I’ve posted a little this summer about my adventures but not much. So with winter definitely here, it’s high time for me to get off my butt! I’m going to give a quick run down of what I’ve been up to the past few months in one big post.

June was very much a cultural month for me. First up was the Mozart opera ‘The Magic Flute’ that was put on by the Saskatoon Opera. I know that there were some complaints about the hipster look and the quality of some of the performers but overall, it was a really well done performance. I haven’t enjoyed the Saskatoon Opera performances that much as they all too often came out as being very amateurish and pretentious at the same time but this production was fun despite the problems. For my birthday, I went with my family to see the Summer Players production of ‘HMS Pinafore’ which I just had to see because of that episode of ‘The Simpsons’ in which Bart asks Sideshow Bob to sing the entire score of the ‘HMS Pinafore’. Such a great performance! Again, there were some questionable casting choices, but it was still such a well done production. And there was even an appearance by Queen Victoria herself who came especially to watch the play.

The end of June is of course jazz festival time. I’ve spent many a birthday down by the river listening so awesome music. Unfortunately, due to my migraines, I had neither the money or ability to see much. However, I did do some volunteering for the SJS at the free stage by flinging burgers to hungry patrons. That was my chance to hear some great local bands as well even though I couldn’t actually see them. This year, I was also lucky enough to get the chance to play at the free stage with the Toon Town Big Band. I’m still not sure why we don’t get a chance to play there regularly, but since we got a spot this year, I won’t grumble too much! As usual, we did amazing and brought in a lot of people to the free stage. People who were just passing by stopped and stayed to listen. Some of those working at the free stage who had been there all week said that we were one of the best groups that they had heard all week. Even one person asked about buying a CD…which we don’t have, yet!

Saskatoon seems to have a reputation as a festival city but they definitely seem to come in clusters. August is becoming a crazy time for festivaling. This year, I managed to take a wander down Broadway during the Fringe Festival with a friend. Neither of us had the money to do any of the plays but we did check out a few outdoor shows which are always awesome. And there’s no cost for browsing the stalls selling all manner of knick knacks. Hopefully, next year I finally be able to get back to some of the plays. I know that there are always some really fascinating small productions and I definitely want to check some out. Next time!

Folkfest happened to hit this year while my brother was in town. Since he hadn’t been in at least 14 years, we decided to go. So, on the Friday of the festival, we hit the following pavillions: India, Asia Pacific, Mesopotamia, Carribean, Scotish, and Ukraine. Yup, it was quite a tour around the world! I’ll admit that we hit India mostly because it was at our od high school and were very curious to see to the inside of the old building again but it’s also usually a fun one. Ate some good food and looked at some displays. Asia Pacific is definitely a good one for shows and souvenirs! Mesopotamia was a new one and I just had to check it out. They were set up on the lawn of their church and I still think that it looks like that scene from ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ when they had that party on the front lawn. I really hope that they’re back next year because this was my favorite of the pavillions. The last three we saw were at Prairieland Park. The Carribean pavilion is always amazing for shows. I just love watching the guy on stilts dancing and wandering through the crowd. The Scotish pavilion maybe all about drinking but even they have great shows and cool displays. We ended the night in true Saskatchewan form by heading to the Ukrainian pavilion for alcohol and food. I definitely loved the shopping there too!

The next day, my brother headed back to Alberta. We had a great visit! He’s usually only in town for Christmas so it was nice to be able to walk around River Landing and downtown to show him just how much things have changed here. We’re slowly but surely turning into a real metropolitan area! Anyway, he left behind his FolkFest ‘passport’ so I went with my mom to check out the few that were near us. A large mess of pavillions were in the SaskTel soccer centre. I remember seeing Bangladesh, Ghana, and Pakistan. There was also a little pavilion in the corner from Nepal! I never liked these massive pavillions in one spot because it’s really hard to tell where you are and which country you’re looking at. Of course, it does make driving and parking easier! Across the street was the Norwegian pavilion which was set up in an odd kind of way but was still pretty neat to see. Even I haven’t been to FolkFest in years because it tends to get a little too crazy for my tastes but I actually had a lot of fun this time.

