Saw some Spotted Towhees, Juncos (male and female) Bushtits, Robins, Anna Hummingbirds, Fox Sparrows, House Sparrows .. European Starlings, Seagulls etc in our yards recently .. so very happy to see them.
Placed more suet and bird seed around the yard.
Happiness,
Tranquility.
Their amazing beauty and activities are humbly appreciated.
🙂
And .. I just wanted to share some blue skies with everyone ….
Monday, December 24, 2012
A few days ago … I decided it was time to go shopping downtown .. time for a quick coffee visit with a friend and also to visit the Mediterranean shop on Pandora. Hadn’t been there for quite a few years .. how time flies and all that.
On the way there … I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to look up at the beautiful sunny skies and snap some photos. Interesting clouds.
The white fluffy clouds tumbled and twirled .. changing shapes smoothly and quickly. Always beautiful, though.
Lucky to find a parking space not far from the shop … looking forward to visiting it again. My pal J and I used to visit this lovely treasure at lunch-time, years ago. Bought the most delicious middle-eastern foods for lunch. Spices. Tea. All sorts of lovely things. Same proprietor … working from 7 am till 10 at night … rent is high in this district. I understand that he sells the free-range eggs for the same price that he pays for them .. so no profit from them. I bought 2 dozen (delicious) eggs and a supply of foods for the pantry.
Among my purchases was this delicious tea .. .. loose leaf, the best.
Next .. I went to Penelope’s (sorry, no pic) to meet with J for a quick cup of tea. We both have places to go, people to see .. but important to fit in a quick visit. Lovely cafe … we enjoyed large cups of English Breakfast Tea .. and the lovely counter-guy brought us a little pitcher of milk to our table (we’d forgotten that!) …. he was so very thoughtful.
Afterwards, I drove down to the shopping area by the water .. looking forward to visiting some stores there. Spent some time looking at the lovely old brick buildings still intact. Below is one building used for Hydro … I’ll bet the offices there are funky!
Another fine old building … didn’t notice the business name ..just admired the beauty.
And … the skies were still amazing ….
Rustic .. and protected by fencing …
Window coverings, serving as security for the building and decorative ironwork .. liking that.
For just a brief moment, as I walked along ….I stopped for a few seconds .. there was no traffic noise, sun warming the street .. I felt transported back to my hometown of my younger days, a little place with lots of brick buildings, no crowds .. it was a nostalgic moment and I savoured it
Always love this mural painted on the back of a building which faces the parking lot of Capital Iron … doesn’t it seem as if the young cub is looking right at you?
I think these are passion flowers gone to seed .. the birds were happily feasting away on the seed-heads .. cheerful sounds ..
Ahhhhh …..
Lovely old windows, warm butter-hued paint against the rustic brick …
Stopped to admire the beauty of this delivery bike .. and chatted with the owner. She and her DH worked hard to keep this sprout business going. She bikes from the nearby Fernwood neighbourhood (about 15 minutes away) and delivers the fresh organic product to homes and businesses.
Heading back to my car .. I noticed several pairs of pigeons, nestled on the overhead wires, soaking up the warm rays of the sun.
Oh, and one more thing .. after seeing this tree at Capital Iron .. for over a month now … every time I go shopping there .. and thinking and dreaming about this tree .. I finally broke down and bought it! It is a weeping pussy willow tree. Pendula Salix caprea. And it was half price. How could I possibly resist. After paying for it (and another red flowering currant .. flowers for the hummingbirds in the spring) .. I spent about 10 minutes fitting it into my car. All efforts were worth it though! Here it is in the back yard. I’ll pot it up into a bigger container .. as it will be planted in our next place! Happy am I.
Blue skies .. birdies flying around .. more plants for the garden .. and visiting with friends …treasures indeed! 🙂
Friday, December 21, 2012
Yesterday the sun came out to play and so I spent some time looking upwards, taking lots of photos of the lovely blue skies ….
All of the clouds were so pretty …
So very delicate looking .. and wispy … dreamy …
And I want to share my lovely new shopping bags .. here is a great one, from the SPCA …Love … the warm nose of a dog … how much love they add to our lives … immeasurable. I miss not having my four-legged furry friends .. of the dog persuasion .. . but perhaps in a year or so we can add some to our family … wonder how the cats will like that! Although JaneE is well used to dogs .. Duncan is another kettle of fish!
