Category: fun

a small quilted cloth with two pumpkins on it with other Halloween images around the edges Christine Reports A Clear Increase In October Fun
fitness · fun · planning · play · self care

Christine Reports A Clear Increase In October Fun

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

I tried to make the title of this post sound as un-fun as possible so… how did I do?

As I write this, I am more than halfway through the month and even though I have been ridiculously busy* I am happy to report that I am having more a lot fun than I usually do in October.

And that’s definitely due to the fact that in my post two weeks ago I took the time to write a list of seasonal things I wanted to do that would maximize my fun this month. Creating that that post gave me a good container for my thoughts about the kind of fun I want to have in October AND it guided me to make plans early enough to make things happen.

Here’s an update on each item from my list of 13 in the initial post:

  1. I have already planned a ghost story writing workshop and a spooky storytelling event later this month.

I taught the ghost story writing workshop on Sunday and we all had a great time.

The spooky storytelling event will be on October 28 and you can join us online if you wish – let me know if you want the registration link.

Plus, I added an idea-generating writing workshop and an oracle card making workshop to the list of things I am offering this month. I love teaching workshops so that’s extra fun for me.

  1. I’ve planned a couple of artsy-craftsy Halloween events with my community arts organization so I’ll get to be creative and hang out with lots of other people who love this season.

The other bonus is that I will have extra places to wear my costume and I will get to make some cool decorations for my house.

And in addition to those events, I also bought tickets to see Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors – a dear friend of mine is in it so it’s going to be extra fun for me.

I also bought a ticket for an online lecture called ‘Seasons of the Witch’ which promises to be very interesting.

Sidenote: I also bought a book called Season of the Witch: A Psychiatrist’s Case for Magic by Ellen Vora, MD and I am finding that very intriguing, too. I’m not really that far into the book so I can’t address the strength of her arguments or anything but I’m very interested in the ideas she’s working with. I’m also reading Grady Hendrix’s How to Sell a Haunted House and I can endorse the argument he is making so far – dolls and puppets can indeed be very creepy. (Since I can’t include tone in a blog post and I want to be clear: I’m making a bit of a joke about the second book. I just found it funny to pretend that he’s trying, in a horror novel, to convince us that dolls and puppets can be creepy.)

  1. I have already assembled my Halloween-themed collage/junk journaling supplies so they’ll be handy all month.

I’ve spent a couple of evenings moving bits of paper around but I haven’t actually finished my collage yet so I’ll share it later.

Meanwhile, I would not have gotten around to this at all yet if it hadn’t been for this so  I would have missed out on that relaxing creative time.

Lists = More Fun. Imagine that!

  1. I’m making two zines – Advice from Monsters and (Some) Ghosts are Helpful – which will let me combine drawing and writing and some silly spookiness.

I’ve made a list of monster advice and a list of ways that (some) ghosts can be helpful and I have experimented with a slightly different way to fold a zine.

I’ve also drawn some practice ghosts and some practice monster eyes, monster horns and monster teeth.

The actual zine part isn’t complete yet.

  1. I’m on track to finish the ghost story that I’m writing (it’s about a haunted mirror that someone picked up on the side of the road.)

This one has moved slowly because of the aforementioned busyness but I have a fair bit of writing time this week so things will pick up.

  1. I’m slowly putting up Halloween decorations all month.


This is ongoing and as I mentioned above, I am also making some new ones!

  1. I’m making a bit more time for my favourite spooky podcasts/YouTube channels – including taking slightly longer walks and doing slightly longer workouts so I can finish an episode.

So far so good with this one and I am also using Halloween-themed background music and ambience channels** to add to my fun while working or creating cool stuff.

  1. I’m using my Seasons of the Witch Samhain Oracle for journaling prompts.

This has been SO INTERESTING.

I have used this oracle deck before but those times I was mostly just thinking about things in the moment. Drawing a card and reflecting on any possible personal meanings has been really cool. My mind likes it a lot.

  1. I’m doing some practices from Yoga for Witches by Sarah Robinson – I know that title sounds like it could be flippant but I am finding it to be respectful to Yoga and to pagan practices.

I haven’t done many of these yet but, like my writing, this is a good week for it.

  1. I’ve got big plans for making soups and breads and cookies.

I’ve made two batches of chocolate chip cookies and two pots of soup and they have all been delicious.

