Tuesday, February 21, 2012

The Botany Of Desire

Last nights Book Club was one of my favorites to date.
Truth be told I was getting a little worried about our,
  hopes for a local book club,
when our members started dropping like flies in the winter months,
and our meeting dates kept on getting pushed further and further on.

But last night cured that feeling for me, 
as we joined in the loving home of our dear friend Vanessa's,
books in one hand, 
and in the other lovely homemade dishes to share,
a la' potluck style.
 Truth be told, I hadn't actually finished the book,
(I was trying to jam in another book between meetings
that took me much longer than expected to complete),
but it didn't really matter...
The conversation flowed smooth, and thick,
 as melted butter off our tongues throughout the night,
since the book gave us so many conversation starters
there was never a point where we were at loss for words.
The Botany of Desire
is a novel by Michael Pollan,
which examines 4 different plant species in detail :
 
The Apple
The Tulip
The Marijuana Plant
The Potato

 
 
 I only got through the first two chapters (Apple and Tulip),
but based on what I have already learned about their vast genetic array of breeds,
and the tulips sorted history,
I am eager to read on and finish this amazing journal on plants,
 before I plow into the next book club choice...
 
Which is "Kafka on the shore" by Haruki Murakami
(which just happens to be my best friends favorite book).

If you enjoy reading and have never attended a book club before,
I highly recommend it!
Now I am not expecting you to go and start your own,
but there are some great options out there for you to dive into your community.
Local bookstores are always hosting book clubs, 
as well as I overhead that there are online book clubs
 available so those of you who have a lot to say on the subject of books, 
but might be a little too scared to jump into a room of strangers.
I started out by attending one that a local book store was hosting at a pub downtown,
I was totally out of my comfort zone, heading there by myself, and not knowing anyone there...
and I totally remember telling myself...
 
that I didn't need to talk if I didn't want to,
that it was good enough that I was just there,
present for my first time...
 
but then I totally surprised myself 
by being one of the most talkative people in the room,
hence then collectively starting my own book club with my dearest of friends. 
 

That brings me to the fact that tonight,
I am hosting my first ever weekly Knitting Club!
*case in point : if you had asked me a year ago, 
if I was going to start my own knitting group,
I would have laughed in your face.

A year ago,
I was just starting knitting dishcloths,
 on a trip to Victoria with my mom, and sister,
and now here I am the night of my first club,
where I am going to have my needles in hand,
knitting my first cardigan.
 
How a year can change so much!

Well whatever you do,
whether it be to curl up with a book and some knitting needles,
at home or in public,
remember to take time for yourself this week,
and don't sweat the small stuff!
 
Love Britt 
xoxoxoxo etc...
 

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

The Quiet Hum Of Life

            I've been feeling a bit low energy lately and have been moving at an tremendously slow pace... I am getting stuff done, but at my own speed.
           The other night I finished up my Valentines, took my lovely stead Emerald out of hibernation, and went and hand delivered as many little love notes, as I could to the doorsteps of my friends.
           It was quite a rewarding feeling, both the burn of my thigh muscles from biking all over town, and the faces of my surprised friends as I showed up at their doorsteps in the dark. A modern day cupid, on a bicycle I was ;)
         
              Last night I went over to my partner Nathans house for some food coma TLC. In the company of friends, we consumed wine, hearty tomato soup, and copious amounts of bread, mixed with divine conversation, and laughs a plenty. The meal lasted the whole night. It was amazing how our words flowed, and flowed, and flowed... Its nice to be reminded of the simple love of feeding each other, and talking.
              Life is good indeed, and I am taking this slow steady moments in stride. My birthday is coming this weekend, and I know there will be no chance to slow down in the thick of its extravagant, activities.
                   So in preparation for that,
Now I 
Sit
Play
Relax
Reflect
and Prepare.

Love Britt

p.s. I have been on a kombucha making kick lately, and I just wanted to mention how I have been really getting into it and adoring the process of creating my own drink concoctions. 
You should try it sometime, its really simple and rewarding! 

Monday, February 6, 2012

Valentines Fever

Its that special time of year again,
and I have the Valentine fever!

Over the past couple of days I have crafted,
over 20 unique valentine cards, 
for my loved ones, lover, 
best friends, and family members.
(And spent $23 on stamps to boot ;)

Valentine magic has totally been in the air this week!
My best friend Karina and I,
had an amazingly crafty date last Thursday night,
where we visited Pen Pal writing club,
for some Valentine making times.
Even though it was packed to the brim
with excited pen wagglers, 
and there wasn't an spare chair in site,
we managed to find a corner to lay out all crafting supplies!
After a couple of hours spent there,
we ended the night by venturing down the block 
to our favorite late night cafe
for some bodem's full of tea,
and chocolaty deserts.
Stay tuned in the next couple of days, 
to see how my birthday decorations turn out...
that's right I'm making decorations for my birthday ;)
Love Britt
xoxoxoxo etc...