Dream Big

Dream Big... I knew right away that with a name like that I was going to love Sara's blog. I was immediately drawn to this section. This beautiful blog became one of my regular reads in blogland. Than one day Sara had this post up. Blue and dragonflies... yes please. After a brief exchange of emails and a two hour road trip and a very warm welcome from Sara and John at their beautiful home, and two cute dogs, here is the rest of the story...

I have the perfect window for my gift-to-myself. When the sun hits those blues and greens, oh my (no sun today as you can see outside).

The valance came down and up went the stained-window.

More retreat pics

A few more snapshots from the Nature and Yoga Retreat I was at last week... wish I was still there.
Inside our little cabin taken from the loft. We made fire in the woodstove almost every night and a few mornings.

Me relaxing at the lake.

Do you see the kayak in the mist ? We had mist on the lake most mornings.

Stay tuned, I'm putting together the content and photos from two amazing ceremonies we had.

Thankful and grateful

I can't seem to find the appropriate words to describe my experience at the Nature and Yoga Retreat I was at last week. I don't think there are such beautiful words in the dictionnary. Seven days of pure heaven (really !) I am so thankful to my yoga instructor Kerry for coordinating and putting all this together. She is a true yogi inside and out. She was a huge inspiration to me when I first started on this yogic journey. And grateful for the knowledge that was shared that week, the delicious meals prepared for us and the friendships I came home with. As soon as you walk through those gates, ''everything'' slows down.

Since I can't find words to describe my experience last week, I will leave you with a few pictures (more to follow later in the week).

Girl on the left is my regular yoga teacher and on the right is our other room mate for the week.

Getting ready for Sutra teachings in the Chapel.

The guru from India, Yogiji.

Getting things ready for flame (candle) meditation Wednesday night.

All like-minded people, sharing their joy and love for seven days. I think this was the best gift I have ever given myself. It has forced me to slow down, be present/in the moment and concentrate on one-pointedness.

Yes, I would (and will) go again !

Nature and Yoga Retreat

Tomorrow I'm leaving for one week... going deep into the woods at a Nature and Yoga Retreat. Living off the land, no electricity (propane heated showers) relaxing, reading, knitting, laughing, eating vegetarian meals, studying yoga and of course doing yoga - all this with a bunch of like-minded people. To see more of what I'm talking about, see this video. These two pictures were taken two years ago when Dave and I went for a walk-about on the grounds one fine October day.

Below - see that little rustic cabin on the left... that will be mine and three other yogis' home for the week.

It will be a little quiet around this blog for the week but I'll try and post an update as soon as possible when I come back.

Be well everyone !

The Green Guru

Last Saturday was the graduation at the university where I work. We presented an honorary doctorate to Dr. David Suzuki. For the past 25 years + I've been watching this amazing person on television, listening to him on radio and reading his books. Meeting him in person was on my bucket list and last weekend it happened. His speech was spectacular; very inspiring.

Forest Friends and Lighthouses

My birthday was a month ago but I wanted to wait a few weeks (in order to have your undivided attention) before posting about this beautiful gift I got from my best friend/niece. Forest Friends - check out this fabulous artist. This hoop hangs in my kitchen window where I can see it every single day. I love the forest. I was raised surrounded by the forest. As much as I love the ocean I just as much love going for walks in the forest as I do the beach. I wish you could see the details on this little person standing in the hoop. It is beautiful.

We had a gorgeous sunny day today so Dave and I went to the Gilbert's Cove Lighthouse and...

... the Belliveau Cove Lighthouse. The picture above - I look cold but it actually wasn't too windy or cold. That funny look on my face is the sun being too bright in my eyes.

Hope everyone is taking time in this busy time of the year to slow down and be more present in your daily activities. Happy Monday tomorrow !

Taking it all in

What can I say! Life is pretty good right now. One of my goals (kinda like a bucket list) for my 50th birthday is to be more present; be more in the moment; be aware of my surroundings. I've beem pretty good at this ever since I started living a more yogic lifestyle but I knew there was room for improvement. It's so easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of the everyday - running around trying to do too much at once, trying to keep up with others and thinking we ''have'' to act like them and live like them in order to be accepted or to fit in. Being the non-social butterfly that I am helps me to ground myself and see things the way I want to see them.

I am very much aware that our veggie garden is cleaned and cleared til next Spring. All well and ready for the cold winter months up ahead.

I hope this year I get a few more trick or treaters than I've been getting the past few years.

Last weekend Dave and I visited the ocean...

... and again tonight.
It's that time of the year - AGAIN ! Eight cords of firewood need to be brought in the basement. I sooooo love the smell and feel of a wood fire.


This afternoon Dave and I went to the theatre at the university to watch the ''70's Show''. A group of very talented local musicians put this show together. It was awesome. Very professional in my opinion (and Dave's. And he sure knows his music).

Wishing everyone a good start of the week tomorrow. Hopefully for next post I'll have a picture of the huge pile of books that I've found at Frenchy's in the last two months. There are some good ones !

Rafting adventures : beautiful gift

Sorry I kept you hanging since last Sunday saying that I was going to post more pictures the next day and here we are almost a week later. So here are the remaining shots from our wonderful rafting weekend at Tidal Bore Rafting Park & Cottages. This weekend was an early 50th birthday gift from my awesome husband.

This picture is kinda funny - here we were deep in the woods and Dave is checking the road map. I don't think where we were could be found on the map.

