Sunday, October 11, 2009

Images From A Canadian Thanksgiving

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.


~Ralph Waldo Emerson



Attending the Pumpkins Festival with my children...





Enjoying the beauty of the Fall colours...










Baking sugar cookies....



Decorating...






We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.


~Thornton Wilder

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast for 12 family members yesterday complete with roasted turkey, freshly cooked cranberry sauce, and of course homemade pumpkin pie and whipped cream. Today, which is a statutory holiday here in Canada, we are enjoying a relaxing day at home by the fire (as the weather has turned quite cold. I hope you all enjoyed a nice weekend and for those of you in the United States, I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving in November!

Gillian

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Amazing Grace

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent”

Victor Hugo



A friend sent me this link of IL Divo singing "Amazing Grace". Their rendition is so beautifully done that I had to share it. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I did.

Gillian

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Wayne Anderson Illustrator

"The imagination is a powerful tool. An artist can use it to show others the world as he sees it and to bring others into his dream of what the world could be"

David R. Becker

The quote above makes me think with appreciation of all the gifted children's book illustrators who can take a child and make them dream of new possibilities in their life. With the cultivation of imagination, problems can be solved and goals can be made for the future.

I recently came across the work of Wayne Anderson while looking for new Children's books. I really admire his distinctive, detailed style which makes me think of Hobbits, fairies and other forest dwelling creatures.










I love the contrast the black background gives the illustration above.



This looks like a wonderful christmas book and one I think I will purchase.



I really love the picture above, especially the teeny tiny eyes peeping out at the very top!





You see things; and you say, "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"

George Bernard Shaw

I hope to purchase a book with some of Wayne Anderson's wonderful illustrations soon.

Gillian

Saturday, September 19, 2009

The Gardener's Morning





A poem that reflects my feelings precisely!

Gillian


The Gardener's Morning

The robin's song at daybreak
Is a clarion call to me.Get up and get out in the garden,
For the morning hours flee.

I cannot resist the summons,
What earnest gardener could?
For the golden hours of morning
Get into the gardener's blood.

The magic spell is upon me,
I'm glad that I did not wait;
For life's at its best in the morning,
As you pass through the garden gate.


- Howard Dolf



My husband and I admired this plant in someones garden and were given a cutting over 10 years ago. Today this "Rose of Sharon" is one of my favourites in our garden.





Friday, September 11, 2009

September

"As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fears,our presence automatically liberates others."


-- Nelson Mandela




I came across the quote above by Nelson Mandela and thought it was quite meaningful and worth sharing.I have been so busy keeping my sons occupied over the summer that I have not been able to blog and spend time reading the other blogs I so enjoy. At any rate, the sun is shining here after several dark, rainy days and it's warmth feels good physically and mentally.

Below are some photos from my garden which is alive with birds, bees and flowers basking in the sun today - my earthly piece of Eden.







I am an animal lover and consider my pets an important part of my family. This is my dear dog Bailey who is now turning 11 years old and feeling his age. When I was on bed rest 10 years ago during my twin pregnancy, Bailey kept me such wonderful company and out of that time we developed a very close bond. Now it is my turn to take care of him and I do so with gratitude for all the happiness he brings to my life. Anyone who owns a dog knows about unconditional love because dogs are the masters of giving it.

Bailey is a "Blue Merle" Sheltie with a gentle personality and warmth that endears hims to all whom meet him.

Gillian

Friday, July 31, 2009

Pacific Coast Paradise

“His house was perfect, whether you liked food, or sleep, or work, or story-telling, or singing, or just sitting and thinking, best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.”

J.R. Tolkien

I had the good fortune this past week of visiting Filberg Lodge and Heritage Park in Comox, BC. The grounds and Lodge were donated to Comox by Bob and Florence Filberg who bought the property, originally as a summer house, but soon fell in love with it and decided to make it their full-time residence. Through years of hard work the Filberg's created a beautiful home and grounds and here are a few photographs to give you a glimpse of this island paradise.

You enter the garden below at the estate and in the middle is a lovely grape arbour which leads you to the walkway down to the family home. As we walked through the arbour hundreds of tiny green grapes hung overhead waiting to mature in the sun.







Unfortunately, this picture did not turn out as planned, but after leaving the arbour you can head off to another garden on your right or go straight ahead and walk down to where the family home is located on the waterfront.



These steps lead to the back of the home just off the road that winds around and ends up in the front of house. Everywhere there was beautiful stone work and dazzling flower beds.





The shingled building ahead is where you can purchase afternoon tea and enjoy the seaside view.





