AstraCanada

Hello!

I am 45 years old and live in a small university town in Ontario, Canada.

I work in insurance industry... what can I say – it pays my bills and also exhausts my energy and urge for things being neat and organized. Actually, when I was younger I did not mind working 9 to 5, I felt that it was buying me the freedom for the rest of my free time. But lately I am not sure... I would love to have more meaning, creativity, passion in my daily work.

Things that I absolutely love and that keep me sane and happy are: books, yoga, meditation, having a cup of tea while staring out of the window, cooking, some quiet time, some time with good friends.

I collect postcards (mostly through Postcrossing), sayings, comics clipped out of newspaper (“Rhymes with Orange” and “Zits” are one of my favourites). Also, I love to read newspapers and have a binder full of clipped or photocopied articles and pictures that inspire me or make me laugh. I love to flip through it for some inspiration.

I keep a notebook with a list of all the books I have read, and all the movies I have seen. I also have a scrapbook where I collect all the ticket stubs for movies, theatre, concerts and programs, but that is not going too well, I am a bit behind.

When it comes to crafts, I am not particularly skilled, but very enthusiastic. I love colour, trying out collages, different shapes, making cards, little surprises for my family and friends.

To combine my love for anything colourful and wise sayings, I am learning calligraphy and playing with watercolours. It is very satisfying.

I also have a weakness for anything Snoopy, and Snoopy stickers are my favourite.

I love colourful pens and pencils, notebooks and journals, interesting craft paper.

I love keeping my crafts nicely organized, and not just with crafts, but with the rest of my house FlyLady (flylady.net) has been wonderful.

Favourite colours change often. Currently it’s earthly tones, I also love the combination of blue and green. There isn’t a colour I don’t like.

I cook from scratch, and love simple but interesting recipes. Mostly I am a vegetarian, I do eat meat, I just don’t really like it that much. I love the ritual of afternoon tea (with little cucumber sandwiches and scones).

Books, I don’t even know where to start. I just love reading and cannot imagine not having a pile of books around me. My two most favourite authors are Margaret Atwood and Charles Dickens. I have a weakness for Agatha Christie and P. D. James. Recently I have been reading some Alison Lurie’s books, re-reading Joanna Trollope, Joan Barfoot, Anita Brookner. Great books that I read last year were: Extra Virgin by Annie Hawes, Bell Canto, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. I also use “What should I read next.com”, many good recommendations came my way. I attend a book club in our local bookstore, and enjoy exchanging opinions and views with other readers.

We don't watch much TV, not enough time I guess. I do like documetaries, current affairs, biographies. But somehow, TV is always the last on my list, I watch it only when I don't have the energy to do anything else.