Wordless Wednesday..

Madame P has returned....

She's been travelling for a year.  In a trunk.... or so they say.  It is called a travelling trunk show, so I guess they are actually in a trunk.  With many other dolls.  And.... I have to say that somebody, or more probably, many somebodies, have handled her very carefully.  She looks as good as the day she left home.  Her hair has hardly even moved.... oh, sure it was a bit staticky (is that a word)? ... just from the plastic bag she had wrapped around her...but just smoothed it down and voila.... good as new.  Here was the itinerary.  Did any doll makers happen to see her in person?

I admit to being a bit concerned... last year.  But... had to tell myself whatever happened, happened.  I wanted to enter the Hoffman contest... and I did.  I was hoping for big things...and that happened too.  She received Honourable Mention in a world wide contest.  I was thrilled.  However, when that happened, it also meant that she would have to travel.  I was a bit worried about her then...

But, somehow, they do manage to look after them very well.... and for that I am thankful... and may I just say, a happy enough camper to be getting excited about making a doll for the Hoffman Challenge 2011.  I didn't do one this year because my wrist was bad...and .... well, I admit it....  I was actually waiting to see what shape she was in after a year of travelling.

  Look at the fabric for next year!  Wow.  What beautiful colours.  Hmmm.....  I want to sit right down and just do some dreaming about dolls .... but, tomorrow... a consult with a surgeon about my wrist.  Guess we'll hafta see what he says first.  Who knows what will be the next step or how long things will take to organize and to heal.

hullo blog.....

it's been a while....

...   things have been growing and growing really well with all the rain we've been having.
The summer has shot past.... nights are cooler and the mornings...brrr.... doesn't feel like summer anymore now.....

The little beauties that have appeared in crevices of the paving stones and rock walls are amazing this year.  Not only  moss...but all sorts of little plants and flowers are making an appearance.

Wherever there's a tiny bit of sand or dirt ... they seem to grow...  with no nurturing or care..... funny that ....

Nettles of some sort....

This clover plant was hidden under some rather large leaves....that I think may belong to a hollyhock... but, I didn't plant a hollyhock... and it didn't grow tall enough this year for me to tell for sure if it is one or not.... maybe it will grow again next summer.
I had to bring in the clover... what cute little flowers it has... and the leaves are one of those things... delicate and yet so strong.  It lasted over a week in the little vase.  The leaves were a bit wilty the few minutes after I plucked the stems, but, the minute I got them into water...perked right up and stayed that way til I tossed it when the blooms browned.... ....

Wordless Wednesday..

Wordless Wednesday

weird weather..

We've been having yo-yo weather...to say the least.  One day it's hot, the next rainy...and yesterday it was terrible for Ladies Day golf... darn cold, blustery and rainy. 

Look at the colours of this geranium ... definitely what I would call red velvet .... so pretty..... went out in my 'jammies and a big, old, men's raincoat and snapped some pics of rain covered petals...

Who can believe the moss growing between the paving stones? ... ridiculous... we hardly see that here..... 

 Today it was supposed to be only about +21C so we went to hit some practice balls at the golf course.  Boy... it felt much hotter than that and by the time I went in to the washroom, my face was beet red!  The guys stared at me in the clubhouse and said...are you alright?  You are getting very red.... I said, oh, I always get pretty red in the sun.  But, then I saw me in the mirror..hahahha...no wonder they looked worried!  My hair was plastered to my forehead...  some was sticking out to the sides...what a wreck.  I splashed my face and arms with cold, cold water ...and felt more human.  Whew.... we staggered to the car feeling totally out of it and couldn't believe it when the car thermostat said it was a whopping +31 C !!  No wonder we felt wiped out and waaaay too hot.  Somebody can't predict our weather AT all. 

Here's one for you Serena.... our old fashioned Clematis is full of blooms right now.

We came home and poured a glass of juice with ice ...and a splash of white wine .... and sat in the shade on the patio....wow was it good to be out of the sun .... 

