Sunset on Steroids

The sunset reflected beautifully on the cumulous clouds on the horizon so I grabbed the camera and went to the nearby church parking area.
This is how I saw the clouds....

....but with the function selection turned to colour enhancement, this is how the camera saw the clouds.

Which one do you like best?

Juried Art Again

A few more of the paintings that were chosen to be shown at the Juried Art Exhibition in the spring. I regret not taking note of the artist's names and the titles of the works. Sorry artists, if you happen to see this post.

This was a small acrylic painting, approximately 9"x12" I think.... brightly painted ice fishing huts on a frozen lake. A lovely feeling of isolation and yet community..... and cold!

I loved the colours of the dramatic skies in these two matched landscapes. And they looked perfect displayed on the red wall. Often the colours surrounding a painting can make such a difference to the appearance and effect of the finished product.

What's going to happen when that bird in the top right corner finally makes a landing?
I'm holding my breath.....

This was my favourite painting in the show, it was large, about 36" x 48".
Memories of the artist's dad's workshop.  I stood and looked at this painting for a long time, visualizing the man who worked here, building things and repairing things. Just like many dads.
I can't remember the artist's name but I remember the title: Portrait of a Good Man. 

Jammin' Again

Big juicy blueberries were on sale at the grocery store yesterday so I just had to buy some, and jam fever took over. Add some sugar, juice of a lemon and some pectin and I was jammin'. Yes, I admit it.... I am a serial jammer, I just can't help myself.

First clean the blueberries of stalks and leaves, and smoosh them to a pulp. I suppose you could put them in a blender for some super-smooshing like the commercial jam factories do, but I've never done that as I prefer some whole fruit in the jam. Lets be real!

Squeeze the lemon juice in (a real lemon is best, not that stuff in a bottle!) and add the pectin and bring to the boil, making sure you squish any large fruit against the side of the cooking pot. And then gently mix in the sugar..... a cup of sugar for every cup of fruit, and stir constantly for at least a couple of minutes with a wooden spoon when it comes to a hard boil that you can't stir down.

Take the pan off the heat, stir for 5 or 6 minutes to cool the jam (listen to music and stir in time to the beat to pass the time) and make sure the fruit doesn't all float to the top, then pour into hot jars and seal. The seals will POP as the jam cools. These 7 jars cost me approximately $18 for ingredients, not counting the cost of the electricity, so about $2.57 each, half the price of store jam, and 10 times better!

My runner beans have started to produce, and I picked the first beans yesterday. So exciting! I've never grown runners before. Lots of little baby beans are ready to grow so I'll have to water the plants faithfully every evening during this sunny weather, just to make sure!

Come on bees.... come buzzing by and make me some more beans. I love these beans, they remind me of Sunday dinners as a child in England. And the humming birds love the red flowers too.

This is my magical bean slicer... the Krisk Bean Slicer - Made in Australia! It top'n'tails the beans with a sharp blade, then will slice the bean and take off the strings all in one easy action. Fabulous! Every kitchen needs one.

Interloper

....... intruder, trespasser, incomer, squatter, gate-crasher, uninvited guest, unwanted visitor, an invasive species has reared its head in my hanging flower basket.

But you have to give those dandelions points for perseverance!

Juried Art Show 2017

The local Art Gallery holds a Juried Art Show each year in the spring, and artists all over Ontario are invited to submit their work. A panel of experts..... well, people who know about such things, I don't really know how they qualify as experts...... decide which works will be on display. It's only a small gallery so not everything will end up on the walls.
Here are just a few of the works that I really liked. But sadly I didn't note all of the titles or the names of the artists.

This was a depiction of Bingham Canyon Mine, Utah, the largest open pit copper mine in the world.

Life of the Ocean by Vicky Talwar. Acrylic and mixed media 36"x48"

Collage.... many printed images combined to make one large image.  I wish I had made a note of the artist.

Some more images to come.....

Dirt Bike

What could be more fun for a nine year old boy than your very own dirt bike? And he lives on two acres of grass and trees, so there's plenty of room to ride it off-road without getting into too much trouble. But first, it's necessary to learn the rules of the trails and how to handle the bike safely, so off he went to Honda Junior Red Riders dirt bike school for some training and hands on experience.

 Junior Red Riders is a learning experience for ages 6 to 12. A day at dirt bike school teaches the fundamentals and the importance of safety gear, how to ride safely off-road and why it is important to respect the riding environment and conditions.

Safety gear is essential. The kids learn basic riding skills, acceleration, braking, balance, starting, stopping, some maintenance and some trouble shooting. He's hot and sweaty after a morning of instruction. And it looks like he had lots of fun.

Garden

The last location on the garden tour was a small plot of land behind a bright blue country cottage. It was obvious that the owners are madly in love with their garden. It was a riot of flowers, shrubs, vegetables, mature trees, all accessed by flagstone walkways. A little pond with chubby goldfish. An enclosure for ducks and chickens. Even a busy beehive tucked away behind some shrubs by the back fence. Perhaps a harvest of honey and beeswax in the fall.

This wire trellis supports an arch of peas. Look closely and you'll see the maturing pea pods hanging. The little wooden bridge takes the path over the fishpond.

There was no wasted space in this tiny garden. Every piece of ground was put to good use, growing flowers, herbs or vegetables. And there were even plants for sale, but I have no room for more plants in my tiny front garden, although I'd love to have a garden like this. I'd be out in it every day, rain or shine.

This was my favourite garden of all the places on the tour. I loved the fact that it was so full of life and love of nature.