It's the end of the yurt as we know it (and i feel...)

i'm not ready to write this post.  Mostly because it will probably be my last one from This Canadian Yurt.  But also because i'm writing this sitting in a bikini in Scotland (i know!!!). 

Antoine, Manu & Scott

The last weekend was incredible.  My friend, Jennifer, in Montréal sent us a party.  It arrived in the form of her musician brother, Scott & his friend, Manu.  Our yurt neighbours were having friends over that night, so we floated the idea of a pot luck dinner & amalgamated forces.  Manu made sweet potato gnocci.  When guest numbers had dwindled a bit, Scott pulled out his guitar & belted out some of his tunes.  He has been touring around in Canada & Europe for quite a while.  He played & sang until the sky became lighter.  i danced barefoot on the grass & gave thanks for the months of having a home & for the blessed, wild nature that is Gaspé.  We all danced together in a circle for the last song, then another last song, then...it was time to sleep.

Packing is a messy business

We made a great brunch & ate all together outside the yurt.  i wanted to record some of Scott's songs (link at end of this post).  i felt okay about leaving, grateful for all the distractions of people & packing.  it took until around 9.30pm before i became upset about leaving the yurt & Antoine.  But there wasn't really time for it, as we were having a pizza party at the house.  It turned into a midnight pizza party because Scott really knew how to cook proper pizza dough & it needed to rest for a while.  Absolutely divine pizza.  We bedded down on our last night together in the yurt at about 2am, with the alarm set for 4.30am, so i could make my 6am bus.

Walking out of the yurt was incredibly painful.  i was truly sobbing.  i remembered my friend, Aya's words "Earth Pilgrim".  For so long i have been lucky enough to have been travelling all over this beautiful planet & the yurt had given me a home of my own for a while, but it was time to wander on.  Again.  i could feel the support of my friends as i left.  ~*~ thank you ~*~

2hrs of sleep + moments before we say 'adieu'

Surprisingly it was easier to say goodbye to Antoine!  i knew it wasn't going to be too long a break & things feel so great between us.  {He actually booked his flights to Scotland yesterday for September!}  And so, only slightly teary, i got on the 16 hour bus to Montréal.

Through the whole transition, i felt like i moved from one angel wing to another.  i arrived at my friends Mackenzie & Jean's home in Montréal.  They were so welcoming & hospitable (even with their 4 month 'nugget' in the belly!) ~ they really set the vibe for the whole transition back to Scotland.  

Montréal street art

The following day i hung out with my dear friend, Jennifer, who's an incredible artist, healer, priestess, wonder~woman living in Montréal with her awesome dog, Kali.  After chatting in her studio, enjoying noodles in China town with Seb & Jessica, we went on a graffiti/street art, mural tour organised by one of the galleries.  Huge, psychedelic, inspiring pieces of art aside of buildings.  Especially incredible to see all the city people after so many months surrounded by trees alone(ish) in a yurt!

Flights to the UK are incredible quick from the east coast ~ just 6.5hrs and i was in London!  So! Many! People!  Total shock.  It was great to arrive at another dear friend, Katie's & meet her 12 week old, Kieran.  Together with Simon, they're such an amazing team, more inspiration!  

my wee brother (& big ben)!

The following day with Peter (my brother) was of course wonderful, he took the day of work & we went to the Tate art gallery.  i was a bit knackered & fell asleep on the grass outside.  In the evening i cooked him a nice veggie Thai curry.  

Sonya Sophia & i burlesquing it up!

London's finale was Sonya Sophia (my EFTteacher & friend) & Simon.  To celebrated her birthday she treated us to a fantastic new Cabernet show 'Limbo'.  We dressed up in burlesque & watched in awe as the small cast swallowed both fire & swords, performed disappearing magic acts, areal chain, sexy tap dancing men, great music, comedy pieces.  My favourite was 3 dancers who stood atop poles (strapped in at the top) & proceeded to rock backwards, then forwards, as the poles bent with them.  They could go so far back that they could touch the audience & dance over our heads.  i'd never even conceived of such performance & it blew my tiny mind.  Awesome!  

Edinburgh royal mile

Up in Scotland i was reunited with Sandy (other brother).  We'd not seen each other for almost 3 years.  The first thing he did was carry my 27.5kg bag across Edinburgh to his flat, where his flatmate had prepared a veggie haggis for us!  YUM.  A nice chat with another friend, David, the following day in the sunny meadows.  In Sandy's flat later that afternoon, i could hear the jubilant cheers as Andy Murray scored sets & finally won Wimbledon tennis.  It's the first time a Scot has ever won.  And perhaps it's to celebrate his victory, but it's been sunny for the last 2 weeks!  i've worn a bikini more this week in Scotland, than all other times combined.

"You two certainly brighten up Perth!" said Grandma

Of course it's wonderful to see Mum, Dad & the rest of the family.  We had a great BBQ as a belated birthday meal for Sandy & Grandma & Emma came round to celebrate.

i have found myself the perfect summer job at a small Scottish, family run cafe in town & have moved into the summerhouse/posh shed at the bottom of my parent's garden (where i happily lived before for around 5 months).  it's almost like a yurt.  it's more like a yurt than a house.  i'm calling it my sort of Scottish yurt.  except it's sort of a yurt, not sort of Scottish, so i'm not sure if i'm allowed that name.

