Sylvia's Simple Shots

I took a walk over the new Tawatina LRT Bridge on the weekend.  It has been open to foot traffic for a while but the train is not up and running for passenger traffic yet.  Testing is still taking place.

It is a beautiful bridge and I will take a ride across it on the train when the time is right.

The bridge is wide and leaves lots of room for quite a few folks.  Of course, I was there with the birds in the morning so it was delightful to have it mostly to myself.

The Muttart Conservatory is the stop on the south side of the river and the walk across brings one to Louise McKinney Riverfront Park in the downtown area.  For those downtown that want a quick trip to the Muttart it is perfect!

I walked the grounds of the Muttart Conservatory as it was before the pyramids opened at 10:00 am.

I found Maratagon Lilies which are also at the St. Albert Botanic Park.  

This one is named Fairy Morning which features yellow and peach colors.  There were several varieties in the flower bed.

I'm not sure when I will going inside the pyramids as there not much room to social distance.  I anticipate another wave of COVID 19 in the fall so I continue to wear my mask and social distance with strangers.

The LRT construction has had a big impact on the grounds so there are less flowers than before.

I added some pieces to my white dinnerware by Myott (1952) with some Snowhite Regency by Johnson Brothers.  These pieces came from my sister who received the donated card making supplies earlier this year. These had been in storage for quite a few years.  I believe these pieces are from the 1960's.  I was able to add 4 dinner plates, 4 cups and saucers, 6 dessert plates, and 2 oval serving pieces.  Super happy!

I finished this Nicholas Sparks - See Me books this week.

The main character is Colin Hancock who is making a real effort to change his ways.  He had psychological help from a therapist in coping mechanisms to keep him out of the trouble he has had in the past. Training his body, running to wear off energy, keeping his anger under control, no drinking of alcohol and practicing his listening skills are all working pretty well.  He meets Maria Sanchez on the beach.  As always with Nicholas it is a quick romance to spending days and night together.

Maria is moving up the career ladder as a lawyer. This current job comes with some relationship challenges with one of the bosses. He approaches her during a out of town conference and suggests a way for her to make partner.  She turns him down then struggles to keep out of his way.

It begins to be clear someone is stalking her and sending her gifts and threatening her - but who?  Is the boss, is it someone from one of her previous cases?   Of course, Colin now in love is having a hard time controlling his emotions and his behaviors.   I found the intensity of the story quite challenging, Colin is out of control a couple of times which did not sit well with me.  I did not really relate to this story very much.

I am really enjoying my small watercolors cards for Christmas and other occasions.

I have tubes of water color which have not seen the light of day for years.  These were acquired at sales and generally at price discounts.  My sister and I have done large sheet backgrounds in the past. 

I decided to pull these out and use them but I needed a way to make them available.  I did a search and there were several ideas for travel watercolor palettes.  I headed over the Delta Art and purchased empty half pans at over $1 each.

I placed them in this cough drop tin and filled them with blobs of color from the tubes I had. I was able to have several versions of the 3 primary colors - blue, red and yellow.  I will be able to mix many color from these.

It does not give me much mixing space but I can use a white dinner plate for that purpose.

I have written down the colors on the left and I did paint a sample of each color in the photo above. I think I have 2 reds which are very similar. 

I painted 2 small landscapes just to give the colors a go. I will make cards with them later.

I did come across a way cheaper option for this project which I will share the link here.  She uses a dollar store eye shadow box which I thought was genius.

Still scoping out salt free snacks.  I found a large 630gm bags of these a Sobey's store on my trip south a few weeks ago.  

Have yet to check them out here in the city but it is on the ToDo List

It is hard to find healthy options at a good price and easily available because that is not what most people want.   I will keep at it.

Recent Photos

These are Christmas Candles that Mom has put in her window for years.  I just love them.  They are electric, red candles with clear plastic halos around the bulbs.  There is greenery on the front side.

I was home for 3 days over Christmas and the weather was very cold.  Plug in cars and stay inside as much as possible.  I'm so glad Mom and Dad can get their exercise in the hallways and stairways of their building now and do not have to go out in this cold.

I had to go outside in -30C degree weather to take this photo.  I have applied a watercolor filter to the photo.

