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10dayson2largeislands · 7 years

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Days 8-10: Northern Lights and the Blue Lagoon

On Thursday morning Chris and I woke up relatively early (9:30-ish, around sunrise), and got breakfast at our hostel. After that we got on the road, driving north from Reykjavik to Akranes, a mountainous peninsula about 20 minutes up the coast. To get there, we drove through Hvalfjörður Tunnel, a 6-kilometer stretch of road that spans the length of the Hvalfjörður fjord. On the other side of the tunnel we took some pictures with our Jimny, and then continued up the road to Borgarnes, a small fishing community framed by mountains roughly 25 miles away from Reykjavik. The mountain views of Iceland are the stuff of legend.

After taking a requisite amount of amazing scenery photos, we turned around and drove back down to Keflavik Airport to pick up John, another of my friends from high school who’s currently studying abroad in Prague. We picked him up, and proceeded out of the greater Reykjavik area towards Lake Thingvellir to give him an initial sense of the climate and lack of density of this crazy country. About 20 minutes outside the city, arctic force winds infused with stinging hail forced us to turn back. We got John checked into our hostel, then went out for dinner at Noodle Station, Reykjavik’s cheapest meal at $16 per person, for some Icelandic pho noodles with spicy peanut sauce over beef and chicken. Not exactly traditional Nordic fare, but under the circumstances, a perfect meal with which to warm up.

Nothing could have prepared us for what happened next. After dinner, we drove out of the city in anticipation of seeing the Northern Lights. We did. They’re best shown through photos since not much I write here will be able to convey the sheer wonder we felt. Smartphone cameras don’t do much to capture them, but luckily Chris brought his DSLR for long exposures, some of which will shortly follow this post. Seeing them in person was really, truly life-affirming stuff. It was a moment of almost unimaginable sincerity and true natural beauty I won’t soon replicate. “Well that’s one of the coolest things I’ve seen in my entire life,” already a running line of the trip, was uttered many times by all of us that night. We went to several different places with varying degrees of light, culminating in an area about 20 minutes outside Reykjavik where we saw a solid bar of Aurora Borealis that spanned the entire sky. We later found out that Auroras occur when when the Sun sends off small particles into space. These particles are mainly electrons, with charge and energy, which means they contribute to electricity. Earth has a protective shield of energy around it called a magnetic field, which forms an elongated sphere around the Earth called the magnetosphere. The Earth’s magnetic field keeps off most of the Sun’s solar wind. At high-latitude areas (polar areas), the magnetic field is vertical. It does not keep off particles of the solar wind which can come from the magnetosphere and hit the particles of the air (Earth's atmosphere). When they hit, the atmosphere is heated and excited and the excess energy gets away, a phenomenon which can be seen as moving lights in the sky above 100 km altitude typically, best viewed in places like Iceland between October and April (Wikipedia). Without a doubt, seeing the Northern Lights was one of the coolest things I’ve ever personally experienced and it’s not something I’ll ever forget. That alone was worth this entire trip. We got back to our hostel at around 1am and fell asleep shortly thereafter, all of us thoroughly in disbelief at our good fortune.

Friday morning we got up at around 10:30, ate breakfast, and drove to the Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa about 40 minutes outside Reykjavik on Iceland’s Southern Peninsula. The Blue Lagoon is man-made, fed by the water output of the nearby geothermal power plant Svartsengi. Superheated water is vented from the ground near a lava flow and used to run turbines that generate electricity. After going through the turbines, the steam and hot water passes through a heat exchanger to provide heat for a municipal water heating system. Then the water is fed into the lagoon for recreational and medicinal users to bathe in. The water is renewed every two days, and is rich in minerals like silica and sulfur. Bathing in the Blue Lagoon is reputed to help some people suffering from skin diseases such as psoriasis. At a perfect 99-102 degrees Fahrenheit, it contrasted amazingly with the 27 degree temperatures outside (Wikipedia).

The Blue Lagoon is also probably one of the ritziest places I’ve ever been. It’s so fancy, they sell Canada Goose jackets in their gift shop. Skincare products made from the algae and silica of the lagoon cost up to $350 for three small tubes of ointment. It’s Fancy with a capital F. It was also easily the most relaxing part of the trip- sitting in the turquoise water with a silica mud mask, sipping a beer, framed by Icelandic mountains and lifeguards wearing parkas... it was quite an experience, to say the least.

We ended up staying for around four hours, before drying off, piling back into our Jimny, and driving back to Reykjavik, this time driving through the Reykjanesfólkvangur, a nature preserve filled with lava formations, crater lakes, and geothermic fields. It was at this point in our trip that we discovered that Iceland makes some seriously killer 70s-esque pop music, most notably the 2015 Helgi Björnsson classic “Ég fer á Land Rover frá Mývatni á Kópasker” which became a running theme song for the last two days of the trip. They also make amazing Christmas music, like “Snaefinnur Snjokarl,” an Icelandic rendition of “Frosty the Snowman.” Between Icelandic pop and Icelandic Christmas music, the rest of our trip was filled with some seriously thematic tunes.

