Not a Mountain Goat

What we do during our working hours determines what we have; what we do in our leisure hours determines what we are.-- George Eastman

After a week off at home, I must say: I'm going to do this staycation thing again. I love being at home with no obligations apart from such arduous things as doctor's check ups, afternoon naps, yoga, and massage appointments. By Wednesday, I'd mostly run out of things to do: I'd made all my lunches for next week and cleaned both bathrooms. I took to things like re-discovering games on the iPad I'd forgotten about. I started a game of Mahjong at 9:45pm. AND I finished it. I didn't sleep until 10:15pm. Party on, dudes.

On Thursday, we departed for a couple of days in Victoria. I love visiting Victoria. It's my kind of city: not too large, not too busy,  not too crowded, lots of good shopping and architecture and scenery to enjoy.

And while Victoria is not technically "home" for me, it has all the things I enjoy. The hubby often jokes that we do all the same things on holiday as we do at home, but it's the change of scenery that does it for me. Sandwiches and tea and cakes should be enjoyed wherever one travels, in my opinion:

Of course, discovering new things is also important, and so finding Russell Books was a welcome distraction. How delightful to stride into a shop and be met with a sight such as this:

Aisles upon aisles of books, new and used, all there to browse through:

The overstock and oversize books are all on the uppermost shelves. I smiled when I was in the recipe book section to see labels like "Cheese Overstock," "Fruits and Vegetables Overstock," and "Grilling Overstock":

And, in the psychology section, the "Can't Remember What I Forgot Oversize" label had me giggling:

It being nearly three weeks to Christmas, the city was decked out in lights. The Provincial Legislative Buildings were particularly festive:

On Friday, we walked up to the top of Mount Douglas, which was sort of my idea, but I regretted it as soon as I realized it was a slow, steady incline the whole way, which was a bit much for my tight hip flexors. But the view and the warm sunshine at the top was worth it. It's days like these that I envy mountain goats. The views they get are spectacular:

And, what about the knitting? Well...

My Svalbard was coming along swimmingly until I separated for the sleeves and tried it on. It was at least 5 inches too big around the bust. And, while I know it's supposed to be a roomy cardigan, I felt more like a linebacker than the trendy hipster I hoped to resemble. So, I had to rip back. And it was not easy because I had already woven in some ends and had to find them again so I could make sure I didn't make a mess of it... but that sort of turned into a mess as well.

Ripping out a few hours of knitting is a practice in acceptance: acceptance that, try as I may, mistakes are inevitable, and that it's always better to take the time to do things right than to try to cover up errors later. It's like the mantra that we learned at the yoga retreat I attended a couple of weeks ago: May I accept the mysterious unfolding of my life.

So, after a week off, my sweater is exactly at the same place as it was this time last week. I'm still worried about it not being the right size. And yes, I must accept it. This is why I do all that yoga. Om.

What I also must accept is that Monday means I am back to work. Such things are inevitable: after all, I am not a lady of leisure, nor am I a mountain goat, and therefore, hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to my desk I go.

But first: I have a 10k to do this morning. This one is in support of the local food bank, and has cinnamon buns at the end of it. Wish me luck!