French Grille

The Epitourists got together at Kaarina's for a French Grille.

Sensationnel!

When the theme was named I did some quick research before settling on French Bistro Steak, a triple-tested recipe I found online from Canadian Living. Dijon, thyme and tarragon vinaigrette poured over grilled steak and lightly roasted vegetables, with soft-boiled egg on the side. Ease-y! What surprised me was the lack of a marinade, something I always assumed was essential for this cut of meat. A little more poking around revealed there is a school of thought to marinade proteins after you grill, because the moisture and sugar in most marinades can actually cause a protein to simultaneously steam and burn without ever truly searing.

I also brought a selection of Italian cheeses. Why? "Leftovers" from our February visit to Eataly. We were so stuffed at our vegetarian feast we couldn't manage another bite; of course, I didn't really save them, I don't have that much self control! So I pre-ordered from Alex Cheese Farms, doing my best to match our Eataly selections. Over the phone, I would name the cheese and then he would describe what was on hand. Oh, how I wanted to taste! He laughed and explained they weren't offering counter tastings in the store either. When I asked him to pre-cut into one ounce portions so I could minimize food handling, he gladly complied. On the plate: bosco tartufo with truffle (sheep and cow), montasio (cow), taleggio (buffalo), and pecorino moliterno (sheep and goat).

For an elegant dessert Karrina whipped up some creme to accompany fresh cherries and strawberries.

MENU

Moules Grillées

Asperges Grillées avec Sauce Maltaise

Carre d’agneau Pistou avec Poireaux Vinaigrette

Bistro Salade de Steak

Cerises et fraises avec crème

Sélection de fromages italiens

well-matched

Summer Solstice

A perfect weekend in honour of the Summer Solstice.

Yoga, sailing, my garden, good food, and family. Hot and humid and sunny and cloudless, it felt like the carefree days of summer had finally arrived.

Saturday morning I read through the newspaper. The Globe had an interesting opinion piece about 100 Days of Solitude, with 18 people sharing their lockdown experiences. Not for the first time in these days did I feel gratitude for staying happy, safe, and connected throughout the pandemic.

In honour of International Yoga Day, Marlene was leading a virtual lesson. This was the first time I've been in her class since early March, otherwise I have been taking advantage of several of the practices posted on the Yoga Centre Toronto website. It was comforting to have Marlene guide a practice and hear that plans are well underway to reopen Yoga Centre Toronto.

After a few light chores, I spent several hours reading in the shade on the lower deck when I wasn't distracted by my fine feathered friends at the birdfeeder. Purple Hibiscus is a really eye-opening tale set in present day Nigeria, a totally absorbing work of international fiction. Great characters, a believable plot, and a glimpse of the complexities of life in a developing country.

Dinner with Rob was lemon pasta with pan-fried scallops. Easy and tasty.

Then, down to BPYC for cocktails on Yondering. Bluffer's Park is incredibly busy, and just travelling down the hill takes at least four times longer with all the traffic. Not a lot of social distancing looks to be happening on the beaches.

It was also finally Launch Day! Rob had been crewing the towboat all day and Yondering was nicely floating in her slip. Rob has been working hard to prep the boat for the season, and we now have new cushions onboard. The bulky heater has also been removed, leaving a lot more space on the interior. I can't wait to go for a sail!!

This may be the year I finally learn how to dock properly... our neighbouring slips are empty right now which gives a spacious berth.

It was odd to see so many boats still on the "hard," however there are many skippers in the club that have opted out of sailing entirely this summer.

Home again for a movie in the cool basement. Finally getting around to watching Transparent.

Sunday was the 21st which I think of as the solstice. I know there are good arguments for June 20, so why not just spread the festivities over two days?

A special 2 hour yoga class with Niren, again to celebrate International Yoga Day.

And Father's Day, another reason for celebration.

Dinner at Alex' and Penny's, hanging out in their backyard. Their garden is coming along so nicely and I was happy to see the transplants enjoying the sun. We had time to reminisce about growing up and happy times, as Alex had posted on Facebook: "Thanks for the camping trips to Killarney, being the baseball coach for my pewee league, the trips to the train tracks, a fellow racing fan, the claw chasing us around the block, helping me solve my grade 3 math problems, waking up at 6 for hockey, being an amazing bread maker, and overall an amazing Dad and friend."