Once we got back to Reykjavik, we opted to go to Noodle Station again. It was that good (and that cheap, compared to the rest of Iceland’s dinner options). John had an early flight the next morning so he opted to turn in early after dinner, while Chris and I headed back out of town to try to see some more Northern Lights. We got just as lucky on our second night, and yet again saw some truly unbelievable, mind-bendingly beautiful sights.

Yesterday morning we got up, checked out of our hostel, and drove over to Hallgrímskirkja, Iceland’s largest church and one of the country’s tallest structures. Commissioned in 1937 and fully completed/consecrated in 1986, it has a distinct art deco style that beautifully accentuates the country’s wild weather and landscapes. In keeping with its Lutheran denomination, the interior of the church is extremely ascetic and minimalist, but in a beautiful, Scandinavian way. After checking out the church we drove over to the Sun Voyager, a massive sculpture of a stylized longship built in the 90s to commemorate Reykjavik’s 200th anniversary as a proper city. From there we went to get some coffee and breakfast sandwiches at Café Babalú, before embarking on the 40 minute drive back down to the airport where we made a bittersweet farewell to our Jimny, drank two beers, ate two more sandwiches, and boarded our flight back to Boston.

As I write this, sitting at home in Newbury, I am again overcome by feelings of immense gratitude and thankfulness for my sheer luck- for being alive in general, being alive in such privileged circumstances, and having the great fortune to be able to see such amazing things and have such incredible experiences. This trip is not one I’ll soon forget, and I’ll carry the memories and lessons I’ve taken from it with me always. Thanks to all who followed along with my journey! Peace.

#Iceland #blue lagoon iceland #blue lagoon #northern lights #travel #entry

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cl-k · 7 years

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I made a college packing list for my sister and truly outdid myself tbh

A lot of this is #basic but so am I and so is college, honestly

New England College Must-Haves

Clothing

TL;DR J. Crew, L.L. Bean, and Patagonia are your new best friends. Pro-tips: L.L. Bean has an amazing lifetime warranty (they will literally replace anything) and J. Crew Factory is a savior.

Note: New England is lowkey mad hot until like the second or third week of September? So bring like, ten cute tops and three pairs of shorts that you can stick in a drawer and bring home during Thanksgiving break and bring back during Spring break.

Fall

· Barbour Jacket—Literally as soon as the temperature hit sixty degrees you will see these all over campus. They’re water proof and pretty warm—if you have an umbrella (which you should), they also work as good rain coats.

(Waxed Beadnell is the classic)

· Patagonia Synchilla or Better Sweater—“Patagucci”, as it’s known, is the most popular brand in New England. I don’t know why. White people go crazy for this stuff, and it’s like the crazier the pattern of your Synchilla, the better.

· LL Bean Duck Boots (“Bean Boots”)—An actual must-have. You need to order them now because they will become ridiculously back-ordered. They work as both rain boots and snow boots (with heavy socks).

· LL Bean/J Crew Plaid Flannels

· Wool Socks/Camp Socks—Think of the amount of socks you think you might need. Now add ten. That’s how many socks you need.

· (J. Crew) Down Vests—For weather between 45-60*. I have it in black and chevron gray, but I wish I also had navy. Good over flannels and also over sweaters.

· Leggings—I wear some combo of leggings, an over-sized sweater, and bean boots almost every day of fall semester.

· Riding Boots--… unless I wear my riding boots instead of my bean boots. Bad bitches own the Tory Burch riding boots, but I’m not that cool.

**All of this is in addition to many, many sweaters. As many sweaters as you can. Sweaters will basically replace shirts (except you should layer sweaters over t-shirts because the only way to safely wash sweaters is to have them dry-cleaned, which you should only do like once a year. You don’t want them to get gross).

Winter

· Northface/Patagonia Puffy Jacket—For when the temperature starts to dip below forty. I recommend putting a tile tracker in the lining, because everyone has the same goddamn black puffer jacket and someone WILL drunkenly mistake yours for theirs at a party. Don’t play yourself.

· (Canada Goose) Parka—Get a parka for when the temperature is in the 0-20 range. Canada Goose is the crème de la crème, and you will see it everywhere, but it’s hilariously expensive. I’d recommend either holding out and layering under your puffer jacket like crazy while you save up for a Canada Goose, or buying a parka from Patagonia or LL Bean.

· Beanies—You lose most of your body’s heat through your head!!! The worst part of the cold isn’t the cold—it’s the wind. Your ears will literally feel like they’re gonna fall off if you don’t wear a beanie.

· Tech Gloves—You’re gonna wanna protect your fingers, but you’re also gonna wanna text on your way to class. Get gloves with sensors on them so you can do both at the same time. I got mine from J. Crew, but Nordstrom should have them too.

