Hibernation Weekend!

Feeling a little world weary and worn from my illness, I decided to spend my weekend focusing on self care. This required a little preparation. So the first thing I did was to call any of my peeps who might worry if they didn't hear from me.

You can see where my interests lie!

The second bit of prep work was more enjoyable. I took Friday  afternoon off because the sun was shining: I'm extremely fortunate to be  able to do that occasionally. I really needed to walk, so I parked the car at one end of West Street and walked to the library in the cold, crisp air. After loading up on magazines and cookbooks, I walked to one of my favorite cafes where I ate a delicious falafel wrap and sipped my latte while sitting at the window with the sun pouring in. I felt like a lazy cat! 

Back at home, my self-enforced hibernation began with couch time. Soft music was playing, I had a cup of lemon ginger tea and I took my time going through a few of my library finds. A not-too-far-in-the-past Zoomer magazine featured these talented ladies from "Alias Grace". (If you haven't seen this series, I encourage you to watch it. It was wonderful!) And look at the way Margaret Atwood stands her own in that amazing jacket. I want to have that kind of confidence and presence when I grow up!

Saturday was National Cheese Day; so brunch was baked brie with cranberry marmalade. Yummy! I spent the whole day zig-zagging from yoga to reading cookbooks; shovelling a path to the car and sitting on a snowy bench with my face to the sky catching snowflakes; and arranging and pasting to bring my journal up to date. That evening I re-watched one of my kid's favourite movies, Totoro. How great it was to revisit that after so many years:  such a gentle sweet movie. 

Sunday I decided I really needed to get out of the house and walk again. So, in spite of the weather, I dug out my snow pants, dressed warmly and walked until my legs ached from trudging through the deep snow on the road's edge. I stopped and sat on these steps, looking down at the icy water in the bay and listening to the surf. It was very calming.


The walk back home was a little more difficult because I was walking directly into the wind and it was a fair trek back! But I wrapped my scarf around my mouth, and focused on deeply breathing in the wonderful fresh air, on the feel of my arms swinging back and forth as I walked, and how warm my body felt in spite of the cold all around me. Back in the warmth of my little cave, I felt so glad I'd done the walk. 

I cooked a pork shoulder with apples and cranberries and roasted potatoes for my dinner. And that evening as I watched Star Trek Discovery and Victoria, I slowly ate one of the gourmet chocolate bars my daughter had sent me for Xmas.



OMG! This bar was wonderful. The quality of the chocolate was sublime. And no one flavour was overpowering but they were perfectly melded: the raspberry being the first flavour to hit you, then the subtle hint of rose water, and finally those delicious chewy fennel seeds at the end. Pure luxury!


In terms of rejuvenation and peace, the weekend was a complete success. I feel so much better this morning, more able to face the work week and the challenges that often come my way.

How do you recharge? Do you sometimes feel the need to "hibernate"? 

Whatever you do, I hope you got to practice a little "Hygie" this past weekend.