcakes got marzipan monkeys

The angel food cupcakes were topped with marshmallow fondant hippos

And the lemon cupcakes got the marshmallow fondant lion toppers

Family photo!

Nine hours and 36 cupcakes later, I feel like I got hit by a truck, and I haven’t even taste-tested yet.

I hope you’re happy, mom!