Spring 2013 Report or saying so long to March

Spring came on the 20th but it is different from last year.

There is no eating outside or marveling at the warmth or being shocked by the 'much too early' appearance of the mosquito this month. Instead it has been snowy and cold.

So on equinox I did the only thing I could think of on my day off. I went and hid in the conservatory for three hours. In there I could sit in a t-shirt, underneath pepper plants and fig trees, and pretend that winter had no hold over me.  Glorious.

Since equinox we have been having some sweeter and more spring like days. Yesterday I wore my leather jacket instead of my winter coat. I am wearing my black unlined boots. There has been sun and a thunderstorm moved in early yesterday morning. The snow is being washed away and the birds are all lining up on the telephone wires ready to jump into Spring.

Any day now I'll be getting the report that the first red-winged blackbird has been spotted and we will know spring is really here. My body is ready, I don't seem to need my light therapy anymore and my plate seems empty without lots of veggies.  New shoots both indoors and out are popping up everywhere. And we found a place that makes the most wonderful zucchini fries.

So onward to April! Here's to a new round of project 333, the pathways [chemistry] of joy workshop, more of those fries, the friend's plant sale and dining out for life. 

It's time to wake up. Good morning all.

Yeoman of the Guard Shuffles Along

There are many plausible reasons I could give as to why I did not review this operetta earlier this week.

-My wife has been sick all week
-Daylight Savings Time and I always need time to get used to each other.
-I've been working overtime.
-That darn Mercury thing I don't believe in, at all,  was happening.

All of the above are true statements but they are not the reason I did not yet review the operetta. 
The truth is --  I didn't enjoy it.   and I didn't want to say it.

The Good--

Went with great friends and had a lovely brunch beforehand.
The cast, crew and musicians were wonderful as usual.
The singing was top notch.
There was a moment at the end of the first act when everyone was singing and it was so beautiful and overwhelming. An ocean of voices swirling every where and carrying one along with them.

The Bad--

The Operetta itself. I don't know if this is the worst operetta Gilbert and Sullivan ever wrote but I shudder to think that anything coming from them could be worse than this and I hope I never find out. They tried to write a tragedy, they failed. 

I sincerely hope there were no first time Gilbert and Sullivan attendees because it would probably be their last time.

Ah well, let us never speak of it again.





Sprouts of Spring

Vernal Equinox is still days away but over the past few years I have learned some new things about myself and Spring.  A season I didn't pay too much attention to as a child. Perhaps because it was my spring then? For instance I notice that I don't enjoy cold or raw food in the winter. Until suddenly at the end of February I find myself wanting to have sprouts, any kind of sprouts, on and with everything.

I use them as a bed for my fried eggs. I put them on top of stews or plates of cauliflower rice. I don't add them to my yogurt yet...but now that I think about it raita with sprouts added sound great.

I love to think of those sprouts as the physical manifestation of all the "coming out of winter dormancy into spring" sprouts inside and with me. Thinking about the garden, IMAD behind me and Gilbert and Sullivan ahead. Having the drive to write fiction again [almost 10k words this week] The whistle of birds to answer outside. Energy rising in all ways. It's delightful to speak with people and find out what the first whiff of spring is to them. 

Here we all are, in this location anyway, knocking on Spring's door.

33st Annual Playford Ball

March is less than a week old and yet so much has happened. It opened with a festive dinner [Indian food] to celebrate my wife's recent career successes.

Then the next day was the first Saturday of March which meant it was time for the annual Ball.  Although I made it to all of the practices during February the ball seemed to sneak up on me. Saturday found me making a small tiara to go with my outfit as I was waiting my turn to get my hair 'done'.

Why so last minute? I had the crazy idea that perhaps a tiara would be too much with the elaborate necklace I was planning on wearing. I did come to my senses. Passing up an opportunity to wear a tiara is not to be missed. I also wore my hand painted silk chiffon shawl, an item I love but don't wear near enough.

The ball was a lovely affair.  Several of the dances were charming. Highlander's Humour, Black Heath and Night Watch were highlights for me. It was disappointing though that Wakefield Hunt got cut due to running out of time at the venue. The video can give an idea of it's charm but our group does it as a double progression triple minor instead of a static three couple set at a slightly slower pace and it is so amusing.  A fabulous dance.

I hope everyone started March out with pleasure.

Waving back at February

March is here and so am I. I want us to meet and have adventures but first I better bid farewell to February.

February contained yet another brutal cold, my third this winter. So I scaled back, way back. I didn't blog for the entire month.  I learned to nap.  I conserved energy for training at work. I let myself feel sick until I didn't any more. I entered dry dock and bid farewell to a dearly loved space. I eased into the unknown and lay fallow.

I had a delighttful Imbolc and we celebrated IMAD on 2/15. I had a day long artist date on 2/18. I started drawing again for fun. I pondered over choices for the spring. I saw a dear friend perform the lead in Shadowlands. [He is fabulous] February was a great month.

And now, welcome March!