Finally Complete: (1974?) Revel Cutty Sark

I’ve completed another model! Last winter, my modelling took a turn for the nautical. I started a complicated project from my father-in-law, and picked up a simple kit while visiting my sister-in-law in North Carolina to work on as a break.

The complicated project was a (1974?) Revel Cutty Sark at 1:96 scale. It was originally gifted to my father-in-law by his father, and had been waiting patiently in the basement for someone to assemble it ever since. I said I’d do it, but that it belonged in Port Hope, so I’d be bringing it back when complete. Last winter, I got through most of the hull construction. It was very different from any of the other modelling I’ve done before – usually I don’t take on projects that need much paint.

This winter, I took the model out again and worked on the masts and rigging. The model kit was designed to be displayed with either sails billowing or sails furled. It took a while to decide, but in the end the model’s plastic was aged enough that many of the pins were too brittle to tie rigging to, so I just did the standing rigging and left the rest. I think it turned out pretty well:

Now all that remains is taking the Cutty Sark back to Port Hope so it can take its rightful place in my father-in-law’s garage. I just need to figure out how to get it there in one piece!

Thanks, PacSafe, for awesome service.

Last year, while we were getting ready for the adventure we are currently on, I realized that the small handbag with the busted zipper I was carting around probably wouldn’t cut it for international travel. St. John’s is the sort of city where you can use your wallet as a placeholder at the bar when you go to the bathroom, but that is certainly not true of everywhere!

Mike was a dear, and presented me with a travel handbag from PacSafe last year for my birthday. This one to be precise:

PacSafe CitySafe 100 (image from mec.ca)

Read on to find out about PacSafe’s fantastic service

A Song From the Space Station

It seems that I am still catching up a little with what was going on around the world while we were on vacation. And in this case, I literally mean around the world. In early February, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield performed the song I.S.S. (Is Somebody Singing) with the Barenaked Ladies (BNL) and the Wexford Gleeks, a show choir from Scarborough. The coolest part? Hadfield is currently in space, and he will become the first Canadian commander of the International Space Station this month!

Hadfield and Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies cowrote the song – a commission for the celebration of this year’s Music Monday. Music Monday is a day to celebrate music education, and this year (on May 6 at 1 pm Eastern time), I.S.S. will be performed by students across Canada. But enough from me. If you haven’t heard it already, you really should!

The Lyrics for I.S.S. Is Somebody Singing

A Quick Musical Note

I have come into some free time recently, and have been loving it! In addition to polishing off Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights (aka The Golden Compass), I unpacked the bamboo flute (Sogeum) that I bought at the Korean Folk Village in Yongin. When Mike was out of the house, I took advantage of the solitude to continue to improve my sound on it. After a while I even got a pretty good handle on “Arirang”, a well known Korean folk song. Fun stuff! Perhaps after a few more practice sessions, I’ll post a little video!

Thanks, Salomon, for awesome service.

A number of years ago I fell in love with Salomon brand shoes. Finding great fitting shoes had been troublesome in the past, and I used to frequently wear men’s sizes to get the fit I wanted. On Mike’s recommendation, I gave Salomon a try a few years back. He got hooked by their roller blades, and has been wearing their shoes for years. Lo and behold, a size 10 in women’s fits me like a glove, and the shoes are high quality and really durable. Fast forward a while and I’m now the proud owner of 3 pairs of Salomons (light hikers for day-to-day, and two beefier hikers (Quest 4D and Fastpacker Mid) for the trails and winter months). I’m happy to say that my Fastpackers kept me dry and happy in the bogs along the Long Range Traverse we did in Newfoundland.

After day after day of punishment, the insoles finally gave out in my every day shoes, but a fellow named Scott at the Salomon Toronto Store was a great help. He tracked down replacement insoles from the company for my beloved shoes free of charge! I was very impressed, and needless to say, when these suckers finally do wear out, I’ll be back there buying another pair. Until then, I have nothing but good things to say about the company… if you’re in the market for shoes, give them a try!