Books, Water, Skies - A Recipe for Happiness

These are the things I've always been partial to, since my childhood on my father's ships' decks (not his own ship, he was the captain). This combination still works to restore my sense of self: A good book, a sunny day in the proximity of a large body of water.
I've recently finished reading The Book of Ebenezer Le Page by Gerald Basil Edwards. It is a dense masterpiece which took me some time to get through, but well worth it. It was a privilege to spend time with the man in whose voice the book is written, a thoughtful kind and right-hearted man from the isle of Guernsey, who chronicles the changes of the small world around him, and leaves it in the end with only love in his heart. He lives his entire life in one house on the island, yet he never feels restricted. The way he looks at the people around him is timeless and soul-searching.


And now I'm on another long-reaching one, space wise: The Long Ships, by Frans G. Bengtsson. It is the story of the travels and adventures of a viking named Orm, told in a language so bemused and unassuming as to capture the imagination of a child, yet good enough to eat. Great fun. It could be a great adventure film. The fighting, blood, costumes and turn of fortune are perfect for the screen. In fact, there is an old movie based on it. A good one to spend the summer with.

OMG, A Heavenly Drama

The rain came to wash our sins away and give us a bit of a break, look at the blue sky peeking above.
We can now breathe again.
Then the painter in the sky got experimental, couldn't decide on the type of clouds to use - is there a name for this?

C & C : Cupcakes and Cocktails

They may not look like much, but one bite of these little lethal salted caramel cupcakes, made by the loving hands and wicked mind of my dear friend The Rat for Our Mutual Friend's birthday (she who shares the birthdate of my dear late father) - one bite and I roll my eyes, and feel like I've died and gone to heaven.
"They are better than sex" is exactly what I said, and I meant it.
Coupled with the most saturated cocktail made by moi, it was a Sunday afternoon to be reckoned with, all around.

A Hot Thursday in The City

What a day it was.
The lingering heat is one thing. To have the street where we live evacuated because a gas pipe was accidentally "tapped" by construction workers - an unwelcome disturbance.
I closed the shop and came home to see that the kids are ok. They were not, of course. We tried to make the best of it.
I helped the oldest neighbour on our street find shelter from the oppressive heat, and put the policeman in charge to work checking up on him periodically. Then we sought refuge at a friend's air-conditioned house for the rest of the afternoon.
I'm going to purchase a cooling device for the house today; enough is enough. So far my resistance to it was based on the contention that heat in this country is a passing thing, that we should just deal and take it in stride. But this week is testing my resolve. I'm caving in.
And of course, as a result, we have no hot water now. Of course. It's the perfect day for a cold shower, luckily.

Sweet Sunny Spots

Sometimes, you need not look any further than your very own kitchen. The cats know it is the best place to catch some warmth, and so do I:

Bliss

Last week was unsettling for me on a few levels, but the weekend has proved to be more than worthy in calming nerves and stomachs.
What can work better than meeting this little fellow on an evening kayak ride? in one instant you know in your heart of hearts what's what in life:

Ah, yes, this:

And This:

And many hours of solitude with this, and a masterpiece of a book on hand:

There is something good in the world when a good friend trusts you enough to leave you all alone in her cottage for a night, knowing it will still be there the next day, and you will be once again a happy companion.

On the Airwaves about Bartering

http://www.cbc.ca/ontariotoday/2013/07/02/tuesday-do-you-barter-for-clips-and-services/

A call in show on CBC yesterday took my call. I'm the last caller at the end of the podcast.
There was such a short time to explain the concept, and I was a bit nervous, it's not quite clear how the bartering works for me so let me elaborate:
The consigners who choose to spend their share of the sale in the shop use it as credit on their purchase if it is a larger amount, or a reduction from their purchase if it's smaller.
Another bartering experience I didn't get a chance to talk about is this: I got my piano tuned for the price of an expensive pair of glasses. Both of us, the renowned piano tuner Jamie Musselwhite and I, were very happy. He looks cool in his Oliver People's round glasses, and my piano no longer has a sticky middle F#, a very usable key. Not to mention, there is a consigner out there who is due his share of the glasses. He's happy too.

Accentuating the Positives

These are strange times.
I walk the streets of my neighbourhood and find more and more old architectural treasures in the clutches of "development". It makes me sad and I feel I'm continually mourning my city. Everywhere we go a sign the size of a small apartment pronounces an application to city hall for a redevelopment that promises to replace an old Victorian row house with a tower of an indistinct nature that is going to look like a slum in 20 years or less.
How Pathetic is the state of our nation, that we sit and let it happen without trying to put a stop to it?
Truth is, the building where I am, this little shop, is under the same threat after changing ownership recently. I can see it coming, even though it could be years in the making. The noose is already being tied in some back room of the wheelers and dealers at the planning departments and city councillors, behind the scenes and far from anyone's ears.

That rant over, let's think about the nice things in life, to replace these bitter disappointments with a bit of sweetness.

* Summer vacation. No morning rush, no afternoon classes. Leisurely dinners, movies, rest, warm sunny days in housecoats and nothing else.

* Summer festivals in the city of Doom (this is what I'm calling Toronto from now on) - culture, music, art. Some counterbalance to the greed and ugliness of the "It's not personal, it's business" crowd we have to live with these days. Thank the universe for artists.

* The nasturtiums are blooming - YEA!!!

* A new chimney towers over my house at last, the 100 year old one put to rest (together with a large chunk of money).

* New delightful customers discovering my shop of treasures every day.