My Happy Place

Yesterday I was looking through some photo's that we took at the weekend and this one really lifted my spirits.  Our life of late hasn't been without it's ups and downs, stresses and strains.  We have been hurt and disappointed with some personal and family issues and, for a while, these took their toll and they still do if I allow myself to dwell.  However, I looked at this picture and some others we took and I suddenly felt very grateful and lucky.  There are those who don't agree with how we choose to live our lives, and those who refuse to try and understand.  They can be hurtful.  But equally there are those who love us for who we are, and accept us, they understand and support us. They do not look at what we can give them, they especially don't expect us to give them what we don't have.  For these people in our lives I am grateful.  I am also now at peace with where we are, happy that we made the right choice and more determined to enjoy it all.  And with this right at your backyard gate...well who wouldn't count themselves lucky?

I love this little Northern Ontario Township!

Week 15 - 52 week project

first up this morning I decided to check in and catch up with blog posts, e-mails and so on.  My dear friend Lorrie had just posted her submission for week 15 - the 52 Week Project 2011 and I simply couldn't resist following suit...

 

Do hop over and have a read !  This is my entry dear Lorrie!  Now it isn't a true indication of the amount of snow we had because I am on the edge of my deck underneath the porch.  Had I waded out any further you would not be able to see my boots as the snow would be up to my knees!

Oh yes my lovelies read on do, for a true picture of life in the Great North!

This whole little exercise turned into something a little bigger this morning as I got snap happy with the camera!  I then raided my photo library for some shots of the back yard and so on taken from a similar position.  So here are some June 2010 shots alongside April 2011! 

You get the picture?

Only this Friday I sat outside on my deck at the picnic table watching several birds on the lawn, yes there is a lawn under there, basking in the warm sun.  I felt I more than deserved this little break, after all I had just written my column in record time AND submitted it to my Editor way before the 'close of play Friday deadline'.   "Articles should be relevant to Manitouwadge and written in a timely fashion" was my brief.  The Ed. doesn't want old news and neither do my readers, so I duly twittered on about the Spring, the garden, the imminent Big Spring Clean Up (an annual event here in the Wadge).  Low and behold look what happened next:  7 a.m. Saturday morning it started to snow, by lunchtime they had the snow plows out.  Around 4.30 p.m. said snow plow left a bank of snow some two and half feet high across my drive.  I was actually out so Lovely Man, who had been working since 7 a.m. had to clear said drive entrance so that I could get in on my return!  7 p.m. Saturday Evening, went out to supper.  Darned snow plow did the street where our friends live.  Lovely Man and New Best Friend shoveled another 2 foot bank of snow from another driveway so that all visitors could go home after supper!  8 p.m. Sunday evening, finally stopped snowing!

Oh and I just heard... forecast for this Wednesday... MORE SNOW!  Well color me silly!  Out of Sync Lorrie?  I should coco!

Thankful For Simple Pleasures

I've got that New year feeling!  You know, the one that feels all happy and optimistic, the feeling that this year is going to be a good year.  All the little 'hiccups' of 2010 are going to sort themselves out.  There have been times when I thought I had lost my faith, times when it felt just too difficult to remain positive in the face of all the little things that seemed to go wrong one after another.  This blog was always intended to share life's pleasures and I have always tried to steer well clear of anything negative or sad here even though sometimes that was hard, sometimes I just felt like saying this is crap and I need a hug!  A friend of mine recently told me that she started to keep a little book in which she wrote down all the things she was grateful for that day, every night.  This, she said, kept her on track and positive and she firmly believes that this is what turned her life around.  Mindfulness and positive thinking. 

So anyhow I really want to get back to the essence of Life's Simple Pleasures and to that end here's what I intend to do: from today I am going to post at least three things that I am grateful for each day, every night for the whole month of January, just to see how it feels!  If you would like to join in simply do a daily post on your blog or, if you prefer, add them to the comments on here!  So here goes:

1. Last night there was a snow storm and we woke up to lots of lovely fresh white snow!
2. We took the trail to Gog Lake.
3. The sun shone and the sky was bright blue
4. The air was crisp and clean and sparkled like glitter
5. My son was on facebook and he looks and sounds so happy.  That makes me just SO happy too!
6. Living with Lovely Man, without him I just wouldn't be where I am today.
7. Receiving an e-mail from the Editor of The Echo saying my new column is "Great"!

 Wow!  It was hard to stop at three!!!!

Sold out!

Well almost!  Yesterday I did my first ever craft fair.  I sold 8 of my twelve bags and had four enquiries for my silk keepsake books!  For some reason my red velvet xmas stockings and gift bags didn't tempt anyone at all.  I made these last minute to make things look a bit christmassy as it was a christmas craft fair, perhaps people are not so keen on this sort of stuff anymore?  Never mind! 

Earlier in the week we did Thunder Bay one last time before the winter really set in.  The road was really pretty this time! Last time we passed through Schreiber I was intrigued by a number of trees bent over, almost in a perfect arc, at the side of the road.  Our friends, who have lived here for years, explained that there was an ice storm a few years ago and this was the result!  Fascinating! The frozen 'waterfalls' on the rocks at the side of the road are pretty impressive too!

So this week really saw the arrival of winter with our first real snow of the season, although I guess by local standards this still isn't anything to get too excited about!  It dropped to about -18 yesterday then rose back up to about -10!  After the craft fair Lovely Man and I decided to take a walk in the snow.  Having been shut indoors for two days sewing I was eager to get out there.  So eager I did the usual 'grab your boots and coat and out the door' thing.  Note to self - choose something you think will be warm enough and add another layer underneath!  Although I am told we will acclimatize eventually.  It was a strange experience.  Wearing only thin brushed cotton jeans my thighs got real cold even though I was walking quite quickly.  Within minutes of being back indoors they were suddenly on fire!  At one point they were SO hot I considered taking a cold shower!  I did, however, manage to get some nice shots of the beach and lake - all frozen of course!

