Octobers Plans and Septembers Outcomes

It's hard to believe that it's October already and that I have been a member of the great unemployed for 3 months now.  Wow that time really did seem to fly by so fast.

Going into my 4th month of life with no job I'm starting to get a feel for it and am really getting on board with this whole slower pace of life thing.  Don't get me wrong I am on one hand still quite busy what with daily walks, spring cleaning, runnings a variety of errands, reading and so on but on the other hand it feels totally different because it's all done at my pace.  No alarm clocks, no deadlines (mostly), no meetings or schedules; everything is instead done when I feel like it, as I feel like and if I don't do something I no longer beat myself up about it.

Taking some much needed time out is something I can totally recommend.

As for this months plans... well reading as always figures high on the list.

1.     The grave keepers / Elizabeth Byrne
        To be honest I can't remember what this book is about so I'm going to be going into it 
        completely blind.  Which is kind of nice in a way.  I'm thinking it was the title that caught 
        my attention. 
2.     All rights reserved / Gregory Scott Katsoulis
        I love the idea of this.  A world where every word literally costs you money and a girl 
        who decides to use silence as a form of protest and freedom.  I have really high hopes 
        for this one.

3.     Not afraid of the fall / Kyle James
        I haven't read many travel books this year so I've been on the hunt for something quirky 
        and interesting.  This one sounds like exactly that sort of thing.

4.     Hygge and Kisses / Clara Christensen
        This one sounds so warm and snuggly so of course I have to read it.  Sometimes all it 
        takes are a few words and a snowy cosy cover to make you read a book.
5.     The Flower Shop on Foxley Street / Rachel Dove
        Another cosy chick lit book.  What can I say.  Sometimes I just have to have something 
        that's not too taxing on the brain and the reading equalative of taking a hot bubble bath.
6.     Sunrise at Butterfly Cove / Sarah Bennett
        More chick lit.  Yes I know.  There's a pattern emerging.

7.     Driving Home For Christmas / A L Michael
        It's never too soon to start reading Christmas romance books.  At least for me.  
        Because they are my jam. 

8.     Girls Like Me / Lola StVil
        I've really been getting into angsty YA this year.  No idea why.  This one sounds a little 
        more upbeat what we'll see.

9.     Being Miss Nobody / Tamsin Winter
        Being kind of a weirdo myself I can totally relate to Rosalind in this book.  And I love the 
        cover too.  Because yes somedays we all feel like that.

10.    Writing

         I actually did some, so there.  Maybe not a lot but still there were sentences.  Even if 
         they probably didn't make much sense.  We'll just have to see how this month goes. 

All Things Bio: From Biospheres to Biodomes

As with most of our Canadian travel plans we picked Montreal because it was on the map and seemed like the sort of place one should go to if one was doing a holiday in Canada.  Our holiday planning as you can see is very well thought out and researched... 

Arriving in Montreal the first thing you'll noticed is that French is spoken everywhere, probably even more so than English, which meant that I had to pull out my very rusty, very bad French to help us get by.  Not as scary as it sounds and actually quite fun once you start to give it a go.

Montreal in itself is like a cross between Toronto and Ottawa with high rise buildings and shops and malls intermingled with lots of really big parks and green spaces and even an wider river.

All of which meant that once again we did a ton of walking.  

Because yes that's what we do on our holidays, partly because it's good exercise and a way of clearing our heads but mostly because it's a great way to see a place at your own pace.

A looming great sphere that rises out above the trees at Parc Jean-Drapeau, the Biosphere.  had caught our attention the moment we had arrived in Montreal so naturally we had to check it out.

The sphere doesn't actually have a great deal going on inside it except a few exhibits about the environment, most of which were made up of photos.  But that's okay because it's more fascinating to look at the actual Biosphere.

At least for 5 minutes or so.

After that you can spend the next hour having a pleasant walk around the park, topped off with a picnic lunch in a nice shady spot before heading back into the city.

From there it was then a trip out to the Biodome.  

