Wednesday, June 27, 2012


 

Greetings everyone!   I've been sitting around here for
the past week since my last post waiting for something 
exciting to happen around here so that I might have 
something interesting to blog about ... but so far ...
nothing!!!  Nadda!!   Zilch!!   

So I went through my picture files to find something
pretty to feature at the beginning of my post and I
came across this lovely little lady.  I'd found her 
during one of my walks last summer, perched on 
her rock in someone's front garden and she was 
nice enough to pose for me while I took her 
picture ... and her little dog too!!

Ok, that takes care of my intro.  Now what??  


Well, how about another chapter of Wildlife in
Georgetown???   Specifically this tiny fellow
hiding in our garden underneath the flowering
dog wood bushes.   DH spotted him in the
yard from an upstairs window and I immediately
grabbed my camera and rushed out to take a 
picture.

Bunny was camera shy and as soon as he 
heard me clomping down the stairs of the
deck he ducked into the bushes and froze.
I went in after him ... well, kind of.

Didn't want to scare him any more then
he already was so I just knelt outside of
the bushes and put my hand holding the
camera in for a few quick pictures.  

I have no idea how one goes about judging
a rabbits age but this guy was pretty darn
small ... and stinkin' cute to boot.  Didn't
see any other bunnies around so he must 
be old enough to be on his own.   Hope so
anyways. 


 A sure sign that summer is here is the opening of
the local Farmer's Market.   Everything from 
locally grown produce to incredible baked 
goods and hand made crafts plus booths 
selling real maple syrup, soap, cheese, pottery
and kittens (!). 

Okay, the kittens were in the window of
the pet supply store Creature Comforts and
were from Cats Anonymous, a no kill shelter
but still ... there were kittens!  

Whenever I go out for my 10k walk on Saturday 
mornings while the market is running I 
always stop there on my way back home for
whatever tickles my fancy ... or for a treat
for DH to have with his morning tea.


Since last February we've been in renovation 
mode here in our humble little home.   It had
been many, many moons since we'd last done
any decorating or updating of the main floor
of our house,  and most of our furniture was
at least 25 years old and/or hand-me-downs.

We've been in this house for 20 years and 
my taste has changed in those years ... quite
a bit.   We've been dithering around for the 
past few years about doing some reno work
for this area and this year turned out to be the
year.   Finally!!!

Above is the living room as it was.  Ignore
the floor stand in the middle of the picture
please.    Flipping through my iPhotos this
was the best "before" picture of that section
of the living room that I could find.


And after ... everything new (or in the case of the
pictures on the walls ... reframed to suit the decor).
More pictures to come in future posts.  

P.S.  the picture over the couch is of my 
grandmother.  It was made in Belgium and is
 done in pastels.   My grandfather had it drawn 
from a picture that he had with him of my 
grandmother while he served there during 
the first world war.   A week after he picked
 up the finished picture the shop was bombed 
out!!

***********************************

Let's see ... what else to write about??
DH was kind enough to take me to 
Michaels on Saturday to let me do a 
bit of shopping.  I had a gift certificate
from my birthday that I wanted to use.

I didn't buy any stitching supplies though.
Instead I bought stuff for my journaling
and paper crafting hobby ... my other
obsession.   

I gathered up a jumble of paints,
papers, embellishments, glue gun,
ink pad etc, etc.  while DH patiently
sat on a bench out side the store and
waited for me.  


My free time these days is split 
(not often evenly) between stitching
and scraping.  I've been making
Junk Journals / Junque Journals /
Scrapbooks / Smash books out of
all kinds of things.  And having a
blast doing it.


This was an existing book with lined
pages that I stuck fancy papers and
cards and stuff into.  I used glitter,
stickers and gems on the cover
which already had the flowers on it.


The pages fanned out (actually the book
won't close flat ... it stands by itself like
this all the time) so you can kind of
see inside.  It's very three dimensional
which I love!


