Warming Up Winter with Ikebana

After attending an Ikebana Exhibition at the Japanese Embassy, I was inspired to create an arrangement of my own.

So I took myself off to Belfiore, a favourite flower shop of mine, to see what wonderful exotic blooms they had to offer that day.

 

I chose some beautiful orange Star of Bethlehem,

some mimosa with its cascading tiny yellow pompom buds,

 

as well as some long-lasting orange and yellow alstroemeria.

 

combined with a glossy green leaf and interesting pieces of driftwood. Et voila!

Nothing but Blue Skies

 When it seems like there is no end to winter, sometimes the best thing you can do is to just get out and take a walk in the woods on one of those bright sunny days when there are blue skies and crisp fresh air. So what do you do when you wake up and not only is it a grey winter's day, but it is also raining? Well, you do the next best thing, you make a cup of tea and have a look at the photos you took a few weeks ago when you actually did take that walk in the sunshine.

Ikebana, a Gift for the Senses

What better time than February to be reminded of the beauty of nature? These lovely Ikebana arrangements, on display at the Japanese Embassy, were a welcome sight for the winter-weary guests who attended.

Not only all the colour, but also the fragrant-filled air, were gifts for the soul.

Beautiful!

Dressing a Tea Shop Window

I've often thought that I would like to be a window dresser.

Well, it looks like know I'm going to get my chance.

My friends at my favourite tea shop graciously allowed me to do their Christmas/winter window display.

I had such fun making all the sweater hearts to add a cosy feel.

Happy New Year! Here's to Buying Nothing New for a Year!

At the beginning of this new year, and after some thought as to what kind of change I want to create for myself, my intention to “buy nothing new for the year.”  I place this phrase in quotation marks because, as usual, when you do some digging, you find that an idea you had is in no way original.  Sure enough, my desire to get away from compulsive consumerism is in not a novel idea. I found countless versions of this sentiment online and one site devoted to the concept named it “buy nothing new for a year.” 

My reasons for trying this out over the coming year is not really about saving money. I tend to buy most things second hand and try to limit my retail therapy. If I do save money over the year, then I will happily put that money into savings to go towards travel and other activities I want to do. For me, it’s more about not wanting to buy more things that I do not really need, nor have the space for. 

Perhaps what really brought this home to me was watching a news report showing people actually wrestling each other to the floor over an item on sale in a store on Black Friday. What have we come to? Fighting over discounted sales is madness. People were willing to line up for hours just to buy more stuff, when they already have too much stuff. I am also aware of the fact that much of what we buy new is made from resources that are shipped or flown to other countries, only to be manufactured and then shipped or flown back for sale here in Canada. Not only is this consuming lots of energy, raw materials are being used that needn’t be. So my reasons are also environmental. Moreover, I realize that I can use up a lot of the things I already have, or repurpose them. Or I can make use of other people’s cast-offs, thereby recycling, re-using or re-purposing. So much less stuff to hit the landfill.

I will certainly be buying second-hand and there will be some exceptions to buying new (for example, food, toiletries, underwear, two favorite magazines I buy monthly, and items that I find when I travel). Visiting the dentist, opthomologist or other health-related expenses will also be exempt.

I am actually in good shape going into this year. I have plenty of new underwear in stock thanks to a buying spree at Marks and Sparks last August when I was in England. And I just bought new eyeglasses in December. So there shouldn’t be too much that will need to make it onto my exceptions list. The hardest thing will be falling completely in love with some item in a store and not giving in to temptation. I am hoping this won’t happen too frequently since I tend not to go shopping at regular stores too often, and now certainly will go even less.

I will, however, continue to frequent thrift shop, visit flea markets, rummage sales, church bazaars and garage sales. And I will also be popping into antique shops from time to time.

And I will still be getting haircuts, visiting art museums, spending on transportation and the odd meal out. This is not meant to be about being stingy or denying myself pleasure, rather I want to try to get as creative as I can to find alternative ways to meet my needs. Gifts for others are certainly going to be an area of particular challenge.

Over the coming months, I will check in from time to time to share what I’ve been experiencing and let you know how I have been living up to my new year’s pledge of not buying anything new for the year.

Anyone care to join me?

A Canadian Scene

There are not many scenes more Canadian than street hockey, especially on a snowy winter's day!

Beauty in the Midst of Winter

How lovely to have this amaryllis blooming in the midst of winter.

It's delicate beauty, gentle and reassuring. Spring will arrive, patience will be rewarded.

A Frosty Forest

 

Echoing the frosty reality outdoors, this wee scene I created with cream-coloured brush trees was enhanced by the late afternoon sunshine coming through the window.

Let it Snow

Lots of snow falling since last night. Heavy wet snow that sticks to everything.  But it's mild enough outside that things are dripping too, like the droplets of water from these red berries.

Ice Cascade

An icy waterfall cascading down a rockface in Gatineau Park is a visual representation of the effects of the warmth of sunny days and the cold of the nights. It is a creation of nature, an ever-changing sculpture of frozen water. A balance of opposites, of yin and yang...


ebb and flow...


hot and cold...


hard and soft...


and the changing states of liquid and solid.

One Month to Go

Spring, this year, is March 24th ... that means that as of today, that most welcome of seasons is only one month away!

I find that fact encouraging as I contemplate the snowbanks that line the road, and navigate the uncleared snow in my path as I walk along.

Better to let my thoughts drift to my garden, turning over the possibilities ... what new varieties should I grow, just what should be done with the backyard now that we have a tall fence, how best to resurrect my Zen garden, and just where can I squeeze in some more rose bushes?

Red Is Best

What better colour is there in the dead of winter to brighten up all that black and white, but red?


Glorious, cheery, energising, radiant red.

Tea-tasting Afternoon

In the middle of a winter afternoon, how better to shake off the cold and seasonal doldrums than with cups of tea, and the taste of something a little exotic.


Add some traditional Chinese music playing softly in the background and some friends to share in a tea-tasting. Sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch... all the senses are engaged.


Teapots, tea cups, strainers and tea leaves set out and at the ready.


Multiple tea cups ready for heating with hot water before receiving multiple infusions of tea. A different set of cups for each type of tea.


What better way to enhance a tea-tasting than with an offering of sweetness: cookies with almond, pistachio, aniseed, ginger and orange blossom water flavourings.


With a Chinese tea cake made with pu-er tea and lotus leaves that measures about 4 inches across, you can see just how small these miniature tea cakes are. Perfect for slipping into a tiny silk purse to give away to your guests so they can make another pot of Chinese tea at home and bring back memories of a winter afternoon spent transported to exotic places for a short time. An afternoon shared with the serenity and relaxing ritual that the serving of tea offers.

Winter Post

On this winter's day, a post of another kind to blog about, topped with snow. Its rough texture a welcome constrast to the bland winter landscape.

The Colours of Winter

I have been known to think of winter as being shades of black and white, with perhaps a little grey and blue thrown into the mix.


What an eye-opener it was for me to be presented with evidence to the contrary as I walked along the river one late afternoon.


Such beautiful pinks and oranges, along with the blues and mauves.


For I had forgotten how a sunrise or sunset can add to winter's colour palette.


And things are not always as they seem.


Here was a reminder that we must continually look at the familiar in order to see the constant changes in what we might mistakenly believe is static and unchanging.

Returning to the Scene

A few more photos of McGill College Avenue with its Christmas lights, taken a week after the last one posted on December 29th. This time it was late afternoon as I passed by on Sherbrooke Street and there was a whole different atmosphere to the scene.


It was a chilly damp day, the kind that makes you want to stop in at cosy cafés for a hot drink. Lots of stops at lots of cafés along the way.