Sylvia's Simple Shots

I finally took a trip to the University of Alberta Botanic Garden this year.

I chose a day when rain was not predicted to fall which turned out to be Saturday.  There was an art walk taking place and several weddings but that is the way it goes.

These gardens are always wonderful.  The temperature was around 21c which made it shirt sleeve weather.  I brought myself a snack for halfway through.  I met neighbours on  my way out so I was later than I had planned.  I arrived around 10:20 am and left shortly after 2pm. 

There is the Kurimoto Japanese Garden, the AGA Khan Garden, Indigenous Garden,  and much more.

There are domes set up which I expect have been there since they reopened during COVID.  The Gift Shop is gone and the butterflies in the Tropical Showhouse are also gone.  I had a wonderful day with tons of photos some of which will likely end up in my annual photo calendar.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho was a great read.  A short book filled with adventures.

"To realize one's destiny in a person's only obligation - the Alchemist"

I think with Mom and Dad now gone I am having to redefine the parts of my life that they occupied.  Feeling a little adrift and looking for ways to find a new path.

While on a visit to my sister's house recently we walked down the block to a garage sale.

I purchased this cutie and my sister gave me the stick he sits on.  I used a Zot to hold him in place.

He resides on the table for now.

In the Shadow of Croft Towers by Abigail Wilson was a great historical novel.  Sybil Delafield is hired to be a companion to an elderly lady.  The coach she is travelling in is robbed before she arrives. She is asked to deliver communications in the form of letters to folks in the town but to be sure no one else knows.  

When fellow passengers of the robbed coach are later murdered, Sybil’s hunt for the truth takes on a new urgency. The only person she can rely on is Mr. Sinclair, Mrs. Chalcroft’s godson, but under all his charms he too leads a double life. Sybil must decide if he is the one honest voice she can trust, or if he is simply using her for his own advances.

Croft Towers holds more than its share of secrets . . . and Sybil is determined to uncover them all.

Enjoyed this one immensely.

I had been on the hunt for a flower vase for the table.  

The one I had been using for years was a floral shop clear with swirls on the sides.

I have looked a lot of them and I was quite sure I wanted a clear cut glass one with a bit of personality.  Crystal would be nice.

Then, I found this art glass one.  Look at the ribbon of honey colored glass around it's middle.  It was perfect. Tall enough for bouquet of flowers, heavy enough to stay up right, the bubbles in the glass disguise the stems to some degree and the band of yellow glass was the icing on the cake.

I have decided to buy myself flowers so that I can have flowers on the table like Mom did.  I don't have a garden and not enough sun on the balcony to grow them.  Beautiful.

Susannah's Garden by Debbie Macomber.   Debbie has become an author I can rely on for a good read.

This one started pretty slow with Susannah having marriage problems and what was she going to do.  She is at a cross roads and where will life lead her.

The year Susannah Nelson turned eighteen changed everything: her boyfriend, Jake, left her unexpectedly, and her brother died in a car accident months later.

At fifty, Susannah finds herself regretting the paths not taken. Long married, a mother and a teacher, she should be happy. But she feels there’s something missing in her life, although she doesn’t know exactly what. Not only that, she’s balancing the demands of a temperamental twenty-year-old daughter and an aging mother who now needs her help.

When Susannah goes home to Colville, Washington, to look after her mother, she decides to try to find out what happened to Jake all those years ago. In returning to her parents’ house, her girlhood friends and the garden she’s always loved, Susannah also returns to the past—and the choices she made back then.

I recently purchased this Rooibos Lemon Cream tea.  This is my first time tasting it.

It is delicious and the fact that it is rooibos makes it caffeine free is a bonus.

Check out the color of this tea!  

It just picks up my mood to see this gorgeous deep yellow color in a pitcher.

Recent Photos

The summer continues to be wet and each morning this is what the grass looks like. 

I love the way this image looks with the few in focus with the far and close ones out of focus.

The water drops create wonderful bokeh in the front.

I had to get down low so my knees got wet but it was worth it.





This is what the vase of yellow flowers looks like now.  When they withered I removed the water and let them dry naturally.

I took this photo in my living room as the sun started appearing through the window.  Of course, it is later in the morning than it used to be as we spin on our axis.

I love how the sun caught the bloom on the left!

The sun highlighted the wonderful art glass vase as well.  Made by artist Robert Held.












I caught this Black Capped Chickadee with very warm light one morning recently.

They are pretty skittish so I have had a hard time getting their photos this summer.

I try to have fermented food regularly in my diet.

I have been eating KimChi for years.  First discovered it at a Korean Restaurant in town.  It was the first spicy food I did not mind eating.

When I think of KimChi and I am reminded of a MASH episode. In the episode, Frank sees the locals were burying something in the field outside the fence.  Of course, he thinks it is a bomb and panics.  Upon the destruction of the underground device it was found to be a KimChi pot.