A few of the pages.  I've put everything from
photos to movie tickets to magazine clippings
and all kinds of other stuff inside these books.  
Sometimes I put cards in whole, sometimes I 
just use pieces of the cards.  We've got lots of
cards for all kinds of occasions that we've
received over the years that have been 
sitting in boxes neglected and, well, 
forgotten.  So I decided to use them in my
paper crafting ... sort of recycling them.


Another page spread.  The book mark is a
treasure that I received from Barbara (Mainely 
Stitching).  The note that she sent with it is on
the next page over.


This is a page spread from a much larger scrap
book that I'm working on now.  My godson
Ian played Richard the Lion Heart in this
production last winter.  I stole the poster
on the left from my Curves workout centre
when the production was over.  Sshhhhh.
Don't tell!

I've got a huge .... no make that HUGE
.... bin full of all kinds of stuff that I've 
saved over the years and I'm now working
to put as much of it as I can into these 
large and small journals/scrapbooks. 
Long way to go ... but I'm having so 
much fun doing it.   I love making a 
mess in my craft room!!

And will you look at that!  I full blog post
after all.  Not bad for someone who had
little or nothing to say, eh?

Thanks for dropping by.  

Cheers!

P.S.   evidently Blogger made some
changes to their site and the way that
posts are created during the year
that I was away.   I don't like it!!
Now I've got to try and figure things
out again!!    

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Once again ....






I'm always excited to have the opportunity to snap a few pictures
of the cardinals that hang around our neighbourhood.  They are
one of my most favourite of birds.  The males are quite vain and  
like to perch themselves somewhere conspicuous such as 
the top of a tree or a telephone pole or a TV antenna where
they proceed to sing their distinctive song to announce their
presence.   Fortunately Mrs Cardinal is usually somewhere
close by to keep an eye on her flamboyant mate and keep
him in line.

This guy was in our birch tree and was gracious enough
to stay there long enough for me to take a few pictures.





I took a picture of my currant stitching project
this evening so you can see where it stands
at the moment.   I am working on the square
in the upper right corner and have chosen to
stitch the butterfly ... after much dithering and
mind changing.

The blue bird on a pedestal had to be frogged
and restitched when I discovered that I'd 
stitched it in the wrong spot by one square.
I was tempted to leave it but it was causing
a chain reaction train wreck with the rest of
the design that would have been too 
noticeable ... and it would have bugged me
... so out it came!!

I've been sitting out in front of the house 
the past few nights stitching.  The 
portable magnifying glass (the kind that
loops around your neck) doesn't work
so well for me any longer so I just 
held my stitching frame up to my nose,
peered over my glasses and stitched ...
all whilst trying not to jab a needle 
into my nose!!!
  


Some recent book finishes to share with you ...
beginning with the first book in the Lady 
Emily series by Tasha Alexander.  

  The story: 

From gifted new writer Tasha Alexander comes a 
stunning novel of historical suspense set in Victorian 
England, meticulously researched and with a twisty 
plot that involves  stolen antiquities, betrayal, and 
murder. For Emily, accepting the proposal  of 
Philip, the Viscount Ashton, was an easy way to 
escape her overbearing mother, who was set on a 
grand society match. So when Emily's dashing 
husband died on safari soon after their wedding, 
she felt little grief. After all, she barely knew him.

Now, nearly two years later, she discovers that 
Philip was a far different man from the one 
she had married so cavalierly.  His journals reveal 
him to have been a gentleman scholar and antiquities 
collector who, to her surprise, was deeply in love with 
his wife. Emily becomes fascinated with this new 
image of her dead husband and she immerses 
herself in all things ancient and begins to study 
Greek. Emily's intellectual pursuits and her desire 
to learn more about Philip take her to the quiet 
corridors of the British Museum, one of her husband's 
favorite places. There, amid priceless ancient statues, 
she uncovers a dark, dangerous secret involving stolen 
artifacts from the Greco-Roman galleries. And to 
complicate matters, she's juggling two very prominent 
and wealthy suitors, one of whose intentions may go 
beyond the marrying kind. As she sets out to solve 
the crime, her search leads to more surprises about 
Philip and causes her to question the role in Victorian 
society to which she, as a woman, is relegated.

