"The twenty-fourth of May,

...is the Queen's birthday."
That is the song we would sing as we tore home from school on the Friday of the long week end. Heavenly taste of summer, the long weekend in May was treasured. My grandparents would come on the huge steam engine from Toronto. I grew up in Fort Erie and the train station was a busy place filled with noise, clouds of steam and the babble of passengers.

My wonderful grand father "Ernie" would depart the train first and then wait with the conductor, both extending their hands to my Grandmother, the ever immaculately quaffed and beaded lady, to assist her down the steps.

She would have pitched a fit if she knew I had posted the "cottage picture" of her, in a previous post. Hugs aside I would be anxious to get home because I knew what Ernie had in his valise. It was brown leather and had a shiney clasp and his intials,"E H C" in shiny gold metal letters. Inside would be fireworks, sparklers AND a "burning school house." Oh the bliss.

Here I am 55 + years later and spending my long weekend creating another book cover. This time for gothlet- grand daughter Tea's birthday.




....which is not fininshed yet. But hey the weekend isn't over yet. Finished pics will be over at Nantyglo Needles.

Tomorrow would have been my parents 64th Wedding Anniversary.



Point-au-Baril summer 1946 Oh Daddy, crazy socks...lol


My Dad loved to tell everyone they were married on the 25th and I was born on the 31st. just to hear my mother leap to her own defence and say, "A year later."
He was a devil of a tease. After being married almost 50 years he would still introduce her as, "This is Ann, the woman I live with."

Summer Memories

No, I wasn't born in the dark ages. These pictures were taken at Point-au-Baril on Georgian Bay, in Ontario the summer of 1959.

My Great grandparents built the cottage, "Winnie Lone," on a 9 acre island about 2 miles from Point-au-Baril Station. We either rowed a boat or took the little motor boat to the station to pick up the mail or groceries. The cottage did not have electricity or running water. Trips to the station meant bringing back a big slab of ice for the ice chest. Nana made the most delicious peach pies on her mother's wood stove.

There was a screened in porch on two sides of the cottage. My bed was at one end. On hot summer nights I could watch the moon travel across the night sky through the screening.

We had a battery operated radio and a wind up gramophone.

Nana taught me to play canasta by the light of the kerosene lamps. The chimneys would get all sooty if the wick was too long. My job was to clean with them with newspaper the next morning.

The newspaper was, of course, the Toronto Star. My grand father worked in the mail room for 35 years.

As this birthday approaches I suddenly realize that I will be the same age as my Grandmother was in this picture. I now have grand daughters the age that I was when this picture was taken.

It is a blissful vivid memory. It truly was the best of times.

When you have little hands you have to use your teeth to hold the extra cards.

The frost was on the dandelions.

I was not pleased to see the frost in the garden this morning. We have this rule in Canada.

"Nothing in the ground before the 24th of May."

Spring frost is so unpredictable. I put the heater on in the car in the morning and there are days when I have needed the AC on when I leave the office. It is all very up and down.

Yesterday was a quiet day for me. Carl was away for most of the day. I knit. I napped and of course I thought of my Mom. It was good to have contact with all of my children this weekend. It helped.

I love this picture. You can tell my Dad loved my mother. She was a special person. When Dad was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer he said he would go to a hospice. Mom kept him at home and cared for him. The week before he passed away he told me, "Your Mother has been a tower of strength, I could not have endured this without her."

"And when the boats come in..."

If you are a first time visitor here you may not be aware of my "Private Disc Jockey." After years in radio Carl has a huge music base to choose from. He often picks a selection of music for us. My own radio station so to speak AND he gives the weather. No commercials
This morning he played Jane Morgan's hit
"With Open Arms." This is the album cover. It is a romantic song that we enjoy. If you go look it up on google videos you can have a listen.
So that made us wonder if she was still around. Well she is and still singing. If I look this good at 88...yes, I said "Eighty-Eight" I will have No complaints.
My cleaning diva was here today so everything looks wonderful, I made a big pot of potato leek soup. Yummy..... and I will finish up the laundry tonight.
Carl is working tomorrow I plan on watching "Young Victoria" and knitting the day away.
My first Mother's day with out one..sigh

Today is VE Day and as the daughter of Two Veterans I give thanks for the peace which occurred 65 years ago.

"A- plink- a- chunk"

I feel fab-u-lous.......

So, I walked into the office this morning and conversation ceased. Three men just stared at me. It was very funny. I mean it is a bit of a shock. I was grey on Friday and a blond on Monday....lol

I got, "Susan, that looks really good." and "I wish my wife would do that!" The boss was startled when he came in and saw me and let out a weird noise and then looked at the other three with that look that said, " Did you see her?" I am feeling fabulous. It is about bloody time. After work I am going to have a make up consultation at the Bay, befitting my colour change!

It's dawn....

This is the best time of the day. The open window allows uninterrupted bird song to fill the room.Typing is accomplished by the glow of the screen as I really don't want to turn on a light yet. Dawn comes slowly today. It is brighter out there but the sun isn't up yet. The coffee has been made and I am sipping the aromatic brew from my "#$%* Off I'm knitting mug."

Yesterday the hair disaster was corrected and I am a blond and loving it. Carl is over the moon. Julia and I went shopping and I picked up some new duds for work and play. So I am feeling pretty good about myself. Weight is down again this morning.
I came across these pictures of Mom.

In 1994 Mom went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Dad wanted to go but he had a pathological fear of flying. He encouraged her to go anyway. Mom came home to find Dad sick. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and we lost him three months later. Mom never spoke very much about her trip after that. These pictures were found in a bag of papers. I also found a diary of sorts that Mom kept during her trip. My plan is to sort out her notes and then transcribe them into a booklet. I also found a certificate of sorts that states "Hannah Cottrell will hereafter be known as a Jerusalem Pilgrim."

Oh Gawd.....

I specifically said to the hair "person", I do not want brown."

Three and a half hours and $$$ later I have a somewhat brown head with highlights.

We are not amused.

Let me retrace my foray into this foolishness.

I have been in a rut and I needed a pick me up. So I decided in a moment of weakness to colour my hair...again. I should have reread some of my old posts on this subject. Then on my way to the grocery store I decided against it. Then on the way home I decided to go ahead.

I went into the salon and said I wanted to talk to someone first. We had a consult with the stylist and the owner. I said I did not want it dark, I did not want it BROWN. I got both. So they added 90 gazillion foils to lighten it. It is still brown.......... sigh...... stupid Susan stupid.... this morning, I am going back, they are going to fix it at no charge.