"... and SCENE."

Doodle comes running into the room, stamps her feet and cries out, “WATCH WHAT I CAN DO!” before launching herself down the laminate-floored hallway with a whoop and coming dangerously close to flying off the top of the stairs. “It’s alright, the water’s STIFF.” Thank you, Thumper.

This kid loves movies. Good thing, too, cuz she was born into a family that thrives on pop culture references. But even more than simply watching a movie, she must act out said movie both during and after its presentation … and during bath time, potty time, in the car, at school, at the park …

From the time she first saw Cinderella—she could barely talk, but could prance around singing “Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo”—to the 3,476,981th showing of Fox and the Hound, we have enjoyed a steady stream of impromptu re-enactments from the latest flavour-of-the-week Disney selection.

Except this weekend I’d had just about enough of Copper and Todd, so off to the video store we went. I grabbed An American Tail and Madagascar, but she was riveted on a copy of Land Before Time: the Great Day of the Fliers. I loved the original film, and Doodle’s been quoting from it on and off since she saw it earlier this year. But a sequel? Oh well, it was her pick.

What a brain-numbing experience that was. Straight-to-DVD should be against the law, really. That was the longest 81 minutes of my life, 81 precious minutes I will never get back, 81 minutes that I will weep over on my deathbed. They should have stopped with the first one, but then I guess they wouldn’t have made the fortune they did with several dozen sequels and spinoffs. Did you know there’s a TV series, too? What’s next, The Land Before Time – They’re Not Even Extinct Anymore?

At least we were able to end the Rainy Day Movie Marathon on a high note: Lady and the Tramp. Classic characters, glorious animation, a lovely story, and no squeaking, duck-billed dinos going, “yup, yup, yup!” The Doodle sat perfectly still for the whole thing, soaking it in. An hour after it was done, I heard her howling like a puppy and saying things like “wee bairn” and “hey, Pigeon!” to her stuffies. Never a dull moment.

As part of the weekend’s festivities, we had family over, who brought with them a gorgeous Waupoos Estates 2008 Auxerrois (Prince Edward County, Ontario) and a Strewn Late Harvest Vidal (Niagara, Ontario).

Auxerrois has a different history depending on where you’re drinking it. It’s similar to an Alsatian Pinot Gris, but is also the nickname for Malbec, in Cahors. It’s usually a varietal used in blends, but it’s becoming quite popular on its own. The nose threw me off in a big way; I would expect Double Bubble gum wrapper off a fruity Gamay, not a white anything. But that’s the first thing that popped into my head when I smelled it. The rest was bright, lemony, smooth and fresh. Perfect for an end-of-summer cookout of beer can chicken, roasted potatoes and corn on the cob.

For dessert, we indulged in homemade lemon cake (someone else’s home, not mine!) topped with vanilla ice cream and blueberries. The Strewn vidal had enough sugary clout to stand its ground against the glaze of the cake, and had a nice string of acidity running through it to pull out the hints of lemon zest.

Also made up batches of wine spritzers (even though I hate doing that to wine) with some club soda, a few lemon and lime slices, and the Huff Estates 2007 First Frost. It was so popular, I had to open up a second bottle. That may become my patio drink for summer 2010 (assuming, of course, that we don't get another season of torrential downpours. Can I get a refund on the last three months, please?) Between the sweetness of the wine and the fizzy soda, you’d almost think you were drinking Champagne. OK, maybe not … but it was good anyway.