Golf is coming along.  Even with my high handicap (well, maybe because of it, actually) .. I am winning money on ladies days.... another $25 yesterday.   AND.... I broke 100 last week.   Plus, got a birdie!  Wooohooo... perseverance is paying off!  I know it won't mean diddly to those who don't golf...but, I "done good" girls!  I'm much happier with me this week.  Starting to feel more confident and am hitting the ball better... probably the other way around.  Because I'm hitting it better, I feel more confident.  Yep. That's how it goes alright. 

I must remember to take my camera again...there have been some incredible evenings when we have been out at almost sunset...and... silly me with no camera.  How I wish I could show you what I saw when I turned around to look behind us as we walked up the 9th hole the other night.....ohhhh... it was so beautiful.... 

One more with raindrops.... my portulaca.  This year I planted different colours than I usually do... lots of bright fuschias and pinks...., even some oranges have shown up ...which I don't usually like...but, they are all pretty ... I have been calling these my Japanese-y pots.  Blue pots with vivid colours... purples, pinks, oranges, blues and some wonderful lime greens ....colours I normally wouldn't put together...but, they work.  Like some colourful kimono .... ..

try your luck...

Here is an opportunity to win a sweet little bear from a very talented Lithuanian bear maker.  I've been enjoying the photos of her creations on Flickr for awhile now ... (she is also a talented photographer) ..... and have had her on my blogroll for some time so I know when she updates her blog.... to me it's easier than being a follower.  I notice the darker print on my bloglines list when a person updates a blog...and can hop right over to check out what is new.  Scrolling through the follower list has always seemed more fiddly  to me... but, I do add my name as a follower if I have a chance to win by doing so!  I'm cheeky that way sometimes....

If you love little bears... go to her blog and check them out... enter your name for a chance to win this little guy....

photo of the week..

Right now it seems our photo group is on hiatus ...just a minute..must go Google that word to make sure it applies..... back in a minute....

Yep.... perfect... a break ... that's what we're taking... summer break more or less....

Anyway.... thanks bloggy buddies for all your comments on my whine about learning to golf.  All taken into consideration, even the ones about giving up, but only briefly on those.... becuz, this is something I absolutely DO want to do.

It is like several other things in my past that all of a sudden I just had to do and eventually did manage to do at least  to my own satisfaction.  I had always wanted to shoot a bow and one day overheard a conversation of some archers.  I was almost too shy to ask...but, finally just forced myself to turn around and tell them I had overheard some discussion about archery and wondered blah, blah... which led to me finding out where and when and eventually going to the club.  And, finally, even on to a bit of competition... and a medal!  I get easily embarrassed it seems and it does make it a bit difficult to go forward with some things...but, if I really want it...I just have to slog onward with pink cheeks and neck.... til I finally relax enough to just be there doing it and having fun with it.

Then, there was motorcycling.  I love motorcycles. I had ridden behind on so many bikes for plenty of years.  Finally, after one particularly gruelling trip of over 2200 km on a particularly uncomfortable tiny extension, laughingly called a pillion "seat" .... which caused my knees to be up around my ears.... and which after hours, hurts!   ... I proclaimed that I was never riding behind anybody again.  I was riding my own darn bike next time.  Well...I didn't have a bike or a license... but, Mr. BV said... "alright..... get on with it then" and went right into the house to find a cheque ... for lessons.  Whoops... me and my big mouth.  So...I learned to ride.  In my 50's ....

And, now... it's golf.  Every day someone else on a motorcycle bites the asphalt because a driver in a car doesn't see them.  So, I'm selling the bike because the traffic situation is getting too crazy and Mr. BV worries about me when I ride off by myself.  He happily bought me a golf membership so that I would "please do something less dangerous".  I've loved golf since I first tried swinging a club back in the late 80's just walking around with a group of guys on a small golf course.  Sure wish I had begun this as a kid though... same as motorcycling.... but.... there is hope even for us oldsters.... it can be done.  At least well enough to enjoy a walk in the beautiful park-like settings.

All of the ladies, and even the guys, (who are pretty great golfers) that I have met so far are more than helpful and encouraging.

