Trying out my new camera

I had to purchase a new digital camera as my old one (about 4 or 5 years old) had inner troubles that would have cost more to repair than the camera was worth.

Thus, I have been practicing with the new Nikkon one.  It is very small and compact.

Here is a sample with my favourite subjects:  Boots and Tiger

Tiger and Boots

The two good buddies

Tiger

Tiger

Boots

Now just to spice up the blog a little bit, I shall write a little  rhyming poem.

                                                   There was an old cat named Tiger
                                                   Who enjoyed, of all things, to swagger
                                                    This orange and white thingamajig
                                                    Who believes he's Mick Jagger.

As for Boots, let us also write him a little poem so he doesn't feel left out.

                                                   You are a mischievous little fellow
                                                   Whose underbelly is like jello
                                                   Almost as white as marshmallow
                                                   Which makes a cozy bedfellow.

Now that I have had some fun with rhyming poetry, let us talk now about a lovely potluck supper I went to tonight.  When one door closes, God opens another, and this is exactly what happened this weekend.

I tried for one day to get through to Wheeltrans in Toronto but it wasn't until 5:30 p.m. that I finally got an live person.  I was put on the waiting list and hoped against hope that I would get a ride once I got to Toronto.  It was my friend Margaret's 91 or 92nd birthday and for this occasion, I really wanted to be there.  Alas, all my efforts were in vain.  Wasting from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Saturday with about a half hour lunch break, dialing every couple of minutes was extremely frustrating. 

I was unable to get a ride so had to stay here. However, as I said, it turned out well in spite of the frustration I felt.  I was reminded of a potluck supper and movie night at St. Paul's, so I made an Iranian rice dish and brought it.  It went over very well and was quite unusual for most of the people there.

The movie was the Scarlet Letter but I only stayed for the first part as it would have been a four hour movie.

Here are some shots of the potluck part of the evening.

The set table before most people sat down

The happy eaters

There was a lovely variety of different foods and everything was very tasty.  We all had a good time and shared lots of good humour and stories.

All in all, a lovely evening. 

It seems that this camera may be a little better than my other one, as the shot of the table came out better than ever before.  It is dark wood panelling in St. Andrew's Hall and my shots there were never good.  This one is okay.  It will take me a while yet to get good at this camera though, as it is very small.

Thanks for reading my blog and I hope you had a good chuckle with the two joke poems about the cats.

Have a great day!

Toronto Star and the Toronto Public Library to kick off short story contest | Canadian Immigrant

What a wonderful chance this is for short story writers to send their work in for the chance to be published in such a well known paper such as the Toronto Star.

I certainly am going to send some work in.  There will be fierce competition as the prize money is fantastic!  The money is nice, but the prestige is even nicer!

How exciting this is for me!






Toronto Star and the Toronto Public Library to kick off short story contest Canadian Immigrant

The many uses of jewellery pliers

I haven't used my toaster oven for a long time as the knob had broken in two and I found it hard to turn the inner round knob by myself.

My son dropped in this morning and made an excellent suggestion.  "Use your pliers Mom" and this way it's still workable.

Now why didn't I think of that myself?  In any event, my jewellery pliers have come in handy for not only making jewellery but to turn on the toaster oven!

What a smart  and practical son I am blessed with!

Speaking of jewellery pliers, I have decided to branch into making children's jewellery as well.  As a former day care teacher, I have always loved working with children and as a jewellery designer now, I can bring delight to children once again.  I will make jewellery which will be of good quality and can be kept as a keepsake.  What a treasure that will be for the little ones and what a joy it will be for parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles to find something precious for their loved ones which will last and last and at the same time bring back happy memories when they are older.  Who knows, perhaps it can even be passed down to another generation.  I just love that idea.

I remember when my two darling 10 year old twins and their Mom visited me here in Hamilton, I gave each of the children some jewellery.  They were so happy for this and the little girl mentions it often even though it was a year ago January when they came. 

It made me happy to see them happy.  Children are such blessings and are our most precious gift from God, a trust from Him.

