Quilting and other Things

On Dec 5, I went to Wasaga Beach as part of a winter photography workshop with Mike Guilbault The workshop was Deserted Beaches of Wasaga. Its been a mild fall so not much snow and ice (the folks on this weekends workshop will probably say differently since there's winter storms in that area today). Mike has a post here about the day including a group photo. I'm having problems picking a favorite photo from the day. There were lots to choose from. This ranks up there: The others are here

Spinning Ball Rolling Ball Other pictures from this class are here

So yesterday was the reveal at Hobby Horse for this years $10 quilt classes. I was a bit late getting there so missed getting photos of some of the quilts. Elaine was taking photos, so hopefully she'll post some too. The quilts are here or you should be able to watch this slide show. When I got home yesterday, I got busy right away and download the photos from the camera. But then got side tracked by this weeks layer's class lesson. (Sorry Mom) Its about making out of bounds (OOB) photos. The ones where things seem to be coming out of the pictures. This is as far as I got with the one of the donkeys at Carisbrooke Castle. They were being lead around the ring and the announcer was telling us about the donkey. This one got hold of his lead and wasn't going any where.

So this is the top -- it still needs a border or two -- I'm thinking about wood cut / mat style fabric for the borders. The dark brown I have is a little dark to go as the inner boarder but maybe as the outer if I can find a lighter one to go between.

I was up early Saturday morning so went down to the lakefront and took some sunrise photos. Of all the photos I took yesterday morning, this is my favorite. Ten others from my morning session are on flickr here .

We had a ladies retreat at Deerhurst last weekend with Rosemary Flaaten as the guest speaker. The topic was A woman and her Relationships and was based on Rosemary's book. It was an excellent weekend. Rosemary spoke about the relationships God wants to have with us, how we damage relationships and how to avoid the damage. Both mornings I got up early and went out to take pictures. These are some of my favorites There are additional photos in the slide show

On Saturday morning I went up to North Bay. This time I pulled over at the High Falls Rest Area (Hwy 11 and 117). Had a wonderful time wandering around taking photos. The trans canada trail runs through here. When I discovered I'd been at the rest area for 45 minutes I called Mom to let her know I'd been distracted and would be a little late. She said the drive they'd done the week before through Dorset (Hwy 117, 35 and 60) had been very pretty. Since it was a nice day I drove that way instead of getting back on the highway. I left my house and 8 am and finally got to North Bay about 4:30. Should have been there by 1. These chairs were facing a canal at Baysville. There's a selection of photos from my drive in this slide show On Sunday Dad and I went over to Duchesnay Falls. We didn't get very far before we need to go home as Karen was going to be online for a chat.

Karen has dumped the suitcases and got started on her laundry. Helen Anne put pictures onto Karen’s computer. We had synchronized the clocks on our cameras but they are out by seconds so not all the photos sorted correctly. Close enough though – much better than the year we were out but hours and minutes. We finally headed over to the train station and got the12:2? something train to Victoria. We were going to get the open top bus tour but the coupons for the discounts, if you have come by train, are being done differently now and we decided it wasn't worth it. So, we jumped on a double decker bus and had fun riding from Victoria out to Hammersmith on the 211. We then got the 9 or 10 bus back and jumped off at Hyde Park. We went and stuck our feet in the Diana Memorial Fountain and got them nice and cold. It felt rather good as the day was nice and warm. We then wandered through Hyde Park, had an ice cream, and eventually made our way to the gates near Buckingham Palace...

Today, we went to Alum Bay and then home to Karen’s flat. We left our suitcases in the office and came back for them after seeing Alum Bay. Alum Bay opens at 10 so we got the 9:20 bus (the buses run hourly from Freshwater Bay) and arrived about 9:45. Some of the shops were open but the chair lift down to the beach didn't start until after 10. It is possible to walk down but involves over 200 steps. Karen's toe didn't think that was a good idea. They sold a book of twelve tickets that could be shared. With the chair lift, and two demos there was enough tickets in one book for both of us. We got one of the first chairs down and discovered a short boat trip out to the Needles at the base of the chair. So we got the first boat tour out. Good one to get as it wasn't very full and the tide was still low enough that our feet didn't get too wet going across to the dock. The next few groups of passengers we saw going to and from the boat were getting wet feet. Ap...

Today we did the medium walk Winkle Street to Hulverstone. It was 14 km (8.5 miles) and 300m (975ft) of ascent. We were dropped off in Calbourne (SZ 424868) and walked back to the house. The walk started with a visit to the Calbourne church. There is a brass memorial from 1379 in the church placed there by the Earl of Salisbury in memory of his son William. William was jousting with his father and was blinded by the lance and later died. From the church we headed to Winkle Street (or Barrington Row). There are a couple of explanations for the name Winkle Street – Winkle use to mean “to twinkle”. It also meant a lane that goes around a corner but doesn’t lead anywhere. It might also refer to a type of seashell. The lane has some older stone cottages and thatched cottages on one side and a stream on the other. At one spot in the stream there is a stone wall with vertical groves down into the stream. They can drop wooden pieces into the vertical groove and let the water come up....

