Canada Day Holiday: July 1st

A flag with a First Nations motif (photo I took)

And here is the traditional version of the Canadian flag (in the middle) between the Vancouver flag to the left and the BC (British Columbian) flag to the right of it (below):

Flags of Vancouver, Canada, and BC (Wikipedia photo)

I'm grateful to be living in a free land/country without war, without having to worry about living in a refugee camp, starving and destitute on the streets (though there are people here who are) and the like.

Waving my paper Canadian flag, wearing my Canadian flag pin and red and white coloured clothing, I attended a Canada Day parade in North Vancouver, British Columbia before heading back home, grabbing a bit to eat and what-not before heading for a Canada Day festival of music, food carts, vendors, and the like. Later on, watching the fireworks to music which I prefer, i.e., without music it seems rather dull and boring in comparison.

Watching a Canadian National (CN) train - I love trains - go by.

Photo of CN train I took

See my two previous short posts of prior Canada Days: https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=4481012230858682867&bpli=1#editor/target=post;postID=6182933957545827564;onPublishedMenu=posts;onClosedMenu=posts;postNum=31;src=link AND also http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2012/07/photo-courtesy-of-brian-gratwicke-happy.html

What do you appreciate most about being Canadian if you are one?

Gratitude List #11: A Feast of Food, Friends, and FUN!

Pizza sign at Bowen Island Pizza Company

Today's gratitude list is on the themes of food, friends, and fun (not necessarily in that order)!

* Listening to music while working and bouncing on my ball while working
* Great music and musicians, example Roger Hodgson, co-founder of Supertramp
* Great views when I walk uphill in my neighbourhood

Pizza menu: we had pear & brie special

* A night out with female friends sharing a movie, pizza, and a drink
* Bowen Island Pizza Company at the Quay in North Van
* Friends, especially female friends (at this time in my life)
* Foreign movies: Monsieur Lazhar (filmed in Canada)
* Gelato on a hot day or evening
* Buskerfest, a showcase of buskers in Vancouver

Kutapira, a cool troupe playing Afro-Cuban and West African percussion

* Storing food in my landlady's fridge and freezer: mine was on the fritz
* Air-conditioned venues and transportation such as the seabus and cars
* A day trip to Bowen Island (not where I got the pizza from!)
* Shared summer fruit such as cherries and blueberries
* "Accessing Your Soul's Direction", a husband-wife team-lead workshop
* Canela Michelle Meyers and Steve Clippingdale co-facilitators
* Gorgeous sunsets with various hues
* Seeing bright, beautiful Venus pulsing, twinkling in the sky
* Singing in choir - rehearsing and singing on the same day

What is on your gratitude list today?

Gratitude List #10: Fresh, Refresh and Refreshment

Serbian dance at Centennial Theatre's Folkfest in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada


Today's gratitude list is on the themes of fresh, refresh, and refreshment! In no particular order, here it is:

* Folkfest: a multicultural showcase of dance and music/songs
* Free admission - cash donations accepted for the show
* Centennial Theatre, not too far from home (I can even walk it!)
* A night out with female friends for the show and dining afterwards
* Being treated for a refreshing drink and appetizers after the show
* Dances of Universal Peace to refresh my soul
* Anne MacDonald Studio (an old church hall made into a rehearsal space)
* Summer solstice and an event to celebrate it
* A father with principles and lives with good standards
* Reading outside in a nearby park with tall pine trees
* Gelato and other ice cream on hot days for refreshment
* Refreshing rain one evening
* An end-of-the-season potluck BBQ with choir members
* A brisk night walk in fresh air with a friend along West Vancouver's seawall
* Fresh produce at a local farmer's market
* Lots of fresh fruits and veggies in my fridge
* Another sunny weekend
* Another weekend for fresh air-dried laundry
* A beautiful breeze to air dry my laundry
* Recycling non-blue box items
* Thrift stores for second-hand items
* Dropping off donations for abused women at a local thrift store
* A wicker laundry basket

My 'new' second-hand laundry basket

* Crocs (shoes) for outdoors/gardening and indoors

My new crocs in two styles and colours

What is on your gratitude list for today and/or from this past week?

