Category Archives: At the cottage

Share Your World 2015 – Week 35

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…..thanks to Cee for four more great questions

What made you feel good this week?

My family and friends sent me wonderful birthday wishes this week and brought me very thoughtful gifts. I got to go to the AGO (art gallery) with my husband and had a wonderful meal in Chinatown. The next day my girls and their significant others and a couple of dear friends came to the house for a BBQ and my husband outdid himself.

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For potlucks or parties do you cook it yourself, buy from a grocery store, or pay for catering?

I went to a potluck yesterday and I brought an arugula and apple salad and spinach and cheese crepes. If I have time I usually prepare something on my own and I like to make appetizers. If I’m short on time I will sometimes go to a take out place and bring samosas, pakoras, fried calamari or sushi (things that I wouldn’t make myself). Cheese and crackers and veggies and dip are also easy.

What is your favorite part of the town/city you live in. And what Country do you live?

I’d have to say that I really like where I live in Toronto. I live right by Lake Ontario (I can see it from my house). I’m right on hiking and cycling trails so going for walks is very enjoyable and I’m only a 15 minute drive from downtown or a 10 minute train ride. The streetcar is about 45 minutes and the subway is 30 minutes (including the 10 minute car ride to get to it). For those of you who don’t know Toronto, I live in Canada.

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Complete this sentence: My favorite place in the whole world…..

My favourite place in the summer is my cottage on Georgian Bay. I don’t travel extensively but every place I’ve ever been to I’ve really loved. Some of those places are Ireland, The Netherlands, Hawaii, San Francisco, New England and Quebec City. Funny how all these places are on water.

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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 time spent with family and friends on my birthday. I’m also grateful for a wonderful day spent with my Dad. He treated me to a very special lunch at the Royal York Hotel and a visit to the Ripley’s Aquarium. Yesterday I spent a few hours with my daughter, A and her partner, J at the CNE. We played some games, took in the sights and tried some new food.

Today I was grateful to my good friend L who stepped up and helped me clean up the library and transferred all my art supplies to a new home in the school. She came just at the right time when I needed her moral support the most. In the end many people chipped in to make sure that the library would be ready for the first day of school.

For the rest of the week I’m looking forward to spending a few more days at the cottage before I head back to work on Tuesday. I’m also looking forward to getting back to working on my art. Have great long weekend. I’ll be back on Sunday or Monday.

Share Your World – Week 34

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…..more great questions from Cee

Was school easy or difficult for you? How so?

School was always pretty easy, especially in elementary school. I did well in school right up to grade 10 and then I was more interested in the social aspect of school. I always managed to miss the honour roll by 1% in the last three years of school. I excelled in math but after grade 10 I started to struggle and in my last year I had an English teacher whose mantra was to make his students sweat and make life as difficult as possible. The grade average in English was 50% and I sat right on the 50% line. I almost had a nervous breakdown that year.

What is your favorite animal?

My favourite animals have to be dogs. I love most of them. In the wild I’m fascinated with Panda bears and the red panda.IMG_5806 IMG_5681

If you had to have your vision corrected would you rather: glasses or contacts?

I need glasses for distance and for a long time I wore contact lenses. When I had difficulty reading things close up with my contact lenses I switched to glasses and took them off when I wanted to read a book. It’s only been in the last year that I’ve also needed reading glasses.

List: Name at least five television shows (past or present) you enjoyed?

Survivor, Amazing Race, Friends, CSI (all of them), Grace and Frankie (on Netflix)Grace and Frankie

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 husband is recovering nicely from his surgery and that he has continued to can tomatoes. I’m also grateful that my daughter and daughter-in-law finally came up to the cottage last weekend. We had a wonderful time. Every time J comes to the cottage she becomes more and more comfortable with our rustic lifestyle. She announced that next year she wants to come up for a week. Yay!

This week I’m looking forward to getting my own car back (it’s been in the body shop) and celebrating my birthday with the family. My husband is planning a BBQ for Saturday.

Today Was a Good Day

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…..Saturday, August 22, 2015

Thanks to Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge

Saturday was a great day…..sunny skies, walking/hiking/running through the woods, walking on the beach and experiencing the joy of my daughter-in-law’s first time in a canoe. I also logged in at 12 000 steps.

