This week seems to have flown by. Is it really the weekend already? I had a fabulous weekend with my friend Claire who visited me from England. We saw some of the Montreal sights and did an incredible amount of chatting. We had lots of catching up to do, as well as trying out lots of great restaurants. In the picture we are enjoying a champagne cocktail in Old Montreal.

If you have any comments or questions, the best way to contact me is to write to jacqueline.sinfield@gmail.com.

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Jacqui

Today I am very excited for three reasons. First, in a couple of hours I am going to the airport to greet my old friend, Claire. She is flying in from England for a long weekend here with me. We met nearly 15 years ago when we were both nurses together on the same unit. It’s going to be so much fun hanging out together, catching up on all our news, and of course, doing lots of site-seeing in Montreal. I have some champagne chilling.

The second reason for my excitement is that I am thrilled to welcome all the new subscribers to this newsletter who signed up after the FAB call with Bonnie Hutchinson.

Finally, I am preparing a couple of new projects that are really cool. I will be able to share more details in the coming weeks.

On May 20th, I had my book launch at Nicholas Hoare bookstore on Greene Avenue in Montreal.

The launch was amazing, a totally A+ experience.

24 hours later my new website and blog caught a nasty virus and were down for nearly two weeks, so I didn’t write about the launch or post any photos. Here is the book launch wrap-up!!

People

A book launch wouldn’t be anything without people! I was so touched by everyone who made such an effort to be there. There were clients past and present, wonderful new people that I met for the first time, and of course, all of my close friends.

Location

The bookstore, Nicholas Hoare, is a beauty. There are three Nicholas Hoare bookstores in Canada named after the owner… Nicholas Hoare. A fellow Brit, Mr. Hoare wanted to capture the feeling of old English manor house libraries in his stores. That is achieved splendidly both with the décor (the bookshelves are wooden and the walls are green) and atmosphere. There is a magical feeling in the store that is hard to describe, but it is calm and welcoming.

Staff

The staff at Nicholas Hoare were so professional and sincerely friendly and helpful. They did a great job of both pouring wine and selling books!

Food

I had ordered some yummy food, cheese, dips, Hors D’oeuvres and special bread from Premiere Moisson. Most of it was eaten on the night, however, I did get to eat leftover for a couple of evenings after the launch. There is nothing better than leftover party food and a glass of red wine

Wine

There is a whole story regarding the wine. I wanted there to be lots of food and wine for all the guests, so I got the advice from a friend and successful wedding planner, Ciara Daykin. She and her husband sent me a detailed email of both qualities and types of wine I should offer – two choices of white wine and two choice of red wine to suit everyone’s palette. Three weeks before the big day, I carefully selected the wine from a website that offered delivery. I thought this would save myself from having to lug around heavy boxes of wine. However, the wine did not arrive. Lots of phone calls occurred from Monday to Wednesday (the day of the book launch) inquiring about the whereabouts of the wine. Finally at 4pm, two hours before everyone was due to arrive, it came to light that the delivery wasn’t going to happen. I ran (literally) to the nearest wine store, grabbed a trolley, while trying to remember the contents of Ciara and Simon’s email (but perhaps not fully.) I began to throw 40 bottles of wine in, and personally delivered the wine to the bookstore. Phew, disaster averted.

General Overview

The two hours of the actual launch went so fast. I signed lots of my books and talked to all the cool people who were there. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. I drank one glass of wine and lots of water. (All that talking makes for a dry mouth!) It felt pretty amazing to be launching my book in such a public and grand way and it felt so far removed from me sitting in my bedroom typing on my laptop with Kitty watching. I am so proud of the book and I know it’s helping lots of people with ADHD, which of course was my goal in writing it. One lady with ADHD said, “This book is so helpful, I wish I had read it twenty years ago.” When I get feedback like that, I get goose bumps and a little teary.

I have posted a few photos here, but there are many more on my Facebook page. If we aren’t Facebook friends yet, don’t be shy, please request me!

AND if you haven’t read my book yet… it’s called Untapped Brilliance: How to Reach Your Full Potential as an Adult with ADHD.

Every summer Montreal hosts the biggest jazz festival in the world! On June 30^th I went to this year’s opening night. Stevie Wonder was doing a performance and I was there along with 100,000 + other Montrealers.

It was a wonderful evening. Stevie played for two and a half hours. The fact that the crowd was so huge and the weather less than summery proved what a big following he has.

As I was watching this musical legend perform, I was struck by how even though he was born with a physical disadvantage, he didn’t let that hold him back in fully experiencing life. Despite being born blind, he took his natural talent and shone. He lives life to the max, has sold millions of records and people all over the world love, respect and admire him.

Two weeks ago I wrote an article about some of the natural talents of ADHD. I got an incredible response from many people who enjoyed reading the articles.

So today, I would like to highlight five more natural talents that adults with ADHD often have.

If you would like to see more about the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, check out the website http://www.montrealjazzfest.com.

This week I visited the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts where they have an exhibition called “Image.” The exhibit is dedicated to John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s art. There were photos, drawings, films and artwork, all of which created a wonderful experience. John and Yoko were very creative individuals and were passionate about there being peace in the world.

If you live in Montreal and want to visit the exhibition, there is still time. It’s open until June 21^st.

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts

When we turn the page on our calendars to June, I feel summer has definitely arrived! I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t enjoy summer. The long sunny days and the opportunity to do things that are only possible in the warmer weather means it’s a happy and fun session.

Yesterday, I played my first tennis game and even in Montreal’s unpredictable weather, it’s now safe to plant summer flowers without Mr. Frost coming for a visit. When I am at home, I can leave the door open for Kitty to run in and out of the house so she can participate in her favorite summer activity… watching birds.

What a busy week it’s been here. It’s the week running up to my book launch and whew, there was so much to do! However, it’s Friday evening now and I can relax knowing that everything has been organized. The wine and cheese is ordered and will be delivered on the day of the party, books are safely at the store, beautiful posters have been printed and delivered… and much more. I have a lovely sense of accomplishment and I’m happy it’s the weekend.

At lunchtime, I often leave my office to run errands, buy lunch or take a walk and enjoy the fresh air. My routine, once I leave the street my office is on, is to turn right to where most of the shops, banks and post office are located. On Monday however, I did something different, I (drum roll please) turned left! I don’t know what exactly inspired me to break from routine, but I am so glad I did. I discovered a beautiful, unique café, the sort that has original “granny chic” furniture and serves food ranging from smoked salmon to vegan chili. I drank tea, people watched and did some book launch planning.

If you are in Montreal, don’t forget to put May 20th in your agenda and come and join me for my book launch.

Two weeks ago I was invited to speak to a classroom of twelve-year-old girls about goal setting. I don’t often have the opportunity to hang out with twelve-year-olds so it was interesting to get a sneak peek into their world. Besides having a ton of positive energy, wanting to get good grades and loving the Jonas Brothers, they shared a common concern: protecting the environment.

This experience was the inspiration for Monday’s article. I also asked a young, super smart and extremely environmentally savvy client her top five things we can do to help save our planet. (These will be in the article.) The really cool thing is that some of the points can actually help your ADHD as well as the environment.