Good day and welcome to the bi-annual blog post

for 2017.

I know, I know .... I'm a bad blogger.   I seem to be

going at this in fits and starts, don't I?    Blame it on

retirement and being constantly tempted and 

distracted by my many, many interests and passions.

Or you can just say that I'm fickle and leave it at that.

But GOOD NEWS!!! 

I've been stitching again!!   And .... I have a finish!

I know .... amazing, eh?

Here we have Pretty Little Toronto by Satsuma Street.

I got a huge chunk of this piece done last year and then

somehow got sidetracked (stop me if you've heard this

one before) and left it.   All I needed to do was the final 

tree and bush, the top of the CN tower and the clouds

which wasn't much at all .... in the grand scheme of things.

But I left it ... and stitching in general ... until two weeks

ago when I picked it up on a whim and finished it!

I love this one and really did enjoy stitching it.  I love

bright, vibrant colours and boy do these designs have

colour in abundance.  

And since I was back in stitching mode I just had to

pick out another project to start and so I began working

on Jardin Prive's Sampler Aux Bouquet .... well,

one section of it anyways.   I've always loved this

design and decided that it was time I got cracking on

it.

Hmmm.   Keep forgetting to put a beak on that blue

peacock motif.    Poor guy looks like he sneezed it off

or something!

And that's the extent of my cross stitching life.   The rest 

of this post will cover life in general.   If you bore easily

feel free to move on.

In February it was time once again for our annual Girls

Weekend in Toronto.   Friday morning until Sunday

afternoon spent with my friend Darlene down in the big

city seeing the sights and eating ... um .... and exploring

the cultural diversity of the downtown core.

One of our first stops was a cat cafe that had opened in

Toronto about a year ago.   Like other cafes of this

type that have sprung up around the world (beginning 

with the very first one in Taiwan and spreading to Japan 

where there are about 50 such establishments ) it featured 

a room separated from the main cafe with adoptable cats of 

all kinds there to be petted and fussed over while you drink 

your coffee or hot chocolate.

   

There were about a dozen cats lounging around the

space and we spent about half an hour indulging

ourselves with their company.   We were given 

kibble to entice them to us and show that we were

come in friendship.   All of these cats were strays

found living on the streets and many were still 

weary of strangers and unsure of their new 

surroundings.

The cafe has been able to see a good number of

their cats adopted since they opened which is 

good to know.

Another stop during our first day was Allen Gardens.

We go there every year to enjoy a break from the cold

and the snow and the bleakness of winter.

Wandering through the connected greenhouses,

drinking in the colours and the warmth and the

sounds of trickling water.

And the turtles!   Mustn't forget the turtles!

(see bottom of above photo)

The show that we went to see this year was Stomp!

Darlene had seen a production of this show a number

of years ago and had really enjoyed it so she got us

tickets to see it during our weekend.

It was an amazing show.  Very clever.   Who knew you 

could produce music from such innocuous items as 

barrels, knives, plastic bags, chop sticks and the kitchen

sink?

A physically demanding show (as you can see from the

picture above) that also featured slapstick humour .... not

surprisingly.

We were very impressed and were blown away by the 

performer's talent ... and stamina!

Weather report for the winter of 2016 to 2017:

Erratic!!

There were times when it felt like early Spring ....

in January .... and other times when ... well ..... we

almost had a white Christmas.   Two weeks before

Christmas we had two dumps of snow that seemed

to all but guarantee us the type of Christmas that

would have caused Bing Crosby to burst into song!

But alas, it rained like the dickens a week before

the holidays so all we ended up with was a soggy, grey 

Christmas!

HoHoHo!!!    Bah!!!!

And now, before I sign off ....

January did not start the year off well for us.  We had

to make the decision that all pet owners dread and say

goodbye to our dear, beloved beautiful boy Rupert.

We were and are devastated!

