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Bread Bread Bread
The look of an airy dough that has doubled in size overnight. The feel of a soft springy dough as I shape it into a loaf. The comforting smell of baking bread wafting through the house. The delicate crunch of a chewy crust. It’s hard to choose which sensation is most satisfying. Baking bread is gratifying from start to finish. I understand the upward trend in home bakers. I used to think baking bread was a labourious process. This changed a couple years ago thanks to Martin Johansson’s book, Bread Bread Bread or Bröd Bröd Bröd. The Swedish baker has “done everything possible to simplify the baking process” so it…
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Together at Home
I am listening to the One World: Together at Home event. It’s a global broadcast and livestream event to support frontline healthcare workers and the World Health Organization. If you are not listening already, check out Global Citizen for how to connect and then come back and read the rest of this post. Welcome back. As I listen to the global event, I wanted to share what I have seen locally in my neighbourhood showing gratitude for our healthcare workers. This show of appreciation is wide-spread. The street art from the past few weeks is a beautiful way to say thank you to frontline workers, like nurses, doctors, grocery store…
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Neighbourly Moss and Lichen
In March, before the parks were closed, I went for a short walk at Balls Falls. Bright green patches of moss stood out in the otherwise muted landscape. I took several photos of the striking moss-covered rocks. But is moss interesting enough for a story? I had my doubts at the time. Well, here we are. Let me tell you about moss. Moss is a flowerless plant. It’s a simple plant structure and thrives in places where other plants can’t. Like shady damp areas. It can be mistaken for lichen. Lichen, however, does not have stems and leaves like a plant. It’s not a plant, but rather algae and fungus…
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Connecting with Nature
You can be alone, but it still provides companionship. When everything is shutting down, it perseveres. If you feel glum, it lifts you up. Nature. Being in nature is good for us. It’s good for the mind and body. It makes us happy. We know the Japanese custom of forest bathing has a positive impact on our mood. Taking time to breathe and notice life continuing is a suggested activity in the Coping calendar. I am thankful that connecting with nature is still an activity I can enjoy safely on my quiet neighbourhood paths. It gives me an opportunity to slow down and spot the encouraging signs of spring. According…
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The journey ends in London
“It is difficult to define: nostalgia is a common emotion, and all of us can be nostalgic about a time when we were younger, or happier, or only beginning to discover the world. The warm glow that surrounds our early years grows warmer, perhaps, with every year that passes. A journey taken as a twenty year old seems very different from a journey taken forty years later. But pry beneath the surface of that nostalgia and you may find real reasons for feeling as you do – reasons that are to do with growing up and with the growth of understanding.” Alexander McCall Smith The white cliffs of Dover shone…
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International Day of Happiness
At my former office, I was fortunate to have a lovely colleague who would bring in goodies to celebrate different occasions. Throughout the year, we enjoyed treats and impromptu social gatherings in the kitchen for celebrations like Saint Patrick’s day and fun food days like World Cupcake Day or World Samosa Day. I discovered occasions I did not know existed. While I had my head down commuting to work, she was cooking up ways to brighten our day at the office. She is one of the kindest people I know. When she left our division to move to another position, there was a void. Not only related to yummy food,…
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The Little Book of Lykke
Looking for a book to read? Perhaps you have some unexpected time at home. How about a happy book? The Little Book of Lykke: The Danish Search for the World’s Happiest People. Lykke (pronounced Luuh-kah) means happiness in Danish. It’s written by Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen. The book is the second in his trilogy of books on happiness – equally adorable and inspiring as his first and third books. In this little book, Meik takes us on a treasure hunt to find what makes happy people happy and “look for the good that does exist in the world.” So get your marker, get your…
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A convivial lesson at Bench Brewing Company
Do you remember your elementary school? I do. I can clearly picture the L-shaped brick building from the 1960s, the classrooms with draughty windows, the raised stage at one end of the gymnasium (with its brown stage curtain), the circular trough-like sink in the washroom. While the building I have described now houses an elementary school under a different School Board, it will always be Woodside School to me. Even if years, and years, and years pass, my guess is most of us remember our elementary school. Those were six formative years: memorizing the times table, perfecting cursive writing, sitting diligently for story time…. ….learning about hops, malt and ales.…