Gratitude List #9: More of Free and Freedom

Sci-fi book cover: Kéthani by Eric Brown

Today's gratitude list predominantly continues on the theme of free and freedom from last week (http://xpressyouressence.blogspot.ca/2015/06/gratitude-list-8-free-and-freedom.html) as well as the outdoors, in no particular order as follows:

* Reading an interesting sci-fi book: didn't think I was a fan of science fiction!
* Relaxing and reading in a nearby park with lots of trees, including tall pine trees
* Creating colourful and tasty salads with organic vegetables and fruit
* Free samples including that of food
* Fridays Shipyards Night Market in North Van
* Gelato! Especially on a warm summer evening - oh, spring!
* Free music outdoors and great bands
* Free vocal session (introductory)
* Free coffee after so many stars/points collected
* Free/donation luncheon
* Being able to air dry laundry again outside on a sunny weekend
* Walking the neighbourhood nightly, usually around sunset (before/after) sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend
* Beauty whether homes, gardens, neighbourhoods, and vistas

* Living in North Vancouver: I love it here!
* A walk by the ocean in picturesque West Vancouver
* Eyesight: being able to read and see lovely vistas

P.S. I changed my photo on last week's gratitude of the side of this Bavarian Alps home.

And now your turn, what are you grateful for? Today and/or this past week and/or in general?

Gratitude List #8: Free and Freedom

Bavarian Alps style home

Today's gratitude list is on the theme of free and freedom, neighbourhood and mice as follows:

* Free training for public speaking via my work
* Free exercise class focusing on legs, bum, and tum
* Sunny hot weather this weekend to air dry my laundry :)
* About an hour nap due to a few early mornings, late nights, and allergies
* Making time to read (and enjoy) a book
* Spending some time outdoors: farmers markets, reading, walks
* Going for walks in my new neighbourhood
* Farmer's markets on the North Shore, including a few in North Vancouver
* Having an abundance of food in my fridge including lettuce/salad & fruit
* Meeting the owner of a Bavarian Alps style home: love that look!
* Meeting a neighbourhood cat just down the street where I live
* Scenic views from up on high (on the streets in Upper Lonsdale)
* Two mice caught in the hall/storage area between the outer and inner doors
* A dog upstairs with a keen sense of smell: he found the second dead mouse - I had heard the snap of one mousetrap ...hmm, wish I had a cat or dog! ;)
* Found a loonie (a one-dollar coin)

Mouse traps: old and new styles

Though I had SO wished for the mouse to escape outdoors to freedom - thought I had only one mouse (unless another came in in the meantime) - to go back outside harm-free, my landlord had tried various means including mouse-friendly traps where they would be caught alive.

Nothing seemed to work and thus she resorted to old, traditional mouse traps which I did not wish in my home. Thus, they were placed in the corridor between the outside door and my apartment door.


What are you grateful for today and/or this week?

Gratitude List #7: Beauty, Nature, and Spirit

Deep Cove, North Vancouver BC

Today's gratitude list:
* the warmth and healing energy of the sun
* sunny weekends to air and freshen laundry
* a women's gathering to create art (write etc.)
* beauty to inspire and create
* a beautiful home and views (photo to left)
* stunning views of trees and water
* tall pine trees (I have an affinity for trees)
* Satsang (spiritual discourse)
* another beautiful home and views
* more tall pine trees and a garden to look at
* seeing the beauty of a Stellar jay flying
* the play and call of Stellar jays
* walks exploring the neighbourhood

Last weekend was also spent in nature in Hope, BC for a spiritual day retreat - see my gratitude post last Sunday and picture below of this woman's front yard. And (my) Spirit knows I desired and needed to get out more, especially in nature!

