new banner new doll

YES!

And here it is, that surprise I was anticipating . Such fun.  I hope you like the new banner as much as I do.  It was actually created months ago but I guess it was waiting for the right time to be born into this dimension.

  Maybe this strange painting doesn't look like it, but I'm in quite a celebratory mood and eager to try
                                                                         something new.

So along the same line, this little one came out.

And then, for a little variety, I tried some drybrush

 along with a watercolour wash for a lovely print quality I think.





All in all, it's been a satisfying day.

You may remember this little guy I first showed you in early June,

a linen Lavender Legs doll I made  in May.

                                              

And his sister, Lucille, who followed soon after.

Well, this Lavender Legs sweetie got her finishing touch, some eyelashes, this morning,

and she's ready for her debut.

A most gratifying day.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if every day could be like that.  And yet we have only to look in our hearts to find it waiting there, like a patient friend, the sweetest gift of all.

joy

                               

autumn is late afternoon

It's always later than I think;   I always hope to post sooner, but the clock keeps ticking.

 " the best laid plans of mice and men gang oft astray..."  and suddenly the leaves are off the trees!

I caught myself calling out  "No, no, no!" at one point as I ran for my camera to catch the leaves falling in great masses to the ground, as if they all agreed to " JUMP NOW".

As I compiled these following pictures from the mass I photographed, I thought about how the seasons seem to have their time of day.  For me, autumn is always about late afternoon.

 There's something about the light, the golden light...

And the irresistably pungent smell of fallen leaves. 

 Here the baby bracken rise again from the summer mown lawn.

Vermillion blackberry leaves against a bright carpet of moss.

It's not just a shot of red and yellow leaves but a million colours if you only stop and look.

Or maybe a billion!

It's the season that makes our vinyl Barbie doll box of a house look romantic and inviting.

How I already miss it.

And so, except for stacking some more firewood and raking leaves, I will be sequestered more and more indoors.  The reprieve from the rain and cold is over.  Ah , bittersweet autumn.

 I will show you a picture of the doll I have been working on and another surprise in my next entry.





Wishing you the sweetness without the bitter, and gratitude for a zillion blessings.

these precious fleeting days

These precious fleeting days.

Somehow the very small seems spectacular.

I hear the gurgling of water in the creek and an answer from pirouetting leaves as they touch the ground punctuated by little birds that rustle through the forage.

I find myself reminding those that miss the sun how rich the colours are without it.

And even imperfections are suddenly more beautiful.

Today a friend pointed to the crackled lacquer of the sky and we marvelled.

It's all marvelous, really.  All of it.

Keep an open heart.  It's the only way.

October the First

October the First

and still playing catch-up from September with a few more of my favourite memories:



I spent  a little time with this dear toad as I came in closer and closer to him.

We often find toads around our house.  Last year one continued to hop the length of our long deck and climb into a flower pot to wait out the heat of the day.  I would continually take him back to the cool garden where he would be much happier, funny little guy.

One of our giant maples

Another tapestry that is already waning in brilliance as this season brings its wind and rain, all too brief.

I actually like the soft edges of this woodland still life.  There are so many times my inexpertise works in serendipitous ways that I couldn't have done on purpose, making a watercolour effect in spite of my initial intention.  Don't you love it when life hands you something greater than you imagined for yourself?

Let's be open to more happy surprises!

september painting and tapestry

                                       

                                        A little painting blossomed out of this past weekend.

I took a one day workshop in acrylics at the Haliburton School of the Arts with Debra Jackson to get me started again as I have been away from acrylics, and more especially oils, for too many years.

The next day I visited local artists Wendy Moses, famous for her wildly coloured abstracted flower paintings in acrylic and Pat Fairhead, known for her traditional watercolour landscapes that are becoming more and more abstracted, as they displayed their work on our local artists' studio tour.  It was great to see these 2 wonderful artists in their environs;  very inspiring.

All good wishes to those of you who have neglected their joy for fear of getting started.

We must embrace our so-called mistakes as stepping stones to future rewards.

...................................................................................

It has been a difficult blogging week for many as Google sorts through their improvements that end up complicating things for those of us who were already struggling with this wonderful gift.  But I'm one of the lucky ones who has a "techy" in the family and...

So, a little late, a little out of order, I now offer you my pictures and thoughts once again.

These next shots were taken on September 19, a precious week of nature's beauty, bittersweet in its ephemeral way, every day a difference however subtle.

                                                                        
                                One last hurrah from the mushroom world;  this is the biggest one yet!



And I know this is insane that I should continue to feature mushrooms but I find myself in the midst of mushroom heaven and never knew it til I wandered, senses heightened, with the camera.

This crinolined beauty has fallen over and shown her exquisite secret.

Everywhere a tapestry

I'm drunk on the beauty

So, need I say that I'm happy to be back to this wonderful creative outlet.   I hope you are having a wonderful autumn.  Good-bye September.



bracebridge fall fair 2010

Yesterday was a glorious day for the Bracebridge Fall Fair.   I can hardly begin to tell you what joy I got from being there.  There are so many pictures I would show you but I have reduced them to a few favourites:

           Wally said I was like a little kid enjoying it all so much...

  I couldn't wipe the smile from my face.

First we saw the bunnies.

This little girl set the tone for the whole day rejoicing as I did.

She was so excited to see real bunnies that she clutched her own bunny to her with great glee.

The cows

 the pigs

 the goats

the geese

the fantail pigeon hiding behind his chest

Marcel, a 4 year old Percheron,  made shy with me.   I imagined I could see a knight riding him probably because I just finished reading the story of  " Tristan and Iseult ".  Percherons were, indeed,  knights' steeds because they could carry the weight of a knight in armour.

Magnificent Clydesdales nap leaning their heads into the trailer while their handlers take care of the details.

This little girl reminded me of my own love of horses throughout my childhood as she rode her magical steed.  See the delight in her face?

Is it my imagination or does every little girl love horses?

or not

And then there are the little boys who can make their fun with anything.

I loved it all

I love these exquisite potatoes

and these jolly little beets with their top hats

and this most amazing kohlrabi that Wally says looks like a tropical fish.

We couldn't have had a better time.

  Wally said this pioneer cabin is about the size of the one he built for himself.

  He gestures about  'here'  where he built his sleeping loft.  Oooh, I'm so jealous!

By contrast the midway was noisy and exciting with all the exotic smells of a carnival:

candy floss and deep fried doughnuts,

 poutine (the classic Canadian treat of french fries smothered in cheese curds and gravy...YUM!)

  and an old childhood favourite:

A crazy joyous day of  Fall Fair fun complete with a country/gospel band and juggling and  encounters with old friends and acquaintances and chats with grizzled farmers and a blacksmith whose accent could pass for Charlie Farquarson's ( the Parry Sound sage alter ego of comic Don Herron).  We saw tandem teams of draught horses striding in unison, and a mixed bag of horses and riders, experienced and not, racing around pails and back across the finish line.  I patted a docile bull and delighted in watching the geese drink by raising their heads to swallow.  I watched the sheep farmer spin wool and saw the firemen race each other up a spiral ladder.......   

                                                                             and so much more....

Of course, you probably had to be there.....

 I hope you got a vicarious taste of my lovely day.

All good wishes for magical days of your own.