  1. My Halloween costume is already in the works.

It is still in the works!

  1. I’ve added Halloween music to my playlists.

Last week, my oldest kid (24) and I had a great time rating the relative seasonal appropriateness of a bunch of Halloween songs while I was driving him to work.

Yes, we did find that a lot of fun.

Note: Monster Mash is fun and seasonally appropriate but Flying Purple People Eater is not particularly Halloweenish.  Also, do the words flying and purple apply to the eater or the people it eats?

  1. I’ve already started wearing all of my Halloween themed clothing.

I have indeed! And I just dug out more from storage.

I’m wearing a ‘Haunted Harvest Festival’ tshirt right now and several people have been disappointed to learn that it’s just a shirt, not an actual event.

What do you think a Haunted Harvest Festival would entail?

Is the Festival haunted or is it the Harvest that has gotten all spooky?

(Yes, I do take any opportunity to follow my curiosity)

____________

So, with another week and a bit until Halloween, I have to conclude that advance planning, making lists, and deciding to have more fun (without pressure to fully do every part of every plan) does indeed result in a clear increase in October Fun.

And, as suspected, increasing my fun levels has been great for my mental health and my overall wellbeing.

How is your October going?

*I really need to have a serious look at how I organize my schedule but that’s a whole different post!

**In my last post I shared some podcasts and YouTube channels that focus on spooky stories so this time I’ll share a few links for spooky season ambience.

A video called “Cute Lo-Fi for Ghosts” and the still image shows a cartoonish drawing of a sheet ghost in a graveyard at night with tree trunks in the background. The majority of the image is blue/black but the ghost is white and there are white scribble accents here and there. White text at the top of the image says “Halloween Lo-Fi No AI”
A video called “October Magic Ambience” from the Dead of Night channel. The still image shows a digitally animated corner of a room with stars and moons on the wall, and a stack of books with a teacup on top, an antique dresser decorated with stars and moons, a carved Jack O’Lantern, a blanket with ghosts and witches on it, a sleeping cat, and a bunch of Halloween knick-knacks and on the right side of the image is a window that is slightly open that is decorated with a string of mushrooms.
This ambience video is called Vintage Halloween Art and is by Art for Your TV by 88 Prints. This channel would be to put on a screen as a ‘decoration’ in your room and the images change every so often. The first image is a sepia-toned drawing of a witch and her cat flying on a broomstick over a village at night. There’s a church and houses with their windows lit up and there are a bunch of trees at the bottom of the image. The full moon is in the sky but it is not casting much light.
This music/ambience video is called (No AI) The Toy Shop. Text at the bottom of the image reads “The Toy Shop: Hand-painted Art. Original Music. Ambience.” The image is of shelves in a toy shop with all kinds of wooden toys, dolls, and puppets on them and in front of the shelves are a series of marionettes hanging from the ceiling with their feet near the floor.
A playlist called “something wicked this way comes; a playlist for writing spooky stories by candlelight” The still image shows two hands emerging out of the dark background, the back of one hand is towards the camera, and we can see the palm of the other hand. There is a human skull on the bottom right and we can only see the left side of it because it is facing towards the left in the image, it is poorly lit so it isn’t highly visible. The words “Something Wicked This Way Comes” in a gothic font are overlaid on the image.
A playlist from Alex Rainbird Music called “spooky season 🎃 • a haunting indie/folk/alternative playlist” and the still image is of a person with long hair in dark clothes standing in what looks to be a forest with fallen leaves all over the ground. They are looking downward at the pumpkin they are holding at waist height.


Christine is Determined to Have More Fun in October
ADHD · celebration · fun

Christine is Determined to Have More Fun in October

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

I love Halloween because it has so many of my favourite things (Ghost stories! Snacks! People going all in on their weirdness! ) but the early part of Autumn is always really busy for me and I often end up feeling like I jumped from the end of August to the last week in October without any time or energy to plan Halloween fun. 

BUT NOT THIS YEAR!

This year I am absolutely determined to have as much fun as possible in October. 

How am I going to do that?

