Recent Photos

I finished this book over the holidays.   I was disappointed in some of the themes in the 25 short stories.   This is the first book she published so interesting that is one of the last I read.  Her books got much better.

Millions of people travel on London's tube every day, yet we usually only give our fellow passengers a cursory glance. Maeve Binchy infuses the nameless people with stories to provide a cross-section of London life.

One of the last books I can read from this author as I have checked most of them off the list.

There are couple I still have not read.

Sister Caravaggio (2014) - stand alone novel
A Few of the Girls - short stories

Suggestions for other authors I may enjoy.

This is the gift I received from my sister and her husband.  This is a large spool holder for my sewing.  I have invested in some neutral colored spools - white, grey and black in recent months as buying specific colors is expensive.

Most of the girls at quilting all have one of these.  My sister had let me know what I needed and how to DIY one for myself.  Our plans to share wire fell through so I just did not get it done.

I see my brother-in-law's work in the beautiful wood base.  The loop replaces the loop on the machine.  The tall stick is for the large spool and the little one may be for a bobbin based on my research on line.

I am ready to get back to sewing but I have been taking a few days of down time as I have had a lot of company in and days out since December 13th.  I need some recharge time.

With a no caffeine tea regime I had put Bengal Spice and Licorice Spice on my list.  We had some at Mom's on Christmas Day and she requested a box on Boxing Day.  More of us on avoiding caffeine when possible.

I decided I needed a shorter string of lights now that I sent the 4 foot tree, the large ornaments, and other decorations to the second hand store.  I have decided to use my small ceramic tree with a shelving unit which will hold the few glass ornaments I have kept.  I added some narrow garland to the rungs of the shelf and hung the ornaments from there.  The old string was much too long and heavy.  I found these Retro lights by Noma.  They are irridescent, sparkly and a wonderful shape.  Love them.

The warm plastic lights are on the dark green ceramic tree and the white but still somewhat warm tear drops are the new ones.  I kept my iridescent bead garland.

The plan has not completely come together this year but next year will be better.

I kept all the small glass ornaments, the coordinating bead garlands, and the colored  ornaments which meant something to me.  Love the crystal tear drops from chandeliers. I could not resist the mercury glass tea pot on for 50% this year.

I placed the burgundy gift boxes at the base of the tree.

I bought this book at the library sale for .25 cents.  It was excellent.  It is set in France but more in the country which I enjoyed more.  The main character is English on a vacation and discovers a mystery about Isabelle and a stash of diamonds.  I will check other titles by this author.  The Splendour Falls by Susanna Kearsley.

Sharing with Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf who hosts Mosaic Monday #60.

Recent Photos

The novel is based on real people.

This was an interesting book based on 3 Belgium sisters who lived in Paris in 1880, Antoinette, Marie and Charlotte.   The father a tailor is dead and their mother works in a laundry and abuses drink every day.  All three girls have spent time in the ballet dance school of the Paris Opera. 

Antoinette gets into the fast lifestyle with a boy and loses her position at the school and opera.  The boy is no good but it takes her a long time to see it.  She works in the laundry, a brothel and spends time in jail.

Marie works very hard to support the family.  She works in a bakery from 4:30 am to 8:00 am when she heads to the dance school.  Dance classes during the day and performances in the evening at the Opera.  She is chosen by Edgar Degas a well known painter and sculptor and is immortalized in the "Little Dancer of Fourteen Years".  The original was done in wax and was shown in Paris at the Sixth Impressionist Exhibition of 1881.  The sculpture was in Degas studio all the time he was alive. His heirs decided to have the bronzes after his death and were made in the early twentieth century.

Charlotte is the youngest and smallest but eventually does very well in the opera.  She was the most successful of the 3 in the Opera. The author indicates in her notes that Charlotte was with the Opera 53 years as a dancer and teacher.

When Antoinette goes to prison Marie is left to fend for the family.  The girls are living at a subsistence level which is proven with she gains weight in prison with 3 meals a day.  She improves her sewing skills while with the nuns.  This contributes to success later on.

These girls are at the mercy of well to do men who attend the Opera who may take an interest in them.  That translates into better ballet shoes and dance outfits, pretty dresses but also unwanted sexual attention at times from some of the men.

I prefer the countryside of English estates to the hussle and bussle of a city setting.  I'm glad I stuck it out to the end.  It was worth it.

The can of Masala Chai Rooibos tea arrived.  I have drank there black tea for quite a few years and love it!  With being advised to cut out caffeine I approached the ladies at Chai Wallahs in hopes of them making a rooibos version which would be caffeine free.

I am in the testing phase of this tea.

I have not had much time to just sit down and enjoy a good cup of it yet.

