Summer's end

Three fish.... two fish... one fish. A mink discovered the goldfish in our pond. I managed to capture one of her expeditions on video... you can see where I surprised her, she dips underwater... and she startles me with the plunge! Now we have one lonely fish. I check for it every day and am relieved to see the red and white shimmer just under the surface.

Before the colours of autumn burst aflame, the backyard foliage is still mostly green. 

The begonias really are beautiful this time of year, with their persistent bloom. Also enjoying the phlox, sedum, nasturtium and hydrangea.

begonia

sedum

Epitourists: Boat Food

Caroline hosted the September Epitourist lunch... on her new boat!!! A beautiful trawler Mainship called Ruby Tuesday.

In keeping with the venue, the theme was 'Boat Food.' In past years, I've really gotten into preparing meals on the boat, including sprouting my own greens, growing herbs on board, making roti by hand, and even packing the pressure cooker on board to experiment with exotic fare. Lots of barbecues. Past Notes from the Galley help with future planning.

Rob and I actually didn't fire up the boat barbecue once the entire cruising holiday in August. This year, my favourite new boat meal was Steak with Ginger Butter Sauce, easy to prep in the cast iron frying pan on a rainy day.

Even when I have my cooking mojo working for me, I appreciate the ease of pulling together an appealing plate without needing to turn on the stove or fire up the barbecue. Especially if Rob and I are Yondering for a ten hour day, or have just dropped anchor after a long sail, I'm glad to have some cold cured meats, cheese, crackers, nuts and pickles for a refreshing quick bite.

So for my course, I chose a charcuterie board. As this was the Epitourists, I provisioned at St. Lawrence Market, with stops at Scheffler's Deli, Future Bakery, and Kozlik's mustards, to pull together a charcuterie platter: saucisson (truffle and blueberry); salami (hot and not); provolone wrapped in sundried tomato; prosciutto wrapped feta; marcona almonds; pickled garlic, onions and mixed vegetable; hot gherkins; roasted artichoke; pretzels; and a selection of mustards (dijon, honey mustard, balsamic fig and date, triple crunch).

To accompany, a quick cocktail with lots of ice: Whisky Soda. Rob mixed one of these for me at the end of a hot day, and it instantly became a summer favourite.

I did take a little bit of heat from fellow Epitourists for not cooking or even sous-chef-ing, but couldn't resist selecting this as my boat food course. I'll cook next time.

Yoga Camp! Queen Elizabeth September 2019

Yoga Camp number four, and I want more! Beausoliel is such a beautiful spot, and the Queen Elizabeth Y extremely well run by its staff.

This time Denise drove Anita, Liz and me up on Friday night and we met Chris there. In keeping with it being Friday the 13th AND a full moon, we came prepared with scary stories. I fell asleep Friday night to the sound of Anita reading from the Witching Hour (although I couldn’t really hear a word).

Qi Gong on the rocks, followed by meditation, every morning. So deeply nourishing and what an amazing start to the day! Especially as on the way Saturday morning, I was able to gaze at the full moon setting behind the trees.

Saturday was a day-long Ramble, with naturalists who promised we could stop wherever and how often along the route we wanted… I took them at their word but still found myself behind the ‘sweep,’ the person assigned to keeping an eye on the last hiker in line. The boat dropped us off at Cedar Spring National Park and we wandered through the forest and over rocks, checking out the ‘other’ Y camp Kitchikewana along the way. Mushrooms were out in all their incredible diversity and I saw some fantastic specimens.

Saturday night, a sunset cruise in the war canoe followed by a campfire under the full moon.

And of course, yoga classes every day.

Rejuvenating.

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A selection of some of the mushrooms I saw on the ramble:

Full Harvest Moon September 2019

... The title track to Harvest Moon, a sequel to his 1972 classic Harvest. Young reformed the same studio band from the original Harvest, and even got James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt to contribute backing vocals – as they did on the original. The song is as tribute to his wife Pegi, and in the video for the song the couple dances in a bar – even as another Neil Young is onstage singing the song. 