This is the outside of the family home facing the waterfront.



This is the living room which my pictures do no do justice to. The timber in the walls is "Pacific Yew" a wood I had not heard of before this visit. The mantlepiece of the fireplace is full of knots and has a rugged riply appearance. They went to great efforts to get this affect by leaving the wood in tide pool for 6 months.



This table in the living room had these wonderfully detailed tiles inlaid into it.



The Master Bedroom





The Dining Room



Off the Dining Room is where the family ate their breakfast. On the right wall was a little sliding door (difficult to make out in this photo) so meals could be passed through from the kitchen.





The main staircase to the second floor with steps made of railway ties and the post is a tree and one of it's branches was left to make the railing. The carpenter who built this home was a true craftsman!



A second floor bedroom with a fantastic ocean view and such a lovely window.



A few more shots of the beautiful garden.









I would love to read more on the Filberg Family and learn about their transformation of this property where so many items have a story. It is definately a place I plan to visit again!

Gillian

"A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it"

George Moore

Monday, June 8, 2009

A Burst of Spring Colours

Take thy plastic spade,
It is thy pencil; take thy seeds, thy plants,
They are thy colours.


~William Mason, The English Garden, 1782

My garden is bursting with brilliant colours at the moment. June gardens are special because the lawns are still that crisp green and there is that freshness in the air that disappears as the summer progresses. I am enjoying every moment of it and still planting bedding plants I started from seeds, weeding, watering and all those other wonderful tasks that make gardening so special.



Beautiful peonies with their large blooms...



"Mary Rose" which is a personal favourite....



"Asoa" clematis which is not as radiant as usual this year due to a very long, cold winter...



"Snowball Viburnum" which is such an easy plant to care for and makes a lovely contrast in the garden with the other colours...



The beautiful small buds of an ornamental crab apple tree...



The soft pinks of a rhododendron...
.


The "Granny Savoie" rose named after my grandmother...



Weiglea profuse in red...



The open blossoms of the ornamental crab apple...a perfect and delicate colour combination...

Every day in an adventure when you garden. What will be in bloom tomorrow? What suprise awaits you? As the seasons progress and change so too does my garden. I hope you are enjoying your garden as well.:)

Gillian

The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on earth.


~Dorothy Frances Gurney, "Garden Thoughts"

Friday, May 22, 2009

The Healing Touch of Nature



Thank you God for this most amazing day, for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes.

~e.e. cummings



Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.

~John Muir

Yesterday, I took a few minutes to sit out on my back deck and enjoy a cup of Earl Grey tea in warm morning sun. As I quietly sat there, I enjoyed the gentle breeze moving my neighbours wind chimes, the chatter of birds in their early morning banter, felt the warm sun on my face lulling me into a place of relaxation which has been far to absent lately, and I was reminded of the healing power of nature in my life.



Through challenging times I have often found myself seeking solace in gardens. Even as a young child, there was always something about nature which has brought an inner peace, slows my mind and brings fresh perpective to situations where needed. If food is the fuel of our body, then I believe that nature is the fuel of our minds which we need to find inner peace and clarity.



Nature is my medicine.

~Sara Moss-Wolfe



I hope that as the weekend approaches, fellow bloggers, that you too can find some time to connect back with nature whether it be in the countryside, a park, your backyard or even in the pots and containers on your deck. Taking this time to slow down will be well worth it. Enjoy your weekend!

Gillian



Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.

~John Muir


Friday, May 1, 2009

The Sounds of a Spring Garden

Spring would not be spring without bird songs. Francis M. Chapman





I love this Victorian Print by Richard Dole, entitled, "Teaching Birds to Sing". The elf in the picture is giving the attending birds their singing instructions.

The birds in my garden are alive with chatter the last two weeks and I am enjoying every moment of it. They seem to have a whole community out there and are very talkative and busy collecting materials for nests. My favourites are the Robins who seem to quite round this year!

Gillian

Monday, April 27, 2009

Recycling Vintage Treasures


“See things as you would have them be instead of as they are.”

Robert Collier



Camelia's have short stems and I never seem to have a vase that really works well.





On one of my thrift store adventures lately this sugar bowl caught my eye with its beautiful design. It was very inexpensive as the lid was missing and I thought it might just make the perfect vase for my Camelia, "Debbie" with it's wide brim and short depth.







“Creativity is not the finding of a thing, but the making something out of it after it is found”

James Russell Lowell


I was pleased with how well it worked out and had more fun trying it out with these pretty gift bags as background accents.

Gillian