I have been getting ready for the Abstraction Show at the Gallery in December.  That is now all firmed up.  Those will be blogged once delivered to the Gallery.

We had our first big snow storm on the November 11 Remembrance Day long weekend.  The rained Friday night and snowed Saturday and Sunday.

I did take an hour's walk on Sunday at about -14C.  I bundled up and took the camera.  My fingers and tip of my nose were ready to head inside.

It was nice that the wind had not yet removed the snow from all the tree limbs.  

The challenge of Flickr Macro Monday was Reflections.  I had a hard time with subject matter this week.  This is a small ceramic snowman I made in class in the 1970s.

I used my mirror tile as a background to get several reflections of his back.  I like the fact that the reflection does not mirror the front.

You can check my photo stream to see the photo I submitted on Monday.

You can check the entries to Macro Mondays.

Linking up with Through my Lens Challenge #214 hosted by Mersad.

Recent Photos

I attended the Grand Opening of this antique store on Saturday. There were a lot of folks who dropped by to say Congrats to Alex Archbold who owns this great store. 

I have been checking out his Curiosity Inc YouTube channel since the spring.  I was looking for antique stores here and his store came up.  He bought this store which was built in 1913, made some renovations, and filled it with great stuff. 

You can check his channel to read about his adventures in finding treasures, the Potter's House, and helping others who need a hand up in life.  I can't wait to see the cutest panel van he has purchased as his delivery van on the road!  Check out the store if you are in the area.

This is the book on my night stand these days.   It has been there for a while as it different kind of reading than fiction.

I have renewed my commitment to meditation as a way to relax before bed which helps to get a good night's rest.  I found a couple of music mpg which are a very nice way to end the day.  Away from the TV and computer screen.  I have put them on my MP3 player.



It was election day here so I went early in the morning.


I visited a couple of parks on Saturday since the weather is still nice. 

The colors are interesting as the leaf on the left is what we normally expect but I found these Maple Tree seeds which looks silvery and sparkly.

Recent Photos

I have started attending a quilting group on Monday nights.  I said I would never to this but with Card Club a no go and a stash of fabric leftover from aprons I need something to keep busy.  I have made 3 quilts and my very old rotary cutter is toast.  The blade no longer rotates because the pin is compromised and will soon fall apart.  I bought a new one which I will give a spin tonight.

I am starting on a new quilt tonight. The piece of fabric I have for the back is so nice seems a shame to cut into pieces I will make a strip QAYG one to see if that would be faster. 

I am waiting to hear from the rep for the charity to which I want to donate these quilts.  Maybe email is passe as far as a method of communication so I may have to resort to the telephone.  I sure hope I will have a place to donate them soon.
















I finished Moonfleet by John Meade Faulkner this week.  It was first written in the late 1800's and the English is not modern. The images in the book are very old style as well.  When I researched this book a while ago I discovered it was set in Dorset England so I decided to give it a go.  The story is good. A orphan lives with his aunt, befriends an older man from the community who is involved in shady business which gets them both in trouble. The love of money and wealth gets them deeper.  The are exiled and then imprisoned.  Fate does see it fit to returned them to their precious English coast.  The young man reunites with his lady love.

I am working on my 2020 Photo Calendars.  I am working on high key images.  It is a technique where through lighting most of the shadows are eliminated and the background is blown out so only the essentials are captured. 

This is a set of bottles my sister found for me.  I love them.  I have placed a dark dried weed with them and made that the focus.

I think it works pretty well.  What do you think?  Leave me a message.

This photo says that fall is here even though the date has not declared it official yet.

We are having some days of Indian Summer here in Alberta.  Enjoying them to the fullest.

Sharing this with

Angie at Letting Go the Bay Leaf who hosted Mosaic Monday #45 
and
Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #207

Recent Photos

A large maple leaf with beautiful color in yellow and reds.

I have to say that I think it is too soon to see leaves on the ground.

We had a very wet summer with lots of cloud and overcast weather so it did not feel hot enough.













I finished another Maeve Binchy book this week.  The first part of the book was quite slow but then it picked and ended really well. I love her books and Ireland as the background. Several young people were the main characters during 3 periods of their lives.

I received this Cup Cozy from a friend who was away on vacation in August.

I love the color and the purpose.  I was hoping that the button was functional but then was reminded that it was meant for take out cups of tea or coffee.

I have placed it on my Bodin double walled glass.












I spent a day with my sister in Camrose. We did the 8 venues of the Art Walk.  The quilt in the top left corner was amazing.Loved the pottery mugs at the Art Gallery were really nice.
We brought a picnic lunch and ate at Mirror Lake.
We saw a lot of great art, visited several thrift shops, book store, and a couple museums.  She prefers to have experiences rather than physical gifts so this was her Christmas gift from me.