My sister has been making it for me for a few years.  She has a friend who grew the spicy peppers required to make it.  She started it when I has there and I brought the jar home to babysit until it was ready to put in the fridge.

The nappa cabbage, daikon radish, and green onion has to stay under the liquid at all times.  Everything in the preparation needs to be glass. I was lucky enough to have this glass lid which worked very well.  The liquid will bubble over the rim of the jar so there needs to be bowl under jar to gather that.  It sits on the counter for a few days and it bubbled faster as my house is warmer than my sisters.  Then it is stored in a plastic jar in the fridge. 

I have started working on some still life for greeting cards.  This was a dried bouquet I put together a couple weeks ago.  I had tied it with lace which I thought would work but it did not. I needed something warmer in color.  Raffia would be great. 

I have been cleaning up and getting rid of stuff that I don't use any more.  Mostly card making supplies.  The raffia went a couple weeks ago so No Raffia!   I did not stop to think of the other uses for it.  I came across that same thought with 12x12 scrapbook paper that I may use for photography backgrounds.  I am more aware and will vet the 12x12 paper headed out of the house  more carefully.  Card making supplies are seriously being culled.

I have taken props to the retaining wall of the walking path in the river valley a couple of times to have these wonderful old beams in the background.

They are fabulous but hauling props a several blocks without smashing and breaking them along the way has been the challenge.  For this shot,  I was depending on finding natural elements on my walk and it was not the best. 

I love the feel of the wood.  So, I will continue to work on the process to achieve the results I want.

Sharing with Mosaic Monday #41 hosted by Angie at Letting Go the Bay Leaf and Mersad at Through My Lens #204.

Cobalt Glass Photo Shoot

I have been thinking about my Blue and White calendar for 2019 which will feature my Blue Nordic dishes, decor items I have collected and the Cobalt Blue glass I have gathered in the last couple of years.  I was trying to figure out what to use for a background when I discovered some inspiration on my Flickr feed - Blue Dimples taken by Susanne.

I had this sheet of textured acrylic that would do the job.  Now I had to figure out how to help it stand vertically.  I have several wood blocks with perpendicular slots in them that I figured would do the job.  I have 6 of them and with a 2 tall supports behind at both ends it stood.  The sheet is 48 inches wide so plenty of space in the center to set up my display without them interfering with my photo.

I am super pleased to have solved that problem so now I can move forward with my actual 12 layouts.

Sharing with Mosaic Monday #70 hosted by Maggie at Normandy Life.
Through My Lens #130 hosted by Mersad

Share Your Cup - This Week

I was out for a meeting this morning so I took advantage of being outdoors to take a few photos.  There is a particular area that I go by often and have wanted to stop.  Today I stopped.  It was very cold on the fingers so I had to keep my gloves on.  I love the shiny look of the white bark on this tree.  It glowed from the little bit of sun shining.  I'm sorry I missed the top of the tree.

I love this Tupperware bowl to the point that I have 2 of them.  I love the color, the size and the quality.  As you can see in the small photo I melted the edge somewhere along the line. It no longer created a watertight seal so I was limited how I could use the bowl.  Since I wrecked the bowl I could not have it replaced on warranty.  And buying a new one would mean it would not be yellow. This week, I found a replacement for this Tupperware mixing bowl.  It did not have a seal so the price was good but I have one so I am good to go!

I read this book recently for the third time.  I think I should read it once a year.  It would help me to develop my attitude of gratitude. Ann Voskamp wrote the book after being challenged by a friend to write down 1000 gifts.  It changed her view of her life when she actively starting looking in her life for gifts from God.   The study guides arrived last week and I have started the bible study.

I bought this wooden cutting board last week.  I am quite sure that it is bamboo.  I have been wanting one for photography and this one fits the bill to a tee!   It has great surface texture from a lot of great use. I ran it through a good cleaning process.  I wonder if I should be oiling this?

I found this cobalt blue bottle at the thrift store for a great price.  It's sides are very uneven and there are bubbles in the glass.  There are wonderful crackles in the glass.  I'm going to use it as a vase in my photography.   It's going to go well with the few other pieces I have in my collection which I shared here earlier.

Sharing with Jann at Daily Cup with Mrs. Olson on the linky party Share Your Cup #237.

Advent Calendars - Ready2Go

I prepared 2 Advent Calendars which are Ready2Go.  They are easily displayed and the pages are easy to move to the next day.  Each day has a scripture reading and I have included an Advent Activity List to help moms provide non chocolate/candy options for each day of advent.  You can find the list on my Freebies page.

This one features a heavy wood photo holder with a clip at the top large enough to hold the 26 sheets of the calendar.  I added a red ribbon at the base to repeat the red in the calendar.  I've packaged it in cello.

This one is a skinny clear glass vase which holds the 26 sheets nicely.  It protects the sheets without obscuring the calendar or the scripture.  I wrapped it in cello and tied it a red ribbon.