Every adult can "mother" a child and be a positive influence in their lives.  I have one Toronto friend who never had children and yet she used her many sterling qualities to be a positive influence on so many children she came into contact with.

What a legacy to leave when one departs this earthly life!

Thanks for reading my rather mixed news blog today.  Have a great day!

(3) Helpful websites for writers - Perspectives Magazine

I was browsing Perspectives Magazine site and found this interesting item.  Just thought I would pass this on to my readers.

Have a great day!





(3) Helpful websites for writers - Perspectives Magazine

I was reading in The Spectator about my friend Shirley

Another friend of mine, Rhona, brought me a copy of the paper so I could read about Shirley Elford who was my roommate for 3 days at Henderson Hospital.

Shirley is such a good person and a very well known glass sculptor whose speciality is angels.  I have one myself from her.

She made a glass object for her Lutheran Church here in Hamilton a few years back.  Shirley is fighting Ovarian Cancer. 

In the hospital we laughed and cried together over a sad movie. We would talk for hours.

I remember when Shirley had her exhibition, she had to leave our ward in a wheelchair and go by accessible taxi but she did it!  I remember how tired she was when she returned.  This was in spite of a broken hip!


Her daughters, Arlene and Ann, along with Gerry her husband were faithful visitors. I have never seen so many people come to visit one patient - she is a much loved person and has done a great deal of good in the community.

I feel very touched by this article in the Spec.  and was in tears when I read it.

May God grant her and her family the strength they will need to get through this.

Antidepressants found in fish

I came across this in Montreal Gazette.  It is upsetting when I remember how more than 50 years ago, I used to safely fish and swim in the St. Lawrence.

I wrote a poem on this same river as I have such fond memories of it.  I still have a lot of work to do on it and will add some of this information that I read today into the poem. 

Thanks for reading my blog.



Antidepressants found in fish

Homemade Aromatherapy

I came across this article in the Dollar Stretcher which is an excellent source of knowledge and one which I have subscribed to for many years.  It is amazing how economically one can live by using what you have at home.  Enjoy the article and try it out  if you wish.

Have a good day.


Homemade Aromatherapy

Winter Warmth

Canada, right now, is very, very cold, the wind is howling and the snow is flying past my window as if in a hurry to get somewhere!  I had the pleasure of reading this article in the Dollar Stretcher and thought it might be helpful to others to find out how to cope with this kind of weather.  The Dollar Stretcher is a wealth of information and it is a free communication.

Hope you enjoy reading this.  Have a good day.



Winter Warmth

The funeral for Sgt. Ryan Russel of the Toronto Police Force

It was televised on CBC and ran for several hours.  It was extremely moving.  He was so young, just 35 and had a wife and small son.  I really felt for the whole family.  His Dad was a police officer and he followed in his Dad's footsteps.

I don't know how his wife had the strength to stand in front of so many people and speak so well at this terrible time in her life. 

I felt for his mother and sister and all those who knew him as son, husband, dad, uncle, brother and good friend. 

The whole service was extremely well done, including the music and poetry.

I heard the policeman's prayer which I have never heard before and that was very moving.

A great loss to his family and the greater Toronto community.

Attacks on synagogues, school linked, police say

Attacks on synagogues, school linked, police say

An unnecessary death in Toronto

I was so upset today at noon time when I learned of the death of a lady who has Alzheimer Disease. She was only 66 years of age.

From what the news said, this lady wandered outside at night while her husband was asleep.  When he woke up, he immediately called the police to try and locate her.

I understand that this lady called for help as she had fallen on the driveway about a block from her home. Two people heard her call for help and did nothing, and one person looked outside  and saw her lying there but did not even call the police.  She was found about 5 a.m. by a  woman delivering newspapers.

It was the coldest night of the year and this lady died.

 Are we "too busy" or are we "not wishing to get involved?". 

What would those people who ignored her cry for help do if it was their loved one lying there? Would they not want somebody to at least call the police?

It just breaks my heart to hear of this tragedy. 

