High Winds

Fun times are being had in these parts.  The Bumblebee is writing a book about a monster with smelly feet, and that there drawing is a town meeting to brainstorm some solutions 'cause all the 'sunlight' super power flowers are wilting from the toxic fumes.  We've come up with an ending, but each page she writes takes us farther from that predetermined destination.   Needless to say, it's going to take more time than I thought to wrap this ditty up.

Thankfully the girls and I have the next two days to hang out and enjoy each other's company.  I plan to wear lots of sweats, knit up a storm, drink pots of tea, and do a little early spring tidying.  What I am really looking forward to is an event on Tuesday morning that I am co-organizing for work with Glen Pearson's office.  Senator Art Eggleton will be presenting his report In from the Margins: A Call to Action on Poverty, Housing and Homelessness at the Wolf Performance Hall.  Doors open at 8:30 a.m., it's free, and there's no registration required to attend.  I'm stoked because this is exactly what I was seeking in my resolution-making - getting involved and building a caring community.   I just hope that I keep it together and don't cry.  When I get passionate about anything, I get really blubbery and unintelligible.  Everyone deserves a roof over their head, enough food to eat, and respect.  We live in a country that is incredibly rich with resources.  If one person is in need, we are all diminished.  If only this was as easy as solving some freaky malodorous toe jam.

N

Acts of Kindness

For the second year in a row, my city has challenged itself to perform a great number of acts of kindness in the month of October.  For the second year in a row, my organization for which I work is participating.  In fact, I am on the Kindness Committee.  Think of me as a Kindness Leader.  Without the shiny cape.  A very simple project that we are doing (and anyone can do this!) is keeping a Kindness journal in our staff room.  Each morning I pop into the staff room, and I jot one kind act that I performed the day before.  It only takes a minute or two, and I am back on my way to my desk.  While eating my lunch, I read about all the acts that my co-workers are doing.  I know I work with some great people, but this project really makes them shine!  Today the Kindness journal pen dried up.  I had a real situation on my hands, but thankfully I managed to scrounge up an old green Holiday Inn pen off the receptionist's desk.  It felt oddly unkind to be stealing a pen, but tomorrow I plan to return her 'stylo' and replace it with some new pens I ordered.  I'm coo' like that.

But that's not all we're doing.  I contacted the Boys and Girls Club, and I asked if we could be another drop-off point for children's winter coats and accessories for the Koats for Kids program.  I've already cleaned out our closets and winter hat/mitten/scarf stashes, and I've filled up two boxes!  This is another easy and rewarding act that anyone can do.  At the end of the month, I'll drive all the stuff we collected down the street to the Boys and Girls Club.  Easy peasy.

The neat thing about being kind is it's what you're doing already.  So far it hasn't cost me a dime, maybe a few minutes here and there, and the rewards are karmic. :)   If you're a Londoner, go and register!  It's not too late.  And if you're not local, do some random acts of kindness.  Pay it forward.

Cheers!
N

Country Fair

We woke up silly early this morning, and despite the family moaning and the rain pouring down, we went to our first ever country fair.   On the way, we stopped for rainboots and umbrellas as only we would do. We sat on bleachers and watched a sheep show that was out of this world, paraded through deep and muddy puddles squealing, oohed and ahhed over the handcrafted exhibits, petted handspun alpaca, ate black bean brownies, admired pumpkin twins and award-winning indian corn, and laughed at crazy clowns zooming around on motorcycles.  Country fairs are where it's at.  Even when it's raining cats and dogs.

I returned home itching to bake and knit and search local farms for sale.  Never hurts to dream my Amish dream a little. :)

N

Doors Open

How can moths - our archnemeses - be so pretty?  The Canadian Agricultural Research Centre was very educational, and it took all afternoon to tour it.  I was astounded by all the work that is being done to control infestations, soil amendments and genetic weaknesses.  For a moment, I imagined being a scientist hunched over a microscope dressed in a white lab coat and scribbling notes on a chart.  It was quite spectacular.