Yes more circular buildings.  What can I say.  Montreal seems to be filled with funny looking buildings. This one though is part of what was the Olympic Park which nows houses several exhibitions which makes for an interesting day out.

Pretty much everyone else thought so too hence be prepared for lots and lots of people.  And though crowds and noise aren't really our sort of thing we did still manage to have a few enjoyable hours looking at all the different habitats that make up the Biodome.

For me the puffins were my absolute favourite.

I mean look at them.  How cute are they.

Of course if puffins aren't your thing then there are a handful of really interesting museums in Montreal which are definitely worth checking out.

We spent an enjoyable day first at the Pointe-a-Calliere which is a fascinating archaeological museum that takes you underground.  History nerd that I am I really liked this and loved seeing a real life archaeological dig.

It goes down about 3 levels so you really get a feel for the whole site. 

Carrying on with the history theme Redpath Museum is another fascinating museum filled with all kinds of skeletons and fossils.  Even the inside look of the building has an old Victorian feel to it and makes you think you are stepping back into time.

Once you're finished with all things old and dusty you can then have a nice walk through the McGill University campus before heading out to an even nicer dinner.

Cherry pancakes.

Naturally, of course.

Book Talk: All The YA

It's probably no surprise that with all this free time I've suddenly got (aka life with no job) that I've been doing a massive amount of reading.  After all there's nothing more relaxing that curling up on the sofa on a cold and wet winters day with a good book and a hot cuppa.  Not that my reading has slowed down now that the sun is making a more regular appearance.  Warm sun, a good book and a hot cuppa is just as good.  And a perfect excuse to not deal with any housework.  

So it seems only fair that I share with you some of the books that have caught my attention.

Allegedly by Tiffany Jackson

Did Mary really kill a baby?

Everyone seems to think so and this book keeps you wondering all the way through.  It's one of those harrowing reads that makes you keep turning page after page dying to know the outcome.

I couldn't put it down and the ending will not be something you'll be expecting. 

Countless by Karen Gregory

Hedda is pregnant.  Hedda is also anorexic.  Torn between the two Hedda has to decide.

Two difficult subjects dealt in completely realistic ways.  It's painful but hopeful at the same time.

Don't touch by Rachel Wilson

"Step on a crack, break your mother's back,
Touch another person's skin, and Dad's gone for good . . ."

Caddie has always played games in her head to cope with her surroundings—but it's never been this bad before.  Soon, despite the heat, she's covering every inch of her skin and wearing evening gloves to school.

OCD in all it's awkward and quirky glory.

Everything All At Once by Katrina Leno 

When Lottie's Aunt leaves her a series of letters and instructions she finds her quiet life upended in a way she never thought possible.

A magical book about the power of stories and life and love and the sacrifices we sometimes make.

How To Disappear by Sharon Huss Roat 

Vicky Decker’s social anxiety has helped her to master the art of hiding in plain sight.  But when her only friend moves away, Vicky’s isolation becomes unbearable. So she decides to invent a social life by Photoshopping herself into other people’s photos and posting them on Instagram.  

Wonderful and sad and heart-breaking, I pretty much cried through most of the way through this book.

Juniper Lemon's Happiness Index by Julie Israel

65 days after the death of her older sister Juniper Lemon discovers a letter addressed to “You” that her sister wrote the day she died.  Knowing nothing of this You, Juniper becomes determined to find out who it is and deliver the letter to them.  

But what Juniper doesn’t expect is that in searching for You she will unearth other notes and secrets.

Love and Other Alien Experiences by Kerry Winfrey

Mallory hasn't left the house in 67 days and instead attends classes via the webcam in her home.  Hiding out in her house feels much safer than going out into the real world - but that's all about to change when she's surprisingly nominated for homecoming queen.

What's an agoraphobic to do when she can no longer hide from the outside world?

Some boys by Patty Blount

Grace cried rape... and no one believed her.  Instead everyone, including her own family, turns against her making her life hell.  Only Ian seems to want to know what really happened but can Grace ever trust anyone again, especially a boy who is best friends with the boy who raped her.

