Sylvia's Simple Shots

We have had this big white bird resting at the little pond for a few days.

I spent some time sitting in the wet grass taking a lot of shots in hopes of getting a good one.

This is an Egret as it has black legs where as a White Heron has yellow legs.  This has been talk that there has been a white heron in the vacinity and it has attracted the long lenses.  It would be very much out of it range to be in Alberta I understand.

Thrilled to see this bird.

I attended a client open house this week where I met a few other folks who had purchased properties.

It was held at a farm with a flower cutting garden, a large pumpkin patch and good food provided by the Rolling Deli.

The food was excellent.

I asked for a few flowers instead of a pumpkin.  My mom had a flower cutting garden and had fresh flowers in a vase on the table all summer. 

I was thrilled the hostess shared a few flowers with me.

Cosmos, Zinnias, Straw Flowers were a few.

The Clockmaker's Wife by Daisy Wood was a great book.  A great World War II story about a plot to bomb Big Ben.  Big Ben is the great bell of the Great Clock of Westminster which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England.

1940 England - Nell Spelman is the wife of Arthur Spelman who takes care of the clock.  Due to the horrendous bombing in London Arthur sends Nell and the baby Alice to the country side. When Arthur disappears Nell is compelled to go back to London to find out what is happening. 

2021 New York Ellie is Alice's daugther. Alice is very old and needing care. Ellie discovers a beautiful watch which belongs to her mother but Alice does not know it's history. Ellie decides to go to England find long lost relatives and dig to see what happened.

Turns out that Nell discovered a plot to bomb Big Ben and gave her life to save the treasure. Alice lost her mother when she was a few months old.  She was eventually reunited with her father Arthur but he was not open to discussing the war.

This week was a flurry of preparation to host my first group of family in my new place.

I only had a mis mash of small dessert bowls and I was sure that I would find what I wanted in thrift stores.  When that did not happen I decided to check out what IKEA had in the way of dishes.

After considering several options in the marketplace I chose these.  OLIVTRAST are beverage vessels made of tempered glass. I love the textured glass and the size is great for tea, coffee, juice or dessert.  They stack beautifully which is great for my little place.

Super happy with these.

I found a new cotton rug for the kitchen.

It has yellow and grey and warm tones which works well with the floor.  It is a big darker than the other one I have.

It will show dirt less and therefore easier to maintain on an ongoing basis.

It is 100% cotton.

With my anti skid mat from IKEA - STOPP it works out very nicely.

The cost was under $10 which was a bargain.

I picked up my new glasses on Friday.  I chose to get another pair despite my prescription really not changing much because I should have a spare set of glasses.  

The pair I got 4 years ago have been great but I would be lost to do much if something happened to them.

A lighter frame than the other pair. Love the teal color.

I have had this tiered serving tray for quite a while. In the past there were turquoise melanine plates that were fit into it.  

The new place just did not work with turquoise so I was on a quest to replace them with clear glass platters.

At FIND store in the city I found 2 identical platters measuring 11.5 inche diameter for $4 dollars each. These are vintage glass made by the Federal Glass Company with the Heritage pattern.  

I love the flower in the center and the dots of glass on the bottom which create sparkle.  Nice to have that check off as I will be hosting my immediate family soon.

I was looking for a clear glass cream and sugar set for this new place.

At Goodwill on Friday I found this set of a water pitcher, creamer and sugar bowl in fine blown glass.

Black accents are okay.

The price was again under $10.00.  A steal in my opinion.

They are beautiful.  I am not sure if they are crystal.

They are not marked so not sure if they may be made in China.  Very likely.

I invited some my aunts and uncles who live nearby for coffee on Saturday.

I made apple crisp and served it with vanilla ice cream in my new dessert dishes.

I pulled the extra 2 pine chairs for the dining room table.  I added small leaf table at the end.  I need to look at fabric place mats but this time I used what I had which were plastic ones.

We had a great visit and it was the inaugural session of hosting for me in this new place.

Looking forward to many more.

The Little Italian Hotel by Phaedra Patrick.

Ginny is planning a surprise trip to Italy for their 25th wedding anniversary.  When out for a special supper she announces the surprise she does not get the response she anticipated. Her husband has news of his own. He is leaving and wants a divorce.  WOW!

She is unable to cancel the trip because the deadline has passed. She changes the booking hotel to a small one nearby which allows her to bring a few folks with her.  On her radio show she puts out the call for people who need time away to heal to join her on this trip. Yes, complete strangers.

The little hotel in Italy is grateful for the 3 week booking of 5 rooms.  Nico should be remodelling and modernizing his hotel but he promised his mother on her deathbed to keep the charm of the old.

Each guest is nursing a hurt and it takes a while for her gain their trust so they are willing to share the truth.  Daily activities are planned and each guest get to chose and plan on activity revealing a little bit about themselves.   Once back home, Ginny is not sure what life is going to be like.  There is a nice twist at the end of the book.