He was with us for around 14 years and we adored

every minute of it .... even when he broke things,

picked on Phoebe and hogged the bed.  He was a

tremendous character who made friends with everyone

and never met a food type that he didn't like.

We miss him every minute of every day.

Thanks for visiting.  Hopefully I'll be around with

stitching updates again before the end of the year.

Cheers!

Hello to all who may still be checking my blog

for signs of life on occasion.   It's been a while 

since I last posted and I have no excuse except

perhaps laziness.

And it does seem that blogging is becoming 

something of a fading fad ... albeit a fad that

lasted for roughly 10 years or so.

So many bloggers have stopped posting or

have gone to private settings or have moved

to vlogging on Youtube instead.   Not to 

mention other forms of social media that I

may not be familiar with, dinosaur that I am

when it comes to things techie.

When it comes to Youtube I follow:  booktubers,

flosstubers, journal-tubers, art-tubers etc.  There

are "tubers" for every interest it seems.

(Hmmm .... wonder if there are such things as cat-

tubers???  Probably.  But I digress .... ).

Confession:  If a vlog post lasts longer then 20

minutes I don't bother.   I can happily read a blog 

post as long as your arm but when it comes to the

newer fad of vlogging I usually get bored sooner

rather then later.

With the exception of a few vloggers that is.

(Hello Vonna!!)

I have been tempted to try my own hand at vlogging

though it would more likely be of the booktube 

variety rather then flosstubing.

But when it comes to vlogging there's something that

you need there that you don't need when blogging.

Blogging you should to be able to compose your

words into pleasant, interesting sentences.   You don't

even need to know how to spell as long as you have

spellcheck.   Thought I suppose having a grasp of the

sometimes discombobulating theories of grammar

might come in handy as well.

I don't worry about that sort of thing too much myself.

Obviously!

Ahem!

But there is something more you need when vlogging.

Personality.   Enthusiasm.   Charisma.    Stage presence.    

You can't just drone on, and on, and on .... not if 

you want to attract viewers and keep them as 

subscribers/followers.

I don't know that I'd have that ... whatever it is.

It's easier for me to express in writing what I

want to say.   Well, usually.    And I would be

so self conscious on a vlog.   Does this camera

make me look fat?  Is my hair on straight?   Are

my eyebrows even?    What's that on my chin?

And then there's the lighting, camera, setting,

props, editing.   OMG!!!!

No, I'll stick to blogging.  Sporadic posts 

not withstanding it's more my thing.   

An important reason that I wanted to post today is a 

wonderful package that I received in the mail 

yesterday from Andrea at The Craftroom.

Talented stitcher,  amazing finisher and long time

blogging friend ... and a more generous soul you'd

be hard pressed to find anywhere.

Andrea gives away a number of her Christmas

ornaments every year to lucky followers of her

blog and has done so for many years.   I won one

of her ornaments way back in 2009 and it's a

cherished possession let me tell you.

This year Andrea sent me this beautiful ornament

along with the other treasures that you can see in

the previous pictures.   It's freaking gorgeous!!!

I am stunned.  I am speechless (well, I was when

I opened the package .... trust me).   It may be one of

the nicest memories that I'll have of this Christmas

season.

Thank you Andrea.  Just ... ah .... thank you!

Other pastimes of note.   Journalling.  The days of 

writing in a little pink diary with a tiny lock and key

have evolved, as have so many other creative pursuits,

into so much more.

Not just writing but also adding photos,  magazine pictures,

ephemera from daily activities,  clip art and on an on.

Being a visual person it appeals to me a lot.   I have kept

written journals in the past but these "visual" journals please

me even more.

Part written journal,  part photo album,  part art journal,

part place to keep favourite images from magazines

like Victoria that I can't allow myself to hoard,  much as

I might want to.

And for someone with a short and often faulty memory

it's a great way to remember.

And I am using up a lot of those craft supplies that are

taking up space in my craft room.

Win, win.

Reading.  

Here are a few of the books that I have been

reading this Fall.

