….thanks to Becky B for hosting Past Squares, https://beckybofwinchester.com/2021/10/17/past-squares-17/
Two iconic roof tops in Toronto are both on museums. The first one is an addition to the oldest museum in the city, the ROM and the second one is on one of Toronto’s newest museums, the Aga Khan Museum.
….thanks to Becky B for hosting Past Squares https://beckybofwinchester.com/2021/10/16/past-squares-16/
In 2016, when my son came to visit us from London we took a trip to the Aga Khan Museum in the east end of Toronto. There were lots of beautiful Persian artifacts and many of them were circular so this post features two themes from past squares.
….thanks Cee for this week’s questions but I can’t help but think that I’ve answered one or two of these before
Do you believe in extraterrestrials or life on other planets?
Absolutely. I think it would be pretty arrogant to think that we are the only race of beings to inhabit the universe.
How many places have you lived? You can share the number of physical residences and/or the number of cities.
I haven’t lived in too many different places. I was born in Frankfurt, Germany and when I was one we moved to Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria. Soon after that we boarded an ocean liner and moved to Canada where I have lived most of my life in Toronto. For a period of four years, when I was 6 to 10 we lived in Oakville (a bedroom community close to Toronto) and when I went to university I lived in the town of Guelph.
If you given $22 million tax free dollars (any currency), what is the first thing you would do?
I would pay off all my credit cards and then give each of my children $1 million dollars, so they could pay off their debts and own a home. After that I would probably put aside enough money to live on comfortably and afford a couple of vacations a year for the rest of my life. Then I would share the rest with my sisters and friends and donate to different charities every year. Spread the wealth!
The Never List: What are things you’ve never done? Or things you know you never will do?
I will never and have never done the following:
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I am grateful that my son has started to heal from his surgery and that he returned safely to London, England on Monday night. Before he left we spent some quality family time with his siblings and our granddaughter. Last Saturday, B, A, J and I drove to the Aga Khan Museum and spent a couple of hours perusing the artifacts from the middle east. It was fun watching my children take in the displays and actually taking the time to read the text that explained the history of the different ceramics, books and articles of clothing.
After our experience at the museum we drove to Hamilton and met up with my husband and younger daughter and her family. There was a whirlwind of activity in the kitchen as homemade meatballs were being prepared by the two of them while the rest of us took turns holding the baby and entertaining her. She is so curious now that she doesn’t want to sleep. The dinner was fabulous.
On Sunday I drove my son to the AGO to meet up with one of his good friends and to see the Turner show. I enjoyed our time together but I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of Turner’s work. I liked his small watercolour studies but his large pieces were too dark and gloomy for me. I am, however, very curious to see the movie on his life. I think he was one very strange man.
Later this week I’m hoping to figure out how to transfer photos from my new camera to my iPhone and computer using WiFi. So far transferring my photos onto the computer and onto my phone has been a challenge to say the least.
Hopefully I can sort out my photography problems so that I can continue to participate in photo challenges.
Cheers!
…some of my favourite black and white geometric photos have appeared here more than once so it was time to create some new ones
My all time favourite geometric photos are those of the new addition of the ROM here in Toronto but I’ve used them before and didn’t feel right about using them again. For those who may not have seen them, here are some thumb-nail shots.
So Cee’s Geometric Challenge drove me to walk around in my neighbourhood and look for interesting shots of geometric shapes. I live in an older neighbourhood of Toronto and many homes are being renovated. A number of people have opted for a modern geometric style of architecture. People either love it or hate it.
Back in March, my friend D and I went to the new Aga Khan Museum here in the east end of Toronto. Persian art features some beautiful geometric designs.
….some unusual questions this week
When was the last time you sat on a park or garden bench for more than ten minutes? Describe the occasion.
The last time I sat on a garden bench was two summers ago. My cottage neighbour had built a bench on the beach for anyone to use. I used to love going down to the beach early in the day to have my morning coffee. Unfortunately the powers that be decided that all things left on this ‘public’ beach had to be removed. When we returned last summer the bench was gone.
Would you ever be interested in observing a surgery or do you turn away when the nurse brings out the needle?
When I attended university I had thought about being a doctor but teaching became my chosen profession. I actually contemplated about taking a gross human anatomy class where I would dissect a human body. A 400 level floral design class won out. I used to watch live surgeries on TV but I do turn away when the needle to draw blood comes out.
Where’s your favorite place to take out-of-town guests?
If people are coming from another country I like to take them to Niagara Falls.
For my Canadian out-of-town quests I like to take them to the AGO (art gallery) and treat them to any special exhibitions that are featured during their visit. Luckily most of my friends like art.
If my guest come in the summer and they like a rustic setting I might suggest that we go to the cottage for a few days.
If you had an unlimited shopping spree at only one store, which one would you choose? Why?
It might seem strange that I would choose a discount store but Marshall’s has it all for me. Beautiful designer clothes that fit me and suit me, shoes, purses, kitchenware, gourmet food, dishes, and children’s and men’s wear. What could be better?
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
Last week I was grateful for being treated to a trip to the new Aga Khan Museum, here in Toronto. My friend, D, is a member and we spent the morning walking through the galleries. I really enjoyed looking at the old Persian vessels, art and tapestries. When so many artefacts are being destroyed in the Middle East because of war and acts of terrorism I was grateful that these treasures have been preserved for all to enjoy.
After exploring the entire museum and checking out the gift shop we had a very nice lunch at the restaurant located in the museum. The space was decorated with beautifully carved wall panels and mirrors and the food was attractively presented and very tasty.
I’m also grateful for slightly warmer weather and sunny days. On Sunday we had the family over Sunday lunch and game day. My husband made an incredible Irish meal in honour of St. Patrick’s Day (only a week late) and A and J brought Zeppole for dessert in honour of St Joseph’s Day.
This week I’m looking forward to doing more art, not only my own personal art but also art with my students. I’ve already started some interesting projects with the kids and today my kindergarten class made wonderful art with objects from nature (last 4 photos). The first six photos are mine. The owls are samples I created for my older students. They are designing their own owls and then transferring the design onto a foam plate and then colouring it and pressing it onto paper. I’m really looking forward to seeing what the kids can do.
Mama Cormier 