TPS winter book launch Jan. 2011

This year, due to the renovations going on at the Carnagie Gallery in Dundas, ArtWord/Artbar hosted the book launch.  Although  the Carnagie Gallery is a lovely spot to have the winter launch at, it is very far from downtown Hamilton. 

It was an exceptionally cold day today and I was most grateful that Stella picked me up at my back door.

I am still somewhat weak from the flu bug and was glad that I did not have to spend much time out of doors.

I was very pleased with the turnout on such a bitter cold day.  I had the honour of reading one of Ed Wood's poems which I particularly enjoyed.  Ed was unable to attend due to work so I was asked to read.

None of my poems were picked for this edition but that is okay.  It was a pleasure to read Ed's lovely poem on missed opportunity in love. 

I may submit some more poems for the next issue, who knows?  I am back into making jewellery and so my writing takes a back seat when that happens.

I was somewhat disappointed (to say the least) with the quality of my pictures today.  I hope my camera is not having a nervous breakdown!

Jeff Seffinga - Editor in Chief

Judith Sandiford, our lovely hostess

Valerie Nielson - Our President

All the above pictures are fine, but after that the quality went downhill for some unknown reason.  I have new batteries in my camera and they were fully charged.  It is my hope that it is a temporary problem as I really like this little camera.

Here is an example of what happened with the camera.  Perhaps a reader may be able to spot the problem.




David Haskin

Those are some of the better ones, the rest are not good at all.

I may need a new card as this one I have is about 4 years old and I have erased it many, many times.

Thanks for reading and have a good day.

an update from this week

It is now Friday and I still have the flu.  It seems to have lightened up though so perhaps in the next few days, it will disappear completely!

I am beginning to go stir crazy.  Fresh air, what is that?  People, are they all that small  as they look from where I stand at my window looking down from the 9th floor?

All joking aside, I miss going out and interacting with others.  I won't allow Rahel to even come outside of my door as her resistance will still be down.  Andrew just hands me things through the door and also does not step inside.

Thankfully, they have lent me a lot of videos so I am watching them.  The hours seem to speed by though and before you know it, it is dark outside again and time to sleep.

I've missed so many nice activities and even may have to miss the book launch on Sunday afternoon as I don't want anybody to get this bug.

Just a reminder to me of all the wonderful spots in Hamilton which I love to go to.

The Bruce Trail  - Artist Januz Worobel

Poet: Wilma Seville,

                                                                  Tower Poetry Society

                                                                   Date: October 2008





                                                                Long ago, seeds were sown

                                                                by capricious winds

                                                                landing on fertile earth

                                                                along Niagara Escarpment





                                                               Deciduous trees stand

                                                               tall, slender, reaching up

                                                              to sunlit heavens above

                                                             branches nearly bare



                                                          Crunchy leaves line pathway

                                                          footsteps pressing them into earth

                                                          squirrels scurry to and fro

                                                          winter time - on its way





                                                         Patches of sunlight poke through

                                                         outdoor cathedral hush

                                                         feelings of peace

                                                         birds sing to their Creator alone



                                                         Leaves fall with each wind gust

                                                         adding to coloured carpet

                                                         footsteps of lone person

                                                        walk along the Bruce Trail



                                                        Man, in all his wisdom

                                                        cannot outdo art of God

                                                       whose love for man is shown

                                                       by beauty such as this





©WilmaSeville2008 Showcased at Dundas Art Walk 2008


Hope you enjoyed the painting by the Hamilton artist and my little poem.  I love to write about nature, animals and whatever takes my fancy.

Thanks for dropping by and come by again when you have the time!

Thinking local, acting loco? - Arts & Culture - Macleans.ca

Thinking local, acting loco? - Arts & Culture - Macleans.ca

Has the flu bug finally arrived for me?

Well, I had a wonderful healthy and great Christmas and New Years but last night, I started to ache all over, was freezing and feeling very tired.

This morning, I woke up feeling very unwell.  Think it may be the flu so may have to cancel all my activities for this week. 

Hopefully, with rest, it will depart and I will get back into my normal, active lifestyle soon.

I am very thankful that I had such a good holiday season.  In the past, I have had the flu around Christmas each year for quite a few years so now I am happy that I had such a lovely time.

