What a lovely afternoon....

A Bit of Britain.....

Typically when Louisa visits we make it a point to have lunch at one of our favorite little corners of the world, The British Pantry, at 96 Walton Street in Port Hope.

I first wandered in here in search of my favorite chocolate bar of all time - Fry's Chocolate Cream, not generally to be found in most places that sell such things.  The British Pantry had them of course, as well as a shop-full of other British imported items from food to jewellery to DVDs.  There's an isle full of tea, and lots of yummy chutneys and relishes and biscuits and a freezer filled with Cornish Pasties and puddings.

 

The tea room is a place where you can settle comfortably and enjoy a variety of lunch items.  Tea, of course, comes to the table in individual little 'Brown Betty' pots, and the menu includes such delights as Cornish Pasty, Steak Pie or a Bridie (a Scottish type of meat pastry) served with beans or mushy peas (which taste a lot nicer than they sound!), beans on toast, scrambled eggs on toast or - our particular favorite - the Ploughman's Lunch.  Louisa and I first discovered the Ploughman's during our visit to Great Britain.  It's origins are obscure, but most seem to agree the Ploughman's is exactly that - a lunch packed for a ploughman to take out into the fields, and consisting of several different items.  Here's one of my journal entries from that long ago trip;

"April 23rd - .........Continued to Salisbury, where we stopped for lunch.  Louisa and I had lunch in a lovely small pub called 'The Old Bell'.  We had what's known as a Ploughman's Lunch, which consists of 2 pieces of thick brown bread, warmed, some salad, a bit of egg, and huge piece of Stilton Cheese.  It was really more cheese than I like to eat at one stop but it was interesting!"

At the British Pantry we order their Ploughman's both for old times sake, and because it's tasty!  It's still more cheese than I like to eat at one stop, but enjoyable none the less.  It seems the Ploughman's can be changed around a bit depending on district and individual taste, but the concept remains the same - a selection of items like bread, egg, cheese, and various pickles.

 
The British Pantry's version of the Ploughman's Lunch!

 

The service is always friendly, the atmosphere cozy and comfortable and the food is always good.  It's a great place for lunch or for just popping in for a cup of tea and a hot-buttered scone.  And if you're looking for something specifically British, chances are you will find it at the British Pantry!

Rainy Day Updates....

Yes, I'm still here, navigating my way through a long, strange summer which has been both good and not so good.  Here it is into the second week of August.  I'm my rare moments of spare time, I've been staring alot at flowers (as usual...my neighbors think I'm not right in the head, I'm sure) and photographing them.  

We've been enjoying the diversity of urban wildlife which visits our backyard.  It's amazing how one small trickle of water can attract so many creatures, (I don't include here the neighborhood children).  In addition to a muskrat which lives under the bank, there are rabbits, frogs, bats, and any number of birds...robins, starlings, house, purple and goldfinches, grackles, cardinals, song sparrows, red-wing blackbirds, meadowlarks, swallows.....at dusk we see the odd nighthawk doing it's twisting, turning flight way up high in search of insects.  No shortage of seagulls,either 

Can you believe we got this birdbath for only 40 dollars??   This robin visits it daily for a drink and splash.

This frog is one of a few that live in the spillway beside us.  At dusk sometimes they hop up onto our lawn and sit on our step waiting for insects to come by.

We've recently become the owners of a little backyard pond which gives me true moments of serenity....everyone needs a pond.  There's no fish in the pond.....I doubt we will get into fish, but I do enjoy waterplants, and the reflections of the clouds in the water.  My one water lettuce and one water hyacinth are already proliferating.  I see myself becoming an avid water gardener one day.   I don't have any photos of the pond yet but I'm sure they're coming.....and now it's stopped raining so I'm going back outside.

Afternoon Idyll

Had an enjoyable and peaceful interlude at the Nawautin Shores Nature Sanctuary yesterday.

Lots of Canada Geese with their families of goslings, contentedly swimming and playing by ducking under the water, to a background music of birdsong -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahT5hGGmGRo

This is such a pretty spot, complete with woods, marshy areas and walking trails all within an easy stroll of the shoreline of Lake Ontario. 

Check out this link if you'd like to learn more about the Nawautin Shores Nature Sanctuary -

http://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/trails-a-z/nawautin-nature-sanctuary-and-wetland-trail/

Peaceful Arts

The first time I walked into Peaceful Arts I immediately felt a sense of entering a special place; the little twinkling lights, a whiff of incense,  faint strains of peaceful music, and something else indefinable, a feeling of being in a place set apart from the hurry and stress of the rest of the world, an oasis.  That was a few years ago now, and to this day when I visit that same sense of entering a magical place still comes to me as I step across the threshold.

Peaceful Arts, a gift shop located in a lovely old home on Shuter Street in Port Hope, is one of my favorite places to spend some time.  You will find so many fascinating and beautiful things for sale here - candles, incense, books, essential oils, wind-chimes, drums, smudge, statues, tarot decks, CDs, jewellery, the list goes on!  And there is ALWAYS something new and interesting to see.  And the crystals!   Peaceful Arts has the BEST selection of crystals and gemstones anywhere.  And if by some unlikely chance you can't find the stone you're looking for, Valarie Smith, owner and proprietor, will probably be able to get it for you.  Speaking of Val, she is definitely a major part of what makes Peaceful Arts special.  She has a vast knowledge of crystals, as well as respect and love for them.  I've always found that when I purchase a crystal at Peaceful Arts I feel absolutely no need to cleanse it - it's come from a place of peace and love and as such has picked up no negative energy.  It makes such a positive difference to talk to someone like Val who knows and understands crystals. 

Browse through the pictures below, they show just a few of the treasures! 

 

  

 

 

But Peaceful Arts is about more than lovely things for sale.  Val is a Therapeutic Touch Practitioner, a Certified Crystal Healer, a Reiki Master and a Master Instructor Integrated Energy Therapist.  These healing modalities are available at Peaceful Arts.  In addition, it is also the location of many fascinating workshops and events - there's New Moon Drumming and Lunar Teachings, Meditation Night, the Crystal Play Shops, the Women's Wisdom Circle, and more.  There is always something going on.  June 24th will see the completion of the new Fairy Garden, a space of enchantment filled with Fairy friendly plants.  I can't wait to visit it! 

Peaceful Arts is also the site of a Peace Pole.  There are Peace Poles all over the world, and their function is to link energetically with each other, thus providing peace and healing for the planet.  Think of it as planetary acupuncture for peace.  Some other Peace Poles can be found at the Magnetic North Pole, at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, and at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt.  There are many more.  The Peaceful Arts Peace Pole has some notable and unique features.  It has a Quartz Crystal Point installed at it's base, Quartz being known for it's superior energy transmitting powers.  At the top of the pole are four Larmimars, stones of love and peace.  Also at the top is a Genesa Crystal, which is a geometric structure that amplifies the intentions of those in it's presence.  The next Peace Pole Ceremony at Peaceful Arts takes place on the Summer Solstice - June 21st - when the participants will come together to send peace to the world.  There are two views of the Peaceful Arts Peace Pole below.

 

 

Find out more about Peaceful Arts by checking out their website here -

www.peacefularts.ca

Or, even better, drop by and experience it for yourself at 64 Shuter Street in Port Hope, Ontario Canada. 

I will leave you with this little video clip of a wonderful quartz crystal singing bowl being sounded at Peaceful Arts.  The sound quality doesn't really do the real sound justice, but it gives you an idea.  It's truly amazing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXB2vV_V-5U