April is the crazy month at work, hence the silence on the blog. But, fear not, I have a huge update and lots of good things to share. So grab a cuppa something nice and sit back. First, let’s get the obligatory Henry photo out of the way. Here he is sunbathing in the Spring sunshine at the end of March. Such a cutie! Chico’s cage is in the background and I have since moved it to the other side of the room so he doesn’t get the morning and afternoon sun as directly.
I bought this yarn from a local designer-friend, Melonhead Knitwear, at Circle Craft Christmas Market in November 2010. She was selling her handknits as well as hand-dyed and handspun yarn by the skein. When I tried on the hats she had for sale, they actually looked good on me! Hats so rarely look good on my head. Since she knew I was a knitter, she gave me the pattern she wrote when I bought 2 skeins of the yarn. However, because it was just her personal notes and not a published pattern, I had some issues and I ended up with waaaay too many stitches. Oops!
Last January I read Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen and I recently (finally) watched Pride & Prejudice the movie (2005 version) starring Keira Knightly. This is less of a ‘movie review’ and more of just my thoughts on the movie. When I read the book, I felt that the writing was extremely passive and most of the interactions and conversations took place via letter or “he said, she said” gossip. While this was a commentary on the times, I found that the movie’s narrative allowed a more seamless story compared to the book. Although I enjoyed the book once it picked up, I found that the movie jumped in with both feet and allowed the dialogue and actions to speak for themselves. In the book all of the observations and interactions are from the perspective of Elizabeth Bennett, who is the narrator. Whereas in the movie, we get to see Mr. Darcy independently from Elizabeth’s opinion, his portrayal can be interpreted by the viewer, as opposed to always how Elizabeth perceives him to be.
On my birthday a couple weeks ago (March 21) I went horseback riding in Campbell Valley Regional Park, a 535-hectare park with multi-use trails, picnic areas and even a cross-country horseback riding course. I’ve loved horses since I was a little girl but haven’t been riding for a few years. It felt so good to put on my paddock boots and slip into the familiar rhythms again.
There has been a huge consumerism shift towards local, organic, and all-natural products, and I am not immune. I’ve mentioned offhand the dietary issues I’ve been having, and so I am looking to cut out extremely processed foods in my daily diet. But what I’ve also become interested in, is the chemicals and synthetic ingredients we cover ourselves in daily — deodorant, hand cream, toothpaste, shampoo, soap, laundry detergent, even feminine hygiene products are bleached. Some of the issues that concern me: Known chemicals seeping into my body. For example, formaldehyde is in some makeup products. Yes, embalming fluid. Chemicals washing into the ocean or other natural water sources, contaminating animal habitats and drinking water Sensitivity issues to ‘parfum‘ and fragrance in products Unknown effects of chemicals. For example, bisphenol-A (BPA) and parabens have been linked to cancer. Finding Out What’s in My About Cosmetic Chemicals First step was to educate myself. This involved a lot of reading from reputable sources. I relied mostly on local health magazines, or websites with a healthy focus. I know that some people feel the “granola-eating, organic hippies” blow things out of proportion, but with proper journalism, you need to credit your information sources. These are not scare tactics, they are just facts.
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