The week flew by!

Last week I spent temping for the local newspaper's real estate publishing division doing data entry. It's actually a glorified copy n paste and confirming/deleting information from a database through searched on the internet. A bit tedious, but it's work and more importantly it brings money in! So yes, I'm happy. 

Initially my placement agent quoted the job at 1 to 3 weeks in length. The next morning, I walk in at the new placement and within a few minutes am informed that the placement will be 4 to 6 weeks... Bonus!

So on my 25 minute commute I crochet more of the Africaan flower motifs, this time to make a carpet for the bathroom floor for when we get out of the shower. I'll have to back it with a couple of those non skid mesh rectangles that are used for lining cupboards, and stopping carpets from flipping over. I love that rubberized mesh that comes in all sorts of colors and takes abuse quite well. A few weeks ago, I made a cover for the toilet in the same colors (navy blue & aqua) I'm using for the carpet. Now that the landlord has covered up the glaringly loud royal blue paint, the seat cover and carpet will look very nice. I won't be making the carpet that usually goes in front of the toilet. The bathroom is tiny and the carpet would overwhelm an already tiny space.

I'm also looking at our large footstool that Gambit has been using as a scratching post and bed ever since we got it. He's managed to destroy one side of it with claw sharpening. We tried everything, duct tape, foil paper, shooing him away, but all in vain. He will defiantly walk up to it, flop over and attack it with claws, dragging himself on the floor along the full length of the stool. He looks like a horizontal mountain climber. He'll also wait to do his nefarious deeds when we're not in the same room.

 

I'm likely going to make a cover with the same motifs but in different accent colors with a dark background. At least it will hide the damage his majesty made to the footstool. I'm not posting a photo of what it looks like now, it's embarrassing. Let's just say that in the 2 years we've owned this poof, it looks like it's gone through a rather nasty war involving sharp objects. 

For those who have not been following my blog, introducing..... the Master of all Evil Kitties, Heeeere's Gambit! Yes, yes, I know... he's so cute! but he's also soooo evil!

Sand Painting

This talented young lady won the Ukraine's version of America's Got Talent. She used the art of sand painting to recount the story of Germany’s invasion of Ukraine in 1941. Life was somewhat ordinary, then it all fell apart. And, by the war’s end, approximately 10 million Ukrainians were left dead. It’s a difficult story to tell but Kseniya Simonova did a beautiful rendition of it in something I had never truly appreciated before, sand painting. Take a look at the video of her winning entry. It's breathtaking.

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Zip-A-Dee-Yay!

Monday! What a grand day! For my sistersoul and I that is :)

Time to get caught up on the past weeks projects, show 'n tell and discuss upcoming projects, all over a Timmy's coffee, orange juice, chicken salad and bagel with cream cheese. No, that's not just for me! That's for both of us :)

I doubt if there is any other gentleman who can sing this song any better.

Along the way: my daughter's walk to work

My darling daughter wanted to share photos that she has taken on her way to and from work over the past few months. She lives in the midst of Mississauga and these are the views she gets to enjoy every day. Since we don't live nearby, this was her way of taking a walk with me along.

This was taken late fall / early winter when the leaves have finally fallen or been swept away by the winds and with small patches of snow here and there. Compare it with the same picture taken in spring. It's fascinating to see how spring is changing the view and the colors forming pools as the ground warms up in patches gradually joining as the days grow warmer.

 This is one of many rainbows Karen sees on her way to work. It was taken last summer 2009.

She also wanted to share with me the vividness of the sky pre storm and after a storm came through. The photos are breathtaking and really embody the essence of the storm.
 All these were taken during the summer of 2009.

She lives in a highrise and her next door neighbor was also out on the balcony and couldn't figure out what she was taking photos of. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I always say and these really prove my point. Check those colors and shapes!

Now in the following 2 photos, can you spot the rainbow?

It took me a bit to find it, but when I did, Wow!

And now we move on to spring 2010! And what a lovely walk spring brings!

For such a rugged trunk, what lovely delicate flowers it produces.

I love the contrast in the colors the white against the spring green. And to think, this is along her walk to work in Mississauga. It's amazing what you can find when you slow down and take the time to smell the roses.

I found the above photo amazing. I thought the flowers hiding in the branches were part of the tree, but they are actually a vine that runs along and around the branches. How beautiful and what a lovely way to capture it.

She also spotted some of our favorite birds along the way. This red wing blackbird is definitely looking for a lady friend to spend the summer with. Look at that full throated song. You can almost hear it.

And this wee fellow is saying "Go away! This is my pad!" You have to love the drama that killdeers put on whenever someone approaches their nesting area. And this little fellow did a remarkable show for us.

I was really amazed to see this little guy by the street. For such skittish birds, having known them all my life in a country setting where they erupt into a cacophony of sounds and dance at the drop of a hat, to be sitting quietly by a busy street is quite amazing.

Hmm... wonder what new building materials can be found to woe the right lady to his nest.

And always make sure there's a ready source of water!

Thank you Karen for such a lovely walk to work. It makes me wish we lived nearby so I could take this walk to work with you. I'm sure this is a side of Mississauga that few residents take the time to see and I'm glad you do.

PS. I asked for her permission to post these lovely photos. She felt they were not good enough to be posted. I told her that photos always show the viewers take and will appeal to the like-minded. Any feedback I know she would love to receive, so enjoy! :)