…..bicycles certainly have come a long way from the traditional black or red frame
For more vibrant photos check out WPC.
WPC – Vibrant
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Monthly Archives: January 2016
Share Your World 2016 – Week 4
…..a cave or glass dome, focusing on today or tomorrow?….just two of the things that Cee has me thinking about today
What one thing are you really glad you did yesterday?
When this post first came out and I started to think about this question I was really glad that I made the effort to get in my 10 000 steps. Unfortunately I wasn’t as diligent yesterday and today isn’t looking much better.
Are you generally focused on today or tomorrow?
I like to be in the moment but I have to admit that I can’t help but think about tomorrow.
Would you want to have as a guardian angel/mentor? What would they tell you right now?
I believe that I have a guardian angel that looks out for me. Years ago I had a nasty fall from a 10 foot drop and came away with barely a scratch. Someone was definitely looking out over me that day. I think that today they would tell me to enjoy my family, take care of my health and don’t put off till tomorrow what I can do today.
Would you rather live in a cave house or a dome house made out of glass? (photos of the houses found on google search)
I think I would like both if they had the following:
Cave House
• enough natural light so that I wouldn’t feel claustrophobic
• dry smooth walls
• in a warm climate – the cave would be nice and cool
• a deck or porch where I could sit outside
Glass Dome House
• a room where I could get away for some privacy
• situated high up in the trees for privacy from the outside world
• window coverings to keep out the hot noon day sun or a canopy of leaves
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I’m grateful that I was able to finish my report cards last Friday during the PD day. It was nice and quiet at school. I don’t like taking home my work if I don’t have to. I was also able to spend an hour at the Olympian pool and watch a former student compete in a synchronized swimming routine. I had never been to one before and I found it quite interesting.
I was also happy to spend some more time with my daughter’s family and I was very grateful for the time my son-in-law spent with me to help me with some of my issues with the new camera. I also got all my Christmas decorations put away and I did a thorough cleaning around the main floor of the house. I always feel so good when my house is company ready.
I’m also grateful for all the photos my daughter sends me of Miss Winnie. She’s growing so quickly.
Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge – Lines and Angles
…..I love seeking out interesting lines and angles when I’m on a photo journey
For more interesting black and white photos of lines and angles check out Cee’s blog.
Back to Basics-Part II
…..owls, ferns, cacti, fish, fungi, tulips and bikinis
I’m almost at the end of my 31 day challenge for drawing simple objects with Lisa Congden on Creative Bug. Here are a few more of my drawings:
Back to Normal
….what a productive day!
Yesterday I started the day with a very long walk with my husband and Frances, our Super Dog. It was extremely cold but we extended our walk and when we finally got back home, I had already exceeded my goal of 10 000 steps for the day. We were suppose to go to Hamilton to visit with our daughter and her family but the plans changed and they were coming to us instead.
Time to clean-up. I started in the kitchen, moved to the bathroom and washed the floors. I was hoping to get to the living room but they arrived early. We enjoyed a simple lunch together and then they had to leave to visit family on his side. B’s dad had not met Winnie yet so we volunteered to look after Lucy (their Bassett hound). This meant a another walk, albeit a short one. When that dog doesn’t want to go any further she puts on the brakes and there’s no budging her.
When the two dogs settled into their own quiet spaces I decided it might be a good time to clear away the remaining Christmas ornaments that were piled on top of the coffee table in the living room and on top of the piano. I pulled out all the boxes from under the stairs and started to reorganize the stockings, ornaments, lights, candles and Christmas cloths and skirts back into their preselected bins. When I returned the boxes to their place under the stairs I must have hit my head at least three times when I was backing out of the closet.
Frances is enjoying the new ‘normalcy’
The only evidence that we celebrated Christmas and will probably be around for awhile
Once the decorations were all put away I vacuumed up any remaining pine needles from the carpet and washed the hardwood. I also decided to polish the piano. Seeing that I’ve haven’t done this in years the wood practically drank up the polishing cream. When I was done it felt good to get so much accomplished.
After I took Lucy for her ‘short’ walk I noticed the most amazing moon hanging over the city so when I returned home I took my new camera, set it on ‘hand held night shots’ and returned to the park, without the dog, and tried to capture that image. I posted a few of these shots on WPC.
Later in the evening, G and her husband and the baby returned. We spent some more time together. While B helped me with my camera and cleaned up my computer, my husband played with the baby. She gets stronger every time we see her and she desperately wants to crawl and loves to stand when you hold on to her.