The next day we took in the Museum of Archaeology, and we got to see a real pow wow! 

I totally would have danced had I not been lugging around a heavy soapstone carving kit and a bajillion flyers and my camera.  I was the juggling act! :)

Really.

N

Souvenir Shopping

I couldn't be in the vicinity of so many wonderful yarn shops and not pop in to a single one.  My three family members understood this and sat at a nearby coffee shop to sip on hot chocolate and scarf down a mountain of cookies while I browsed the Mother Ship.  After all the neon florescent knitting I've been working on lately, I chose a few skeins of muted pastels which were much easier on my eyes.  The two skeins at the top are Romni Angora Silk in a pretty pale pink - just enough for a small shawlette, and the bottom two skeins are Fleece Artist Big Merino for a couple cowls or hats - whatever floats my boat I guess. :)

I think I was quite restrained especially after missing the biggest knitting fair of the year last weekend in favour of attending Photocamp.   This decision was to save me from spending lots of money as the conference was free, and I would probably have dropped a load on wool plus meals and transportation expenses.  As it turns out, I am now dreaming of spending hundreds of dollars on lenses.  I can't seem to win.

Speaking of free events, Doors Open London is on this weekend.  I'm itching to check out the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada  research centre.  I'll take my camera and report back!

Happy Saturday.
N

Local Community Initiatives

I've not always been a huge fan of living in London.  It took me a long time to call it home.  I moved here sixteen years ago from a small town less than an hour away.  It was a bit exciting and new at the time to live in a big city, but over time, it became clear that there weren't many reasons to stay here.  If I had a nickel for every person who has moved away, I'd have a mountain of nickels! (I'm looking at you, Mr. & Mrs. T!)  And then along came the internets to the rescue!    I've found that my most successful method of finding out all the cool stuff happening in my community is via twitter.  I'm not a very active twitter user - meaning I don't have much to add, but I have gotten so much out of it.   Here are a few projects that I've stumbled upon while stalking local tweets:

ecoLIVINGLondon is a new website that developed out of the London chapter of GreenDrinks, a monthly gathering of people concerned about the environment.  I plan on using this site for tips and ideas for green living as well as identifying local businesses that are offering green products and services.  The event listing alone is reason to keep this site on your radar.

Another really cool initiative is the idea of a Parking Day.  Know what that is?  I didn't, but now I do, and you should too.  It's super cool.  I'm not surprised because Kevin Van Lierop is always thinking and DOING up really cool stuff.   This guy needs to run for City Council some day - this was suggested on twitter, and I couldn't stop thinking about it.  It's true.  If London is an awesome place to live, it will be a direct result of what he's started.

Most recently I attended the first Ignite London event, and it was ten kinds of awesome.  You can watch the presentations on youtube here.  Registration for the next Ignite London on October 12 opened a few days ago, and it is beyond full, and it's still two months away.  Regardless registration is still open, so if you're reading this, for the love of Todd, go register now.  It's FREE!   And I almost won a pitcher of beer for building the highest spaghetti noodle structure to hold up a marshmallow.  What do you do on Tuesday nights?

As for knitting?  I've finished two EZ snail hats, and I've cast on for a third.  I'm addicted.   Pictures to come!

Happy Winds-day, my friends!

N

ChangeCamp

:: Roses from my garden ::

It's been quite the day, today!  It was Mr. J's birthday, so I woke up at the crack of dawn to bake fresh caramel walnut sticky buns before I left  to spend a good portion of the day at ChangeCamp.  It was also World Wide Knit in Public Day, so I took some knitting with me.  Mr. J got a slow, quiet, relaxing day with his girls off doing their own things.  That's what he likes best.  We joked that we wanted to get him the best gift ever, but how does one wrap a nap? :)

The conference was pretty incredible, and the venue was one close to my heart.  When I first came to London fifteen years ago,  I would bus downtown on a weekly basis and just sit in the gallery and soak in the sights.  It was free and usually void of crowds.   Just a good place to think and sort things out.   So it's fitting that the discussions today were thoughtful and energizing.

