A new creation

Boots (near Seven-up bottle) and Tiger at their feeding station near the kitchen.

A view of the jewellery I worked on today. Emerald green and crystal Czech firepolish beads with clasps. Nickel free matching earings.

Same creation, but against a white background. This actually is a better shot of it as the crystals are clear.

It took me all afternoon to make this set but they are very beautiful and worth the effort.

Ed's Mom was taken ill and rushed to the hospital so he sent me an e-mail to let me know. I am glad to say that his Mom will be released from the hospital shortly and will be sent back to the nursing home.

As a result of this emergency situation, I made reservations with Wheeltrans in Toronto to pick me up at Union Station tomorrow. I will cancel it now as I will go in with them.

I will call them tomorrow before leaving and book my ride back on Monday. I am quite relieved, as one must wait outside at Union Station for about half an hour for pickup and I was dreading that due to the extreme cold. At least going home, I can wait inside at Margaret's for pick up.

I wish Margaret's birthday was in the warmer weather!

I am very relieved to hear that his Mom will be okay and things are returning to normal for them.

Sad news

Just got an e-mail when I opened up my computer from Ed. His Mom has been taken seriously ill and transported to the hospital, so he and Carmelita are going to Toronto right away.

I will call Margaret and let her know that I will have to get Wheeltrans and the Go bus after all.

I sure hope Ed's Mom will get better soon. He and his sister Anne are such good children to their Mom.

Tuesday's day shaping up.

I need to do quite a bit of typing today to catch up on things I should have done before!

I also want to figure out how to make a four tier necklace. I have done one tier already last night with Ceylon beads (small ones, but bigger than seed pearls) and perhaps will work on another layer in between typing. It sure takes a long time to do as the beads are very small and require a great deal of patience and a steady hand. I have used blue Ceylon beads and now may make some pink Ceylon beads next to that row. I think I will use Czech firepolish beads for the other two tiers but we will see as we go along. That is the fun part of designing for me - experimenting.

I can see why some designers use huge beads. It is so much faster and easier for them to do!

I had a lovely chat with an old friend from Toronto yesterday afternoon and caught up on all her news. She had been sick with bronchitis at the start of the new year and was just now starting to feel better.

I shall be going to Toronto this weekend to celebrate my friend's 90th birthday. I have known her since the early 1980's so we go back a very long time. She wants me to take pictures so that she can send them to her foster children as a memento. Once she passes on, there will be no reason to go to Toronto in the cold winter months!

On another note, a friend of mine lost his beloved cat yesterday. I do understand so well what he is going through right now. I remember when Hibou died in the flood, I wrote a poem on her and this was a comfort for me. I could not read it aloud for the group so Stella read it for me. She is a cat lover herself so she understood how I was feeling. We have comforted each other over the loss of our dear companions.

All in all, it should be a very pleasant and productive day, provided I buckle down and don't get distracted from what I should be doing!

A beautiful design I worked on this afternoon

Peridot and jet black Czech firepolish beads, with three faux delicate pearls on each end.

I was in a designing mood after lunch today and I am quite pleased with this necklace. Wish I could keep them all, but business is business so it is for sale. I will also make similar earings and sell it as a set.

I plan to take more of my designs in to Arts Hamilton . I also am seriously thinking of having a Mother's Day tea/jewellery party in our party room. It is Carmen's idea but I think it would be fun.

We'll see.....

A rainy day at the waterfront

At St. John's today, after the service, Sabine took possession of her handcrafted jewelery. She liked both of them and could not decide which one she liked best so she asked a group of friends. They had trouble too, but then decided to go with the more funky one as it was very, very original. She wants to order another funky one for her sister-in-law at the same price and will check which colours of Swarovski beads she likes. She also said she would like to try and drum up more business for me which is very nice of her!

After that, Rosie, Siggie and I went out for lunch at the waterfront, in spite of the rainy day.

We had a very nice time and I was able to get to know Siggie better. I liked her. Siggie had to go all the way out to Stoney Creek where she lives, so after she left, Rosie and I went walking by the water. We saw a gaggle of geese hanging about, some ducks on the water, patches of ice still frozen and open water as well. It was strange to see the big Hamiltonian cruise boat docked and not in service as well as my darling little tugboat which I just love! I often think of writing a little story about that tugboat or even a poem.

All in all, a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon on a dull and rainy day!

Rosie dropped me off at home after the waterfront and now am going to design a necklace.