Well, I’m not much of one for going to parties so I won’t be going that route but I do have some really appealing plans:

  1. I have already planned a ghost story writing workshop and a spooky storytelling event* later this month. 
  1. I’ve planned a couple of artsy-craftsy Halloween events with my community arts organization so I’ll get to be creative and hang out with lots of other people who love this season.
  1. I have already assembled my Halloween-themed collage/junk journaling supplies so they’ll be handy for playful creativity all month. 
  1. I’m making two zines – Advice from Monsters and (Some) Ghosts are Helpful – which will let me combine drawing and writing and some silly spookiness.
  1. I’m on track to finish the ghost story that I’m writing (it’s about a haunted mirror that someone picked up on the side of the road.)
  1. I’m slowly putting up Halloween decorations all month.
  1. I’m making a bit more time for my favourite spooky podcasts/YouTube channels** – including taking slightly longer walks and doing slightly longer workouts so I can finish an episode or two. 
  1. I’m using my Seasons of the Witch Samhain Oracle for journaling prompts.
  1. I’m doing some practices from Yoga for Witches by Sarah Robinson – I know that title sounds like it could be flippant but I am finding it to be respectful to Yoga and to pagan practices so far.
  1. I’ve got big plans for making soups and breads and cookies. (This one is less Halloween-focused but definitely seasonal!)
  1.  My Halloween costume is already in the works.
  1. I’ve added Halloween music to my playlists. (Current Fave: Alanis Morrissette’s version of Donovan’s Season of the Witch. (It’s part of the soundtrack for Yaga, a show that starts airing this month.)
  1. I’ve already started wearing all of my Halloween themed clothing.
A photo of a woman on stage speaking into a microphone
I was leaning into my own whimsy when I added my Halloween scarf to my outfit to perform at the Tales from Near and Afar at the St. John’s Storytelling Festival on Friday night. Photo credit: Jeanene Walsh. Image description: Thanks to Jeanene Walsh for the fun photo of my story adventures on Friday evening.
Image description: a photo of me, a middle aged white woman with shoulder length brown hair (but the lights overhead make my hair look purple in this photo), dark framed glasses and red lipstick. I am wearing a black shirt and a grey scarf with ghosts, witches, and pumpkins on it. I am in the middle of saying something into a microphone and I look very sincere.

I know, I know! That’s a lot of things*** but I was doing a lot of those things anyway, I have just switched to the Halloween (or at least Fall) version of them. 

The idea of this list doesn’t make me feel overwhelmed. Instead, I feel excited and I like having so many things to look forward to. 

The things on my list are all so good for my well-being – creativity, fun, exercise, journaling, good company, choosing clothes and music and foods that make me feel good – that even if I don’t finish them all, I am still going to feel good in the process. 

And, finally, it feels great to know that I am not going to reach the end of October in a big hurry, wondering where the time went, and feeling out of sorts because I have nothing planned to celebrate Halloween.

Instead, I am celebrating Halloween all month and having a bit more fun every day.

*The storytelling event is on Wednesday, Oct 28 at 8:30PM Newfoundland time, you can join us via Zoom if you’d like. You can also join my ghost story workshop but I don’t have the time confirmed for that yet.

** Real Life Ghost Stories

Classic Ghost Stories (A story a day until Halloween!)

Eerie Edinburgh

Old Gods of Appalachia

Whispering Woods (An episode a day until Halloween!)

Uncanny (A really short episode a day until their Halloween special)

***Yes, I did deliberately choose to include 13 – so spooky! Ha!

Tall glass with ice, fruit and green lime beverage. Yummy. By Fiznek Mutezi for Unsplash. Cold drinks for a hot summer: they don’t solve climate change, but they are mighty refreshing
celebration · climate change · fitness · food · fun · self care · vacation

Cold drinks for a hot summer: they don’t solve climate change, but they are mighty refreshing

catherine w1 Comment

Here’s a scientific term I wish I didn’t understand: heat dome. Europe has been suffering under one, bringing with it two record-breaking heat waves and more than 1300 excess deaths in the past month. And North America will be on the receiving end of one this week. Ontario and the US midwest and east coast are preparing for temperatures to top 100F/37C this weekend.

There’s a lot to say and feel about climate change. We here at Fit is a Feminist Issue worry and write about it a lot, including most recently Sam’s post here. It’s changed our daily lives in so many ways, including exercise and work and wake-up schedules, travel habits, buying plans– this is just the tip of the (melting) ice berg.

