….thanks Becca for hosting Sunday Trees

….thanks Becca for hosting Sunday Trees

….our photos are a reflection of our mood at the precise moment we press the shutter button
This week’s challenge is to post photos that represent a state of mind. Here are some shots I have taken when I’m at peace, happy, sad and curious.
At Peace and in Awe – Early morning sunrise

Happy – Taking joy in watching my children go canoeing for the first time

Curious – patiently watching this little fellow and seeing how close I can get to him

Sad/blue – on this rainy day

…..Cee is taking a week off from blogging but she’s still encouraging everyone to continue with her challenges
I love taking photos of odd ball abandoned rusty things.
I’m not sure why you need a fire hydrant on the edge of a rugby field. There are no buildings close by.
…..I’m particularly found of the beach at my cottage
Cool fresh water, warm sand between my toes and an early morning sunrise when the beach is still somewhat deserted is a happy place for me. I love going for a quick dip and then sitting on a comfy chair with a fresh cup of coffee and just taking in my surroundings. What a great way to start the day!
…..thanks for Cee for sharing your world with us this week
If you were a pen, what type, style and color would you be?
I would be a black fountain pen.
How many languages do you you speak?
I speak three languages, One well (English) and two poorly (German and French).
Are you a listener or talker?
I’m both. When I became a guidance counsellor I honed my listening skills but as a teacher I need to talk to get my point across. The other day someone commented that I was very quiet. Sometimes I just like to listen to what others have to say. Another time I was told I talked too much and that I should let others answer for themselves. I just can’t win.
Rather Have: Which would you rather have, 2 million dollars or true love?
Can’t I have both? I hate these questions. They say you can’t buy love so I guess I’d have to go with ‘true love’. All the money in the world wouldn’t make me happy if I couldn’t experience true love.
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 a beautiful summer weekend. The weather, although hot, was glorious and the lake at the cottage was the best it’s been all summer. I would have loved to stay all week. Another argument for retiring now.
This week I’m looking forward to seeing all the children back at school and catching up with my colleagues. I’m also looking forward to finally getting the results of my husband’s biopsy (a little nervous as well).
Here are a few photos of my busy week. I didn’t take any new photos from the cottage but I did snap a shot at the farm where we stopped to pick up some fruit and vegetables for the weekend.
…..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.
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.
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.
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.
…..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.

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.
…..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.
…..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?
For more Share Your World posts check out Cee’s blog.
…..these poplars are springing up everywhere near the beaches
Thanks to Becca Givens for hosting this challenge.