And here is my la la la bag .. turns out I could see a Perrier Convention at the top. So I count myself lucky anyway at this new find, thanks to my Pal D who located it in the shop! Perfect for transporting containers of soaps!
And here is a supply of Turkish Towell and some facecloth, which D & I gathered up a few days ago .. nicely drying in a woven basket.
And speaking of la la la, fancy things … here is a beautiful little beaded bag & lipstick holder. Since I’m not a fancy-schmancy kind of person .. I will use this bag for soap labels, that sort of thing. However, the lipstick holder … I fully intend to place a lipstick in there!
And this lovely woven item .. is perfect for carrying just essentials when I’m going for a walk!
And … another treasure! Teletubby napkins .. how fun!
I found this magnificent tiny woven basket with a lid in one of my “goodie” bags ….the handwork is very fine.
And I’ve decided to use this basket all year round. Right now it is storing the dried seeds from my organic squash. The one squash that grew and made it to maturity. Rainy weather equalled a very poor crop. So this spring I will plant more! Bright orange flesh, makes the most delicious soup!
Another colourful decoration for the tree . 
As soon as I saw this dish .. I knew that I had to have this treasure .. so very lively ..
And Santa .. Santa .. Santa .. what a happy set of figures
Sparkly … each one is different .. and they are brand new .. and just the type of fancy decorations that I love …
Oh, isn’t he a treasure! D and I wondered what was wrong with his right eye … when we moved his little eyeglasses upwards .. we saw that he was winking! He looks like he belongs it the claymation movie “The Light Before Christmas” .. what a love he is.
This little snowman is the most dapper and happiest version I have ever seen … what a charmer .. how sweet.
Sweet little mouse .. a tailor, I believe .
Oh, how very darling .. I love miniatures …. 
And .. more and more … sky pictures
Lovely .. aren’t they ….
.. another .. lovely .. lovely … day ….
Thursday, December 20, 2012
D and I chose yesterday as the “day in the week” for our weekly adventuring. The weather was predicted to be dry and perhaps a little sunny. So we weren’t totally surprised to see the pouring rains.
Due to the proximity of the mountains in this part of the world, the weather predictions just aren’t always reliable ..but we are used to that. This time of the year, it’s normal to carry an umbrella and sunglasses, to cover all bases.
We pondered over whether we should travel today or not .. and decided to continue …. the rains would probably stop at some point.
As we drove to our first destination .. amidst the steady, downpour of rain, windshield wipers efficiently working away to keep the glass nice and clear for good visibility… we chatted about this and that .. commenting on the weather .. and why the heck there was a steady line of traffic heading towards Victoria and away from Sooke. Normally, early mid-morning, traffic is very light. Hmmm .. perhaps dwellers of Sooke were travelling to the big city for Christmas shopping and we were going there ….
So .. our agenda consisted of shopping .. to the delightful Lighthouse Bakery in Langford … I bought the most delicious assortment of cake squares .. a lovely mix of Nanaimo Bars, Langford Bars and some lemon square. Delicious and such reasonable prices, I couldn’t make them for the price they charge.
Finally .. champing at the bit .. we head to our first thrift store. We always enter the store, firmly deciding that we would make no purchases and soon we are carrying little shopping baskets … filling them up as we go. Not just any purchases, but genuine treasures. Delicate little ornaments to add to the tree (I’ll show pictures tomorrow!!!)
There seems to be a trend of items from the 60’s available now .. and so we have lots to choose from. Including delightful Christmas wrapping paper from that era. I did pick up a package .. but will I use it or save it? I think that first I will take a photo, to preserve the look .. and then .. I will use the paper. It’s been saved long enough .. time to get out there and let everyone admire the beauty.
Then on to Glenwood Meats … local product .. support the Island businesses, we say.
A few more shops .. more treasures found. Lovely glasses. A Dr. Oekter’s flan tart pan (only $3.50 and half price at that ) brand new!! I plan to make some shortbread, using some delicious vanilla brandy that D prepared, generously giving me some (glad she told me it was for baking, I’d been looking forward to having a sip of this mixture!)
What else did we find ? Oh, the most absolutely wonderful capacious travel bag .. brand new … with “mots en francais, partout” .. .I’ll take a picture of that and will share tomorrow. As I’ve said before, D has a special talent for unearthing the most amazing treasures when we go shopping. This bag had been sort of hidden away and she unearthed it! Could it be any more perfect for transporting my soaps .. in a grand and stylish way!
