What One Does on a Rainy Saturday

for us it included painting, walking and cooking

Last Saturday the forecast was very wet for most of the day. In between downpours I did manage to get out for a walk and snap a few photos.

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When I returned from my walk I set up my art table to get ready for some more painting. Only 7 more sleeps before my solo show.

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Kevin on the hand got into complete ‘chef’ mode and made empanadas from scratch.

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At Last – My Opening was a Success

after months of work my show finally opened

Thanks to all who encouraged me to keep painting and then supported me with a visit to the gallery and/or messages of love. I couldn’t be happier.

Those little red stickers were the icing on the cake.

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The first big piece that sold yesterday
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The two pieces that made up this trio were sold
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My curator, advertising designer and loving daughter
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My wonderful daughter-in-law
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My Biggest fan and supporter – love you to the moon and back

Whatsoever is Lovely – Week 6

….thanks to Kate for hosting the Whatsoever is Lovely Challenge https://www.thesquirrelchase.com/2022/02/14/whatsoever-is-lovely-2022-week-6/

One week after Kevin’s hip replacement surgery he decided he couldn’t let Valentine’s Day go by without doing something special for me. So he got on his phone and ordered a special Valentine’s Day dinner that was delivered to the house. It was beautifully boxed and only required some reheating or final minutes in the oven.

I set up the little table in the basement kitchen, where Kevin was recovering, with a cloth and candles. A day earlier I went out and picked up a special wine that Kevin wanted to have with the dinner. Since the beginning of COVID we have had date nights where we would get dressed up and share a gourmet meal at home. Kevin wanted this to be one of those date nights so he insisted on putting on a white shirt and one of his bowties.

It was an amazing meal. There was so much food that we saved our dessert for the next day.

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Whatever is so Lovely Challenge – Week 2

just discovered this challenge ….thanks to XingFu Mama for hosting https://xingfumama.blog/2022/01/16/whatsoever-is-lovely-challenge-2022-week-2/

Seeing I missed the first week of this challenge I’m going to post photos from the last two weeks. I met my youngest granddaughter for the first time over the Christmas holidays. On January 8th our son, daughter-in-law and Sevin returned to London, England after spending two weeks with us. The first two photos show Sevin just before she left for the airport and sleeping on the plane.

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Winnie showing off the outfit that Oma and Papa sent her for Christmas. Sadly they didn’t make it to Toronto this Christmas
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An exceptional meal that Kevin prepared for me on Saturday. I’m such a lucky girl.

Forty Six Years in and Still Madly in Love

….yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary

Whenever I tell people how long Kevin and I have been married they always gasp in wonderment. Don’t get me wrong it hasn’t always been wine and roses but we’ve always worked together as partners and when things were tough we didn’t give up on each other. Not only do we love each other but we truly like each other. That became very apparent during the lockdowns with COVID. It’s amazing how many couples found it difficult to be together 24/7.

The last twelve years have been difficult for Kevin with all his health issues but he keeps on ticking and keeps trying new diets and medications. Right now he looks fantastic and if you saw him yesterday you’d have no idea that he is suffering from several chronic ailments. The key word here is chronic, so he has good days and some bad days. Luckily I’ve stayed relatively healthy and my biggest issue is how much my weight fluctuates up and down (mostly up). Kevin always says he loves me at any weight but when I do try to lose weight he is also very supportive.

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Going for a Winter Evening Walk

….during a snowstorm

Well I guess I’m exaggerating a bit but it was snowing and it was cold. When my husband said he wanted to walk in the snow and take some photos of the street I quickly put on my coat so that I could join him. I needed some more steps to get to my 10 000 step goal anyway.

It’s nice seeing some of the Christmas lights still on. This year people have decided that we need more colour and light in our lives because of COVID so many homes are still brightly lit in the evenings. It’s quite pretty against the snow.

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Tuesday Photo Challenge – All You Need is Love

….thanks to Frank from Dutch Goes the Photo for hosting the Tuesday Photo Challenge https://dutchgoesthephoto.net/2021/01/26/tuesday-photo-challenge-all-you-need-is-love/

I love the theme this week. Love does make the world go round. What do you love? Here are some of the things that come to mind for me.

Being surrounded by water year round.

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My husband and how he makes me laugh and for all the wonderful meals he cooks for me.

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My family and the joy they bring from near and far.

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For some reason the photos I have of my sister who lives in Calgary would not allow me to post them. I miss her terribly.

I also love to walk in nature, take photographs and make art.

Water, Water Everywhere – Ball’s Falls

thanks to Jez for hosting Water, Water Everywhere #61, https://jezbraithwaite.blog/2021/01/25/koi-pond-water-water-everywhere-61/

On the weekend my husband and I took a drive to Ball’s Falls in the Jordon Valley. It was a perfect day, brisk and sunny. I met Kevin 48 years ago and I’m pretty sure he’s been telling about Ball’s Falls for the same length of time. Well he finally took me there and I wasn’t disappointed. I love most waterfalls and in the winter I particularly like them because of the ice that forms from the spray.

Ball’s Falls is situated on the Ball’s Falls Conservation Area and is named after the family that lived there in the 1800s. In an earlier post I wrote about the heritage site that is connected to this area. The falls helped generate enough energy for the the grist mill to make flour until the water flow diminished to the point where it wasn’t feasible to stay in production. Today the mill operates on day a year, using electricity to mill flour for a festival.

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