· Scarf

· Long Johns—When the temperature is less than 30*, layer these under your jeans. You’re welcome in advance tbh.

Accessories/Misc.

· A Card Case—Your student ID will be what gets you into buildings and the dining hall, but do NOT do the freshman rookie mistake of wearing a lanyard. Get a card case that you can keep in your pocket and easily scan at doors/take your ID out of. I like the ones from Vera Bradley, even if they’re a little middle school.

· A Crossbody—You can’t take purses to college parties (you will either lose them or they will get stolen), but you’re gonna wanna wear outfits that don’t have pockets. Get a crossbody so that you can have your ID, phone, and lipstick on you at all times without being worried about losing anything. My friends are always pissed that they didn’t think to buy one and are constantly putting their shit in my crossbody.

· LL Bean Wicked Good Moccasins/Ugg Slippers—The only way you’re gonna convince yourself to go to the library hungover is if you are basically wearing pajamas. Get slippers with soles so that you can do that. Also, this makes dorms without carpeting a lot less gross.

· �� Canvas Shoes—People in college don’t wear heels to parties, which was absolutely insane to me when I first got here. Wear superga/converse/vans that you don’t care about. They’re comfortable, can be worn with socks, and will definitely be soaked in alcohol/maybe vomit by the time winter break rolls around.

· (Hunter) Rainboots—Everyone has them, so I thought I should let you know. If you have to pick between these and bean boots, pick bean boots. That being said, I love mine and get really excited when it’s raining out because I can splash through puddles while wearing these.

· 3-4 Short Formal Dresses—I literally had a boyfriend my first month of college and was still invited to more formals than I can count. They’re a lot of fun, but you’ll run out of dresses early on.

· 2 Pairs of Heels (1 black, 1 brown)—For formals. When it’s really cold out, wear your canvas shoes to the venue and change into heels there. You’ll hate yourself otherwise.

· 1 Professional Outfit—For interviews, being invited to fancy dinners, etc.

Dorm Life

Pro Tip: You can register at the Bed Bath and Beyond at home and then pick up what you registered for at the college’s local Bed Bath and Beyond.

· Bedding—buy two sets of jersey sheets (easier to wash, warmer) and a comforter. Do NOT buy a white comforter. Learn from my mistake.

· A mattress topper—100% chance the mattress the college gives you sucks.

· Under-Bed Storage—Don’t get risers until after you get to the college and absolutely think you need them. Usually, you can raise the mattress frame on the bed itself. Buy plastic bins to store all of your stuff under the bed.

· Bins For the Top of Your Closet—My friends are constantly rummaging through drawers to find their gloves/scarves/hats and it makes no sense. Keep them in bins at the top of your closet (there should be a shelf), and you’ll always have a place for them.

· A hanging sweater organizer for your closet—You’ll save a lot of drawer space, will always be able to find the sweater you want without needing to mess up all of your folding, and it looks way less messy.

· A Step-Stool—Especially if you loft your bed, you aren’t gonna want to have to launch yourself onto your mattress to sleep every night.

· iHome—To charge your phone/work as an alarm.

· Wall Hooks

· Shot Glasses/Flask

· NyQuil/DayQuil

· Emergen-C

· Advil

· Thermometer

· Eyemask

· Tissues

· 2 Towels

· Bath robe

· Shower shoes

· Caddy

· Clorox Disinfecting Wipes—Trust me.

· A Fan—Old colleges don’t have air conditioning or ceiling fans (10/10 what I miss most about Florida), and like I said, New England is really hot the first month of school!

· Laundry Basket

· Hamper

· Detergent

· Fabric Softener

· Water Bottle

· Tervis

· Mugs!

· Plate

· Silverware

· Tupperware—To steal from the dining hall

· Sponge

· Dish Soap

· Keurig—Is it an investment? Yes. Will you kick yourself if you don’t have it? Yes. Justify its cost by reminding yourself that you’ll own it for 4+ years.

· Keurig Pods

· Creamer

· Extension Cords/Power Strips

· Mini-Fridge—Share the cost with your roommate.

· Brita (NOT the small, individual one!)

· Brita Filters

#tag: home #nescac #ivy league #appblr #studyblr #prep #preppy #new england

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mastcomm · 4 years

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Napping Away Winter in Montreal’s Nordic Spas

Right around the middle of winter, when the afternoon sun was hanging low and the weather forecasters were warning of an evening commute complicated by “wintry mix,” I found myself strategizing. How was I going to survive until spring? It surprised me. I always liked winter but somehow, this time around, the season seemed longer and more harsh. I needed to find a way to fall in love with winter again.