Ann Bishop's "Others" series.   I've been 

collecting these books for awhile but just 

picked up the first one in October to read.

Tore through all four in no time flat.  

Fantasy,  strong characters, good story lines

that evolve through each book.   Humor.  

Book five comes out in the new year.

I'm not at all religious but I do enjoy the

Mitford books.   I own and have read them all.   

This is a nice ... wouldn't it be great if the world

and the way religion was practised was

really like this ... series of stories.  Heart

warming, comfort reading.   

Also great character building, humor and

story weaving.

English humor.   Great characters.  Perhaps a bit of a 

satire?  Or a commentary on a way of life? Gentle

love story between two diverse characters ....

one set in his own ways and not inclined to

see any other way of living or thinking.

Oh, and the love story is between two people

who are, shall we say, of a more mature age?

Nice change from the 20 to 30 year olds we

usually see in books falling in love.

Wow!!   Loved this one.   A bit of a history story,  a bit of

a love story,  a bit of a time travel story.   Could not put it

down!!

Another historical novel,  based on true events.  Did you

ever read or hear about the apartment in a Paris building

opened for the first time 70 years after it's doors were locked

at the beginning of the second world war????

The author creates a history and a backstory about what might 

have been behind this fascinating event and the people 

who might have lived there.  How the contents of the apartment 

might have related to those people.  Why it was abandoned.

Very good read.

And finally ....

My latest obsession.

I got Netflix in November.    Started watching a few 

programs and movies.   Picked out the first episode of

Downton Abbey remembering all of the hype about it 

from a few years ago.   Started watching it.   Ohhh myyy!!

I'm doomed!!!

Crushing on Matthew and Mr Bates and Tom.

And the reason that I got Netflix in the first place.

The Crown. 

Devoured it!!  

Tried to space it out.   Watch one a night or every other

night.   Just to make it last.

Yeah,  that didn't work.

Soooo,  when's the next season coming????

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

And that's about all from me for this time around.  If you've

read this far I congratulate you.   And thank you.

Have a great day!

Cheers!

I have a story to tell you.  It is the story of a cross stitcher

and it demonstrates how much the love of a hobby can

draw people ... often complete strangers ... together to

create joy and happiness.                                       

I have a dear friend named Mary who works as a 

secretary for Knox Presbyterian Church here in 

Georgetown.   Often I pop into her office at the

church to say "hi", catch up on news and so forth.

A while ago, when I popped in for a short visit she showed

me a lovely little round cross stitch ornament that a lady

who sometimes goes to her church had made for her.  It

was a cardinal in the boughs of a tree and had been neatly

finished into a round ornament which Mary kept on her

desk to enjoy.

Knowing that I was a stitcher Mary showed it to me and

I expressed my delight with it.   How sweet the design,

how well stitched it was and how nicely it was finished.

Whenever I was in her office after that I would see the

piece and enjoy looking at it ... as one does when seeing

another stitcher's work.

Well,  in July I once again stopped in to see Mary and 

when she saw me she smiled broadly and said that she 

had something for me and she handed me a small

tissue wrapped item.   Curious I carefully opened the

tissue and revealed this .....  

Apparently Mary had told the lady about me and how much

I'd admired her stitching and then told her that I was a 

stitcher too and a few weeks later the lady had brought

this in for me .... even though we'd never met!!   Can you

imagine?

I cried!  Yes, I did.   I was so moved and awed by the

lovely, generous thoughtfulness of someone I'd never met

who would take the time to make me something so

personal just for me.   Mary had also told her that I loved

cats and that my first cat had been a grey one which is how

she choose to stitch this particular design.

So now this sweet ornament has a home in my craft room

where I admire it every day and it reminds me of how 

wonderful cross stitchers (and people) can be.   

And speaking of the spirit of giving .....

We celebrated Christmas last weekend!!!

Hang on now .... don't get excited.   We haven't lost our

minds up here just yet!    It's just something that we've

been doing for quite some time now in early August.

