Summer Solstice

i spent a great deal of time last week being sad about leaving.  It's tough when you're happy somewhere to move on & here, in this Canadian yurt, i'm REALLY happy.  Having been travelling since 2004, i've finally found somewhere i could settle.  Except i can't because my visa is finishing & the yurt is rented to someone else for the summer.  Thus, once again, i shall stuff my things into a backpack & venture into the unknown.  But that's not for a few days yet.  There's still a few days left for Antoine & i to play here together (he will spend the summer in an apartment in Gaspé town).

Anyway, i'd rather be sharing with you what's been going this glorious past weekend.  For glorious it was!  

The beach 15 mins walk from the yurt.

As soon as Antoine got home from work on Friday night, we celebrated the solstice by taking the bikes to the nearby beach of Seal Cove. We didn't actually think there were any seals there...but just before we left, something jumped out of the water.  Twice.  It seemed to have 2 tails, so we think they were either playing or being amorous. 




 



A Day on the Beach with The Worm

Saturday's weather was

the worm stick = hours of laughter

stunning.  We packed a picnic & took a trip to the local beach.  On the beach we amused ourselves with a stick.  Like this...

We recreated a Scottish mythical beast...can you guess which one?

Laughter is a must when the worm looks at your ~ your turn!

We danced alone on the beach at sunset.  It felt like Thailand, until we went in the sea ~  then it felt like Canada again!




Les Enfants du Parc Forillon
The following day we woke

Parc Forillon, Gaspé

up ridiculously early for a Sunday & went to the National Park.  We hiked a small loop through the forest & ate a splendiferous picnic (yay Antoine!) overlooking views like this...
Afterwards it was time for more whale watching.  i sat for another hour and a half in the sunshine, with my eyes glued to the expansive golden water.  Antoine slept next to me on the trail.  i saw no whales, but the water had a wonderfully calming affect & allowed me to work through a lot of the feelings i have about leaving.  i love the sea.

My legs began to ache so i stood & walked around.  As i turned to face away from the water, i noticed what i thought was a horse stomping through the tall grass 10 metres away.  Then i realised 'That's no horse! That's a moose!"

"Antoine!  Antoine!" i called.  But the moose heard me long before Antoine did.  Turning it large head around to stare at me.  Eventually Antoine surfaced from siesta~ville & sat up.  We both noticed the baby at the same time:  only its ears & eyes visible as it trotted to keep up with its striding mama.

"Be careful" Antoine warned "We have to be ready to run."  But i felt so peaceful, there was no way this gentle giant was suddenly going to charge at us (we were by the edge of a cliff).  After a beautiful moment of meaningful eye~contact, she was off...the baby in tow.

And most likely because the park wished to compensate for the hiatus in whales, on our drive out of the park we saw a baby bear - just for a minute! 

***
Beach Party
That night there was a party on the beach.  Once again it felt like Thailand, except with campervans!  Fireworks, full moon, dancing, singing, chatting.  One man welcomed Antoine & i to build a yurt in the forest on his land.  It may have been the beer talking & perhaps it will never come to fruition, still i was deeply touched by his offer.  His land is stunning, high up, overlooking the sea. 

i was extra happy this night because after 1 or 2 beers i managed to speak 98% French (& was understood about 73% of the time!).  Those are passing grades people!

That busted open thing, that's the player!

Impromptu 8-Track Party
Also, sometime last week we busted out the 8-track player that Antoine fixed & hooked up to our awesome speakers.  Our Japanese friend, Satchi, was visiting & we all grooved our way through a huge collection of 8-tracks, from 70s disco, to Québecois crooners to Hendrix/Floydesq stuff...What was especially magical, is that the tapes were so old, that after they play once, they break.  So each listen was the last.  It was trés poetic.

8 Tracks

 
Onwards... 
Having been following this nomadic lifestyle (minus the yurt) for quite a few years now, i am very familiar with the emotions of leaving & moving on.  i know that it's the *transition* part which is the most challenging.  Once i arrive in the next destination, i'll be fine, but the packing & unknown aspects always rock my world.