But when I found myself standing on the windswept deck of Bota Bota, spa-sur-l’eau, a Nordic spa in the Montreal harbor fashioned from a converted barge, clad only in a Speedo and a white terry cloth robe, it occurred to me that the restoration I’d come for might break me all together. Stunned with cold, I stared into the rising steam, my damp hair stiffening into icy dreads and sharp snow pellets stinging my cheeks and my naked calves.

Then I dropped the robe and slipped up to my shoulders into a roiling hot pool and joined a dozen or so of my fellow spa-goers gazing silently out at the ice floes in the Saint Lawrence. I exhaled audibly and something in my spine uncoiled. This was not just a see-how-tough-you-are experience calibrated for preternaturally robust Canadians. I was in the right place to relearn how to fully embrace the season.

While Montreal’s reputation for great food, a slamming night life and a vibrant art scene is well-known, lately, the ever-so-Instagrammable Nordic spas in the region are attracting attention, too.

Sweat culture has a long history in Canada, dating back hundreds of years to the sweat lodges of the First Nations people, said Marianne Trotier, press director for Groupe Nordik, which opened its first and most popular spa, Chelsea, outside Ottawa, in 2005. Skiers adapted it for a post-slope unwind, and, “more and more Canadians from all provinces are now part of it.”

Armed with copious car snacks and good company, I made the six hour drive from New York City to Montreal while two members of my all-female spa-going squad scored low-cost tickets for the brief flight from LaGuardia to Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport. None of us had experienced anything comparable in or around New York City, where spa-going tends to be a wallet-ravaging, ultrarefined experience or the more boisterous, family-friendly and affordable Russian banya and Korean jjimjilbang.

By contrast, the Nordic spas we visited around Montreal put the emphasis squarely on rejuvenation through intensive immersion in nature. While their roots are plainly Finnish and Scandinavian, stylistically, the older ones tend to rock the 1950s ski-chalet look with lots of plaid cushions and knotty pine, and the more recent entries have a cool monochromatic design.

All rely on a ritual with three main components; first is heat, which comes in the form of hot saunas, eucalyptus-saturated steam rooms and steaming hot pools. Then comes the cold, administered via a quick plunge in an outdoor pool, an ice-edged river or, for the bold, a roll in the snow. The third element was one that was even more shocking for my band of tightly wound New Yorkers than jumping into a snowbank: a prolonged embrace of public napping.

How do you get a crowd of strangers to doze together in a room? Fluttering eyelids are encouraged by a range of high-hygge warming rooms solely dedicated to resting. And, oh, those rooms. The ones we sampled had crackling fires, private nooks for couples, flickering torches, hypnotic rocking chairs, private macramé cradles, bean bag chairs and fleece blankets. Nearly all had picture windows that allowed nappers to drift off while separated from the majesty of nature by a single pane of glass.

Quiet contemplation is key. For the most part, cellphones are left in private lockers along with your parka and street clothes. Silence is strictly enforced, and, after a brief adjustment, significantly contributes to the experience. At Bota Bota and the Polar Bear’s Club, in the Laurentian Mountains, low-volume conversation is allowed in designated sections. Later into the evening on the weekends, as spa goers rehydrate with craft beer, those no-loud-talking rules get bent but never entirely collapse. The vibe is less scantily-clad apres-ski pub and more friendly yoga retreat with an endless waterfall soundtrack.

We “embarked” on Bota Bota via a gangplank, and after a brief wait in line, got handed a towel and bathrobe. All three spas we went to required bathing suits. Water bottles and flip flops are recommended. I’d left my flip flops in my suitcase and opted to go barefoot, which was a mistake, since at times my feet were freezing. You can buy some at the spa’s little gift shop. Our troupe descended via a spiral staircase to a cramped dressing room in what was once the hull of the barge. Our belongings safely stowed in lockers, we ascended again, and went our separate ways, exploring the additional four levels of spaces thoughtfully designed by Sid Lee Architects, a Montreal firm. (Three hours in the water circuit at the spa costs 50 to 60 Canadian dollars, or about $37 to $45, depending on the day of the week.)

It was a quiet weekday night, so the crowd was thin and nothing felt cramped or crowded. I followed the numbered water circuit elements, enjoying a sauna with a giant picture window looking out over the gray harbor and the hot pool on the deck before climbing into a macramé cradle in one of the many glassed-in resting rooms. Toward the end of my stay, I padded off the boat to the Jardin, part of the spa that is on land, and settled down for a brief snooze in a second-level (think bunk beds) napping space. My squad regrouped after about two and a half hours, pruney, damp and smiling, and discovered the wild temperature swings had the same effect on our appetites as a half marathon. The dining room at Bota Bota was unexpectedly closed so we disembarked and strolled a short way to Rue Saint-Paul Ouest, scoring a table at Barroco, a popular European-style bistro, and feasted on plates of oysters, fresh bread, squash soup and winter salads. (From about 3.50 dollars an oyster to 15 dollars for the soup.)

