Happy New Year

We always spend a quiet evening at home...usually with family...have a lovely, long meal...usually fondue...and reflect on the past year. We have a file of our memories going back almost 20 years. Each person who brings in the New Year with us tells us their memories from the year...some good, some not so good...but things we want to remember.

Every New Year's Day, we put the file away. It doesn't come out until the next New Year's Eve, when we pick some years to review before we start recording our memories from the past year.

This year has had it's challenges...radiation treatments (me), shoulder surgery (me), 3 major knee surgeries (John) and months and months of physio (both of us)...but we both consider ourselves very lucky...and loved. Here's to a New Year!

Merry Christmas

However you celebrate the season....wishing you and your loved ones a safe and happy holiday.

Happy Birthday John

Happy Birthday John!

Another year flew by...I'm so thankful I get to spend them with you.

Happy b-day baba  by Miss M

And what does a lucky birthday boy get to do?

Play with his toy, of course!

Looks like we'll have a white Christmas after all.

Oh Christmas Tree

I made a little gift for myself a few weeks ago. Right after my shoulder surgery, I was longing to work on glass but my shoulder was too weak. So I painstakingly glued glass baubles on a window (using only one arm) to make a Christmas tree.

After a few additional weeks, my arm was strong enough to do some cutting so I added the background in reds, greens, and clear glass....just a small window to bring some cheer into the house on these dreary rainy days. Looks like this year won't be a white Christmas!

some of the glass looks like it has been etched with frost

light show

We kept our Christmas decorations very simple this year since we only have 3 good legs and 3 good arms in our household these days. One of the decorations is a very small tree outside lit with red lights. I had fun the other night with my camera in the dark...moving my camera in various ways as I pressed the shutter. Voila...modern art with Christmas lights!

the blue streak is a reflection of the blue light of our coffee maker on the window

foxy

G, DIL, and Miss M joined us for the weekend to celebrate John's upcoming birthday. This morning, DIL was an awesome nature spotter. It seemed every time she looked out our windows, she saw something special. First...the fox.

searching for a snack

I have often seen tracks on my afternoon walks, and thought they belonged to a fox (too small for a coyote). We watched while he buried his head in the grass, and leaped and jumped after prey.

look at the size of his tail!

I took some of these photos from inside the house, then threw on my jacket and ran outside with the tripod. I kept a safe distance (he wouldn't let me get close anyway)...these photos are cropped a huge amount.

DIL's second siting was a snowy owl....very rare for these parts. Unfortunately, he was further away and by the time I got outside and close enough, he was gone. Lucky, lucky me...that's all I could think...how lucky are we to live here?

Pa Rum Pa Pum Pum

I read about this teenager in today's paper...had to take a look...and thought I'd share it with you. He's 16, and lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada...fun!

amaryllis

I think of my parents every time I see an amaryllis. I remember having them in my childhood home every Christmas. Both my parents passed away many years ago, but I try to plant an amaryllis every year to remind me of them at Christmas time. This year I was really excited to find an "Orange Sovereign"...I love orange and don't remember ever seeing an orange amaryllis before. I still haven't...this one is definitely looks red to me!

just for fun

Just for fun...wouldn't it be great if we could all get along like this dog, cat & rat?

a walk on Hirtles Beach

near Lunenburg, on the Lighthouse Route

On Monday, while Riley was at the spa, Mulligan and I went for a drive. A quick stop was made to capture the above photo, then we headed to Kingsburg and went to Hirtles Beach. Ah, JOY! 

Mulligan

Because of the surgeries in our household, it has been a couple of months since I walked a beach. I can't explain how utterly happy I was. The only thing that would have made it better would be to have John and Riley there too.

But, John still has some healing to do before beach walking will be possible, and let's just say it wouldn't have been nearly as peaceful a walk if Riley was there!

I tried to film it so you could enjoy it too. This was my first attempt at using the video feature on my new little point and shoot camera. You'll have to suffer through a few seconds of wind noise, and then you'll be able to hear the waves.

Before & After

Riley's first hair cut. She doesn't look like a puppy anymore ! :(

calm

Some photos from my early morning jaunt with the dogs.

Calm.

Abstract In Yellows

Abstract In Yellows

I received a couple of commission orders for my "window art" in October, and I madly worked to try to get them completed before my shoulder surgery. I promised not to post photos of one of the windows until after Christmas, but I am free to post this photo because the woman who ordered it was so excited that she showed a photo of it to the person who's going to receive it at Christmas!

She wanted an abstract design in yellows, and a design that would look okay no matter which direction it was hung in. This window will be going in the garden...likely some kind of structure...and it hasn't been decided whether to hang it horizontally or vertically. I wanted to make an organic design, and hope that they hang it vertically...pictured here is how I would hang it.

I have torn feelings about commissioned work. On the one hand, I love getting a commissioned order. It makes me feel honoured that someone likes my windows enough that they'll give it as a gift (either to themselves or to someone they love). On the other hand, I feel a lot of self imposed pressure when I'm putting together a specific project. What if they don't like it? What if it's not their vision? I put myself through a lot of anguish that doesn't happen when I just create my own design and then send it off to a store to try to sell. Just like everything in life, it's best to have a good balance!

Coming in the next few weeks: my most challenging commission yet!

changing perspective

I was given this orchid in August by DIL, and have been trying now and then to get a good photo of it. The other day, the sun was streaming through the kitchen window and threw a spotlight on the orchid. I grabbed my camera and took a couple of photos.

I used a shallow depth of field to put the background out of focus, but decided that the background didn't do any favours to the orchid. So I moved the orchid to our kitchen island and tried a couple more photos.

Then I decided that I didn't like the mix of light and shadows in the background so I left the orchid where it was, but I bent down slightly and tilted the camera so that the whole background was in shadow.

I was quite happy with the final result. Sometimes a little change in perspective is all we need!