Scottish~Sort~of~Yurt

Inside my new pad

Inside my new pad

Here is a beautiful memory of our last weekend in the yurt:
http://vimeo.com/69519282  
Cougars in America sing-a-song from love thru a lens on Vimeo.
The blonde couple in the video are the 2 who are currently living in the yurt over the summer.

(& there's another vid we made of Scott singing here: http://vimeo.com/70442365)


Silver Shadow, a creation of Cougars In America / Scott Hamilton from love thru a lens on Vimeo.

Also, i've been in touch with the couple currently living in the yurt & Dodo Rouge is still there.  My brother gave me a Dodo Rouge of my own.

Dodo Rouge came with me (thanks Pete!)

Things are going really well, i'm happy.  i hope one day to live in a yurt of my own.  Then i shall start another blog about it, especially if i convince Antoine to build one.  i've loved writing this & am so grateful to all whom read it & especially to those who took a moment to let me know how much they loved it.  Thank you.  If you have any ideas about other things you'd like me to blog about, i'm all ears.

somewhere over the rainbow

Thank you This Canadian Yurt.  Thank you, Antoine, for being the best yurt~partner imaginable.  Thank you family & friends for welcoming me into your lives as i continue on this Earth pilgrimage.

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...

Yurt Video

i've just realised that although i've put lots of love & time into the yurt blog this week, i've omitted to actually write a post.


Yurt Video
Antoine & i made a wee video tour of the yurt.  You can watch it here: www.vimeo.com/lovethrualens/thiscanadianyurt

This Canadian Yurt from love thru a lens on Vimeo.


Yurt Web Pages 
i also created some pages for the yurt, which are intended for people interested in yurt living & the lifestyle of living in a yurt.  

There's one page entitled:  Things i love about living in a yurt
The other is where i try to recall, & answer, the questions people ask a yurt dweller ~ About the Yurt & FAQ


Squirrel Update
i will write soon, about the goings on of this past week (honestly, there have been many tears, as my time in the yurt comes to an end & my imminent departure from the yurt & Antoine, becomes more of a reality).  However, this doesn't feel like a real blog post, without mentioning Dodo Rouge.  This week he's ganged up with a team of chipmunks (Dodo Chipmunks), which live in the wood pile behind the yurt.  They all enjoyed eating the popcorn kernals which didn't pop & were subsequently emptied onto the stoop.  

Chai etc

The first time i ever made chai (spiced &

Rajasthan chai

milky indian tea), was for about 40 people on my first night in San Francisco.  So last weekend making 20 litres (5 gallons) of chai i knew what i was getting myself into...a lot of fun!

My friends, Kamille & Satchi run the local Asian restaurant (GaspAsia).  They're  into community events...like organising a get together each month where people can experience tastes from around the world.  Knowing that i love cooking Indian food, they asked me to help out.

palak paneer, a turban & a pinny!

We cooked in the local college canteen kitchen, which was fantastic because it's set-up for cooking en-mass.  We made: South indian pumpkin curry, Spicy mashed eggplant, Palak Paneer (which was actually palak/spinach & parmesan cubes, as getting paneer round here ain't easy), a Dhal (lentil dish), Raitha (a yogurt tzatziki thing).  And of course chai.  

Kamille was kind enough to 'volunteer' to squeeze all the bitter juices out of the aubergine #bossychef

We got a projector so i could show photos on a big screen!

i gave a presentation on chai culture in India & showed some photos from my time there (i put a selection on Antoine's photo site, link at the bottom). 24 people ate & everyone seemed really happy with the meal...although, as always, people filled up on chai first!
 ***







We also had the pre-

OEil-de-Mère Crew

premier of our short film.  It was great to see the finished result.  Incredible how much work it takes to make a 10 minute film.  Because we're going to enter it into festivals, it won't be available online for a while.  But you can see the trailer here (with rough sound, i need to do a re-edit from the movie footage but can't figure out how to upload the DVD onto final cut - any ideas???)  vimeo.com/lovethrualens/odm-trailer 


***

Yesterday i sat outside the yurt in the drizzle.  After almost 2 weeks of continuous sunshine, i was surprised and confused as the familiar Scottish weather descended.  It has dripped, drizzled & poured for 3 days now.  i love the sound it makes on the yurt.  The sound of camping in Scotland!  It was also a great excuse for lighting the first fire in about a month.  i sat outside in the rain (well, under a tree) and wrote in my journal.  Eventually the page was just too wet and the words were trickling more than forming letters.

As i was sitting there a little creature kept appearing by my feet, squeaking loudly & in annoyance and fleeing.  It did this 3 times.  i called 'Dodo Rouge'???  But i don't think that it was my favourite squirrel.  i like to think he wouldn't have run so quickly.  It was so fast, that it was tough to say whether the blur was a squirrel or mouse.  i named it 'Dodo Vite' (Dodo Quick).  

i did call Dodo Rouge earlier in the week, when i was putting out crumbs, and a while later heard a squirrel calling from some nearby trees.  i like to think that he was telling me that all's good, it was just time for him to leave the nest.

***

We had our weekly meditation at the yurt. (photo by Johanie Bolduc)

***
A selection of my photos from India...

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!