The next day, we drove about 50 minutes from downtown Montreal through the sleet into the Laurentian Mountains, passing strip malls and, as we entered the Saint Sauveur Valley, ski slopes, before arriving at the Polar Bear’s Club shortly before noon. Checking in took longer than expected — the receptionists were more friendly than efficient. I remembered my flip flops this time. The funky ski-chalet-style property, decorated with crossed skis and snowshoes stuck in the snow, includes four hot baths, two cold baths, two river access points (I got up to my ankles in the Simon River but patrons of the Bagni spa, on the opposite bank, were doing the full body plunge) two dry saunas, one steam bath and plenty of indoor and outdoor napping spots. We paused for a snack at Cuisine Spontanee, the simple restaurant there, and enjoyed a satisfying version of grilled cheese (14 dollars).

Two highlights to the day: baking in a wood-fired sauna with a picture window that looked out onto the frozen river, this hiss of water on hot stones competing with the roaring water, and a hot pool with a steaming waterfall and behind the waterfall, an illuminated grotto. It was a completely cheesy, cozy, utterly relaxing place to hang out. (Score discounted admission to the water circuit online before you go: 49 to 54 dollars, although some seasonal promotions are as low as 30 dollars. )

For our final spa visit, we had planned to drive to Balnea, about an hour south east of Montreal. Slick road conditions forced us to recalibrate and instead we drove 10 minutes from the city center to Strom Nordic Spa on Nun’s Island, which was the most corporate-feeling (the same company runs three other spas in Quebec province) but equally entrancing. We arrived in the middle of a snowstorm so at first we had very little company in the round barrel sauna, the hot pools or the steam room. We visited the restaurant, Nord, which featured a thoughtful, Scandinavian-inspired menu of soups, salads and more elaborate entrees all made with locally sourced produce as well as craft beers and regional wines. (Prices range from 8 dollars and up for soups and salads to 23 dollars for entrees; drinks run from 7 dollars for beers to up to 14 dollars for cocktails or wine.)

The napping rooms were next level. I settled down in a slatted-wood lounge chair overlooking a picturesque winterscape while a glowing heating element warmed my back. Then, after an up-to-my knees cold plunge, dozed in a toasty white yurt in front of a brightly burning gas fireplace, the afternoon sun angling through barren trees just outside the window. Because Strom is a 17-minute public bus ride from downtown Montreal, long waits for entry to the water-circuit can be a hassle, we were told by other spa-goers. It might well be worth the wait. (Unlimited time in the water circuit costs 59 dollars; 44 dollars after 5 p.m.; more during public holidays.)

All of the spas offer a variety of massages (which, read it and weep, many Canadians get reimbursed for as part of their employment benefits) and some body treatments like exfoliation, fat melting wraps and facials, which need to be booked in advance (an appointment can guarantee you access without waiting in line on a busy day).

But the groundswell of popularity of the Nordic spas around Montreal, said Mikkel Aaland, author of the 1978 classic “Sweat,” is less about hewing to some abstract standard of beauty and more a concrete response to lives increasingly lived in a virtual world. Mr. Aaland, who is making his book into a nine-part documentary series about sweat-bath culture called “Sweet Sweat,” said the people who flock to Montreal’s spas are craving experiences that take them beyond their cubicles or cellphones.

“They know they are stressed and sweating reduces stress. In this polluted world, sweating gets rid of the junk in their bodies, so it’s good for you,” he said. Spa-goers are wearing bathing suits (and sometimes thick woolen hats) so socializing occurs at a time when people are physically vulnerable and exposed to a wide variety of body types. “The combination of steam, water, fire and nature opens the door to a different kind of renewal. It’s physical. It’s social. It’s spiritual,” said Mr. Aaland.

After the spa weekend, the downsides of winter lingered. I still had to scrape snow off the windshield when I headed for New York. When I got home, the forecast, alas, was still calling for “wintry mix.” But my energy level was higher and my life force, somehow stronger. The stretch of late winter that will inevitably lead to spring seemed more manageable somehow, like the pilot light has been reignited in my soul.

Peg Tyre is a journalist, author and nonprofit strategist. Her latest book is “The Good School.”

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rusticrevivals · 6 years

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Richard’s been a very busy dude this last month or so. Since the end of October my ‘good’ knee has steadily become worse than my ‘bad’ one (the one scheduled for surgery on Jan. 18). So I’ve mostly been lying on couch or bed due to pain AND just trying to save wear and tear on them as they are both now ‘bone on bone’. Meanwhile poor Richard has to pick up all the extra chores I can no longer manage as I’m mostly on my walker (kept, thank goodness, since my back surgeries). So he’s doing ALL the barn chores, PLUS milking Cammie and running up and down the basement stairs attending the furnace fires, and even some meal prep -with shouted instructions from the adjoining bedroom, of course!

