Friday Note.....

When I started blogging I had a goal.

It was to extend myself out there and 'meet' people

(and I actually met a few in person!).

I was also recuperating from a severe concussion.

It was suggested that maybe 'blogging' 

would be a good exercise for my brain.

It was.

I have also learned that when blogging

what one puts into it, one reaps in return.

This is SO true and can be seen by all the very

successful blogs out there.

Lately I haven't been putting much of an effort

into my posts.

They became very rote to do.....not much thought behind them.

This told me that, just maybe, it is time to stop for a while.

So I have.

Thank you to all from whom I have learned things

that I didn't imagine I would ever.

I will continue to follow my favourite bloggers.

I can't imagine not hearing from these people

and what they are up to.

Contemplative Monday

"A fool believes what he thinks

and doubts what he sees,

a wise man believes what he sees

and doubts what he thinks."

.....Huang Po (click to learn more)

Eclectic Tastes

Erik Satie was a master of unusual but distinctive classical compositions.

This is but one of them.

Way back in the 70's I took a contemporary dance course at Dalhousie University

and at it's conclusion there was a performance done in pairs

by every student.

My partner and I chose this piece 

as I had been listening to it for a while.

I remember all the rehearsing it took to present our choreography. 

It went well.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone! 

Saturday Morning Post

As we enter 'hurricane season' along the coast of Nova Scotia.....

......this gull was having a field day catching flying insects the other evening.

.....these two Boxers were enjoying their ocean swim and walk across the grass.

In Nova Scotia it is now against the law to have dogs' ears and tails clipped.

.....getting used to seeing Boxers like this.

......Ron doing his morning stretch routine.

......the result of a very wet/rainy windshield the other day at boardwalk.

......golds, greens and yellows are predominating along the trail.

......along the river there is this seagrass which is speckled 

with Sea Lavender plants (in foreground).

......very large container ship filled to the rafters

backing into jetty in Halifax Harbour.

......at the far eastern end of Lawrencetown Beach looking west.

......catching up to Ron at the park.

I was picking/ok eating blackberries.

......also picked up this carpet (8X5) last week at an estate sale......

been searching for its origins.

Any ideas?

Contemplative Monday

"Look within!

The secret is inside you".

.....Hui-Neng (click to learn more)

Eclectic Tastes

I think this classic by Simon and Garfunkle 

is more relevant today than it was 50 years ago.

Love the clear tones and harmonies....

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone.

Saturday Morning Post

Slipping into September in Nova Scotia.....

Part of the field of heather at the park in Halifax.....

Hazy day at the mouth to Halifax Harbour......

Vintage cobalt bottles against a moody sky.....

Came face to face with this fella the other day at the park......an 'inch worm'

Seals are a common sight in Halifax Harbour.

Here are four of them in a cluster on a shoal of rocks to the right.

These seals did not deter Sophie from going after 'Mr.Orangie' in the harbour.

I don't usually take photos of people I don't know.

But as I was above this part of the shoreline at the park

I waited for this young woman to turn her head slightly

till I snapped the camera as I was walking past up a slight grade behind her.

Taken in a very tranquil park in the city looking out into a very busy harbour.

Just a few of some local communities in our area along the Eastern Shore.

How do you think the last one is pronounced?

This body of water is the North West Arm.

It runs parallel to Halifax Harbour with peninsular city of Halifax in between them....

to the right in this photo.

These are popping up all over Nova Scotia the past few years.

I really hope they will eventually replace coal burning generators in this province.

One evening this week on MacDonald Hill.......

Contemplative Monday

"Materialistic habits of thought

reduce the mind to matter

and eliminate the soul."

.....Robert Thurman  (click to learn more)

Eclectic Tastes

1964......THAT seems like a long time ago now! I was in grade 10.
But I do remember this piece when it first came out.
It was the longest pop song recorded at that time.

Saturday Morning Post

Breezing through August.......

While at the shop I could watch for hours the different scenarios

that form at this tidal sand-bar across from the shop.

I've been watching this fella for quite some time....never gets tiring.