My sister and Mr. BV are my greatest cheerleaders and always have such clever suggestions. Our Mom used to be our biggest cheerleader as kids and even into our adult lives.  Always so encouraging.  Perhaps because she had dreams and aspirations; most of which were never realized, even in the tiniest way.  The one thing she did do that amazed and confounded us all was some acting.  She loved to sing, dance and act.  I think that was her secret dream .. but, the war came along; she made some very poor choices and the rest was mostly rotten history. However, one day when we were still kids.. she joined a little theatre group.  HUH? we couldn't believe it.  Nor could dear old Dad. He was not pleased of course.  He was insanely jealous of her, never allowed her nor wanted her to be around other men without him standing right there.... and so, the third war was on.  Anyway.. short end of the story... she loved it... learned lines like nobody's business and was a great little actress.  Her first year with the troupe she got actress of the year... and made three enemies within the acting group ..  they felt she upstaged them... was written up by local critics as being pretty darn amazing.  But, she only got to do a few years of that before the situation at home became too much of a problem to continue.  I remember how nervous she was...how she even managed to buy some special deodorant that actually stopped her from sweating because she soaked straight through costumes.  How she managed to cope with all odds to do something she so longed to do even though her insides must have been screaming.  My Mom .. my hero.... and she always said to us kids...if I can do it, anybody can.

She taught us all to dive the same way...  she didn't even know how to swim really, but could do the sidestroke enough to stay afloat for a bit.  Dad was teaching us to dive, but in his typical drill sargeant manner... basically killing us off and making us kids cry by the end of it.  She stood on the platform, glared at him.... and dove into the water in a perfect imitation of his perfect dive and from his letter perfect (of course) instructions. Her first dive in her life.  Boy, oh, boy...if Mom could do it..so could we!  I stepped up, did mine and the rest of the kids followed suit.  Hah! ... we all spluttered to the surface and swam back to shore or the dock... laughing and crying.... there you go Dad, dammit!

This week, after getting some help from one of the pros...and hitting a lot more balls..... (I even have a small callous if you can believe it!) .... I feel quite a bit more confident.  It's still a bit nerve wracking for me.... but, soon, I hope I can just go there and wander around in total bliss....

On Saturday night it is what we have been calling "date night".   It is mostly couples golfing and there are plenty of times for just two at a time.... how wonderful.  It feels like we own our very own private course.  It is so peaceful... so quiet... it's beautiful.  Afterwards... drinks and a light, late dinner... what fun.

The sunset was spectacular the other night. The sun a brilliant, almost fluorescent, fuschia.  And I didn't have my camera!   On the 6th tee a little deer was nibbling on some foliage...she just moved quietly further up the hillside... I was so happy she didn't get frightened and have to bound away..... we've seen another down nearer the river..or perhaps it was the same one....

A baby muskrat lives under the bridge on the walk over to the little island green...soooo cute....

and the flowers and plants....  amazing right now.... the colours....!!

Taking my camera again next golfing day....

today, I better get out there and do some digging in my own garden.... not much is getting done around this yard seeing as I am never home anymore.

Oh, and...guess what?  You know that old saying about "if a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear"?.... same thing with flowers blooming....  yes, they do still bloom even if I am not around to notice it right away.

Look what I found growing in my very own garden!  The most beautiful, soft custard yellow mini carnations!  First time this plant has bloomed and I've had it years.  I even moved it half way through the season because it didn't seem to be doing much ...I thought it would probably just croak, but, I guess it likes the new spot.

When a little packet arrived in my mailbox today and I opened it to find this little guy ... it brought tears to my eyes.
It's been a weird week ...so he just made my day pretty darn special after a few I will happily try to forget.  A bluebird day.  So cute sitting there on his little "nest".... resting a bit I'm sure after flying all the way by Royal Mail from Juliet's in the UK.  I immediately thought of the little bluebird of happiness.