Yes, I know some of you do not have snow, but we had our first big snow storm at the end of October and have had several more storms since then – and big winds as well! So, there’s a lot to do outside as well as in! Richard IS very much enjoying his new ‘toy’, though:

He decided his hip couldn’t handle pushing our snow blower up and down the laneway again this year. Personally, I’ve always thought that in winter our entire laneway and parking lot/barnyard doesn’t need to be plowed, – we could just park near the front of the house and leave the rest – but R. still is a bit of a suburban Yuppie in some of his thinking. He feels ALL areas should be cleared – and by cleared I mean RIGHT to the pavement (which of course only causes more potential for dangerous falls on ice in my opinion, but we have this argument several times every year and I never win). Thus, we got the attachment to the John Deere this year and his brother once again came to the rescue with help in this big endeavor:

I can’t seem to get Richard to protect his head (and mustache) properly though, and he always comes in with icicles hanging from his eyebrows and upper lip. I looked at getting him a plastic ‘tent’ for around the top of the mower as a Christmas gift but a) they are pretty expensive considering how much we already spent on this contraption, b) we try not to BUY gifts for our family, just make them and c) you all know how I feel about adding ANY plastic – even a piece of Saran Wrap – to my carbon footprint, so I didn’t feel that was a good choice. Of all the hats and toques Richard’s been given over the years JUST since moving here, including a balaclava which would help the stache-icicle problem, and including the red one with the pom-pom which his mother bought specially for all of us to MATCH, in Christmas 2016 and which he REFUSES to wear…

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(The last hat is from the CBC show Still Standing – one of the producers gave it to me for doing some admin. for them getting the still photos they used, and getting waivers signed, etc. and I passed it on to Richard last Christmas as it’s a lovely green! If you still haven’t seen the episode in which we/New Denmark appear, the link is here:

https://watch.cbc.ca/media/still-standing/season-4/new-denmark-nb/38e815a-00f0c4c14f4 )

…the one he seems to now be preferring is one that isn’t MEANT to be his! His brother gave him a slightly used winter coat for ‘good’ and inside the sleeve was tucked his BROTHER’S favourite toque. Which Richard has now taken a Finders Keepers motto about and decided it was MEANT to be his own!

We thought it would be nice if we gave our old snowblower to neighbour Pierrette and her son Zeb who have helped us out so much since moving here, and who live like hermits WAY back off a tertiary road in the middle of the woods. So hubby just went past my window again making sure everything is working properly before we turn it over to them. And yes, that IS his brother’s toque covering most of his noggin. Again. Plus he’s wearing the big black parka Mom gave him last year to – ‘cover what little bum you have whilst snow-blowing!’

Another snow-job is to get food out to Chevy who, until he leaves to go to his wonderful new owner Dec. 13, has been allowed to have his summer pasture area still open to him. When the snows get heavier this isn’t possible as they cover the electric fence, but for now he’s usually found WAY up at the top of the hill, and Richard likes to feed both him and Cammie up there sometimes as it keeps the stall and corral area cleaner. So, out comes the toboggan and away goes the food:

Sometimes, though, when R. thinks he’ll have the luxury of dragging back an EMPTY toboggan, others have a different idea!

In the meantime I haven’t been out of the house in a month. One month yesterday, to be exact (more on that in a moment). I am most comfortable in bed, as it has the best view, is supportive in the right places, allows my legs to spread out away from each other so the knees don’t touch, and has enough space to spread my various projects out around me. The couch offers none of these, but once in a while I go into the living room for a change of scenery and to have a fire in the fireplace. If my poor over-worked hubby (don’t feel too sorry for him, he’s spending MOST of his days cuddled up reading or napping!) is willing to make us a cozy fire, that is, since I can’t go fetch in wood myself or even stoop down! I am primarily involved in writing a stage musical, one that’s been hatching slowly on the back burner (talk about mixing metaphors!) for some years now. And I needed to do some research first, so since I can’t go to the library these days (getting in and out of the house is painful, and even more so is getting in and out of the vehicles!) one of the things I LOVE about the province of N.B. is that you can mail-order your books! A big black pouch arrives in your mailbox, and you just put the return label on and send them back when you’re ready – for FREE! So, without giving too much away about my musical, you can get a glimmer of some of the subject content from these: (I know any cousins or extended family will know where I’m likely going with this subject matter…) :

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The next problem I faced, however, was that while most of the script (‘BOOK’, in correct musical theatre lingo ) and the lyrics to more than 20 songs have been written in the last month I could NOT sit at the piano to compose. Sitting with my legs bent, as an upright piano necessitates is painful. So I asked for a melodica for Christmas and my mother very kindly arranged to get it here well in advance and allow me to have it right away. So, most of my days are spent like this:

