Now that it’s getting cold and you’re staying inside more, it is an ideal time to get creative and crafty and start a needle work project. You even have time to get it ready to gift it for the holidays so head to Jeannettes Needlecraft Shoppe to get started.

There’s something very personal and meaningful about a gift that you took the time to make yourself. A gift done by hand is one that shows that you truly care. Your effort is displayed in each hand sewn stitch or stroke of your paint brush.

Jeannettes has some great ideas, and you’ll be able to get started in no time.  Try a  “stitch n’ zip” kit; These are ready to use eye glass cases, iPad cases, Kindle cases and tallis bags. The kits come pre-assembled. All you have to do is the needlepoint and then just zip it up and give it as a gift. You can even have them personalized with an embroidered name.

If you want to start on a needlework project, here you can buy yarn and canvases.  Jeannettes’ Needlecraft Shop offers a great selection of fun needlepoint kits, patterns, and supplies for all needle art enthusiasts. Beginners and experienced needlepoint artists alike will find something to love.

Needle work is a fun way to relieve stress and rediscover your creative spark and keep you busy all season long, while fostering a sense of accomplishment and pride. Whatever you want to do, Jeanettes happily offers one on one help with all your projects.

They also upholster with needlepoint (especially chairs and footstools), finish cushions and mount tapestries, creating an incredible statement piece. This friendly family business offers custom framing for your special hand-made project, or a painting, lithograph, photograph or diploma.

Location: 5015 Coolbrook Ave., Montreal H3X 2K8 / Google Maps: http://bit.ly/24l8jon
corner:  Queen Mary Rd.
Tel: 514-486-2800
Hours: Mon-Fri 9:30-5, Sat 9:30-4
Metro: Station Snowdon
jeannettes.com
e-mail: jeannettes@videotron.ca

We are road warriors, having traveled at least 300,000 miles in the car together throughout Canada and the US. I just love the freedom and the learning. Every little city has a story to tell and we have discovered people are so kind. Once, when we pulled up to a B&B in a car covered with sticky tree sap, we got up in the morning and the owner had washed our car!

If you don’t have a car, and the budget is tight, do what we do, buy a used one. The APA (Automobile Association) recommends only one place in the city to buy a pre-owned car – Wheels For Lease (Roues de Location).  If you want to make sure you have a reliable vehicle for years to come, this is the place to look.

Wheels For Lease (Roues de Location) is a different kind of car dealership with a commitment to excellence; Their high quality of inventory, personal service, and especially their honest reputation is what sets this dealer apart.

Their experienced sales staff is eager to share their knowledge and enthusiasm with you. You can easily browse their online inventory, then schedule a test drive and investigate financing options. You can also request information about a vehicle using their online form or by calling 514-735-2224 or 1-866-535-2224 where someone will gladly answer your questions.

In French, called Roues de Location, they sell pre-owned, expertly inspected, and problem-free cars. The dedicated sales staff’s goal is to make your experience of buying a car (or truck) pleasant, easy and financially advantageous.

They can ship their quality vehicles throughout Canada. Each one is inspected before delivery. If they don’t have the vehicle you’re looking for don’t hesitate give them a call and they will gladly try to find one for you. Their best advertisement is their word-of-mouth customer satisfaction. In this business, honesty goes a long way

It is the only pre-owned auto business recommended by the APA (Automobile Protection Association).

Location: 5257 Namur St, Montreal QC, H4P 2R7
corner: Decarie
Tel: 514-735-2224 or 1-866-535-2224
Hours Mon-Thurs 9-6, Fri 9-5, Sat closed, Sun 10-12
http://www.rouesdelocation.com/

The diamond is  the hardest, most abrasive stone known to man.  So Diamancel has created a unique line of genuine diamond files using this property. I’ve been singing their praises and using a Diamancel nail file for a long time. It works amazingly well and you never have to buy another one. So it’s the perfect time now, at their Warehouse Sale to stock up for yourself and for gifts for friends (they’ll always think of you!).