Hmmm…what else did I do this summer? Because the first half of the year was spent battling migraines, new hobbies and interests had to take a back seat and old hobbies were definitely hard to do. My odd obsession with crocheting doilies is tricky to do when your light sensitive! Sewing is another one that I had just started getting into when my health took a turn. In theory, it shouldn’t have been too bad to keep doing through this tough time but I have to admit that it’s a very stressful thing to get into. It’s not like learning an instrument or a language. You buy a book or hire and instructor and you learn – simple! Sewing (and fishing too!) is a hobby that really seems to have to be passed down from a family member to learn. Everything I’ve ever read is always missing information. And one of the big reasons why I wanted to learn to sew is because I’m a very different shape than most plus sized people and I want to make my own fitted clothing. But I still have no idea how to adjust patterns! Everyone says that it’s easy but how? Sure enough, another Burda pattern I tried was a disaster! (I won’t even bother posting the pattern number because I’m also convinced that it’s missing information. Kind of like a recipe from a magazine that no one tested before publishing!) Luckily, my other two projects that I found online were too bad. The ‘one hour dress’ pattern was equally as bad in terms of directions but in some ways, that was probably a good thing for me. It’s clearly a pattern for Skinny Minnies but have to measure myself and make my own adjustments was good education. I also found a neat idea for repurposing old jeans that I’m quite pleased with too.

One long term project of mine has ben to convert my parents old rose garden into a rose garden. I’ve had this plan in my head for sometime now and in spring of 2013, I asked if I could go ahead with it and they said yes. This were going swimmingly until they saw some progress and decided to make some tweaks of their own which held up things on my end. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still their garden and I was definitely abble to accomidate their needs but it’s the timing that was the issue as they didn’t finish their part until too late in the season. So, when the snow melted this year, I was excited because I thought that maybe this would be the year that I could finish the rose garden and maybe even begin working on a lily garden too! Alas, new household projects inside and outside popped up that halted my progress again this year. I know we needed a new deck and a new patio but….yeah, weather dependant hobbies in a province like Saskatchewan can be heartbreaking. The time I should have been working outside, I couldn’t. When everything was completed, it was too hot and I was too sick. When I was better, there were too many mosquitoes. And so on. Next year – that’s my goal! At this point, there’s very little left to do in the garden other than finish removing the extra soil, nail in the landscaping ties, and decide on material for the patio portion. It’s going to look great and I can’t wait to see how these beautiful flowers will look while I sit next to them sipping my morning tea!

 

Before I wrap up my summer adventures, there’s one more thing I’ve been meaning to write about but haven’t yet. Last summer, I did buy something I’ve always wanted to buy: a kayak! There’s something so romantic about kayaking down a river! And I took my first steps – or rather, my first paddles way back in 2002 when I first moved to Calgary. I was working at the University of Calgary and found out the Outdoor Department had a lot fo classes that were open to everyone so I started taking several of them including the kayaking classes. I even took some classes through Kelsey when I moved back to Saskatoon. But last year, I finally had the money to buy my own. Okay, it’s not like I bought a very good one; just a cheap thing from Canadian Tire but still, it’s mine and it’s good enough to get me started on my own day trips!

When I bought it last year, it was already getting to the end of the season so other than a couple of trips to Pike Lake and of course, to my big Narrow Hills trip, I didn’t do much kayaking. I expected that 2014 would be the big year. Alas, my body had other plans. I got out once in the spring to Erindale Lake to practice but that was all I could handle for a long while. By August, when I was getting better, it was certainly getting too hot and mosquito-y but I’m happy to report that I did manage to paddle a few times at that urban lake and at Pike Lake. I even tried one of the other urban lakes, Trounce Pond which I would not recommend! Don’t get me wrong, it’s a cute little spot and I loved the wildlife but that little lake is just gross! So dirty and smelly! And let’s not forget that there’s no real place to launch either!

Anyway, I’m hoping that I’ll be well enough next year that I can actually do some solid day trips. I’ve heard many people talk about setting off from around the Berry Barn and paddling the South Saskatchewan to the Victoria boathouse. I know that the kayaking course I mentioned earlier is a part of a kayaking club and it would definitely be nice to meet other kayakers to learn from and go on trips with.

I know I said it last year but this time, I have lots of good reasons to believe that maybe next year will be my best year ever!