I now know a little bit more about my new camera and I was given some very useful tips about keeping my computer virus free. I updated some of my software after our company left and I was able to write a post for this blog before I went to bed. By the time I did finally go to bed I had logged 17 000 steps for the day. Not bad. All being said and done, I had a very productive day despite a nagging headache. Wonder where that came from? Haha!
Sunday Trees – 219
….so cold yesterday that I was only able to take one shot and then the battery died
Becca Givens hosts Sunday Trees every week. I’ve always enjoyed taking photos of trees and bark because of the wonderful shapes, colours and textures they possess.
The same tree taken today. It was a little bit warmer but the sky was very grey.
Optimistic
….this week’s WPC theme is optimistic
How do you portray optimism in a photograph? That was the question that I immediately asked myself when I saw this week’s challenge.
As some of you may know I received a new camera for Christmas. I have to admit that I was very optimistic about all the wonderful things that I would be able to do with this camera but it hasn’t been easy to manoeuvre this new device. I’ve actually been overwhelmed with all the new functions.
Tonight when I took one of the dogs for a short walk I noticed how beautiful the first full moon of the year was. It was early in the evening and it wasn’t even completely dark but the moon hung low in the sky and it cast a beautiful reflection on the lake. The lights of the city were exceptionally bright and I was optimistic that the moon, its reflection and the city skyline would make a wonderful photo.
I hurried back home for my camera and set the function for hand held night shots. It was bitterly cold but I played around by the lake’s edge, gloves off, to get the perfect shot. The final product is better than any shot I’ve ever gotten before but I’m optimistic that when I purchase a zoom lens for this camera my night photos of the moon over the city will be even better.
Ronovan Writes Weekly Haiku Prompt Challenge
….this week’s words from Ronovan are style and fresh
The Bitter Truth
Her own reflection
confirmed her need for a fresh
up-to-date hair style
*****
But what style would bring
a smile to her aging face?
A fresh youthful look?
*****
Or does one forgo
the fresh style of youth for a
short practical cut?
*****
Does a modern style
mock her attempt to slow down,
to look fresh again?
Birds of a Feather
…..just add a beak to a scrap piece of paper and voila you have a bird
I got this idea from Carla Sonheim and I find that it works with all age groups. I’ve used it with kindergarten children and children in grades 1 to 5.
This year I had the children create a tree by printing the shape with the edge of a piece of thick cardboard dipped in brown paint. While we waited for it to dry I had the students practise drawing a variety of leaf shapes and then deciding which one they would use on their tree.
Once the paint dried I instructed the students to tear small pieces of coloured and patterned papers and then glue them to the tree branches. With a pencil or a black Sharpie they started creating their birds by adding a beak and then an eye. After that they could add as much or as little detail as they wanted. Once the birds were done they were instructed to draw the leaves in the open spaces and colour them in.
I love how these turned out. The following are examples from my grade two class.
Share Your World 2016 – Week 3
….to share your world check out Cee’s blog
What is your favorite piece of art? (it doesn’t have to be famous)
That’s a hard question for me because I love so many different pieces. I’m a huge fan of Ray Cattell’s art and would love any one of his pieces. Here’s one that I’m fond of:
A Ray Cattell painting.
What made you smile today?
A photo of my new granddaughter always make me smile.
Which place do you recommend as a Must-See? Please state which country, state or providence.
Again I struggled with this question but after a discussion with my daughter I decided that Niagara Falls should be a must-see destination if you’re visiting this end of Canada or New York state in the USA. You can see the falls from either side of the border but I think the view from the Canadian side is spectacular.
Complete this sentence: When I was younger I used to….
…..sing in a German choir. I started at the age of 18 and sang with them for 27 years. I was always one of the youngest in the choir. Even when I left at the age of 45 most of the members were considerably older than me. I did enjoy it and I do miss singing in a choir and hearing German.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I’m grateful that my son has had his staples removed from his arm and that his arm is healing nicely. He’s back in England now and has found himself a doctor and is part of the National Health Service. Things are going well at school and boys’ basketball is well underway with early morning practices are happening three times a week. I’m especially grateful to one of our dads who is coming out each morning to help us coach the boys’ team.
This week I’m looking forward to a day off on Friday. It’s a report card writing day. I’m not thrilled about writing report cards but I am grateful for the time to work on them. I’m also looking forward to seeing Miss Winnie on the weekend. We didn’t get to see her last weekend and by all accounts from her mother she’s growing by leaps and bounds.
Here are a few photos from our walks through the park and the snow storm we had on Monday. Notice how tired Frances is. She had just stared down a coyote during that storm.
Mama Cormier 