A ski resort holiday weekend part two

Sunday morning promised a bit of fresh snow and we couldn't wait to get outside, so after breakfast, Kerstie put a pork roast into the oven for a slow cooked pulled pork for supper.And, since we were all excited, after some morning cuddles......we suited and geared up and went to the Big White lodge to rent the children's boots and skis.And onto the bunny hill. We picked up our RV, which we'd given to Good Sam rv repair, before we headed to the hillock.Chloe was excited to learn how to snowboard. In Kerstin's pre-baby life she spent some seasons as a snowboarding instructor, so she taught her sister how to ride!I skied with Ever, who just took over the bunny hill! I was so proud of her and so happy to be able to ski with my oldest grandchild.Selfie on the magic carpet with three of us!These magic carpets are so fantastic for the kids. Just ski on and ski off little flat escalators.So after a full day on the easy slopes and at least 30 runs, we had enough and headed back to the lodge and hung up all the wet gear in the laundry/drying racks room.Where was Chloe? Lol.We took the pork out of the oven and it was so fragrant and so perfect.And before supper and before baths and showers, we jumped into the hot tub.Family soup!Then, supper, cuddles, a little snack and bedtime for the little ones.And we took out the pictionary and played till midnight!

A ski resort holiday weekend in three parts

Part one:Hello there from us over here with jelly legs and arms.We've just returned from a long weekend at the most beautiful resort in my daughter Kerstin's town.Chloe and I drove the 300 miles to Kelowna, and, after a rest, all seven of us (Chloe, Kerstie, Adam, our three little girls Ever, Isla and Zoe, and me), drove another 40 miles above lake Okanagan to the Big White ski resort for the weekend.Up from the sunny, spring lake country, into the snow.And into the loveliest three bedroom condo, room 313, at The Copper Kettle Lodge.With a 180 degree view, we couldn't get Chloe away from the windows!Not only the view, but also a private balcony with a hot tub. We were all excited about that.We used funny wheelbarrow type trolleys and got all our overnight suitcases, and our ski and snowboarding kit inside and made up the beds for the children.And then, because it was a holiday weekend and spring break, and because it was a long day, Kerstie sat the children in one of the bedrooms in front of cartoons and gave them a rare sugar treat.While Adam sorted out some snacks and supper.And where was Chloe? Yup, still at the window.But there were great games and puzzles in the suite, and soon we were building a puzzle of Hawaii.Then evening came......and children's baths, story and goodnight hugs and bed.But just as we got them to bed, the fireworks started over the resort and so everyone got up again!And finally the children went to sleep, Adam went to visit with some friends, and Kerstie, Chloe and I had a lovely puzzle evening which turned into a Karaoke singing evening.

Clouds and clouds and clouds! The exhibition is open and so beautiful.

Hi everyone,I was so looking forward to this week because the Clouds exhibition is on view now at the CityScape Gallery.There are 51 artists in this collaboration and I'm one of them! Come have a quick look with me.This one! This one just took my breath away immediately. It's Cloud Digger by Jennifer Lamb.Here is my The Wild from Howe Sound among some other beautiful storms.This is Black Chaos Comes by Jennifer Hedge. Isn't it amazing?Chloe fell in love with this lithograph by Anais Gerber (Sorry, I forgot to jot the name down. If you're reading Anais, please tell me.)And these two sculptures! On the left is Susan Whitham's Clouds 1, clay, glazes and metal, and on the right is Rosemary Burden's Daughters of Earth and Water, threaded bead work.I hope that you have a little inspiration from these few photos. The exhibition is so lovely.Are you local? Come in out of the rain and have a look. :D

Was that spring? Lol.

I took these few photos on a sunny day.Actually, the one sunny day in the winter/spring deluge that is the West Coast.One sunny day and that's our lot for now as the weather shows rain all the way thru the next ten days. (sigh)Actually, the rain might not be so bad because look at the dust the sunshine reveals!But at least the rain held off while I transported this painting, The Wild from Howe Sound, to the gallery for a group show, "Clouds".And it's not all that bad, because I took the rest of the afternoon to sit in the rocker on the front porch and soak in the much needed sunshine.Now back to the rain but hopefully the sun will come back soon.

