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...a glimpse into life on Vancouver Island, needle felting, photography, food, gardening, etcetera...etcetera
"Happiness always looks small when you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and at once you learn how big and precious it is."
Maxim Gorky

Friday, October 18, 2013

Song for Friday...such a voice

Another angelic voiced Canadian girl from the East Coast.
Amelia Curran is an extraordinary singer song writer
 who comes by it honestly.
The National Post describes her as
 “a bit like Leonard Cohen being channeled in a dusty saloon by Patsy Cline.”
I hope you enjoy her...she's my new 'rainy day in the studio' music.
Have a great weekend all!
 
 


Thursday, October 17, 2013

Say hello to my little friend...

She hit the window on a sunny autumn afternoon...
Tom held her in his dark warm hands for a while and then passed her on to me...
I kept her in the dark warmth as well and then slowly let her see the light...
I sat with her in the late day sun and she sat curiously looking around..
Getting her bearings.
Seemingly comfortable on my rusty red sweater.
It took about an hour or so before she decided it was time to go...
Off she flew onto a tree branch near the house and then....gone.
Her view on what had happened perhaps a bit different than ours
but perhaps a bit of bliss in the awkward brief bond we shared this glorious afternoon.
Cheers little Kinglet...happy flying!
 

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Courage not forgotten...

Before we left Ontario we had a few more stops we had to make.
One was in Thunder Bay.
The Terry Fox Memorial.
For those who may not know who he is,
 Terry Fox was a young man who had cancer.
Although he had already lost his leg at 18 to this disease, while in remission he
decided to bring hope, awareness and fundraising to the cause by
attempting to run across Canada, 5,300 miles.
He began by dipping his foot in the Atlantic Ocean and ran everyday, 26 miles a day.
Sadly when he reached Thunder Bay, 3,300 miles later, the cancer had returned
and spread to his lungs and he had to
stop his 'Marathon of Hope'.
He died a year later at 23 years old.
It's a beautiful park overlooking the waters of Lake Superior and
even though it is above the Trans Canada highway
there's something very peaceful about the place.
To this day, all across the country, and indeed the world,
there are Terry Fox runs, memorials, schools named after him,
and most importantly the fundraising continues in his name.
It was a very emotional place to be and to know what
this young man had been through and that he had to give up his dream
in this very spot.
It gives you faith in humans doesn't it?
 


Sunday, October 13, 2013

Observations from a Sunday morning....

It's a beautiful autumn morning here on the Island.
The sun has been a friend to us for yet a few more days, her
strength for warmth fading but all the same, keeping us warm in spirit.
Tomorrow is Canadian Thanksgiving so I'm off to visit
my family for turkey and pumpkin cheesecake squares with whipping cream...
but before I do I thought I'd share some of my morning walk photos.
Today it's all about the mushrooms...
the deadly but beautiful aminita...
...the tasty little puffball
 (had some of these sauteed with garlic and kale the other night...dee-lish!)
I know for sure about 6 edible mushrooms and unless I'm 100 percent
positive, nothing goes on my plate.
A lot of these will just have to be looked at today...
There were mushrooms EVERYWHERE I looked today and poor Griffin
had to patiently wait while I bent down on hands and knees to take in their fleeting appearance...
The common name of some mushrooms conjure up images of fairey folk, woodland shadows,
deep, dark mysterious tales of yore...
elfin saddle
witches butter
goats foot
destroying angel
death cap
tree ears
Satans bolete
swollen stalked cat
green pinafore
octopus stinkhorn...
the list goes on.
And it's also the time of delicate, dripping morning spider webs...
Queen Anne's lace....closed for the season...
bed time for ladybugs...
The cool nights have given leaves their brightest dress...
Some of the beauty outside my door which I am forever Thank-full for.
Happy Thanksgiving fellow Canucks!