South Coast of Devon

We took a trip a while ago to the south coast of Devon, England. It was beautiful!

Stanage Edge

Close to where we live is Stanage Edge that draws climbers from all over England. We can hike to it from our flat. It is absolutely stunning. Nigel took me there one of the first evenings I visiting him in Sheffield and I thought it was the most romantic evening with the sun setting, the sheep wandering around us, and the distant voices of climbers over the edge.

The Creativity Test

The Test.

My results:
Left Brain 36%
Right Brain 64%

Yeesh!

Funny Cards

There are some funny cards out there. This is one that makes me laugh every time. It was a birthday card for Nigel from his brother's family (who happen to have two boys...can you tell?).

This is a Test

This photo is posted to see if I am still experiencing photo-posting-problems. It appears I am not. Hooray! Blogger has also kindly accepted my request to remove the word identification when I add a new blog. This had been causing me heaps of trouble.

I have been saving this picture. I had meant to use it when I wrote a long blog explaining my hesitations about becoming a parent. I am not pregnant and I do not have any kids. My main question is whether it is possible to be both a parent and a successful artist. I like my independance. I like being an artist. I like my freedom. But as all things go, I don't see how I am limited by being an artist as much as I see how much freedom I have to move. One example of this is my ability to travel. I want to maintain my ability to travel even with kids. I know it can be done...I have seen it in those who simply believe it is possible to do it with kids. But what I don't notice is that my choice to be a full-time artist these last 5 years has limited my ability to travel. In fact, it cuts at the funds so hard that I only occassionally could get a ticket on sale for another Canadian city (never more than a province away).

Blogger Frustrations!

Is anyone completely frustrated with the new format that Blogger has transfered into for managing your blog? I AM!!!! I don't know if they have not worked out the glitches for Mac computers or what, but it is almost impossible to blog anymore. If I post any pictures the blog is fine until I check it the next day and then none of the pictures are there anymore. I have to go through the whole process of uploading them again. This last time I have already erased them. Secondly when I write a blog there is a Word Verification that I have to type in. If I am on the same page for more than a minute it says the page is expired and erases everything I have done. I have developed a tricky way of copying everything, renewing the page, pasting it all again then hoping I have typed in the word verification quickly enough that it won't erase my new blog again. Another problem includes Spell Check not working at all at any time! Excuse the typos! I have had it. Any thoughts from anyone out there?! Explanations?!

Whistler

Banff

Skiing in Banff was great this last January! We highly recommend the Ski Big Three: A joint venture company of Banff/Lake Louise's three ski areas: Sunshine Village, Lake Louise and Banff Mount Norquay. You get 6 hour lessons for 3 days, each day on a different mountain.


The view from Chateau Lake Louise. There was an ice sculpture contest that we had a chance to view. I prefered the ice castle on Lake Louise surrounded by a skating area with the rockies in the background.


Hiking along the river that runs by Banff and Banff Springs Hotel.


A view of the rockies from the ski slopes.


The rockies again.


Seems like Switzerland, doesn't it?


A skiier.


We were taken by our instructor on Norquay to a chair lift that had a big sign saying "EXPERT SKIIERS ONLY! DOUBLE BLACK DIAMONDS ONLY FROM THIS CHAIR". (gulp). This was the view of Banff from the top before we threw outselves off the cliff-like run.


A view of the Banff Springs Hotel.


The town of Banff.


Good bye Calgary...leaving Alberta.

Whistler

I realize I have to finish posting the rest of our honeymoon. So I will scoot through the rest so you can get an idea of where we were and what we were up to!

We got suckered into a time share talk that was promised to be no more then 1.5 hours. Three whole hours later we left with our free $100 gift certificate for any shop or restaurant in Whistler. We spent it at a nice restaurant.


Nigel in the restaurant.


Me in the restaurant. I think I look natural in this picture.


Nigel liked this picture better of me. (Does anyone else feel it looks a bit posed?)


The rest are pictures of Whistler lit up at night.

Dreams, Lent, & Animals

I needed a fanastical image for this random moments blog.

I have, as usual, been having strange dreams lately and have noted a couple of interesting moments. My youngest sister Anna and I were together in one and we pulled out a basket of women's make up. Instead of applying it, we ate it. Hmmm. We had reached the bottom of the basket when I just couldn't bring myself to eat the nail polish. But I did pick it up and note that it was brown and called "Chocolate". What does it mean, world?

The second dream involved my second youngest sister, Laura. At some point in our meanderings we came across our family at an earlier stage of life. There we were confronted with our younger selves (I was about 14). I saw Laura face her 7 year old self and in a relaxed encouraging way said something like, "hey, have a great time and you're doing really well". I scanned my brain for things I could say to my younger self that would be a wise guide for years to come, a hint at how to go about things less painfully, a hope of things to come, and more. I turned intense and almost shouted while I talked as fast as I could, "Okay, just relax and don't worry about things too much. And don't worry about meeting someone. It will happen." I decided to omit the part about it taking two more decades! I am sure I freaked my younger self out.

It is the second day of Lent and I am easing into what to give up. Number one, without a doubt, absolutely no hesitation is the sickening and embarrassing love I have develeped this last year for celebrity gossip sites. Number two is a little bit more hazy: Gluttony. Okay, I am not over the top, but I love to cook and I LOVE to eat. I need to tone things a down a touch. I looked up gluttony in Wikipedia: gluttony in Catholicism, is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Defined as the wasting of food, either through overindulgence (food, drink or intoxicants), the misplaced desire for food for its sensuality, or the withholding of food from the needy. It has even been divided into 5 in which one commits gluttony. Crazy!

Praepropere - eating too soon
Laute - eating too expensively
Nimis - eating too much
Ardenter - eating too eagerly
Studiose - eating too daintily

(Last topic) If anyone has ever asked me whether I would ever have a pet I have always responded by saying, "it makes more sense to have a baby than an animal". Don't get me wrong, I love animals, but taking full responsibility of one is not something I will be signing up for. In my mind, they are about the same amount of work as a baby, except that a baby get to a point which together you can converse, travel, talk sense, and completely goof off. People never seem to understand this explanation. I realized the other day that my "pets" are plants. I love plants (particularly, the indoor tropical variety). I love to grow them, water them, feed them, and see them take over an area. Plants will never mature to take care of themselves, yet I derive great enjoyment out of just having them there. Plants are the new pets, folks.

That Great Cottage

For those of you wondering about the cottage in Ucluelet (close to Tofino), here is the link. Halfmoon Cottage