Spring changes


By Deirdre McCluskey, Administrative Assistant, Harlequin

Hello, Heartwarming authors and readers! I hope spring has come to your part of the world and you’re enjoying the sense of reawakening and new life that comes with it. I’ve certainly been feelin’ it - in the first three months of 2017 I put my condo on the market, sold my condo, bought a new condo, and moved. Whew!


A little over a month since the move, my condo still resembles a sandy beach after a shipwreck, strewn with possessions plucked from disaster by the gods for no obvious reason, their usefulness in a new context remaining unknown.  I can’t find my black sleeveless top, which I do need, but there’s a mid-century mod buffet dish sitting on a tower of art books, which I don’t. 

Some things didn’t make it to shore. I gave up my car - a surprisingly emotional loss!



Among other things I left behind:

  •          A 7-foot artificial Christmas tree, iridescent white
  •         A bed frame far too large and “country” for my new space
  •          Outmoded concepts of what my life is supposed to be like


Things I took with me:

  •          A large box of Christmas tree ornaments – WHY??
  •          Waaayyy more books, pictures and glassware than my space can accommodate
  •         A willingness to embrace uncertainty (and a lot more walking)

  
From my window I can gaze out at the river, trains, runners, dogs, streetcars, and this cool bridge:



Lily also enjoys the view, or the opportunity to ignore it and bask in the morning sun.



Still, in the words of poet Anatole France, "All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." The fragrance and colours of spring are steeped in memory and emotion for this Proust-lover and former gardener, as I think about the pulmonaria blooming at my sister’s Brampton house, cut from a plant that grew in my back yard, which was dug from my mother’s garden before.



Mostly, though, I’m enjoying the present, spending time with my son and daughter, checking out the local cafes, embarking on a quest for Toronto’s best croissants and trying as many different kinds of cheese as possible.

Oh, and I can read on my commute now, instead of gripping the steering wheel of my car and cussing out other drivers in language often associated with sailors and prisoners. Win! Our new May books from Harlequin Heartwarming are perfect reading, whether you're on the subway or in your garden. We have new titles from Patricia Forsythe, Laurie Tomlinson, T. R. McClure and Leigh Riker!




I hope you enjoy them all - and enjoy the pleasures of May!







Comments

  1. That's a lot of change for one month, Deirdre, but I'm glad that you are settling into your new condo.

    Congratulations and best wishes to Patricia, Laurie, T.R and Leigh with their new releases!

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  2. Wow, moving is always stressful even when its a great move. The best part sounds like the "no driving" part of your commute. I love to read while traveling and the new May releases are so inviting. Love the photo of the kitty too. They are so flexible aren't they?

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    1. Yes, the no driving is great! It will be especially great in the winter. :)

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  3. Aw, this: The fragrance and colours of spring are steeped in memory and emotion for this Proust-lover and former gardener, as I think about the pulmonaria blooming at my sister’s Brampton house, cut from a plant that grew in my back yard, which was dug from my mother’s garden before.

    I will never forget walking with my older brother, the gardener, through my childhood property after we sold it. He pointed out how this tree had been a transplant from our grandparents' Muskoka home, and that tulip patch had been started by stolen bulbs from our Manitoulin grandparents, etc. Melancholy, for sure.

    Onward and upward, as someone in my family used to say!

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    1. Yes, gardens hold so much history. <3 <3 :)

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  4. Giving up my car! I'm not sure I could do that. Taking public transportation to get to and return from work, yes, but no car! Just can't even think of doing that.

    Congrats on the new condo and all the wonderful things a new world brings.

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    1. Thank you Shirley! I don't miss having a car...yet. I do love a road trip in the summer, but there's always renting. :)

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  5. Once you've unpacked - and maybe discarded the Christmas decorations? - you'll really get into the groove of your new place, Deirdre. The view looks great and lots of sun I see - though not today! Loved the photos and all the best with the transition.

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    1. Thank you! Yes, today's view is of the Don River as it rises up its banks - anxious to see what it will look like when I get home tonight!

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  6. I loved the poem. I had to read it twice to savor it. The second reading nailed it. LOL, you're going to buy a new white Xmas tree - I predict.
    And, you can never have enough books.
    Best thing of all - Lily.

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    1. Yes, having Lily and my books is really enough. :)

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  7. Deirdre, Congratulations! This all sounds very exciting to me. Laughing about the things you kept. I still have unpacked boxes from our move to this house many (many) years ago and wonder why in the world I bothered to move this stuff? Precious Lily looks to be settling in well. Relocating cats can be a little dicey sometimes.

    Congratulations to all the May authors!

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    1. Thank you Carol! Lily is adjusting well. Lots of activity out the window and a long, thin apartment layout perfect for chasing balls.

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  8. I'm impressed that you have managed so well! I moved almost a year ago and I'm STILL looking for stuff. Except my books. Those were the first things I unpacked, lol. I love your view!

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    1. Thank you LeAnne! I love the view too. Last night a GO train went up the tracks at the same time a streetcar was going over the bridge and I was ridiculously entertained.

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  9. What a great attitude you have, embracing change, making adjustments, and looking for the best. And that is a cool bridge.

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  10. I love those urban views--bridges are favorites of mine, like lighthouses everywhere! No wonder Lily likes her spot at the window. Looks like a very "in" location, too. As a condo dweller myself, I like the idea of other people cutting grass and shoveling snow. Enjoy it all!

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    1. Thanks Virginia! I am grateful not to be shoveling snow. :)

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  11. You seem to have handled the move well, Deidre. Congratulations on your new home. I hope it's filled with many happy memories and of course, more books!
    Congratulations to Leigh, Patricia, T.R. and Laurie!

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  12. I know if I ever have to move, books will take up at least 1/2 the moving truck space, LOL. Glad everything's going pretty well so far!

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    1. Thanks Anna! Bookshelves are definitely on my list of things to get. And a coffee table. (I'm currently using three boxes of books as a coffee table. ;))

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  13. It sounds exciting! Except the giving up the car. I've lived in the country so long that I think I'd want my car even if I couldn't drive it. Just your basic security blanket. :-)

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    1. You get attached to your car when you spend so much time in it, don't you? When I lived in the suburbs I liked to drive to the country nearby just to enjoy the freedom on the road.

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  14. What an exciting time for you! And beyond busy. Love the quote. I've said the same thing many times, just not anywhere near as eloquently! :-)

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  15. "All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." - LOVE THAT! Change always brings new adventures, which can be both exciting and scary. Congratulations on your new home, Deirdre! (Oh, and Lily is adorable!)

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  16. Congratulations on your new home. Hope you're enjoying all the excitement. Lily has obviously made herself at home already

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    1. Thank you! Yes, Lily is settling in nicely. :)

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  17. Congratulations on your new home. Hope you're enjoying all the excitement. Lily has obviously made herself at home already

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