Nature’s Ice Sculptures

Posted on February 3, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….with the spike in temperatures this weekend I’m not sure how long these will last

Unlike parts of England where they are already contemplating spring, we will certainly see more snow and ice and low temperatures. Right now we’ve gone from an Arctic Vortex to above freezing in a matter of days. It’s not very pretty out there with all the slush and run off from the snow banks. Fortunately I went out on Friday and found these beautiful ice sculptures along the shores of Lake Ontario just a couple hundred metres from our house. The ice is created when the waves hit the rocks and come up over the banks onto the trees and bushes.

It’s rare for Lake Ontario to freeze but you can see the ice flows close to the shore in some of these photos and yes those are swans out on the lake. Most of them have their heads nestled close to their bodies under their wings.

What a Week!

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….plumbing woes are finally resolved

This time last week our plumber came to check out our sewer drain because we had a bit of backup coming through the basement drain. After scoping the pipe and cleaning up the build up in the pipe he informed us that the break this time was on the city side and we had to give them a call. In the meantime we were probably okay to use the water sparingly.

On Monday we finally got through to the city and within a couple of hours workers appeared at our door. Again they scoped the pipe from inside our home and then decided they needed to do it from the outside. In the meantime, however, the storm of the season was upon us and despite efforts made on our behalf no one would be able to come until the snow was cleared the next day. A potential problem with the gas lines meant that the gas company had to make a trip and check first to see how close the sewer pipe was to the gas line.

On Tuesday the gas company arrived to determine where they had to drill and the next day, on Wednesday they came back with their massive trucks and started drilling into my neighbours driveway to see where the pipe was situated. The good news was that the gas lines were a good two feet away. Now the city could come and dig up the broken pipe and replace it with a new one.

On Thursday a city truck arrived and again the drain was scoped and the extent of the damage was determined. We were classified a number one priority and a crew would arrive within 12 to 24 hours. That meant that they could come in the middle of the night. Later that day they checked in on us to see if we could hold off until Friday morning. We had gone this long without a shower or doing laundry so we figured a few more hours wouldn’t make much difference.

Yesterday, the street was blocked off and the work began in earnest. It was fascinating to watch. We just kept reminding ourselves that they knew what they were doing and we need not worry but the pounding and drilling throughout the day was quite disconcerting.

When the weather improves the city will be back to repair my neighbour’s driveway, the sidewalk and the street in front of the house. For now I can get to a week’s worth of laundry. I just had a long hot shower and washed my hair. Heaven!

Fishy Friday – A Day Late

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…..”it’s a fishy, thank you Papa”

Friendly Friday Photo Challenge – Revisit

Posted on February 2, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Amanda for hosting the The Friendly Friday Photo Challenge

This week’s theme is revisit. The idea is to look back over the years and pull some of your favourite places that you’ve been to. Here goes.

Niagara Falls, ON

My Island Paradise – Christian Island, ON

Ireland

Italy for our son’s wedding

London, England

Abstract Floral Collage

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….the first collage using the moon papers

After cutting up some of the printed transparency film I started to arrange the shapes onto one of the papers that I thought would make a nice background. Before gluing the pieces down I took a photo so that I would know what order and where to glue the pieces when I was reassembling the abstract still life.

Once all the pieces where glued in place I started to add some detail with white, black, gold and green gel. I think it helped bring some life into the piece.

More Plumbing Woes on the Snowiest and Coldest Days of this Year

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….after replacing the sewer pipe on our side of the property on New Year’s Eve I thought we were good for another 20 years

This time last week water started coming back up through the sewer drain again. We immediately called the plumber who did the job and he arrived early the next morning. He cleaned out as much as he could and he discovered that the problem was with the sewer pipe going out to the road on the city side of the property. He said we were good for awhile but the problem needed to be addressed as soon as possible.

My husband was on the phone for a couple of hours on Friday but couldn’t get through. Over the weekend we rationed our water usage by not taking long showers, using the washing machine or the dishwasher. On Monday Kevin called the city again but this time he got right through. A couple of hours later a crew showed up to see where the problem was. In the meantime the biggest storm of the season was upon us.

