For a change from the typical Canadian barbecue, my partner Lisa and I decided in the summer of 2010 to invite our neighbours
and friends to a formal-dress "British-style" tea and croquet tournament in our backyard, complete with delicate sandwiches, fine
china, and a mosaic of fancy baked treats.
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Our neighbour Carla was excited to finally have an opportunity to wear "The Hat," an extravagant confection of satin, ribbon and
feathers, purchased some years prior for a Scottish wedding to which she and her husband Paul had been invited. Unfortunately,
they arrived late for the ceremony. In Scotland, there's a quaint custom that allows only the wedding couple to don hats at the
reception (who knew?). So the hat had to wait for its official society debut ... here at our tea party.
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In this painting, Carla has her hands full, in more ways than one, with daughter Ashley. Arming a five-year-old with a croquet mallet
is like giving Sylvester the Cat a Tweety Bird for Christmas. You might expect a little excitement. From Ashley's perspective, it's not
fair that she's getting this "chill out time." After all, it was the adults who set this all up in the first place.
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Despite the temptation of the ninja-like weaponry, all who attended, adult and child alike, were able to exit under their own steam.
The party was a great success.
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Alas, the debut of “The Hat” was also it’s swan-song appearance. It had come through many thousands of hand-carried, lap-perched
miles of international air travel. But, alas, it would not survive the twins fashion show, just a few days later.           Mark Heine