Slow Stitching - May 2025 - Week 2

K3N Cloth Tales Comfort Coverlet 2025 Slow Stitching project - May - Week 2.

I continued with my books theme this week. 

Added green leaves with vines in single thread to the vine along the left hand edge. I used a variety of green colored thread. 

I added a book to the top shelf featuring a green edge, gold oval and green star in the center. It's cover facing out.

Then, a clock to the middle shelf in gold thread with black hands. 

Then, glasses to the bottom one.  I need those to read. Very important.

The embroidery is all done with the outline stitch. 

Sylvia's Simple Shots

A walk to the community garden is always inspiring.  Plants are blooming, producing edibles and folks are harvesting at this time of year.

I just capture the wonderfulness with my camera.

Found this beautiful red poppy this week.

Speaking of harvesting.

I spent some time with my niece on the weekend and she helped me pick chokecherries.  In the end, I had 4 cups of berries to make pancake syrup.  This is the Chokecherry Syrup recipe I used.

With another camping trip under my belt I have honed my supplies and equipment.

I bought a larger tote to hold the kitchen stuff.  I added a stainless steel kettle, a 4L water jug, a second cooler and a mat. 

I am happy with my progress and hopefully I will get a trip in after school starts and things quiet in the travel business.

Maybe campsites will close after the September long weekend. I will have to check that out.

I received and paid for my first set of prescription glasses this week!  I have been making do with readers for years.  Not having sunglasses for driving was getting to me so I finally bit the bullet.

They are black frames with checkerboard pattern on the sides. I got progressive lenses which I was quite unsure about but it is working out well.

The lenses darken in the light and even in the car behind the windshield.  They have a scratch resistance coating and anti glare coating for night driving.

A lovely microfiber cloth to clean them with a special spray, along with a sturdy case to store but most of the time they will be on my face.

I had to make a few adjustments at home as well so the computer monitor had to be lowered so that it aligned with the bar on the progressive lens for that distance.  

It took a bit of fiddling and something that was adjustable so it is a stack of old Somerset Studio magazines which came to the rescue. 

It was nice to spend time with family.  We celebrated my grandniece's birthday which is in April but was postponed due to COVID restrictions.  With all of us vaccinated, we were free to enjoy time together.

I visited the wetlands near my niece's house during my visit on the weekend. What a lovely area with wide open spaces but still within the city limits!

A female Redwing Blackbird, the bulrushes are tall, and the ducks are swimming around after raising their young.  

I expect the red berries are not edible but very pretty.  Update - Red Baneberry - poisonous.

The theme for Flickr Macro Monday this week was "foil".  With foil used as packaging for all kinds of things there was a good variety of pics.  You can check my Flickr Photostream (SMDPics) to see my entry. 

I am sharing with Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #142 and

Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #300. 

Have a great week and be safe!

Photo Blogging Challenge - Feb - Glasses

1. Here's a collection of clear glasses in my collection.

A tall champagne glass, then my every day water glass for the start of my 16oz of water each day, a crystal wine glass, a small crystal shot glass and a vintage cut glass drinking vessel.

I lit them from the front so I achieved a nice shadow.








2. An original Bodum Presso 10 Ounce Double Wall Glass with Silicone Grip. Of course the fact that the silicone was yellow was appealing to me.  

I filled with Chamomile tea which I like to have at the end of the day to wind down before bed.

3. NAVAN glass
This is a glass which was one of 2 in a gift set included in the purchase of NAVAN Liquor.

Navan is made from the blending of cognac and
vanilla beans from Madagascar.

It has not been produced since 2010.

I received a set of 2 when my Mom and Dad downsized a few years ago.  The bottle of liquor is gone.  He likely received as a gift somewhere along his career.

I love how the yellow is in the base and travels up the glass to the rim.  I placed some marbles to give a focal point.

4. Sunglasses with really reflective lens.

The brand is Dazed and Confused which I found to be an interesting name.

It is important to wear sunglasses all year long even in winter as the snow can be very bright and your eyes still protection.

5. These are my 3D glasses that I received for "free" when I went to see "Avatar" with a group of friends in December 2009.

It is such a great movie and the 3D effect was wonderful to see in a big theater.

Joining the February Photo Blogging Challenge hosted by P.J. at A L'il Hoo Haa.

Mosaic Monday - Recent Pics

My mosaic features my Stampin Up order which arrived last week.  Sale a Bration runs till March 31, 2016, have you placed your order?  I ordered some basic card stock, some framelits, Christmas paper and got some patterned vellum for free.

The Swan Teapot was in a window display on my walk this morning.  This was my first walk outside this winter.  It was pretty chilly so thank goodness I was facing the sun on my way home.

Lunch today before I go and run Card Club.  Beef and vegetable soup, a cup of tea, a glass of flavored water and a couple of brownies for dessert.  The glass is a new acquisition to replace glasses which were a gasoline promo from many years ago.  These were from IKEA.  I nice weight in the hand which is great.

Submitting to Mosaic Monday hosted by Judith at Lavender Cottage.