Wisdom from the Bathroom Wall
We enjoyed a terrific breakfast today at Floyd's Diner, one of our favourite restaurants in Victoria. The funky decor, excellent food and friendly, efficient staff make this a great dining destination. The restrooms are small and outdated, but are covered with words of wisdom from fellow diners. This one in particular caught my attention: [caption id="attachment_518" align="alignleft" width="468" caption="When you worry, you are praying for what you fear will happen"][/caption] We attended some meditation classes a few years ago based on the teachings of Sri Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. Ramana, one of Bhagavan's followers, has created AHAM (Association of Happiness for all Mankind). A basic principle of his ...
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
[caption id="attachment_502" align="aligncenter" width="477" caption="Galiano Island"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_500" align="aligncenter" width="477" caption="Orca"][/caption] [caption id="attachment_501" align="aligncenter" width="469" caption="Wallace Island sunset"][/caption]
Stepping Back in Time: Jedediah Island
One of our favourite cruising destinations is Jedediah Island. Located in the Strait of Georgia between Lasqueti Island and Texada Island, this former home to Mary and Al Palmer is now a Provincial marine park. Boaters who visit this island are can glimpse what life was like for the Palmers as they walk the island's trails through mature forest, open fields and a large orchard. Mary Palmer's account of her life on the island in Jedediah Days: One Woman's Island Paradise is a thoroughly enjoyable read. Feral sheep who were once members of the Palmer's flock roam the island. In late fall, when a few ...
Valentine’s Edition
Giving and receiving love is the most important thing in life; the rest is fluff. It is as simple as that. To be loved, you must first love yourself. So on this special day celebrating love, stand in front of your bathroom mirror and say, "I love you" three times and really mean it. Happy Valentine's Day. [caption id="attachment_1512" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="Sunrise over Cox Bay"][/caption]
Love-Hate Relationship with Living Aboard
Friends often post on Facebook, "I don't know how you do it - living on a boat". This is usually after I have updated my status with the latest crazy thing to happen. The truth is, I sometimes don't like it. "Sometimes" usually happens anytime between mid-November and the end of February during the deepest part of a Canadian winter. During our first year on the boat, we realized that we weren't purists like the Pardeys - we like our diesel engine and this Sailor girl likes to be warm. So when the winter storms are blowing and a friend asks if we ...
The Easter weekend in April marked our first sailing trip of the season. A 4 1/2 hour motor-sail was a a gentle introduction to the boating season. Because we live aboard, we don’t have to worry about forgetting to bring an essential piece of equipment, but we inevitably forget a key provision. This time it was cheese, but that didn’t deter us from having a relaxing weekend in the near-deserted anchorage.
Sidney Spit is a popular boating destination in the Southern Gulf Islands due to its proximity to several marinas in the Sidney, BC area and a popular water taxi operated during the summer months. Bordered by Sidney Channel to the west and Miners Channel to the east, Sidney Island is 9 kms (5.6 miles) long with a long, sandy spit at the northern end.
Sidney Spit looking towards Miners Channel at low tide
A shallow bar protects the entrance to the inner anchorage, so mind your speed and depth sounder when entering the anchorage. We prefer to anchor a little further out to avoid the worry of grounding. The anchorage has the perfect depth for dropping a crab trap, but there is a strong current that flows through due to the anchorage’s proximity to the narrows at the northern tip of Sidney Island. Therefore, give crab traps a wide berth in order to avoid snagging the line on your prop. The float marking the trap is often pulled quite a distance away from the location of the trap due to the strong current.
Sidney Spit during July and August is too busy for our liking. Cigar boats zip up and down Sidney Channel creating an uncomfortable wake for anchored boats. However, on this weekend in April, it was perfect.
Sidney Spit Marine Park
I was tweeting with @raincoaster last weekend about the pure indulgence of soaking in a bathtub. The pleasure of the bathtime ritual begins with planning the escape. Candles. Book. Glass of wine. Alone time. Quiet mind.
From that first toe dipping in the hot water to lowering your torso into the depths of the bath, you are aware of you and only you. Your breathing slows. The hot water envelops your body as you slip back into that familiar primordial rhythm bathed in water. It should not be so surprising that we are so comfortable in water. As a fetus, we spend nine months bathed in fluid and our bodies are comprised of 60-70% water. We are in familiar territory in the bathtub.
After my conversation with @raincoaster, I pined for a bath. It is true, that I am surrounded by water on this sailboat that we call home, but there isn’t a tub in sight. @raincoaster reminded me that some apartment dwellers also do not have tubs. Condo developers in their zest to squeeze in as many units as possible in a complex, erase the bathtub from the drawings. I suppose they take up too much space.
But we, the few without tubs, find ways to get a fix. Forget friends with benefits – we are looking for friends with tubs. Travel that involves hotel stays provides an opportunity to indulge in a soak. That workout in the morning is not so much about getting in shape, it is about the soak in the hot tub afterwards – a poor second to a bathtub, but the bathtubless resort to desperate measures.
So in honour of @raincoaster’s appreciation for the bath, I offer this aromatherapy blend. Blend the essential oils together first and then add them to 1 1/2 – 2 cups of epsom salts. We all know what happens when you mix water and oil, so add the essential oils to the salt first before adding to the bath.
@raincoaster Bath Blend
- 4 drops lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- 4 drops rose 10% (Rosa damascena)
- 2 drops jasmine 10% (Jasmine grandiflorum)
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups epsom salts
Enjoy.
Sea fog at sunrise
Aromatherapy blends by .
Rainy day blend
Here on the west coast of Canada, we are experiencing our third cold, damp spring in as many years. We are accustomed to mild, warm spring weather with early blossoms, so there is much whining to be heard in the streets of this fair city.
Here is a blend for your morning shower to wake you up and put a bit of sunshine back in your life:
- 5 drops Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
- 3 drops Grapefruit (Citrus paradisil)
- 2 drops Frankincense (Boswellia carterii)
in 30 mls, unscented body wash.
Aromatherapy blends by .
A friend shared the following YouTube video by Danielle LaPorte on Facebook and I can’t stop watching it. In fact, the author suggests that you make this video part of your daily affirmations. See what you think.
- I’ll figure it out
- Life is on your side: there is a whole lot of life force on your side
- Start fresh: beginner’s mind is an open mind and an open mind innovates
- Fear is natural: respect your fear – it is part of the creative process
- Make tough choices
- Passion is fuel
- Come out: declare it and share it
- Do it now: don’t let perfectionism become procrastination
- You’re growing: everything is progress
- Integrity: do what you say you are going to do
- Focus: everyday, do a little more of what you want to be doing and a little less of what you don’t want to do.
I stumble on number eight: procrastination. I have several creative projects in progress that are unfinished. Fear of judgement by others keeps me from completing tasks. My promise to you, is to tackle one of those projects and see it to completion by December 31, 2012. There, I have declared it and shared it. What is keeping you from making it happen for yourself?
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