Lunch out with Carmen and Wally

What a lovely time we had together. We had a delicious lunch at Toby's which is a great restaurant in Jackson's Square. Their food is always tasty and I have never been disappointed when I have gone there. Rosanne was on duty and we have always gotten along well. She admired my pendant and found out that I make handcrafted jewellery. She wants to come to my next party as she also loves poetry! Carmen suggested that I plan a little gathering for around Mother's Day.

If I do that, I will not borrow the chairs again as that is too much work for others. I have 27 chairs available to me so that is plenty of guests.

If I do another party, I think I will just make it a sweet table instead of all the baking I did last time. I also will cut down the amount of poetry readings and try and get some music in there as well.

Anyway, back to the restaurant. Wally was sneaky, and grabbed the bill before I could pay my bill! They are so good to me.

Afterwards, we went shoes shopping for Wally and he was fortunate enough to find two pairs which fit him well. Liquidation Mall was our next step. Carmen had never been there and she found it amazing. Of course, that is my favourite shop in the Mall as it is fun to go in there and sometimes you can get some amazing bargains.

They walked me home and then went to pick up their car at St. Paul's.

Such busy young people but I am so glad they made a special effort to spend time with me. It was great fun and made my day!

A great evening with Poetry Center

We had a lot of chuckles and there were 21 poems to get through in two hours. As you can imagine, it was hard to do that.

At Westdale they are very strict about closing time and they gave us ten minutes advance notice.

This group is a younger group with different ideas. I am so fortunate to have the benefit of two very different critiquing styles.

Alvaro picks me up so that I can go there. He is very kind. He is a well known poet here in this area. As a matter of fact, he will be the opening poet for an invited guest from Calgary at Brian Prince bookstore next Thursday night.

It turns out that we both like opera, which is a real treat for me as I don't know too many men who like it.

In any event, I really had a good time tonight with lots of laughter and the group liked my poem very much and offered only very minor possible amendments.

In the car going home, Alvaro said that was my best poem that I have ever written and he is very glad that I am getting away from rhyming. He said it was so real. Quite a compliment from him!

Now onto other matters, I shall be going to Toronto to celebrate my girlfriend's 90th birthday at the end of the month. Shall stay overnight and then go back in the afternoon of the next day so we can have a nice little visit.

We go back a long way, about 37 years. We used to be neighbours on Gulliver Road.

I am so blessed with so many wonderful friends. I cherish each one of them.

A nice lunch at Logans

I slept in really late today and had to ask the gals to postpone the lunch until 12 noon. That was fine so we all went to Ottawa Street to Logans. I would definitely recommend it to anybody who enjoys European food.

I had Borec which is a type of layered pastry stuffed with Feta Cheese. I had it for the first time in Turkey about 30 years ago and a Turkish friend came to my place one time in Toronto and made it for a party I was having. It is quite an art to make this.

After our delicious lunch, we went antique shop hopping which was fun. One of the gals bought a lovely scalloped glass dish.

We didn't want Anita to have to drive back downtown so Marie and I went home by the Barton bus.

All in all, a very afternoon.

Tower Poetry Launch - winter edition

London, Ontario poet Carl Lapp who drove all the way to Hamilton to participate

Margaret Bennett. second Vice President reading.

Valerie Nielsen, First Vice-President reading from her work.

Ellen Ryan, reading from her friend's work as well as her own.

Ed Woods, Circulation Manager and Treasurer, reading his work.

Marianne Vespry, explaining how she came to write her poem.

Stella, reading from her work.

Stella Mazur Preda, addressing the group. Former president and long time member.

Jeff Seffinga, explaining the procedure for the launch.

Norm Brown, President

Today was the winter launch of Tower Poetry Society's book. It was very attended even though the day outside was damp and dark.

Inside the lovely Carnegie Gallery, there was beautiful art, jewellery, pottery and what I particularly enjoyed was seeing the shell work done by an artist.

The launch got started at 2 p.m. with various readers reading not only their own work, but work of absent poets. One poet even came from London, Ontario to read his work.

Light refreshments were served and much appreciated by those in attendance.

It was a very pleasant afternoon.

Brian Henry's romantic writing workshop

He is a very nice fellow and has a good way of leading a workshop, in my opinion. I already have registered for the upcoming one in May and shall look forward to it.

He gave some valuable tips and I asked him a general question on how does a person become an editor as I have several friends who do that work.

