Three things to keep you inspired this week
My very dear friends,
This post was meant to go out yesterday, stock-full with the bits and pieces that have me inspired, but life, apparently, had other plans. On Saturday, with the thermometer reading - 30 Celsius and a glacial wind whipping through the air, the electrical boxes supplying my city neighbourhood with the power needed to keep our old apartments even just as much as modestly warm, decided that was it, that they had had enough. Needless to say, the rest of the weekend was spent buried under heaps of blankets and fretting about frozen pipes.
Long live the log burner.
But nevermind. It’s in moments like these that you also take stock of your blessings - the friends and family stepping in to help, the neighbourly solidarity, a great book and nothing else to do - the sheer luxury of a steaming shower. So though I may be a day late, I am perhaps even more thrilled to be sharing with you those morsels of beauty and joy and gratitude that I’ve collected over the last month. I hope that though the week, in all of her whirlwindiness, has begun that you find some inspiration for yourself here, even if that be just too take a pause and take stock of all your blessings.
Something I am reading
February always brings with her a burning desire to plant, to create, to paint once again the world in green and color. I watch the light change and my pelargoniums begin to sprout new leaves even as the world remains wrapped in her great coat of icy white. This is the time for dreaming up new life and my attention, as February dawns on me is always, always turned to plants and gardens.
This week, I’ve been reading The Greater Perfection, a beautiful book on the creation of the Quatre-Vents garden in Charlevoix County up north here in Quebec.
I always imagined that our frosty climate didn’t allow for the lush elegance of European-style gardens - but this book has taught me otherwise. It’s also taught me so much about the patience and the steadfastness of the gardener and the humility that one must cultivate in order to become co-creator to such beauty.
Highly recommended for anyone living in a cooler climate or for those simply in need of creative inspiration. The film that was made from the book is next on my list :)
Something I am baking
Winter is the time for sleep and rest and coziness and I have been pouring over this Torta Caprese recipe by Brittney and Viktor from the Whisked Away Kitchen Blog.
I love the chocolatey-ness of the cake, not too sweet, just with the right amount of crumb and a perfect pairing, fresh out of the oven on a crisp Saturday morning accompanied by a steaming cappuccino.
An Instagram account I am following
I came upon @samuelalexandershapes in the January issue of House and Garden. I was instantly smitten - if you like all things woodwork, I highly recommend you give him a follow. Samuel took to woodturning during a bout of depression, as something to occupy his hands and mind with. What began as a simple hobby, quickly turned into something of a passion and the vessels he creates have a lovely quality, both quirky and immensely comforting. He is my reminder to continue learning, to keep on exploring and to let myself be guided by the part in me that knows.
These would also make for a stunning display in a minimalist-leaning kitchen where natural textures and materials are placed center-stage.
Like a fly on the wall
(aka that one random thought I have to share)
January for me was spent in song and music as I rehearsed for a mini recital together with some music friends and it made me (re)realize how vital music was to our human experience. Music is liberating, it gives a voice to our souls, wings to our minds (that’s Plato, not me) and helps us travel to other worlds, different lives. For the month of January, I became a siren in Purcell’s bewitching Two Daughters of this Aged Stream , a forlorn lover in My Dearest, My Fairest and a child crying the loss of a father in Son Nata a Lagrimar.
We all carry together the shared story of our humanity - the same tears, the same hopes, the same fears, the same joys - they’re all in us. We might express them differently but in music, we are one and I think that is beautiful.
So this week, I invite you all to sing, to play music. It doesn’t matter if you’re a little off-tune or unsure of musical taste - play, explore, music brings all that it touches alive.
With much love,
Camille