A blessed start to summer!

If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.

Abhijata Online

Abhijata is BKS Iyengar's granddaughter, who is leading the international association after guruji's death. For these five past mornings I have been taking two hour classes with her on Zoom, her young children popping in and out of the room on occasion. A lovely person. Not sure how many students were participating, but she did have a knack for making it seem a smaller class.

Abhi did share a story about eating lunch one day with her grandfather, and how he challenged her when she said she didn't like jalebi because it was so sweet and sticky (for him, it was a constant favourite). "How do you know you don't like jalebi... this is not the same jalebi you had the last time you ate it... you are not the same person even, as the last time you ate it."  Challenge assumptions. Be aware of how your likes and dislikes influence abilities. Be aware of how wanting to do something, versus being obligated, changes the entire experience. Notice the biases you bring to each pose that can limit your experience.

A devoted student from a young age, Abhijata is physically able to take the asanas to their extreme position when she demonstrates, however she is reassuring in her approach that the final position isn't the destination. The asana is the whole motion, from beginning to end. 

The beginning and end extend before and after the asana, which illustrates how the asana is within yoga and yoga within the asana. To contemplate: the body you bring to the mat at the beginning of the practice, how you feel afterward when you step away. How breath, body, mind are separate but intertwine.

Someone asked the question about how can you tell when you are overdoing, or under-doing? Something I am sure every yoga student asks themselves - how much to push, how much to stay within the ease of a movement - where are the boundaries? These are things only the student can answer for themselves, and it is wise to question and then look inward for the response.

 

On the first day we spent so much time feeling the upward motion of poses, it felt very much like flying. On subsequent days, we challenged the differences between thinking and experience; focused on developing sensitivities and awareness within each pose (how does the breath change, how does the shape of the chest change with different positions of the arms and legs). There is value in learning even the simplest asana well because the lessons it teaches can be brought to other poses and extended off the mat.

Explore

Urdhva Dhanurasana

Setu Bandha Sarvangasana

- with arms at the side, with arms horizontally, with arms overhead

- with legs bent, with legs straight

Ardha Chandrasana, then Baddha Konasana, than Upavistha Konasana, then back to Ardha - 

see how the experience is the teacher

Pranayma

With pranayama, each day will be different. Pay attention when you first come to the mat .. which is coming easier in the present moment... the inhale, the exhale? Use the breath that is coming easier to access and focus for the practice.  

Generally it is best to do pranayama before asana, with a break in between; don't follow with too vigorous a practice.

Four of the five mornings I felt extremely tired and out of it. Allergies? Finally, day five I had more stamina but the poses were less physically demanding. Interestingly enough, even given my less than ideal physical condition on the other days, I was still learning. My limitations were frustrating but good teachers, in their own way.

As an aside, probably the most reasonably priced intensive I've signed up for, even including the annual registration fee to join the Iyengar Association of Canada.

Lower deck

Alex, Penny and Rob helped me plant a sumac on the back slope. Challenging! It was fairly simple digging the hole, until we hit the roots of the old maple. After using pruners to dig away at the roots, Alex hammered with a shovel. Then Rob brought out the axe. Next came the sizall. Eventually we had to re-situate the hole a bit higher up the hill, taking care to place the shrub upright and not too deeply in the earth. Today it looks pretty happy, all things considered.

I've been wanting a sumac for a couple of years, and with the maple down, it should have plenty of sun.  Scarborough's Bluffs have been planted heavily with sumac to help fight erosion, which is also a concern in our backyard. Although a bit late in the season for planting shrubs, it's better late than never. I called Sheridan Nurseries looking a native sumac but happily substituted the Tiger Eye. Hardy, drought tolerant and food for birds! It has a horizontal growing habit and gorgeous fall colour of brilliant orange and yellow. It should reach a height of six feet and eventually crest the edge of the slope. This morning I dug a little trough higher up the hill it to act as a mini-reservoir, so when we try to water the sumac, it doesn't all river down the hill.

The ravine has been filling in nicely with my transplants from earlier years. Sitting on the lower deck I get a great view of green and the birds at the feeder. I've been ending my work days there reading, and what an improvement from my usual work transition riding public transit. We've been told we can work at home until at least September and I am ecstatic!