This is so Christmas to me.

I brought home three of these clear plastic bells for my Christmas tree from my trip south to visit my niece a few days before Christmas.

Loving clear and glass things makes photography a challenge.  I set up the tripod and still took many shots to get a few in focus ones. 

We are stuck in a deep freeze here in Canada.  I know that areas on the east have lost power and received tons of snow so I am grateful "It's just cold!"  We have ski hills closed, New Year's festivities cut back or brought indoors.  I have been hibernating with tea, books and TV. We are going onto a week of crazy cold.

My Christmas have been placed on my card  holder.   Of course, much fewer than in others years.  There are some great ones though.  The 2 central ones in the photo are ones I especially like - the watercolor red poinsettia and the soft nativity in warm tones.  I received some lovely cards this year.















I finished this book this week which was recommended by my sister. It is a true account of the author's work in Pakistan to build schools to educate girls.  The book's title was inspired by a saying Haji Ali shared with Greg Mortenson: "The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family..."^.

<sup>I found a Christmas mug at the thrift store while visiting my niece before Christmas.  Upon some research it is by Johnson Brothers - Victorian Christmas coffee mug.  One of my favorite makers. 

The bow is more burgundy than red which does not quite match my color scheme but I am happy with my purchase.  I had several to pick from and this one was light in comparison to the others and it just felt right.

Sharing with Share Your Cup #277 hosted by Jan at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson.

Through my Lens hosted my Mersad.</sup>

Recent Snapshots

I am working on images for Christmas cards already.  I thought this one would make a nice photo card with a greeting in the top left hand corner.

This one is Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) – The cute little (non-edible) white berries on this bush are a delicacy to birds. During the winter when the leaves are gone, the berries look like little white ornaments hung on delicate branches.

I thought this plant was pretty in its pink finery.  This one is growing wild in the river valley.

I have no idea what it is called and with some research I was not able to find a name. I'll keep trying.

This was the sun the other morning.

Absolutely red due to the forest fires raging in the western provinces.  I waited until a few clouds drifted by to take this shot.

It makes for an eerie type morning walk when there is this tint to the world.







I found a bed of cosmos flowers the other morning.  I have included three of them in my mosaic this morning.

Changes are taking place in the kitchen.   I will post when they are all done.

I have been looking for a blue cut glass bowl for a long while since I saw one in a friend's blue and yellow kitchen.  I found the glass lemons in the last six months or so and then this bowl showed up last week.

It will sit in my kitchen on this yellow star doily a top a new white microwave.  Having had to clean out cupboards I am motivated not to return all the "stuff".   I want to simplify my decor as well.

I was gifted this set of Johnson Brothers Blue Nordic dishes by my aunt.  She did give a lot away before she moved but she did not keep any saucers for the tea cups.

It been a slow process to get what I needed.  I found one at a thrift store in June, a couple showed up at a garage sale 2 weeks ago.  And I purchased a  couple of tea cups and saucers at a thrift store the other day.  It gives me 6 cups and 5 saucers.

I have a full set of dishes for 4 now.  With a few extra pieces for good measure. My thrift store shopping list has been adjusted.




This was breakfast this morning.   Chocolate bran muffins, banana on plain yogurt and a good cup of Earl Grey tea.  A bit of cranberry syrup to add a bit of sweet.

We are getting ready to pick this year's crop so this current supply has to be eaten.



Sharing with

Through Your Lens#111 hosted by Mersad

Tea and Breakfast

I made a pot of Masala Chai tea this morning with my breakfast.

It was brewed in my white porcelain 6 cup tea pot.  I tried some tea sacks which I received when I won a blog give away by Margie and Tea in the Valley in early part of the year.  The sacks have a flap that sits between the pot and the lid and holds 3 teaspoons of loose tea with plenty of room for expansion.  They make clean up a breeze. 

I drink my Masala Chai with a bit of honey and cream.  I used my Johnson Brothers Regency White set.  I just love that scallop fluted texture on the saucers and plates.