Oh, we gathered such wonderful treats. And I found an unusual SPCA zipped bag .. just had to get that and I’ll share that tomorrow also.
Time for a wee break … once all of our shopping was done .. and away to our favourite bakery for a little bit of soup and a beverage .. the Little Vienna Bakery!!!
See the lovely festive Christmas decorations decorating the mantle of the sideboard at Little Vienna Bakery .. yesterday …
And dainty little blue globes adorned the branches lovingly arranged in the container nearby
I wonder …. if I were, perhaps, a little taller .. would I have been tempted to see if I could tastefully remove this delicious cookie for a taste test?
A close up of one of the sparkly decorations in the window …
Finally … time to visit the beach to gather up some of the lovely chopped seaweed .. for the garden. Sun would be setting fairly soon .. so we had a timeline. And together we gathered up quite a bit in a very short time. Yea … my garden is going to be so happy and healthy.
And .. guess what!!! The rains had stopped pouring down by this time .. we were so lucky!! Our timing was right on! Yea!!!
The tide was coming in so we had to work fast.
The sounds of the waves got louder and louder and we swiftly glanced at the incoming waves as we scooped up the seaweed potpourri ..
Some ducks flew by overhead and I quickly snapped a picture .. can you see them .. among the branches?
The tide was swiftly coming in .. as each wave cascaded onto the beach ..swiftly encroaching on the bounty of seaweed .. reclaiming it again to the depths of the ocean …
Oh, the massive amounts of seaweed lying there on the beach .. quite an impressive sight .. so close, and yet so far .. with the waves washing in … no way was I going to brave the power of the ocean .. tempting as it was ..
And then .. along comes someone who savours the power of the waves … as a sort of open highway for his board ..
D and I watched as he carefully placed his board on the water, getting ready for his ride upon the waves …
And soon he was paddling away .. nice way to end the work day, what!
And we on shore looked down at the quickly disappearing beach .. adieu … until another day ..
Driving home, tired and happy .. we discussed our purchases and couldn’t recall exactly all of the things that we chose .. so that just adds to the surprise later. Like a practice Christmas morning!
The car smelled deliciously of the ocean …. as we had quite a few netted bags of chopped seaweed in the back of the car. Spread over top of these were our new purchases .. here and there!
So .. D back home to prepare supper for her family .. and I made my way home … DH is working so I can quickly unload the seaweed to the back yard and transport my treasures to the kitchen for a quick scrub and dry .. before putting them all away.
I’ll show him what I’ve brought home … later …. he is quite appreciative of my frugal purchases. And, if I don’t show him all of the things .. well .. ummm … some are supplies for my soap making .. so I’m quite sure he wouldn’t be interested in those things, right now, anyway.
I know that I need to be decluttering like crazy .. but for now .. in this time before Christmas … I will just accumulate just a few more things. I can always pass them along, can’t I?
And the fun that D and I have on our shopping trips is just priceless. We both appreciate the quality of items from times gone by. Not for the monetary value but always for the beauty, the care taken of the objects by their former owners. And we both respect the value of that energy. And pass it along.
The items that we purchase are things that were actually made by people who cared .. therein lies the beauty.
🙂
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Yesterday a friend and I met for lunch .. something we’d been planning to do for well over a year and the time had arrived! We met at the Beach House (formerly McMorrans) and what a beautiful place this is! So we enjoyed a delicious lunch, admired the magnificent view and 3 hours later .. time to go! Amazing how time disappeared once we started catching up on what is happening and also discussed creative subjects like “soap”! We went through several pots of tea …
I’m so excited about my rekindling interest in soap creations .. so many facets to rediscover. So many paths to wander down .. feels great to be so energized in this creative world.
Anyway, we quite enjoyed the view which included watching seagulls play at riding the waves as they cascaded onto the beach. Crows strutting around, looking for treasures. Well loved dogs walking and running along the sandy surface …
Then .. time to continue on with the day. The skies were overcast .. but the clouds did disperse for a time .. showing off the rich blue hue and fluffy white clouds .. so, since I had my camera along with me, I quickly took some photos!
Purchased a few supplies of organic vegetables and then headed for home .. time to make soup.
