A Reflection on 2011

Back in January, I casually jotted down in my journal a list of wishes for the upcoming year
Physically: learn how to knit.
Intellectually: year in reading.
Artistically: master 1 or 2 piano pieces.
Emotionally: using the "I" (e.x. I feel hurt when...)
Spiritually: celebrate the seasons.
Overall: being open to new experiences.

 ** Leaning how to knit **
I don't really know why this is in the "physical" category. I guess I saw knitting as a skill; something my hands had to learn how to do. It should be under a "creativity" category if I had such a category.
I am really proud of  not giving up and making an effort to learn. I really do enjoy it! I won't be knitting my dream sweater anytime soon, but that's fine.

I learned that I enjoy small projects (where there's an end in sight); I don't like increasing [there's a shawl I started and I'll be done in 15 years by the rate I'm going!] ; I love real yarn; I like knitting for others.
This is a hobby that I will continue in 2012.

**Year in Reading**
see previous post.
I enjoyed knowing what book I was going to read next, despite the fact that by mid-year, I deviated from my original list. It forced me to not drag on a book too long (I sometimes have a tendency to do that) and to look forward to the next read.
I will probably do something a bit similar this year, but be more lax as to the month. Perhaps work with seasons.
My selections will be chosen from the lists that were given to me last year as well as other books that pique my interest. Please send me your 4 selections (by season) if you have any! I would really appreciate it.


**Piano playing**
There wasn't a lot of piano playing this year. Just not a good piano year.
I need a goal when practicing piano: a RCM exam in sight. I also need a down-to-earth teacher.
Not to say that I didn't play a bit, but it was re-visiting old pieces that I started to "master" before Margot was around.

** Using the "I"**
You should ask Simon if it worked.
I tried to make an effort.
It steams from the idea that it's not about the other.When I participated in my month-long Shakespeare training at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, Massachusetts, back in January 2003, that was the  main focus: authenticity and ownership of our own emotion; using the "I". (I am not going to linger here, but it's a good topic for a future post)

**Celebration of the Seasons**
That was OK, but not as consistent as I wanted. I wished for more of a ritual : special meal, lighting of a candle, little shrine, words of blessings, etc. What I realized is that it takes quite a bit of planning to organize a celebration of seasons or moon cycles...
I celebrated the new moon and full moon for two months. Just an easy and short meditation reflection. But that was it.

**Being Open to New Experiences **
I didn't have many new experiences tossed my way this year. That's alright.

Overall, 2011 was a solid year. The highlights were: our "Waves & Winds" trip; Simon taking advantage of parental leave by staying home with Margot for four months; and Margot exploring the world and being such a spirited child! It was a good year.

Happy Solstice (a day late)

Yesterday, there was no snow. It didn't feel like winter. But I thought about the Solstice and did a restorative yoga practice with Simon.
What a lovely surprise this morning when I woke up to a ground covered with snow. Obviously, we had to venture to Gatineau Park for a short walk. You can't walk much (or fast) with a toddler.

We also had a surprise (12 hours notice) visit from Simon's parents. They didn't stay very long, but had a great time with Margot. And we had a wonderful time with them too!

Winter is a time to reflect. It's a time to ponder; to go inwards. To take the time to build awareness. To think about the previous year, and make plans for the one to come. It's about being grateful for the people in your life.

Winter Holiday  Blessing:
Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.

Adapted from "Under a Dark Star" by Fiona Macleod, 1895

 

 Happy Winter!

A Year in Reading in Review

The year is capping off and so is my year of reading. Please refer to my July posting on A Year in Reading:
http://piedsnusenete.blogspot.com/2011/07/year-in-reading.html

As promised  to a dear (and most lovely) pieds nus en hiver avid follower, here are my brief reviews of the books I have read in 2011:

January - 
Woman's World by Graham Rawle
http://www.amazon.com/Womans-World-Novel-Graham-Rawle/dp/1582434638/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1324494027&sr=8-10
-Interesting fact: Rawle assembled 40 000 fragments of text snipped from 1960's women's magazines and created a text collage. It took him five years to produce this book.
-Tone: dark with a certain sadness to it.
-Time:  1960's (epoch of the domestic goddess).
-Overall: There's a twist! I didn't expect it, so it came as a surprise. Visually interesting. Descriptions are extensive, colorful and comedic at times.
-The concept and the story are unforgettable.