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Which the cat just HATES because a) until the last 30 days, he’s used to having the bed uninterrupted all day long with plenty of room to spread out and b) neither he nor Smitty can STAND the sound of the melodica. Smitty comes up to the bed and whines, and the cat tends to run down to the basement yowling in anger. I also am having hot flashes again (thought I was done with those a year ago, so I can only guess it’s thanks to complete lack of exercise now) and I frequently have to throw the blankets off my legs- which in and of itself is cause for a hefty scowl:

As many of you will know, especially if you follow my FB pages, I come from a shortish line of theatrical as well as musical and literary personages. “Song’n’Dance” men as well as women! And by that I mean we can tell a good fictional tale as WELL as literally treading the boards. Grandma Johnson wrote many novel manuscripts which were never published because she only tried once, was told she needed more ‘boudoir’ scenes and never approached another publisher… I have a trunk still full of most of these manuscripts which I always promised her I would try to do something with one day – not that SHE cared, it was wholly my own idea to not let those years of writing be completely wasted (possibly, because I feel like all my own years of writing are being wasted in the same way!) “Like Grandmother, Like Granddaughter” in more ways than one, then. This first pic was Grandma J (Ivanel) circa early 1930s, and the bottom, from one of my newspaper clippings, is me in similar pose (although you can’t see the red blinking lights on my nipples —- I was playing one of the prostitutes in “No Sex, Please – We’re British”. Which really should have been Grandma’s motto considering the reason she stopped approaching publishers! )

Since writing, music and drama have all been such an important part of my life (and in fact my degree was a combination of all 3, as Queen’s allowed for an Artist in Community Education B.Ed. if you had experience in at least 3 facets of artistic life and a previous degree in 2 of them! Eek! ) I decided to also base my musical on an important-to-Canada family who have all 3 as an integral part of ITS life. And who also, as I do daily, fought to keep the environment protected. (AND who, incidentally, have several towns of Perth cropping up in their various lives, as I have had 4 of them be important to me! There’s a LOT of Perths out there! ) I didn’t think this musical would ever actually get written until, on October 26th Assistant Perth-Andover Choir Director Sandi Tattersall and I did a ‘ditty’ (“What Baking Can Do” from the musical Waitress by Sarah Bareilles) for a charity show:

At one point I was to go behind Sandi as she sang a lovely and upbeat solo verse (she’s got an amazing voice and has had proper singing lessons for years, so it would have been MORE fitting if I’d just stayed behind her through the whole thing!) and duck from one side to the other of her. As my ‘good’ knee had already gone fairly ‘bad’ at this point, this ducking/deeking was pretty much the end of it. CR-A-A-CK !

I tried one time after that (on Oct. 30) to make it to the choir rehearsals for our Christmas concerts and knew I wasn’t going to be able to keep going. Richard, incidentally, IS still going and they had a very successful first concert on Thursday night with a few more to go. I missed the concert season in the spring from having that 5-week virus, and now I am missing this whole season as well. Very frustrating! HOWEVER, as the love of the performing arts has CLEARLY been passed on to my 12-year-old nephew, who at this time last year was on European tour with the Atlantic Boychoir, I am NOT missing out on his first-ever singing solo. AND it’s in a professional cast of over 130 with his mother accompanying the show as part of the small band/orchestra they’ve hired. This is a BIG deal! Sydney is even mentioned in the Arts & Culture Centre’s flyer as a featured performer, which is pretty amazing for a kid, I think:

There are 5 performances (one’s a matinee) next week with sold-out crowds of over 1,000 people at each performance —- and Mom has already flown to St. John’s to help with all the extra craziness going on in a musicians’ household at the run-up to Christmas. Of course my sister always plays, as part of the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, for the annual Nutcracker concert, the annual Messiah concert, and has numerous other gigs right now, as does Sydney with his school concerts, his ‘cello, his viol-de-gamba, his choral singing with the Boychoir and now soloing in the big Diva’s show. That’s “big Diva’s show”, NOT ” Big Divas’ show “. Please note difference! He’s singing the gorgeous melody from The Greatest Showman, called A Million Dreams. If you haven’t heard it, you MUST; it’s luscious. Here’s the young lad , Ziv Zaifman, that sang it for the soundtrack. No doubt there will be no recording done of poor Sydney’s efforts, as seems the case with most of his performances, and of course we lowly family members (even those who have to province-hop and go doped up on painkillers and in a wheelchair!) can’t take recording devices into theatres, so this is the closest we’ll likely have:

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I DID, however, do up a little ‘gif’ of my sister playing for the Divas show last year (they had an Irish/Celtic theme then) and of Sydney on CBC radio last month for the Boychoir.

As you’ll have noticed in the above, like me, my sister is very dramatic, facially – especially when playing. Some of you may remember that she has always been this expressive since our early days playing as children. However, as you can see by this video of a gorgeous piece by Franck, which SHE just did this year for a charity concert, her playing is unrecognizable compared to what it was when we were children!