Each flexible diamond nail file in the Diamancel family has been designed for specific nail types to beautifully shape and enhance both natural and sculptured nails. The Diamancel Diamond Hand and Foot Callus Files are ideal for removing and softening rough, dry skin.

These lines are so useful and popular that the brand was was featured in Martha Stuart Living, Bride’s Magazine and New York Magazine.

Discover Diamancel’s  Sacha™ Diamond Nail File for pets. A great alternative,  Sacha™ Diamond File replaces the often-unpleasant cutting process with an easy and effective filing method. No cutting required.

The newest line is the DiamColor mini-size files (perhaps for your purse) in a dozen colors.

Diamancel files provide effective fast, easy and effortless filing. They are durable and will outlast all your files, which make them a money saver.

• The files are washable/sanitizable as they all can be washed with soap and water
• They are hygienic too as they can be soaked and disinfected in medical grade solution.
• The fiberglass base is both resistant and flexible making filing easier

These are  effortless to use as you can use a light hand and the diamonds will do the work for you. All files have been salon tested for maximum performance. You can order your files now on their website or you can come in and score deals at their warehouse sale.

If you head there, you will also discover the Arbonne wellness health and nutrition botanical products for the whole family.

Location: 2477 Rue Guenette, V.S.L. H4R 2E9
Hours: Thurs 10-5, Fri 10-8, Sat 10-3
Tel: 514-856-9711
Sale dates June 6-8
http://www.diamancel.com/
www.christelecaron.arbonne.com

If you want an entire day of intelligent entertainment for the whole family, head to the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium which moved next door to the Olympic Stadium. It’s a perfect activity if the weather is rainy or if it gets really hot in the summer, or any days in between.

The action is mostly in the 2 theaters and it’s quite the deal that your entrance fee covers all the shows. It’s important to look ahead online to figure out how to organize the times for the performances in English or French. You can then manage to get in about 5 shows in one day as most are 20-30 min . In between these, there are some table top games, interactive touch screens and wall displays. Visiting here is the closest you will ever get to rocks from Mars. We also got to see meteorites and learn where they landed.

In the the first theatre where we saw the exquisite Aurorae (Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights), we reclined in the soft comfy seats, It was amazing watching close ups of solar wind and plasma flowing gas on the sun.

The other theatre called Chaos was anything but as the kids got the opportunity to relax on beanbag chairs. The show Aboard the SSE-4801 was kid interactive as they were allowed to shout out answers to the questions of the animator. We learned new things: that Uranus rotates on its side and that there are 88 constellations but we can only see 44 at a time. The kids had fun being allowed to yell “To infinity and beyond”, found out where all the lost socks wind up as well about methane farts. Do you know how many moons Jupitor has? 69

Next up was Polaris which was more juvenile with cartoony Vladimir the Bear and James the Penguin teaching us how to be a scientist.

After lunch we got to see the newest show, Passport to the Universe, narrated by Tom Hanks. It was a well done and instructive documentary connecting us to our ancestors by showing us we are looking at the same sky today as they did (by simply erasing the light pollution). I was wowed by the knowledge that for each star we can see there exists 50,000,000 that we can’t see. We were taught that stars are born and that we humans are made of “stardust”. Carl Sagan stated, “We’re made of star stuff,” because the carbon, nitrogen and oxygen atoms in our bodies, as well as atoms of all other heavy elements, were created in previous generations of stars over 4.5 billion years ago.”

It was very timely that the video let us peek into a black hole in the same month that the Event Horizon Telescope gave us photos of one. In fact, in the really out-in-space swoopy-designed cafe where you can grab a lunch, there is one section with a wall of changing screen shots of moments in space. Got to see Canadian astronaut David Saint Jacques who is up in Space Station right now – and-  the new photos of a black hole.