Nadine's Art Challenge: Rituals and Routines

OK, apart form Earl Grey tea in the morning, (without which I would die!), and my daily phone call with Robbie when we're in separate countries, I really have very few rituals or routines. I mean, I brush and floss and all that mundane everyday stuff, and, although I try to paint and go to yoga every day, it's not really ritualistic or necessarily routine.But last year, when Chloe was in Japan, for a while I had a daily ritual of making and sending her a postcard.I loved that!I'd just head down to Booklovers, Dalyce's used book store, pick up some fun, old magazines and collage a postcard.Turned out my favourite magazines for this project were the Coronet magazines from the '30s and '40s, and glossy 1980s rich home and lifestyle types.Then I would look thru my collection of vintage but still viable stamps and stick on as many as possible to make the $2.50 postage, after all, it's so boring to just stick one stamp on when you can use five or six for the same postage!I didn't share very many of these cards anywhere. I never posted them to social media because I wanted C to be the first to see them, and the only people who saw a few were Robbie, Dalyce, Jonathan and Kerstin and people who I took a card to to write a well wish on, and my neighbour Renee, who often was outside gardening when I took a card to the post. Oh, and the lady in the post office where I went to buy a strange assortment of small cent stamps to make up said $2.50.Chloe said that the cards were invaluable to her. She said she carried a few with her every day to give her strength and remind her of home.I tried to make the cards reflect what was going on in C's life; her first day teaching, the monsoon season of perpetual damp, some, more personal ones to give her encouragement, or to reassure her that she would be fine, or send her a recipe for avocado toast...And I sent them from Vancouver and, when I switched countries, I sent them from England.Now I tend to have a very flighty nature, (read butterfly brain!) and in a few months C started to feel better in Japan, and for me, life and jet lag and projects and art and work began taking over my time, and the cards slowed down to three per week, then two, then one.And now Chloe is home from her year away and has brought all of her postcards back with her. She treasures them and gave me permission to show you some.It was all such a grand adventure.Thank you so much Nadine for hosting our Art Challenge this week. Pop over to our Woolfie Girl to see everyone else's rituals and routines. Does anyone want to host next week? Let me know and I can send out a mass email. :D

Wearin' of the Green

Happy St. Patrick's Day!How's the emerald world out there?In my little corner of the old globe there are hummingbirds.Two tiny hummingbirds on an old Irish jig titled Wearin' of the Green.These are the two Anna's hummingbirds who I've been feeding all winter. Now they have some early spring blooms are aren't knocking on my window at 5am. They probably found that four leaf clover in the East garden in a little clover patch which grows there.In the kitchen there are seeds and tea.I start sweet peas every year on this day. It's a tradition.This year I'm so excited to start all my seeds. The packages always contain way more seeds than I can accommodate, but I will share my seedlings with friends and family.Hope you all have a lovely and very green day. Spring is almost here. :D

A three mile walk sideways across the 'hood

So this happened last week.Chloe asked for my car to drive to Whistler for an sunset snowmobiling tour, and I said sure. Then delays and changed dates, end result was I had a farewell supper to attend and no car!No Problem. As the day was fair and the recent snow melted, I relished the chance to walk the three miles.I walked down my block, past the little park where families were having some fun on the putting green,past our neighbourhood coffee shop, and past the local, little book exchange.Don't you love the little book exchanges? Do you have one in the hood?It seems that spring has sprung here on the West Coast and thru Victoria Park the evidence was overwhelming. You know, I so love winter flowers.Out of the year's blooms, I have to say that winter blooms are the most important to me because they give me so much hope. I'm not a good "bleak days of winter" person.Thru Victoria Park and past a historic (but completely restored) school. Lovely to see so many families out and about.Just to make sure people know where the sidewalk is! At the end of block that the school is on, there is a little communal garden still all tucked up for the winter. My hood has lots of public art in strange little places.Look at this small, wet area bounded by a rocky shelf.Here's a closer look into the sculpture in the centre. Isn't it amazing?That was the sideways part, and now down the hill I have to go, down to the ocean.Across a bridge to get onto the other side of the railway tracks...And finally I'm at the shore.Look at that Harbour seal grabbing the last rays of the sun.Today there seemed to be a parking lot for barges right in front of Spirit Trail park.So I had to walk around the barges to get a good view of Downtown.The evening crow migration began. Each evening, thousands of crows fly to Burnaby for their nightly roost.I stayed at the park as long as I could looking at the little boats, at downtown......and at the people playing with their dogs in the dog park......and then the sun set and I had a supper to attend, so I walked on.My friend Carol gave me a ride home. :D

Recovery week! And exciting news!