Photo of Hope garden

There was a connection from last weekend to this weekend in terms of being in nature and partaking of a spiritual event. However, there was also a spiritual thread, a focus, that weaved during mid-week and again today in topic.

In essence, I was being drawn or "called to" these circumstances. Some may call this coincidence as I used to term it years ago or synchronicity as I now refer to this phenomenon of being in the right place at the right time.

What does your gratitude list look like today, this past weekend and/or week? Did you notice any synchronicities?

Frolicking Fun Friday: Painting with Fire

My apologies in advance as I couldn't download a video about this, and the photos, taken from a girlfriend's phone, are the largest I can showcase. (I just purchased a new cellphone as one was essentially on its way out and I didn't know how to use my new one yet.)

In the photo above, the man is lying on this back on the floor with his legs up in the air holding her up in the air while they are both "fire performing." What stamina, strength, endurance, and balance!

Last Friday, albeit the weather was rather cool with temperamental rain, I am glad we both stayed to hear two bands play at the Shipyards Night Market, a farmer's market with live bands, in North Vancouver, BC (http://vancouversnorthshore.com/whats-happening/night-market-the-shipyards/).

We were pleasantly surprised and delighted when these incredibly talented, acrobatic fire performers did their magic with a band, Painting with Fire in the background. There were five of them, one women amongst them.

Here is one of the male performers:

And below is a photo of the group taken from Facebook:

What types of entertainment do you enjoy? How do you prefer to frolick and have fun?

Saturday (Summer) Salsa!

Photo courtesy from Ray Van Eng: Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver, outdoor plaza with boardwalk, a marine-themed water fountain, and view of Coal Harbor and downtown Vancouver

My body and spirit wanted to dance, salsa that is! I learned that there would be salsa dancing at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver, BC.

When I came upon the outdoor dancing platform near the covered stage, I was surprised to see no one dancing. How could that be? Just because it was a cloudy day with a tad (hardly!) of rain?

I thought it a perfect day to dance, to salsa that is, being a bit cool and lots of space to dance and move around in - a perfect combo - thank goodness for a cloudy and a wee bit of rain yesterday (Saturday).

So I approached the small troupe, three instructors awaiting would-be dancers, by the laptop computer blasting music out the large soundspeakers on stage.

One of the two men present whom I would later come to know as the 'leader' asked me if I would like to learn how to dance salsa. He introduced himself as Roger. I heartily replied in the affirmative, though stating that I had taken dance classes years ago to which he responded if I wished a free dance lesson.

Well, why not?! Of course! How can you NOT love salsa dancing and rhythms? I LOVE salsa!

It is amusing to me that I later find out that my dance instructor and partner, Roger Chen is the Director of Salsa Studio which is based out of HarbourDance (http://www.harbourdance.com/) in downtown Vancouver. Interesting to me as years ago, shortly after I arrived in Vancouver, I had applied to work there as a dance instructor. What can I say: I was desperate for a job and loved to dance.

What kind of dance music do you love to listen to? Dance to? How does it make you feel? Who are you being when you do?

Canada Day 2012

Photo courtesy of Brian Gratwicke

Happy Canada Day!

It’s a special day today for me, not only because of Canada Day and I'm walking in my first Canada Day Parade with work colleagues and friends, but my anniversary here in North Vancouver where I felt guided to move from Vancouver.

Never thought I’d leave the beauty and energy (feel) of the tree-lined neighbourhood where I lived not to far from shops and relatively close to the ocean and beach area to move across the water where it rains more!

However, though Vancouver felt like home for me, North Vancouver does even more, and even more so Lynn Valley. Something about mountains and trees in particular, the water too all remind me of my European heritage. I prefer to say I'm Dutch Canadian as I’m proud to be both Dutch and Canadian! ; )

What do you love about Canada or being Canadian?