Great Weather, Great News, Great Concert

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….it’s been a wonderful weekend and I can finally share my big news

1. Finally a beautiful weekend, weather-wise. Sunshine and warmer temperatures. I managed to get out on Saturday for a walk with the dog and took some photos of the neighbourhood.

2. Also on Saturday, my husband and I picked up our youngest daughter and her dog Lucy and brought them back to our house. G’s husband was on a business trip so she was looking for some company and she needed a break from packing boxes. This Friday they will be moving from their tiny apartment in uptown Toronto to a 4 bedroom Victorian semi in Hamilton. It’s a move they need to make because they needed more room to accommodate the new baby that they are expecting in October. Yeah!!!!!!!!! I’m finally going to be a grandmother. That’s my BIG news!

3. Today my friend DM invited me to a concert downtown. The Women’s Musical Club of Toronto hosted a live competition to present the Career Development Awards. The concert featured the three finalists who were chosen from a pool of 10 candidates chosen by CBC regional producers. Usually a jury of musical experts from across Canada rank all the entries based on written and audio materials and select a winner but because this was the tenth anniversary for the award (given every three years) a live competition was held. Prizes of $20 000., $10 000 and $5000 were awarded for first, second and third place.

All three competitors played magnificently. There were two pianists and one cello player. First prize went to Charles Richard-Hamelin on piano, second prize to Stéphane Tétreault on cello and third prize to Pierre-André Doucet on piano (my personal favourite).

I’ve found Pierre-André Doucet’s performance of Carl Vine’s Piano Sonata No. 1 on YouTube.

Stéphane was the youngest performer at 22 and played this beautiful arrangement of Hayden’s Divertimento in D Major.

I couldn’t find the exact piece that Charles Richard-Hamelin played today but here is a sample of Chopin.

Sunday Trees – 180

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….for more Sunday Trees check out Becca Givens’ blog

Like Becca, I’ve been finding these faces on trees in my neighbourhood. This one looks like it’s been around for awhile.

Stairs That Go Nowhere

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Mama Cormier

…..I’ve looked at these stairs for awhile now and thought how perfect they would be for Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge – Week 16

Cee’s Black and White Photo Challenge: Geometric Shapes

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Mama Cormier

…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.

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Too Tired to Write

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….so I’ll post a few photos of my weekend

It was a somewhat busy weekend with running to clinics, grocery shopping (twice), painting, reading (but not enough), walking and running (yeah, I can still do it), blogging, laundry and helping a friend sort through 40 years of paperwork. I’m exhausted and need to get to bed before 11:00. Here is a gallery of my weekend.

Sunday Trees – 179

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Mama Cormier

…..thanks to https://beccagivens.wordpress.com for her weekly challenge

Same tree at three different angles

New Flower (April 19, 2015) – Red Ranunculus

Posted on April 19, 2015 by Mama Cormier

…..my first bit of floral colour this season, seen on my walk with my husband and our dog Frances

Cee’s Odd Ball Challenge – Week 15

Posted on April 18, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….I posted a similar odd ball photo last week but found more strange trees in my neighbourhood this week …. thanks http://ceenphotography.com/2015/04/12/cees-odd-ball-photo-challenge-2015-week-15/

tree wrapped in a blue blanket

Sunday Trees – 178

Posted on April 12, 2015 by Mama Cormier

…..after yesterday’s walk I had to go back out today to photograph this tree

For more Sunday Trees check out Becca Givens site.

Cee’s Odd Ball Challenge – Week 14

Posted on April 7, 2015 by Mama Cormier

….went for a walk to take photos of the swans and on the way I came across this tree looking down on me

I saw a flurry of seagulls and I put my camera down for a second and accidentally pushed the shutter button. The odd part of this photo is that it is completely in focus.