He told me that in days gone by, one just started doing it without specific training but nowadays there are specific courses to take. It sounded like one could still be an editor though without any specific training.

I found it quite interesting. My editing experience is limited, just edited a book for an African lady a few years ago, and also a foreign medical student. It was an interesting thing for me to do..

I wonder if there is a course in Hamilton to do for that? I looked at Mohawk a while back but only could find Creative Writing Courses, but perhaps it might not be called an editing course.

We had some good laughs and I met some delightful ladies (no gentlemen present), Brian excepted! He suggested Women's Weekly to submit short stories to. I had forgotten about them.

We did a group writing story (3 in the group), and also individual openings for a story, which was great fun. Mine was about the day of a marriage, and the bride to be realizes that she couldn't marry him as he was a control freak. I think I may expound on that when I get a chance. It was great fun to write.

We had a lovely woman come to speak to us in the afternoon. I found her very nice and she spoke very clearly. I cannot seem to remember her name right now.

She writes romantic stories and has had about 12 books published so far. She is quite young, her child is only 12 years of age.

All in all, a lovely way to spend an afternoon with creative people.

A great day with Stella

A closer picture of them.

Jasper and Willow, the star boarders!

Stella and Dan's lovely home in the country

Open water in a creek, partly frozen in some sections. Just outside of Dundas, Ontario

A photographer taking a picture of the other photographer! Stella at the little water fall.

Water from the escarpment which has turned to ice in some parts, some parts are still running.

A house I have always admired from the bus window on the way to Kitchener.

What a very pleasant day I spent with a good friend. She read me some of her beautiful poetry about her much loved aunt. I was deeply touched by it, which is what a poet should do, touch the reader.

I had tears in my eyes as I listened to the love than came through as she wrote about her aunt. The flow of words and the sentiments were wonderful. Relationships are so important, whether or not it is family relationships, or good friendships.

My late Father used to say "You can choose your friends, but you cannot choose your relatives".

I met her husband Dan and her wonderful two cats and loved her cozy home in the wilds of Flamborough. I know she reads my blog so she will get a kick out of "the wilds of Flamborough"!

Such wonderful scenery we saw, we stopped along the way and took pictures as we went. Both of us are into photography so it was a real pleasure to be able to do that.

Such a pleasant day for me. We plan to do more of these special days together in the future and do some small day trips in the warmer weather. Something to look forward to.

I still have such wonderful memories of the day trip that my friend Jennifer and I took to Niagara on the Lake. Around Hamilton, there are so many small towns to visit which are not too far at all. Love this area!

Hard to believe, but I have been remarkably quiet on the blog

I have been hibernating lately due to the cold snap and have been very busy trying to organize, wash and straighten out different areas in my little nest which I call home.

Haven't had much on except for the Mayor's Levee which my friend Mohammad and I attended. It was very nice and we had a chance to speak to a councillor, the mayor, the new police chief and Diane, the mayor's wife.

I've been to Lit Chat as well and it was quite interesting. Some of the participants have been professors and high school teachers before retirement and their subject has been literature so they are way ahead of me in their knowledge of poetry and great literature so I listen more than I speak. It is good to learn from them though.

My friend Jennifer picked me up due to the extreme cold and she drove James, Jennifer T, and myself home. We had the opportunity to go through a part of the city I rarely go in, so it was nice to see the houses all lit up.

Oh yes, another nice thing that is happening today is that my friend Stella is picking me up this morning and taking me to her place in the country where we will spend the day together. She lives in Flamborough which is very rural and I am looking forward to this very much.

I love the country (to visit, not to live) and will enjoy seeing the crispness of the white glistening snow and the wild life. I shall meet her husband Dan and the cats for the first time. She has visited me several times over the years but this is our first opportunity for me to visit with them.

Oh, another point, I started writing a short story about a "balcony" and if I like it, I may send it in for publication to Perspectives Magazine. I am having great fun with this story as it is from the perspective of the balcony!

Have a nice day, my faithful readers, and welcome to new readers. Hope you drop by again!

Christmas decorations all down

Yellow wood, with white and dark blue beads for another window.

I now have a blue and yellow theme here with some orange colours as well. Yesterday, I did some crochet at night of a yellow circle with dark blue and white beads entwined within.

I have already done two red ones with dark beads for one window, now another window will have yellow ones. I like variety.