I picked a few lovely bachelor buttons from a friend`s flower bed.   They were placed in a small short glass vase filled with glass beads at the bottom. The vase is sitting on a Battenburg Lace doily on my pine table.  I know I was reading on a blog earlier how nice it is to have fresh flowers on the table. I agree but I need help as I don`t grow them myself. 

I was looking for a dessert bowl so I did not have to use soup bowls from my dishes set. I have the little yellow square ones but nothing more neutral in color.

I bought these small bowls clear glass bowls to ensure a smaller portion.  I placed about 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt in the bottom of the dish topped with a small banana and fresh raspberries.  I am enjoying these raspberries picked from a friend`s patch.

Here`s the whole picture.

I used a round aqua place mat.

The vase of fresh flowers on the left.  Teapot placed at the top of the setting placed on a larger Batternburg Lace doily.

I bought the small cream pitcher the other which works better when it`s only me for breakfast.

I added a Chocolate Bran Muffin to the fresh fruit.

The tomato plants on the balcony continue to grow and have quite a few flowers but no fruit yet. 

Sharing with

Bernideens Tea Time

Search for a Pink Tea Cup

This is a long post with a lot of pink. Proceed if you are intrigued I promise it has a happy ending.
Here we go!

I was gifted this pink tea pot by my aunt in July 2016 who had been given it by a relative years before from a vintage shop.
It is vintage, the maker is Sadler, it is a lamp shape pink teapot with pink roses & periwinkle Forget-Me-Nots with gold trim and my research suggested it is 75 years old.  I did include it in my 2017 Tea Time Calendar with a Regency White tea cup and saucer by Johnson Brothers.
The quest was on to find a tea cup that matched the teapot well.  Based on my internet research Sadler did not make tea cups so how to find a match on this pattern?

The cup should at least have pink roses blue flowers and gold trim I thought to myself.

I thought the teapot was a warm pink until I bought this tea cup and discovered it was not really warm at all as this set has a warm white base.

This set has ROSE BOUQUET 22 KT gold border MADE IN ENGLAND F on the bottom. I have not identified a maker.  I have no sense of age on this one.

Having decided a white or pink background would be better I continued my search.

This tea cup & saucer set had white and gold so it was getting closer to what I needed but no roses or pink or blue.

This is a bone china golden wedding anniversary set by Sutherland HM made in England.   I expect that this one is more recent in age.

It was not as good as it could be so I kept my out at thrift shops in hopes of find a better one. I started carrying a photo of the tea pot in hopes of being able to better match it.

This one had a white background, pink roses and gold trim but no blue so we are getting closer.

This one is bone china by Ridgway Potteries made in England. It has Royal Vale and pattern "N" 8138 on the bottom.  I found one reference that suggested a date in the mid 1960s.

This one would work but I kept my eyes peeled.  Most everyone I speak to regularly knows I'm looking for a cup to match this teapot.  There are many eyes at work.

My aunt gave me this one for Christmas this year and I was thrilled.  It has a pink background that matches well with the teapot, gold trim, pink roses and this wonderful scallop edge but still still no blue flowers.

It is marked Queen Anne Bone China England.  The 'Queen Anne' trade name introduced around 1950 was used until the closure of the Edensor Works in 1966. 

Then this one arrived!  Pink background, pink roses, gold trim and blue bachelor buttons.

This one is marked Bone China Colcough F 4 Made in England.  The mark is reasonably rare but the one place was still researching the mark.  Really no idea how old it is but it's a match which is what counts.

Here's the teapot and tea cup and saucer together.  I think it's a great match and it will make it into my 2018 Tea Time Calendar which I will start shooting soon.

Thanks for reading my long post.  It has a happy ending.  Check out my blog give away on my feature post. 

Sharing at
 Tuesday Cuppa Tea hosted by Ruth.
Bernideen`s Tea Time  

Evening Tea

It was a cup of decaf Earl Grey as it is evening and caffeine would have me up all night.  I served it in a white and gold gilt bone china tea cup by Sutherland HM.  I added a bit of honey and some milk. I love the scallop texture in this cup and saucer set.


I had a Gala Apple cut into slices, a few pieces of white old cheddar cheese and a couple Peek Freans Cranberry Citrus oat crunch cookies.  I served them a Johnson Brothers Regency White dessert plate.