February - 
Atonement by Ian McEwan
 http://www.amazon.com/Atonement-Novel-Ian-McEwan/dp/038572179X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324494171&sr=1-1
-Tone: tragic
-Format: divided in four parts
-Time and place: England, 1935; Northern France, 1940; London, 1940; London, 1999.
-Style: exquisitely written. Lyrical descriptions. Very visual. Not a lot of dialogue. My favorite parts were Part 3, followed by Part 1.
-Themes: childhood, love, shame & forgiveness, morality, class, war, writing.
-Feel: provoking.


March-
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
http://www.amazon.com/Help-Deluxe-Kathryn-Stockett/dp/0399157913/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324494230&sr=1-1
-Time and place: 1962. Jackson, Mississippi.
-Narration: three narrators; all strong women.
-Feel: engrossed by this read. Couldn't put it down.
-Characters: well-developed and complex.
-I shed a tear at the end.

April - 
Millénium 1: Les hommes qui n'aimaient pas les femmes de Stieg Larsson
http://www.amazon.com/Millenium-Paperback-Hommes-Naimaient-French/dp/2742793097/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324494456&sr=1-1
-Mon premier polar (thriller).
-Malgrès l'immense popularité de cette série, je ne voulais pas trop l'aimer. Aveu: l'histoire m'a agrippée dès le début.
-L'intrigue était contemporaine. Les personnages disfonctionnels. Un mystère à résoudre. Une saveur européeenne.
-Lisbeth Salander et Mikael Blomkvist font une bonne équipe.
-à noter: ll y a des scènes de violences qui sont assez dérangantes.
-The French title is more appropriate than the English one and more similar to the Swedish.

May - 
The Birth House by Ami McKay
http://www.amazon.com/Birth-House-Novel-P-S/dp/B002QGSX7S/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324494543&sr=1-1
-Time and place: WW1, Scots Bay, NS. Canada.
-Very Canadian feel.
-Entertaining and quick read.
-Glorifies midwifery (yeah!) and honours women and choices they make.
-A forgettable read. But good for what it was.

June - 
Tempest-Tost by Robertson Davies
 http://www.amazon.com/Tempest-Tost-Modern-Classics-Penguin-Robertson/dp/0143054910/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324494625&sr=1-1
-Amateur theatre group is rehearsing The Tempest. Right up my alley!
-Set: Salterton, a fictional place. Kingston? A University town.
-Many characters. I had to keep track of them (jotting notes in the inside back cover of the book). All very colourful and flawed. I would have preferred a focus on another protagonist. Hector Mackilwraith, the math teacher, wasn't my favourite.
-Funny, laugh-aloud lines.
-A great pick for the summer.
-"A theatrical company, however ill-assorted or however amateur, is bound together by ties which are incomprehensible to outsiders".

July - 
A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
http://www.amazon.com/Room-View-Edward-Morgan-Forster/dp/146103986X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324494775&sr=1-1
-I was really looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, I was disappointed.Perhaps I didn't get the witty humour, I don't know... I'm not really into satire. Was that what it was?
-I wasn't attached to Lucy Honeychurch. I didn't get her.
-Time and place: Edwardian times, Florence.
"Women like looking at a view; men don't."

August - September - 
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
http://www.amazon.com/Never-Movie-Tie--Vintage-International/dp/0307740994/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324494963&sr=1-1
-Moving. I shed a few tears. I went back to the beginning of the book once I finished it. (that's a good sign)
-Intimate narration.
-A portrait of adolescence, childhood dreams, rebellion, acceptance, destiny, lost innocence, mortality.
-Feel: disquieting.
-Reminded me of A Handmaid's Tale; a  "humane" science fiction read.

 October -
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Watch-Sarah-Waters/dp/B000P29HYI/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324495029&sr=1-2
-Format: division in three parts - 1947, 1944, 1942. Going back in time.
-Time and place: London, during the war.
-When finished, I went back to the beginning.(good sign)
-Entertaining. Illicit liaisons. Dark. Secrets. What's not to like?
-A glimpse into the harshness of WWII reality of the women who worked in the city. Really interesting time period and subject. We never think about the women; it's always about the men who fight in the war...

November - 
The Waves by Virginia Woolf
http://www.amazon.com/Waves-Annotated-Virginia-Woolf/dp/B005K5YHVI/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324495394&sr=1-1
-Superbly written. Poetic. Lyrical. Just beautiful.
-I pictured it as a stage play. I think that there was a recent adaptation in London, am I correct?
-A lingering book. To be read slowly. To sip.

