Share Your World – July 2, 2018

Posted on July 2, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Cee for creating Share Your World

Tell us about your first bicycle or car?

I got my first bike when I was seven. I remember it well. It was second hand, black and designed for a woman and an adult woman at that. It was so big that I had to stand to ride it. I think it took a couple of years before I could sit on the seat. We lived in a new subdivision and there were no sidewalks. The roads were gravel and a few nasty falls resulted in some road rashes and scrapes that required digging out little bits of dirt and stones out of my knees. It didn’t keep me from riding while we lived in Oakville. When I turned 10 we moved back to Toronto and I don’t know what happened to that bike. If my mother had anything to do with it she probably threw it out.

What fictional world or place would you like to visit?

I can’t think of one fictional place I’d like to visit. There are too many non-fictional places that are on my to do list of places to see. For example, I’d like to go to the east coast of Canada, British Columbia, London, Scotland, and then return to some of the places I’ve already been to like Germany, Italy, Ireland and the Netherlands.

If you could have someone follow you around all the time, like a personal assistant, what would you have them do?

I would like someone who is handy and likes to fix things and build new things.

What did you appreciate or what made you smile this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.

This past week a number of things made me smile. First I met a friend from high school and we had lunch together downtown. We see each other at least two to three times a year. She’s still working but she’s getting her head around the notion of retiring in the next year.

On Tuesday and Wednesday I volunteer and bake bread at Montgomery’s Inn. On Thursday I drove to Hamilton and spent the afternoon with my granddaughter. We spent most of our time together at the Hamilton Toy Museum. I’ve mentioned it before but the first time I went there with Winnie the place was closed and we amused ourselves on the grounds.

This time the museum was opened and we took advantage of all they had to offer. The place is divided into theme rooms. The first was an old fashion kitchen with lots of authentic bits of equipment that young children can safely play with.

The next room is a harbour theme with fish and poles, a boat deck and costumes you can try on.

The third room is a garden with fabric plants you can pull to reveal carrots and beets and the fourth room is the activity room with arts and crafts and an aquarium with gold fish and turtles.

On Friday we had dinner at our neighbours house along with a few other neighbours. It was the first time in awhile that my husband actually felt well enough to join us. On Saturday I went to the Canada Day BBQ at the Lawn Bowling Club and on Sunday we drove to Hamilton again and had lunch with daughter #2, her husband and Winnie.

As you can see it was a very busy week with lots of smiles and things to be grateful for.

Selfie Stick – 365 Days of Art

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Mama Cormier

…..day 117

For this assignment I literally had to attach a pen to a stick and draw a self portrait. It was a lot of fun and once you realize that it will be less than perfect you can relax and let the pen go where the stick takes you.

I might try this again with a different size pen and with my hair down.

A Sweltering Saturday

Posted on June 30, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….what can I say but “it’s hot”

My plan was to drive to the cottage today to finally open it up but my husband made a deal with me and promised that we would go up together next week and stay for at least four days.

So instead of being stuck on the highway this long weekend I decided to attend the annual Canada Day BBQ at the Lawn Bowling Club. I’m glad I did.

It’s a very short walk from my house to the club and as I got closer I could see that the place was already decked out in red and white. Canada Day is actually tomorrow but the club decided to host the festivities today.

Even though I hadn’t signed up for the lunch because I thought I’d be away the organizers happily took my money and ensured me that there would be plenty of food. There were about 50 players today and we were divided into 16 teams of 3 players or more. The rules were a little different today and the four closest bowls to the jack were scored, 4,3,2 and 1.

I love this group because everyone is so friendly and supportive. It’s my year playing but I’m quickly learning names and picking up lots of good tips each time I play.

After everyone played we went inside and were treated to some delicious food. Hamburgers, sausages and hot dogs were cooked on the BBQ and the table was overflowing with salads, fruit, cheese and desserts, all donated by the members.

Tickets were sold for a 50/50 draw and Gail who sat with me had to leave early so I held onto her tickets. Didn’t she win the whole thing. It was fun shouting out that I held the winning ticket but I made sure everyone knew it wasn’t mine.

Before the festivities ended the top three scoring teams were announced and each member was given a small prize. My team came in third place and we each went home with $4.00.

The heat today was pretty oppressive for many of the members but we were all encouraged to stay hydrated and the occasional breeze off the lake brought some relief. To all my Canadian friends:

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge – June 29, 2018

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….thanks Cee for hosting the One Way Photo Challenge

Images from my neighbourhood. Signs, roads, sidewalk and pathways.