But we can’t and shouldn’t spend all waking moments confronting future and present fears and woes. In order to keep ourselves ready for the long-haul of adjustment and advocacy and innovation and conservation, we need occasional pauses. We need to be refreshed.

And, for my money, there’s no better and more refreshing pause than making and drinking a cold or icy fruity beverage. I’m serious. Who can be sad in the presence of fresh watermelon, a spritz of juicy lime, the cold rush from an ice-cold glass? Not me. And I bet not you. I mean, doesn’t this look like a (momentary) solution to all our problems?

watermelon agua fresca, with a sugared rim, spring of mint and lime squeeze at the ready.
watermelon agua fresca, with a sugared rim, spring of mint and lime squeeze at the ready. Go here for the easy-peasy recipe.

This drink is part of my regular summer drink rotation. Consider adding it to yours.

A new addition that I’m trying this weekend with friends is limonada, or Brazilian lemonade. It’s not really lemonade in a classic sense, as it contains sweetened condensed milk as an ingredient (WHAT?! don’t knock until tried). Also, you pulse (not pulverize) cut up limes in the blender, which adds to its limeyness. Here’s a recipe. I dare you to try it, and I double-dog-dare you to comment on the results. Are you reading, Sarah Pie?

The creamy simplicity of the Brazilian lemonade, or limonata.
The creamy simplicity of the Brazilian lemonade, or limonata.

I wrote in more detail last summer about fun summer cold beverages; check it out if you are looking for more ideas for cooling off in a hot summer.

And Happy Canada Day to all!

Summertime feminist kitchen activity: Catherine makes yummy cold beverages

A painting of a gold star on black paper with encouraging text on one side. Go Team 2026: Keep Showing Up
fitness · fun · Go Team · goals · habits · health · motivation · self care

Go Team 2026: Keep Showing Up

Christine HenneburyLeave a comment

Hey Team,

When was the last time you celebrated showing up?

If it has been a while, then please take this post as a sign to pat yourself on the back, congratulate yourself, and claim your gold star.

And if you congratulated yourself earlier today?

Well, pat yourself on the back, congratulate yourself again, and claim your gold star.

If you’re like me, there will be times when you are really challenging yourself and times when you are just kind of treading water.

Both are good.

In fact, the whole range of ways to show up are all good.

And I’d like you to celebrate every one of them.

I am proud of you for showing up when it’s fun and I’m proud of you for showing up when it’s annoying to be there.

And I hope that, overall, you get more fun than annoyance but here’s your gold star for your efforts either way.

Go Team Us!

A painting of a gold star on black paper with encouraging text on one side.
I’ve been trying out gold star cards with encouraging text and I like how this one turned out. Image description: a black card with a small painting of a gold star on the left side. On the right side is a piece of white card with rounded corners that says, in black text, “ this gold star celebrates your hard work, the effort you put into showing up every time. Congratulations! I’m so proud of you.” The white card is framed in black with a gold frame outside of the black one. There is a thick gold line a little ways under the star that also extends downward underneath the white card.

What progress means as we age
aging · blogging · cycling · fitness · fun · nature

What progress means as we age

elan.paulson1 Comment

This year five friends and I tried to repeat a two-day cycling tour some of us had attempted a few years ago: the Guelph to Goderich rail trail, which is just short of about 150km of gravel path through scenic rural Ontario.

The first time, it was my first multi-day cycling tour ever, and I didn’t even own my own gear. We’d unknowingly scheduled the original ride during a derecho storm, so we made it most of the way until the rain, the cold, and the trail that had turned to a sandy stream made the ride not fun anymore. After getting 2/3rds to Goderich, we stopped at a brewery in a small town called Blyth and called it a day.

This time, the rain and the cold were back, fortunately only during the second day. But with the dramatic turn in weather from the first sunny day, so once again we found ourselves soaked, muddy, and at the brewery, warming up with a beverage and deciding to end the ride there.

Sun and shine and smiles on the first day….

In the car on the way home, I thought about what it means to progress in a sport or exercise activity. Typically, to me it has meant faster times, more goals, or better scores. Really, though, the goal posts are always moving as we age. The same journey gets harder over time, even with more experience and better gear. Not even considering an adjustment for age, we chose not to feel bad that we didn’t finish at Goderich but good that we got as far as we did. As my friend Lisa said with a smile, “I’m confident there weren’t many 60 year olds out doing as much as I did today.”