Our last video, Secrets of Gravity, used a cartoon kid to try to explain Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. We discovered that a second isn’t always a second and time moves faster on the moon. Einstein famously said, “”Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”

The shows at the Rio Tinto Planetarium lets everyone use their imagination. The 8-year-old who accompanied us was excited throughout the day. She said about the planetarium, “You can learn a lot more than you know”.  And we all sure did.

Location: 4801 Pierre de Coubertin Ave
Hours: Sun & Mon 9-6, Tues-Fri 10″30-9, Sat 9-9
Tel: 514-868-3000
www.espacepourlavie.ca/en/planetarium

Schwartz’s The Musical was such a success when it played here 7 years ago that Centaur Theatre’s artistic director Eda Holmes decided to bring back the original cast as a treat for their 50th Anniversary celebrations. This hors d’oeuvre is being offered this weekend only. It’s been re-sandwiched as a musical reading, so you get all the best parts – the funny musical numbers along with the clever spoken words. The storyline: a Torontonian trying to come here and buy Schwartz’s in order to franchise the concept. There is a wonderful  melange of Toronto/Montreal angst, love, Montreal’s special “characters”, Jewish humor, the history of Schwartz’s and as always, Quebec government regulations thrown in.

The show is a must for any Montrealer, as Bowser and Blue and Gazette columnist Bill Brownstein have written about all our dirty little secrets and in jokes. Loved the repartee using Metro station names! George Bowser and Rick Blue are onstage too, and even have small speaking roles doing credible acting jobs. Loved watching their faces as they enjoyed watching their numbers come alive onstage.

Bowser and Blue’s score, always with creative wordage, is available to take home so you can appreciate the subtleties of their humor. You can sing along with the original cast to all the great songs, including: Why is Saint-Lawrence called the Main?; It’s my fault; They kicked us out, The Promise and, of course, Schmutz.

The cast is cast perfectly for their parts. So if you missed it the first time around, hurry over to the Centaur Theatre this weekend. It could be a memorable holiday gift for someone in your circle. And you can buy the T-shirt to remember the taste of it.

Location: Centaur Theatre, 453  St. Francois Xavier
Phone: 514-288-3161 or 514-288-3161
Dates: Dec 15 -Dec 16
www.centaurtheatre.com

Now that it’s getting cold and you’re staying inside more, it would be a good time to start a needle work project. You even have time to get it ready to gift it for the holidays so head to Jeannettes Needlecraft  Shoppe to start.

A gift done by hand is one that shows that you truly care as your personal effort is displayed in each hand sewn stitch .

A quick gift idea: Try a  “stitch n’ zip” kit; These are ready to use eye glass cases, iPad cases, Kindle cases and tallis bags. The kits come pre-assembled. All you have to do is the needlepoint and then just zip it up and give it as a gift. You can have a tallis bag personalized with an embroidered Hebrew name too.

They also carry scarf yarns (Canadiana and Decor by Patons), to make the latest fashion accessory item as well as other low cost items that will tempt you to start those projects that you have being putting off.

If you want to start on a needlework project, here you can buy yarn and canvases. They can also upholster with needlepoint (especially chairs), finish cushions and mount tapestries.

Head to Jeannettes Needlecraft  Shoppe, a friendly family business and they will frame your special hand-made project, or a painting, lithograph, photograph or diploma at 15% off.

Happily helping you with your project has been the #1 reason people keep coming back to this shop for years and years. Call for a time to accommodate your schedule.

Location: 5015 Coolbrook Ave., Montreal H3X 2K8 / Google Maps: http://bit.ly/24l8jon
corner:  Queen Mary Rd.
Tel: 514-486-2800
Hours: Mon-Fri 9:30-5, Sat 9:30-4
Metro: Station Snowdon
http://www.jeannettes.com/
e-mail: jeannettes@videotron.ca

A half century ago, a creative actor/director and immigrant (from South Africa via England), Maurice Podbrey, together with his equal half, Elsa Bolam (and Herb Auerbach and Peter Duffield) managed to knit together a theater company, Centaur, which was and is no easy feat. If that wasn’t nerve wracking enough for a person, Bolam then went on to start another successful one, Geordie Productions.

