I just got home from an amazing night at a House Concert.  Capital H and C.  These shows are the best shows, the audience is there to hear music and have a great time.  They are eager to laugh, be moved and entertain and it brings my heart happiness to have the chance to be that person.

I always learn from house concerts because the environment is so ideal I am not fighting anyone to be on stage.  Tonight I talked about many things and incorporated stories about poo and tampons.  and they LOVED IT!  Talk about awesome!  I keep holding myself back thinking certain subjects are off limits and then PEOPLE LOVE IT! And I am just not sure where I can go next…in the past people have even laughed at dead baby jokes.  Really?  yes.  Its so exciting for me to learn that yes, I can actually be myself and ALL of myself and people want to see that.

I got to sing to a shaman, a member of the 80’s group Martha and the Muffins and make fun of my brother.  Talk about the best show ever.  

People who host house concerts are so inspiring.  They invite 40 people into their home and everyone brings drinks and food.  But the hosts have to set the chairs up, find the space, send the emails, clean up at the end of the night and often host the artist for the night.  If more people were house concert hosts the world would be a better place.  

my blog updates have been very few and far between.  Or really, nothing in a long while.

I am working on an idea for a new website where I’ll have the blog right in there and so I have just felt like what is the point.  but I haven’t started on the website, and I am on tour so best to give an update.

We have been in tillsonburg for a few days, did a show at the London Music Club.  Such a lovely room! When the room is great you feel great.

So far I have actually managed to mostly eat gluten free on this road trip, which makes me feel as strong and healthy as an Ironwoman.

I’ve been running/walking every morning too which is also incredible.

We had our wallet and keys stolen in Kitchener, we also got yelled at by a strange man, we’ve attended a Punjabi wedding and this next week we plan to see Niagara Falls and Montreal. Ooo the adventure!

I’m out in Alberta camping.  We found this lovely spot and then wen’t to go pay the Site Manager who then informed us of some awesome secret secluded spots that he would stay in if he could.  

We took a look, right by a creek, totally stunning.  So at 9 at night we moved all our stuff and moved over he came and visited us with firewood at about 10:30pm.  The he commented “oh you guys like it here??”  and we said “yeah its totally gorgeous!” and he replied “yeah, but there are way more bears here”.

Great.

Last week I happened to catch a program about a woman who had her face eaten by a bear.  

With that fresh in my mind I camp boldly and then travel into the city to check my email at Starbucks (bad farideh!)

Since I’ve returned home from tour I have vowed to do what my body wants. No eating sugar, dairy or wheat….okay….the sugar and wheat sometimes gets overlooked…but the wheat is a for sure no go.

I’ve also been doing yoga everyday at One Yoga in Saskatoon, a fabulous studio.  Today is day 5 and I was so grateful they had a Gentle Yoga class because woweee! their other classes are super intense. My body isn’t sure about this transition from sitting in a car 10 hours a day to yoga from 1 - 3 hours daily but I suspect in a few weeks it will start to be nourished and excited about the classes.

On the food front, i’ve discovered brown rice pasta!  Awesome.  You gotta watch this stuff if you cook it too much you have total mush….but 8 min and its just fine! Gluten free bread toasted is actually pretty good, I think you have to keep trying to find the one that is right for you.  Soy cheese though….eerrrg I haven’t tried eating that in 12 years and I gotta say, there has been no scientific improvement done to the taste since then. 

I’ve definately been moving between super healthy and, not so much.  Tuesday night i had tofu on salad with corn for supper, last night I had fried potatoes and bacon.  Sigh….its a process.  

Mark has been working hard at booking us another tour for the end of August into September.  He’s really talented at booking shows and I am totally awed by such an enviable gift.  To prepare for this tour I plan to try and take yoga everyday until we leave and really figure out how I can take this gluten free, sugar free, dairy free eating to the road.  If you have any ideas let me know!

Turns out I am not very good at updating my blog and the photos and such but some of them are on facebook and I am trying.  Its been interesting being on the road like this tonight is our last gig in Enderby.  I’m tired but I know as soon as I actually start playing it will feel good.

Today I fed some ducks ….one of them was missing part of its beak.  I loved that one the most.

I did some more puking the day before last….no i am not preggers. I mentioned in my last post that I’ve been sick on the road, it seems to happen unexpectedly.  I think its a combination of just stress on my body from lack of sleep and driving, as well as just the fact that there is lots of carbs on the road which my body punishes me for.

My shows have grown, I worked a great deal on the show before I left saskatoon.  Working with Raymon Montalbetti I worked on the transitions and saw it more like a theatre peice then a musical peice.  Which was a definate mental shift and totally exciting, its been interesting taking that concept on the road and basically working the same show night after night. I’ve been working on slowing myself down and taking more time for stories.  Some venues are incredible for that and some venues aren’t interested….but in general I’ve made some people laugh.

Okay, gotta get ready for the show tonight.  Sparkle and shellack here i come

So far tours been great.  We’ve been playing Calgary and two shows in Edmonton and right now we’re staying with my grandma for the night in the Okanagon Valley.  I am so grateful to all the people who put us up for the night and came to our shows and fed us.

Today we did an interview with CHLY out of Nanaimo to promote our Duncan and Gabriola Island shows.

I’ve been sick a lot on this tour.  I think its food related allergies.  I know I shouldn’t eat sugar, wheat or dairy.  But what can you eat on the road when those are your restrictions?  Subway? nope.  Sandwiches from the grocery store? no. Pasta? never.  So i just push the limits…sadly my body has beaten me into submission.  I have suffered from multiple migrains, I’ve puked a couple times and then had some awful awful back pain.  Today I feel great, I pretty much avoided any sugar, wheat or dairy…until supper when my grandma made some wicked Chocolate loaf with wonderful nuts…what can i say?  I’m an absolute addict.

Today i fed some prairie dogs carrots…Mark wanted to feed them chips but i was worried about their possible heart disease and insisted on a healthy snack for the littles. They came right up to me.

On the road, when I drive I listen to books on tape.  I am currently listening to Inkheart…I’m on disk 4 and there are 14 disks.  Its just getting going, and like any good book it is now all I can think about….i can’t wait for the 5 hour drive to Vancouver just so I can keep reading…or rather listening!

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog!