New Years.....

    I have never been 'into' a big celebration for New Years, not since our early years in the air force when there were lots of young couples getting together to celebrate. As the years moved on, past the time when our daughters wanted and tried so hard to stay up past midnight, and most times failed, on to the post air force period and into the farming phase, and the captain, not being very social, our New Years Eve was spent watching the TV and the Canadian Air Farce.

I sit here today, thankful that a dear plumber came and fixed our water pump. Not till you don't have it, do you miss being able to go to the tap and turn it on. Some fixtures were replaced, but there is still the possibility that dirt will again get into the system. New pipes need to be put on, but that is a job for spring.

I will be on the road tomorrow, heading to Ironwood to see Heather. Dawn and the girls and I will make the trip. The captain does not do Family. It will be great to see Heather.

I have managed to take down the trees, but the decorations are sitting on the chair and piano bench, awaiting the time they will be put away, and that won't be today. The first order of business is laundry, since I now have water.

I am not in the greatest of moods today. There are a number of reasons why, I suppose, but where the start of a new year should be something to look forward to, there are some things that I do not look forward to. Perhaps that is just because I need to take one day at a time. I also need to stop comparing my life with others. I'm sure someone famous or infamous said you have to play with the cards you are dealt.

That being said, I am glad that we will be getting back to normal activities, like choir practice and Bible Study, and my little piano student coming for lessons. The dear little guy gave Sadie a toy for Christmas. It was sweet of him.

I guess that's it for this year. See you in 2014, I hope.

Things happen.....

There are some things that don't take into consideration that this is a holiday period. It could be snow storms that throw lots of folk into the darkness, with no power for days, the people who work on the downed power lines, those who organize the ones who work on the lines, the snowplow drivers, who didn't get to spend Christmas with their families,and last but not least, water pumps decide to quit....affecting me personally.....

Oh yes. My water pump decided to not shut off when it should, and so we had to flip the switch off. Hopefully, I will have a plumber come tomorrow morning, and find out what is wrong. It has been interesting to not have running water, but not really that bad. We always have water jugs on hand, in case the power goes out, and so we had water. Dear daughter lives down the road, and so we could get more when needed. It is amazing how often one goes to the tap to get a drink of water. I hope that tomorrow I shall be able to go back to using the tap.

We finally had a church service, yesterday. It was so nice to see everyone again. My dear, fantastic choir did themselves proud. Having missed two Sundays, we decided to do three songs yesterday, since they were all Christmas songs. This choir is not very big. When all are present there are nine members. Yesterday we had seven. They sang the specials beautifully, one after another, like a mini cantata, and did a wonderful job. I was so pleased with them. They are a very special group of people, and I love them dearly.

Now the year is quickly coming to a close, and a new one soon to begin. I do not make resolutions, so will not be making a list. I think I will soon take down the Christmas tree. (That will be when I think I have enough energy). I decorated for Christmas over a period of two weeks. Now I'm thinking it will take me that long to get things put away.

There is still ice on the trees, and a lot of the birches around are drooping right to the ground. I wonder if the past two weeks are an indication of the winter yet to come.

Some of the things I have painted and gave as gifts

 

 

                                           I just think this little guy is cute. Have had him a long time


Wishing everyone a Happy New Year from Sadie and I.

Look out world, here comes 2014...........

Christmas Day

 

Early Christmas morning, with snow falling on the

already ice-laden branches.

 

 

 

Quiet and lovely

 

 

I am waiting for my girls to arrive for presents and Christmas goodies. We survived quite handily a power outage on the past Monday. The Youth Christmas presentation was cancelled on Sunday evening, and even though the power was out on Monday, they decided to go ahead. Everyone was asked to brings flashlights and other battery run torches, and the service was on. It was most beautiful! The Young People really did a wonderful job, and it was very meaningful. We had a gathering time after the service with refreshments which was also lit by lanterns. Sorry, no coffee, which I sorely needed. As I was chatting with a dear friend, I spotted something quite peculiar. Then I realized that Rudolph had joined us. I knew it was him, by his bright red nose, and his prancing across the floor. He disappeared just as fast as he had arrived, but it was so nice of him to drop by.

 



Because we had missed two weeks of services, we also had a short Christmas Eve Service, then it was home for many, to spend time with families, gathered to celebrate.

