Adults Only

We really did have an "adults only" sort of weekend

We spent Saturday wandering through the museums of Cornwall -- and the street fair -- pigging out on Asian Tacos ( who knew such a thing existed?!) and the infamous Canadian Beaver Tails for dessert at lunch time and then Sir Steve took me out for the best Chinese for dinner.  I felt so spoiled - and exactly like we were on holidays.
 
Saturday night we watched some old movies and then Sir Steve took me into the bedroom - and all his favourite toys were lined up on the bed.  I had whispered in his ear "please leave marks" (sometimes I need my head examined - telling a Sadist to leave marks!!)  It was over an hour of paddles and quirts and crops...... I remember thinking at one point I couldn't take anymore -- but I did -- and my ass was burning hot and marked - well marked.  

In the middle of the play time I was dreaming about him fucking me -- but didn't want the beating to stop.  And when the play time was over I was too spacey to want or need a 'fucking'.  I whispered it wasn't fair -- why couldn't I have both?? And Sir Steve just gave me that smile of his and told me to sleep -- we still had Sunday.


And here it is Monday morning .........  and every dream / wish/ fantasy I had for our "adult only" weekend came true ........... and that dear friends is a VERY good thing!

Creating peace

Because of who I am - I have been doing a lot of thinking about this summer and the campgrounds.  I know Sir Steve would love to spend most of the summer there -- it would make him very happy.  My discomfort over possible - POSSIBLE - problems with his ex-wife and inlaws was putting a damper on his happiness.  He has done everything possible to make it easier for me.  

So it was my turn to figure out how I could do this - for him -- but also for myself.  I love nothing better than sitting by the water in the summer - hell I had a cottage for a few years and spent my entire summer there every year.

The other day when I was talking about the new RV and my concerns awomaninacape left a comment suggesting I might actually be able to go most of the summer and never need to socialize with them.  So I pulled up the map of the campgrounds and looked at proximity and social areas and formed a plan in my head.  

I took a long hard look at my concerns....and realized the very worst they can do is talk.. blah blah blah.  I don't believe they have the nerve to say anything to my face and even if they do - it's only words.  What's the old saying "sticks and stones may break my bones  BUT words can never harm me".  I will set healthy boundaries for ME -- only me.  I will protect my inner peace -- my calm -- my 'zen'.  AND should Sir Steve's lil one decide to visit back and forth -- I have even planned out a route that does not involve anyone having to go on the other's site.

Healthy boundaries create peace and harmony ....... and that is all I want... that and to make Sir Steve happy -- and that is a good thing.

Weary Traveller home from my Journeys

I started off on my BIG adventure early Friday morning - nervous as all get out.... honestly my life to this point did NOTHING to prepare me for the type of independence I now need (sadly)

I managed to make it to my brother's house where I was to pick up my camera (in the back yard in the barbeque) and then found my way to the 407 and the 400.  Once I got a short distance up the 400 I decided to stop at an Onroute (service center) and have a picnic lunch.  To celebrate further I took a selfie - to share with family and friends on facebook. 

Of course stopping for lunch then got me stuck in cottage country traffic but I still made good time and got settled into the hotel with loads of time.....

Huge room for one person no??? and the bed??!!!  a whole village could have fit in it I swear !!!!  I met up with eldest daughter and her partner for dinner and we feasted on good Chinese food ......... had a wonderful chat ....... and then we came back to the hotel - they went to the pool and hot tub and I went up to my room to watch some TV and veg.

Saturday morning I was up with the birds - went to the hotel gym - had breakfast and then headed out with my camera to explore Barrie.  Those pictures I will save for another day........ 

And then of course Saturday afternoon was the wedding.  It was beautiful (despite the cold and rain) but then aren't all weddings beautiful!!?? 

Sunday morning I had hoped to have a final breakfast with the family - but no one was up and about and I got restless so by 10:00 I was on my way down the 400 in the pouring rain.  

I have to admit it was a fun adventure - BUT - it was good to come home!

10 days

Slowly and rather reluctantly - I have come to the conclusion that my summer break is almost over - 10 days left.

And I realized what a busy busy summer holiday it has been!!!  Virtually all of July was spent house hunting and organising........But it has felt as though W and I have spent the summer taking holiday trips.  (yeah yeah I know - house hunting isn't very often considered a holiday!  - but in many ways it has been for me) 

And don't forget we had our 3 days in Kingston - on a busman's holiday of sorts - then this week we took a day trip to the States....... and now ..... W has planned a 3 day trip to our Nation's capital next week for my last full week of summer holidays !!!

I think the very best of it all was the time I got to spend with W............. more time than we usually get to spend together - and it has been wonderful !!  I feel so spoiled. 

On the other hand - it is going to make his leaving on the 4th of September even more difficult to deal with............ 
On the other hand - it has shown me what full time retirement is going to feel like !!  and it will be amazing !!

