Simply Happy

These last few days have been exhausting for me. I finally started working at a local bakery on Monday, and it's taking some getting used to the early mornings and the physical labour. But I am enjoying it so much! My days fly by and I'm doing things that bring out the passion in me. I feel much more confident in myself here than the last bakery in which I worked. The people are really great, my boss especially is fantastic.

Top - Purchased on Etsy from Aliya & Lucas

Belt - Gift from Heather

Skirt - Purchased at Rag Time in Ottawa

Shoes - From my grandmother

After work I had the time to sneak in a little power nap before heading to North Bay for a bit of shopping. I'm used to working in tank tops but my current workplace requires sleeves and so I nabbed some cheap t-shirts and comfy sweat pants in which to work without having to worry about staining them or getting covered in flour. Bakery work is a lot messier than restaurant work most of the time, especially when you're as messy as I am.

Summer is still slowly creeping in around here, the nights are so cool that plants are behind in their regular plant-y schedules. From the flowers in the field next to my home, you'd think it was early spring. The bushes by the fence are actually packed with blueberries and the little plants are covered in itty bitty still-green berries. I'm hoping they can mature well and that I'll get to feast on their deliciousness.

Another perk to my home is that my front door and kitchen window faces East and I get to see the sun rise as I get ready for work. Some people really dislike early mornings, but there's something about those really early mornings, before most people are awake and the world is heavy with the hushed stillness. The air is still cool and crisp and fresh. My bike rides to work really perk me up and make me feel alive. My life is simple here, and I like it that way. I'm happy, and I hope you are too. Cheers!

Moving in a Dress

I wore this to help my parents move. I do pretty much everything in a skirt or a pretty dress, nearly all of the time, if I can possibly manage it. It does make cycling a bit complicated sometimes - my longer skirts keep getting jammed in my rear breaks argh - but I'm still doing it. I refuse to compromise!

Dress - Thrifted from Value Village

Sandals - Thrifted from Value Village

For a moment I'd thought I'd gotten rid of this dress but it was just in another closet. Thank goodness! Because it's such a sweet dress. I've been wearing it for a few years now and hopefully can continue to do so for several years to come. I've also been trying to mix up the food I'm eating. After a trip to the big city of Sudbury with my parents a little while back, I scored some delicious ingredients that prompted me to make a fresh new salad.

It's mixed baby greens, with buffalo mozzarella, cashews, raspberries, and a raspberry red wine vinaigrette. I wasn't certain I would be able to do much with a raspberry red wine vinegar but it was perfect for this. The cheese was wonderfully rich and smooth and creamy, the cashews gave a nice crunch and the vinaigrette was sweet enough to balance out the tartness of some of the baby greens. Definitely something I'll be eating again. Anyhow, I hope you are having a good week. Cheers!

Helping Hand

I've been silent here the last little while since I've been helping my parents move. They're going from a cramped, hot apartment in town to a cute little cabin on the side of the lake. Space will still be at a premium, but it's someplace they'll really be able to call home, instead of just where they keep their stuff. I look forward to visits there this summer. We did manage to squeeze another little fishing trip in before this all went underway though!

My mother has the uncanny ability to snag fish. In this case, a tiny perch the size of her lure! And I caught my first walleye of the season, which was really nice. It still doesn't feel much like summer since the days tend to be windy and cool, but I have hope that summer feeling will arrive and stay soon enough. I hope you are well and having a good week. Cheers!

Fishing Style

It seems my blog is being taken over by photos of fishing lately, which is likely going to be par for the course for the rest of the summer, if I have anything to do with it. My parents and I went for a short spot of fishing last evening. I caught four catfish - or barbotte as we call them here - while my parents kept catching each other haha... the perils of casting too near one another!

As you can see, I was having a wonderful time. And that I go fishing in white skirted outfits, like a boss. I actually scrambled and climbed all the way to the log on the point in the first photo, and stood in the water there for a bit and fished from there. It feels so good to be back here, with family, doing the things I love. Hope your weekend is going well so far. Cheers!

Reptile Cameo

I've mentioned often how I have a collection of exotic pets, from tarantulas to snakes. Here are a few photos I took of one of my ball pythons, and my two adult crested geckos. The lilac bushes in the front yard are in full bloom and I knew it would make for a perfect backdrop for my reptilian darlings. I hope you like them!

They're frightening and gross to some people, but these animals are just beautiful to me. Total sweethearts too, they let me cover them with kisses without issue. If I made just one person see these animals in a new and positive light, then I did good. Hope you have a good weekend. Cheers!

Fish Fish Fish

I love fishing, but haven't been able to go anywhere near as much as I'd have liked over the last few years. Now that I'm living in the country again, I plan to take full advantage of that and make up for lost time. I'm off to a good start too! My first fishing trip with my parents ended with my catching four large northern pike.



My father didn't catch anything, and my mom only caught a small perch - not even large enough to keep. I guess I just had the fish mojo on my side that afternoon. I cleaned the first pike myself and we fried it up right there on the side of the lake and ate it right up. Fresh fish is delicious!

It feels so good to be able to get back into this hobby again. I went again by myself a few days later down in a small bay by the public docks here in town. It was peaceful and so nice to just be outside and let time slide by languidly. I'm so glad summer is here and that I am spending it how I am! Cheers!

Rain? Sew!

More of the same cold, gloomy weather here - so cold I've had to cover my little garden plants for tonight's frost warning - so I've been sewing all day. I happened to have two identical All That Jazz vintage dresses, funnily both purchased on Etsy but from different sellers, the second of which I had acquired with the intention of shortening. I finally got around to that project today.



Of course I didn't think to take before photos of the actual altered dress, so I just took a photo of the one unaltered garment, hence the slight pattern difference between the two. High-low hems are all the rage these days and I'm more than pleased with how this came out. I might just attempt it on a few of my maxi skirts too. I look forward to warm weather again when I can break out this newly-shortened vintage gem and show off my gams in the sun! Cheers!