I love mysteries but don't care for the kind that
goes into gory, creepy detail.   And I love when
the mystery takes place in  time periods other
then  modern day.   Hence my love for authors
such as Tasha Alexander, Charles Todd and
Jacqueline Winspear.   I have the first four 
books in this series on my bookshelf and as
soon as I finished this one I picked up the
second book to read.  

Lady Emily is a wonderful character who
really begins to enjoy the freedom that
being a widow allows her in the restrictive
society of Victorian England.   It's quite
an eye opener to read about the confined,
suffocating lives genteel women were
relegated to during that time when 
England was ruled by a formidable 
woman.  A paradox indeed.

Adding at the last minute:  finished book
two and now into book three!!   Book two
(A Poisoned Season) was even better then 
the first.



Ellen Airgood and her husband own and run a diner in a small
Michigan town south of Superior.   Sounds like the beginning of
a book doesn't it??   But it's true.   The author and her DH run a
diner by day and whenever she has some spare time between 
shifts Ellen writes.   South of Superior is her first book and I quite
enjoyed it.   Saw it in the book section of our grocery store as I
was browsing through their tables of new releases and liked the
synopsis of the story on the cover ... so I bought it.

The story: 

When Madeline Stone walks away from Chicago 
and moves five hundred miles north to the
 coast of Lake Superior, in Michigan's Upper 
Peninsula, she isn't prepared for how much her 
life will change.



Charged with caring for an aging family friend, 
Madeline finds herself in the middle of beautiful 
nowhere with Gladys and Arbutus, two 
octogenarian sisters-one sharp and stubborn, 
the other sweeter  than sunshine. As Madeline 
begins to experience the ways of the small, 

tight-knit town, she is drawn into the lives and 
dramas of its residents.  

It's a place where times are tough and debts run 
deep, but friendship, community, and compassion 
run deeper. As the story hurtles along-
featuring a lost child, a dashed love, a car accident,
 a wedding, a fire, and a romantic reunion-Gladys, 
Arbutus,  and the rest of the town teach Madeline more 
about life, love, and goodwill than she's learned 
in a lifetime.

Had no trouble getting caught up in the story and 
read this book  pretty quickly.   I enjoy books with quirky 
characters and characters who are finding their way, their 
niche in the world and someone to share their lives with.   
This book has all of that in abundance.   I hope that 
there will be a sequel because I would like to hang out 
with these characters again and find out how things work 
out for them in the future.

Thanks to Goodreads for the above two book descriptions.


We get strange birds around here!!!
Phil couldn't figure out why one of our bird 
feeders was running out of bird seed so 
quickly these past few weeks.  It's one of
those feeders whose perch will only allow
the smaller birds to feed.  If a larger bird
lands on the perch it's weight pushes
the perch down and causes the holes where
the seed is to close.   Well, that's the
theory anyways.

Last weekend I happened to be looking
out the back door when I saw Chippy
literally running up the pole to the 
feeder and helping himself to the
contents, stuffing his cheeks with seed
before scurrying back down the pole
and heading off to home with his
ill gotten booty.   

Cheeky little devil!!!  It would appear
that Chippy's weight is slight enough
that it doesn't cause the perch to 
sag down and close the feeding holes.
Phil's going to try and adjust the 
thing (again) to try and fix this.

Spent much of Sunday working on a
new Smash journal ... my craft room
looked like a Michael's exploded in
it.   I'm a messy crafter.  Anybody
else out there do Smash journaling??

Have a great week and thanks for
visiting!!

Friday, June 08, 2012

The Wildlife and Flora of Georgetown ... and Stitching!!!


I have been delighted and thrilled with the warm welcome that I've 
received from all of you since my post at the beginning of the week.
Thank you so much for your understanding and your encouragement.
It's good to be back!!!

