1. Since sometime after Christmas, I have had significant knee pain, the worst when I would first stand after ANY length of sitting, a quick drive, five minutes in a chair. It was so bad that I would have to support myself until pain dissipated, and then limp. I started taking Tylenol Arthritis three times a day, but knew that I had to deal with the underlying issues.
   After a web search, I made an appointment with Janet Walker, an osteopath. After assessing my alignment, she did some very gentle adjustments and recommended some basic stretches for my legs and feet.  Over the two weeks before my second appointment, the pain subsided considerably, although I still had the discomfort upon standing. A second appointment last week involved more adjustments and encouragement to continue the stretches. The pain has lessened by about 80%.
   Yesterday I had a massage that focussed on my hips, legs, and feet and am feeling quite well, apart from some mild stiffness. The osteopath doesn’t feel that she needs to see me again, although I may go back when I feel the need for another adjustment. I can’t recommend osteopathy highly enough for musculo-skeletal issues.
2. There’s a cool new (free) app for the iphone or ipad that identifies leaves from a photograph. Check it out here.
3. On Tuesday, Michael and I helped out Rob Teehan in a recording of his composition Lamb of God (Mass of the Redeemer) that he’s preparing for the final project of his Canadian Film Centre residency. The piece was scored for organ, orchestra, and choir, and we participated in the latter. It was fun and interesting and I look forward to seeing the final video. Rob “crowd-sourced” the musicians, and it was amazing to see how many volunteered their time for this project.

   

   

4. Alex finally found an apartment downtown, closer to work, and slept there for the first time last night. He’s repainted it and has been slowly purchasing furnishings. It’s just north of Kensington market, has a patio/balcony with a gorgeous view south to the CN Tower, and is about a 20 minute walk to work. (I meant to take a pic from the balcony last night but forgot my phone…coming soon!) I think he’ll be really happy there.
5. Yesterday, our new memory foam mattress set arrived. We’d been needing a new sleeping surface for some time and with Alex moving out, it was an opportune time to pass on our current one. We’re both feeling creaky (see 1 above) and are hoping that this firmer but more supportive mattress will help us out. I had my first sleep on it last night and moved around (and hence woke up) much less.
   
6. There’s a Farmer and Artisan Market opening up on Thursdays through October just down the street from us. There’s an unused bus turn that I walk by regularly and yesterday I saw this banner. This is great news for those of us living in the Upper Avenue area and I look forward to being a regular patron.
   
   

   Banners!

   

   Unused bus turn
7. I’m rereading The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud for book club this weekend. I very much enjoyed it the first time through and am catching even more the second time. I highly recommend it for women in middle-age, who may or not know how much anger we ALL hold inside. If you’re an underliner, you’ll be underlining. It’s an excellent story, well worth a few hours of your summer reading schedule.

Get more Quick Takes at Conversion Diary. Leave me a comment, or subscribe to my blog (at the right.)

Have a lovely weekend!