A brutal and honest look at rape and the culture of victim blaming.

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

What would you do if  you were 17 but your only memories where from when you were 10?  What would you do if one day you kiss a boy and that one memory holds on?  Wouldn't you travel the ends of the Earth looking for that boy in the hope that he's the key to restoring all your memories and making you normal again?

Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks does just that and along the way discovers much more about herself and those closest to her. 

I totally loved this book.

A Canal, A River and Building Tours Galore

I know right?  Who goes to Ottawa except Canadians.  

Oh right, we do.  Because why not.

And yes our reasons for going to Ottawa really were pretty simple.  It was on the map and didn't look that far from Toronto (which it isn't) so why not pay it a visit.  So we did.

Now I'll be the first to say that Ottawa isn't the kind of place that you'll rave about to your friends.  It's kind of quiet and laid back for a capital city and not that big.  Having said that though it's still a quite a nice place to spend a couple of days or so.

Once again we walked heaps.  Though this time I had a brand new pair of cheap-but-comfy bright pink sneakers which made the whole walking for miles thing so much easier.  

Especially when walking a large portion of the Rideau Canal walkaway.

The canal goes all the way through Ottawa and walking along it's path ways is a great way to enjoy the city.  It's pretty and surprisingly quiet and peaceful and you get to see all the sights away from the noise and pollution of the city traffic.

Walking along it's banks in the early hours of the morning under clear blue skies really is a perfect way to start the day.

And if you're like me and never seen locks opening and closing before you'll also find the whole thing quite fascinating.

The canal leads into Ottawa river which divides the town into two but luckily the pathway continues all the way along it and over and back again.

Once you're on the other side of the river you get amazing views of the city.

After all that walking we decided to visit the Canadian Museum of Civilisation which if you're expecting to learn a lot about Canadian history with some cool displays (like we hoped) you'll instead be confronted with mostly huge empty rooms containing some totems and the odd mural.

Very disappointing and so not worth the effort.

Something that is far more interesting are the free guided tours of the Parliament Building, the Supreme Court of Canada and Library and Archives Canada. 
You have to book for these and security is pretty tight.  It's like going through airport security so be prepared.  But aside from that the tours are definitely worth going on, even if you're only mildly interested in politics and law and are a great way to wile away a morning or afternoon. 

And if after all that you're still feeling energetic you can always do another loop of the canal/river walkway.  

Septembers Plans and August's Outcomes

Have I told you how much leaving my job has been the best thing?  Because it really has been.  And filling my days has really not been a problem at all, something that quite a few friends and family and ex-colleagues ask me.

There was the massive clearing and cleaning which I mentioned last month which led into selling some of those cleared out things online; a task which involves taking photos, posting ads, emails arranging for pickup or postage followed by the reward of money in my hands, so time consuming but totally worth it.

Then there's all the reading.  And I'm doing a lot of reading.  Like seriously a lot.  The result being that my To-Be-Read pile is going down incredibly fast.  I'm actually getting closer and closer to being under 3 digits for the first time ever.  Though that doesn't count by other To-Be-Read pile which is sitting in my ebook account.  But we won't talk about that.  We all know that I have a very massive reading addiction, and if you didn't, well you do now.

Aside from the reading I've also been walking pretty much every day, baring thunderstorms and things, so I'm pretty happy with that and am even thinking of adding some other form of exercise.

In between all of that I've sorted several folders and files on my laptop (another time consuming but necessary job), done a little bit of family research, discovered a few new places around where I live and generally catched up on all those fiddling little errands that you never seem to get around to.