Thank you W for making each day more interesting - more adventuresome - more challenging and more exciting.  I love you.

It's Official

As of 3:00 p.m yesterday.................. 

SCHOOL'S OUT !!

It's Official

 

IT'S OFFICIAL - I made it to March Break!

Last night at 5:00 p.m. I walked out of my office and headed off for 10 glorious days of freedom.  I will admit there was a moment this week I wondered if I would indeed make it to Friday but I did !!!  (though on the other side of that statement is - how could I NOT make it to spring break - other than dropping dead.  Honestly - when you think of it saying "I made it to March break" is a foolish statement)

Anyway  - everyone was asking / chatting about their plans for the week off......... most are heading south to some sunny climate...... others heading off to ski resorts.... it feels a little lonely when all you get to say is "No I'm not going anywhere - just staying home and cleaning" .......... 

How boring is that???!!  

I was thinking this morning I can clean any time ( I don't but I could!) so why AM I staying home??? 

Simple answer was - no money = no trip 

BUT at least I don't have to rush around in the mornings.. I can sit and drink my coffee without keeping an eye on the clock... I can lounge around all day in my pjs if I want to (sounds like an excellent plan for today!!) The storms can rage and I don't have to stick my nose outside the door ........... 

And I can write......... and read........ and be lazy....... and (le sigh) probably get a little bored....  

Today however - I HAVE to do laundry - I must have 6 loads waiting for me ........... and even if I wanted to go out today - I don't have one damn thing that is clean to wear....... (and NO W -  naked is not an option!!)

And if anyone is interested - yesterday was Dr. Seuss' birthday - my favourite EVER author......... 

 "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

Dr. Seuss - 1904 - 1990 

 

 

Oh and I hear - around blogland that March is Q&A month......... question and answer month for those of you not in the know .......... 

Ok - so you have questions???

I have answers............ or I'll try to find the answers.

Let's get it started................who's first ?? come on........... one of you must have at least one question for me .............. step up.. come on be brave.... be the first..............

end of August

Ever since I was a kid - this was my favourite time of the year. I loved new school supplies.. I loved my new school bag.. my new uniform (yes I wore a school uniform)

Sometimes I wonder if this love of new books and pencils and erasers was the reason I became an educator. I still shop for new pens and notebooks - no more school uniforms but that's ok... I don't really "do" school girl (or school teacher for that matter) not my fetish

Over the weekend I bought a new agenda and wrote "meet with new principal" under the 17th. Yes I am off to my first meeting of the year today.

It has been a good summer.....it was a summer of rambling around.. and navel gazing ... meeting new friends .. meeting up with some old ones.

I think in an odd way I did a lot of growing up this summer. It was due dontcha think?!! In the last few weeks I have been having "epiphanies" for lack of a better word. I need to process them a bit .. flesh them out.. clean up the edges.... make sense of it all.......... and then who knows .. maybe share it here..

For now I will pack up my book bag and head off to my first meeting of the year

Random shots

Here are some random shots from my time with the Heron Clan - these are mostly "arty farty" pictures ..........

Never having attempted a picture through an airplane window.... I was surprised and pleased with the outcome... this was my arrival

Nothing like a welcome sign to make you feel at home

Just some of the gorgeous flowers on the back patio.

Little did I know when I took the picture of this stepping stone.. that the message inscribed would be one I would need when I got home.

View from the back patio.

Cally Cat - she looked at me as though I was the wicked witch of the west - kinda like my kids at school think of me :)

Just an attempt at night shots from the patio.

Travel log

Ok folks.. for the next lil while I am gonna bore you all with pics from my trip to The Heron Clan - yeah yeah I know .... you all HATE vacation pics... too bad..... I am dealing with yet another AFOG ...... and travel photos seems a good way to fill the space without sounding like some nut case!!

(Oh for those of you who don't know what AFOG is .......it stands for " Another Fucking Opportunity for Growth")

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before I arrived in Heron Land....... they had sent me an itinerary of things planned but not set in stone. One of the possible activities was a trip to Jungle Jim's. Personally I thought it sounded like an amusement park........ and wondered what they had in mind for me - the one who HATES amusement parks.

Well dear T is the shopper in the family - and she was saddled with the "visitor" on the Jungle Jim trip......... Jungle Jim's is a grocery store....... but a grocery store like none I have ever seen before...

Come walk with me through this adventure in grocery shopping........

This is what greeted me when we pulled into the parking lot...... a grocery store you say????!!!

Soup Aisle

Veggies - if memory serves me right.

Fresh Fish aisle

Just more "scenery" for one's shopping pleasure.



Hot sauce aisle

Oriental food stuffs


obviously cereal aisle


Mexican foods



British foods

Indian foods

Natural Honeys


Everything you could want for your pet and then some!!

