Lights, Camera, Action at the Library

By Patrick Muldoon, Branch Supervisor at the Warkworth Library

Fresh off the Academy Awards, this month I’d like to highlight some movie-themed offerings available at your local Trent Hills Library. Our three branches, in Warkworth, Hastings and Campbellford have large collections of DVDs that are available for loans. Our DVD selection ranges from Classic Films to new releases and is rotated between our three locations to give everyone a chance to browse the entire collection throughout the year. In Warkworth, we have a great selection of blu-ray titles that have been generously donated by Bob Leahy and Meirion Jones. Our most popular category of DVD loans are certainly our selection of full seasons of television shows. We have a great variety of North American and British series that many people have a hard time finding on typical streaming services and we can order series through our interlibrary loan system if there is something that we may not have locally. We also have a wide variety of kids’ movies located in our children’s section at the library.

Another amazing resource to watch movies, documentaries and children’s content is Kanopy. Kanopy is a streaming subscription service that you can access free of charge with your library card. To register and start using Kanopy, simply head to kanopy.com, choose “Trent Hills Library” under the “find your library” tab and enter your library card number (found on the back of your library card). You can then link any smart devices to your account through the Kanopy app and start streaming for free. Our library currently provides you with 10 movie streams per month, and unlimited streaming of children’s content. Kanopy features thousands of movies, documentaries and film festival winners and has something for everyone.

One of my favourite parts of our non-fiction collection is the biography section, and we have a number of great movie biographies. “The Boys”, by Ron and Clint Howard is a fabulous memoir of the careers of two Hollywood celebrities that follows the Howard brothers from child stars to film icons. It’s a book about life, show business, ambition and parenting, and is ode to the journey upon which actors and their families embark. Jane Fonda’s “My Life so Far” is another remarkable memoir about an equally remarkable personality. Jane Fonda, an actor, activist, workout guru, feminist and part of a fabled Hollywood fami-

by Shannon Preston

ly, recounts her early life, her involvement in the issues of the Vietnam War, her activism and her acting. This memoir is a real page-turner of an autobiography and should not be missed. Another accomplished actor, Sharon Stone, has written a very personal memoir entitled, “The Beauty of Living Twice”. Stone, who played iconic roles in movies like Casino, The Quick and the Dead and Basic Instinct suffered a massive stroke that cost her not only her health, but her career, fortune and connections with her family. Her memoir recounts this stage of her life, her drive to succeed and how she fought her way back to find her own truth, her family’s reconciliation and love. She also reflects on the darker side of fame and Hollywood and how “not playing nice” in the film industry can have real effects on a career. These books and more can be reserved though our website, trenthillslibrary.com or you can just drop in to browse our collection. Looking forward to seeing you soon at your local library!

For those of you who do not know me, I live in Hastings but I also work here. I did not get my license so have always been very limited in where I can go and what I can do. There was a time when I lived in Peterborough but when I was done with my schooling, at Fleming, my partner and I moved our child to Hastings so that I could get out of the city and Cooper could go to a school where he would develop lifelong friendships in a small town. These choices have rarely resulted in regret, but they did limit our horizons a wee bit and my college diploma became just a piece of paper instead of a gateway to a career. Over the years I have worked for many people and in many spots around Hastings. In my thirties (and a bit beyond) I worked at a little place called Banjo’s. I met some amazing people (locals and tourists) while I was there and have friendships with people I would not have met if I had not worked there during that time. I’d say that’s a reason to celebrate with no regrets!

A particular group of people always joined me for lunch at Banjo’s every Wednesday from November through to March. They came in after their weekly hockey game, at the Norwood arena, and were always so happy to be in each other’s company. Some days there was six of them and some days there was 20 but every Wednesday they were great to interact with – regardless of how many showed up or how broken they were feeling after a good game (or a fall in the parking lot). I listened to stories and jokes and lots of laughter. I backtalked them and teased them and often screwed up their orders. When Banjo’s was sold and I lost my regular shifts, the hockey guys noticed my absence (they had been visiting every November to March for years).

After some COVID changes and stress (life is darn hard sometimes!), I took a year off work and then returned to a job at the Captain’s Table. Much to my delight the hockey guys go there for their Wednesday winter lunch! They let Carla and I eavesdrop on their countless conversations about games, vacations, and life. We collectively rib my “cous” and I try to help them understand that pickleball is a great sport for people of all ages (especially their ages). They are mostly loud and so full of mischief but they are always welcome at the Table.

Their weekly games and lunch will be over by the time this goes to print but I’ll look forward to seeing them again next November. Happy spring, guys!

By Leisa Peacock

Spring has finally sprung, you can smell it now, as the earth starts to come alive again. And you can hear it, with all the birds starting to sing. Indeed, a glorious time after the constant barrage of snow storms we have had in the last few months. The world is waking up, as are we.

If we pay attention to nature, we can see that flow is starting to come back in everything. The spring runoff of the rivers and creeks, the maple syrup flowing in the trees, spring flowers starting to sprout up. Flow is back in everything and we can get our flow going again too. Being in flow is like bringing yourself back into alignment, back to your authentic self, so that your life flows with ease and grace. This is our true nature and where we are most connected to our intuition, our body’s wisdom and guidance. We know when we are in alignment when things feel right in our body, instead of heavy or constricted. When we’re in a flow state, manifesting (or achieving your goals) is much easier this way, as is day-to-day life.

Walking is a great way to get your body and mind back in flow. The ankles and calves act as a pump for the lymphatic fluid to get back up to the heart area to circulate and do its job of waste collection and removal, improving circulation and reducing inflammation.

Walking outside allows our minds to rest and rejuvenate with all the fresh air we’re taking in.

As always, I like to remind everyone to be mindful of how quickly we tend to jump into activity without properly warming up the body and its muscles. One thing that can wreak havoc on our bodies is the weekend warrior identity a lot of us develop when we get excited to be outdoors again and attempt to do everything at once. Spring cleaning the house, moving outdoor furniture back outside, opening up the garden, yard work, etc. Then there’s hiking and golfing and all the weekend fundraiser walk/runs. Whether you have warmed up your muscles sufficiently and stretched afterwards, will make a big difference on how you feel immediately after and in the next few days to follow.

If you experience “snap, crackle, pop or clunk”, then flow movements are what the body needs. Where there is flow there is movement. Everything is connected. We’ve only got one body this time around so don’t forget to be kind to it.

Leisa Peacock is an RMT & Holistic Therapist and a BodyMind coach with a studio in Warkworth in The Mews building. You can find her at www.leisapeacock.com

27 Main Street, Unit 8, The Mews Warkworth, Ontario (705) 977-2917 www.leisapeacock.com