I bought this 90+ year old Westclox Big Ben De Luxe 2 Alarm clock at one of the thrift stores.

It was released in 1928 at a retail cost of $3.75. It has a beautiful crackle finish in an Old Rose color and gold.  

It does not work and rattles when picked up. It looks really good and will work really well as a photography prop. 

I photographed it in front of my reclaimed wood photography background.

The background is wood I saved from the landfill. I managed to get all the nails and screws out of the pieces.  I scrubbed all the dust and dirt off the pieces without losing the patina.  I have about 12 pieces that I can set up as I want - nice flexible system.

Flickr Macro Monday challenge this week was - Pasta.  Check out my photo stream to see what image I submitted.

Joining Mosaic Monday #43 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.

Thorough My Lens #206 hosted by Mersad.

Photo Blogging Challenge - The Written Word

Handwritten Word 

I did some calligraphy for a photo challenge early in August.

I used watercolor and a plastic nib pen which I have had forever.

I did quite a bit of practicing before I was happy with my letters. It has been years since I did any formal hand writing.

Vintage Word - These are some of the oldest books I own.  I did buy some of them for photo props because of their vintage look with the gold embossed letters and classic neutral cover colors.

Keys to Happiness was published by Reader's Digest in 1955.

Moonfleet by Faulkner I have read was published in 1952.  I should read it because I discovered today that it is set in Dorset England and is a mystery.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte was originally published 1847.  This copy was published in 1974 for the Pebbles Classic Library set.

My written word 

I am still a pen and paper lady.  I use a small note book to track things I have to do which is always with me when I head out of the house.

Grocery lists are printed on the computer but crossed out as I put the items in my cart.

I don't have lists on my phone.   

I always carry lists of the photo challenges I am wanting to enter so as I travel around I can take appropriate pictures.

This is a recent hard cover dictionary I purchased second hand.  I have only had inexpensive soft cover dictionaries and this one feel like a "real" book.

The letters are not gold but just embossed on the cover.  I used a photo filter to highlight the letters to make them more legible in this photo.

The pages have watercolored texture applied to them which works really well.

Fictional Written Words

I read a lot in my 20's then life got busy and work was stressful and I got out of the habit of reading.

Since I retired I have taken up the hobby again.  I am loving it so much.

We have a book exchange within my monthly fellowship group - Welcome to my Kitchen.  We share books and good stories which is part of the fun.

I have found my favorite type of book is historical fiction especially England and France.

Sharing with P.J. who is hosting the Photo Blogging Challenge - Written Word.

Recent Photos

I was so thrilled to see my first BIG bird.   I was at Patricia Lake early one morning this week and investigated a white patch across the water.

It was a Blue Heron.  This is the best shot I got and was hoping he had decided to go fishing or at least stand but he was content to sit there and look at me.

I will go back in a few days but they must into migration already headed to the States so it likely will not be there when I return.

This creature was a more cooperative.  It is a Yellow Dragonfly.  I love the bright spots a the ends of its wings!

The structure on it's back where the wing attach is very interesting and detailed.

It has big eyes and looks like a being a person could connect with.

I was glad to have spotted it in the yellow green grass in the meadow.

This the latest book I had on my night stand.  "The Road to Paradise Island" by Victoria Holt.  My Mom had read the book and passed it onto to me.  I enjoyed the book very much.



Annalice Mallory, the sheltered daughter of a family of map makers, discovers the cryptic diary of her long-dead ancestor that includes a map of a mysterious far-of island. Philip, Annalice's brother, sets sail for the island, lured by the promise of incomparable riches to be found. But when he doesn't return, Annalice sets out to find him -- and the secrets of the diary -- in a desperate journey that leads her through the worlds' most exciting outposts . . . and finally to the tropical islands of the South Seas, where she encounters heart-stopping peril, but also the promise of love.

I found the discovery of the diary very compelling.  She grows up from a teenager to an independent woman during the experience of searching for her ancestor.  Set in England in the early 1900s and included travel on a ship to Australia. It all ends well in the end. 

Eleanor Alice Burford Hibbert (1906–1993), better known to readers as Victoria Holt, Philippa Carr, and Jean Plaidy, was one of the world’s most beloved and enduring authors. Her career spanned five decades, and she was heralded as the “Queen of Romantic Suspense.” She continued to write historical fiction under the name of Jean Plaidy and romantic suspense as Victoria Holt until the time of her death.

