Canada is my home. What a lucky girl I am. While I Love traveling and culture, I must say that living in Canada feels right and safe and comfortable. Struggling through freezing steps is one of many parts to being Canadian, so is Hot Chocolate and Beaver Tails, skating down the Ottawa canal. There is something touchable about living here, like you can talk to almost anyone, go almost anywhere, and you still feel like you belong. Of course there are exceptions to every rule and it's NOT all roses, but Canada has a certain familiarity and even though it's so incredibly huge in size, we have a shared quality of life here. We seem to speak the same language; beer, pizza, movies, music, campfires, wine, balaclavas, popcorn, pancakes, CBC, skis, candlelight, festivals and potluck dinners (something like that...) Realizing one's dream or purpose is attainable here, you can be a writer, lawyer, farmer, doctor, musician; it's all at your fingertips and surely someone knows someone who knows someone that can help you. That's why I Love Canada, because everyone is connected into this vortex of Canadian life, and most are willing to share their knowledge. I have come into contact with MANY Canadians while I tour and sing, and there always seems to be a "small-world" link connecting one dining room table conversation to another, one taste to another, one cousin to another, one neighbour to another one hand to another. After being away from home for the last two months, I just wanted to share some of my insights about this beautiful Country, tell you that I am always happy to return. If you are in the Ottawa area next weekend, tune into CKCU around 9:30am on Saturday morning, the 24th for some live songs by ME!! Also, I have a gig the SAME night, in Cantley Quebec at "La Grange de la Gatineau" where you can enjoy a Lovely meal inside a beautiful log home, as well as some musical sounds from me...I hope 2009 is shaping up nicely for those of you that actually read this blog... I know 'so far so good' for me... xox
Life at the base of The Alps....
It's pretty Lovely down here. I am here on a "writing new music" term and what a place to find inspiration! There are tiny 1500th century nooks around every corner. The sound of my heels clicking down cobblestones and echoing through ancient buildings, is music to my ears. There is a certain amount of stilness here in Switzerland that can evoke a song from any person willing to sing. The church bells ring through this city every fifteen mintutes and have been doing so for such an incredibly long time, it's divine inspiration! I am living quite cozily for the next few weeks along the River Royce, a crystal clear river that runs through the city of Luzern. There are covered bridges with moss of the roofs and axe marks carved out by hands that no longer exist, oh if those walls could talk!! I have been here just short of 2 weeks, with about five left to go and have one song finished. I quite look forward to bringing it, and more to my band when I get home. Leaving Canada is not a must, but I sure am glad to get away from the many inches of snow for at least a small space in time! I also look forward to hitting the slopes, there is nothing like skiing on a blues sky day in Switzerland. I can feel a song coming already!! I look forward to getting back and singing you my new songs... with hopes to record a new album sometime in 2009!! More Chocolate & Cheese stories to come....Lxo