We have a party ... a Christmas in August party .... and

invite as many of our friends as we can.

Here's Phil all enthusiastic and excited before the start

of the party.   He is wearing a t-shirt that had been a 

Christmas gift from friends of ours last year.

If you blow up the picture you'll see that the picture on

the shirt is of Phil singing in the Children's Christmas 

Pageant two years ago.  (they'd apparently needed someone

to play the role of an "old man" in the story - hehehe)

And the caption reads:   A Star Is Born

Me on the right and my dear friend Darlene on the left

just before things got busy ... and note Santa Claus

on my left.   Hohoho!!!

We decorate with some of our favourite Christmas 

decorations and put Christmas lights up around the

back deck.   I spent two days baking and cooking

and our friends all brought their own favourite pot

luck foods as well so we always eat (stuff ourselves

actually) very well.

A picture of our yard taken from our deck which

Googlephoto then randomly chose to turned into this 

lovely picture.

Close up of the flowers that we bought for the tables.

Love Gerbera daisies!

We lucked out on the day of the party because the 

horrendous heat that we've been having took a 

break that day and we just had normal tolerably

warm weather that allowed us to be outside all

day without worrying about anyone passing out

from the excessive heat.

The past month has not been a good stitching

month for me.   I guess that I needed a break.

Instead I was bitten by the doodling bug again

and have been working in my sketch book

filling the pages with floral patterns.

And a bit of Zentangling as well.

I haul all my markers and pencil crayons and

other drawing "stuff" out to the back deck and

sit there all day .... unless it gets too hot like it

is today.

More.

And the rest.

We went to Stratford on July 13th which is something that

we try to do at least once a year.   We love it there because

it is such a lovely town, with neighbourhoods full of old

homes, beautiful gardens, a fabulous downtown area for

shopping,  a peaceful river to picnic by and ... of course 

... the plays and musicals that are performed there every

year.

Above is the Festival Theatre where we saw A Chorus

Line this year.  It's the main theatre where most of the

Shakespearean plays are performed and it was the first

theatre built in the town.   There are many more now.

One of the lovely, gracious old homes ... many of which have

been turned into B&B's.  

Frustratingly the day we went was an absolute scorcher!

It was literally too hot to do much of anything because

to move was to sweat and to suffer.   We tried a bit of

walking but even on the tree shaded streets it was 

unbearable and left us feeling sick and light headed.

So we found a bench beneath a tree by the river Avon

and we parked ourselves there until it was time for dinner.

Then went back there after dinner to sit some more until

it was time for the 8:00 pm show.

We got home that night around 11:40 (Stratford is an

hour and a half drive from here) and about 20 minutes

later a tremendous thunderstorm roared through so our

timing was perfect.   I love a good thunderstorm but not

while out driving in the dark of night on unfamiliar

roads.

Not much reading going on either last month.

I did read the above fantasy and I am now 

reading it's sequel Froi of the Exiles and then

there is the third book to be read Quintana of

Charyn.

And that's about it from me.  C

End of June ...

Greetings blog friends ....

I've been neglecting my blog as I have been outside 

enjoying the beautiful summer that we've been having

since the middle of May.   Hot and sunny and little in 

the way of rain ... though we do need it desperately.   The

garden is parched and watering with the garden hose is

a poor substitute for actual rain from the sky.

I do stitch while I'm out on the deck, so long as the

wind isn't blowing up a gale that threatens to sweep

my threads off to somewhere over the rainbow.   I've

been concentrating on Pretty Little Toronto and making

fairly good progress on it.    So, top left is Casa Loma,

the middle part is St James Cathedral,  next to that is the

slim column which is the base of the C.N. Tower  (40

years old this week) but it needs the restaurant/observation

platform to be stitched on top, and to the right of the C.N.

tower is the St. Lawrence Market.   Oh, and a wee bit

of Toronto's city hall just over top of that.

