Winter's Light

Hi there,

I hope you are all well and happy. And for my friends in the U.S., I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

'Tis nearly the season. Can you believe it?  I've been shopping and doing a little decorating. One must get the wreath on the door and a few lights twinkling early to knock the dark afternoons out of the ball park so to speak. The candles are lit every night this time of year, too. Light. So good for the spirit.

On the creative side of life, I've been painting and sketching. I also have two paintings in an art exhibition that is currently on for nine days. And I will be hosting at the exhibition this week along with other people, so I am mostly keeping out of trouble.

On the home front, the snow arrive early this year. Eleven days ago to be exact.

       The light seems remote this time of year...wispy, delicate and fleeting. A barely there type of light.  Amazingly beautiful.

 Once the leaves are off the trees, many nest that I never knew existed appear.

Thin ice covering the brook.

Merry and Bright.

Far off, a skein of geese heading south. Lucky ducks geese.

I love to hear them calling to each other. Enthusiasm and encouragement. A winning combination. 

Almost bedtime...must have a snack first.

So pleased to see that she/he is nice and plump and prepared for winter.

I only had a few seeds in my pockets, but I think these Chickadees forgave me. The dear hearts.

A Nuthatch knows how to make an entrance. They walk down the tree head first, fly to another tree face down and then land at the feeder. They move and fly so fast.

What a profile. It speaks of wisdom.

More snow coming down as I go to press.  So much like fairyland out there today... very mild and lovely, so I took a walk in the snow.

A few cards I've been drawing/painting on my desktop. The wee desk better known as "Abigail."

I'll be linking with Wednesday Around the World, and on Thursday with Soma who hosts the blog Whims and Fancies. Many thanks for hosting, ladies! 💗

I've left a reply to everyone who left a comment on my last post.
To my lovely readers a big thank you. You all make the world a better place!

Cultivate your dreams!

Autumn Trails

Our Canadian Thanksgiving has come and gone and the days are growing shorter. These shiny jewel days of light and shadow make me want to store them away like the treasure they are.
Maybe the crispiness in the air gives me a heightened sense of awareness too. Or maybe old man winter steps too close to the beauty that reigns just now. But whatever the reason, I just want to savor every moment on offer.

Crab Apples

Along the St. Lawrence River.

In the fall the sky fluctuates between stormy and fair. Rare painterly wonders. Tree tops. On and on...

I had hoped to have the drawing on the painting board by now. Although beautiful I am not sure about painting yellow flowers. Already I want to paint them purple. Call it artistic license. Gatherings. Always a night to remember. Pumpkin Inferno.  A little time on "a dark and stormy night" without a plan and some acrylic paint. Something, I reckon, to add to the mystery of Hallowe'en. 'Til next time.  Have a safe and Happy Hallowe'en! I am linking to Around the World Wednesday. And Wandering Camera. Many thanks ladies!

Watercolour/Knitting

Since it's been hot the fall colours aren't really painting the world yet with vivid red, orange, and yellow, but soon I hope.

 I happened upon the following lovely fall quote today.

"Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all."

 Stanley Horowitz

Lilies

Cattails. A perennial favourite of mine.

A puff ball mushroom. Apparently you can eat it.  At first, I thought it was an old soccer ball.  Me being me I gave it a poke with a small reed. It felt like a mushroom but I couldn't believe my eyes. A friend of mine on instagram named it for me.  

Seeds of Queen Anne's Lace.

A low pressure system coming in.

If you've been reading along, you may remember a similar painting. I finished this one recently.

On the needles. A cabled hat. Yarn from Brooklyn Tweed.

We had a tornado warning about a week ago. I was oblivious to it. (I now have a weather alert app.)
Unfortunately, six tornadoes touched down in Ottawa/Gatineau region, causing a lot of damage and shock. Although Canada does get an occasional tornado it usually doesn't amount to much, so we are all reeling. Hopefully, people will be able to rebuild before winter sets in.

'Til next time, lovelies.    Cultivate your dreams.

Icelandic Lace

With the summer winding down, I finally got around to blocking the lava lace scarf designed by Evelyn Clark. The colours remind me of fall, and I think it will look nice with a sweater or a light fleece jacket. The yarn: Handmaiden's Mini Maiden 50% wool, 50% silk. A wonder to knit with. 

