Caution: Boredom dead ahead ....

The weeks are just flying by.    I admit that when I

first began to recover from the shock of being let go

from my job and realized I was now facing weeks

upon weeks (months, years etc) of freedom to do 

whatever I might want to, I wondered if boredom

would be an issue.   It seemed to be what every

one else, at least at work, was concerned about for

me.   

So let's see now ...

Exercise.    Gotta keep moving and thanks

to my friend Linda I've got lots of options.

I'm learning to work out with five pound

weights with Linda guiding me and

correcting me on Skype.   It's pretty 

cool that we can work out together even

though we live on opposite sides of

and outside of Toronto.

And then there's the Leslie Sansone 

walking programs that Linda found and 

we first followed on Youtube before investing 

in some of her DVD's.    The one above is what 

I worked out to this morning for 50 minutes

and it was pretty fabulous.    

I'm also walking outside as often as I can

and since the weather is still fairly good

I'm doing as much as I can of that.  

Because as we all know,  you know what

is not far away.   (Hint:  snow)

Reading.    Well, yeah.   One of my

reads this week was the above The Girl

of Fire and Thorns.    Young Adult

Fantasy with a feisty, intelligent

heroine and a great story.   I'm just

starting book two (of three) in this

series and highly recommend it. 

I started reading Cynthia Harrod-Eagles a 

long, long time ago and then for some reason

lost track of her.   Recently, whilst browsing

through Amazon's recommendations ... as 

one does ... I came across this book by her

and sort of had a hand slapped to the forehead

moment.   

Since I love stories that take place around

the time of the first world war and this is a 

really excellent author who's books I've always 

enjoyed I was pleased to pick it up and give it

a whirl.   The next book in this series is due out 

sometime this month and I'll be getting it for

sure.

I picked some flowers from my garden to try my hand

at drying them for decorating purposes.   Linda

gave me a flower press years ago but I'd never tried

to use it before.    Well, no time like the present for

trying new things sooooo ...  

Stay tuned for the results in a couple of weeks.

And what am I planning to use the dried flowers on

if and when they are done drying,   you may ask?

Well, another idea from Linda and another project

to help keep the evil boredom at bay.

You know all those cross stitch projects lying 

around in a box with the stitching done but

no plans to frame them because of the cost

and no skills or self confidence in finishing 

them off yourself ... er .... myself?

And you know all those scrap booking supplies

in your (my) cupboard?     Well .....   Linda

combined hers to make something pretty nifty

and now so have I. 

I am following Linda's lead and putting my stitching

in a scrap book.   Yes, the original stitching.   Not

pictures of them.   

I have been having such a blast doing this!

The measuring and cutting gave me a headache

at first because I have no math skills but once

I got going and gained some confidence it 

became easier.

It's been fun choosing papers and decorations

to show off the stitching designs and sometimes

using the trims or decorations to hide imperfections

in the cutting .... cough, cough. 

And sometimes I have scrap booking papers

that I just don't know what to do with

because they are too beautiful to cover up

with photographs or whatever.

I have several Halloween themed designs 

stitched up to get set up in the album soon.

And you know you can buy these ....

to hang the finished pages from to display

your stitching during pertinent times of the

year so that they're not just in a closed 

book all the time.

Pretty cool, eh?

I've been drawing too.   And colouring.

These things keeps me occupied for

entire afternoons.

A day trip to Toronto several weekends ago

to spend the day on the Toronto Islands with

my friend Darlene.   Above is a view of the

downtown Toronto skyline from the ferry.

There are cottages on Wards and Algonquin Islands

and they range from quirky to pretty high end and a

few that are sadly neglected by whoever owns them.

Other sections of the cluster of islands has formal

gardens, boardwalks along the water front, a 

children's farm with a nice selection of animals,

a children's midway with fun rides,  a clothes

optional beach (which we didn't have time to 

visit ... ahem!!)  assorted historical statues and

plaques and, oh yes, a haunted lighthouse.

Apparently the first lighthouse keeper disappeared

one night in 1815 and his skeletal remains were later 

found nearby.    The lighthouse is no longer near

the water but it's lovingly restored and well tended,

although I dare say probably not by the ghost.

We walked from one end of the island chain to the

other and then we walked back again.  We picnicked

on a bench with a spectacular view across the harbour

to Toronto and we had such a wonderful day enjoying

that green space that is so close to the downtown core

but is in a world all it's own.    Loved it!!

So, boredom has not been a problem as of yet ... 

and so what if it does rear it's silly head?   I've got

lots to banish it if it does dare appear around here!

And many thanks to Linda who keeps me motivated

and inspired!!

Cheers!