All I kept thinking was "thank god I don't a) have a Jungle Jim's close to me and b) thank god I don't have room to bring back food !!!"

on the road again

All day yesterday I had the song "I'm comin' home Cindy Cindy I'm coming home" going round and round in my head......... Because yes indeed - after 10 wonderful days in The Heron Clan land it is time for me to come home.

So when you read this - god willing and the creak don't rise - I will be on my plane winging my way back to the Great White North!!

Life lessons?

Every day here in Heron Clan Land I start my day outside on the patio with my cup of coffee and my first cigarette of the day. The patio faces a pond.. a man made pond which seems to be common here in Cincinnati - man made ponds that is.. not my drinking coffee and smoking (cheeky grin). It is a quiet time, a peaceful time. The various animals have yet to make their appearance.

When I first arrived here 8 days ago - swan introduced to me the ducks that live in the pond. Mama ducks and their ducklings. It is always entertaining to watch baby ducklings marching or swimming frantically behind Mama duck. But there was one bunch of ducklings that swan pointed out to me that were orphaned. No one knows what happened to Mama.. but it is obvious they are all alone in the world.

At first I felt sorry for these lost and lonely lil ducklings.

But I have been watching them for 8 days now.. studying them. They are managing just fine in this cruel cruel world that robbed them of a Mama and a role model. None of the other duck families seem to pay any attention to these orphans. Yet they manage just fine. I have watched them over these last days develop into quite a "clan" themselves. They have - by election - or deduction - or just plain drawing straws - selected a leader. Not much life experience but this one lead duck is doing a pretty damn good job of marshalling the troops and keeping everyone on task, moving together in duck formation all the while keeping an eye out for everyone's safety.

The only strange thing.,.,. is these ducks seem to have no natural fear of humans. They come marching up onto the patio in the mornings - I like to think they have come to wish me a "good day". They have even allowed me to grab my camera, move a little bit closer and snap some shots. The lead duck keeps a wary eye on me.. and has some duck rule about how close I am allowed to come before clacking his bill together - making a weird tapping on wood type of sound - and the clan swing 'round and move off.

I am not entirely sure what life lesson to take from these orphaned lil ducklings.. maybe none is necessary. But it has added an interesting twist to my morning coffee.. and for some strange reason has brought a calmness, a quietness, a peace to my soul.

The Gift

No matter how hot the air .. no matter how hot the skin is.. the steel of the blade is always cool for a moment or two against naked skin,

It is easy to sense when the play has gone from the heat of leather or wood to the cool cutting tease of the blade.


My heart beats a rapid tattoo against my chest as the blade travels along my skin .. leaving in it's wake rising welts in it's wake. Always the chance that the skin might open like a ripe tomatoe.. always the chance of a nick...


The adrenlin rushes through the veins.. pounding in the head.. pulse beats.. eyes close....


My mind's eye watches the blade travel - down my back .. over my ass.... down ..between my legs teasing... breathe catching in my throat... feeling the tightening deep inside..


This is my sensual play - always the threat?? promise?? of more..


And like with all play it ends way too soon... leaving me wanting more - the bane of my existence - the wanting more ............ push me further, higher, harder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I have never had my own knife.


Before this......

Raheretic has gifted me with this beautiful knife. A heavy knife with more edges and points than I have ever seen before.... and it makes such lovely patterns on my arms... (I couldn't resist trying it last night !!)

It is mine forever - a souvenir/reminder of these dear friends I call the Heron Clan

What is it???

So here I am with the Heron clan.......... and am relaxed and happy and feeling as though they are family !!! Ok ok I have only been here 24 hours and they may grow tired of the "bossy bottom" before the 10 days is up....

I thought for fun I would play a little guessing game with you ... see the picture below.. what is it??? I love this coffee table in swan's living room.. nice and big and sturdy - hell you can even sit on it.

Imagine my surprise when they opened it up to reveal a flogging frame !!

Damn I want one !!!!!

En Vacance

By the time you all read this I will be winging my way southward to the Heron Clan.

I'll be gone for 2 weeks.

While I am gone everyone play nice.......

I'll see you all on the flip side........

"I love it when a plan comes together"

Ya know... when things are tough..... friends are very precious. Some friends go the extra mile....

i am very lucky that i have found such friends in The Heron Clan.

Back in March Raheretic suggested that i pack up my bags and come down and visit them. Unfortunately i was working (that was before the "i wanna die" virus")
It was suggested i could come in the summer.

And there it sat for awhile. But that whisper of a hope/plan got me through some pretty miserable days. When things would just hurt so much - i would take out the "visit plan" and hold on tight.