This summer i am looking forward to:
~ seeing my family (including one brother i haven't seen for 3 years!) 
~ spending time with friends in Scotland (Emma, Claire & Chris, David...) 
~ showers & hot running water
~ extra long daylight hours
~ visiting my angel~sisters, one in Finland & one in Belgium
~ seeing friends briefly in London (Katie, Simon & Sonya & Pete!)
~ getting Antoine up to Scotland & all the fun we'll have there
~ making more crystals & finding work to put money in my account to fuel my journey to India to meet my soul-family, the Lhashikamos! & most likely up to Nepal too, for the beloved Annapurna mountains & crystal~weaver, Aya.

There's a great song in my head just now, repeating itself like a mantra: "i believe in the good things coming..." wanna hear more?...

Just to wrap up, i'd like to say how much i love this amazing human being...

Wild Life

A couple of mornings ago i was awoken to what sounded like Dodo Rouge tap-dancing on the yurt.  Somehow the squirrel had managed to locate the precise position above where our sleepy heads where & commenced his routine.  It sounded like he was also gnawing his way through the rope he'd climbed up (perhaps he wanted to free fall or bungee back down?).  We called out "Dodo Rouge, it's too early for breakfast...let us sleep".  But he continued, until Antoine gently punched repeatedly at the soft, insulated roof.  It probably felt like a minor earthquake in the squirrel's world and he vacated the premises.

Side note ~ On the subject of earthquakes, one friend suggested that a tiny earthquake may have caused our water container to jump off its shelf in the middle of the night last week.  (More plausible that most of your suggestions, Peter! ~see that post's comments)

***
Park Forillon

En route to the end of the world...

We've done lots of fantastic stuff this week, to celebrate Antoine's short holiday before he starts working on Monday.

An excursion with the local walking group to Park Forillon (where Antoine will be working). The weather was thoroughly Scottish (i.e. rain) but we had the right clothes.  We saw lots of wildlife...a small army (dispersed throughout the trail) of Porcupines ("Porkypigs"/porc-épic en français!), who kind of shuffle around slowly.  In response to photographs they often throw up their quills, reminiscent of a punky peacock. 

There was also lots of evidence

Porcupine - new playmate for Dodo Rouge?

of moose (the Grandma friendly way of saying Moose Ca-ca).  We also saw bear caca.  Lots and lots of bear caca.  Old bear caca.  Medium old bear caca.  And fresh bear caca.  Then we saw a bear.  To be honest i didn't want to see a bear.  i wanted to see whales (we were walking along the coast where there are whales).  However, not to be ungrateful to nature for its gifts, because it was pretty wild to see a bear.  Especially because it was at a safe distance & just chowing down on some foliage.  He looked up at us, but didn't seem to care about our presence.  After about 5 minutes we moved on.

This bear is larger than he looks in the pic

Even dogs are happy at the end of the world!

Edible seaweed!

We arrived at 'the end of the world' around 3pm, with suitably apocalyptic weather.  Indulge me in playing tour guide for a moment...Gaspé (where This Canadian Yurt is situated) takes its name from Cespeg which means 'Land's end' in the traditional language of the indigenous Mi'kmaq people.  The cliffs where we were standing were the end (or the beginning) of the Appalachian Mountains before they dive under water & resurface in New Foundland...or so wikipedia tells me.  In the other direction they apparently stretch all the way down to Georgia.