Eleanore's Going Away Party at St. Paul's

Sixty two years of faithful service!  In 1949, Eleanore came as a young bride of 23  along with her husband  Rev.Stanley Vance, to minister to the people of St. Pauls Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, Ontario.  For twenty seven years, this faithful pair of dedicated Christians served God  in their capacity of Minister and his wife.

In those days, the minister's wife was expected to participate in all programmes in the church.  Even the children of the minister's (P.K.'s) came under much scrutiny. It was not an easy role for people to play, to say the least.  Nowadays that has changed a great deal which makes it much easier to be a minister's wife!

If anybody might be wondering what P.K. stands for, it is Preacher's Kids.  It is very difficult to be a P.K. as there are so many eyes watching every action you do. 

St. Paul's was a large congregation during the fifties with a membership of 722, a large Sunday School and many youth and adult groups.   Both Eleanore and her husband played a very active role in these groups.


I knew her best through the womens group, Home Circle.  Her gentle presence was felt by the members of the group as it was through the entire church.  She will be sorely missed.

Eleanore will be moving to be nearer to her family and has found a very charming retirement residence to live in  a smaller town.

May God grant her a loving church home in her new place and all the love that she deserves.

"Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me."  Matthew 25, vs. 40

Eleanore truly followed this ideal in her own gentle, quiet way and ministered to so many people uplifting them as she went.

Eleanore, admiring one of her cakes.  Barbara ready to cut it.

Both cakes were lovely but I liked this one specially.

On another note, St. Paul's Theatre Group put on a short skit about Abbott and Costello and the Computer which was an absolute laugh!  Wally. Ryan and Laura had the congregation rolling in the aisles with laughter.
Very entertaining. 

Many letters were sent to Eleanore from people too far away to come to this special gathering, both her sons spoke, and Enid did a fantastic job of being the M.C.  A toast and tribute remarks were done by Rhona with all joining in.

Many people had tears in their eyes as Eleanore is a much loved figure at St. Paul's and it is a great loss to the congregation that she is moving away.  A part of their history moves with her!

May she be happy knowing she is so well loved and respected.

Tower Poetry workshop - first in the new year.

I had a wonderful time today and thoroughly enjoyed being together with everybody again.  We had two new people come and one of them I knew when I worked for the Catholic Family Services as a Senior Peer Councillor.  What a pleasant surprise to see him.

It was a good crowd today as well, in spite of the inclement weather.  Our President, Valerie, was unable to make it due to the excess snow in her area so our Vice President David took over and did a very able job.

Stella picked me up for which I was most greatful and Jeff brought me home, again I was most happy about that.

I find the cold weather makes it hard for me to breathe if I have to be outside waiting on buses for too long.

I will work on the suggestions given and try and make the poem even stronger. 

An article in an on-line communication I receive each Friday

Please take the time to read this communication from the Canadian Islamic Congress.  They have said it very well

Thank you.

Wilma. 





In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

CANADIAN ISLAMIC CONGRESS ~ MEDIA COMMUNIQUE



January 6, 2011 – for immediate release



CIC CONDEMNS NEW YEAR’S EVE BOMB BLAST

THAT KILLED OR INJURED NEARLY 100 COPTIC CHRISTIANS

AT MIDNIGHT MASS IN ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT



The Canadian Islamic Congress, in unity with Christians and all people of faith and conscience worldwide, today expressed shock and sadness in response to the mindless attack against our Egyptian brothers and sisters of the Orthodox Coptic community in Egypt on New Year’s Eve. Any time an innocent life is taken, it diminishes our humanity. We condemn this terrorism in the strongest possible terms.

We join with all Canadians and the international community in calling for swift apprehension and punishment of those who perpetrated this atrocity upon people of faith during a time of worship and celebration. No cause -- political or otherwise -- can ever be justified by the immoral attack committed against Coptic Christians in Alexandria while they peacefully gathered for New Year’s Eve prayers.

All Muslims should unite against those who terrorize innocent humanity; the teachings of our faith demand it of us. It is the duty of all Muslims to help bring such criminals to justice without delay.