 

So today is lazy Sunday.  Cooked breakfast, a little tidying up and then a whole day just painting and maybe another little walk in the bush!  Have a great week all!

First Snow

Woke up this morning to our first real snow.  Umm actually I'm not really sure that statement is correct!  You see, so far, we've had four separate days this month where it has snowed ALL day...but it didn't settle.  Therefore it wasn't, in my book anyhow, real snow.  Last night it snowed whilst I was asleep and it settled just to show me when I woke up this morning that it had done it's best.  So I declare it to be 'real' snow although I guess the locals here won't even notice it!  If it doesn't come up to the windows around here it doesn't count! Apparently it's only a lot if you can walk from roof top to roof top.

So. How has my week been?  For the most part I have been working like a girl possessed on my two sewing machines having decided, at the eleventh hour, to have a table at the craft fair next Saturday.  Notice i said two sewing machines?  I bought one, when I arrived, in Walmart.  The other one I purchased from a lovely guy,  Ron, when he moved out of town.  It is a Singer Denim Deluxe machine which will sew denim and even leather.  I tried it out for the first time when I was trying to stitch some thick handles on one of my bags.  What a dream, it sews beautifully, and it's the first sewing machine I've ever had that simple hums along instead of making that awful clattering!  So far ten bags complete and ready for sale, one silk keepsake book, one red velvet Christmas gift bag, one red velvet Christmas stocking ready as examples for custom orders.  So today I aim to get two evening bags ready for sale and a childs novelty bag.

Thursday night I did take some time out to pursue a new sport.  Lovely Man wanted to try curling.  Stick curling to be precise.  So at 7pm we arrived at the curling club.  I should point out at this point I have NEVER been anywhere near an ice-skating rink, nor have I ever had any inclination to.  In-fact I absolutely hate that feeling of sliding along.  I tried roller skating, skateboarding and even snow boarding and I'm sorry to say I hated it!  So it didn't do anything to inspire me when we arrived to watch the first games from the viewing gallery only to witness two people slip up on the ice, one of them having to be taken to the local hospital to have stitches in the back of her head!  By the time it was our turn to have a go I was unable to speak to anyone, and feeling somewhat sick!  At the last minute every inch of me wanted to turn and run, however with the help of a lovely local lady, Priscilla, I actually managed not only to walk on the ice but to push a few rocks down the lane!  AND, excuse me, I got two of them in the target zone, very close to the centre!  So we joined!  Watch this space!

Oh What a night...

Cantabile - The London Quartet - Manitouwadge

late September back in 63....  Actually it was mid October 2010 but I couldn't  find a song about that!  Yes I am feeling musical, lyrical even, this morning.  Last night saw the second show of the "Night on the Town" series and well, things just keep getting better.  In September we saw the wonderful Louise Pitre, last night The London Quartet.  Four VERY talented guys from... you never guess? London, England!  Oh yes having moved half way across the world I go to see a show performed by an act from the UK!  They were, however, excellent and I would thoroughly recommend going to see them should you get the chance.  Currently touring Canada they will be performing in Belgium, Switzerland and Austria before returning to the UK.  You can catch them in December 2010 in Clacton-on-Sea, Grantham and Salisbury.  I think the hi-lite of the evening had to be when the guys came down to the audience, first serenading me and then Lovely Man with a comical rendition of "Are you Lonesome Tonight?"

This morning we awoke to our first smattering of snow!  Lovely Man has put the heating on and made coffee in our new Hamilton beach Brewstation, which he is particularly fond of mostly because it only cost him $9.99 in a thrift store!  I have decided that I will work on my writing and painting whilst listening to the CD, kindly awarded to us by Cantabile - The London Quartet, firstly for being good sports and secondly because they found out we were fellow Brits!  Thanks Guys!

A Beautiful Fall

Today I was awake real early. I had the fidgets. Do you ever wake up and it's like someone turns a switch on in your brain? Then all these little ideas and thoughts start to whizz around making it totally impossible to get back to sleep? Yup! Nothing for it than to get up and make a pot of tea. I peeked outside, just after 6 a.m. Still Dark. What looks like a smattering of snow outside. So the neighbors weren't pulling my leg then! I put the little lights on in the kitchen window, I like my lights they give the kitchen a nice warm glow. Yes people I have fairy lights in my kitchen window! I bought them in Walmart, they are little bunches of grapes that light up. Lovely Man would have them down in an instant given half a chance! I glanced at the thermometer - zero degrees. So here I am blogging, browsing through my photo gallery, all wrapped up in my pj's, woolly socks and a fake fur throw!

Last night I did my second sketch of Kelly. In-fact I did two on account of not quite being able to get her arm right the first time! So I'm feeling all artsy-fartsy and I can sense another 'creative day' coming on! Anyway I'm sat here, now witnessing the most beautiful sunrise, browsing through my piccies and I find these two of Chippie taken a couple of days ago when I very quietly followed him to his home! Turns out he lives in a burrow just outside my back fence! I guess the days of seeing him preening in the sunshine will be a little less soon. Although I am assured that even tho it gets real cold we do get some bright sunny days up here! I like these pictures. Makes me feel warm just looking at them. The locals cannot believe we don't have our heating on yet, they think we're mad or something. I do picture myself as Renee Zellweger in "New in Town" very soon! Do you think Lovely Man will turn into Harry Connick Jnr? Ooh just the thought......

So yes umm....Chippie second picture....here it is.....I'm off to make tapioca pudding!