…..thanks to Becky B for hosting March Square
Only one more day of March Squares. I’ve loved this challenge and don’t know what I’ll do in April. Maybe more art projects? Every day when I wake up I’m greeted with this lovely piece of art that was made by one of my grade three students and gifted to me on my retirement. Thank you Alex.
….I know I’m a bit late on this one but today seemed a good day to post photos from last week
Thanks to Cee for hosting the Which Way Photo Challenge. It’s been dreary and wet all day today and what a better time to post my sunny photos from last week when my husband, daughter and I took Olive for a walk to High Park. We walked along Bloor Street, past fruit markets, through tunnels and down a descending sidewalk towards the park entrance.
Once in the park we headed towards the off leash area where we could let Olive run free. She loved it. I love the off leash area in High Park because it is made up of fenced in trails and if you’re a walker it’s a great way to get in some steps and fresh air.
It was a great day. On the way back we walked down hill, then up hill, back through the tunnel and then we took a short cut up a flight of stairs which took us up the the rail path. All in all I clocked over 15 000 steps that day.
….even though it’s still March and spring is officially here I say this with some trepidation
The sun is high in the sky, people are catching some rays on park benches, a few brave souls are playing tennis and we’ve started cooking outdoors again.
……do you have a favourite place?
Thanks to WordPress for this week’s photo challenge, favourite place.
It’s so hard to choose just one place but if I must I think my favourite place to hang out would be at my cottage on Georgian Bay.
….even though it’s sunny and it’s milder today winter is not done with us
There are, however, clear signs that spring isn’t too far off.
….not your usual treat when you think of St. Patrick’s Day
In the coffee shop that we stopped into today they had run out of their specialty doughnuts but they had one green St. Patrick’s Day croissant left. Not only was it somewhat green but it was also filled with raspberry jam and Bailey’s Irish liquor. Since there was only one left we had to pair it up with a French chocolate almond croissant. Both were very yummy but the green croissant was extra special.
….the last time I posted 365 days of art was 10 days ago
I’m feeling very stressed about not posting art projects that I’ve been working on. The truth is I’ve been doing very little art but I’ve been busy using my hands to create other projects.
A couple of weeks ago I signed up for beginner’s crochet class. So I wouldn’t forget what I’d learned I proceeded to use up yarn to make coffee cup holders and dish rags. I think I’m ready now for the next level.
Before I tackle
a new crochet project I decided I needed to finish some knitting projects. I started a complicated lacy shawl and I’ve taken it apart now four times because each time I found a mistake that completely messed up the pattern. The problem with this project is that you have to cast on 361 stitches and if you don’t discover the mistake until you’ve gone on for two or more rows it means having to undo over 700 stitches. I tried doing that a couple of times but then I was dropping stitches and after hours of work I was ripping it all out anyway. Today I’ve started this project for the 5th time. Wish me luck.
My father also asked to borrow my sewing machine so that he could hem his jeans. By the time I pulled it out, found the thread he needed and lugged it down two flights of stairs I offered to sew them myself. It took me some time to clean off my art table but now I feel that when the machine comes down I’ll have a clean surface to start painting again. After I hemmed his pants I found a pair of my own that needed hemming and then I made curtains for my Dad’s apartment.
The last 10 days haven’t been an art free zone. Every day I go on-line and open Carla Sonheim’s daily posts and I signed up for a class given by Lendon Noe called Inspired by Lives and Letters. In this class Lendon has taught us how to create two kinds of envelopes that can hold messages written on art squares that we create with watercolour paper and ink or plaster. Here are some of the envelopes that I’ve made so far.
Day 54
One of the things that I purchased for this class was Walnut ink. Actually I purchased the walnut ink crystals to make my own ink. When I saw the price of a small bottle of walnut ink I just about fainted ($46.00) so the store owner showed me the crystals at 6.95 a bag. I only need 1 tsp. for every 1/2 cup of water. There’s probably enough crystals in the bag for 3 or 4 cups of ink. When all is said and done the cost of one bottle will probably be $1.00. Stay tuned for the next 365 Days of Art post when I’ll show you how I use the ink.
….thanks to Cee for hosting Share Your World
If a distant uncle dies and you were always his favorite and leaves you $50,000 (any currency) in his will, what would you do?
I think I would use some of the money to do some repairs around the cottage and then take a chunk to travel to London, England. With any money left over I would divide it amongst my children.
What sound or sounds do you love?
I love the sound of birds in the morning, cicadas on a hot summer day and the laughter of children.
What’s your middle name? Why?
My middle name is Hildegard. I was named after my maternal grandmother. I always hated the name and wouldn’t tell any of my friends for fear of being teased. I actually never realized until much later that I was named after my grandmother. I knew her name was Hilde but I never realized that it was shortened from Hildegard. I wouldn’t have had a problem telling people that my middle name was Hilde.
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 I attended two wonderful concerts with friends. The first was an afternoon concert featuring the Elias String Quartet and the second one was Tan Dun’s Water Passion After St. Matthew.
On Saturday my husband and I drove to Hamilton to spend the day with our daughter and granddaughter. Of course that brought huge smiles to our faces. As she gets older we find that we can actually carry on conversations with her and she happily instructs us on how to play with her. 
….Thanks to Becky B for hosting March Square
Today, March 14, I am the owner of new reading glasses. I purposely chose purple frames because a) I love colour and b) they would be easy to find.
…..this week’s theme for WordPress’ Photo Challenge is story
Photos tell a story all on their own. Today we visited the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington and we walked through an outdoor area that my granddaughter loves to explore in hopes of finding gnomes.