The time had arrived for me to finally use the lovely single squash harvested from the garden. Organic, of course .. so I saved the seeds from this vegetable .. visions of a rich crop this summer.
Once I’d peeled and chopped parsnips, carrots, zucchini, celery, a few small potatoes .. and amassed quite a supply of peelings for the compost .. I was ready to start the soup. Oh .. and I just realized that I omitted the garlic .. how could I have forgotten this!
My supply of bay leaves were at zero .. so outside I went, with my flashlight, to pick some from the tree in the back yard. Also picked some crunchy kale but decided to make a salad out of these leaves, instead of putting them into the soup pot. I’ll prepare that salad today!
After about an hour of peeling and chopping, though, I felt like something was missing! Hmmm … time to remedy that and I poured myself a little glass of red. Ok, that’s much better.
And I continued onwards. Added some olive oil to the pot, gradually added in the veggies .. they looked quite colourful. The bright orange of the squash, the tidy cubes of parsnip, fresh green of the celery, rich orange of the slender carrots, now in neat circles. This was going to be a good soup.
Topped up with a generous supply of organic chicken broth. Cooked all in the pressure cooker for about 15 minutes and let cool down.
When all had cooled down .. time to test the soup … delicious .. even without the garlic. Added some orzo … and yum. No photos at this point .. but you can get the picture.
Now I was on a cooking spree.
It had been quite awhile since I’d baked an apple crisp so I looked for some ideas and found some recipes that used maple syrup This I tried. Peeled and chopped apples from the back yard (including some delicious apples given to me by my gardening neighbour!) .. mixed in some maple syrup. Added the topping of flour/oats/butter all blended together and into the oven.
Not finished yet .. I saw several bananas just nearing their sell-by date .. so searched for a recipe for banana bread. Easy as pie .. peel and mash the bananas .. add flour, baking soda, eggs .. placed batter into a loaf pan and it went into the oven for baking.
I don’t often get into such a cooking and baking mood .. but when I do visit that world, it’s amazing what I can prepare. Honestly, I amaze even myself!
So I think for today I will put aside my cooking and venture outside. Time to visit my little friends at the observatory and (ahem) walk off some of the calories from my baking spree!
🙂
Monday, December 17, 2012
Brrrrr … no snow (yet) and we are very lucky so far. At least, for those of us who don’t leap at the thought of cross-country skiing or downhill or other winter sports!
I’ve spent a few hours here and there out in the back yard. Using the weed eater to chop up some of the many bags of oak leaves that I’d collected over the past month. I think I had about 30 bags and so far have about 15 or so to chop up. Using the weed eater certainly speeds up the process for the leaves to compost. At first I put some leaves in an empty garbage container (only used for the garden, though). Eventually the cords on the weed eater would become entangled so I changed my method.
Now I just empty a bag of leaves in one area of the garden and then proceed to break them up. Works like a charm. And no worries if the occasional bits of leaves tumble onto the lawn .. this only serves to feed the soil. That wonderful ecosystem that I’ve learned to pay more attention to. All that busy microbial universe that, until I took my Organic Master Gardening course this year .. I was (sadly) totally unaware of. Now that my awareness has been raised .. I pay more attention to how I treat my garden. And so happy with the results.
Anyway, just wanted to share some photos of a trip to the beach a week ago. D & I collected some lovely chopped up seaweed! The kelp was lovely, sliced into perfect circles .. perfect for the garden. If the weather permits, we’ll make another trip there this week to gather some of this lovely broken seaweed!
On this trip, we went to Mom’s Cafe! Lovely place .. has been under various ownerships in the past few years, but the food is still delicious, even if the tea was a tad on the costly side! We each had a bowl of the salmon & corn chowder (wild salmon of course!) and it was delicious to the last drop.
I’ve been a little busy in the past few weeks .. making soaps and spending zillions of hours in packaging them. Quite enjoying this and rediscovering the joy I used to have, many years ago, in concocting various recipes. Sort of like revisiting the past, with a modern perspective.
So I’ve allowed myself to be a little lazy (that is, not going 18 hours a day) over the past few days .. and quite enjoying this, for a change. Realize that I’m not the kind of person not to be involved in 2 or 3 projects simultaneously … I think that this is normal for me. Boredom hits me when I don’t have deadlines.
sigh.
Anyway .. just wanted to share my photos .. and so now I’m going about my day .. in my most lovely life!