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Share Your World 2015 – Week 33

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……thanks Cee for four more great questions

What are some words that just make you smile?

Ice-cream, babies, wine, family and friends are some of the words that will bring a smile to my face.

You’re given $500,000 dollars tax free (any currency), what do you spend it on?

I would pay off the rest of my credit cards and then take some of that money to renovate my house and cottage. I’d also put some money aside for travelling. That would still leave me with a nice sizeable chunk and I couldn’t enjoy any of that money knowing that my children also have debts so I would probably give each of them $50 000. and put the rest away for our retirement.

What subject would you like to study in depth, if given the time to do so?

I’d love to study visual art in depth. I’ve contemplated going back to university after I retire, just for the fun of it.

Would your rather be stuck in a small plane with bad turbulence for 2 hours or be a passenger in a car racing the Daytona 500?

I’d rather do neither but if I have to make a choice I think I’ll put up with two hours of turbulence. But wait! You did say ‘in a small plane’. Hmmm? Maybe being a passenger at the Daytona 500 would suit me better. I don’t know! I’m a terrible passenger in a car that is travelling at high speeds.

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 husbands surgery is over and that the prognosis looks good. Will know for sure in a couple of weeks. I’m also grateful that our youngest daughter was able to spend some time at the cottage last week.

I’m looking forward to spending the weekend at the cottage with my older daughter and her partner. It will be the first time that they’ve made it up to the cottage this summer. I’m also looking forward to spending some time with our friends D & D, who I haven’t seen much of this summer. Hopefully the weather will be good so that I can get in some swimming and of course lots of walking. Maybe I’ll even start running again.

A Working Lighthouse Among the Ruins

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….Christian Island still has a working lighthouse

At least once a summer I like to drive to the south west shore of Christian Island where the light house is situated. It is the oldest lighthouse in Georgian Bay, established in 1859. The first light house keeper was William Hoar and his son took over when he passed away. The families of the keepers lived on the island in a small house that was built next to the light house.

Today the light house is automated and the house next to it is in ruins. Over the years the light house has seen many changes. During World War II the lantern room was removed and the scrap metal was used to support the war effort. In 1965 the coast guard placed an automated beacon on top of the tower and in the early 2000s the lantern room was returned to give the tower its original look.

Share Your World 2015 – Week 31

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…..I’ll try to get this in before Week 32 arrives (tomorrow)

Would you rather take pictures or be in pictures?

I love taking pictures but every once in awhile I’d like to be in them. It seems that the photographer is hardly ever in any shots unless you ask someone to take a picture with you in it.

Where do you like to vacation?

I like to vacation at my cottage but I do like to travel overseas. A couple of my favourite places or countries are the Netherlands and Ireland. I’d also like to see more of Canada and hope to take a trip to the east coast in the near future.

If you had to describe your day as a traffic sign, what would it be?

Yield. I’m always slowing down and doing things for others before I can move on.

List at least five favorite first names.

Girls – Claire, Elizabeth, Michele, Emily (Emma), Abby, Andrea, Gaelan, Kate

Boys – Brendan, Michael, Mark, Christopher, Kevin

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 husband and our daughter, G, were able to come to the cottage for three days. It’s the first time all summer that family members have found time to visit.

The week is almost over but I am looking forward to G’s baby shower later today. I told you in an earlier post that I’d reveal the gender of her baby closer to her due date. Here’s a baby hat that I knit when I was up at the cottage. I bought the wool before we were told if the the baby was a boy or a girl. I chose the colour because I knew based on our genetic make-up and regardless of the sex that this would be a complimentary colour. I added a couple strands of another colour so that the public wouldn’t need to ask is it a boy or a girl. Is this enough of a clue?

IMG_5720For more Share Your World posts check out Cee’s blog.

Liken the Lichen

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…..I’ve always been fascinated by this composite organism

Lichen is a dual organism composed of fungi living in close association with green algae. It appears as a thin crust on bark and rocks and grows extremely slowly. Some grow as slowly as 0.01 mm per year in arctic regions  and in more temperate climates it might grow  5 to 8 mm per year. Lichen can live for thousands of years.

At my cottage, up in the Georgian Bay area, lichen appears mostly on the bark of trees. I love photographing it up close.

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