sweet november

So, like I was saying, I was pretty busy last week, finally invested in drawing and painting.

The initial wash in India ink seemed drab,

 so I threw a wash of purply violet over it and that seemed just right.

 

 





Again, I wasn't satisfied with the first background, a yellowy ochre,

so I lay down a repetitive pattern in green and khaki

but still there was something missing til I washed the khaki over in blotchy pools,

daubing it up in places with a crumpled tissue. There, that worked.

 

More tomorrow.

 

A  sweet November to us all

 

 

 

 

 

Boo

I hope I didn't scare you ...

by actually posting a picture I actually made.

 

 

Wouldn't it be nice

if all our fears were little ones

like: what if I have to go to bed

before I finish this great

painting, book, movie, telephone conversation?

 

Or: will I ever be able

write, draw, sculpt, embroider,

build, paint, carve, design, create

all the masterpieces in me?

 

If Fear really is the opposite of Love,

let there be LOVE, LOVE, LOVE

in everything we do.

 

 



a mid October walk

So far so good. The wind and rain is benign and normal, so I expect whatever trouble from Hurricane Sandy has gone elsewhere.  My thoughts are with those who are dealing with it.   Balance will be restored in time.

On Sunday the 21st, the day after Wally headed back to Muskoka, I headed out for a much needed walk.  I'm one of those sorry types who'd rather read a book than go for a walk, so I took my trusty camera with me for added incentive, and oddly enough, companionship,  and sure enough...

This remarkable piece of modern art presented itself

 

With the first sewer grate in mind, I went looking for another.

 

 

Along the way, another opportunity presented itself with this lovely civic sculpture

 

 

And this jolly one too!

 

 

 Before long I was entranced by beauty everywhere

 

 

I knew this was a possibility but, Oh the surprises that awaited me.

Talk about stopping to smell the roses...

 

 

I did just that!

 

 

I was emboldened to step off the road to capture these exquisite treasures

 

 

Kentville is very hilly so that even my slow walk was good exercise.

 



 

I was surprised by all the photo "ops" like this delicious eye candy

 



 And even right in town I had a taste of my beloved Canadian wilderness...

 





 though I'm grateful the serendipitous street art too.

 

Always there is beauty around us if we would only see what lays in where we look.

 

Peace

 

 

Back to the Gaspereau Valley Fibre Shop

Just when I was on a roll, my dear techie left me to return to "the scene of the crime"- our storage unit in Muskoka where we left some of my most precious things: my art supplies and portfolios and sketchbooks of years gone past.

So to soften the blow of being on my own for a week, I dropped him at work one day before he left and headed back to the Gaspereau Valley Fibre Shop for their Thursday afternoon drop-in where I would get the guidance I needed to started the hat project that Wally chose for me.

 

Lucky for me, it was one of those quintessential autumn days when the valley was laid in patchwork.

 

 

The romance of working in this old barn was not lost on me.

 

 

 This wickedly handsome sock was modelled by the person for whom it was being made.

 

 

Another lovely piece of work modelled by its maker.

 

 



And another, who wears the intricately patterned cardigan that she knitted while she works on an amazing hat that is no less rife with pattern.

 

 

And finally, my humble first attempt at a hat, made from "kitchen sink" fibre from New Brunswick, which is so much fun to work with , having so much personality.

 

 

I realize that last time I suggested that there would be pictures of the sheep and llamas, but they were nowhere to be seen.  I expect that I will see them again one day and share pictures with you on that occasion.

 

There will be a series of catch-up posts coming up shortly which will show how happily productive I was while Wally was away. Til then,

 

may you find joy in every moment for it is a precious time indeed.

 



 

 

escape to the Gaspereau Valley

A good Tuesday morning to you from an even warmer but light rainy day here in Kentville. Glad to have taken advantage of yesterday's sunshine to hang 2 loads of washing in the blowy gusts, watering my 2 potted plants that needed the weight as well to keep them from blowing over.

 

As promised more of our splendid Saturday afternoon out.

After 3 recommendations, we made our way over to Gaspereau Valley Fibres Farm Wool Shop.

Three barns and a grey farmhouse set in the picturesque valley of vineyards and apple orchards.

 

 

 

The chickens so sleepy in the afternoon sun that they barely glance at me before nodding off again.

 

 

When we enterred the first old barn, the blanket of warmth from the wood stove wrapped us in

the same heat that put this mellow kitty to sleep in a basket of yarn. 

 

 

 

The old wooden floors and generous cupboards and large mullioned windows created a most welcoming atmosphere.

 

All around were samples of knitting and felting.

 

I find it astounding that someone could make something so intricate and ethereal.

 

I love workspaces, even this sales desk which constitutes one. Don't you love the funky clothespin notekeeper that hangs from the chalkboard? 

 

How quickly the time flew. The chickens were awake now. In the meadow the sheep and llamas were milling about, a touch too far for my camera to capture. But next time....

 

 

 a peaceful path to this moment

 

 

pumpkins and stitching

And hello once again from my new home in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia.
It was another jolly weekend, making our way over to Wolfville to the farmers market.  We certainly didn't need much of anything but my passion for supporting the organic farmers had me buying the last of the local green beans and tomatoes we'd be seeing as the edge of the frost veers closer. (Today, though, is a balmy 20 degrees C.)

 

Outside the building, despite the damp cold, this young man played a spiritual riff on the didgeridoo.

 



 

A pumpkin decorating contest was being held by the vendors. These are turkeys!

 

A union jack teapot with a funny yellow zucchini for a spout and hollowed out gourds for teacups.

 

 

I still haven't figured out what kind of creature this is supposed to be, but delightful all the same.

 

 

a jeweller did up this small gem

 

 

and just for fun, I got into the act too.

 

 

After the market we went over to the designer food market, called Pete's, the only place I can find one of my favourite staples, grapeseed oil.

 

 

It is a remarkable store, with wonderful exotics like persimmon and Indian jujube. While most of it is quite pricey for our meager budget, there is always some extra treat we walk out with. This time it was lychees and raw cocoa nibs. Yum!

 

 

 

Tomorrow I will share more pictures of our wonderful weekend, but for now I leave you with this little handstitched piece I did up in my new recylcled paper sketchbook that I am so enjoying.

 







 

Wishing you joy.

 

 



 

a day like no other

Finally... a day like any other....a day like no other...

 

at last