Falling out with Fall

Alright, like my last post- I do think the colours are gorgeous in autumn but I could do with a few degrees warmer. I nearly died cycling into work when it was -3 degrees. But enough about the weather. Devyn invited us over last week for ice cream cake for Tom's birthday. Mmm, it was so delicious...I'm sure I haven't had ice cream cake in the past 6 years. Divine.



















Look at that chocolate layer- mmmm.















Then I had the great idea to take Tom to a corn maze for his birthday. We all agreed that we would have enjoyed ourselves a little more if it wasn't quite so wet. I love the idea & look forward to going again...but I will reschedule if the rains coming down like it did on Sunday. Yes, I am wearing snow pants- tihi.











































For now it's back to the books...

Six Falls

I have admitted defeat. I shall forget about any more productivity this evening. I am now- quite happily- sitting in front of this laptop of mine, listening to Toots & the Maytals (oh happy music) with my cup of Earl Grey (spiked with fresh ginger) and Mr. Christie's Chip's Ahoy double chocolate chewy cookies (so bad they're good). The extractor fan rings on from the bathroom & my finger is still pulsating from the recent blood flow. Sigh. What an evening.
Is there such a thing as too much Mr. Clean?
I am giving the bathroom a once over. Scrubbing here & there until - oops- I have kicked over the bucket of Mr. Clean. I am now desperately trying to mop up the floor before it reaches the carpet of the bedroom. I double check my work, flick on the extractor fan & hope for the best. I tippee toe my way over to the kettle to brew some tea. I have to remove the burnt out candle from my beautiful new candle holder to complete the ambiance of my well-deserved 'break' (aka aborted cleaning mission). Suddenly blood is streaming from my middle finger & I can't exactly say why or how. Moral of my story: I do believe there can be too much Mr. clean.

Other thoughts/ tales from the week...

I set out for work with my bike on Wednesday- a miserable, cool and wet morning. I had planned to put some air in the tires en route. But who knew that a "free air" machine would be powered off overnight? And who knew that when the machine is switched off it sucks all the air out of the tire? My now very flat front tire would not be able to make it to work so I had to run the bike back to the apartment- thanking Mom & Pop the whole way home for insisting on leaving their car with us. I made it on time to work but was in in a bit of a tizzy*grin*.

It has been very cool & chilly but I have decided to be positive about that; I am thankful that I can warm up under a hot shower at any time. I do not have to switch on a hot water tank, hope that the electricity doesn't cut etc. So far, every time I have come home cold I have been able to enjoy a hot shower or bath. What a luxury! I will try to keep this in mind as we get deeper into the Fall.

Which leads me to my last point of the post. It's hard to believe that I have been away for 6 consecutive falls & winters. Despite the definite chill in the air I am taking in all the colours. Just out back of the condo we're living in is the sweetest pond. The city is trying to leave these "natural" parks for environmental & aesthetic reasons. I will confess that I'm on board- I love this area. It's stunning to head out each morning & see the changing colours, the dragonflies & just enjoy the break from traffic sounds/lights/ and speeds. (Aside: I swear I hit every red light on the way into work. I manage to hit a few greens on my way back- but isn't that bizarre- what are the odds?) I hope you enjoy the little photo display of my "backyard". I tried to avoid the shopping cart that was tossed into the pond...you know me- I tend to focus on the positive- the shiny willow leaves, the gorgeous bright red mountain ash berries, etc.



And with that I shall call it a night. I shall retire to my 'smut'...the 5th book in the Diana Gabaldon Outlander series...

Only as old as you feel

It's a beautiful evening- I'm on-line looking out the big window to our little balcony. The trees are rustling in the wind and the sky is that indescribable Alberta blue. How wonderful to be still and collect my thoughts. Life has been such a whirlwind these past weeks; but with the boys gone fishing for the weekend the condo has been cleaned, ironing done, laundry in progress & I still had time for a date with my mom today. And a beautiful (but chilly) morning run. All these non-school things because I was so darn productive yesterday and throughout the course of the week- yay! I am in the homestretch though & will probably only post on here occasionally until after I'm through with exams.
Now. What I really wanted to say.
1. I have started "active commuting" and I love it. Each morning I climb on the bike & race the streets to the office. The first morning I hit the road it was 4 degrees (I'm not sure any of my Zambian friends still read this but I nearly died- 4 degrees)! It just so happens that the week I decide to start cycling into work is the same week that many kids have started school. I had such a laugh with the girls at work because I felt far from nearly 30 while cycling beside junior & high-schoolers. I also laughed in the face of the photo-radar buggy (I couldn't resist- it felt so wonderful to know that he couldn't ticket me). I was even so brazen as to run a yellow light on my bike (I regretted it shortly thereafter as my thighs burnt with exertion).
Oh the excitement.
2. Other than that I think most of the kinks have been worked out in the new place. We've got an awesome new shower head, beautiful curtains hung in the bedroom (still using blinds in the living room) & I think we've collected all the keys from the owner. I had the heart-stopping experience of having an uninvited guest in my flat as I came out of the shower- oops. I think the neighbour lady was more horrified than I was- but it was pretty awful calling out from the shower dripping wet & wondering who on earth was in my pad. Luckily that has been the only negative incident since move-in.
3. Yesterday was my study day. I had just put a zillion thoughts together & needed to clear my mind before proof-reading my work (I still haven't checked on-line for any feedback)*grin*. My shoulders also needed to come back down to their proper home rather than up closer to my earlobes where they had climbed while hammering it out on the computer. I popped into the bedroom to do a couple of sun salutations. I am in forward bend. I observe all the theorists bouncing around in my brain against their theories and what exactly the point might be. Exhale, try to bring my tummy closer to my thighs, head to knees, thighs tight so my knees are not locked. Works every time- especially the laugh while in forward bend noticing just how much I've got on my plate right now. Which leads me to another thought that I've been meaning to post for ages:
4. Ode to libraries. I'm so excited to be able to go the public library and borrow books. Honestly, it is the one thing I missed most while living in Lusaka. I am thankful for the library even when I'm going to study; it is such a luxury. But little did I know about how exciting it would be to be able to borrow yoga DVDs! Amazing.

Til next time...perhaps my rambling will be more coordinated then. Perhaps not.