The Pits and Pieces

  January 2025 felt like the longest January ever. We had extreme cold, snow, the inauguration south of us, threats of tariffs, a mid-air collision followed by the most appalling comments, LA fires. The month went on and on, finally coming to an end with one more blast of winter. Birch Trees On the personal front: Creativity :   I took four watercolour in-person painting classes at my local community centre and how I love watercolours. Painting with watercolours is so different from acrylics. The water does its own thing, running off in a different direction, creating unexpected patterns. Sometimes you just have to sit back and see what emerges. I am including some of my watercolour paintings in today’s post. Health: When people say things like ‘age is just a number’ – what the heck does that even mean? I’m the kind of person who silently cringes and rolls their eyes when platitudes are offered up as wisdom. Is this saying supposed to make you feel less bad about your a...

  Waiting Room Thoughts : The other day I was in a medical waiting room. Anticipating a long wait, I took a book with me and settled in for a read. The room was full of people, shifting and shuffling in their chairs, every one of them on their phones, even the toddler, who abandoned his screaming as soon as his mom handed him her phone. Couldn’t blame her, I’d likely have done the same; trying to tame toddlers in a public space is no easy feat.  There was a BIG sign on the wall to turn cellphone volumes off as a courtesy to others. But, as people were called in for their procedures, and others took their place on the seats beside me, four of them were watching something on their phones, volumes on, no earphones. Okay now don’t get me started on people who have their phone volumes on in public places like waiting rooms and trains where we’re in a confined space with no escape. I don’t want to be one of those older people who complain about the rude behaviour of others, but ...

  As the year comes to a close, we undoubtedly find ourselves sorting and sifting through the events of the past twelve months. What worked, what didn’t? What brought us joy, sadness, laughter, happiness? What do we want to take with us into the new year and what do we want to leave behind? Sometimes what we want to take with us or leave behind . . . are people. In my last online writing zoom group, we were reading our pieces and discussing friendships. I have a few that go back over 50 years. That is quite something and to be treasured. Women’s friendships are precious, especially as we get older, and, as I wrote for my group: “Society puts a lot of emphasis on romantic relationships and family ties, and much less on the friendships between women, often reducing them to girls’ nights out. But it is these friendships that quietly sustain and nourish us, humming along as a connecting thread in our lives, and we do ourselves a disservice if we don’t see them as a vital part of our ...

  Yes, I’ve been painting again, because I’m at a stage in my life when I can happily ignore chores and the approaching festive season and indulge myself in what I want to do. I wanted to paint, and so I did.  I marvel at how much less ‘guilt’ I feel now when I ignore the ‘shoulds’. And I think yes, it’s partly because of the age and stage of life I’m in, and the realization that I know myself so much better now and can acknowledge that I’ve never been really good at any of the traditional domestic-related tasks and I’m okay with that. It’s not who I am. I’ve worked for many (many!) years, pay my taxes, raised my child, try to be a good citizen, and now I find I want to spend my time writing, creating art, playing, connecting with people who inspire and ignite my curiosity, and ... keep on learning. I’ve signed up for a series of watercolour painting classes next month. One might think – you really should first try and master acrylic painting, but, no, why wait until I ‘mast...

Well, here I am, back from two weeks spent travelling with my daughter in Portugal. I rarely, if ever, return to places I’ve visited before, unless it’s a day or two in a city that I need to fly into or out from. But this time I visited two cities that I’ve been to before: Porto and Lisbon. I was last in Porto in 2015, alone, for a couple of days before starting my Portuguese Camino, and then again at the end of it, before flying home. I was last in Lisbon in 2006 for five nights, exploring the city with my then-boyfriend. Two cities re-visited, one nine years later, one over eighteen years later! What happens when you return to a place, having accumulated more life experience? Are you different? (The answer is yes). Is the place different? My daughter and I have taken three trips together in recent years (since 2019), and we’re similar in that we like to explore together but also like our space. For that reason, we book a place with two bedrooms (the apartment in Lisbon even had...

  Okay, I must get my anger and disappointment out on the page. Who are the people who re-elected Trump? Do they not care that he is a serial rapist, a racist, a misogynist, a felon, a man completely devoid of integrity? None of those things are deal breakers? I do not understand. I do not understand. Will I, ever? Should I try to? Yesterday, I went into Toronto for a medical appointment (nothing major). On the train in, I found myself looking at everyone with suspicion: Are you a Trump supporter? Are you? Are you happy about the US elections outcome? Do you align yourself with him? I have lost my faith in my fellow human beings. After the appointment, I headed over to the Art Gallery of Ontario. There are some days you have to take yourself to look at art. I forgot I was hungry. I looked at art. The classics, the landscapes, the portraits, the still-lifes. And then . . . a marvelous collection of wild colour and beauty – the huge quilted canvases by Pacita Abad, a Philippine-b...