CIC national president Wahida Valiante urged “ALL Egyptians – Muslims and Christians – not to allow these dangerous individuals to shake and disturb the centuries-long peaceful co‑existence of Muslims and Christians in Egypt. We call upon Egyptians of all faith to work together for the elimination of sectarian violence and the betterment of their own country.”

The CIC is also appealing to Canadian Muslims to reach out to Coptic Christian leaders and congregations across Canada through acts of friendship and solidarity, to mourn together those so tragically lost in Alexandria. “We are hurt too and we stand with them in their sorrow and struggle against those who do not value innocent human life,” Mrs. Valiante continued.

Today’s statement concluded with the assurance that the CIC (a federally registered Canadian NGO) would offer any assistance that it can at this perilous time and that its leaders and members seek to work together for greater protection and harmony between Muslims and Christian minorities everywhere.

The national organization reiterated “our deepest sympathy and heart-felt condolences to the victims of the deadly New Year's Eve attack and, in spite of this tragic beginning to 2011, we extend our sincere best wishes for a peace-filled Coptic Christmas holiday.”



CONTACT:

Mrs. Wahida Valiante,

National Chair and President, Canadian Islamic Congress

Cell 647 802 8024







THE CANADIAN ISLAMIC CONGRESS

877 Shefford Road

Ottawa, ON K1J 8H9
 
 
Thank you for reading this entry.

Summer/spring choker necklace with dangles

I have been making jewellery lately as I am taking a little break away from writing.  This is a design I made yesterday.

Its a choker with matching dangle.  Great for summer wear!


Plastic beads make it very lightweight to wear.

Seedbead necklace with brown stone, wirework and green seedbeads

I am one happy camper that this necklace is finally done.  I have been labouring over it for several days as it is difficult to do.

Each bead has to be individually put onto the beading thread and as you can see, they are extremely tiny.

I love the results but it will be a very long time before I attempt another.

The Present

The Present

Since this has been such a labour of love, I decided to name it.  I had just won a short story contest at Perspectives Magazine and my story was from the point of view of a gift or present talking.  To carry that theme on, I decided to do a piece of jewellery to commemorate it.

I must say that it was much more difficult to make this piece than it was to write the entire story!

My last thing to show for today of my designs

Tomorrow I am expecting a guest so will be busy at least in the morning.


Here is a copper chain which I made with a Swarovski Topaz teardrop.  It fits over the head easily but it does have a handcrafted clasp.

Hand made clasp, delicate looking but very strong.

It certainly takes time and patience to make such a design!

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Busy morning but very nice

Today I have been concentrating on jewellery making as I want to bring new things to Arts Hamilton for them to sell.

I have been up at 5 a.m. today and am now starting to wind down at 1:29 p.m. 

What a ridiculous hour to get up at, especially when one is retired!

In any event, here are some pictures of some earrings  and a necklace set I have made.

Svarovski crystals, dark brown and honey golden with nickel free ear wires.   $54.00 Canadian dollars plus shipping and handling.  As a small business, I no longer have to collect tax since the HST has come in here in Ontario.  This makes it  a real saving for my customers.

Same crystals - another angle.

Bohemian beads with dangle, free pierced earings as a gift  - Price $140.00 Canadian plus shipping and handling.


I may make some more jewellery this afternoon as well and may post it.



Thanks for reading my blog and have a great day!

Reflections on the New Year

Here in Hamilton, Ontario it is pouring rain as I sit at the computer, my tall windows are spattered with shiny drops of liquid.

It has been an unusually mild New Year's Eve and thus far, New Year's Day, it continues to rain rather than snow.

Other parts of Canada have had horrible snow storms but this area has escaped such things.

I spent a very quiet New Year's Eve by myself which was just fine.  Gone are the days when I feel that I need to go out to celebrate the changing of the year.

Today, New Year's Day, I am working on some more jewellery creations and making some chicken in the oven with roasted potatoes and onions. 

A day to relax and just enjoy being in my warm, snug little nest.

Thanks for reading my blog.  Come back again whenever you have the time.