To be honest, I was intimidated by the minds present.  I'm a plain ol' mum, and I like to craft. These are smart and very passionate people.  They know things.  They're already engaged.  They're coherent.  I want to be just like them. :)   Despite my social awkwardness, I was comfortable enough to be an active participant. This was huge for me.  I think it was possible because everyone in the room wanted the same end result - to live in a great city.  I felt connected.  Actions were carved out of the numerous discussions, and some steps were determined.  I left feeling inspired to do more - to be part of a solution.   I'm looking forward to future meetings.  It didn't hurt that I also knit several inches of a new sweater.  All in a day's work, friends.

N

PS. You'll never believe this!  At one table, I used the example of the Mayor selling London as a wonderfully rich and enticing city in which to live, and I simply suggested that the City present a more realistic snapshot of our community - including the most vulnerable (e.g. seniors, children, newcomers, unemployed), and unbeknownst to me, the Mayor was at another table, AND someone dragged her over and introduced me to her and told the Mayor I had something to say to her.  I wanted badly to hide under the table, but I repeated myself and nodded and smiled like an idiot while she went on to say that it would be impossible to lure big businesses and intellectuals to our City with images of derelict buildings and homeless people.  I did NOT see that coming.

Another Week Bites the Dust

We've been busy.  I guess no more than usual, but I'm still grateful that it's the end of yet another work week and the last day of school before March Break.   I have finished an EZ blanket that will suffice as a baby bear blanket for the Bumblebee.  I should know this well by now that knitting with acrylic will disappoint me in the worst way because after knitting on this blanket nonstop like a fiend and with plenty of excitement, I cast off the hundreds of stitches to find myself with a tiny puckered diamond-shaped blanket.  I can't block it because of the acrylic.  I will take some pictures of it wrapped around a doll as evidence of another completed pattern eventually.  It's not a complete loss.  I re-learned the reason I prefer to use natural fibres, and it's definitely not because I am a yarn snob.  And the Bumblebee likes to spoil her bears with gifts, so we'll wrap it up, make a cake, and have a party for maybe Flower Bear or Erica Bear.

One of the highlights of our week was attending a free doll-making workshop at the library.  We made the Waldorf gnomes pictured above.   So much fun!  If you are from these parts, you should check out all of the other free workshops that are happening over March and April.  They are being offered through the Handmade Festival project.  We've already signed up again for the upcoming embroidery class.  I'm also interested in the salve-making.  Then in May I've rented a table at the Handmade Festival, so I really should be concentrating on making like crazy in order to have crafts to display!  I may need to put the EZ project on hold for a month.  Eek!

And because I should really be concentrating on the craft table and the EZ project, I am working quite steadily on a pair of purple cashmerino legwarmers for the Bumblebee.  They're mindless and almost done.  Really.  Then I'll get to work.  Promise.

N

Ready to Go Trick-or-Treating!

Jack'o'Lanterns - check!

Happy Halloween . . .

N

Strawberries and Cream

If I had hundreds of millions of dollars to lose (like many of Bernie Madoff's friends), I would be so lucky. I wonder what that's like. Even for a week. Poor Bernie. We should commend him for thinning out the filthy rich. Even Ruth Madoff still made off with $2.5 million. Most of the world would be content with that. I had a conversation with my cousin some time ago about the most any one person needs - perhaps a salary cap of $300,000 a year. Doesn't that sound like more than enough? It's enough to have a very nice house, lots of food, lots of holidays, lots of extras . . . at the same time, a top earner would remain considerate, accountable, careful, and appreciative. Too much of anything will give you a belly ache. I should know. I enthusiastically ate a lot of pineapple once.

N