On the walk back i was talking about my first Reiki initiation, when i saw my first whale!  It silently surfaced, curved & slipped, diving beneath the water.  A dream discovered.

~~~The photos from Parc Forilion were taken by Christine Aspiros (thank you!)~~~

***
Whale Watching

The beach

We returned to a beach in this national park with the intention of seeing more whales.  We brought coffee in thermos, baklava & a picnic.  There was a lot of waiting, which was wonderful - the warm sun, lapping easy sea.  We watched as Northern Gannet birds dive bombed the water:  each splash drawing my eyes & heart, which lept wondering if it was a whale blowing water! 

Part of Antoine's whale dance

In order to encourage the whales to make an appearance, we did whale dances.  This didn't work.  i tried chanting as though at an american football, ice hockey or shinty match but apparently these whales weren't sports fans. i also used EFT/Tapping (to get over my expectations & desire to see a whale), but Antoine suggested perhaps the whales were also beneath the water tapping on their fear of seeing us.

Whale watching

After 3 hours when we spotted a whale, i whooped for lack of better expression.  It may've
been the playing of my kalimba (African Harp/Piano) which finally enticed the whale to surface & breathe.  It wasn't quite like seeing the killer whale Shamu at SeaWorld when i was 8, but the feeling of awe was similar.


Mount Pudding Stone

Bubbles at Mount Pudding Stone

Yesterday we walked up Mount Pudding Stone (400m apx!).  Incredibly beautiful views from the top.  i'm so in love with the nature here.  i got to drive down the bumpy, dirt tracks, dodging stones & ditches - rally style except at 15km an hour!


This Canadian Yurt Neighbours
We went to visit a neighbour.  His wife's just opened up a Vet practice & Antoine wanted to give her some photos for her practice.  The neighbour gave us some honey from his bees and a car.  We baked him some bread, but it still feels like the balance is slightly off.  It's going to be wonderful to have a 'new' car.  The one we've been driving, we start with a screwdriver & its sounding more like a jet engine each day.  i can hear Antoine about a kilometre before he arrives.

Wading in Beaver Creek

Truthfully *THIS* is prime real estate!

The highlight of thisweek was jumping in a freezing cold, snow-melt fueled creek.  Actually, you can't 'jump' in.  You must 'wade', which doesn't sound nearly as cool.  Although truthfully it's so much more challenging than saying 'let's do this' & plunging.  When you wade in, you have to get your feet all muddy whilst navigating over sharp rocks & branches.  You have to will yourself forwards and let the snow-melt, rush past & climb gradually up your legs one inch at a time.  Until it reaches your thighs and you think...nah, it's TOO COLD & run out of the water.  Knowing that you're just going to have to do it all over, because once you've got *that* wet, you're gonna do it.
Antoine went in first & he ran out first (Mediterranean blood).  i've had plenty of experience bathing in freezing cold glacial melt streams in the Himalaya - but in those moments, i remind myself how sacred & healing the waters are.  This time, i couldn't convince myself and i ran out straight after him.

Of course, once he'd actually dunked his head under, run out convulsing & claimed first dibs on the only towel we'd brought (damn...) - well, i knew it was my turn.

i stood up to my hips in the deepest part of Beaver Creek.  (i bestowed the name Beaver Creek 18 months before based on one brief sighting.  Because, as a European - who has neither 'beavers' nor 'creeks' - it always felt like an authentic Canadian name. 
**Footnote - my brother read this post & corrected me that we *DO* in fact have 'loads of beavers' in scotland.  i did not know that.  we probably have creeks too ;) 
The late afternoon sun on my face, i pleaded with my knees to bend, so i could submerge the rest of my body in this icy flow & have the whole thing over.  i reminded myself that all water is holy water.  i tried to call into memory how stinkin' hot i'd been all day as the yurt had transformed into a sauna.  My knees cooperated & i dunked my head under 3 times.

i came out of the water about 20x faster than i'd gone in & didn't even notice that our, thick, fluffy towel was wet.

***
Antoine and i sat with our backs against a tree, chatting & drinking in the last of the sunshine.  

"A beaver"  Antoine pointed.  i saw something moving downstream between the bushes submerged in the creek. it could've been a branch, so i tried not to get too excited.  

Next to where we'd been splashing was a small dam.  it's why we'd chosen that spot to 'wade in', because it's deep but not too fast.  i've sat there on many occasions for great lengths of time & i'd never spotted a beaver.

Antoine and i kept watching.  