For the last few days the forecast has been for heavy rain today however this morning it was for light rain between 10 and 1 so we went hiking. Helen Anne took just the little camera in its waterproof container. All the walks were circular walks from Godshill (SZ528816). We did the alternative easier walk – Godshill, the Worsley Obelisk and the Donkey Sanctuary. It was 9.7km (6mi) and 210m (675ft) of ascent. It was raining as the bus drove into Godshill so everyone was busy pulling on wet gear (jackets mostly). Before we were 10 minutes up the road, we stopped to put the jackets away. It did rain again for a minute or two after lunch but not enough to bother with jackets again although the pack covers did stay on. From Godshill, we headed out via the Sunshine path to a Donkey Sanctuary where we had our morning break. The donkey sanctuary takes in donkey’s that are in need of care. They really didn't want anyone to feed the donkeys -- we counted at least six “Don’t feed th...

Helen Anne I got up early and went to take some photos in the bay area at sunrise. All the articles I’ve been reading about photography say that first hour and the last hour are the best time (only time in some) to take photos. Karen stayed in bed. Last night, for once, I was in bed and ready to sleep and she wasn't. I stayed down for the first part of the evening then went up to read. Karen stayed down for the whole evening and had fun playing games. The leaders have organized an optional trip to Osborne house for the rest day today. Both First the bus took us to Whippingham to see St. Mildred’s Church. Prince Albert helped design the church. He died before the church was finished. In the design, the choir loft was moved to the back of the church so that no-one would be able to stare at Queen Victoria during worship. Near her chair is a memorial to Prince Albert. There is a church calico cat name Henrietta that came to get attention from Karen. Apparently Henrietta w...

We were ready for the bus a little early this morning so took some photos overlooking the bay and the grounds. We did the easier hike today called Hills & Hollows from Shorwell (SZ456829) to Carisbrooke Castle. It was 9.5km (6miles) and 255m (825 ft) of ascent. By doing the easier hike, we had a few hours to go into Carisbrooke Castle and wander around. The first stop was the Church of St. Peter in Shorwell. The church was founded in 1100. There is a mural of St. Christopher from 1440 over the doorway. It was covered over during Cromwell's time but uncovered when renovations were being done. During Tudor times, every town and village was required to have a cannon. Like many towns, Shorwell kept theirs at the church. The bricked up doorway is still visible. In the church there are some old bibles and prayer books on display. One of the bibles is called the Vinegar Bible (1717). Its a King James bible. For some reason, the sub-heading for Luke 20:4-16 is “The parable...

The hike today was called The Northeast Coast & Bembridge Trail. It was a medium walk and covered 15 km (9.25 miles) and 115m (375 ft) of ascent. We started at Ryde Pier (SZ593928) and walked along the coast to Bembridge and then inland to Brading. The bus dropped us at the Ryde Pier and we walked out past where two hovercrafts were parked. We stood at the edge of the pier admiring them. The military became interested in developing viable hovercraft after D-Day because they needed a better way to land troops on beaches. According to the leaders notes, one of the first commerically operated hovercraft ran from Portsmouth to Ryde starting in August 1962. It takes 10 minutes for the hovercraft journey. The catamaran journey is 18 minutes. If you are coming by car, its 40 minutes on the car ferry then 10 minutes drive back to Ryde. While we were standing there a hovercraft arrived from Portsmouth. We got a little damp from the spray. Up the beach a little ways was a coastal...

There were to be four walks offered today but the fourth leader has injured his knee and can't lead any walks. They hope to get replacements in for the rest of the week as there are 50 guests. We decided to do the medium walk today along with 24 others. Its called The Bays and Downs of West Wight. The walk is 14 km (or 8.75 miles) with 310m (or 1025 ft) of ascent. They get the ascent by adding the total climbs for the day. The descent is not mentioned. If an HF leader tells you its all downhill or perfectly flat the rest of the way, don't believe him (you thought "the cheque is in the mail" was the worlds biggest lie). The walk started and ended at the house. We went down the driveway and headed up the street to St. Agnes church. Its a Thatched roof church (one of 18 in England). There's a date stone in the wall that says 1694 but the church was actually built about 1908. They recycled stones from another site. A bit further up the road, we turned onto...

We left, complete with Karen's two smaller suitcases and both packs full about 10:40 to walk over to New Beckenham station for the 11:10 train. Its a longer walk than to the Beckenham Junction station we usually go to. We had to go to Waterloo East and walk over to Waterloo. We wanted enough time to get lunch before getting on the train for Brockenhurst. We both ended up at the Pasty Shop for lunch. Karen got chicken & mushroom and Helen Anne got steak and Stilton. They were very tasty although Karen isn't sure hers actually had any mushrooms. Shortly after we finished eating, Karen heard them announce the earlier train to Brockenhurst so we jumped on it. The train from Brockenhurst to Lymington Pier was an old fashion, slam the doors behind you, train. So Karen did. On the ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth we got two seats in a corner by the front window. It was a very pleasant way to travel -- lots of sailboats out. Both ports have a large pier / anchorage are...

