We broke another heat record yesterday with the temperature reaching 45.8C / 114 F. Worse, a forest fire broke out just northwest of our city that is now 180 hectares and burning out of control. It’s hard to believe it’s only June. So, of course, it’ll be another mostly indoor day. I’m planning on hunkering
I finally get some time to play with paint and create a first wash for the latest project. Today, I’ll introduce the main subjects into the work. Depending on how it turns out, I might go a step farther and craft something for our home. Either way, it feels good to let creativity flow. My
I have three large flower pots near the front door with dark purple, black, and white petunias and potato vine; two in the back yard and one on the deck with geraniums and pansies; a hanging basket filled with a variety of multi-coloured blooms on the upper deck; two rectangular planters with sweet peas already
The day starts out gray, which is perfect because I’m planning to write and there’s no siren call of the outdoors to distract me. I decide to work in the den, and settle the dogs first—which turns out to be a challenge because the littlest one, Murphy, wants to claim the spot on my lap
The heat mat and lights are tucked away for another year. There are no more plants left in my laundry room. No more toting them outside in the morning and bringing them in at night. Everything’s planted and gardening season is in full swing. We’re anticipating a hot, summer- like weekend (woo hoo!), the second one without
Some unexpectedly busy days over the past week or so, now I’m hungry for quiet time. Not yet. Not just yet. But soon. Pockets of time carved out leave me grateful for quiet moments, but needing deeper pockets in which to roll around. I practice appreciating what is rather than what could be. My backyard
Recently, I enrolled in the Jean Haines online art school to learn about painting atmospheric (and other) forms of watercolour. I’ve had great fun in recent weeks painting and practicing and painting and practicing and have created a lot of trash-bin-worthy pieces, and a reasonable number of pieces I’m pleased with. Every minute I spend
It feels like Friday, but it’s Wednesday (I almost said Tuesday. That’s how out of sync I feel.) I finished reading another good book last night (Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris) and now I’m on the prowl for my next read.) The more I stay at home, the less desire I have to go out.
I want to spend an hour or so, virtually, in the company of women, playing with watercolour and conversing, but I have things on the go and a little dog who demands my attention so I steal delicious snippets in which I can be present. It has to be enough. I work on a painting where
Some weeks drag, others seem to pass by in the blink of a eye. This was one of the latter. (On that note, we seem to be moving through February at an equally swift pace. Strange, for a short month that usually seems so long.) Anyway, it’s time for Friday’s Fave Five—an opportunity to look
That I am optimistic enough to attempt to pull together a post for Friday’s Fave Five this week is a statement in and of itself about the lifting of the metaphoric fog I’ve stumbled around in for months. As Martha would say, “It’s a good thing.” So here we go. A pedi. For years, going