🙂
14 December, 2012
So here we are … mid-December … celebrations going on all over the place .. and I’m happy just playing in our back yard. Oh, and making soap of course. Can’t say that this isn’t a clean hobby, hee hee hee.
The hours disappear as I carefully mix up various concoctions .. such as Calendula & Citrus, Citrus, Parsley & Poppy seed and Poppy seed.
Hours spent meticulously cutting up the tulle to enfold the soaps. Making labels, labouriously cutting them out and posting the type of soap on the back of the cards. A ridiculous amount of time really, but I find myself terribly happy as I spend all these days in my creative little world.
And as I’m doing all this I’m dreaming of a variety of other herbal mixtures I will make, in the new year. I’ll play around with shapes and colours. Various ways of wrapping them. All the wonderful new ideas that keep popping up.
Yesterday I was excited to find a treasure of clear oblong containers … only a supply of about 20 . .. so I took them home. Lined them with colourful wrapping paper. Arranged that pretend mossy material on the bottom. Carefully nestled in some small shaped soaps and was so happy with the result.
Have decided that I’m not going to go into a snit if I can only find a limited number of containers to use for my soaps. Whatever I find interesting .. I will use. And venture further along the creative process.
As an example (and I”ll post pictures tomorrow) I have a lovely little collection of little wine glasses, including aperitif, liqueur, etc. I nestled in some gold sparkly fabric in the bottom of the glasses and then arranged some sliced soaps in the top. And I find myself adding more sparkly things for interest. Sparkly flat marbles, that sort of thing. The result is sweet and I’ll be selling them tomorrow at a 3 hour craft sale. If they all sell, well, I’ll simply continue on my search for more unusual items to showcase my little soaps.
It’s interesting how the creative energy happens. At first, when I bought these glasses .. I was all excited about using them for my soaps .. it’s what I’d originally wanted, before my packaging took another route. So yesterday, I’m thinking .. ok .. now I have the glasses that I wanted .. now .. how to use them! No ideas popping up .. oh no!
I let the question sit for awhile. Then last night I started playing around with the materials at hand. Started cutting the sheer gold fabric (oh how I love sparkly fabric!) then played around with how to use on the glass .. wrap it around .. or use for a base in the glass and that won out. Next I started arranging the little soap squares and circles .. liked that. Finally, placed a flat marble against the front round of soap .. perfect! Today I’ll play around with the fabric wrapping and a bow .. fabric or raffia? I’ll find out later.
The weather here has been mixed .. right now it is sunny and I am so tempted to run outside and play in the yard for a bit. At the beginning of the week .. I did just that. And spent a very enjoyable few hours outside .. chopping up more oak leaves & spreading them on the garden, in particular, the garlic beds.
Next I unloaded the magnificent chopped seaweed that D & I collected on Monday .. some onto the garlic beds, some onto the area where the kale is growing. If there isn’t any snow next week, we’ll be away for more shopping adventures and collect a bit more of the seaweed.
After I’d spent some time actually working away .. it was time to just savour the sight of the birds playing in the yard.
They have discovered the suet in that I’ve placed in that lovely “made in BC” suet holder that D found last week!
Happy to see the little Anna’s flitting about.
The Fox Sparrows .. I don’t believe that I’ve ever seen so many in our back yard before .. I love their speckled plumage.
The Downy Woodpecker struck the most wonderful pose and I was so happy to get a good picture of that.
The Juncos .. well .. they are a delight to watch.
And again .. time to look upwards at the ever-changing beauty of the sky up above. And dream of next spring .. when we return to Port Alberni and the overwhelming beauty of another sailplane ride(s). For now I will just dream of them (and watch my videos!!)
My favourite video is from the early morning flight .. flying above the valley .. fluffy clouds beneath us as we flew and flew and flew. I was the passenger and so didn’t have to think about a thing, just enjoyed the magic of soaring the skies ….sigh.
Well…on with this day .. I think I will escape to the outside for a bit .. before I return to my craft rooms .. to continue preparations for the craft sale tomorrow.
🙂
The venerable 17 Mile House Pub … a visit after many years
So D and I went exploring awhile ago .. and our first stop was the 17 Mile House. It’s been very many years since I’ve been there .. I won’t say exactly how many… but it’s been awhile!