Lisa and me riding into town, soaked but happy. Photo by GA Koops.

Progress was being able to get the same thing done even after a few years of creaky bones, knee problems, more stiffness. Fun and accomplishment were our goals. As I enter mid-life, that kind of relative thinking gives me a new and better way to measure my own success, one that acknowledges what I can’t control and focuses on what I can (like chasing joy rather than results).

For long-time readers, this blog is itself a testament to this kind of context-based thinking about fitness and aging. As we write, over the yesrs, what is maturing along with our bodies is our sense of what progress means. We can give ourselves permission to move at a pace that reflects the time and space we’re in, rather than set ourselves up to fail with ever-higher expectations that don’t appreciate where we really are.

The Guelph to Goderich rail trail line is referred to fondly around here as the “G2G.” Now that we’ve made it as far as Blyth, twice, it’s now sort of a new tradition for us, our “G2B.” And if we can get even that far again in a few years, rain and/or shine, we’ll all be happy with that.

Gotta keep your strength up! Delicious pie and tarts at the end of Day 1.
Scouts and Sweeps in Group Fun
cycling · fitness · fun · holiday fitness · leadership

Scouts and Sweeps in Group Fun

elan.paulson2 Comments

In the Azores, on the volcanic island of Faial, 5 friends and I rented ebikes for what we thought would be a scenic and leisurely ride through part of the countryside.

But after a few hours, following stops for an ocean swim and a lunch, the wet and foggy weather started closing in. We had few route options and limited ebike battery life. The guy at the rental shop had warned us: use the pedal assist too much and we’d be pedalling our heavy ebikes home entirely on our own steam.

The team posing: we had cycle, rain, and swim gear all ready for this trip that day!
The team posing: we had cycle, rain, and swim gear all ready for this trip that day!

I am, by instinct, a middle-of-the-pack person. I’ve never been confident or experienced enough to lead a physical group adventure, though I’m not usually slow enough to need too much bringing along. Most of my athletic life has involved participating but mostly being accountable just to myself.

But after two years of riding with my local cycling club, I’d learned enough about how group rides work to provide some safety and support strategies. One person sets the direction and pace. They carry the authority and stress of being first. Another person holds the rear and watches for gaps. They make sure no one gets left behind and communicates trouble forward.

I didn’t know those roles had names until I talked to a friend who, as an avid hiker, described similar roles for groups on multi-day hikes: scouts and sweeps.

(In cycling, my ride leader explained, they are referred to as leads or, in motorcycling, points.)

I took a photo of the ride routes map at the store, and I’m glad I did because my Ride with GPS app wasn’t awesome.
I had just happened to take a photo of the ride routes map beforehand at the rental store, and I’m glad I did because my RidewithGPS app wasn’t awesome in the Faial backcountry.

I was so eager to ride that day, I ended up at the front. It turned out that my first day as a group cycling scout was somewhat stressful: the weather was not improving and the road on those volcanic hills seemed to head ever-upwards.

A break in the hills and the fog allowed me to snap a picture of the road and town ahead.
A break in the hills and the fog allowed me to snap a picture of the road and town ahead.

By the time we got to the exact opposite part of the island from where we started, we had to make a choice: follow the shorter mid-island route the bike store guy had suggested…or take the longer, traffic-busy road near the water. We had what the ebike community calls range anxiety: running out of juice before we run out of hills. Given the hilliness of Faial island we had already faced, we chose the latter.

There were other experienced riders in my group, so we rotated scouts and sweeps as we made our way towards Horta. By finally hitting some downhill and conserving our energy and our bikes’!), we ended up returning to the rental shop with time and battery to spare. Our apps told us we had made speeds of over 50km and reached an elevation of 330m, a gain of nearly 1000m overall. Not bad for recreational cyclists!

Lots a of elevation along with the weather made this recreational ride a good challenge, even on e-bikes.
Elevation and weather made this recreational ride a good challenge, even on e-bikes.
Route around Faial Island
Our final ride around the island and back to Horta….the long way.

Thanks to the Scouts and the Sweeps

Since our Faial ride, I’ve been thinking about the contributions that scout and sweep roles play in group activities. Not just the formal leaders who are trained and hired to lead groups on trails and tracks, but the regular folks who volunteer their expertise to help move groups of people along together. Scouts and sweeps aren’t just coaches on the sidelines. They are part of the group too, and their labour can be invisible until you’re the one doing it (or you are the one being helped).