So I thought that I'd just throw a short blog post together, sort of to
get myself back in the swing of things and to get my brain working
in blogging mode again.   Must remember to start looking for 
photo ops and for events to blog about in the future.   I still have
to take pictures of my current stitching projects to share with you
plus there's the little matter of our renovations that are almost ...
very nearly ... done!    Pictures to come once things are settled
and sorted.



We've had the flowers for our collections of pots for the backyard
for a couple of weeks and I've managed to plant up quite a few of
them but theres still lots to be done.   I hope to get at them this
weekend some time but tomorrow's weather looks iffy and I've 
got several things that need doing (hair appointment for one) so
I'll probably have to do it on Sunday.   Meanwhile, here is a 
photo of some of our flowers patiently waiting for their turn to
be potted.

At 6:10 am last Saturday morning I woke up to the sound of 
a sort of trilling noise coming through the bedroom window.
I had an idea of what it was so got up to take a look.



In the neighbour's back yard were a Momma Racoon and her 
three sweet little babies.    I grabbed my camera and managed
to snap a few pictures although the quality isn't that great.  I
tend to get flustered at times like this.   


Momma checking Jr over and giving him a bit of a grooming.



Look at that face!!   I know ... raccoons are
pests and can cause a lot of damage in attics
where they try to set up housekeeping.  Who 
knows where this clan are nesting during the
day time.  But darn it ... they're adorable.




I took this picture during one of my early Saturday morning
walks.   Chippy posing on a bench in someone's yard.  We
have quite a few chipmunks in our own yard and they're 
great fun to watch.  They cram their faces with bird seed 
spilled from our feeders and scurry off to take it home to
the wife and kids.   But if we leave the shed door open they
skip the bird feeders and head directly for the source ....
stealing peanuts and seeds from the bags they're stored in
in the shed.   Cheeky little beggars!!    Oh well, I can't
help myself .... I'm a sucker for a furry face!


Another blossom from the garden.  I tried to stay with
pinks, mauves and white for our pots this year but I 
couldn't resist a few Lantana plants because I really
love them.   So a bit of yellowy gold in amongst the
pastels.


Well look at this.  It appears that I did have a 
picture of one of my current stitching 
projects after all.   I've done more since
this picture was taken but at least you can
see that I am still stitching a bit.

Thanks for dropping by.  Have a great
weekend!!

Cheers!

Sunday, June 03, 2012

The prodigal returns.


Hello.

It's been a long time.    I know, that's understating the obvious but it
has been a full year (and then some) since my last post.   What
happened???    I don't know.

May, one year ago, I suddenly lost my blogging and my stitching
mojo.  I think the first anniversaries of my Mother's final illness
and her passing may have had something to do with it.   I lost my
joy in both of my once passionate hobbies and really didn't want to
do much of anything.   Apathy is a terrible feeling and such a waste
of life.

After awhile those feelings faded but by then I'd been gone a long
time (it seemed to me) and I felt terrible about that and so guilty for
just up and disappearing.  I didn't know how to return, couldn't think
what to say, and so I just let the time keep passing.  I started stitching
a bit but it wasn't the same without my friends to share it with.   And
so it went.   More time passed.    A new year came and I thought
perhaps that might give me the incentive (and the nerve) to make that
first blog post.  New Years resolution and all that.    Well obviously
that didn't happen.   I dithered on.

So what's made me suddenly sit down here at the computer and
start typing??  I guess I got pissed off enough at myself and gave
myself  a bit of a shake and a stern talking to and decided to put
my fingers on the computer keys and let the thoughts role out.

I've missed you!   Yes, YOU!    I've missed keeping an eye out
for pictures for my blog,  picking books to rave about with you,
showing off my latest stitching project (such as it is) and looking
eagerly for any comments you may have left for me.

So here I am.   I'm hoping you'll still be out there and willing to
come back to visit here.  You have my permission to kick me or
yell at me or whatever you like because I feel that I deserve it.

But if you do take the time to come here and read this post and
come back again and again and forgive me for being such an
apathetic twit I'd be so grateful and thrilled.

Thanks for visiting and for reading this post.  

Judy