I appreciate so much, all my blogging friends, whose blogs make my day. It is so nice to see the similarities and the differences in other places in the blogisphere. They are such wonderful, interesting people.

And so to my blog readers, Sadie and I wish you a very wonderful Christmas, and may you be filled with the love, joy and peace of this special time of year.

 

Now It's Freezing Rain...

Freezing rain, building up on branches

I changed my feeder station, because there was so much

snow, I couldn't get to them where they were before.

 

 

For the 2nd week in a row, we have cancelled our Worship Service. Last week it was a snow storm, one of two, and this week, it is the freezing rain. This system of bad weather stretches from my old hometown, Windsor, Ontario, to the Atlantic Provinces. Some of us are getting just a lot of rain, others, freezing rain, and yet others, snow. Any way you look at it, it is not a great day to be on the roads.

 

It certainly doesn't seem a lot like Christmas for me, since the Church Services are what really holds the message of Christmas, the celebration of  Christmas Joy and Peace. Without them the experience of this season is left wanting.

 

Christmas music, which speaks to my heart, is not the same when one is alone. It is with the church family, and our little choir, where the real Spirit of Christmas speaks. I am missing this experience very much. I also miss giving and receiving Christmas Hugs.

 

Listening to the news, and there are lots of warnings of bad roads, flight cancellations, power outages, and downed trees on wires. A few cars are travelling our road, but not many, and this is supposed to keep up all day, with snow and ice pellets to come. My goodness, I sound like the weather reporter.

 

My very little Christmas Tree

with some homemade ornaments

 

Sadie looks a bit spooky in this shot

 

 

 

 

 

 



Ay...okay...

A big storm is heading our way.

 

It is supposed to hit us on Sunday.

 

But much to my dismay,

 

We had showers off the bay, today!

 

The skiers are shouting hooray,

 

Drivers couldn't find their way.

 

It's too cold for kids to play.

 

So I just want to say,

 

In my warm house I'll stay!

Cookies????

Ah, today I made cookies, a new recipe that I got from the internet, and proceeded to follow it......almost.

Dear readers, I am not known for my prowess in the kitchen, and I fear that as hard as I try, I will never ever be adept at cooking, any kind of cooking.

Tomorrow, perhaps, I will make the same cookies over again, and see what happens when I include a whole cup of butter as opposed to the 1/2 cup I put in today, and then wondered why the dough could not be rolled out.

Waste not, want not........I heard that somewhere....

Solution....pick up dough with a spoon, squeeze in hand and lay carefully on pan. Voila..15 minutes later I have something that could be called a cookie, that didn't taste too bad, but were definitely not what I had intended. It took me until I finished and was cleaning up to notice the recipe and see just what I had done wrong.
Doingg!

No wonder.

I said to myself, "Self, pay more attention to what you are doing."
Self said, "Why? This is the real me."

Later - - - -
Well, I said that the cookies didn't taste too bad, and that's true, however, after having cooled, I found that they were a little crunchy, even hard, dare I say, and so I have created a new Christmas cookie --

Christmas Rocks

 

Just think of the uses: They could be used to weigh down the toes of your Christmas stockings,

they could be sucked on like candy until soft enough to eat, perhaps if painted black they could be used as weirdly shaped hockey pucks on the backyard rink, or I could paint them and they could be used as paper weights.........

 

I am not sure I want to attempt this recipe again tomorrow. I'll see how I'm feeling.

 

I was going to put the tree up today, but cooking must have taken a lot out of me. I went upstairs to get the tree, and saw the bed, and said to myself, "Put the tree up, or have a nap?' I really wanted to put the tree up, but Self thought the bed looked so cozy, and Self and I had a bit of a lay down.

 

Perhaps I will put the tree up tomorrow, rather than making cookies.

I get so angry when I make stupid mistakes, as with the cookies. All of my friends are great cooks, and can spend a whole day baking yummy things. Aren't all moms and grammys supposed to be good cooks?

 

And now, I am tired again. It has been really cold all day, and the roads were not very good, especially up here on the mountain. I'm glad I spent the afternoon ruining a cookie recipe, rather than going out on the road. 

No more second page..

I decided that I wasn't going to do a 2nd page, just putting on my paintings, etc. It was a pain, and really didn't work the way I thought it would. And so I shall just post my pictures here as I had in the beginning.