December - 
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
 http://www.amazon.com/Night-Circus-Erin-Morgenstern/dp/0385534639/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324495689&sr=1-1
-Fun. Magical. Makes me smile. What a world!
-I don't want it to end, so I'm dragging it out.
-Format: short chapters. Titled + date + place.
-The plot isn't really complex. I didn't get attached to any particular character.
-This read wasn't recommended. I bought it on a whim after reading a review. I do not regret it. Very Decemberish!



Also, the Women's Bio Book Club* selections this year were:
Sisters in the Wilderness: The Lives of Susanna Moodie and Catharine Parr Traill  by Charlotte Gray. (Winter read)
Audrey Hepburn by Barry Paris (Spring read)
The Education of a Woman: The Life of Gloria Steinem by Carolyn G. Heilbrun (Summer read)
A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard (Autumn read)

*We read four books a year.

Sunday Walk

A walk in the winter air!
Today, I went for a much needed walk outside. Strange how I used to walk everywhere and now going for a walk is a luxury. This doesn't feel right. Since the fall semester, I feel rather sedentary and house-bound.

It's getting rather challenging to walk with Margot: She's not a big fan of the stroller; she despises wearing mitts; she gets restless and always wants to stop at the park. Not the quiet little bean she used to be...
So this afternoon, I laced up by "approach shoes", bundled up with my Neige tuque and my cozy mitts, turned on my iPod and jetted out of the house. Ah! So nice! I've discovered Podcasts (I know, I'm a bit late in the technology world) and downloaded a few of CBC's Q episodes. I was in great company!The brisk air and the cloudless sky made this a perfect December walk.

And here's the little munchkin laughing in the morning rays:

And her little comedian streak:

It's starting to smell like Christmas!

 A few festive additions to our house.

A present for the chickadees:

A present for the front door:

A present for the living room:

Update on Margot: she is feeling better and her appetite is back in full swing! Yeah!

Not a Cheerful Bunch

I lost my voice! As a teacher, my voice is my most precious instrument. Oh, how I miss it and how I wish I didn't take it for granted (why is it that we often take for granted body parts until they fail us?).  I have been drinking a lot of water and savoring spoonfuls of honey. And it feels better today.

Margot is ill. She has a little bit of everything: runny nose, cough, mild fever, restless nights, and I'm sure the aches and pains we get as adults when we are feeling under the weather. There's nothing much I can do. It breaks my heart to see my little sprite in such a state.

And to top it all off, Simon has a cold, too.

Welcome to our house!

Thoughts on the Jolly Month - part 1

It's December. And you know what this means? Bring it on! The Carols. The Decorations. The Fairy Lights. The Danish Cookies...
I make it seem like I love the holidays. I do. Not only am I "on holiday" for a few weeks (my last teaching day is next Tuesday). But for me, it's a period of rest and renewal from one semester to the upcoming one (which, without fail, always begins with a bang!).

I come from a rather non-traditional family when it comes to holidays. As a child, I rarely stayed home for Christmas. We were either skiing in the Laurentians or swimming in the Caribbeans. And spending Christmas Eve in the Tunisian desert when I was twelve is far from the expected snow/Santa/gifts we are accustomed to. My parents were (and still are) never big on presents and celebrations. Of course, when Jason and I were children, we received toys that we (I) begged for since the day after my birthday. But as we grew older, the gifts became more sparse. I didn't mind (and still don't). It made for a varied and adaptable holiday.
We didn't grow up with hanging stockings, eating chocolate Advent calendars, and singing carols as we chopped down a tree.
However, Simon grew up with a family who did all the above. The Parham's built festive traditions and they still celebrate Christmas with style.

Being a parent now, I would like to mix and match the Khouri's and  Parham's traditions to create our own Christmas. I see the beauty of tradition and excitement of  "expected experiences", but I also recognize the spark and adventure of variety and change.

Yesterday, Margot received an Advent calendar from her Fairy Godmother. No chocolate. Just good old-fashioned German illustrations. Very classy!

I also unboxed the Gingerbread Advent House given to her from Grandma Vicky last year. She took an interest to it right away.

Last year, Simon and I decided on a December 1st tradition: to offer a Christmas book to Margot. Le Noel du hérisson was the one she received last year. A bit too advanced for her age. This year, we gave her Le père Noel as she has smitten us with her "ho ho ho" imitation. I really don't know where she learned it. But the jolly ol' man with the white beard and the red suit has caught her attention.

**Musing: As the days/weeks go by, I will share with you my own (Jen, Simon, Margot) traditions. **