I chose red green gold plaid place mats on a red table cloth with a herringbone pattern.

I set up a table center piece with a white house background from IKEA. I placed some Christmas red berry foliage, a large pine cone and a mercury glass tree on a Christmas plate on a gold charger plate.


Sharing with Bernideen's Tea link up.

Share Your Cup #219 - This Week

This was breaky before I headed off to teach my Be Present for Christmas class.  The dinnerware is all by Johnson Brothers. The mug - JB Cotswold in brown.  I paired it with a brown fluted plate by JB - Watermill pattern on a JB - Regency White fluted plate. The tea is Jade Citrus Mint which is one of the few teas I can drink with no cream or sugar.  A couple chocolate bran muffins and an apple.

Sunrise this morning filled the sky with pinks, purples and blues.  There is just a hint of what is to come coming over the evergreens.


I found this really nice bottle by Avon at the thrift shop this week.  The scent from the lid leads me to believe it may have been perfume. I have not found the exact bottle in my google search.  I loved the ridges on the body of the jar and the fluted shiny silver lid.  The price was right so it came home with me.

Dill is one of my favorite herbs so when they had some bunches of fresh at the grocery store on my trip last week I brought a couple home.  I lined my cookie sheet with parchment paper as they recommend the herb not touch metal.  I turned my oven to the lowest setting and then checked it every 30 minutes.  It took over an hour for each bundle. As you can see, it did not generate much in my dill container.  I`m not sure it was economical to do it, but live and learn.   It may have been better to use the second method which was to place the herb in a brown paper bag with slits to keep the dust off and provide air circulation.  It would likely have taken several weeks to get the same result.



This flower came across my path this week and it really has gorgeous colors.  I may need to use a larger vase for the size of it.  I loved it so I brought it home. 

Sharing with Jan at Daily Cup with Mrs Olson who hosts Share Your Cup #219.

Cuppa Tea Tuesday - Brunch Sandwich

This is the start of brunch this morning.  I set the table with my navy blue table cloth, a white Battenburg place mat, and the large Blue Carnation plate made in Japan.


I made a tomato and cheese open face sandwich on whole wheat toast.  I used fresh garden tomatoes and sharp cheddar cheese. I topped it with a bit of steak spice, salt and pepper.  It was placed on the salad plate from the Johnson Brothers White Regency which was centered onto the Blue Carnation dinner plate.  The sandwich was terrific.

I made a pot of Masala Chai tea and served it in the Johnson Brothers White Regency teacup and saucer.  I added some honey and cream to make it the way I like it.



The teapot is my Cobalt Blue Ikea 365+. I love this tea pot because it pours well and the lid stays in place.

Here's the full photo.  Brunch was very good.  I repeated the use of the Regency White to tie this tablescape together.

Sharing with Cuppa Tea Tuesday hosted by Ruth at Antiques and Tea Cups.

Share Your Cup - Cobalt Blue

I've been collecting a few pieces of cobalt blue glass ware to put together a table setting.  Here is the clear glass water pitcher with a blue handle paired with medium sized blue glasses.  They are probably juice glasses but they work great for water at the table.









I found a pretty cobalt blue vase with a clear glass fluted foot.  It's a good size proportionally for my table.  I've placed small silk daffodils in it today. 

Today the tea is Masala Chai with honey and cream.  Yum.  It is served in Johnson Brothers Regency White tea cup and saucer.  The teapot is by Stokes.  Can someone help with the type of tablecloth I have?  It is a bit heavy and has this shiny pattern woven into it. It strikes me as 1970s style.  Leave me a comment if you know something about this tablecloth. 

It's still apple & rhubarb crisp season.  The apples came from my Mom's trees and rhubarb from my sister.  The blue glass plates are Avon Royal Sapphire Cobalt Blue made in France layered with a simple white plate with a soft ruffled edge by IKEA - ARV.

I had my Mom over yesterday as she is in the city for treatment for the next few weeks.  We had a good visit and she is doing well but a bit tired.  I hope to have her over once a week.

The flatware has Splendide 18/8 Stainless Steel on the back.  Nice heavy utensils. 

Submitting to Share Your Cup #217
hosted by Carol at Art&Sand.