I also plan to do some wirework for the windows with jewels sparkling in them. I love to create!

Jennifer, a friend of mine, suggested that I do a narrative poem on parts of my childhood. My brain is already beginning to ferment some ideas and we will see what comes of it.

I had a nice chat late yesterday afternoon on instant messaging with Rosa Maria. It really is so good that we are back in touch!

It looks like a nice day out today so think I will take my videos back to the library.

Have a good day!

Some very disturbing news here in Hamilton

The Hamilton Mosque on the mountain had a Molotov cocktail thrown into it. It was thrown in the school area through the Principal's window I believe. Thankfully, the children had not yet arrived. It will be treated as a hate crime.

After the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Buildings, another house of religion was targeted. It was the Hindu Mandar. It was completely destroyed. Happily, it has now been rebuilt.

Let us hope that the police can find the person or persons who are responsible for this.

Hate is alive and well, intolerance is also.

Sunday's events

In the afternoon I designed two beautiful Swarovski crystals pendants for a customer who has requested these particular colours.

She will have her choice of styles and, of course, I will add the chain once she has chosen which one she wants.

I really enjoyed making these pendants as the crystals are so very pretty!

She will look great in one of these!

At night I went to Lit Live and perhaps I was not too receptive, but I found it very long. The only one I really enjoyed listening to was the story about the Japanese adventure as it was a short story.

Mohammad, Jennifer, James, Jeff and myself all sat together which was nice.

Jennifer offered me a ride home but I just felt exhausted and needed to go to bed and Jennifer T. was still busy with the book table so just walked home by myself.

Jeff also walked from his place and he left first, then Mohammad, and then a few minutes later - me.

I think sometimes one has to be in the "mood" for such events. I really do prefer something that has a plot and a story line. I see more and more that stories or narrative poetry is what I really prefer.

A lovely birthday party!

A beautiful manager scene in the party room. It truly is a lovely senior's residence with many of the senior's art work on the walls. People seemed to get along quite well and seemed very contented there.

Metis people - Anne and Ed

Phillipina - Carmelita

Ed, Carmelita and Anne, Ed's sister from Toronto

Some lovely ladies and a dear little boy!

A nice family picture

A group shot

A small section of the guests.

Ed and Carmelita in their party room.

What a nice time I had with compatible people. It was Carmelita's birthday and welcome home party. It was very well attended with 30 people as well as many of the residents from their building participating.

Carmelita had done her usual splendid job of cooking delicious food and presenting them in a most attractive way. She should run a restaurant!

Her family from Cambridge had arrived early - just a little after 2 p.m. They had the most wonderful little boy with them. His personality seemed to sparkle and we exchanged many glances as he tried to figure out what this strange lady was who didn't look like any of his relatives.

He didn't seem to have any fear though, even though I wear glasses and many little people find glasses a little intimidating.

People arrived at different hours and Ed's sister Anne even came from Toronto.

It was grand to have been invited and I felt very honoured to be there. Many happy returns of the Day Carmelita!

A reunion

At our Christmas tree downstairs. Amanda, Ricky, Rosa Maria and Rosemarie (from Newfoundland)

Amanda and Ricardo

Rosa Maria,

Ricardo and Amanda

What a happy day it was today! God is so good! My friend Rosa Maria, whom I met when she first came to Canada, found me through my son's Facebook page. He had not changed from age 14 to age 36 in his basic look so she recognized him right away.

She sent him an e-mail asking if I was his Mom as she had been looking for me for many years. He remembered her and gave her my phone number and she and her family came today to visit me here in Hamilton. today

Twenty one years have passed and yet it was as if no time had passed at all. My heart is overflowing with joy right now.

We went down to the waterfront and let the twins play for a while but it was too cold to remain there so we went back in the car and went up to the Sam Lawrence Park so they could take some nice pictures there as well. We then went for a drive up to Stonechurch as I wanted to show them Limeridge Mall, but as usual, I got lost!

Happily for me, the bus drives know their routes! I have absolutely no sense of direction and Rosa Maria had no knowledge of Hamilton so as you can imagine, it was a little disappointing not to be able to show them Limeridge at least from the outside.

However, they will come again in the warmer weather and we will go to Fifty Point or Christie Lake for a nice picnic.

I took some pictures but my batteries gave out so Rosa Maria will send me some when she has the time.

I am so lucky, I have two new grandchildren, Amanda and Ricardo! I just love them.

All in all, a great day.