And so, here is another painting. I rather like it.

 

 

And my favourite shot out my window......

first real snow

that stayed.

Actually, there is a bit more on the ground today......just a bit more.

Tomorrow, the first day of December.........there must be lots of things for me to do.........
                         
                               and so.......................................................

                                              I'd better get thinking of what that

                                                                         just might be......

Christmas Luncheon for Seniors today at the church, and the Youth Group are collecting items for the local Food Bank.

That's all for now. Have a great day.

Brrrrr

I wrote an email to my island friend this morning, and that is what I said to her. BRRRRRRR. I hope that my body soon adjusts to this weather, or I shall be like a bear, and seek out a warm den to spend the winter.

I say to myself, you should go and get a few things from the store, and then I open the door, and immediately change my mind. I find I am going out only when it is absolutely necessary.
We have had rain, and cold winds, and unseasonal warm weather, with the rain., then cold, windy days. Today the wind is bitter. I would much sooner sit and paint, than brave the cold.

How does one talk themselves into going out when it is nasty. Now they are showing pictures on the tv news of the snow and snow squalls. Nice....... On the bright side the winds should be easing off tomorrow.

My Christmas card is off to the printers, so I shall have that back by the end of the month. I have painted a lot of things, and perhaps some of them will be presents. I always make little decorations for my choir and Bible Study group, and have made a good start on them.

On her blog www.emilypfreeman.com Chatting at the Sky, Emily has been an encouragement to me as far as renewing my desire to paint. Now I am painting, for my own pleasure, the crazy acrylic abstracts that I have always loved to do. I am enjoying it more than ever.
When I paint landscapes, I always compare myself to other painter's pictures which I like. I can't compare my abstracts, because they don't have to be exactly like anything else. Does that make sense? I also don't worry now (too much) whether I am making sense. I know what I mean...

I am also taking 10 minutes a day to just write. I receive daily prompts, and write on the topic given. It is not easy, but I am trying to keep up. I have missed one day, because I just couldn't come up with a story. I am just supposed to write, no re-reading, no correcting or scratching out and changing. When finished I put it away. At some point I will reread, but not for a while. It is a very interesting exercise, and I am enjoying it.

So my desk and cupboard are scattered with half finished items, paint bottles, brushes and palate lay waiting for me to get back to it. I used to be able to paint into the wee hours of the morning, but that was years ago. Now I have become something I never thought I would be, a morning person. Sadie is my alarm clock, and we are always up around six. So mornings have become my quiet time, my work time and my thinking time. Sometimes the thinking hurts my head so I try to think only good things if I can, though some mornings it is hard, especially if a dear friend is sick, or somewhere in the world a hurricane or a tsunami has flattened villages and devastated the lives of thousands.

And then there is the foolishness of our Canadian politics....well, I won't even go there........

Sadie and the fall trees, before the leaves all blew off

 

 

 

 

Dawn getting the last bins of juice apples ready to be picked up

 

I have surprised myself, as I reread this post.

I wrote that I was enjoying something twice.

Wonders never cease...

 

I guess this is all for now.

Be safe and stay warm.

Cheers!

Dreary November Sunday

Ah, November, what do I do with you. It seems to me, that you are a very dreary month, and you cannot decide what weather you will have from day to day. A few days ago, it rained all day, yet the temperature was warm. Yesterday, no rain, but the wind was ferocious, and chilled me to the bone.

And, as usual, it seems to me that the closer November 11th gets, the drearier your weather is.

This morning, our church held a Remembrance Service, before worship. We are one of the few communities that has its own cenotaph. I always find the remembrance day services so moving, especially the reading of the names of those from the community who fought and died in the wars. As I stood there, with my feet freezing, and snow falling on the gathering, I thought to myself, that as cold and uncomfortable as I was, it was nothing, compared to the exposure of our soldiers to the elements, and the horrible days they went through.

Perhaps it is good that the days of remembrance are dark and dreary, reflecting the hearts of many family members who lost fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers and today, sons and daughters, grandsons, and granddaughters.

The day is dark, windy and cold

We stand at the cenotaph

Shivering, with head bowed.

A moment of silence

in honour of those who fought and died.

Their days were dark, windy and cold,

their silence broken by the sounds of guns

and seeking safely in the muck and mud,

they hoped to see the morrow.