Of course, it is time to harvest so I was fortunate to be able to pick raspberries in a friend's patch on 2 Sundays.  The first Aug 4th garnered enough to make a double batch of Raspberry Bavarian with my Mom's recipe.  I shared half with my sister and brother in law when I visited to pick saskatoon berries last week.  I have frozen a container of raspberries with enough to make Bavarian again!  I picked saskatoons at our regular UPick - Farrant Junction on Wednesday last week.  The berries were really nice and big and the picking was easy.  I picked 2 ice cream pails which made 4 bags of berries for the freezer.

I was driving down to my sisters to pick berries and it rained the whole way.  I was concerned berry picking would not happen.  I was prepared to pick in the rain if necessary. We decided to make our other preserves on Tuesday and hope of better weather on Wednesday. I made chutney and she made berry syrup which she serves with club soda on a hot day.

I stuck to last year's recipe with a few tweeks.
I halved the sugar in the recipe this year but did add a few extra dried cranberries.
I added garlic which was not in the original recipe but I like it.
I switched from dark raisins to golden raisins to keep the color in the gold colors.

I made 6 one cup jars this year.  That will be plenty.  I have some leftover jars from my experiments last year.  It is great to spend time with family and put some good food away for winter.

Sharing with Through My Lens #203 hosted by Mersad.

Recent Photos

This is the flowers that Dad bought for Mom`s 85th birthday this weekend.  It is an Anthurium and the way to water it is to place 6 ice cubes on the soil once a week.  Place it in bright indirect light. She will have a reminder of this milestone for a while.













We had a terrific day of celebration with family, friends and neighbors. 





My sister picked some Hairy False Goldenaster on the weekend for me. 

I placed them in this great Robert Held Blue Poppy art glass vase.  I diffused the background by hanging sheer drapes on the second rod in the living room window.  I was always setting up something temporary. Now, they will stay up all the time.

This book was recommended by a friend in the Welcome to my Kitchen group.  Kate Quinn is an who writes historical fiction.

This book was a great one.  Covering time during the Second World War and the early 1950s.  The name character is a strong woman who flew airplanes for Russia. A war correspondent who was connected in another way was the other main character. It was a nice change in point of view as I have read many with England as the background.  The end has a interesting twist and excellent ending.  Would highly recommend this book.

Made of Wood was the theme for Flickr Macro Monday.  This a section of wood magnet from Hawaii brought back by a friend a couple years ago.

You can visit my Flickr photo stream to see which photo I submitted.

You can check out the submissions for the theme here.

I am finding the cloves especially beautiful this year.

Top left is white clover.
Top right is a Great Crested Grebe

Bottom left is Perennial Sow Thistle.
Bottom right is a Cinnamon Teal.

I really enjoyed seeing the sides of the highways covered by Yellow Sow Thistles.  It looked like a garden planted along the way.

Sharing with Mosaic Monday #38

Recent Photos

Wishing all my friends and family on line in Canada a Happy Canada Day! 

I captured this flag at the Legislature Grounds yesterday.

The wind was quite brisk but it was a wonderful day with no rain for a change.

Today, it rained for a few hours in early afternoon.







This is the book on my night table this week.  The same author of Bridges of Madison Country which is one of my favorite movies.  Love the story.

I have started a couple of books in the last week which did not work out so they are off to the thrift store.  I have to remind myself that just because I start a book I don`t need to finish.

This one is going well. 

I took on this sewing piece for my niece.  I was part of a fleece project that my niece was leading where we collected fleece blankets.  The blankets were made into these ponchos by girls in her group.

I never put a poncho together so with a bit of help from my niece and ventured out.  The blanket already had the black edging so I just left it. I removed a piece of velcro and the leftovers of a bag it used to roll into. 
The hood and the pocket were cut from the tie dyed blanket.  The hood is sewn into a slit cut in the center of the blanket.  This should be a double seam.  I used a stitched zigzag to sew in the pocket.  The pocket is placed on the inside of the poncho so your arms stay warm too.

I am working on getting a salt cellar because I am tired of getting enough salt into the pasta water with a salt shaker.

I realized that the spoon needed to be plastic, ceramic or stainless steel to survive in the salt. I found a nice ceramic spoon which holds 1/2 tsp of salt.  I have put salt in this cut glass jam/condiment jar but it is not the look I am going for.

I have been looking for a few weeks and I press on to find a container that has a lid with an opening that works for the spoon I have.  Keeping in mind my blue and yellow kitchen I would like ceramic or glass.

I will post the winner here when I find it.

This works really well when making pasta because the salt should be added while the water is boiling.

The gardens and flower beds are growing really well with the rain and sun we are getting.

I love this bearded iris.

Sharing with

Angie who hosts Mosaic Monday #34 on Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.


Mersad who hosts Through My Lens #198.