In an unintentional but perfect nod to the past, Eda Holmes, Centaur’s new artistic director, brings us Choir Boy set in a boys’ prep school while Podbrey’s first production, The Prime of Miss Jean Brody, took place in a girl’s school. The play is written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, who comes with a pretty flashy CV: he’s the Chair of Yale’s School of Drama, where he is also the Playwright in Residence at the Repertory Theatre. and he was also Playwright in Residence for Stratford-Upon-Avon’s Royal Shakespeare Company – and happens to be a member of the renowned Steppenwolf Theatre Ensemble. And let’s just throw in here that he wrote the story of Moonlight which won Oscars for best picture and for the writing.

The story is mostly about Pharus (played by Steven Charles), a gay student making his way through a very traditional private school. Charles commands the stage throughout, and we can’t wait to see where his star takes him (to the Broadway production?). His fellow students talk, yell, fight and sing a cappella as they share intimacies and rivalries when the old school values conflict with our modern world in rules, nepotism, faith, sexuality and school board traditions.  Tight direction by Mike Payette keeps you riveted throughout, while Lighting Designer Andrea Lundy’s magic creatively moves you around the set (loved the purple).

Floydd Ricketts, the musical director and arranger, was the right man in the right place to be able to create new arrangements of spirituals, gospel and jazz songs for a cappella harmonies.  Ricketts notes, “Even though this music comes from pain, there is also joy in it”. Dayane Ntibarikure, assistant director and choir movement facilitator, did a brilliant job of  having the actors move “slave slowly” around the scenes, adding foot stomping  to song and subtly evoking a chain gang in the shower scene.

Holmes has tweaked the play runs slightly this year by adding (less expensive) preview shows to get the performance just that more perfect for opening night. You know how much I like a deal, and Centaur offers much for FREE with behind-the-scenes info to enrich your  theater experience: Talk Back after the shows , Sunday Chat Up, Thursday Pre-Show Convo and the Saturday Salon.

How perfect that this golden Centaur season started by lifting our spirits with the power of music blended with this timely story. See Choir Boy in Montreal before you can’t get tickets on Broadway (Dec 2018)!

Location 453 St-Francois-Xavier
corner: Notre-Dame
Tel: 514-288-3161
Dates: til Oct 28
www.centaurtheatre.com
Metro: Place d’Armes

Odysseo, the horse centric show, is awesome family entertainment which will WOW every member. If you can imagine taking Cirque du Soleil up a notch by marrying it with a team of gifted equestrians, this would be their offspring.

The show has acrobats, blade-running acrobats and horse acrobats – each team outdoing the other in their antics. There are raucous horses racing through jumps and quiet ballet-like riderless horses dancing to the whims of their female horse whisperer, Sylvia Zerbini.

Then why not throw in some African drumming, singing and dancing – for peace. When you combine 70 horses with 50 performers and all the high technology, multimedia and special effects, you create magic on stage.

The carousel pole acrobatics is  a charming setting for the melange of horse and rider/acrobats, but the white fabric/rope acrobatic act is the perfect “10” for each of the costume designer, set designer, lighting, artistic director and the acrobats themselves.

It’s hard to imagine it fitting into a tent setting, but horses appear on mountaintops, in an ice-scape, the woods, walking down hills, in rain storms, galloping as fast as the wind and even and splashing in a waterfront finale.

This time we attended with a youngster who had enjoyed horse camp this summer. She loved figuring out the equine trivia questions before the show started. In her child-like mind she imagined “horses dancing like people at a party”. We glanced occasionally at her face as she sat in awe, riveted to the stage watching instead a seamless ballet of people and horses.  And she was really hoping to get splashed by the playful horses.