For some, this hope was not fulfilled,

as life blood poured out on the ground

and tomorrow never came.

Yes we should remember

those brave souls who fought and died,

and pray that the peace they died to save

will someday, with us abide,

That we might see tomorrow.

 

 

Lest We Forget

 

 

 

A Whole Month...

.....has passed since I last blogged. Am I now a monthly blogger? Sometimes I get a real go on, posting several blogs in a row, and then days go by before I write again.

Ah, such is the life of an undisciplined blogger.

I have been reading lots of very interesting blogs though, and one blog has encouraged me to let the art out, so I have been working on that.

My life is so ordinary, that I have nothing exciting to share, and that holds me back.
However, if I think hard about it, being exciting, was never the idea when I started this. My daughter had encouraged me to blog my thoughts. Well.....you really wouldn't want to read some of my thoughts, so it is a good thing that I do not post all of them.

I keep telling myself that if I don't have a neat picture to go with the blog, then it is not worth posting.
I know that is silly, and comparing this blog with others ends up being self-defeating.

I guess I am still in search of myself.....and at 70, I probably don't have a great deal of time left to find me. I am hiding in the shadows. I am hiding in the sorrows of loosing friends. I am hiding in the daily difficulties, aches and pains. I am hiding in the words that hurt and belittle. The painting is helping, and the weekly responsibilities keep me going.

Oh how I long to be a strong person, capable of overcoming obstacles without bruising.

Ah well, the days go by and I do the best I can, even if I go through self recrimination....
I will count my blessings, which are many, and carry on.
Not all the days are in shadow.
Sometimes the sun does shine.
Sometimes the wind is soft
And the rain gentle.
The storms will pass....

Excursion du Mer

     The ferry to PEI didn't leave until 8pm, and at the last minute we decided to go on a sight seeing tour of the cliffs and caves. I had never been in a zodiac, and was perhaps just a bit nervous, but once on our way, I was fine. Our tour guide, Kevin, was bilingual, and was able to keep his french and english passengers well informed.

This adventure is best told in pictures.....

And we are off....

It was eerie but beautiful in the caves

Not the greatest shot, but this rock was alive

with Cormorants.  Their feathers are not waterproof,

and they perch on the rocks holding their wings out to the side to dry.

 

Wave and tide action are eroding the cliffs all around the island

We entered here and went right through to the other side.

The whole excursion took about an hour.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am always interest in the rock formations

anywhere I travel.

 

In another life I would like to have been

a geologist, or an oceanographer, or a hermit on a beautiful island

where I could live in peace, and have the time to paint,

walk the sandy beaches looking for beach glass and special stones.

I could walk the beaches all day

because fibro would not get in my way.

I would kayak along the shoreline

and perhaps catch a glimpse of a whale

or not.

My fingers could drag in the water, and feel it's coolness,

and I would wipe my brow

and be thankful.

 

WAKE UP BONNIE and publish this blog..........

OK.......

......but it was a nice little daydream.

 

Till next time......

Le Site D'Autre Fois

This Site, in Havre-Aubert, is listed as a tourist attraction, but it is much more than that. It is a history lesson, and takes the visitor back in time to the early settlers, the Acadians, and gives snippets of their life through a miniature village, and full scale buildings. It is a place of culture, begun by Claude F Bourgeois .

As we entered, it was apparent that knowing the french language would have been a big plus, as there was an activity/film that took place in the theatre where one would be introduced to the site, and the history involved. Understanding very little french, we were encouraged to walk about the site and enjoy. There were various signs of explanation in both french and english.

I took a lot of pictures, too many to share here. I was intrigued by the miniature village. Such detail.  Beside and in the full size buildings, were animals and people. (I believe these were made of fibreglass. At the end of our walk, while sitting at a picnic table resting my poor old legs, Captain Claude invited us into the theatre to share some things with us. He took the time to show us various things, that we would have missed because of our not understanding the language. All the while, he was speaking in french, and yet doing his best to give us understanding. He was amazing. This man is a story-teller, a writer of books and songs, and very, very charming. I bought his book, and in it is a CD of his songs, which I enjoy even though I do not understand it all.

Here then, are a sample collection of the pictures........

The Captain himself and the piece of netting he made and gave to me.