Elan eating a sandwich
Me (Elan) on a scout break eating a Nutella sandwich.

This holiday group ride, which was longer and more difficult than anticipated, made me grateful to have had so many great scouts and sweeps in my life, taking care of me and the rest of the group when I didn’t even notice it. And this time out, I appreciated being able to serve my friend group in that same way.

Revisiting the Rules of Cycling Rewritten (Throwback Friday)
cycling · fitness · fun · rules · tbt

Revisiting the Rules of Cycling Rewritten (Throwback Friday)

elan.paulson2 Comments

I went back to Sam’s Thursday post in the third week of April 2015 (11 years ago): The rules of cycling rewritten. It was composed of three linked posts and Phil Gaimon’s 3-minute video, New Rules of Cycling.

Sam’s two linked posts describe observations about some negative aspects of cycling she was seeing at the time, focusing on machismo and fussiness.

I found through the Wayback Machine the youth sport UK’s 27 rules for young cyclists, which emphasize respect, consctientiousness, and reality checks during training and races. The rules advise young cyclists to reject egotism and meanspiritesness and embrace competition while still seeing the bigger picture.

Finally, conplete with a makeshift outdoor office, a Cookie Monster mug, and his bike behind him, Gaimon shares general etiquette cycling rules that reject elitism and encourage safety and inclusion. And waving, as Sam notes in her OP.

If I had to boil it all down, the “new” cycling rules in 2015 were to Be Kind To Others and Be Kind To Yourself.

I think Sam’s post from eleven years ago is evergreen, not throwback. As a curious but hesitant road and gravel cyclist, I might not have even joined the sport of cycling a few years ago if I’d have known how gate-keepy it could be. I’m grateful for these posts because the culture of any sport is learned behaviour. As a novice, I only benefit from more seasoned riders who model and encourage unlearning the “old” rules that would have excluded me. Marc and Fred at the LCC lead in this way.

Longtime FIFI cyclists: have the “new rules” from over a decade ago become just “the rules” today? What’s changed, and what’s still the same in your cycling world?

a photo of a dog on a leash on a sidewalk April? Tomorrow? Really?
celebration · fitness · fun · mindfulness · motivation · play · rest · self care · time

April? Tomorrow? Really?

Christine Hennebury

So, apparently we’re starting April tomorrow which is bizarre because I am pretty sure we just started March.

Time is a mystery.

But seeing as the calendar is insisting that a new month is imminent, I thought it would be fun to look at some of the fitness and wellness related days that have been assigned to April.

April is…

Move More Month – that seems pretty promising and it could be pretty easy, if the weather cooperates even a little. And for many of our bloggers and readers, it ties in nicely with the fact that April is also Active Dog Month -it’s like a 2 for 1 special, really.

Stress Awareness Month – I think we are all pretty aware of stress (ha!) but this could be a good time to pay attention to your stress levels and see if you can find some relief.

Speaking of stress relief, perhaps the fact that April is Poetry Month, the Month of Hope, and National Volunteer Month, could help find a good starting point for reducing your stress levels.

And if you need help with your stress, April is also Counseling Awareness Month – extra impetus to give it a try.

See more of the awareness days, weeks, and month-long reminders in April.

For me, though, the best awareness day this month is April 5 – which is My Sister Denise’s Birthday Awareness Day.

Denise is a fun, creative, outdoorsy person and I highly recommend that you celebrate My Sister Denise’s Birthday Awareness Day by finding some nonsense to participate in, by taking yourself outside for some fun, or by doing something creative.

In fact, if you *do* celebrate My Sister Denise’s Birthday Awareness Day on Sunday, let me know and I will draw you your very own gold star as a reward.

Denise’s birthday

Fit is a Feminist bloggers: our favourite non-alcoholic drinks
fun · habits

Fit is a Feminist bloggers: our favourite non-alcoholic drinks

natalieh (she/her)

I love a good group post. Last month I did a three part series called “Thirsty Thursday”. It got a lot of traction, especially from friends and colleagues, people want to talk about other options than drinking alcohol while out on the town or celebrating at home. Here’s our favourites.