Don’t wait – book tickets now as the run has been extended to Oct 21 and the price reduced to $60.  If you can afford it, the Rendez-vous VIP package, including dinner (roast beef and shrimp options) with an open bar, popcorn and drinks to take in to the show, a dessert buffet at intermission

(so Quebec-like with cheese there too), a stable visit, and a souvenir, really makes the evening special. This is a great idea for a do-ahead holiday gift for anyone – take the family, join co-workers or have fun with friends.

Location: Odysseo White Big Top at the corner of the boul. Rene-Levesque and De Lorimier
Tel: 866-999-8111
Dates: til Oct 21
www.cavalia.com
www.facebook.com/cavalia

The Automobile Protection Association has given the thumbs up sign to The Car Inspector –  a gentleman who does mobile car inspections.

Wherever the car is that you are thinking of buying, in a driveway or on a lot, he comes to you and does a complete inspection, including an ultrasound of the body.

You might want to use this service to verify a car before warranty expiration, after a repair job (to make sure it was done properly), before purchasing a used car, before selling (either to reassure potential buyers or to see if it’s worthwhile changing cars), as a pre-trip checkup or just to reassure yourself that it’s free of safety or mechanical problems.

This mobile vehicle inspection is quite complete and here are some of the things that are verified:

– An electronic body verification, to determine if the vehicle has been repainted, involved in an accident or rebuilt covering the the body panels, windows, floor, frame and structure.
– The motor and transmission, steering, brake, air conditioning, and electrical systems
– The brake wear, tire wear, drive-shafts and differentials, as well as suspension and steering components
– Everything inside including all electrical and manual controls, switches, gauges and indicators as well as the odometer, to see if the indicated mileage corresponds with the condition and wear
– Finally a road test is done to check the handling, braking, transmission and instrument operation
– The inspection is done on site in about an hour, Monday to Friday and costs $120 (base price plus traveling)

Tel: 514-890-5000

Whoa, the stars were aligned at the Press opening of Hosanna. Not only was the the former artistic and executive director here, Roy Surette, who planned this production for Centaur, but the new artistic director, Eda Holmes, who was thrilled to be presenting it – but also – Maurice Podbrey (and wife Elsa), the founding artistic and executive director – AND – the author, Michel Tremblay. All were delighted with the show, as well they should be.

Writing this in 1971, Michel Tremblay was far ahead of the general population’s knowledge of the LGBTQ+ community. In the play he speaks to the gender roles imposed by society at that time, and hope for eventual self-acceptance. Holmes refers to  this in her Director’s notes: “the narrow structures of gender and identity that were available at the time”. We have to applaud his bravery.

Eloi Archambeaudoin revisits his Table D’Hote Theatre role as Hosanna, hairdresser during the day to drag queen at night. The grander Centaur stage was a tabla rosa for lighting designer Audrey-Anne Bouchard to transform Claude Lemieux-rural boy into Hosanna-drag queen, using the uncomfortable giant flashing neon sign “BEAUBIEN” (tip of the hat to Montreal), to the David statue spotlight and the overall red light district red room.

The play reveals the painful sparring between the diva and her boyfriend, Cuirette playing hardass-leather- dude style by Davide Chiazzese. He fights back at her by putting the uncomfortable problems in her face, “You go to bed with makeup on because you don’t want to see who’s underneath”.  He knows Hosanna is stuck “between a woman’s face and a man’s body”. She knows how to spit back, referring to his job as washer woman by day and cowboy by night.

Who in this world doesn’t sometimes wish they could dress up and be someone else? Hosanna hits on this when she proclaims, “I know everyone who is gay in Montreal – even when they don’t know it themselves”.

Tremblay shows us how we all work on our outsides but really need to be working on our insides. Director Mike Payette notes what a timeless story this really is, because all couples have to face “their notions of love, and how they can exist together”.

Location 453 St-Francois-Xavier
corner: Notre-Dame
Tel: 514-288-3161
Dates: til June 10
Prices: $38.50 – $51.75 (includes deals for students and seniors)
www.centaurtheatre.com
Metro: Place d’Armes

photos by  Andrée Lanthier