The Fox and the Child

Aidan and I watched The Fox and the Child on September 17th. This is a beautiful film in so many ways. It's filled with meaning and will appeal to animal lovers. The cinematography, music, scenery, relationships and depth of characters are so complete. This is a touching story, which has stayed with Aidan and I long after seeing the film.

One scene, in particular, was so impactful that we discuss the concept of it, time and again. So as not to put out a spoiler, I'll refrain from providing any more details. I highly recommend this film, and suggest that parents of young children first watch without their children, to determine whether it is appropriate for the sensitivities of their unique young ones.

If you are interested, you can watch the trailer for this film.

I found an interview with director, Luc Jacquet. Luc Jacquet also directed the film, March of the Penguins. He was born and raised in Bourg-en-Bresse, France. The Fox and the Child was filmed on location in Plateau de Retord in France, and the Abruzzo in Italy, locations well-known to the director because these were where he spent the summers of his youth.

Quote of the day

"Nothing can die if there's someone or something that loves it." (sic)

Aidan went on to say that ... we ... might ... live forever, but that Garf probably won't. Garf was our dear family pet, a ginger tabby cat, who passed away only 4 days short of his 18th birthday, on February 18, 2010. Aidan believes that Garf lives on in our hearts.

He resolved to talk to his own children about Garf to allow Garf to live a little longer, but he's pretty sure they'll be wrapped up with their own families when the time comes.

Cougars and bears, oh my!!

We live at the base of Mt. Seymour in North Vancouver. Right smack in bear country.

In all the years (almost 14) we have lived in this neighbourhood, until now, I hadn't heard of a local cougar sighting. Bears, yes, but cougars?!? Cougars make me nervous, because they are cats. They are unpredictable, stealthy, and they can pounce and do a lot of harm to little people.

Today, while I was waiting to meet Aidan at his classroom, our neighbour excitedly told me that she had come within 2m of a big black bear, at the top of our street, while she was walking to school to meet her daughter! We have beautiful wooded trails interlaced among the houses in our neighbourhood. We use these trails to get to and from Aidan's and Aaron's schools.

We'll just have to keep alert and prepared to slowly back away if we meet a black bear. If we meet a cougar, well, that cat will have to deal with me!

Basketball clinic

Austin and Aidan attended a basketball clinic on Friday, at a local school gym.

The clinic is run by a young man named Vik. He has boundless energy, is unwaveringly positive, and teaches skills in a fun way. For one practice session, he had players rotating positions on the court. They would enter by running into centre court, then look for an opportunity to take a rebound, dribble the ball up the court and practice a layup at the opposite hoop.

For one of these exercises, Aidan entered the court with his chest-forward power run, assumed his position for the rebound, got the ball and dribbled to just past the centre line. Then, as he looked so intently at the hoop, he picked up the ball and charged forward a few steps to take a shot. I tensed-up as I watched him "travelling" across the court, but the coach never interrupted play or called a violation.

I was so proud of how enthusiastically Aidan participated. We often refer to him as the family contrarian, rarely willing to try new things. And the coach is amazing - this clinic is a really good thing. Hopefully, we'll have more opportunities to attend.

Quote of the day

"Every second, I change a little bit more."