….another Sunday and more trees to share with you
Thank you Becca Givens for hosting Sunday Trees. Do you like to photograph trees? Why not share your photos and join the challenge.
Sunday Trees – 226
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Category Archives: About Me
Share Your World 2016 – Week 10
…..it’s Thursday and I’m home trying to get over a cold
I don’t like waiting so long to get to Cee’s challenge but it seems like I’ve taken on more than I can manage at the moment so something had to be put aside temporarily. That something just happened to be writing for my blog. I’m trying to rest today so that I’m not sick over my March Break. Plans include drawing, reading and answering the following questions.
What would you ask for if a genie granted you three wishes?
I would ask for good health for me and my family. My second wish would be enough money to live comfortably for the rest of my life and take two or three trips a year. My last wish would be for on going happiness for my children. If they’re happy and I’m healthy what more could I ask for?
What experiences are most meaningful to you?
The experiences that are most meaningful to me are those that involve my husband and my family. They would include getting married, buying a house, having my children, going on vacation, having a great job and watching my children grow up and sharing their happy moments.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was very young I wanted to be a nurse. At the age of 12 I knew that I wanted to be a teacher and not just any teacher but a family studies teacher. I held on to that dream all through school, occasionally contemplating about going into medicine but my first choice was teaching. Well I did become a family studies teacher and did that for 15 years and then switched to become a guidance counsellor for two years and then a grade 5 homeroom teacher for 14 years and for the last 4 years I’ve been the librarian and art teacher.
Complete this sentence: The best day of my life was….
I can’t pick just one. My wedding day, the days my children were born, the day we bought our house, the day I got my first teaching job, the days when my daughters got married, the day my son got engaged and the day my granddaughter was born.
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 for spending the day babysitting my granddaughter last Sunday. My husband had a lot of medical tests done this week and I’m grateful that everything looks good and that his cancers are still in remission. We have the green light to proceed making plans for our trip to Italy this summer. We’ve had warming temperatures all week and the rain that we were suppose to get didn’t arrive until today so we’ve experienced very pleasant days.
After tomorrow our March Break begins and I’m looking forward to a week of rest and relaxation. We haven’t made any plans other than seeing our children. Maybe we’ll take in the museum or the art gallery and I’m sure we’ll be doing a lot of walking.
Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge: Crooked and Squiggly Lines
…..Cee is encouraging us to use our imaginations for this challenge
Surely in my photo library I must have photos with crooked or squiggly lines. Cee, however, is asking us to use our imagination and find some interesting subjects. Seeing that I am somewhat housebound today I think I will explore the nooks and crannies of my home.
Walking, the Bike Show, Drawing and More Walking
….Saturday was a great walking day
The temperatures are starting to rise but not enough for the snow to become a slushy mess. That will happen later today and definitely tomorrow as we head into double digits above the freezing mark.
Saturday was perfect for a long walk with the dog. Frances loves the snow. We did walk through the field with her but for the most part we stayed on the paths where the snow had been shovelled or had already melted away. It was a fun morning and I was able to play with my new camera. We came across a sad little snowman and I tried shooting it from different angles.
When we got home I checked my fitness device and discovered we had walked about 6000 steps. Not our longest walk but it was a good start to the day. I made us a hardy breakfast that I knew would sustain us through lunch and then we got ready to take a trip to the bike show.
Every year at this time, The Toronto Bike Show takes place at the CNE grounds. It’s a very busy show and we had to park a fair distance from the building but that was okay because we knew we were going to rack up a lot more steps. My husband was a little disappointed in the show. He felt that there wasn’t as much to see this year. The show certainly is quite large and if you’re in the market for a new bike there were some deals to be had. I think because we had been at the show last year it felt like there wasn’t as much in the way of new products or at least things that were significantly different from the year before.
There were lots of bikes with large attached carriers, Dutch style, fat bikes, racing bikes, electric assist bikes, bicycle accessories, booths promoting bicycle tours and races and bikes for the littlest of riders. We came across a little boy (11 months old) who was checking out a bike that he could be riding in a couple of years.
