off to bob's lake

I'm off to the family cottage this w/e with my girlyfriends. Enjoy yours and behave...badly!

shake it, shake it baby

Just as I was about to leave for work this morning my ipod shuffled to this song which made me drop my bag and run into the living room to move and groove my bod. Not a bad way to start your day. So go on. Have a listen. You know you want to.

book worm

There are many activities that belong on my summer list and one among them is reading as many novels as possible. It doesn't get much better than sitting by the lake at the cottage reading a tale that transports you into another world. This w/e I found four books at a garage sale. I'm sure you've guessed one by now. Funny, I've never read the entire book of Alice in Wonderland and when I saw this old, colourful cover, I just had to have it. I opened the hard cover and there was this great handwritten inscription that said, "Andrew - All now is revealed! Love Mum"

Yes, Alice's story has been used in many psycho and philosophical contexts - I look forward to the journey.
As for the others they are: A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle, The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera and The Age of Grief, short stories by Jane Smiley. I've started two of them and before I even read the others I'm going ahead and recommending them all!

What's on your summer reading list thus far?

i ♥ sundays

Sunday morning I spent many hours in bed reading and watching the stillness of the lake from my comfy vantage point. The only reasons I untangled myself from my nest were to go to the loo, let my dog out and make myself some porridge. It was incredibly indulgent and sooo yummy. Sure did beat getting up and cleaning the house as I'm apt to do on Sunday's. Cleaning is such a waste of the pure, subtle qualities Sunday mornings lend themselves to be. "No more!" I cried out. Pick another day for scrubbing toilets and floors! Sundays are unique b/c they are languid, peaceful and in my opinion, feel like they stretch on and on. I'll take a Sunday over any other day of the week. They feel like the day everyone becomes human again, ya know? The partying is over from the early stages of the w/e and it's chill time. Be with family or be on your own and submerge into hedonistic living, if only for the day. As a kid we would often go for "Sunday drives" in the country, most likely after church (ugh!) and brunch (yay!). Remember when all stores shut down on Sundays? Few people worked on a Sunday. It was determined to be "family time" since there weren't any other options as there are now. Maybe it's one of the reasons Sundays seem to personify the meaning of nostalgia for me.

What do Sundays feel like for you?

look what the wind blew in

Feeling all twisted up, anxious, melancholy, a little lonely and overwhelmed by my surmounting List of things to get done. Not sure when this little emotional storm of mine blew in, but the shift in how I'm feeling leaves me unsettled. Even though I know my current state won't last, as of Monday, I've been wondering where "the good times" got to. Many of the items on said List have issues related to them that don't allow a simple phone call to get it taken care of. This annoys me as I like to complete tasks so they aren't left hanging over my head partially completed. Perhaps there's some planetary alignment shift that's causing me to unnaturally feel discombobulated? Regardless, a friend assured me that by Sunday at the latest, my disposition will indeed by sunnier. While I wait for Sunday to arrive, here's a little something to help put us all in a better mood...slide on over to here and take a listen to a friend's new favourite musician. Her voice is simply lovely.

P.S. Oddly enough, or perhaps more truthfully, the universe has once again given me what I have asked for...I think I may have found the photographer who took the image of the waves that I wrote about in my previous post. ☺The odd part is it's in a magazine I've never read before.

bits and pieces

Arghh! I'm being haunted by a photograph I saw online but can't remember how I came upon seeing it, and therefore can't find it, which means I can't have it. The image itself is so simple, yet it captivated me b/c it's something I see almost daily. It's a close up b&w image of waves. Not huge engulfing waves, but something you would see sitting in a boat or when in the water. It meant so much to me, I wish I had taken it. I MUST find it!!!!

On another not-so-desperate note, the weather here has significantly changed. One day I was wearing my black shawl, the next shorts and sandals. We are in the throes of substantial heat and from what I've heard, this is going to be it for the next 3 months. So adios slacks and sweaters and hello lightweight and carefree skirts and sleeveless tops!

Along with our new weather conditions I have been wanting a good book(s) to read. I've been a non-fiction maven for too long and need to get lost in a good paperback. I've just been informed that he has launched a new book. If you haven't read anything of his yet, you're missing out. His work is laugh out loud funny! I have read and recommend Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim and Me Talk Pretty One Day.

If you have any books to highly recommend, please do, I'm planning to stock up!

warm weather favourites

smelling the heat of the sun on your skin, going barefoot, the sound of the cottage screen door opening and closing, spring babies (of the animal variety), ice cream, light fabric billowing in a soft breeze, the scent of spring blossoms, the light, the tinkle of wood chimes, potlucks, eating fresh snap peas from the garden, going on a swing, afternoon nap in a hammock, watching butterflies, morning swim in the lake, picnics in the park, roadtrips, camping, gin and tonic, meeting friends on a patio, digging your feet in the sand, walking around the house naked, leisurely bike rides, meeting old friends, dirt roads, big straw hats, colourful fabric, strawberries that melt in your mouth, sandals, stinky armpits, favourite summer song, skinny dipping, watching a storm approach, bonfires, outdoor music festivals, theatre in the park, the colour pink, robin's egg blue, grass green, pale yellow, subtle red, trying something new, flying a kite, putting your hands in the dirt, waking up early with the sun, sky full of stars, the call of a loon, feeling the soft fur of my animals, playing euchre, watching my skin become brown, good surprises, outdoor showers, feeling moss beneath your feet, reading a great book.

Feel free to add some of your own!

training wheels

It's been awhile since I've last wrote about my yoga practice. The posture above is supported headstand, or in sanskrit, salamba sirsasana. I attempted my first assisted headstand two weeks ago and was surprised by my experience. Being upside down generally creates a bit of fear in many of us since it's not our natural state. Prepping for this posture is tougher than the actual full expression. Initially I felt a lot of pressure on the crown of my head, but once I was relieved of my legs being on the ground and moved them above my head, I felt completely weightless, as though half of my body ceased to exist - a very cool feeling!
Last week I "went up" again, but this time I didn't feel my instructor directly behind me as both legs went up which left me in a moment of panick, kind of like realizing your dad is no longer holding onto the back of your bicycle seat for the first time. She caught me just as I'm sure I would have had a crash landing, and for a brief moment I realized maybe I could have sustained it on my own. Class is tonight. I eagerly anticipate removing my training wheels.