I'm getting the itch to stitch a new project .... we'll see

if I stand firm with my current WIP or if I'll succumb

to temptation and start rummaging in my stash cup-

board.   Stay tuned .... 

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

Road trip.    A day spent visiting friends up near Lake

Simcoe which is an hour and a half drive from here 

and a glorious day it was.   Phil and I went up early 

so that we could spend time on the beach and have a 

picnic lunch before heading to the home of our

friends.

We found a park near the water,   parked our car in the 

lot there (and paid half a years salary for the privilege)

then found a nice tree and spread our picnic blanket in it's

shade.   It was a hot day, the shade was welcome.   We 

ate our sandwiches and then I left Phil snoozing on the

blanket and wandered along the lakeshore until I found

a quiet place and a nice rock out in the water where I 

could sit and dangle my feet in the water.  It was bliss!

Clear, cool water over a pebble and stone surface.

I sat there for over half an hour, watching the boaters

going by,  a muskrat or mink fishing in the water,  and

ignored the hopeful seagull that settled nearby in hopes

that I might have food to share.

I love being by the water.   It's restful and stimulating

at the same time.   Watching the waves is both mesmerizing

and hypnotic. 

I found it so very hard to tear myself away when it came

time for us to pack up our gear and head to our friend's

home.

Close by our friend's home was a quilting store and this

beauty was hanging out front on display.   Isn't it 

gorgeous?

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

Our front garden is looking pretty good even though it

gets the full sun all afternoon without any shade or

respite from the unrelenting heat.   The Peonies made

a nice display during the short time that they were at

their peak ... and then they dropped all their petals in

the garden and made a horrible mess.   Oh well.   That's

gardening for you.

One of my favourite flowers is Lantana.   These pretty,

colourful flowers last quite awhile and they come in

such wonderful, bright colours.  These are in one of the

pots on our deck.

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

Yesterday was the Georgetown Horticultural Society's

garden tour.   So Phil and I headed out and visited all

but one of the private gardens that were open for a few

hours to visitors to raise money for the Society.

Some of the gardens were in town and some were properties

in the country.   I guess that we spent about three hours 

wandering through each place and we got some great ideas

and tips for our own modest garden.

Unfortunately it was a terribly hot day and even

with a bottle of water to hydrate ourselves (which

soon became hot enough to make ourselves a cup

of tea with, unfortunately)  and hats on our heads to 

keep the sun off it was often very uncomfortable and 

draining as we walked.

Out in the countryside the temperature was a bit

lower and there was a breeze to help cool us off.

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

I've been reading .... lots!!!   As a matter of

fact I've been devouring books like there's no

tomorrow.    

The Imposter Bride takes place in Montreal in

the 1950's with flashbacks to the second world

war.   

The Raven Boys saga is Young Adult fantasy with a 

touch of ... um .... I don't want to say horror because

that is too strong a term I think .... but they are a bit

dark.   Loved them.

These two books are by one of the most popular

Young Adult authors around.   But they are

definitely not Young Adult stories because the

characters are quite ... er ... sexually active.

Book one was good but book two was fabulous!!!

I could not put it down!!!

Perhaps it's obvious that these are also 

fantasy stories .... and there will be another

in this series ... and the wait is going to be

agony!!

And finally, for those of you who might be like me and

adore a good vampire romance novel or two ... you know

who you are .... this series I bought on Kindle and could

not put down until I had read all four of them.   Great

stories,  lots of interesting history and a new take on the

vampire genre.   

I don't go into plot synopsis when I list my reads because

I figure you guys can easily check that out if you're 

interested.   Just know that for me I love a story with

strong characters ... which includes the secondary characters

.... a really good myth building or history relating tale ... and

snappy, crisp and lively banter in the dialogue is a definite plus.

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

Rupert wanted to join us whenever we headed out on one

of our adventures but sadly we could not oblige him.

Thanks for stopping by.   Hope your summer is a 

good one so far.

Happy stitching,  happy gardening and happy reading!