portrait of the artist...

portrait of the artist...
Originally uploaded by Kim's Suitcase.

dressed for sub zero weather.
something warming about chocolate brown clothing, perhaps my association with hot chocolate, the only part of ice skating i can do!

every sunday afternoon my mum would say
"why don't you go skating at the arena"
which was next door practically..
"okay"
in my mind i thought this was the only way to get better
the arena was packed with loud music and everybody
swiftly skating

i hugged the boards
creeping along terrified of falling down
i hated the feeling of not being able to securely stand
(for goodness sake it took me until I was 16 months to be able to walk when I was a baby, same problem fear of falling down ..i am sure)

this was after painstakingly doing up ones skates tight enough..it was totally awful, sorry to be down on the romance of ice skating...but it was..

but in the arena, there was a machine that for just coins would give you very unique tasting chicken soup and hot chocolate, inevitably i would circle around the rink clinging to the boards once, seeing people i knew, trying not to be too embarrased when the younger kids whizzed by me, wiped out and laughed. cringe

i sat in the seats watching the fun, outside, sidelined and sipped my beverage until skating was over, sometimes walking around the perifery, enjoying watching the zamboni clear the ice and the kiosk that sharpened skates...

no sunday shopping back then, no ability to leave the neighbourhood

it was good to finally discover i rode the public transit system really well, i found other urban non ice skaters

we would sit in kensington market
listening to reggae music, keeping the beat with ginger beer
summer and winter...
but that is another story...