Learning

it's the last day of school.

in the spirit...

Image courtesy of Flickr

I'm nearly all packed up now.  My room is a bit of a wasteland.  But the new place is great, my new roommie is my bestie, and life is sweet.  We have drinks at Kat's tonight to bid adieu to Seth, then I'm off to see Richard.  

It's a good day in Jolly Olde.

Oh!  And Matt is going to come up from Texas, pick Katie up along the way, and visit with Erin, Jeffry and I in Toronto.  I don't imagine the summer can get any better.  

It's odd that sometimes the best advice has been delivered indirectly and from the strangest sources.  This is one of my favourites (it's easy to remember and oh-so-true): 
time = love.

It's a good life xx

Come talk to me - Bon Iver

The Ultimate in Synthetic Happiness

Image courtesy of David Kanigan

Many things to think about this summer; topics to ponder as we look out onto the lake, sip some Pimms in the spirit of Jolly Olde, and catch up with old friends...

Giving Birth...like so many other things in life

Image courtesy of Kvelv

I read these quotes about childbirth yesterday.  A friend of mine from elementary school (Laura hates when we even mention the name of our alma mater, so I'll leave it out) is a chiropractor and believes firmly in the power of natural home birth (yikes).  Since I've never done it and don't anticipate doing it (birthing) any time soon (or ever?), I can't claim to be an expert on it.  I have had cool birthing experiences, but that's besides the point.  

I thought these quotes were really powerful because they embody a true acceptance of one's body (the first) and a die-hard approach to gettin' 'er done (the second). 

Remember this, for it is as true as true gets: 

Your body is not a lemon. 

You are not a machine. 

The Creator is not a careless mechanic. 

Human female bodies have the same potential to give birth well 

as aardvarks, lions, rhinoceri, elephants, moose, and water buffalo. 

Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, 

I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body.”

― Ina May Gaskin, Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

"The only way out is through."

LOVE them.  

I hope the start to your week (nearly the end of mine!  Yippee!) is as productive as finding these quotes has proven to be.  

A Bit Birdy

Image courtesy of Publish My Love

On Scotland

Image courtesy of Publish My Love

The sky opened up before us;
The road continued long beyond our gaze, 
far past any length the span in front of us
allowed us to see.
The clouds piled atop one another
one fluffy stratosphere
layered above the next,
coloured in complicated
whites and grays and blues
stacked so artfully
so whimsically
so imprecisely.

I came all this way
to see the universe split open
and prove to me 
that there is something out there 
bigger than me
older than me--
something that inspires and terrifies
and astounds and...just is
whether I write or cry
or laugh or love
or feel the joy of love reciprocated.

I came here to learn that
outside myself
outside my old life
and every life I've created 
subsequently
there exists places so grand
that my biggest catastrophe
is dwarfed.

Tough Mudder and Scotland Pictures

The rolling hills of Scotland...marred a bit by the Toughness of this competition...

Aleisha was halted right near the end of the race because a man had fallen down and was wearing a neck brace when we arrived.  Yikes.  I think he was fine, had "only" hit his head, but it was nice to see the amount of care they provided to ensure his safety.  Anyway, as they waited, the competitors were told time and again to, "stay loose" and, "keep moving".  Prone to injury and quickly cooling, our racer crossed the finish line with complete and total ease (or so it seemed to us), safe and sound.  So awesome.  

 There is nothing wrong with my camera.  The fuzziness you see is the STEAM rising from the participants into the cool Scottish air.  Awesome.

We literally stumbled upon Wordsworth's cottage and museum.  Kat was in heaven.  The rest of us were pretty much enamoured by the adorable-ness of it all. 

Spending a Sunday hanging out in William and Dorothy Wordsworth's cottage.  Don't mind if I do.

Next, we toured the Lake District.  What a delightful place!

Tea time!

Scotland Sum-Up

(adorable!) Image courtesy of Publish My Love

Well, we're back from Scotland.  It wasn't as cold there as I thought it would be (thankfully), and we also didn't do as much sight-seeing as we thought we would do.  It was a looooong drive from Dartford to Glasgow and our super Eco car broke down at 1 am just outside the hostel.  Oh my.  Turns out that because we only had a half-tank of diesel, the car thought we ran out of fuel or that there was a problem with the fuel gauge ("Must be the differential", as my father would say when asked about assessing car trouble).  Kathleen got up at the crack of dawn to greet the tow-truck driver, who assessed the car, told us it was fine, and sent us on our way.  Phew.  

Aleisha ran Tough Mudder (without us...not quite as hardcore as we thought we were!) in two and a half hours (unreal.  She was so amazing.  Pictures to follow).  We huddled under the Pride Umbrella in the rain.  In retrospect, I could have managed the race, so says Aleisha, so I'm happy to do it in May of next year.  It was all just too close to leaving for Canada and I didn't want to leave wounded.  

We popped into the Lake District for some Wordsworth and emotional milling about (Kat's a literature major).  Who knew that Beatrix Potter wrote in the Lakes?  I certainly didn't.  So besides being a huge inspiration to the world of poetry (we read a few poems aloud on the way to and from the Lakes and totally examined their meanings, Mr. Bereza styles [shout out, STM]), but also to the world of beloved children's books.  Awesome.

AND because we had the car rented until tomorrow morning, I was able to move a LOT of stuff over to Frank's without much hassle.  Twas a very efficient day.  I'm off to bed now.  Tonnes of "teaching" to do in the next four days ;)

I hope your weekend was splendid.

 

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

That's right: that's a Jimmy Buffet quote.  And you loved it.

It's cold here.  

I mean it.  

I went out to buy some dinner from the grocery store, threw on a light sweater and some jeans, and was noticeably uncomfortable from cold.  England what is your deal?

Tomorrow we leave for Glasgow (might as well squeeze one last trip in there before we head off home).  Weather there is even MORE putrid than here.  I can't wait to be back in my warm country, where the sun shines and no one talks about weather.  Because it's inconsequential.  Because the sun is shining and it's hot hot hot.  This is what I'm dreaming about right now...

Image courtesy of travel247365.com

We had a tough day at work today: two kids who probably go home to Something Awful were acting awful today.  It's so hard to shake these little people once they start to mean something and once we start to mean something to them.  So once I pack up my Scotland Stuff, I'm going to bed.  Enough already.  

I hope your day is going Muskoka-chair-awesome.
 

Bahamas - Already Yours.