Been a long time comin'....

Well, it's been a mighty long time since I wrote something down in this here ol' blog. Time to dust you off!

After my trip to Europe, I pretty much just stayed put, back in the lovely city of Toronto. After more than two years with my feet glued to the concrete, I felt it was time to put my feet back into the soil. B.C. soil, to be precise. So off I went. I gave up my nearly perfect Palmerston Avenue apartment and sold all of my hand picked furniture, shed a lot of tears and bid farewell to my Toronto life and all my dear friends. It was hard. Really fucking hard. But at the same time, I knew it in my heart, it was what I needed to do to get the wheels turning again.

I first landed myself in the ever so quaint and charming city of Victoria. I had lived there briefly, when I was 20, lasting about 8 months. This time I lasted about 2 and a half. The first month was the sublet from hell, followed by 28 days in an elevator shaft... And I'm not kidding! I decided it might be fun to spend a month at the funky downtown Ocean Island Backpackers Inn hostel and took the cheapest (and tiniest) room they had. That room being their old elevator shaft that they had converted into a tiny room. Or as I liked to call it, "The Box of Existentialism". It was just a breeding ground for those sorts of thoughts.

After that, I got to strike "living in James Bay" (for about two weeks) off of my bucket list. But my heart just wasn't feeling it. I needed a mental vacation. I needed the quiet. So I packed up my things once again and headed back to my folks in Campbell River (admittedly, not y favorite of towns) to be allowed the freedom to just breathe and not worry about what to do next and to allow things to just happen as they happen. No pressure, no deadlines. A time to relax, unwind, detox and recharge.

But now I am ready to move on to the next adventure.... French River, Ontario, here I come! I'll be working at the Chaudiere Lodge, as a server and housekeeper. My off time will be spent hiking the many trails, learning how to fish, and going paddling in canoes and row boats. That all ends in the autumn and then it's on to the next adventure.... South-Southwest U.S! Because we all know all I feel about cold winters.

Dublin

So it's been a wee bit since I wrote something here. Guess I am not really much of a blogger! But when your running around Ireland like a chicken with your head cut off, it can be hard to find a moment or even the words to put together into something that is more then random nonsense.

My last update left me still in the calm waters of rural Tuscany, where life was simple and quiet. Life has changed rather drastically since arriving in Ireland, to say the least!

I arrived in Dublin, by plane, in the late evening on April 8th. And I did what any one should do upon arriving in Dublin. I went down to Temple Bar to find myself a fresh pint of Guinness.

After wondering around for about 20 minutes, trying to decided on what over crowded pub to choose, I finally stumble upon just the right pub. But I walk in, only to walk out again, deciding it is too crowed. Then something catches my eye. A young, bright eyed Irishman. Dressed in black, with a cigarette in hand, his attire told me that he worked there. The chemistry was instant. And before I knew it I was finishing my last pint of Guinness at 6 am and not going back to the hostel I was checked into. Welcome to Ireland!

That was followed by a whirlwind romance, two less then pleasant WWOOF host farm stays, then fleeing to Belfast with  a bad case of home sickness which lead me to start looking into flights back home, only to get a job the next day with a catering company in Dublin. I'm looking at a room in apartment tomorrow. Guess you won my heart after all Dublin! I am ready to see else what you have in store for me...

It's a great, big world out there.

For the first time since I arrived in Europe, I found myself caught in a moment of loneliness. Sitting at a table surround by young Italian couples, speaking to me in English but to each other in Italian, it really made me wish I understood the language. It also made me miss, for a brief moment, Toronto. Or perhaps just made me long to be in a land of English speakers (See you in five weeks Ireland!).  I really am excited about the farm in Piedmont though, getting to work with bees, doing yoga and meditative dance, working with children and eating a strict vegetarian diet.

I am so bloody proud of myself for being able to pick up and just go, anywhere in the world, all on my own. I love my fierce independence and content with my lone wolf nature. But there are moments, naturally, when I really do wish there was someone I could be sharing some of these adventures with. You're out there somewhere, I know. Come a little closer now, darling.