Sunday, April 18, 2010

Thumb dimple Art


I was sitting in my living room, the sun was going down and the light was flooding across a bunch of tchotchkes on my bookshelf.  This is a closeup of a thumb dimple in a ceramic tea cup. Sweetie thought I was nuts but I think it's beautiful Art.


I love the shadows, the wood grain and the spiky dead leaves of what was a beautiful expensive fern that I killed.  Oops.


Clearly (pun intended) I can see Art anywhere.

Wouldn't this be an amazing piece of abstract Art to hang on the wall?




This is a wonderful piece of Art glass made by the daughter of a classmate of mine from high school.  Check out the Tide Line gallery. Their blog is great too!

Monday, April 12, 2010

West Coast sunset


Just beyond the sunset
Someone waits for me
Just beyond the sunset
Lies my destiny
Where the purple mountains
Lie in deep tranquillity
There I’ll find the treasure
Of love eternally 

An except from Just Beyond the Sunset by David Harris. 



Thursday, April 8, 2010

Back to work I go

Since I've been back at work I haven't made much effort to post.  But.... I've had plenty of time to take photo's and work in my garden.   I'll let the pic's speak for themselves.
A somewhat blurry but still pretty shot of Japanese Kerria.  One of the first things to bloom in my yard.
It's such a happy plant and it is growing almost 30' high up a cedar tree. 


My favourite clematis ~ and that's saying something because I LOVE clematis, is Clematis Armandii.  This lovely specimen is twining it's way around the post on my front porch.


We are lucky enough to have five flowering Japanese cherry trees lining our driveway.  I can't believe that the typhoon like wind we had last week left any blossoms but these ones hung on for dear life.  I believe our trees are Akebono.


While I do love a few varieties of Euphorbia I had no idea that this particular species ran like mint!  YIKES.  Between this and the Greek oregano my back yard is a MESS. I do enjoy the flower heads though.



And lastly, this just reminds me of Madonna.  Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Abkhazi Gardens - Victoria BC



Sweetie had an appointment in Victoria on Friday so we decided to head there a couple of days early. We spent a warm Wednesday afternoon walking downtown, enjoying China town, Market square and the other areas around our hotel.  Thursday dawned rainy and grey so what better day to do a garden shop tour. I got out the yellow pages and made myself a nice big list. When I came across the ad for Abkhazi Gardens it seemed like the best place to begin our tour and of course, the photo ops would be great. 

Abkhazi Garden is a wonderful example of the immensely important work done by The Land Conservancy of BC.  It is well worth the price of admission.  We were thrilled by what we saw here in late March and are planning on visiting the gardens again in early summer. 
The views from the summerhouse at the top of the property are some of the best in the garden.

Across the rocky terrain a peek-a-boo view of the summerhouse shows the diverse landscape of this garden.

One of my favorite plants, the Pasque flower gently nods its head to the raindrops.


The base of this red cone spruce is the largest I have ever seen.  I had no idea they grew this big!


You know it's spring in BC when you see the Skunk cabbage blooming.  We could smell this long before we saw it!

The garden is also home to many different species of wild life.  This guy seemed to pose for the photo op.  He wasn't shy at all.   I didn't realize I had captured one of the three turtles who call this pond home~ lucky me!

I had to ask the garden steward what this amazing architectural plant was... and wouldn't you know it, I can't remember what she called it.  Next time I'm bringing a pen and paper along!
Sweetie noticed this burl perched on a stump.  Isn't it amazing.

This makes me want to make hypertufa planters - I hope Gladys will want to join me!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

new addiction

Turtles sunning themselves in Central Park, New York City

An attempt to create my own blog background lead me to a couple of YouTube videos that inspired the idea of changing my blog header photo weekly.  This lead to the creation of a customized photo crop in Picasa. So a new monster has been unleashed.  I have poured through my many photos on my lovely little coolmax... cropping away... here are some current favorites.  So much for figuring out how to make my own blog background!


 witch hazel tree and a wonderful sky


the center of a gorgeous Angel statue ~ Central park, New York City


sand dunes at Cannon Beach, Oregon


a close up of a snake plant in HD


the ceiling at Grand Central Station, NYC


spring flowering Heleborus


the mouth of the Oyster River

Saturday, March 20, 2010

the color of your soul & numerology ?


I just stumbled across what I think is a wonderful quote by Heraclitus: "the soul is dyed the color of it's thoughts "

What a wonderful idea...


So that lead me to thinking.... a quick Google search ....yes, there are more than a couple of quickie online surveys to determine the color of your soul (or something similar) but for some reason or other this site on numerology jumped out at me.

Check this out:  http://www.numberquest.com


Here are the results from my name ~ of course I am only going the retain the good bits!


Name Meaning

Your name at birth was a set up! It set the stage for who you would become and the people and events you would be likely to attract. It helped to shape your perspective of life, your energy level and your attitudes. It helped to determine your level of self-esteem and your future potential for success or for struggle. Everything is energy in motion. Everything, including you - is like a powerful, broadcasting satellite - emanating distinct, vibrational frequencies that magnetically attract your experiences. What frequency is your name set to?



Soul Urge: 19 / 10 / 1 



Your Soul Urge - The Song of Your Soul - A Deeper Look Into What Motivates You
The Soul Urge number has also been called Heart's Desire and Spiritual Urge. It is our secret, innermost longing. Our dream, our motivation, the fuel that energizes our journey. The Soul Urge number reveals what we secretly strive to be or accomplish. Some have said that this number tells us what we have been in previous lifetimes, the accumulated growth of our soul.

You are the essence of individuality and independence. You are intense and convicted when it comes to defending your beliefs, as you never doubt your inner strength and ability to handle any challenge. Many are inspired by your confidence, while others may feel irritated and view it as arrogance. You are likely to attract people and situations that allow you to express this part of yourself or else they will mirror these traits back to you.



Personality: 37 / 10 / 1 



Your Personality - The Impression You Make upon the World
The Personality number describes the way we appear to the outside world, the first impression people have of us. We may not even be aware of how we are perceived by others because we are so often focused on our inner world, and many times the inner does not match the outer. Personality gives us a peek at some hidden talents we have. The talents that we use to get along in the world and in some instances, protect us from it. It is likened to a bag of tools (jewels) that we carry with us along the way.

Others see you as a unique individual who always does their "own thing". Independent, capable and pioneering, you seem to take control of the situation and make it run effectively. You are very concerned with your image and always seem to dress in a way that gets noticed.

Expression: 56 / 11 / 2 

Your Expression - Character, Talents and Identity - Your Unique Quality of Consciousness
The Expression number shows us who we truly are, what we came into this life already knowing. This is where we feel most comfortable and how we automatically act. We attract people and situations to us that require our Expression so that they can further evolve. In this way we play the role of teacher. Naturally we are attracted to occupations that we resonate to, so the Expression number can be a strong factor in our choice of a career as well. Our Expression is the vehicle, with all its virtues and vices, that drives us along the path of our Destiny. It is the essence of our identity.

As a peacemaker and mediator, you bring harmony and intuitive insight to all you come in contact with. You have an inborn ability to understand all sides of a situation, and you have the tact and gentleness to express it in a way that it will be received. This talent is the magical ingredient for "Peace on Earth".

You are endowed with a high vibrational energy that may be expressed through inspirational, teaching, preaching, acting, art or invention. You have access to prophetic wisdom and your positive attitude is a transformational force in other people's lives. Fame and notoriety is very likely at some point in your life, as your kind of energy gets noticed! Much will be required of you in life when you have a master number vibration, because much will be given.