a peek inside the fishbowl

26 Jun, 2020

Would you like some books to add to your summer reading pile?

Posted by andrea tomkins in: - Thrifty is nifty|Misc. life|Oh! Things!

One of the things that I’m absolutely clinging to right now is our camping trip this summer. It looks like MIGHT be a go, but frankly, I wouldn’t be too surprised if it was cancelled by the powers that be. We booked our campsite months ago, pre-Covid. According to Ontario Parks our campground will be open by the time of our stay – albeit with no showers or laundry facilities, and possibly no kayak rental – but I don’t care, I’ll take anything that this point. I am desperate.

Here’s what’s worrying me right now: a friend of our daughter’s had a site booked and she got the dreaded “I’m sorry but we’re cancelling your booking” email. I am guessing that person had booked a particularly crowded area where physical distancing might be tougher to pull off. Maybe Ontario Parks is taking measures to bring down the numbers at the more crowded sites but I don’t rightly know. We haven’t received any such email… yet. I am crossing my fingers and my toes that we get to go.

In the meantime, I am getting ready. My top priority at the moment is making sure I have enough reading material. We used to buy a boatload of magazines every year before we went camping. In fact, it worked really well because the kids inevitably ran out of theirs and were “forced” to read ours e.g. Canadian Geographic, Chatelaine, The Walrus, Scientific American… basically anything that struck our fancy at the drug store before we left). Sometimes there was actually EDUCATION HAPPENING.

In recent years I’ve taken to stocking up paperbacks to bring camping in addition to the magazines. I like paperbacks because I don’t have to worry about crushing them under a sleeping bag or getting the pages wet and sandy at the beach. My favourite source for cheap paperbacks right now is my neighbourhood mini libraries. You know the kind: You leave a book, you take a book. What can be better than that?

FYI, there’s a map of registered mini libraries in North America here and there are Ottawa libraries listed on it, although I don’t think it’s a complete list. There are a few mentioned in this archived article too, but I’m not sure if they’re all still there.

Sidebar: Some of you might be wondering if it’s a good idea to bring home other people’s stuff during a pandemic. Well, I just make sure to wash my hands, before and after. The books I’ve collected so far are sitting on a pile next to my bed. If they were ever handled by someone who had Covid-19, I’m sure any traces of it will be gone by now.

So while I wait and see if our camping trip will actually happen, I am slowly stocking up on summer reading material. I am clearing out my bookshelves as well…  a win-win, in my books.


2 Responses to "Would you like some books to add to your summer reading pile?"

1 | Ginger

June 27th, 2020 at 1:38 am

Avatar

I hope COVID-19 doesn’t take away your camping trip!

2 | andrea tomkins

June 27th, 2020 at 3:06 pm

Avatar

Me too! I am REALLY looking forward to it. We didn’t get to go last year so I’m really counting on it this summer!

comment form:

Archives

Me and my pet projects

Ottawa Bucket list

Subscribe via email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.


  • Joette Westphal: Weitere Informationen über Bitcoin Cash auf Deutsch https://bchpls.org/weitere-informationen-auf-deutsch/
  • Renee: I just saw one yesterday on a small patch of grassy land near the Mann Ave 417 exit near Lees Station, Ottawa, ON. I had no idea they came in black!
  • Tisha: I just created 2 bee baths on Sunday, and when I went outside yesterday to check the water levels, the exact same scenario greeted me! One single mar
  • Jennifer Jilks: I don't have a bucket list. I sorta live day to day!
  • Aj: Each peach, Everybody puts two feet in, king counter will say the following rhyme as they count around the circle: "Each peach pear plum out goes
  • Jenn Jilks: That is really exciting! Break a leg!
  • fun88: I was excited to discover this page. I want to to thank you for your time for this fantastic read!! I definitely liked every part of it and i also

The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

If you'd like to contact me, please use this form. If you're so inclined, you can read more about me here. Thank you for visiting!

 


Connect with me at these places too!

Still calling it Twitter