Spring has sprung in TO

Once again – it’s been awhile since my last post. I really don’t know where the month of May went. I am going to blame the weather for keeping me away from the computer. It has been absolutely glorious and I think I have spent more time in my backyard in the last 4 weeks than I have in the last four years!

So what have I been doing to keep myself busy? Lots of reconnecting (which means wining and dining!), gardening, walking, biking, and hiking among so many other things. I am getting pretty used to my daily routine – a big stretch when the cats come into my room to meow their hunger, I begin my slow leisurely start to the day, grabbing the newspaper, brewing a cup of tea, I wander into the backyard to stretch out and enjoy the morning sun. Because there sure has been a lot of sun lately. Or turn on the TV and watch Canada AM on those cooler or wet mornings. Sound like one of those boring reality TV shows? Sure feels like it. But I’m ok with that – at least for now. And besides that’s only the morning – after that, I really have been making a deliberate effort to change the routine.

I think of my friends in Vancouver who has spring before us but the tides have now turned and it’s cooler there and I am reminded now of how beautiful Toronto can be at this time of year – the tulips and daffodils came out early in April, my neighbours magnolia was more glorious than I can remember from other years, and this month the lilac tree in my backyard has been lush and heavy with scent and blooms. Too bad the rain this week was so strong – it washed the flowers away all too quickly. But today I picked the first of my strawberries – the small patch I planted six years ago has taken over a huge area in my backyard but I forgive it for those ripe berries are the sweetest tastiest red morsels you could imagine. California eat your heart out – ain’t nothing better than an Ontario berry. So the garden front and back has taken up much of my time – I have done my planters for the porch, landscaped the front, planted a whole bunch of herbs and some cherry and grape tomatoes so in a month or so, I will be enjoying more fruits of my labour. What amazes me is how bad a judge of time I have become! Is it because I am not in a hurry to get somewhere else, so I don’t pay attention and take the time to stop and smell the roses? Or is it that I always scheduled everything and rushed through to try and pack in as much as possible in that thing we call spare time (which are those short days you are not working)! If I figure something will take an hour, I find it actually takes two! So I am not doing twice as much I’m just taking twice as long – but the luxury is – I can!

My cats are demanding much of my time too – I guess they missed me – have you met Fonzie and Tipsy? They are brothers from the same litter and are big boys – a tad overweight – but also just big cats – their father was a wild cat from up near Orangeville. Any time I sit, one of them wants my lap and the other wants petted. Daily brushing required with this warm weather – I’m sure there’s been enough to make a cat-hair coat, if someone would wear that! They are enjoying my leisure with me, sprawled on the back deck, sunbathing or cooling ion a shady spot. I think they’re happy I’m home!

I have had lots of reconnections, lunches, dinners, phone calls with friends from the past. One was with two childhood friends, Laila and Myrosia, women who I went to scouts with and spent summers with at their family’s cottages. What fun it was to reminisce and see how our lives had changed and evolved. And how special it was that we could chat like it had only been last month since we had seen each other. We are social beings, we humans, and the connections we make with one another are so important to our own growth and happiness – we need each other. I feel for those people who have not known good friends or do not have close family to spend time with and hope that they can find other ways to fulfill their needs. I consider myself very lucky, my circle is as lush as my garden and now that I have time, I am finding those parts of the circle that had drifted off in different directions can easily be rejoined!

Not to diminish any others, but I have one very special group of friends - my best buddies from high school, Lily, Shelley and Lucille. We reconnected about 12 years ago and since then have made a point of getting together four times a year to celebrate birthdays. As it turns out each of our birthdays is in a different season so this spreads it out nicely over the year. And each time we try to go out of town and someplace new. Since I came home we have had two outings – one to Bronte Harbour and last weekend we went exploring to Alton. What a treat Alton was – an old mill has been restored and turned into a small art community, with a sculpture garden, artists’ studios and galleries. Starting with a lovely lunch at the Millcroft Inn, we then trekked through the woods to the Alton Mill (I forgot my camera so you’ll just have to go see it for yourself!). My nephew-in-law is a creative stone mason and some of his work is there, so it was a particular treat for me. The girls were just delighted at finding another spot that was so pretty and calming less than an hour from Toronto. Alton as a town looks a little depressed so I hope that the mill’s restoration will turn the tides here into something positive economically.

Although my time has been mostly play, I am slowly beginning to think about the future and a new career and business. I’ve started nibbling a bit and networking and have a business name – Good Works Consulting, but I’ll tell you more about that in a future blog. But before I get too serious, I am heading off this weekend on another trip – this time I head east to Europe – four days in Berlin with my niece who is there on a six month internship and then five days in Kiev, Ukraine to celebrate my aunt and uncle’s 60th wedding anniversary! And I know those two will be dancing up a storm so I gotta get packing. This time I will not forget my camera!