….spent 8 hours walking around this show







….spent 8 hours walking around this show







…December 4, 2022



…thanks to Tatiana for hosting this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge
Playing around with some of the editing features on my Photo page created these interesting ‘abstract’ photos.



…..thanks to Snow for hosting Friendly Friday this week
The first thing I think of when I hear the work fake is ‘fake news’. I promise I’m NOT posting any of that. These are reproductions of famous art sculptures and wax dummies to fake Christmas trees.








…..a tradition that happens sporadically
Is it a tradition if you don’t do it every year?
This year we decided as a family to cut down our Christmas trees. We’ve done it in the past and always get a lot of joy out of it. Two years ago there was a ton of snow on the ground and this year there was next to nothing. Nonetheless we had a lot of fun and I discovered a new landmark that I didn’t know existed.
The tree farm we used this year was a smaller place, owned by an older couple. There were no sleigh rides or wagons, hot cocoa or tree balers. It didn’t matter though because we were able to walk through the grounds at our own pace and not worry about hoards of people all eyeing the same tree. The dogs were also allowed to run freely. We just had to make sure that they didn’t wander off because there are coyotes in the area.
I don’t think the place even had a name. We just looked for the signs directing us to ‘Cut Your Own Christmas Tree’. From Toronto we drove westbound along the QEW and Hyw. 403 until we reached Hwy. 6 going north. From there we drove till we hit concession road #6 and went east. Luckily we had our daughter, Gaelan on the phone and she directed us onto the property.
In the next post I’ll describe the surprising landmark that we discovered while out ‘hunting’ for the perfect Christmas tree.
….thanks to Becca Givens for hosting Sunday Trees
These beautiful trees belong to our daughters. Ours is still wrapped in its netting and leaning against the wall in the hallway.


….what comes to mind when you think of this time of year?
Here are a few things that I associate with December:
Santa Claus Parades
Homes decked out with lights and decorations
Christmas suppers with friends
Christmas trees
Children’s Concerts
More Decorations
What would you include in ‘It’s not this time of year without‘?
….thanks Cee for 50 weeks of great questions
Favourite thing to photograph? Write? Or Cook?
I love photographing nature. When I discovered the macro feature on my camera I’m became somewhat obsessed with taking close-ups of flowers and seed pods and when an insect appears on the subject, I’m in heaven.
I like to write about my daily life. It’s like keeping a personal diary that I share with the world. I’ve dabbled in Haiku which I quite enjoy.
I like baking but I don’t do very much of it because I would eat it and be even heavier than I am. I’ll probably do some Christmas baking because I like to give it to my neighbours and friends.
Did you like swinging as a child? Do you still get excited when you see a swing?
I’m not sure that I really liked it as a young child but when I got older (preteen) we used to hang around the swings and challenge each other to go as high as possible. I can’t say that I get excited when I see the swing sets in my neighbourhood. The thought of going on one actually makes me a bit nauseated.
What has surprised you about blogging?
The biggest surprise about blogging is that I’m still here, almost four years since I started. I’m also surprised how my focus has changed and how many photo challenges that I take part in.
List at least five favorite desserts.
I have to admit that desserts are a weakness. When I’m good I can go without for a long time but once I start eating sweets it’s a slippery slope. Here are some of my favourite desserts:
Anything with fruit – apple strudel (authentic is the best)
– apple or fruit crisp
– fresh fruit torte with whipped cream
Poppy seed cake
Creme Brule
Key lime tarts
Bread pudding
Ice Cream with fruit and whipped cream
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 wonderful dinner and time spent with a group of friends last Friday. On Saturday I got out for a long walk with my husband and dog and I managed to log over 15 000 steps for the entire day. On Sunday my family and I drove out into the country to a Christmas tree farm and cut down three trees for each of our homes. It was a cold and dreary day and the first time that I’ve done this when there was no snow on the ground. Afterwards we went back to my youngest daughter’s place in Hamilton and warmed up with coffee, gluehwein, hot home-made soup and grilled sandwiches.
Today the girls played in the West Conference Finals for basketball. They won their first two games and in the final game they lost in a very good game, 16 to 14. It was a difficult loss for them because it was so close and they missed out going to the city championships because of one basket. On the plus side they earned a second place banner for the school.
This week I’m looking forward to hearing the choir sing at the Holiday Concert. We’re having our staff party on Wednesday and on Saturday I’m attending another Christmas dinner with another group of friends. Friday is the last day of school and I have about a week to finish my Christmas shopping and get the house ready for family get togethers. The thing I’m looking forward to the most is seeing my son on Monday. He’ll be flying in from London, England and spending about two weeks with us.