He is felted from lovely purplish wool.... but, I'm sure there must be a strand or two of blue in there... well, I see blues in it anyway just because of the thought that he is a bluebird .... and has the cutest little perky string tail feathers... a little bright beady eye...and little bugle beads for feet.  He definitely won't have any keys attached to his special ring.. don't want any keys dangling on my little guy ..... but, instead, he will flit about keeping me company in my crafting room....

I was the winner of a special giveaway for her blog followers.... thank you JulietK....  I love my little guy!

My preference...

definitely would not be Carnoustie..... I can't even envision being a member there.  Maybe there are tee boxes set up for those who can't bomb it a mile....or worse yet...those who would always be in the "burn" or the "rough".  It is a "links" style course...no trees.... just long scraggly grass here and there... big, deep sand bunkers... thick gorse bushes that swallow balls....wind blowing a gale off the ocean most days, etc.  Not my idea of fun at all.  In all fairness, I know they can't very well irrigate something this monstrous..nor would they want to... after all .. this IS the home of links golf.  And...this photo makes it look pretty green...which it is not.... 

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The word "links" comes from the Scots language and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes and sometimes to open parkland.

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Okay..now..... here is my beautiful course.... serene, green, lots of lovely trees, which also make it challenging, as you do want to try to keep the ball in the middle of the fairway.... some of which are pretty narrow but, at least you can find it if it goes offline... unlike trying to dig it out of a gorse bush.

Occasional water hazards...just to keep you on your toes... but also...the beauty of it....... just look at this little island green.  There is a cute little footbridge leading to it...and a little muskrat lives under it. We sometimes see him on the walk over to putt ... (or maybe we have to get it out of the sand first)... yep...I was in there ...only once so far.  It is a mere 77 yards to the middle of the green from the shortest tees.  Which I am still using.   But...it is a tricky little shot too.  Sand traps all around the green.... some water to sail it over .... it's all a head game really, this golf.
If you look to the left....on the other side of the water .. near that little reddish tree?  You can see the tees lots of the ladies use.  For those of you who don't golf... there are several other tee boxes yards behind those...  ..each progressively further away... 'til you come to the Blacks ...or champions tees.  And, also from where the juniors or kids whack the ball.  Sigh... it is almost unnerving.  They are miles back...well, not miles..but, you know, if I didn't exaggerate.  How I wish I'd been able to take up golf as a kid.  Well, it just couldn't have happened in my childhood...but, in a perfect world, it sure as heck would have.

This is from above on the road leading down into the course..... what a beautiful sight as you drive in .... it was absolutely perfect this day.... .. not a breath of wind to ruffle the water.... 

Carnoustie

I wrote this a few years back when the regular 
tour was playing the British Open at this course. This year...the seniors are playing at the same
course ... poor guys ... I thought it appropriate.
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…………. Maiden by the Sea………………..

There’s a Scottish lass that brings grown men to their knees…

Their bodies caressed by a nearby cool sea breeze..

But she’s not for the faint of heart nor the slightly ill at ease…

And sometimes this breeze becomes a gale,

Or she gets ugly, rough, hardy and hale;

Much more than enough for the strongest male.

She’s a strapping gal of generous size;

An unusual sight for any man’s eyes…

Still,…..  considered to be a genuine prize.

No’ a soft touch, her’s; no inviting glade or glen.

She’s a hag, a bag and a bog-witch; not a caring mother hen.

She’s cruel, she’s mean, and if you dare to give her a try, you’ll ken.

Yet, suitors arrive from all of the map;

Hardly daring to sleep or even to nap;

Hoping she’ll favor the tip of their cap.

     They’d best all be in finest fettle,

For a wench like this will never just “settle”.

She seeks the best – a man of rarest mettle.

Don’t even consider her for a young man’s flirtation…

This is serious intent only; no other situation ..

Truly this one is a Major initiation…

She’s a men’s league special with a claret jug as a treasure,

A she-devil named Carnoustie lads; and she’s mean about giving pleasure.

It’s merely a cruel trick to test the best man’s measure..

So, step forward fellas and take your chance,

But don’t be silly or quick in a careless advance;

For only the clever and patient survive in this dance.

Can this maid be conquered or perhaps fairly won?