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Anyway, I leave for St. John’s on Friday, being pushed through the airports and to the theatre two nights in a row (thanks for the ticket gifts, Jennifer!) by the good folk at Air Canada, and my poor brother-in-law! Wheelchairs courtesy of Air Canada and the Red Cross. Thanks very much!

While I’m plugging Atlantic Canada professional stage shows here, I should also mention that my singing partner from above, Sandi Tattersall, has an equally talented sibling and nephew, the former who is appearing in the professional cast of Beauty and the Beast in Moncton in a few months (Curtis Sullivan is often seen in a lot of Drayton Productions in Ontario, and I’m sure many of the Ontarioites reading this blog will have seen him in those. My theatre-loving compatriots from the Stratford teaching days will surely recognize him as the Drayton company has expanded so much recently, hasn’t it?) Sadly, I don’t THINK my knees will be rehabbed enough to make it to the Moncton production, as I’d planned when it was originally announced, but if you’re in that area (which, in N.B. means – ANY OF THE ATLANTIC PROVINCES!) here’s the link for tickets and a cast summary:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/th%C3%A9%C3%A2tre-capitol-theatre/beauty-and-the-beast-cast-announcement-annonce-de-la-distribution-des-r%C3%B4les/2400399146645048/ Sandi’s nephew is a phenom. in his own right, and I pray/hope/expect my own nephew may be following along these lines – for the purely selfish reason that I can have years of exciting and proud theatre to see! His name is Jeremy Leo Curtis and he just finished a run in downtown Toronto as Joseph, in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Jeremy got stellar reviews, one of which – by the Gaisins for the Ontario Arts Review -says: “The title character is portrayed by Jeremy Leo Curtis and methinks this young man has a promising potential theatre career. He can sing up a storm; utilizes his face & posture to advantage; is obviously charismatic…and in addition – movie-star handsome.”

MORE photos and reviews here: https://www.theatreunlimited.ca/joseph

So, Ontario theatre-goers of whom I know many are reading this blog (despite it supposedly being about how to live self-sufficiently on a homestead in the Maritimes!) – keep your eyes open for Curtis Sullivan and/or Jeremy Leo Sullivan! Now THAT’S a musical theatre family! (but still not the ones I’m writing my own musical about. You’ll have to wait for another non-homesteading-themed blog posting to find out more about that!)

Also in Perth, and if you’re in the Maritimes you might have heard about this on CBC Radio Noon yesterday, https://www.cbc.ca/listen/shows/maritime-noon our Choir Director (and esteemed mayor) suggested to her young and massively creative Baptist minister that they do what is apparently a ‘first’ – possibly in the world. (Remember we sang as ‘angels’ last December for the same church’s drive-thru Nativity? if you don’t remember and want a peek, and yes – one of Richard wearing yet a DIFFERENT toque on his noggin, see this blog posting: https://bluebellmountainblog.wordpress.com/2017/12/09/cast-of-thousands/ ) . Marianne Bell and the Rev. Michael Fredericks with another cast of ‘manymany; have filmed a series called ‘Online Advent’. Each day, starting today, they will have a little clip of their ‘show’ telling the Christmas story and yesterday on air Rick Mercer said, (even if it MAY have been tongue-in-cheek) that’d he’d consider being in their production another year as it ‘has all the production quality of Murdoch Mysteries’!

Here’s Jessica Theriault , and Sheila Cummings, who sings with us in choir and went to Moncton to Choralfest with 6 of us in October. This is taken from the ‘trailer’ to which I’ve also given the link below:

Now, whilst musical theatre season (and in England also silly ‘panto’ season!) is very HOT in December, this blog posting isn’t particularly Christmassy OR Homesteady as yet – so as a build-up to your festive season, and to not get off track TOO much (too late!) re: living self-sufficiently, here is what to do when you have lots of fresh goat’s milk and eggs:

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HOMEMADE EGG NOG – take 3 or 4 day-old goat’s milk (want it to have sat in fridge for a few days for best thickness and richer taste), fill up half a blender, throw in up to 6 fresh eggs from your chickies, add 2 tsp. of vanilla, 1/2 a cup of sugar or Stevia, 1/2 cup of vanilla frozen yogurt (your own if you’ve some made up!) and some cinnamon and nutmeg. Blend it up – if your eggs were very fresh it should be yellowish in colour, but not to worry if it isn’t — and when it’s finished put only a very SMALL amount of rum in, if you wish. I find more than a dollop ruins the whole lovely beverage, though I know many who will disagree!

Cardinal card by our wonderful artist friend (and my former art teacher!) Jane Wright. Richard has been inspired by Anne Schultz to suddenly enjoy cardinals again, as he once did… so I might make the next blog posting a Christmassy-red-snowy-Cardinal-based posting!

Nogs, Noggins, Song’n’s and Toboggans Richard's been a very busy dude this last month or so. Since the end of October my 'good' knee has steadily become worse than my 'bad' one (the one scheduled for surgery on Jan.

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