What did I tell you!

Actually this was taken the other day at the park when I took 

Sophie for a swim while Ron kept on the trail.

Sophie and I found him here in the shade further along.

This is Canada's 150th birthday.

This truck, with a few others, is travelling the country

exploring and enjoying all that Canada has to offer.

They started in British Columbia and are now in the Atlantic Provinces.

In the process of making a few changes at the shop.

Not completed yet but will be soon....I hope.

I liked this little display of colour.

One morning this week we were on the trail and walking through the mist

which afforded plenty of photo opportunities.

This rather rusty object at the shop is a 'horse tether'......

used back in the day as a portable hitching post.

This would be kept in the wagon and used/put on the ground when

the destination was reached and the horse's reins would be attached.

I guess horses don't need too much resistance to stay put.

Here is my collection of irons at the shop.

People use them for vintage-looking door stops.

They are very heavy.

Cool mornings produce this mist down near the shore.

While in the city/Halifax the other day we saw literally

over a hundred of these little 'Sunfish' sailboats

in the Northwest Arm.

We think it may have been graduation day/end of season for the kids.

Something magical about crows....

Pairing lemons (fake) with crystal at the shop.

Walking the Atlantic Trail on Thursday morning....

Sunfish everywhere!!

My 'marine wall' in the MacDonald House where my shop is located.

We 'found' this Daylily paradise way down the Eastern Shore

about a month ago.

Two fellas have made this place into a spectacular haven for garden lovers.

It is built on a cliff with hundreds and hundreds of lily varieties everywhere.

I have recently discovered yet another collectible passion

......paper weights!! oh oh....

Contemplative Monday

"Nothing is permanent: the sun and moon rise and set,

the bright clear day is followed by the deep dark night.

From hour to hour, everything changes."

.....Kalu Rinpoche  (click to learn more)

Eclectic Tastes

A friend, Katharine, shared this on FB recently.
I liked it immediately!
Hope you do too.

Have a wonderful Sunday/Monday everyone!

Saturday Morning Post

It has been a challenging week for my family.

We lost our dear 'double' first cousin, Cheryl.

At times like this it is difficult to find that balance

between overwhelming sorrow

and joy for a life well-lived.

Cheryl's funeral was Wednesday.

The church was packed.

The priest saved the day for us all!

He was sensitive, knew Cheryl well,

had a sense of humour, was very kind,

and even danced at the altar because he knew Cheryl

loved to dance. ( I loved jiving with her over the years)

So....it has been challenging for me this week

to keep 'my glass half full'.

Nonetheless, moving forward is the key, right?

A shot I took the other evening out our living room window....reflections everywhere.

I was very fortunate recently to have acquired 

these three Inuit  (Eskimo) vintage prints.

Wish we had more wall space at home!!

These thistles are abundant this year along the trails and shore.

No wonder they are survivors.....who would go near them!!

One of my favourite views (if you haven't guessed already!!lol)

from MacDonald Hill looking west.

This past week has been 'Acadian Days' in the Maritimes

(which is made up of the provinces of  New Brunswick,

Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia)

In a nutshell, Acadians are/were those French settlers that

settled here back in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The British during the years 1755 to 1764

carried out 'The Great Expulsion' and deported

about 11,500 people to England, France and the Caribbean

and about one third of these died in the process.

A large number finally settled in Louisiana.

I have Acadian blood on both sides of my family.....

my father's g-great grandfather is considered

'late Acadian' as he didn't arrive till 1850.

On my mother's side (MacIsaac) I found French surnames

in her genealogy.

There is an Acadian community just down the road from us.

Their flag is the flag of France with a gold star.

Now here is a guy who has absolutely no French blood.....

I still love him though!

Here is where 'we three amigoes' got a lot of solace this week.....

along the banks of the river.

This part of the river flows in both directions.....

depending on the tide from the Atlantic Ocean

which is right here at it's mouth.

I can't tell you how peaceful it is here.

I hope this photo gives you a hint.

I can tell you that Sophie LOVES the river!

Can you tell? lol

Contentment at its best.....