Journeyings - a mixtape

8tracks unhelpfully doesn't include a track listing, so here you go:

Journeyings from rosiepop on 8tracks Radio.

Portfolio

Hello!
Been a long time.
I've just started to put together an online portfolio over here: www.rowenabazlinton.com

Happy Spring (cleaning)

A fresh start! Being outside! Dreaming! Hurrah!

But first a winter round-up. The red riding hood story in my head turned into red dresses and the sartorial messages conveyed by the wearing of red. Or I just happen to like red dresses. One of the two...Anyway - part two which I never wrote on the blog ended up as a collage in my diary:

Here I was thinking about shame and freedom and other peoples' conceptions. Or what we perceive as other peoples' conceptions. On the opposite page are all the different facets of my Miss Red. 

Left: different Reds. Right: the Queen of Hearts.

This is the front and back covers of my diary/scrapbook for 2012:

It's made up of pages from Diana annual 1977 (the year I was born) which I bought from Thrift-ola on "Make me an offer Monday" about a year ago. Incidentally, Leona currently has a fine selection off Girl Guide annuals from 1974-1979.

I love the pockets of 1960s and 1970s vibes that are around right now. Colours and colour combinations, the attitudes, everything. Somehow fresh again. Crazy how that just happens - something dated becomes fresh and right again at another moment in time.

I then got thinking about how I have catalogued my life over the years and the various stages it has gone through.

2010 - pink and Japanese pop (stickers from a/w 2010 Pop magazine - the one with Britney Spears/Takashi Murakami) :

Here is a/w 2009 - s/s 2011 which was mainly scrapbook and pretty dark and angsty despite the pink facade and butterflies:

2000:

1993-1997:

Brownies and Cabin Fever

This is the weirdest winter in a long time. I keep expecting it to be super cold because it is the super cold time of year. But the snow keeps melting and then the whole world seems to turn into a treacherous land of pure ice. Part of me almost wants winter to do it's crazy cold thing. Then it would be over and I could stop worrying that Old Man Winter is lurking around the corner laughing hysterically because he still has killer winds and deathly cold to throw at us. (Good mental image, isn't it? Can wind and cold be in the form of lightening bolts? That is totally how I am picturing Old Man Winter at the moment. Kind of elvish meets greek god. I guess the bolts would be more like icicles...) I want winter to do it's worst so that it can be over.

Basically I am starting to feel like I have a mild case of cabin fever. I feel a bit trapped and uninspired. I want to go out and enjoy the beautiful snowfalls, but there haven't been any good ones to speak of (in the city anyway). The snow falls when I can't enjoy it and it doesn't leave the world in quite the magical wonderland that I hope for. So I make myself a pot of tea and wish that I had some British biscuits to go with it.

Winter also makes me want rich foods. The kind that stick to your bones in the cold. Or just a lot of chocolate. Hot chocolate. Brownies. Chocolate bars. Chocolate caramel pretzels (best. freaking. thing. ever!). Maybe that is why we give people chocolate on Valentines Day. It's a winter chocolate thing.

There is something about going sledding or skating. You have to have hot chocolate to warm up.

So here is a brownie recipe that you can bake for your sweetheart, share with friends or just selfishly eat all by yourself. All I can say, is that you should trust Jamie. I figured that they would be too gooey if didn't cook them a bit longer, but I should have listened. They were still super tasty and will satisfy a pretty intense chocolate craving. If you are a really cheesy person, you even could cut out heart shaped brownies!

Look at all that chocolatey goodness. You know you want one.

Soon the seasons will change, things will start growing and nature will revive. The many colours of spring will refresh our spirits. My mind is already jumping ahead to the colourful patterns of spring and summer. Winter doesn't stop me from wearing colour, but there is something so wonderful about joining spring's declaration of vibrance. 

But until then, I will probably be eating chocolate on a fairly regular basis...

Practicality

Winter is an interesting time for fashion-y people in cold parts of Canada. Fashion is great and all, but if I have to choose between staying warm and being a well dress corpse, I have to say that I choose warmth. 'Winter' fashion shoots usually make me laugh or start yelling in rage about how the people wearing those outfits would die in actual winter conditions (I might be over reacting). I mean, they would be fine if your winter temperatures are 10 degrees C (50 degrees F) but we call that autumn or spring. 