Which man will dare to make the final skillful run?

We’ll only know when the last few steps are done.

Photo of the Week

"Favourite things" is the theme this week.     " favourite - something regarded with special favor or liking" .   That meaning (of several I found) seems to be a good one in my case.  Lots of little or pretty simple things in my life interest me ... make me smile ...give me a giggle, and it seems I tend to list them as favourite things. Where to begin?  I have lots ....      food (baking and cooking) ...  flowers.... bears.... dolls... golf ... ACEOs (art cards, editions and originals) .....

Sometimes it's not even necessary to say too much..... some photos speak for themselves...... however, let me just say something about these beautiful tiny pastels done by a Russian artist and friend that I met online several years ago.  She sent the pics to see which one I wanted...how could I not want both? ... The cat is her own.... she drew many pics of Czenia... and I now have both of these.  I'm sure you'll agree that they are pretty darn amazing.  Click to biggify and see the detail ....

Peonies from my garden...

Buttercup...needle felted from KoolAid dyed wool.  Beads for "dreds" ...

..of course, Scratty Eddy and his cute and interesting little face ...  and his tea drinking buddy Scruffy....

..speaking of tea.... how 'bout tea and scones?  The name of my other blog...and another favourite thing...baking....

...simple, yet very effective... for Christmas...my fav season just for the glitz; the glamour; the beautiful decorations .... the fun creating ...... the perfect way to break up the toooo many months of cold weather....

Let's not forget breads. Brother ....I could go on all day couldn't I?
I've just learned to bake breads the past few years...and oh, YUM....how I love home baked breads!  My very most "favourite-est" of favourites .... ..... lol....... and, now...I'm off to do some jumping jacks....hahahahha ........ NOT.......!!

Panettone anybody?

There you are.  I better stop.  Never just one for photo of the week with me...always several.  I should do something more organized with my photos some day...... I have hundreds...nope....I have thousands..... and I just can't hit the delete button..............

Photo of the Week

This week is ..."something magical".... and one suggestion was mushrooms.... which can be magical in more ways than one.

Like, ....how 'bout in a great tomato sauce?

... along with some of my own herbs that I am growing on the patio... in a terra cotta pot ...

This is the second "Basil".  My first guy croaked .... got frostbite or hypothermia or something.  As a matter of fact...I dragged in the pot last night because after our brutally hot days... a rotten cold front blew in yesterday.. and I mean blew...with high winds and even a tornado warning if you please.  Downtown got golf ball sized hail!  We got heavy rain...but, it said cold overnight and I was afraid if he didn't have a sweater on... well, poor little Basil would be too cold.... he looks pretty robust though doesn't he? ... lovely leaves...

Rigatoni ... lovely tomato-y meat sauce with fresh herbs and mushrooms.... two cheeses melted on while baking and then some parmesan sprinkled on top and broiled til bubbly and golden ...mmmmmmmmmmm ......... magical indeed!

Today...more magic.  It is a very cool +9C... raining and windy...  I wimped out on golf and decided to stay home, turn on the oven and bake. Bread dough on the go.... muffins next.... and hey... maybe I'll make fresh soup for supper to go with a slab of fresh bread toasted.   Just more amazing magic in my book .......

come for a walk....

I'm out here at the golf course..... taking some lessons ... doing some practicing.... trying out my new found information.... wandering around the beautiful landscape and am hitting it a bit better, but still not as well as I'd like.  Sooooooon...... I hope.....

 ....  I even had time to take a few shots with my camera last time out..... imagine me here.... I wish you could all be hanging out here too.  Even if you don't golf.... and you don't have to walk if you don't want....just get a cart...ride along sipping on a cold beverage...... having a laugh or two.....

However...I golf for exercise ....so, the walking is great.

what's that?  looks like rhubarb to me.  Giant rhubarb! Must take a closer look next time...I could pick a stalk or two... that size would fill the pot.  I love rhubarb in my apple cobbler.

...how could you not love being out here?  so peaceful and quiet...

Off to have a snack and a nap....... hope you enjoyed your walkabout in the greenery....