Another Downtown Church – June Squares

Posted on June 29, 2018 by Mama Cormier

…thanks to Becky B for hosting June squares – roofs

This is Trinity Bellwood United Church on Bloor St. in Toronto. I’ve lived in this city most of my life and this year was the first time I set foot in the place. Actually I’ve been there three times for three different concerts. A wonderful venue for music.

Look Up! – June Squares

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Becky B for hosting June Squares – roofs

A sign can certainly add some visual interest to a boring roof. Saw this on my walk along Bloor St. the other morning.

365 Days of Art – It’s Been Awhile

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….day 114

It’s been way too long since I last posted some of my art. I finally completed an assignment given by Carla Sonheim last Friday. I had to go outside and collect items from nature and then bring them back and create a design using my found materials. Once that was done I used pencil to quickly draw the design and then oil pastels to add colour.

I quite enjoyed the process and am now ready to produce more daily art studies. I might even put some paint on the canvas that has been sitting on my drawing table for a couple of weeks now.

Axe Cancer – A Fun Day

Posted on June 26, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….and a great way to raise money for Camp Quality

A couple of weeks ago I told you about a fundraiser that I was participating in to raise money to send children with cancer to camp. I had set a goal for myself to raise $500.00 and thanks to all of you who donated I surpassed my goal and raised $515.00.

The event took place at BattL in the east end of the city and I have to say that the staff made the event a very enjoyable and memorable afternoon. We were a little concerned that the event took place on Father’s Day but the organization managed to pull together enough people to form 14 teams and as a surprise cast members from American Gods arrived and formed a team of their own.

My team, The Cormier Clan, consisted of my husband, my two daughters and me. We were instructed on how to throw the axes and the staff made sure that it was a very safe event. Everyone was given an opportunity to practise throwing the axe until we felt somewhat comfortable.

The teams were all mixed up and everyone threw against someone from another team. The staff kept track of the scores and after three rounds they tallied up the scores to figure out who the highest scorer from each team was. That person then competed in the finals to determine which team won the competition.

Our lead scorer was my. husband. For someone who was very hesitant to try this he ended up really enjoying himself and went through two rounds before he was eliminated. In the end the team from American Gods won the whole thing. Here are a few photos of the event (my granddaughter was only there at the beginning and then her father took her to the Aquarium so she would be out of harm’s way).

BULL’S EYE!!!!

…just to prove that Winnie wasn’t there during the throwing of the axes

Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge – June 24, 2018

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Mama Cormier

…..thanks to Cee for hosting the Odd Ball Photo Challenge

In between downpours today I went out in search of some odd ball photos and 100 random shots for another challenge. I haven’t quite reached the goal for the other challenge but the day is still young. As it turns out I stayed out a wee bit too long and came home quite damp.

A Wonderful Memory Turned Sour This Week

Posted on June 23, 2018 by Mama Cormier

….disturbing news leaves a bad taste in our mouths

Last week my husband and I took a wonderful trip to Prince Edward County. One of the things that my husband wanted to do was experience the pizza at one of the more famous wineries in the area. On the first day we discovered that the pizza oven was not prepped for baking and we would have to come back the next day. No problem. We would return the next day. In the meantime we sampled some of their excellent wines.

The next day we were so busy that we didn’t make it back and instead had pizza at another winery. It was okay but we’d had better elsewhere. At the end of that day we were talking to one of the locals and they highly recommended the pizza from the winery that we originally wanted to try.

On the day we were leaving my husband decided that we should go back to the first winery before we headed back to Toronto and have lunch there. We weren’t disappointed and enjoyed some of the best pizza we’ve ever eaten. The staff was very friendly and the atmosphere was very welcoming and comforting. We had no idea that there was anything wrong.

A couple of days ago we heard on the news that the owner of the winery has been accused of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct. He admitted that many of the accusations were true but says some weren’t. I feel sad about the situation, not for the owner, but for the victims and the all the wonderful staff and employees at the winery and restaurant. You know that their jobs will be affected by the news. People will stay away and Quebec and the LCBO are withdrawing his wines from their shelves and will not reorder.

Thank you to the staff for giving us a wonderful dining experience. If you are directly affected by the unwanted behaviour of your boss we thank you for your bravery for speaking up and hope that the healing has begun.

Carol and Kevin Cormier