Helen Anne I was in bed asleep about 9:30 last night – much later than I expected. This morning about 7:30, I woke up feeling pretty good. I heard Karen so went to say Good Morning. She’d crawled back into bed so I lay down to visit. Next thing I knew, it was 9:15. Karen Helen got up about 7:30ish and crawled into my bed, so we could visit but fall asleep. I was ready to be up and didn't want to toss and turn and wake her up, so got up. I managed to have breakfast, a shower, slip in and grab the clothes I had worn the day before and leave without waking her up, it was about 8:30 or so when I left. I went to do some errands and got home about 9:30. She had been up for about 15 minutes. Both We packed everything for next week into Karen’s two smaller bags, as that is easier for moving around train stations. We finally wandered into London about 11. We got the train to Herne Hill and then changed trains to get to St. Pancras International. There we got some lunch at Pr...

Karen I had a quiet morning, heading out to Heathrow about 10ish. I bought to zone 1-6 travel passes for Helen Anne and I and when I got onto the platform, a new officer at IHQ from India was waiting for the train as well. We visited on the train to Herne Hill and she changed there to get to Blackfriars and I went on to Victoria. I had to wait for a few minutes for the District train that would go through Baron's Court, so I could change where I like to change but was out to Heathrow in plenty of time to meet Helen Anne. Her plane landed about 11:23 and she came through around noon. I had got a couple of waters and greeted her with a 1L bottle of water. She was thirsty! She was looking at some thing in her rucksack on the way to Victoria and I had a few pieces of Bridge Mix. I was even nice and shared but she did provide the twist tie to keep the bag closed. Helen Anne It was a smooth flight over to London. I got some sleep doing my usual tuck me in my corner as soon as the main a...

I came home with lots of pictures from the two hours (partly because I had the exposure bracketing on so it took 3 photos when I pressed the trigger and partly because I tend to hold the shutter a little bit too long and get multiple photos). I've now gone through all the photos and removed the junk and the duplicates. I think I'm left with less than half. Of those, this is a slideshow of my favorites. If this doesn't work, the photos are on flickr here

Last weekend I went to the Royal Ontario Museum on Saturday to see the Dead Sea Scroll Exhibit. No photos are allowed in the special exhibit area. Ten fragments were on display. Not all the scrolls are books of the Old Testament. There are some that sound like they are commentaries and some are rules for community living. I think it was a total of 400 scrolls found. They’ve pieced together all the fragments and there are books available of the translated scrolls. I’d made a reservation to go up to C5 for Afternoon Tea. I finished looking at the scroll exhibit and had time to wander through another part of the museum. The museum website has a couple of pod casts that I’d downloaded so I played the Egypt one and wandered through that section. The beaded piece is a covering for a mummy. It’s a richer colour of Blue in real life. I need to learn to take photos through the glass cases. The papyrus fragment is part of the Egyptian Book of the Dead that the museum has on display...

On Saturday I went out to finish the Toronto Section of the trails from km 46.2 to 50.5 then the beginning of the Caledon Hills trail to see the badlands. Came across this old car wreck around km 48.3 (its on the closed portion of Boston Mills Rd). The trail then follows the road to the end of the Toronto Section at the corner of Boston Mills & Creditview Rd. Didn't find a trail marker to indicate the switch of clubs at this end, just the blazes on the pole to turn left to keep following the trail. There are lots of farms in the area. Lots of cut hay in the area but not many are in rolls yet -- too much rain I guess. A short ways up Creditview Rd, the trail goes off the road again. This is the edge of the badlands area. At first, this was the only part I saw. A little disappointing. But a little ways on, I came to another road that the trail was crossing. I could see cars parked up a little ways, so I walked up the road and this was my lunch view Badlands are unusual ...

The office is closed today in honour of Canada Day. It was suppose to rain all day but when I got up this morning, the forecast was no rain until mid afternoon so I decided to grab my stuff (including boots this time!) and head out for a short hike. Good thing I took the boots. Although it was a mostly smooth, level trail again, it was also a very muddy trail in sections since we've had a lot of rain since Saturday night. Almost as soon as I started down the trail, I saw this dragonfly. I'm amazed at the variety of colours they come in. This is the path I was following. As soon as you enter the dark hole in the middle of the trees The path opens out into this Saw lots of mushrooms today. I borrowed a book from the library to get a general idea what some of these are. Not exact names as there isn't enough details in a photo to determine that. One the same page in the book, some mushrooms are edible, some are undetermined and some are very poisonous. So I'm st...