Happy Birthday dear Evan!!! 14 years old …. Happy Birthday to You!!
And today .. is Evan’s 14th birthday! D picked out the most wonderful cake .. covered with rich marzipan and look at the beautiful gold writing on the cake …. yum .. yum … An exciting new year starts today!!! A magnificent family dinner … with the most amazing cake to celebrate. Enjoy ….. enjoy … enjoy!!!
Oh, Mr. Duncan, playing the “open the door .. close the door” game that cats love to play
Mr. Duncan .. oh he is getting to be such a pampered little cat! And when I took this picture, we were playing the old game of “I want inside” (I open the door) and he runs away. You know the kind .. So at this point I think we were at round 6 or so .. I really lost count!
Handsome Jada . .what a calm lovely fellow he is!
Went shopping a few days ago .. to mail a parcel to my sister .. and when I exited the store/post office .. I met this most handsome dog .. named Jada. He came from Chicago and is a Cane Corso breed .. an Italian mastiff. And, as his doggy mom explained to me .. these dogs were used to chase bears long long ago .. and so perhaps that is why his ears were clipped. Not clipped in Canada, I believe. (thank goodness). Anyway, I was so happy to chat and to pet this lovely, calm dog.
Blue skies .. from last week
Memories of blue skies of last week .. lovely … lovely
lovely, lovely blue skies
Two beautiful dogs in the neighbourhood .. aren’t they sweet!!
And a few weeks ago, I was lucky to meet these two handsome doggies! They politely sat down so that I could take a picture .. but something caught the attention of the golden one. That’s ok …. they were patient with me as I clicked away.
Our visiting Downy Woodpecker …
Happy to see the birds in the yard …
Mr. Sparrow
No worries, little woodpecker .. I have lots of suet for the winter .. nibble away!
D found this treasure, made in BC!!
Just at the beginning of one of our weekly trips around the island .. D found this discarded bird feeder .. I think it fell from a tree that was removed from a yard in the neighbourhood. She certainly has a knack for finding the most interesting items .. so now it is hanging from a backyard tree .. full of suet for the birds to nibble on. And much better for it to be in a tree, rather than sadly discarded on the ground.
boo hoo .. cleaned out the car .. summer things now put away .. for a few months!
Finally, I had to accept reality and remove the summer things from the car. Those lovely summer items that stay in the car during the warm months so they are easy to find when we travel back and forth on the weekends.
A section of the flooring at the 17 Mile
And here are some of the photos that I took when we visited the 17 Mile House Pub.
Wonderful to savour the unique timelessness of it all. And the food was delicious!
Funky floor
and I remember these
Don’t you just want to sit down and order a meal & a barley sandwich
We both ordered the curried squash soup . yu
And there is D .. looking mysterious over a mug of java!
ha ha .. and our tea and coffee were served in these great mugs!ll
The usual area carpet .. nice though
Looking out the window … see the great old truck
Comfortable table and chairs nearby
Lovely warm fire crackling away
Well .. that is it .. short and sweet …I’ve been busy making soap. Then preparing the packaging .. so time is flying!
I would just love to cozy up to that lovely fireplace though, wouldn’t you? Nice and warm. Just relax for a while.
🙂
How cool is this .. the light from my Ikea desk lamp reflected the surface of my Moroccan tray onto the ceiling ..
Ok, I’m lost in some kind of loopy learning curve .. WordPress has taken away the “slideshow” option button, so I’m not able to list photos as I would like to do. So these are not in order, but I know I’m not alone. Frustration with the slideshow (lack of) experience kept me from blogging .. however, today I found that I could enter a number of photos (by holding down the “shift” button and clicking on the photos that I wanted to include) ..
Last week found me driving downtown to visit a lovely little shop where I will be selling my soaps on consignment. I didn’t take any photos, but will do so the next time I go back downtown.
This lovely little shop is lovely and calm .. there is a retro, honest feel about the place. The young proprietor, Jenny, is very artistic and creative. She offers sewing lessons to all ages .. and along one side of the shop is a row of lovely sewing machines and in the middle of the shop is a fantastic large rectangular wooden table.
There are displays of art by local artists … beautiful ….
As I looked around the shop, I noticed a lack of plastic and glitz … the hard-scapes are wood and fabric drapes adorn the interior doorways.