Hi everyone,Whew, it's been a roller coaster week for me of fulfilling pushed off appointments and teaching the therapy journal on the back of my wonderful Art Crawl experience, and I took today to catch up on paperwork, clean the upstairs studio, and generally have a breather.Believe it or not, I came up to the studio and discovered that my cymbidium orchid is blooming!Last I remember it just had five little shoots starting to come up. What a lovely surprise. I'm always amazed at this little big orchid after everything it's been thru.And, while I'm still enjoying my tropicals in this space, I'm also looking forward to having them outside...especially for the Art in the Garden tour. Yes, that's right! I've applied the garden and now must work on applying my songbirds.Inspiration is all around me here. And I need it, because I just put two songbirds into an exciting on-line auction curated by ArtBomb, one songbird, the King Sparrow, will be featured next week.I've got merlins on a 1950s map of Austria on the go right now.And I must get to varnishing this oil painting called The Wild from Howe Sound because it will be included in a group show "Clouds" from March 24th to April 22nd at The CityScape Community Art Space. I'm so excited to be one of 50 artists showing. I love group shows. You can bet I'll be taking tons of photos. I will post some at the Official OnQFinancial blog to show the ways of decorating your house.Now all I need...how did someone put it on FB the other day?...4 days of sleep, 5 pounds gone, and $10,000 by tomorrow. Actually, I just really need the 4 days sleep. :D

Hello from Sunday night and a very tired me.

What a difference a night makes!And truth be told, I think we lucked out with Saturday and some unexpected sunshine, because HOLY SMOKES!I remember waking up and thinking, "It's awfully quiet for rain!"I surveyed the 'hood and found that my neighbour's Victorian had grown by three feet.It was the heron sitting miserable against the cold, wet snow.But I didn't mind so much because I just painted away in my warm studio and had endless cups of mint tea.Overall it was an amazing weekend round here and an amazing experience welcoming friends and strangers into my studio.Lots of people came thru and I had the chance to make new friends and reconnect with old friends and neighbours.My new journal, made form a 1956 issue of Bartholomew's Advanced ATLAS of Modern Geography, (as you I do), and dedicated to art fun, has about 50 signatures and good wishes from people who came by.Thank you North Vancouver Arts Council for the opportunity to be a part of the art crawl; it's been a wonderful weekend, and thank you everyone who came out (especially you folks who braved today's snow!) And a very special and heartfelt thank you to everyone who claimed a special songbird or two and took them home. Hope you enjoy your little treasures.Anyone who wants to come visit again, or who missed visiting this weekend and would like to come by, please just feel free to. I hope I'll see you all again at Art in the Garden. :D

Saturday and a new experience, The North Shore Art Crawl in my own studio

Wow you guys, what an amazing day!This is my first ever North Shore Art Crawl.I thought this would be a lovely experience and it was.At best, I thought, there would be someone who would visit me in the studio and at worst, no one would come and I would have the whole day to paint away in my lovely space.So at 9:30am, I put out the signs, opened the gate as wide as it would go, made a big carfare of tea, put out some cookies and turned the heat on in the studio.Come on in!One of our appropriate signs.Proof!Honestly, this space is the best gift I could have given to myself. I loved every minute of it today.My little red sports car is parked outside, and I miss it, but in a very selfish way, I don't want to give up half of this space to bring it back in Sunday night!!!Let me show you around a little and share the day.My sketchbooks and journals were open on a little round table ready for people to browse thru. And the driftwood tic tac toe game was a temptation for lingering. (Who can resist a quick game of tic tac toe?)Here's my darling girl modelling the work bench on the South side. I love this view and love having the Rapunzel ivy plant there just hanging breaking up the physical space from being a solid line. I love using my vintage tea cups that I always use for my Art in the Garden days, and love the rugs I bought at the thrift store just to throw on the concrete floor. So much nicer with rugs.Here is a shot of the art table.So let me tell you my method. The most expensive thing in this space are the fairy lights on the West side and they cost $25.This table = $20, rugs = about $15, chairs = $5 each..etc, etc.All second hand, all saved or recycled or bought form the Salvation Army, all perfectly fantastically vintage-ly perfect.Save the world one repurposed piece at a time. Right?I put loads of art supplies on the table so visitors could have some fun.And got my own art supplies together for a day of painting.Chloe's friend Christina came for a visit and ended up spending the whole day.And laughter and art ensued.While I painted a canvas.And people came! And some of my little birds flew out the door with their new owners.And before I knew it, the sun wound around to the west window......and the day came to the end.So looking forward to tomorrow. :D