Catherine

Honestly, right now I’m treating myself to the occasional fresh-squeezed orange or grapefruit juice. Several evenings this week I poured myself a small glass half-full of OJ, and drank it with great pleasure. The tart citrus, the texture of pulp, even the bright orangey-yellow color are sensory delights during the dark cold winter. It’s intense, so it’s perfect for sipping. I am squeezing grapefruits myself for the next round of after-dinner citrus concoctions. Yes, you add grenadine for color/flavor-sweetness, and/or seltzer or tonic for fizz, but at the moment I’m into the pure power of citrus.

Sam

I’m a big fan of Geez Louise. The company is Canadian and women-owned. The drink is
prebiotic sparkling water with 5g of plant-based fiber, zero sugar, and no sweeteners. I like Melon Mint best,
Lemon Lavender second best, and
Grapefruit Basil third.

There’s a lot I can’t drink now, coffee after noon, very carbonated beverages any time. Luckily I’m happy with plain water most of the time. Also, mint tea. But the Jeez Louises taste good and don’t upset my stomach so they’re a win.

A picture of four cans of Geez Louise Melon Mint.

Elan

I haven’t tried this yet but the Juicer at Pearl Morrisette, One of only a few two Michelin star restaurants in Ontario, creates a tisane with herbs infused in water, then mixes with a fresh pressed juice. The result is depth and complexity without too much sweetness. Try infusions with basil, nettle, sea buckthorn, oregano, or lavender!

Martha

The Carbon Bar has a great mocktail menu. My favourite mocktail is any variation of a Moscow mule. I love the zip the non alcoholic ginger beer gives to fruit syrups!

It’s in Toronto. It’s also quiet, conducive to conversation and the meal we had there a few years ago was lovely.

Diane

I love my sparkling water with a splash of flavouring. I use a SodaStream because it creates less waste, and preferred flavours are lemon or some sort of shrub (an old syrup recipe that I make using fruit, vinegar and sugar). You can find the recipe here:https://siglindesarts.wordpress.com/2024/01/01/rhubarb-shrub/

A funnel shaped crystal glass containing a drink the colour of ginger Allie on a white lace tablecloth.

Tracy

Day to day I like flavoured sparkling water. But my favourite two mocktails are both at Planta: the cucumber mule and the cosmic colada. So good.

Nicole

I have had some good shrubs and similar in restaurants, but really, I’m happy with good coffee – or – a Diet Coke!

Cate

I like RISE hibiscus kombucha for a sparkling middle of the day treat.

Nat

There are so many great mocktails. My favourites are Edna’s mojito. It’s crisp and served over a glass full of ice so the tall can goes far.

Clever G&T is available at grocery stores in Ontario and is a modest price point.

Chill Street Gin Fizz from Nova Scotia is tangy and blueberry flavored.

As a side note, I loved reading everyone’s go to drinks. I remember the first fresh squeezed orange juice I ever had. It was in Florida and it tasted like sunshine.

Often I’m looking for complexity or intensity of flavour, a different kind of stimulation than water, tea or coffee.

I hope you found inspiration to try something new!

Nat invites folks to de-center alcohol when socializing
alcohol · celebration · fun

Nat invites folks to de-center alcohol when socializing

natalieh (she/her)1 Comment

This is my final installment of Thirsty Thursday where I write about how I’m leaving alcohol behind.

Growing up in rural New Brunswick the epitome of hospitality was offering guests an alcoholic drink when they arrived.

Birthdays, graduations and most events had alcohol at the center. We got together to have drinks at home or in bars. Drinking was the activity and the socializing came second.

Inadvertently we excluded anyone who didn’t or couldn’t drink.

Many years later I’ve learned that socializing doesn’t have to be centered around drinking alcohol.

That’s not to mean I’m asking people to not drink but rather have other things as the reason we are getting together.

My friend Jess and I regularly get together over crafting events, like making clay ornaments.

A star, heart and tree shaped white clay ornaments with red ribbon loops.

Michel and I have dates swimming, walking and working out.

Friends are coming over for a pre-concert hang next weekend. The plan is making pizzas and playing board games.

I invite my eldest over to help me on projects around the house.

I get together with friends to read each other’s writing.

Alcohol can be involved in these things but they are not what is bringing us together.

When I move alcohol to the periphery I center time with friends, creativity and wellbeing.

That sounds pretty dang interesting doesn’t it?