This is a painting by William Kurelek called "Balsam Avenue After Heavy Snowfall", 1972. This area of Toronto just had a huge snowfall so I imagine the present day residents doing just this. Shovelling snow is certainly something all Canadians are very familiar with. Do you like the way William used pops of colour here?
Speaking of which, I have three dogs for the weekend. We are looking after Abby, Ned and Petey's mother. Her family is off to a hockey tournament in North York which puts them about a 35 minute drive from Balsam Avenue. They are very busy but it's fun busy which is great.
Meanwhile, our busy is completely different but we are managing the ups and downs. Tony's CT scan got postponed because of weather so that is now next week. Thank you all for the very good wishes about that. I'll keep you posted. But while speaking of these things I must mention our stitching friend, Coni, who is the Spinster Stitcher. I've been following her since she began her blog in 2008, through the loss of her much loved little dog, Stewy, and her kidney transplant journey. She is very ill again just now with a perforated colon. She now has a colostomy so her journey towards good health continues.
I've been busy stitching. I finished the house on What Remains is Love and have the large central flower almost finished. I chose a slightly brighter red than the called for to make it stand out. I also turned the house into a one story just like the house I grew up in. I had to unstitch the middle of the leaves. I thought the colour looked too light against the outline colour; I'll look in my floss collection to find a colour that blends better.
I'm enjoying that crossword book and though rated medium,some of the clues stump me. I go back and forth between despairing because I can't remember something I think I should know to feeling awesome because I did remember something. Do you do crosswords? This corresponds with LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color's prompt for this week. As you all know, I also love jigsaws too and will be getting one out soon. Meanwhile, I find it relaxing to do an online free Jigsaw almost daily from Jigidi. I'm working my way through the Winter section favouring puzzles that feature birds or cosy houses in woods. I also do 7 Little Words and enjoy that challenge very much.
Back to Cross Stitching, Alice at Rabbit Girl Crafts has links to 9 Free Winter cross stitch patterns to download plus she offers her own free patterns too.
I mentioned I was alarmed about my scraps. Thank you, S, for sending me a photo of this easy unnamed patchwork block to use up scraps without a whole lot of measuring and cutting. She seems to know me well :). I am testing it out and like how many old scraps this can use. Is that a good enough reason to make a quilt??? This is one of those stitch and flip blocks and I haven't been able to find the name. If you know it, please tell me. So I started with blues for the last of the January RSC. Now that I have them all together like this, I'm seeing butterflies.
I was given several stitching kits for Christmas. I must share those next time. Today I'm working on Snowmen and making more fans for the Dresden Quarter Blocks. I never have to cast about for something to do here and I love it all. Hobbies are tried and true remedies for worry.
Hope you are similarly happily busy with all the things you love.
5 comments :
all of our snow is melting thank goodness but will be another day before what is at the opening of the driveway to be melted enough to drive the low car over it. The jeep manages fine. We rarely shovel as it warms up fast and usually melts it fast - this is unusual for us.
Sorry Tony's CT scan was delayed I would want the information fast but nothing you can do about the weather - be careful out there - you are lucky to have the right clothes for dressing for it - I at times can't believe the foolish people here it will be 20 degrees and they will run into the store in shorts and flip flops. Wouldn't be comfortable if they had car trouble on the way home and had to wait for help or start walking
You were certainly quite cold (I looked up what -23C is in F). We were -4F this morning at 7Am and last Sat it was -5F in the early morning. It's been our coldest winter in more than a decade and it's not over yet. I hope Tony's CT scan doesn't find any major problems. I had a CT scan last summer and was amazed at how many minor issues it found. Not life-threatening by any means. Try to stay warm. Everyone around here is complaining about their heating bills due to the colder weather and higher gas and electric prices.
Pat
And here is me moaning about our cool wet summer! Lovely quilt blocks, I also like the minimal measuring and cutting style quilts.
Thanks for sharing the painting. It brings back a lot of memories of just traveling city streets with deep snow. I especially enjoyed the little guy in the lower left trying to get through the snow on a tricycle. The blue butterflies are so simple and so cute. I'll have to remember this little pattern.
I know Balsam Avenue is - we have visited our son and his partner in Toronto, and that area is familiar to us. Not in that much snow, though! We are having a very hot week, with today's and tomorrow's forecast maximum 40 deg, and yes, that is 40 C.
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