Greetings All. Best wishes for a healthy, happy and safe 2013.
Ah, that quiet time between Christmas and New Year. The fireplace burns non stop, I read or play non stop - I hardly manage to get out of my pyjamas. Anyone in the house gravitates to the fridge and the great assortment of left overs or baked Christmas goodies.
This morning two of the Grandchildren woke me to tell me they were going to play quietly and not wake me up!
The sun was an orange glow escaping between the skyline and a heavy blanket of grey cloud. That narrow skyline is still visable. Mount Baker and the surrounding ranges are magnificent in their winter coat of snow. The bay still hosts migrating birds although many have wisely headed south. We will follow them in a couple of months.
We have not had snow, whereas Vancouver, just half an hour away, had quite a fall last week.
The year swirled past - or did I simply advance through time - not sure. Welcomed a precious gift of a new Granddaughter, worked on our garden and cruised the scenic seafood-filled waters of the Broughton Archipeligo with friends. Four of us onboard Nautica our 26' Nordic Tug.... and we are still friends!!
Home again to tame the prolific production of my vegetable garden - tomatoes, beets, greens, peas, beans, garlic, peppers. Harvested blackberries and made jams and syrups, picked blueberries in the nearby fields - stacked jars of B.C. peaches and pears. Satisfaction personified as the leaves turned yellow, red and orange.
Then the winter storms, waves top dressing the lawn with seaweed, carex grasses and Tamarisk trees yielding to the wind. Snow geese and trumpeter swans from the Arctic descending exhausted like giant white kites onto green water-soaked fields, snowy owls fluffed, ever watchful, resting on silver grey driftwood trees.
Thoughts turn to Christmas, missives to old friends, crafts with excited youngsters, concerts and ice skating. Baking and eating shortbread, making leek soup - from garden to table in a few hours.
Christmas Day - deferred in its entirety to Boxing Day as we love to all be together but understand the out-laws love to do the same so we give them the gift of Christmas Day celebrations.
So another circle of time has brought me back - the clocks ticking, the fire burning, lights still glowing in the Christmas tree. Small remnants of Christmas ribbon, a corner of coloured paper and glitter in the carpet. A quiet moment to be remorseful for time that passed without due attention, for friends not acknowledged and loved ones taken for granted.
Hope you enjoy this peek into my life in Canada.
A New Year, look forward.
All the best Janine
Ah, that quiet time between Christmas and New Year. The fireplace burns non stop, I read or play non stop - I hardly manage to get out of my pyjamas. Anyone in the house gravitates to the fridge and the great assortment of left overs or baked Christmas goodies.
This morning two of the Grandchildren woke me to tell me they were going to play quietly and not wake me up!
The sun was an orange glow escaping between the skyline and a heavy blanket of grey cloud. That narrow skyline is still visable. Mount Baker and the surrounding ranges are magnificent in their winter coat of snow. The bay still hosts migrating birds although many have wisely headed south. We will follow them in a couple of months.
We have not had snow, whereas Vancouver, just half an hour away, had quite a fall last week.
The year swirled past - or did I simply advance through time - not sure. Welcomed a precious gift of a new Granddaughter, worked on our garden and cruised the scenic seafood-filled waters of the Broughton Archipeligo with friends. Four of us onboard Nautica our 26' Nordic Tug.... and we are still friends!!
Home again to tame the prolific production of my vegetable garden - tomatoes, beets, greens, peas, beans, garlic, peppers. Harvested blackberries and made jams and syrups, picked blueberries in the nearby fields - stacked jars of B.C. peaches and pears. Satisfaction personified as the leaves turned yellow, red and orange.
Then the winter storms, waves top dressing the lawn with seaweed, carex grasses and Tamarisk trees yielding to the wind. Snow geese and trumpeter swans from the Arctic descending exhausted like giant white kites onto green water-soaked fields, snowy owls fluffed, ever watchful, resting on silver grey driftwood trees.
Thoughts turn to Christmas, missives to old friends, crafts with excited youngsters, concerts and ice skating. Baking and eating shortbread, making leek soup - from garden to table in a few hours.
Christmas Day - deferred in its entirety to Boxing Day as we love to all be together but understand the out-laws love to do the same so we give them the gift of Christmas Day celebrations.
So another circle of time has brought me back - the clocks ticking, the fire burning, lights still glowing in the Christmas tree. Small remnants of Christmas ribbon, a corner of coloured paper and glitter in the carpet. A quiet moment to be remorseful for time that passed without due attention, for friends not acknowledged and loved ones taken for granted.
Hope you enjoy this peek into my life in Canada.
A New Year, look forward.
All the best Janine
Dear Janine,
ReplyDeleteCanada is a wonderful country and I love your nice pictures.
I wish you and your family a happy, wonderful, creative and healthy 2013.
Dutch greetings Dorien
Janine, you should have been a writer. That was so beautifully written that I'll probably come back and read it. The photography is so beautiful. I think it's so wonderful that you make preserves. At least, you know what you're eating. I cannot ever find jam that I like. I've thought of making a few jars. Perhaps I will try it soon. The recipes on the net add so much sugar, though. I was never one to can food. I did try my luck about five years ago. I did pickled carrots, sweet jerkins, bread and butter pickles and dill pickles. I just loved the carrots and the sweet jerkins. I had time to eat a few jars of bread and butter pickles before they became cloudy on the bottom. So, I threw them out. I don't know what caused that. As for the pickles, they looked just perfect in the jars but they also clouded over. I did not even have time to taste them. I suspect that it's because I don't have cool storage. Sorry for the long e-mail. Have a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your grandchildren while you can because once they grow up, we don't see much of them. I often think of them when they were young and I was their caretaker. How I miss those beautiful days.
Hello again, Janine For as long as I have known you (and it has been a long time) it never fails to amaze me the way you express yourself. You paint such beauty into words with a sure and delicate touch yet with strength of purpose too. It is in your writing and also in your everyday speech; you have the genuine heart and soul of a poet. God bless all those near and dear to you and God grant that we may we always be friends
ReplyDeleteelizabeth
Beautiful Photos and beaufiful words. Good 2013 for you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful way to start the new year! I too agree with Lucille. You are a wonderful writer and I might have to read it all over again. Thank you for the grandchildren update. What a precious gift we have when we have grandchildren! Now time for me to start my New Year's resolution. Finish, start and finish again for a lot of areas in my life.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year dear friend.
fatima
Your photographs are beautiful and inspiring. Best wishes for the New Year! Troy
ReplyDeleteI must agree with others you certainly have a special way with words Janine and your corner of the world is so inspirational, magical photos.
ReplyDelete