Sunday 30 October 2016

Thanksgiving in Collingwood


When you are two years old


you feel safe in the arms of your Dad


You can climb Blue Mountain with a whole bunch of
family and friends and....


....discover a fallen down 'castle' right at the top
and
ask your Dad to make you one of your very own.


You can wonder at how the land stretches out to meet the lake.


And then spy the lake getting closer.

When you're two you go to dance class with your Mummy...


....and learn to walk like an elephant....



....and groove to the music.


When you're two you go to the gym....


....and seek the refuge of Mummy's lap when it's time to top up 
your liquids between activities.

Friday 28 October 2016

Walking the Marshlands


We popped across the road to walk Steve and Andi's marshlands.
Apart from being super neighbours,
Andi is a wonderful photographer and artist.
It was a dark and angry afternoon
but it looks like the sky is clearer over the mountain
on the Bay of Fundi.
We live somewhere in those woods that climb the mountain.


Neat rows of yellowing trees line the edge of the marsh
whereas the mountain ridge in the distance
seems more chaotic in it's Fall browns and greens.


The marshes are home to wonderful grasses
and of course a beaver damn.
Sorry I didn't photograph the damn simply because
the beavers were more sensible than us....
....they stayed indoors for the afternoon.
It was wet and windy.
Next time.


Me thinks there might be inspiration for a piece
in this photograph.
This is our stream... it tumbles down the mountain
swooshes through our pond and around the garden
under the road and
 down here it zigzags through the marshes.


The clouds are closing in.
Time to go home for a hot cup of tea.


Wednesday 26 October 2016

All Caught Up Crumb-wise - Week Forty-Three


Handy Hubby has always thought that stitching the cross
or cruciform for a year was a pretty weird choice....
....that is because he associates it with religion.
But to me I think of the more ancient symbolism.
To the Celts it is the meeting place of divine energies.
Ancient Greeks used it to represent the four elements.
The Hopi used it as North, South, East and West
the four points on the horizon.
And in the Middle East it also represented the four winds.
I am sure there are many more meanings.


Red on the other hand is the colour of
blood and fire
love and passion
Joy and strength
Courage and Vigour
not to mention rage, danger and stress
but also
action, vibrance, radiance and determination.


Handy Hubby, the Rusty Pups and myself
are getting back in the routine of walks along the dyke.


That day the tide was coming in
and it wasn't long before this seagull lost his rocky island.


You can see him still perched there on the waters
beneath the North Mountain
which protects us from so much weather that travels up
the Bay of Fundy.


Basalt rock protects the dykes from wear and tear.
It was quarried from the North Mountain.


The tides are still pretty high.
Haven't seen a low tide mudflat since I got home.

Monday 24 October 2016

A Crumb For The Week Of The Hunter's Moon - Week Forty-Two


Are you getting bored with my year of crosses yet?!


oh, well
only twelve more weeks left.


I returned home to the highest tides of the year
thanks to the Full Hunter's Moon.
Water, water, everywhere.
Just a little bit higher and the fields behind the dyke
would have flooded.


By the end of our walk the tide had peaked
and started to recede.


The next day it was a bit lower again.
Can you see the wood from ancient dyke work sticking up
to the left of the gully?....well the tops of those
are what you see in the really high tide photograph. 

Tuesday 18 October 2016

Back Home After Creating Fabulous Memories - Week Forty-One


in Kagawong on Manitoulin Island


The Festival's theme this year was Walking
which struck me as more than a coincidence
considering Judy has been healing from her
broken leg since the late Spring.


Judy, Margi and Val beneath the trees where everything began.
The white wrapped sections represent Judy's steps
and the colourful flags in between show the length of her stride.


We laid it beside a river
where salmon were running
....just perfect....


It skirted a mighty rock....


and climbed a hill.
It looked beautiful
and it rained overnight
which made it even more beautiful
for Judy's talk the next morning.


Fungus grew on trees along the pathway


Fungus with delicate underbellies.


And we found evidence that fairies live in this magical place too.


Kagawong means "mists rising from falling water" in the Ojibwe language.
Val, Margi and I were so pleased to be there
to help Judy install and just be there for her.

Monday 3 October 2016

A Wrinkled Crumb of Sorts Week Forty


We just can't avoid wrinkles
They come to us all eventually.


Wrinkles are surely a sign of wisdom
evidence of a life lived.
As children we were always taught to respect our elders.
Sometimes I feel invisible
but I am here!

Well actually I am on Manitoulin
Spirit Island
playtime with Judy, Margi and Val.