Come a little bit closer
Hear what I have to say
Just like children sleepin'
We could dream this night away

But there's a full moon risin'
Let's go dancin' in the light
We know where the music's playin'
Let's go out and feel the night

Because I'm still in love with you
I want to see you dance again
Because I'm still in love with you
On this harvest moon

When we were strangers
I watched you from afar
When we were lovers
I loved you with all my heart

But now it's gettin' late
And the moon is climbin' high
I want to celebrate
See it shinin' in your eye

Because I'm still in love with you
I want to see you dance again
Because I'm still in love with you
On this harvest moon

The Moon will be full early Saturday morning, Sept. 14, 2019, appearing "opposite" the Sun (in Earth-based longitude) at 12:33 AM EDT. The Moon will appear full for about three days centered around this time, from Thursday night through Sunday morning.

Happy birthday to me!

Happy birthday to me!

Taking time to reflect on the past year by reviewing some of the postings on my blog for 2018/2019. Another year, older. Wiser?

I am so grateful for Rob and Alex, and time spent together with Penny, family, extended family, and friends. It is good to see some of those moments captured here.

A year has come and gone since the death of my mom. I’ve thought of her often, wanting to call and just ramble on to a supportive and encouraging ear. Holidays were tough, but getting together with my brothers and sister has been true comfort.

As someone working in government this last year has brought lots of changes. A conservative regime brought new political masters with an appetite for cutting costs; an end to my much-loved secondment as Central PIC Advisor; a cancelled opportunity for job promotion; and a return to my home position as a Stakeholder Relations Lead. Although the work itself hasn’t been too demanding, the environment certainly has its challenges, with 80% of my work unit retiring and new colleagues coming onboard; a reorganization that moved our unit to another branch; a strategic shift where I have little control or input; and diminishing opportunities for advancement. I am happy to still have a job, as many programs were eliminated entirely and I haven’t yet quite met the magic pension numbers. Simply put, I need the gig. Fortunately my working conditions are great. I make sure to take time to break for lunch, whether that is going for a walk, visiting Allan Gardens, setting the lunch table for my mid-day meal, or meeting with friends. In May I started using a standing desk, which helps keep my energy levels high. I’ll often take a mid-afternoon break for a short mindfulness practice, and that helps too. When things get a little slow I can tap into online learning. I do wish work was more meaningful and I was having more of an impact.

I started the bullet method of journaling in March to help keep myself organized and forward looking.

I took an investment course last autumn and started working with a financial planner in January to prepare for retirement. But I’m also wondering about productive ways I can spend my time when I no longer have to work with an eye on the clock. Thinking about time, the passing of time, the potential in growing older,  The Summer Day and a Winter’s Evening...

Although Rob and I didn’t sail as much as in past years, we still took to the water in August for a lovely cruising holiday and enjoyed some Island Time.

Home improvements included rebuilding the back deck and preparing for the basement reno; both took more time than anticipated but eventually got underway.

Mindful of the need to build resilience I’ve tried to focus on choosing happiness. I continue my morning yoga practice and the gratitude habit of thinking about at least three things to be thankful for, before falling asleep. Since January I set a limit of drinking no more than 7 drinks of alcohol per week and have kept within the limit by not drinking after work. I make use of mobile apps like Insight Timer, Fitbit, and Woebot to help reinforce and monitor wellness habits.

There were yoga classes, workshops, Yoga in the Heart of the City, intensives and retreats help to keep me limber but also get into a more positive frame of mind.

I also made time for the things I enjoy: my garden, uke jam, theatre, food & friends, books and poetry (Heliconian, Book Clubs, Writing Wild).

Really, a phenomenal year despite the challenges.

And here’s to the coming year! Rob will likely retire, Alex and Penny may get married, and Life will unfold with all its joys and sorrows.