"Keep still," said Antoine - with his 'i am wilderness guide, i've studied adventure tourism & about indigenous animals' voice.  As the knowledge acquired in his course had allowed him to un-dislocate my knee (which is AWESOME now, by the way!) - i intended to listen to him.  



The beaver reappeared in the

http://www.nicolasdory.com/2010/05/

water and continued downstream until he was in the spot where we'd dunked, just 5 mins before.  He was moving incredibly slowly, so we really had time to watch and enjoy his presence.  It's so special to see animals up close in the wild.  He seemed to be sniffing, then locked onto our location.  Most likely wondered why we're acting like statues:  he swam right over to us.  He stayed their a moment, directly in front of us (we were both whoop-whooping inside).  Then he turned around, so his back was to us & thumped that great big beaver tail into the creek, spraying water at us and swam off.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver

Feeling both dissed & honoured simultaneously, Antoine and i just stared at each other after. it's one of those moments where you're glad to have experienced it with someone else, because it's difficult to describe how magical & special it feels.

i broke the spell with a practical question.
"Do beavers bite?"  i was imagining Jaws.  But in a creek.  With a beaver.  Hey, those things have some teeth on them!  Antoine wasn't so sure.  i had it googled before my hair was even dry.  The answer seems to be - yes, but it's rare.  But all over google, is the story of the Belarusian fisherman who was killed after receiving 2 bites from a beaver!  i also discovered, that the tail splashing, it a display of territory & to cause fear.  Man is the only predator to beaver, so i can only imagine the guts it takes to swim right up to us & defend his home.

Thanks dude for letting us wade in your pool, don't know if i'll be in such a hurry to come for another dip. 

******
Other yurt goings on have included...

Unexpected daffodils erupting outside.

* Making a trailer for our short film, Oeil-De-Mère:  
* Reading most of 'The Joy Luck Club' which is a fantastic book.
* Realising fried plantains (kind of like bananas) are an excellent accompaniment to veggie Mexican black bean stew.
* Collecting Labrador Tea in an adventurous, swampy, solo walk in the woods surrounding Beaver Creek.  (It is now drying in the sun.) 
* Giving Reiki to a stressed cat, who is a blessed and wonderful friend to their family for 13 years. 
* Getting my shoulders & legs sun-burnt as i basked in Spring sunshine.
* Hosted another meditation circle last night in the yurt...lots of fun!

* i've also finally come to terms with the fact that Dodo-Rouge was more of a couch-surfer than a long-term tenant.  Since we were gone over the weekend of the film shoot & didn't leave him any crumbs - he seems to have moved on.  i imagine him chatting up the squirrel-ladies telling them about the 'sweet pad' he lived in & how internationally famous he is & how there are over 500 photos of him!

hanging laundry outside!

This blog is dedicated to Grandma who celebrates her birthday tomorrow.  She had a picture on the back of her bathroom door when i was a child, of an otter (kind of like a beaver) waving & saying 'hi mom'.  Grandma also has the best names for pets...Thisby (black lab), Perriwinkle ('runt' of a black lab litter), Gargantua (tortoise), Bentley (grey macaw parrot), Seraphina (basset hound), Sally-Patches (adopted mixed dog, originally named Sally, from the local fishman), Tibby-Tibby-Tuskins (pet goat?!), Raggy bag & Peggy leg (2 cockatiels, one missing an eye, the other a leg), Magic (adopted, prenamed black lab), Duncan (pre-named predecessor to Bentley) & she'll be celebrating her 87th birthday with Tess, a pre-named, much loved lab rescued from a game-keeper.  After reading this, Mum has also added...

Finkle was a chipmunk. Frobisher was a terrapin. Nimbus was a budgie. Tupper was a cocker spaniel. Sunday, Flopper and  Pounder were cats. You would have to ask Grandma what they called the 8 black lab puppies cos I simply can't remember!!

It's an age thing but I bet Grandma at 87 will remember!!!!!

Grandma inspired me to travel, and probably regretted it, as i adopted to the feral, nomadic life!  She also asked me one of the most pertinent questions of my life 'what are you contributing to the world?' in 2005, which prompted me to pack my bag & head to Pakistan to volunteer after the earthquake there.

Grandma writes the best emails, tells great stories, has been doing yoga before i was born & quit a computer class at the local library, when they insulted her by trying to tell her which way round to hold a mouse - she already knew how to skype!

Thank you Grandma, you are a legend!

Sunshine Shoot

i'll make you a star, baby!

This past week, we skipped right over Spring & landed feet first in Summer.  Today marks one week of continuous sunshine from sunrise to sunset.  i am deLIGHTed.

