Up until recently, I called Peterborough my home. I was one of those Trent University students that graduate and decide to stay in Peterborough a bit longer. I truly felt like I wasn’t finished with Peterborough by the time graduation rolled around. I also graduated a few years ahead of my friends, and that was a big factor in my decision to stay. It’s a beautiful city and I really enjoyed my time there.
After graduating, I worked at Peterborough Green-Up and have since decided to attend baking school in Toronto. After arriving in Toronto, I immediately felt like a fish out of water. This is by far the biggest place I’ve ever lived. I miss Peterborough a lot. Below I've listed a few things that I’m reminiscing about. —by Thalia Bock (aka @thebockster)
1. The town where everybody knows your name Peterborough was my Cheers bar (if only people shouted, “NORM!” every time I entered a store). After living there for four-ish years, I could barely walk down the street without seeing someone that I knew. I loved it!
2. Peterborough Green-Up I honestly miss Peterborough Green-Up. I had such a great experience working there! I was in the Air Quality department, handling the website (Peterborough.zerofootprint.net), along with sitting at the front desk and answering the phone. Everyone that works there is so incredibly friendly and passionate about what they are doing. When I began working there, I immediately felt at home. There is such a large network of people interested in the environment in Peterborough, doing things like Green Drinks and Car Free Day.
3. The Main Ingredient One of the first things I noticed about where I live in Toronto is that it is very difficult to find a one stop bulk food store close to home. Some places have lots of spices and nuts, and the others have candy. The Main Ingredient was such a staple in my grocery shopping that I’m going through withdrawal!
4. The Wine Shoppe on Charlotte Can you tell I like to buy in bulk? Everyone at the Wine Shoppe is so friendly, it blows me away! They’ve even lent me one of their dollies when I realized I couldn’t walk my boxes of wine home. They’re also really great about answering questions to non wine connoisseurs (ahem, me). Also, it’s just plain fun to bottle wine!
5. The bike paths and parks I gotta say, Peterborough has a really great trail system! I love the bike ride up to Trent—it’s wonderful in the fall. I thoroughly miss riding my bike around Peterborough. It was always an adventure! The trails are really helpful when trying to navigate Peterborough by bike. Jackson Park is such a beautiful park as well. And who can forget the Ecology Park?
6. The Peterborough Twitterverse Before moving from Peterborough, I attended a few tweetups (like the one below at Natas Cafe). I really enjoyed meeting all the wonderful and friendly people through Twitter! They are by far the most attentive and caring people that I’ve followed through Twitter. I get a little sad when I see the Peterborough "tweeps" scheduling a tweetup, because I know I won’t be attending. Moral of the story? Follow as many Peterborough people on Twitter that you can find! You’ll meet lots of people with neat interests!
What would you miss most about Peterborough if you left? Comment below.
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Water gardens are a big draw for many types of wildlife and a simple way to add interest to a backyard.