We moved from emails to actual chatting (thank god for the miracles of all things internet) .... one evening Raheretic brought up the possibility of a trip to the Ann Arbor Art Festival - my excitment grew

Yesterday - or maybe the day before - i heard from The Heron Clan. Plans were coming together - when was i coming (dates) .. a flurry of emails later and it was all settled.

Swan posted about it yesterday on her "We are in Go Mode" post. Another flurry of emails between The Clan (as i am coming to think of them) and myself..

AND.........

it's official......

In July i am going to visit The Heron Clan!!!!

March Madness

Last evening at 5:00 p.m. sharp i started my "spring break". This morning i slept till 6 (yeah yeah that's sleeping in for me !!!) and am having my coffee leisurely here at my pc. i am on Spring Break !!!

i have a list of "to do's" over the break - like finally sorting out all my books .. organising them and getting them back on the book shelves in some sort of order. It is my favourite room - yet it seems to get lost in the hustle and bustle of every week cleaning....... books get tossed onto the shelves once read........ and it becomes the storage space for Christmas presents (cause no one else but me ever goes in there !!) and Birthday presents........ and bits and pieces that i have no idea where to put them. So it is time to get into that room and make it my reading room once again.

i also want to launder the curtains in the house ........ and make the spider webs disappear (they have appeared like magic over night and grace the tall corners in nearly every room)

And my mind is whirring with snippets of ideas for programs for March - for my kiddies at school. Did you know March has numerous weird sort of celebrations??
Like earmuff day - and paper money day - Alexander Graham Bell's birthday - International Woman's Day ........... but the best day of all is ........ Dr. Seuss's birthday !!! So i have named the theme for March - March Madness !!!

But for now............ i will recharge my batteries ....... clean out the cobwebs and bring some fresh air and spring into the house and into my soul...... and on Wednesday i will take off and go stay with Sir for 5 days....... 5 DAYS !!! and who knows .......maybe just maybe i will post more regularly here.. come on!! dontcha all want to know how many cobwebs i have swept out of the house?? how many books i have sorted?? how many curtains i have washed??? come on ...... you know you wanna know !!!

Here's to March Madness ------------- and ----------- SPRING BREAK !!

Summer's end

i honestly wonder what has happened to the 6 weeks of summer vacation. It seems like only last week i was struggling over the job change....... and moaning about the crappy weather.. and here it is Friday of my last week of holidays. What the hell happened to summer???

swan - about a week ago - talked about how teachers (well good ones) go in early to get their classrooms ready.. get some lesson prep work done - tidy up and get organised before the kiddies come storming back.

And it got me to thinking... because there have been so many rainy days this summer... and because of the situation i am walking into .. i have spent a fair amount of time here at the computer getting plans done... getting some admin work done (letters to families introducing myself and some of the changes they can expect) ...

Do i feel ready to walk into the challenge that is my new job?? noooooo not really.... Do i feel up to the challenges??? YES... oh god yes.... i have come to realize this summer that as much as i am leaving a whole mess of "my" kiddies behind and it breaks my heart.. i AM ready for a change of scenery .. and a change of challenges. Cause ya know .. no matter where i go.. there will be a line up of needy kiddies.

So this week - being my last week of schedules - i have lazed around.... spent a good part of it sitting in the sun under my red umbrella..... reading. i finished 7 books this summer.. (mostly fluff - i do quite enough heavy reading all winter thank you very much) i even managed to tan a little bit - even under the red umbrella.

It was a productive summer in many ways.. i got the car rust proofed.. i had a brand spanking new furnace put in... and a week later they were back cause the central air was leaking all over the basement floor !! i got approximately 4 months of lesson plans done .... Sir and i had some great times together... even if we didn't get to my favourite village in the country for dinner and photo opportunities ... i went on Wednesday by myself for a work dinner meeting.. and managed to squeeze in an hour or so of photography before the dinner.. we got to visit with the kids and grandbabies.. and even took youngest grandbaby to the train museum.. (oh yeah and next week we are taking eldest grandson to see "Walking with the Dinosaurs") i had my adventure with the 'swarm' ... and most important of all - i recharged my batteries !!!

Yeah it was a good summer... and though the kiddies don't come back for another 2 weeks and though i will be on flex hours for another week .. summer is over..............

i thought i would share with you some of my photo shoots from the summer... (remember i am STILL learning the new camera!!)



both of the above pictures were taken from a moving car......... oh yeah and i have a thing for small roadside grave yards....

The following pictures were taken in my favourite lil village.........

strange lil balcony

a pleasure boat going through the locks

just a stone wall... shrug.. hey what can i tell you.. it appealed to me!

one more shot of an outside staircase - i have a wonderful time working out imaginary stories about what lies at the top of these stairways...

can you see the shadowy figures swinging in the trees in my back yard? Yesterday they were trimming the dead limbs..... like monkeys swinging in my trees.......

Yup .. it was a good summer... busy.. rocky at times.... but good nonetheless..