As we walked back to the car my Jawbone Up signalled me that I had reached my goal of 10,000 steps for the day and it was only mid-afternoon. We rang up our oldest daughter and found out that she was home and happy for some company so we headed over to her house. We had a nice visit with her. At one point I suggested we go for a walk in her neighbourhood but my husband was content to just sit for a bit.
After a couple of hours, we continued on our way home and arrived just in time to take the dog for another walk. Correction…. I took her for another walk. This one was considerably shorter and I would be doing this at least one more time before I went to bed.
We enjoyed a simple supper of left overs and then started watching the new season of House of Cards with Kevin Spacey. I can only do this for couple of hours before I need a change of scene. I made my way to my sketch books and art materials which at the moment are on my dining room table. I watched a few more art lessons on my computer and then I cracked open my sketch book and got my ink and pen ready to draw. I came across a photo of a cow on one of the blogs I follow and decided that would be my subject for the day. I’ve always wanted to draw cows so today was the day.
After posting this sketch on Facebook for my daily sketching challenge I took the dog for one last walk and then did the dishes. I can never leave dishes overnight so no matter how late it gets I end up cleaning before crawling into bed. I checked my walking progress and was happy to see that for the day I had taken 14 270 steps. Ten days in a row now I’ve reached my 10 000 steps/day goal.
How was your weekend? Did you reach any goals or do something interesting?
Time to get ready to visit our other daughter in Hamilton. We’re babysitting today. Yay!
Sunday Trees – 225
….go to Becca Givens’ site and check out her magical tree
WPC – Harmony
….took awhile to find this week’s photo challenge but I didn’t give up
Today’s walk brought me peace and harmony as I played with my new camera and experimented with different angles.
Day 4 of My Sketchbook Challenge
….and adding doodles around my Warhol sketch
Today I added some colour around my Warhol sketch during my art class with my grade twos. I was hoping to show some of their work here but they need a little more time to finish their portraits.
Yesterday I bought a couple of new pens and some coloured ink. I was really looking forward to playing with them and when I got home tonight I was able to do just that.
I also managed to get in over 10 000 steps again.
New Flower (March 4, 2016) – Daffodil
….Spring can’t be too far off when these beauties start to appear in the markets
A Concert, Sketching on the Subway and Walking 11 000 Steps
….it was a good day
This afternoon I took the subway downtown to attend a Music in the Afternoon concert at the Edward Johnson Building. I was hoping to hear the pre-show lecture but I arrived too late and sat in the lobby and ate my lunch. 
The concert was very enjoyable. The Daedalus Quartet performed Jean Sibelius’ String Quartet in D Minor, Voces Intimae, Op 56. and then they were joined by Romie de Guise-Langlois on Clarinet. Together they performed James MacMillan’s Tuireadh for clarinet and string quartet. The piece was long and haunting and I quite enjoyed it but many of the older members of the audience were clearly not enjoying it.. After the intermission, the group played Johannes Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet in B Minor. For many this final number brought the audience back in their favour.
On my way to the concert I pulled out my sketchbook and started to draw the woman who was sitting in front of me. It was the first time that I have attempted to sketch people on location. I usually use photographs or use my imagination but I’m determined to stretch my skills and try new things. At the concert hall, I arrived early so I also attempted to sketch the podium on the stage. It’s not a bad start but I have a ways to go and lots to learn.
After the concert I walked along the Philosopher’s Walk and took photos of the snow and surrounding buildings. We finally got a really good snowfall but by next week the temperatures are suppose to rise to double digits and it will all melt and we’ll be left with slush and puddles.
When I got off the subway I had a fair distance to walk to get to my car. I drove over to the Junction and parked the car again and did a little shopping in the area. All in all it was a good walking day and I recorded 11 000 steps by the end of the day. A good day all round!
Thursday Doors – March 3
….walking from the subway to the Edward Johnson Building at the University of Toronto I pass the Royal Conservatory of Music
If you like doors check out Norm’s blog and his weekly photo challenge.
Mama Cormier 