We checked into our cabin and pre-registered for the rafting tour late Saturday afternoon. After we were settled into our cozy little cabin we headed to the nearest town for supper. On our way we passed over the river where we were going to go rafting the next morning. Look how wonderful the weather was on Saturday.

Our cute little cabin. The basket you see me holding is the one I wanted to swing by Hubbards Saturday morning to pick up at Mother Hubbards antique store. I've been hoping to find one of these basket for a while now and when I found out from my yoga teacher where they get them from I headed that way on Saturday. They are fair trade Bolga Baskets handmade by weavers in Ghana. They are beautiful and you can pretty much carry anything in them. I guess I should say this is another early gift from Dave.



Sunday morning we had breakfast in the restaurant on site than waited patiently to start getting into our rain gear and life-jackets to get on the zodiac. It was way more cloudy on Sunday but no matters.... we were happy !

Almost time to get ready. Unfortunately after this picture was taken we had to put away our camera. Getting into heavy rain gear, a life jacket, walking down a muddy hillside and settling into our zodiac did'nt leave much time for picture taking. Plus, there is no way you could hold on with one hand and take pictures with the other. Nope, both hands tightly on the ropes please !

After two hours of washing machine swirling in the tidal bore we managed to get up the muddy hill and out of our wet rain gear.


We had a blast of a good time. All 100 rafters that day had great big smiles on their faces afterwards.

Am I going to circus school

Remember at the beginning of the year when I mentioned that this year was a special one for me. I turn 50 in November and I am making a list (said list is on the fridge) of ''special'' gifts to myself during 2009. So far on the list, water rafting, a one week yoga retreat and I am seriously thinking of learning how to build a teepee and putting one up in the field in back of our home. Yesterday we went to Halifax and zooming through on the highway, what do I see in the corner of my eye-Circus School. It has since been added to my list. And they even have a combined acrobat/yoga workshop.

I'm not thinking of quiting my day job yet but this would be so awesome as a workshop just for the weekend.

I'm not using turning 50 as an excuse to act in strange ways, do silly things or attrack attention to myself but this is right up my ally.

The lifestyle I prefer

To follow-up on my post of turning 50 later this year and my gifts to myself I would like to take a few minutes here and go a little further to explain why I had mentioned that my body prefers foods that are "cool". After practicing yoga for a few years and trying to live a yogic lifestyle as much as possible (this is a work in progress) I decided to further study the subject of Ayurvedic Medecine. Yoga and Ayurveda are sisters.

Ayurveda is India's 5,000 year old "Science of Life" - it's the art of living in harmony with nature. Don't get me wrong, I still prefer alternative medecine but the "doshas" are what brought my attention to Ayurvedic medecine. Your dosha is your ayurveda mind and body type (I won't go in details on this subject; way too complexe, but if you want to know more go ahead and google). There are three doshas and after talking with an ayurvedic consultant we've come to the conclusion that my dosha is "Pitta".
Here are a few facts about a "pitta" person :

- should keep a regular bedtime and morning routine. In bed by 10 p.m. and up by 6 a.m.
- are generally of medium built.
- body temperature is always very warm or hot.
- have a sharp wit and a good ability to concentrate.
- fire is a characteristic - shows up as fiery red hair or a short temper.
- can go out of balance with overexposure to the sun.
- are ambitious by nature but also can be demanding and abrasive.
- known for strong digestion.
- alcohol and tobacco show up as imbalance.
- to keep Pitta in balance - avoid jealousy, intolerance and hatred.


Our diet should consist mostly of the following but not limited to :

- cool liquids.
- sweet or bitter taste.
- moderate portions.
- butter, milk.
- olive and soy oils.
- barley, oats and wheat.
- apples, avocado, fig, mango, melon, pear, rpune, raisins.
- asparagus, peppers, brussel sprouts, cabbage, peas, sprouts, leafy greens.
- cardamon, cilantro, cinnamon, mint.
- coconut, pumpkin seeds.
- garbanzo and mung beans.
- chicken, egg whites, turkey and shrimps.

If you don't mind, I would love to talk about alternative medecine/lifestyle in another post. This is a subject very dear to me. But as I've mentioned a few times, this is the lifestyle I have chosen for myself. I do not impose this on any member of my family. Everyone is unique and individual so we should each be allowed to live the life we want to live and not worry about what others will say. I have to quote my favorite Dr. Seuss again - "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind".

Celebrate Life my friends and be well.

Spontaneous Healing

(taken from Amazon.com)

How many of you know of this man ? He is in part responsible with the way I view my own health. It was with this book (pictured above) that I started being interested in the natural healing system I had within. I started with this book (I've read it at least 5 times from cover to cover and have used it as a reference regularly) and have since read many books and articles on how the body has the ability to heal itself. This is why I am so ''obsessed'' with having and keeping a strong, healthy immune system. And BTW, I have a lot of his books on my shelf.

Continuing with the theme of ''Gifts I am giving myself this year on the occasion of my 50th later in the year'' and to follow-up on my last post of the gift of healthier eating I thought it was appropriate to share my faithful dedication for Dr. Weil.

Do you own Spontaneous Healing ? if you don't and would love your own copy let me know and I would be more than happy to send this one off to you. No worries, this is not my original copy. I thrifted this one for .25 (the first one to leave a comment will get it).

Be well.