Share Your World, 2015 – Week 4

Posted on by
1

Where did you live at age five? Is it the same place or town you live now?

At the age of five I lived in Toronto. The following year we moved to Oakville, which is about a half hour west of Toronto. We only lived there for four years before we moved back to Toronto. I have lived in this great city most of my life.

View of the city from Centre Island.

View of the city from Centre Island.

You are invited to a party that will be attended by many fascinating people you never met. Would you attend this party if you were to go by yourself?

I’m not sure I would go by myself. If I know someone at the party and I’m assuming that the person who invited me knows me I might go for awhile. This summer I went to a neighbour’s party but I didn’t stay long because there were a lot of people there that I didn’t know.

Did you grow up in a small or big town? Did you like it?

I guess you figured out that I grew up in a big city. In fact, Toronto is the biggest city in Canada. I can’t remember not liking it. We had a park, skating rink, tennis courts and swimming pool right across the street. In the summer I swam every day and in the winter I was always at the rink. In the summer we used to go to Centre Island for picnics and we always looked forward to the CNE (Canadian National Exhibiton) which signalled the end of summer. IMG_0205_2

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

My first memory of what I wanted to be was a nurse (me and every other little girl in the 50s) but at the age of 12 I decided that I wanted to be a Family Studies (Home Ec.) teacher. That dream didn’t waver much. Sometimes I thought I might want to become a doctor but I always went back to teaching. I studied to become a Family Studies teacher and for 17 years that’s what I taught. I have been a teacher for 34 years and I still love it.

Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?

I answered this question on Sunday so nothing much new to report here.

For more Share Your World posts check out Cee’s Photography.

Share Your World 2015 – Week 3

Posted on by
9

…..more questions brought to you by Cee

Given the choice of anyone in the world, whom would you want as a dinner guest?

I’ve saved this question for last because I’m finding it the most difficult to answer. I would be worried about having someone I don’t know over for dinner. Is the house clean enough, are my things up to par, will they like my cooking, will I say something stupid and insult them or will I find them completely boring and be let down by the experience? When I have people over I want to enjoy the experience so I tend to invite people who know me well and won’t judge me. Therefore I’d have to say that I want my best friends over for dinner.

When did you last sing to yourself? To someone else?

The last time I sang was at the percussion concert we had last Thursday at school. I sang with the audience. I like to sing in the car when I’m by myself. I can’t remember the last time I sang to someone. Sometimes I’ll break out in song when I’m reading a story to the younger boys and girls in the library. I sang in a German choir for 27 years and after that I was a guest chorister with a fantastic church choir. I did that for a few years.

IMG_3805

If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?

I wish I could eat like a person who is healthy, enjoys food and doesn’t struggle with weight. I’m healthy and I certainly enjoy food but my weight has been a life long struggle.

What, if anything, is too serious to be joked about?

I think joking about anything that is tragic is taboo. Joking about someone’s loss or pain is just plain tacky.

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 reports are written, that I produced some fun art IMG_3847 IMG_3848 IMG_3851and that I got to hear the children perform on the percussion instruments after listening to them practise every day for two weeks. IMG_3788I’m grateful that I was able to visit my Dad today and help somewhat with his moving dilemma. He is moving from a house to an apartment and between him and his partner G they have at least two apartment’s worth of belongings.

This week I’m looking forward to producing more art and starting the second part of the assignment that I was given last Thursday. I have till Feb. 8 before I receive the next lesson.

Year of the Spark

Posted on by
9

….another great on-line art class with Carla Sonnheim and Lynn Whipple

In December I signed up for a year long on-line art class with two great artists, Carla Sonheim and Lynn Whipple. The class is called Year of the Spark and twice a month each teacher presents a lesson and several fun assignments. So far the assignments have been designed to get our hands moving and look at art and drawing in new ways.

Carla’s first class had us drawing dozens of one line sketches of animals, flowers, and houses and then choosing one favourite and drawing it again using many different types of drawing tools. We had to choose one finished piece in the end and frame it. Here are some of my one liners and my framed piece.