RESTORED!
compared to the 
Destruction of 2017 

June Moon

Here it is, three months later, and the orchid still looks as fresh as it did on March 7, when it was already three months old. A wonder! My phaleonopsis is hanging in there to inspire me to do the same.

82 days in lockdown, which for me started on March 13. 

I've been counting my blessings with gratitude most days.

Covid's measure is being weighed by loss of lives, of jobs, of dollars, of opportunities. Seismic shifts are underway while change accelerates. So much unrest south of the border. Enough to take your breath away.

The moon is full June 5, I will look to it in the sky for more inspiration.

When I ladle up springwater,

The moon enters my water jar

https://www.lionsroar.com/the-moon-is-me-i-am-the-moon/

In Zen we look at the self and the world as one and the same, a united whole. Do flowers exist because we see them, or do we see flowers because they exist? Even though we try, we cannot divide the subjective from the objective.

When the subject and the object become one and the same, this is the experience of realization. When we move in oneness with the heavens and the earth, this is the experience of Zen.

We see the flowers and the mountains, we hear the bell ringing, and we know it all as ourself. The river is ourself, and so is the other. We see that from the origin we are all one and the same. This experience is Zen.

The moon in the deep spring is so beautiful that we are pulled right into it, and that moon itself is in a vessel that becomes the moon’s very purity and clarity. The moon is me, and I am the moon. We enjoy this world completely.

Virtual Uke Jam

We've been enjoying Scarborough Uke Jam virtually for the last few months, alternating between Facebook watch parties and Google Meet-ups to play charts. Like many virtual substitutes, it's not quite the same thing but helps us keep connected, and I at least pick up my ukulele once every two weeks.

Most recently, Paul B invited us to collaborate through Soundtrap. Everyone who is participating lays their own track(s) individually and at their own time. It was easy enough to figure out although a bit intimidating at first. Bonus - if you don't like the way it sounds or make a mistake, you just delete the track and start over. A nice little adrenaline rush to hear it all come together at the watch party!

We started with the simple Three Little Birds, and next up, Twist and Shout/La Bamba.

Perfect lyrics for these lockdown times:

Three Little Birds

Bob Marley

Don't worry about a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright
Singing' don't worry about a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright

Rise up this mornin'
Smiled with the risin' sun
Three little birds
Perch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true
Saying', (this is my message to you)

Singing' don't worry 'bout a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright
Singing' don't worry (don't worry) 'bout a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright

Rise up this mornin'
Smiled with the risin' sun
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true
Sayin', this is my message to you

Singin' don't worry about a thing, worry about a thing, oh
Every little thing gonna be alright, don't worry
Singin'…

Peonies

It only lasts a week, but what a display. Working at home I can enjoy it more than some previous years. 

The bees are in a frenzy. We were looking at one that had a huge ball of pollen on its legs, so heavy he had to drop it to fly away. Perhaps this is where the myth of bashful nymphs inhabiting peonies began, by watching bees in the petals.

Such fragrance! Rain heavy in the sky today so the petals may drop even sooner. All the more reason to enjoy the moments while they last. I decided to pop into one of the photo for scale, to prove the blooms are as big as my head. 

Common peony meanings include good fortune, a happy marriage, riches, and romance.

Peony Flower meaning

The Peony’s thick ruffled blooms and ability to return spring after spring for 100 years or longer gives it magical qualities to the gardener and floral enthusiast alike. 

The Peony takes its name from the mythological Greek character Paeon, who studied with the god of medicine known as Asclepius. Zeus had to transform the student into a beautiful flower when he showed more promise than his teacher and incurred his wrath.

The Peony is most important in Chinese culture. This stunning flower is an official emblem of China, and it plays a big role in many holidays and religious traditions. It’s the flower with the longest continual use in Eastern culture, and it’s tied in deeply with royalty and honor in those societies. The Chinese name for Peony even translates to “most beautiful”.  

Oddly enough, it has somewhat of an opposite meaning to Western individuals. Greek myth says that nymphs used to hide their naked forms in Peonies to shield them from prying eyes. This led to the association of Peonies with shamefulness and bashfulness during the Victorian era. It was considered downright unlucky to dig up a shrub of Peony during the Middle Ages due to associations with less than kind fairies. 

postscript

A severe thunderstorm with hail and torrential rain visited that very evening, leaving the peonies wilted and spent by morning. It was grand while it lasted!