 

Miniature church

Grave 'stones'

Miniature home and outbuilding

 

Inside the home (full size)

The farmer and his horse & wagon

A look at the area covered (this is just a portion)

Another scene - a fisherman

 

An absolutely beautiful place to visit.

More to come......

A zodiac ride....cliffs and caves

 

 

L'Ile-du-Havre-Aubert

     There were lots of great things to see and do on this island, but my favourite spot is a historic site, La Grave, meaning pebbly, sandy terrain, not the grave as I first thought. Here, there are lots of craft shops, cafes and restaurants and crowds of people are walking all over the place, including on the road. We soon found that the pedestrian has the right of way. It would have been nice to join the crowd and wander in and out of the shops, but that didn't happen.

We went to the Sea Museum and the Aquarium, and an absolutely fantastic restaurant with the name of Vent du Large, with an adjoining boutique Bleu Mer. This was the first time we visited, but the next day we returned for another meal and gift buying.

The first Acadians settled here in Havre-Aubert, and this island is the most forested of the archipelago. The day we returned, there was an Acadian celebration happening. Someone told us what was going on, and we could hear the "boat-builders" hammering and sawing away, down the beach. Teams would build a 'boat' and later in the day, race that boat. Some teams were in costume. We didn't see the boats, (darn), but certainly heard the happy voices. Again, I would have liked to spend more time here, but.......

Both of these pictures are of a part of a ship

that had been wrecked long ago.

A fisherman had dragged it up.

The wood was joined together with wooden pegs.

This was outside the museum.

 

You will see these barrels, pictures of them and souvenir

barrels all over the islands. In 1910, a barrel such as this carried mail

from the Islands to Nova Scotia, when the islands lost contact with the

mainland because of a break in the underwater telegraph cable.

 

This would be the beach area where later on

the boat building would take place. (I think)

 

 

Next we went to the Aquarium, where there was a really nice young interpreter who guided me around the touch tank, giving lots of information and showing the creatures, while I took pictures.

 

love the little face on this ray

hermit crab

 

Vent du Large

 

A very interesting place, with a very nice waiter,

who took our picture.

 

Random shots.....

 

 

Seeing these pictures again, makes me wish I was back there.

 

Until next time....

 

 

 

 



More of Les Iles de la Madeleine

      It has been a while since my visit to the Magdalen Islands, and the notes I made about each place now seem insufficient. This is the problem with going to so many places for short periods of time. I tried to write about each set of pictures I took, as we drove away and on to another stop, therefore, my notes were sketchy, and if the road was the least bit bumpy, unintelligible. I wish I could have stayed weeks here, instead of 3days.

     As I write this, I am checking my guide book for reminders of what I saw, and where it was. It would be easier if I had downloaded my pictures in sets, rather more than 200+ photos at one time. The water and cliff photos are hard to identify, since I didn't always get the information down.

     After our trip to the Islands, we went on another road trip, visiting Grand Manan, an island in the bay of Fundy, Kings Landing, near Fredericton, along with the island of Campobello, all in New Brunswick. It will take me a while to get to this trip.....

     And so I will share some pictures, and mention the things that really stand out in my memory.
There is  the beauty and peacefulness of the island, the long, beautiful sand beaches, the crumbling cliffs, and some scenes that just took my breath away.

 There was the amazing fact that the islands were formed eons ago, by salt deep in the earth bursting up through the surface because of immense pressure bearing down on it from the earth. That is a very simplified explanation, but the result is that there is a salt mine on Grosse Ile which is producing around 1.5 million metric tons of salt per year, which is exported for use on roads for de-icing. (Once again, the information comes from the guide book)

 

This type of salt is extremely rare, but was mined at Mines Seleine

 

These are all salt. I found this fascinating.

 

We went to Sea Cow Path and discovered that in the 1700s, Walrus were very plentiful but they were hunted to extinction.

 

The people on the islands were so friendly. These two gals were at the White Caps Cafe. We had visited the Little Red School House, and the Veterans' Museum, and were delighted to find this little cafe, downstairs at the school house. This was a new venture, and I am hoping that all works out for the owners. Oh, and the coffee was delicious. We chatted with these girls as though we had known them for more than just 5 minutes. It was like that with almost everyone we met. The warmth and friendliness is priceless.

 

 

More to come....when I check my notes and get my pictures in order.