We used the sunshine well...we were making a short-film.  Antoine's part of a college film collective & i got involved.  After realising that playing the lead in fluent French, is really asking a bit too much of me...i was happy to take on the role of organiser. It felt really crazy to take the Project Manager part of me off the dusty shelf & go fully into that clipboard, schedules, logistics, people management world.

filming outside the museum

Gaspé is a dream place to shoot films.  The community here are so supportive of all projects.  Tim Hortons (Canadian dunkin donuts) gave us free stuff for breakfast, the Museum let us shoot inside for 4 hours, a local junk yard stopped their machinery & we filmed inside a scrapped yellow school bus.  The locations were so perfect.

One of the 'sets' i dressed, inside a scrapped school bus for a crazy scientist. 
photo credit: Jean-Sébastien Pelletier

What i realised was how great it is to work as part of a team.  Being one who genuinely loves spending time alone, i can forget how fantastic it is
to be "involved".  i also observed how far i push myself when working on a common goal, compared to solo-projects.  it also seems part of a whole winter-spring-summer thang.

Antoine in his Director's hat ;)

 

Rolling around in the dirt, getting the costumes all apocalyptic!  Which was great because we ended up having enough extras, so i wasn't even needed!

i loved also that we were a really mixed cast - Lebanese,  Colombian, French, Quebecois, Belgium & Scottish!

i did take a small role, just so i could wear a fancy dress & make faces like a soap-opera actress!

There are photos of the shoot on facebook (& i'll post them below)
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10152746655425136.1073741827.877510135&type=1&l=aecad668c2 

We were so lucky to be working with a pro from Montréal, who guided us, without taking over.  He's now devoting this week to editing the whole thing for us.  Not sure when it will make a vimeo appearance, but you guys will find out!  (UPDATE: watch the trailer here!)

Last night was Beltane...

meditation was better than photo!

...so i held a meditation circle in the yurt.  13 of us piled in, which was incredible.  it was quite a few people's first time meditating & i feel so honoured to introduce folks to meditation, especially in an environment like This Canadian Yurt.  The yurt's buzzin' today with all those great vibrations!  It will become a weekly meditation circle at least until the college year finishes in a few weeks.

Squirrel News...
We haven't seen Dodo-Rouge since before the shoot.  We were gone for so long & didn't put scraps out for him.  i'm concerned that he may've taken it personally.  Antoine thinks he's out searchin' for da ladies.  i can just imagine him trying to describe his pad (& neighbours) to all the squirrel-lasses!  i hope he comes back soon.  However, there are now an orchestra of birds surrounding the yurt & a cacophony of frogs in a tiny pond next to the house.  i thought it was some kind of weird siren last night, but they are frogs.  i hope antoine doesn't start eating them...what with being French and all...  

There is also another crazy noise.  It honestly sounds like someone starting up a lawnmower, or trying unsuccessfully to get a car engine running.  i listened to it for an entire Sunday admiring their diligence to get the thing going.  But when i heard it at 2.30am i asked Antoine.  Apparently it's a bird, which is stomping its feet to create vibrations which attract the ladies.  i love nature!  

i feel so unbelievably grateful to be here.  and also a huge thank you for all the positive feedback & comments from those of you who read this; each message is really touching.

Here's some more photos from the shoot:

A LOT of Snow

i love the more traditional snow shoes.

i’m not exaggerating when i say there was A LOT of snow yesterday.  i know i'm telling the truth because we had to put on snowshoes to go to the toilet. 

The snow was almost halfway up our door when we woke up, which meant *climbing* out of the yurt, in snowshoes, in order to go to the toilet!

How many steps to the toilet?

Wet feet!  Next time put on snowshoes AND gaters to go to toilet!

i've omitted the image of me peeing.  But i tell you squatting over a bucket full of sawdust, whilst wearing snowshoes & brushing snow from the toilet paper *is** a pretty amusing image!

Antoine rocking the snowy look.

there be icicles on these here prayer flags!

We donned our neon ski suits/all in ones (that some may remember from our 2 idiots in Québec bollywood film!) and went for an epic adventure in the forest. 

We took lots of great photos, but we're attempting to do something different with them.  If it works you'll get to see the results, otherwise i'll post the photos here.

Thought this Canadian yurt looked like a cake, so i added a cherry to it!