Tuesday, July 23, 2019

July in the backyard


We took advantage of some mid-season sales to arrange some comfortable seating. Cool corners for reading in the backyard, or just gazing up into the leaves. and watching them rustle against the blue sky. Griskit usually joins me, hanging close but not too close. If you look closely in the photos you can see her perched.

The ravine has turned into a jungle, with many of the transplants doing quite well. The problem is there are many invasive ones finding root, including Japanese knotweed and garlic mustard. Although the English ivy looks pretty and grew slowly in the shade, I've started pulling it out as it is quite aggressive and offers no food for birds or insects. A smoke tree found its way, and though such a pretty colour, this is also known to take over. I've spent many hours weeding the ravine this month and I think it may be a losing battle to some extent. Maybe just clear the immediate vicinity and most reachable areas. The steep slope makes it challenging to navigate. 



velvet petals of Jackmani clematis

a punch of colour

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

Thunder Moon - July 2019


I went searching for a Shakespearean sonnet that mentioned the moon, and this one also mentions an eclipse... perfect for this month as there is a partial lunar eclipse. Some scholars believe the mortal moon referenced here is Elizabeth in her 79th year, as she suffered an illness and then recovered.

Sonnet CVII

Not mine own fears, nor the prophetic soul
Of the wide world dreaming on things to come,
Can yet the lease of my true love control, 
Supposed as forfeit to a confined doom.
The mortal moon hath her eclipse endured,
And the sad augurs mock their own presage;
Incertainties now crown themselves assured,
And peace proclaims olives of endless age.
Now with the drops of this most balmy time,
My love looks fresh, and Death to me subscribes,
Since, spite of him, I'll live in this poor rhyme,
While he insults o'er dull and speechless tribes:
   And thou in this shalt find thy monument
When tyrants' crests and tombs of brass are spent.

Tuesday, July 16, 2019, at 5:38 p.m. ET, a full moon with a partial lunar eclipse 

Saturday, July 13, 2019

Staycation Summerlicious


Although I do enjoy cooking, it was nice to take a break from being the one doing the grocery shopping and making the meals to just ordering tasty food off a menu. I didn't really plan which restaurants I would go to ahead of time, just went with the whim of the day.

And along the way, getting some inspiration for making those home cooked meals... like lightly pickling red onion or grapes, or remembering to add some edible blossoms to the plate, adding refreshing gazpacho to the menu.

Summerlicious lunches to sample the world's cuisine
  • Café Boulud at the Four Seasons for French brasserie fare in Yorkville
    • Dandelion salad with pickled red onion and grilled peach. Roulade de Poulet for the main, which was artfully plated with a mustard chicken jus. Dessert was gorgeous (blueberry compote, lemon poundcake, white chocolate lavendar chantilly)
  • Piano Piano on Harbord for relaxed Italian
    • The name of the restaurant comes from the Italian phrase “piano piano va lontano,” meaning “slowly slowly we go further.” The perfect philosophy for a summer vacation and getting more out of life by taking it slower. My favourite here was the appetizer of smoked burrata with pickled grapes and romesco verde.
  • Goa Indian Farm Kitchen for Kashmir cooking in Bayview Village
    • Spicy beef kabobs, chicken xacutti porcini with fresh coconut and sticky toffee pudding... delicately balanced flavours and very nicely presented
  • Tapas at Embrujo  for Spanish small bites on the Danforth
    • Gazpacho, black angus sirloin with mustard sauce, and for dessert goat cheese fritters with honey and Seville marmelade (Delicias de cueso de cabra) ... will have to come back for the live flamenco sometime!


Friday, July 12, 2019

Yoga In the Heart of the City - 2019


Each day of the week I laid down for pranayama practice and felt tears rising to the surface.

Throughout my life I have not cried often, only once every couple of years and I think I've gone even decades without. So I wondered on my mat,  if I let myself have a good cry, would the tears ever stop?

Grief in my body. Ah yes, there you are.

So it was the one hour of pranayama vs. the two hours of asana that was the most challenging for me this year.

I do believe this is the 10th year I've done Yoga in the Heart of the City. This year there were about 30 of us, with some long time practitioners mixed in with some newbies. Marlene was able to teach to the different levels in the room and when it came time for headstand and forearm balance, divided the class into two so that different approaches could be used. She started on Monday with Level 1 and by Friday had progressed to Level 4... not just the particular asana but the way in which it was taught. The more advanced levels calling for less explicit direction and requiring the student to integrate what they have learned from one day to the next.

to incorporate more these next few months at home: supported back bends + brahmari + rolled blanket under tips of shoulders with head raised on two blankets



Tuesday, July 9, 2019

Music in the Garden



Janine treated me to a concert in the gardens at Casa Loma.

We'd originally signed up for a night of the symphony and classical baroque, with the Toronto Concert Orchestra. Somewhere along the way the programme was switched to Queen and the Bee Gees, with symphonic accompaniment. The tribute bands did a great job of staying true to the originals. Really great music on a beautiful summer evening, in a perfect setting.