IMG_3721 IMG_3722 IMG_3723As much as I liked my dog drawings I decided to elaborate on my birds.

IMG_3730 IMG_3830

As you can see these drawings are intended to be fun and whimsical.

This week Lynn introduced us to pattern drawing and creating cards using people from old photos and a multitude of shapes of cut up papers. I’ve played with the pattern portion of the assignment but I haven’t yet started the card assignment.

The pattern assignment is a warm-up activity but I’m so addicted to this random doodling that it’s taking me hours to finish one page. Tomorrow I’m going to have to try to work faster and maybe use only watercolours to create my patterns. Keep it simple.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge – My Favourite Things, Verse Two

Posted on by
4

…..Cee has added verse 2 for inspiration

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels, Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles, Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings, These are a few of my favorite things.

A New Milestone – 1000 Posts

Posted on by
16

…..I can’t believe it

Thirty three months ago when I started this blog I couldn’t have imagined writing 1000 posts. When I first hit the keys I wanted to record and track my weight loss journey, write about my past, share recipes and have a platform to air my feelings about retirement. Well here I am almost three years later and I’m still going strong.

My focus has changed somewhat. I managed to lose 32 pounds and today I’ve kept a good chunk of it off but it’s a struggle every day.IMG_0252 I don’t share many recipes. Others do it much better. I’m still working and I don’t bring up retirement very often. My colleagues won’t hear of it but I have to admit that I am getting closer to that day. I don’t talk as much about my past and most of my personal posts reflect what’s happening in the present.

What is surprising is how my blog has morphed into an art and photography journal. I started teaching art to more classes shortly after starting the blog and I started to share my student’s work.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I also started to do more of my own art and I took a number of on-line art classes.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

I’ve always liked taking photos but recently I discovered that I was pretty good at it. I enjoyed experimenting with my little digital camera and later my iPhone and I started to participate in a lot of photography challenges here on WordPress.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I also started to dabble in writing poetry. For someone who hated poetry in school I’m somewhat surprised that I enjoy writing free verse and Haiku as much as I do. I guess I like writing in general.

When I look back on my first dozen posts, I wonder what kept me going. There wasn’t a lot of feedback. Many of my first posts had no likes what so ever. Reading over them I couldn’t fault the writing but there were only a few photos in the beginning and I didn’t always ‘tag’ those pieces. Some of them I wrote for my children so they would have a record of their mother’s past (here, here, here, and here).

The one thing that I was pleased about was that many of my early followers are still with me. Hats off to Michael Lai, oneanna65, Domestic Diva, MD, Uthamz, The Ranting Chef, Lesley Carter, Ellis Nelson, Conor Cullen, Dorothy, Anne, Paul. Beth, Baz, Dina, Island Traveller, Bert, Lee, Jeanne, Maia, Frizz, TK Morin, Masqua,Leanne, Art Expectations, Rosemarie, Viveka, Donna, Michael, T.J., Melissa, Ann, Neal, Woolly, Mrs. Euken, Dan, Mark, Brenda, and in the last year many more followers have come my way. Here are some of the regulars: Cee, Megan, Lisa, Ab, Jennifer, Joe, Rachel, Chris, Geraint, Miranda, Trisha, Janaline, Hello, Fig,  Elizabeth, Marsha, Ayse, Folly Girl, Judith, Sarah, Ronovan, Seb, Audrey, B, Kimmi, Conrad, CJ, Boeta, Peggy, Debbie, Colline,……

A special thanks goes to the people who like to comment on my blog, a lot,……Dorothy, Viveka, Rosemarie, Leanne, Colline, Judith, Cee, Elizabeth and Mark and my sister Chris. I know that my FaceBook friends also read my blog and when they comment it’s usually on FaceBook. I’m sure I’ve missed a few people and for that I apologize. I am about 40 people shy of reaching 1000 followers and I hope by my 3rd anniversary in April I can reach that goal as well.

Cheers!