1.    Traditional Swedish knitting patterns : 40 motifs and 20 projects / Maja Karlsson  
        I'm really loving all things Scandinavian at the moment, along with about 100 million 
        other people so not all that new and interesting.  But still despite that there is something 
        about their knitting motifs that appeals to me.  Lingerings of my Viking heritage perhaps.
2.    40 colorful afghans to crochet : a collection of eye-popping stitch patterns, blocks & 
        projects / Leonie Morgan
        I haven't done any crocheting since I was a teenager so I'm not too sure how this one
        will pan out.  I am though still very tempted to give it a go.  Because look at all the pretty 
        patterns and blankets I could make. 
3.     Mittens from Norway : over 40 traditional knitting patterns / Nina Grandlune Saether 
        More things Scandinavian.  This time mittens because how cute are the ones on the 
        cover.
4.     The Bat / Jo Nesbo
         Continuing on with the Scandinavian theme I'm finally working my way through the 
         Harry Hole books.  Somehow I never got around to reading them before but with a 
         Harry Hole movie coming out soon - which by the way looks totally awesome, at least 
         from the trailer - it seemed like the right time to finally dive in.
5.     The other girl / Erica Spindler
         I really like the sound of this one.  Ritualistic murder, a University setting, cop with her 
         own tragic past; it all sounds gritty and dark and totally me.  I've read and enjoyed one 
         of her books in the past so I have high hopes for this one.
6.     Notorious / Allison Brennan
         Another series and author I've been meaning to read and to which I am finally getting 
         around to.   This one is features a detective who investigates cold cases. 

7.      Blackwing / Ed McDonald
         I haven't had much luck with fantasy novels, other than loving nearly everything that 
         Joe Abercrombie writes, so I'm trying not to get too excited by this one. 
8.      Astrophysics for people in a hurry / Neil deGrasse Tyson
         I love Neil DeGrasse Tyson.  He's one of those people who makes science so 
         interesting and understandable to those of us with less than sciencey brains.  I really 
         wanted to see him when he came out here recently but sadly I decided to not go *sob, 
         sob sob* and kept my money for life-with-no-job.  Mutter, mutter, mutter.
9.      A Christmas for Carrie / Alison Packard
         And finally something totally frivolous just because I can. 

10.     Write more
          This is so close.  My head is not only full with ideas but has actually started forming 
          words and sentences.  Yay my brain.  I'm sensing that this is a month where I will 
          finally sit down and write words on a page.  Yeah, yeah you can laugh all you like.  It's 
          going to happen I tell you.

Water, Water, Water Everywhere

If you're going to Toronto then a visit to Niagara is pretty much a must see.  Yes it's very touristy and yes it can get pretty crowded but it's still pretty neat to see and you can really make a day or two of it if you plan it right.

Unfortunately we didn't.

So lesson learned.  Don't believe everything you read and never trust a timetable.  Especially a Canadian timetable. We did and ended up losing several hours of valuable never-going-to-get-back sightseeing time.

Number One tip:  Don't take the VIA Rail Canada Niagara Express train that goes from Toronto.  This train is always late, like ALWAYS.  It might call itself the Express but as it crosses over the border to the US and has to go through customs both ways it's always delayed.  So avoid.  

Instead take one of the local Go-Transit trains from Toronto.  It's cheaper and much quicker and you'll get to spend as much time as you like - you could even opt to stay the night there and go back to Toronto the following day (something we wished we had done instead).

On the plus side the Falls really are wonderful to see.

Arriving at the the Niagara Falls train station you'll be forgiven for thinking you've landed in no-mans land and that you're gonna be fed to the local wildlife aka bears.  Because yes the train station is pretty much in the middle of nowhere on the edge of a decrepit looking town that looks like the only people living there are ghosts and serial killers.  Blame the imagery on me watching way too many crime shows and Supernatural.

Luckily there is are regular buses to save you from this fate and will whisk you away to civilisation, i.e. all things touristy and gimmicky and watery.

There is heaps to see and do and you could really make it a total Niagara Falls immersion if you wanted to by doing it all.  Really though the Falls are pretty impressive in just themselves.  

Not being a particularly touristy tourist we skipped on all the watery things like the Maid of the Mist etc. and instead walked along the promenade taking endless photos of the Falls and having the occasional snack break in the pretty park that ran alongside the walk.