It almost felt as if I took a step back in time when I entered the shop. There was a feeling of calm, of not being rushed about … very relaxing. Plus .. she loves my soaps and since I love making soap .. I’m looking forward to stocking her shelves with my product. How exciting is this!
http://www.harbourliving.ca/event/the-makehouse-holiday-booty-market/
Across the road from this shop .. I noticed more lovely shops .. this rug shop was filled with beautiful carpets .. and I tried my best to get a good picture of that lovely blue and white ceramic object .. don’t know what it is, but loved the colour and design.
And close by .. was this wonderful shop with luxurious carpets
Further on, there is this great guitar shop.
This is the guitar store, what a magnificent place to discover.
But really, what caught my attention. were these magnificent guitars. (see the funky tv set and the gypsy-ish, flamenco-ish painting in the background)
Standing back a few feet .. I could see the antique tv and the flamenco dancer (painting)
The sparkly guitars attracted my eyes towards them
Meanwhile .. back home in my back yard ….
The leaves are tenaciously attached to this wild apple tree.
And up above .. the skies were just so lovely and blue …
Lovely lovely love blue skies
How appropriate it was for me to see this license plate, as I drove home with my huge bags of oak leaves! The driver noticed me taking a photo and gave me a positive thumbs up wave! So I laughed! How true .. no pain .. no gain!
Out of order .. but this was my second day and I’d filled nearly 24 or so huge bags with oak leaves for the garden!
My second day of gathering oak leaves and I started here.
Only 3 scoops with the handi-hands and the bag is nearly filled!
These are my “handi-hands” totally wonderful for scooping up leaves (or seaweed!!)
I gathered all the leaves from this area and only stopped when daylight faded!
Here are some pics showing the full bags of leaves .. I crammed them into my little car .. here is the back angle …
And I had to really push to get 8 bags in .. so the front passenger seat went way forward.
There it is .. short and sweet .. about my daily life .. sometimes in my garden, sometimes in someone else’s garden and once in a while .. downtown. But always, always … .watching the skies above.
🙂
Thursday, November 27, 2012
Looking through my dashboard, I found this blog that I’d started on Nov 15 but hadn’t posted .. so will share this now!
Oh .. we are so very lucky here in Victoria!! There have been several days of sunshine, such a welcome from the overcast rainy days. Although, I really don’t mind those kinds of days … those are the days when I can do the work inside the house. The work that just doesn’t get done on sunny days .. when the garden calls out to me and I answer readily by going outside.
Or, perhaps it’s time to go on a shopping & exploring day with a good friend. Or .. actually, I can pick any number of reasons to not do housework .. but, no worries, I always do my fair share of keeping our happy home nice and tidy!
I’ve been so busy lately, feel like I’m on whirling merry-go-round ..but enjoying the ride!
In addition to getting back into soap making, I’ve nearing the end of my landscaping course, normal housework duties and collecting oak leaves for the garden. So far I think that I’ve collected nearly 30 bags and yesterday I went for more! There is a lovely large property not far from our home .. with many oak trees and the generous owners of this place allow me to gather as many leaves as I want! Yesterday found me dashing over there and madly filling as many bags as possible before dusk descended. Those wonderful handy-hands (large plastic flat circles, with a zig-zag edging) allow me to scoop up large amount of leaves at one time. I posted pics last year and will take another today, to show what they look like.
I’d filled about 18 bags and finally accepted the fact that it was too dark to see the leaves clearly, so I stuffed 8 bags into my little car (now, I would have taken a picture of that but it was too dark) and have a collection of 10 more to go back and pick up. Oh, lovely food for the garden this will be!
I took a few pics from my first sale effort in more than 20 years! I had set up a table at a flea market on Sunday past … it wasn’t the right venue for my soaps, but it was a start!
I really enjoy talking with people and so I really enjoyed my first foray into the selling arena. Although it wasn’t a craft show .. it brought me back to the lovely world of selling things I made and also gave me the opportunity to listen to lovely conversations, feeling the happy energy of people shopping for things that interested them.
And I have made inquiries to join a few more craft sales in the city .. small ones .. more personal than huge organized ones. Perhaps I’ll try for them next year. For now though, I am quite content at rejoining my initial excitement at creating soaps … and look forward to playing around with the various combinations. There is the creative energy that I’ve reconnected with. So very much fun.
Well .. on with this day ….
🙂
My Lovely Garden … Mon Joli Jardin 