Because of the busy colours involved, I ended up ripping out several other patterns that I tried. I do think this pattern, which I have made before, accentuates the lively colours. The beauty of the free pattern, besides being easy to remember, different yarn creates a different look. So versatile.

Two scarfs draped over the form. One for me and one for my sister. 

I am not sure about the blunt edging, but perhaps the weight it creates keeps the scarf from moving around.

In my critically low stash, I found several yards of left over lace weight yarn. I think I have enough to fashion a stripped scarf; one with a definite point. It will be nice to have something new on the needles.

This month I also celebrated a milestone birthday. Where does the time go? Amazing how fast a year flies by, especially, it seems, as you grow older. I did have a wonderful day, and I am pleased that I've made so many trips around the sun. (Talk about travel :) Part of the day included a walk in the woods. Can't imagine life without the woods.

           
            Although the days are still very hot and humid,  the nights are cooler, so there are a few noticeable changes.


Speaking of the woods, tragically, over 500 wildfires are raging in British Columbia. They are in a state of emergency. I can't imagine how many hectares have burned.  Heavy smoke has reached Calgary and beyond. (more than 500 miles) Praying for rain ... a lot of rain.
We have about 60 wildfires in Ontario.  I hope and pray the brave firefighters are all okay, and that they make more gains, everywhere, very soon.

            
                              What's left of my birthday bouquet; the lilies are hanging in there                                                              nicely with more blooms to come.

Thank you for your lovely comments on my last post. I have responded to each of you there.

'Til next time...Have a lovely week, and

Cultivate your dreams.

Mixing It Up

Hi there,

Nothing says summer more than sunshine, dreamy clouds and flowers. And we are enjoying an abundance of all three. A summer day spent lounging about in a lawn chair with an ice tea and watching the clouds roll by is my idea of a perfect day. Of course, a good sunhat and a wonderful book just tops it off. Speaking of clouds, I've always loved this quote by David H.Thoreau: "You must not blame me if I talk to clouds."  (Definitely one for the smile file.)

We are in the throes of a heat wave, so I haven't been out and about on foot a great deal. However, it doesn't take long to adjust to heat, and when the temperatures dip a little, I've been reaching for my sweater. 

                             How hot is it? So hot that there's not a turtle to been seen on golden turtle pond.

But I've been longing to go to the woods, and I was so happy to get out there when the temperatures dropped recently to take a few pics. I didn't want to miss the mid-summer flowers.

Wild lilies ~ Turk's Cap

 

Crown Vetch

Milk Weed

Sumac

 A busy Chipmunk with places to go and chipmunks to see.

Cattails

The heights

Fleabane

I've been painting with acrylics recently. The great thing about it: if you make a mistake, you can paint over it and begin again. So very different from watercolour. And what would an acrylic painting be without a bit of blue?

A bit more of the detail in this picture.

Keeping with the blue and yellow theme. A small cobalt blue pitcher that I found

at a flea market.

The 8 x 10 ocean scene. When I buy a larger

canvas and a few more tubes of paint, I  think I will revisit the sea. If you look closely, you will spy a bit of sea glass from the beaches of Nova Scotia on the left of the painting.

 From my watercolour painting: a butterfly fashioned from molding paste.  

The manufacturer's stamped paper mark will show when this painting is framed. My son said, it's hardly noticeable, but, well, there's no way around it, so... When I was painting the scene I didn't notice it.  (I do have a prescription for new specs!) However, I have the 'new' drawing on the drawing board, complete with a few modifications. For example, I drew a smaller leaf fern and curved it a little to lead the eye back into the painting. I also modified the center part of the orchids and changed up the vase a bit.

A few of my favourite cultivated  flowers. Rose of Sharon, Platycodon, Cone Flowers, Peony

* * *

A small scarf just off the needles and not blocked yet. Actually I knit two. One for me and one for my sister. The yarn: Mini Maiden from Handmaiden.

This post with a mix of things will be linked with Soma's Wandering Camera on Thursday. A very special thank you to Soma for hosting!



And linking to: Mosaic Monday.
 Floral Bliss
 Wednesday Around the World
Pictorial Tuesday
Thank you, ladies.

Leaving you with an oldie to celebrate summer, and if you are in the southern regions I hope you are having a mild winter.

'Til next time...Cultivate your dreams!