Labour Day Long Weekend ....

Life

Although a few more weeks lay ahead before the "official" 

start of Fall it feels as though this weekend is the end of 

the summer of 2015.  

It's hot.  It's been hot all week.   Sometimes too hot to 

be outside even if we're just sitting on the deck, in the 

shade, doing nothing.  We're reluctant to complain though 

because we know that in three or so months we'll be 

shivering as we layer sweaters, scarves, vests and coats 

before setting foot out the door.

The weather man has predicted a warmer then normal 

Fall and Winter this year for us.  I think El Nino has 

been mentioned in regard to this.  I'm not sure whether to 

believe the experts or not but it would be nice because 

we've had some nasty winters in the past couple of 

years.   Fingers crossed.

Meanwhile, I am settling into my new life as a more 

or less retired person.   I get up with Phil at 6:30 and sit 

with him while he eats his breakfast.   Once he leaves 

for work I begin my day by working out in some manner.    

Either by lifting weights along with my mentor/instructor/

friend Linda on Skype, or following a walking work out 

video on Youtube with Leslie Sansone, or going out and 

walking around town to run errands.

TRAVELING

Weekends lately have been spent going on long, exploration

walks with my friend Darlene.   We spent one Saturday walking

from Oakville Harbour to Bronte Harbour which was a distance

walked (including additional wanderings down interesting look-

ing side streets) of about 23km.  

Following a trail along the shores of

Lake Ontario

The lake was calm and blue

Our route.   We walked from the arrow

to the harbour marked on the far left.

Phil dropped us off in Oakville at 8:00 in the morning

and picked us up at Bronte Harbour at 5:45 so we had

a full day of walking.   We took a picnic lunch 

which we ate by the waters edge in a small, quiet

park with few other people about.

Lunch in the park

I love being by water.  It's the only thing about

living in Georgetown .... we don't have a decent

sized body of water of our own here.

Love gardens ... or in this case garden

centres .... too. 

Crafting

                                            I have spent hours and hours in the past two

weeks doodling some more.  As adult colouring

books are all the rage at the moment I've been 

practising my drawing and then colouring the
images in with markers and pencil crayons.  
You can cover up a multitude of mistakes with
a bit of colour.

As with any craft I can loose many hours of the day
doing this sort of thing without realizing it.  It's relaxing
and it's creative which is a win-win in my opinion.

I have pinned all kinds of patterns and

technics on my Pinterest site to try out and

I also watch how-to videos on Youtube

for inspiration and guidance.

And believe it or not I actually finished a cross

stitch project at the beginning of the summer.

Pardon the wrinkled fabric. 

And then there's my journal which I work at in

fits and starts, neglecting it for periods of time

and then hammering away at it for equal amounts

of time.    I think that I might have an over abundance

of crafting pastimes and interests and I flit from one

to another.

Reading

Always.  

In the past few years I've discovered YA books

and a whole pile of new to me authors in that

genre.  One of the most popular of new releases

in YA is .....

Originally meant to be a stand alone

book it's been so popular that the

publisher has optioned more in the

series from the author.

I quite enjoyed it and look forward

to the next instalment.

If you've read Water for Elephants

and enjoyed it then you'll be happy

to see Sara Gruen's newest book.

I really enjoyed this one which takes

place in Scotland during the second

world war.  

I admit that the cover for this one

caught my eye initially and I loved

it so much that I grabbed the book

from the display shelf at the store

to check it out.  I'd read and 

enjoyed Water for Elephants so

was happy to bring this home too

and I read it almost immediately

and loved it.

Yes, I do judge a book by it's cover.

I'm shallow,  I admit it.

I'm partial to books that take place

during the first half of the 20th

century.

And fantasy is my most favourite of

genres.  I've been reading fantasy ever

since I was a kid and discovered the

wonderful world of C.S. Lewis's 

Narnia series.   I've read that so many

times over the years I have lost count.

Patrick Rothfuss and his books

The Name of the Wind and it's

sequel  The Wise Man's Fear plus a 

novella called The Slow Regard of

Silent Things are amazing epic 

fantasy and are part of a series.

But two warnings for you.  Rothfuss

writes BIG books.  I'm talking 900 hundred

pages each.   Great character building (which

is very important to me)  a great sense of 

humour (also important) and a mesmerizing,

rich story.  And you should know that  Mr

Rothfuss is of the George R.R. Martin school

of writing.   He releases a book every four

or five (or more) years.   So patience is

required if you get hooked on him.

And then there's my favourite writer of historical

fiction.  Sharon Kay Penman.    This is the first

book in her trilogy about Henry II and his Queen

Eleanor.    Thorough historical research,  rich in

period detail, fascinating characters and a sense of 

humour make Ms Penman's books a delicious treat.

Okay, this is getting long ... which is par for the

course for me isn't it?    I'm off for some lunch and an 

afternoon of crafting/reading/journaling and whatever else.

Thanks for dropping by.  And for your warm welcome

back.

Take care!