Here is an example of a 'winter' outfit.  I will give you a chance to figure out why it isn't suitable for temperatures below -20C (-4F).

cardigan: t k max, top: Next, skirt: Zellers, tights: winners, leg warmers: H&M, slippers: Egli's Sheepfarm

Did you notice anything wrong? First of all, the arms are bear. It is good to layer up, but leaving the arms bear is a bad move that will leave you shivering and rubbing your arms to try to regain feeling in your frozen limbs. Then, there is the skirt. You might be thinking, 'But it is a knitted skirt with wooly tights?' Yes, which is better than a thin skirt and bare legs, but the wooly tights are not enough to make this truly winter worthy. The leg warmers help, but the lower half of this outfit is only something to be worn on warm winter days by the stout of heart, with a proper sweater (jumper) on top. We do still make sacrifices for fashion in winter, but mostly for special occasions.  The slippers are proper warm wonderful winter slippers though.  They are made from real warm fluffy sheepskin, in a small town not far from Thunder Bay. It is only a three hour drive, so that counts as local.

Now on to practical dressing. Canadian winters vary greatly depending on where you are.  Some places (like parts of British Colombia) have mild winters similar to England. Thunder Bay winters are pretty cold as they go.  Of course, we would not dare compare ourselves to the Far North and their down right madness.  Mount Logan in the Yukon has the dubious honour of recording the lowest temperature in Canada at a mind numbing -77C(-106F).  Thunder Bay does currently hold the record for lowest temperature recorded in Ontario after wind chill was factored in: -36C(-33F) actual temperature, but it felt like -56C(-68F) when the wind was taken into account.

The key to winter dressing is layering.  Fashion must bow to need. The following is an example of layering for a 30 minute walk at a temperature of -30C(-34F), or colder.

The first step is what is called 'the base layer' by some of the hardcore winter loving peeps.  I don't wear a thermal layer on top, mostly because I don't find it necessary. It is a bit easier to build up the layers on top if need be. Also, in really cold temperatures, more than one pair of socks might be required.

t-shirt, long johns or long underwear or thermal underwear or thermals, wool socks

The next layer is clothing that is trying to retain some level of stylish dressing while still adding warmth. Tight jeans are not really ideal since they need to fit over the long johns.  This layer can be altered to be less fashionable and warmer as temperature dictates.

Black hoodie and teal jeans added

Now it is time for the final layers. I have several jackets that can be layered to provide different degrees of warmth. I tend to mostly wear my down filled jacket, but I do also have a jacket with a zip out fleece liner and a wind and water proof shell. Snow pants are key to keeping the lower half of the body warm.  Mine have a lovely thin fleece lining for a bit of extra warmth. Proper winter boots are also key. Mine are trying to be as fashionable as they can be (which isn't much) while still being everything that they need to be.  I believe these boots are meant to keep your feet warm to a temperature of -30C. There are boots out there that are rated to keep your feet warm all the way down to -100C.

Starting to look like a marshmallow or the Michelin man

The final steps will leave you almost unrecognizable to everyone, expect those who are familiar with your normal winter layers.  A good hat, mittens and scarf are needed to keep the remaining extremities toasty.  My knitted hat is lined with fleece for extra warmth. The gloves are leather to keep out the wind and have a lining to add warmth. Finally a good scarf or other face covering device helps in the coldest temperatures.  As you can see, the only thing left uncovered are the eyes. On really cold days, icicles form on your eyelashes from the moisture in your breath.

Who is even in there?

This may not be my favourite look, but it means that I arrive at my destination with feeling in all of my extremities.

There is an epic beauty about Canada.  I love the winter landscape.  But the cold winter months of January, February and even March leave many people (myself included) feeling a bit trapped by the cold. I have heard weather warnings that are just for extreme cold and wind. One warning advised people not to leave their houses unless they really needed to, and that exposed skin would freeze within 5 minutes. Not exactly a good time for a wilderness walk. But watching massive beautiful snowflakes fall from the sky make you forget about all the rest, if only for a few minutes.

Dear Lisa...

Happy New Year! It sounds like you had a crazy Christmas. I hope things are a little better for you? I see it's still snowing there - and about thirty degrees colder some days, which I can't really imagine from our temperate little island.

I've been thinking about landscapes and space. When I think of Canada I think of somewhere epic. Here, it's about heritage and history and finding the edges and hiding places. Sartorially: tweed, wool, sheepskin, embroidery, crafts and inheritance and the practicality as well as the dreams these bring.

I like to escape up the North East Coast. I'd keep going, but I need to get back in a day.

Scarborough Castle

It would be appropriate here to put a link here to the British ballad Scarborough Fair, but instead I prefer Dylan's "Girl from the North Country" which contains elements musically and lyrically:

"Remember me to one who lives there, she once was a true love of mine."

What do you think?

And how do you stay warm in -20 degrees? That's cold.

Love,

Rowena

Words and Music

I've been playing this (and much of the rest of the album) over and over since about 1993. Sometimes there aren't words for things.