After taking photos of the Falls from every angle possible just because I could we then made our way to Niagara-on-the-Lake.  It's a bit tricky getting there (you have to take a taxi as there are no buses) but the village is super pretty and it's just lovely to walk around and admire all the lovely buildings.

And if after all that you still feel like more things to see and do there are a range of walks and museums and attractions that you can take your pick of which makes spending the night either at the Falls or nearby a very attractive proposition.  Apparently seeing the Falls in the evening is pretty magical.

I'm definitely planning on going back one day and seeing some more.

And no I won't be taking the Niagara Express train.

Finally A Travel Post

This time last year I was counting down the days to my holiday in Canada.  Who knew that a year later I would be unemployed and finally writing about it - the holiday I mean.  Once again I am the mistress of procrastination.

In the spirit of complete honesty I am not the most adventurous traveller.  In fact I am the complete opposite.  I like a comfy bed and a nice room, preferably with room service and a hot tub; and if not at the very least a functional toilet.  No swatting in bushes, praying that some stranger won't come across you or being eaten alive by all things swarming for me thanks very much.  

I am also not a travel blogger.  My photos won't do any of the places I visited justice and are more likely to look lopsided than anything else.  I definitely won't have any insightful insights into what I have seen.  Instead my words will probably be filled with lots of pretty this and lovely that and all in all will read like a boring manual.

What can I say.  In my head I have all sorts of amazing words and stories but on paper it comes out kind of meh.  Which is kind of tragic really as I love reading funny, quirky travel memoirs so I'll apologise in advance for anything boring or meh.

Toronto was the starting place for our travels and is a pretty cool place.  It's a city with all the things a city has to offer. 

I went with very little idea of what I wanted to see, other than a visit to Niagara Falls (partner's choice).  Which was kind of good on one hand as it meant we just stumbled onto to things as we found them but which also meant that we missed out on some neat sights which I will definitely want to do, when and if I go back.

Getting around Toronto was fairly simple.  It's a surprisingly easy to get around on foot and public transport is there if you need it.   And if you're really stuck you can always try the Hop On Hop Off Bus, though personally I wouldn't recommend it.  You're probably just end up walking anyway if you do go on it as the buses on this service seem to take forever to get to stops and when they do they are usually full to bursting which means even more waiting until the next bus arrive.  We tried it once and went back to walking.

We walked everywhere.  Great for the fitness but not so great for the feet, which ended up being a throbbing mess by the end of each day.   My so-called comfy shoes ended up being not so comfy after all.  

As for things to see and do the Waterfront seemed like a nice place to start.  From here there are a myriad of things you can do, from going up the CNN Tower to visiting the aquarium or The Hockey Hall of Fame.  None of which sounded all that appealing to us so we opted for a walk along the Waterfront.

On a sunny day it's a pleasant walk along the boardwalk plus you get lovely views across the lake to the island.  Which is where we headed off to next.  We went on a Harbour Cruise which is totally cheesey and touristy but also seemed a nice way to spend a hot, sunny day.  Even better we could do a stopover on the island for an hour or so.  A perfect way to get away from the city and the crowds and still enjoy amazing views.

A day of sun and sea was followed by a day of history and food.  First up a visit to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) which turned out a nice way to spend a couple of hours.  I recommend the dinosaur and the Egyptian exhibits which were fascinating.  Even better go and visit on a Friday after 4.30pm and you only have to pay half price. 

In fact many of the city's museums and galleries have free or half price admissions on certain evenings so I would definitely check these out if art, etc. is your kind of thing.

If you're like me and love looking at food then wandering around St Lawrence Market is another interesting thing to do.  Not only is it free but the food is mouth watering.  My only problem was deciding what yummy thing to buy.  It took me ages and even then I brought not one or even two but three totally-bad-for-me-but-totally-delicious bakery things.  Sometimes you just have to indulge.

The area around the market is also neat to walk around as there are some wonderful old red brick buildings to look at even for a non architecture person like myself and it was a great way to burn off some of those extra calories I had just eaten.

And that was Toronto.

A city of glass and steel and wonderful old red brick buildings and tree-lined streets.