All afternoon the problem was being assessed by several people and finally the all important phone call was made to declare a potential sewer fail. The problem was that the gas people had to come out first because the gas lines are in close proximity to the sewer pipe. Due to the bad weather we had to wait another day before that could happen.

The next day my husband spend hours clearing away the snow and the city plows cleared the street and the sidewalks. When the gas people finally arrived there were more measurements and detection devices deployed to determine where the gas line was situated. Green paint was sprayed onto the area where the digging needed to take place but that wouldn’t happen until the next day (today).

I went to the Inn to bake bread and Kevin stayed home in case the gas people needed to talk to him. They finally arrived about 1:00 in the afternoon with about three trucks and a digger and front loader. Apparently it was pretty noisy as they dug up my neighbours driveway, sucked up the water and waste and pulled out the broken pipe. The good news was that the gas lines were about two feet away from the sewer pipe and now the city can come back and replace the pipe. Hopefully this will happen tomorrow. In the meantime we continue to ration our water usage. I have to give these workers credit because they came out on the coldest day of the year and tomorrow doesn’t promise to be any better.

Do Dogs Wear Bow Ties?

Posted on January 30, 2019 by Mama Cormier

,,,,”it’s a dog with a bow tie but dogs don’t wear bow ties”

This was today’s comment for today’s cartoon drawing from our granddaughter to which my husband replied….”dogs do wear bow ties…they love bow ties and Papa loves bow ties too……but Bill the Cat, not so much.”

Enjoy!

A Blast of Winter

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….for the longest time I complained that there was NO snow

Who complains about the lack of snow? Unless you’re a skier or a child dreaming of a ‘snow day’ when all the schools get closed, very few ‘sane’ people, especially seniors, would dare utter those words. Well I guess I’m a little bit crazy because I love watching the snow come down from the warmth of my bedroom or living room and because I’m retired I can just hunker down and enjoy the beauty from my window.

“He Has Really Big Eyes”

Posted on January 27, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…according to our granddaughter after she saw her Papa’s latest drawing

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Posted on January 27, 2019 by Mama Cormier

…..the weather that is

I’m not talking about the weather that we’re experiencing today but the weather that we had when we were in London, England back in October. Most people think of England as being foggy, cloudy and teaming with rain with a bit of sunshine here and there. Fortunately for us that was not the case. Out of the 14 days in London we only had one rainy day. That happened on Day 8.

Originally we planned to take the train to Brighton and enjoy the seaside. The relentless downpour that day changed our plans. Instead we took a bus to Brick Lane. Brick Lane is in the East End of London and is famous for its curry houses. Having said that I found it unusual that our son wanted us to try a deli where they serve salt beef sandwiches. I guess they’re pretty popular because there was a huge line-up to order one of these massive buns. The weather certainly didn’t keep people away. Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos of the area because the rain was really lashing down.

After sampling the salt beef we ventured back outside and maneuvered our way down the street with umbrellas overhead. We made our way to the Whitechapel Gallery to see the Elmgreen and Dragset show. It was to say the least, a most unusual show. On the ground floor gallery they present the ghost of the Whitechapel Pool.

Throughout the exhibition there are more sculptures, such as, a cash machine, in front of which a baby has been abandoned. This supposedly acts as an emotional precursor to sculptures in the rest of the galleries. These include a rifle on the wall, a judge’s wig, a pregnant maid and a frightened schoolboy.

Later that evening, closer to our accommodations, we all went out for dinner together. It would be our last night together with all six of us. Andrea and Josie were heading for Scotland and my husband and I were moving to a hotel in South Kensington the following day. Our son picked his favourite Ramen restaurant, Kanada-Ya, Ramen Bar on Upper Street.

Not only did the good weather come to an end but so did our time with our daughter and daughter-in-law. Luckily for us the good weather did return for the rest of our trip but Andrea and Josie had quite different weather farther north in Scotland.