WATERCOLOUR
I finished watercolour number 3 today. I am really enjoying working with watercolours. No mess, not much clean-up.

I spent some time in the lobby tonight watching the trick or treaters. Quite a few goblins came around, brings back lots of memories from my trick or treating days and also my kids.

Hope you all had a fun Halloween.

CHELSEA AND CHLOE

I spent some time this afternoon making a birthday card for my great granddaughter. She will be two on November 4th.

I wanted to paint but, because it was a sunny day, I decided to prune the hydrangeas in front of my apartment. They have been blocking my view all summer so it's nice to get some light in and see the city again.

I am feeling rested today - had a nice sleep in this morning - so I will be raring to go on Monday morning when I have to work out again.

I have discovered a "twenty minute challenge" in my travels through blogland and I will be doing that. You are to do a painting in twenty minutes. I think this will be a good way to get some practice. There is no need to report in or no time limit, just a personal challenge. You can upload your pictures to a blog if you wish. There is so much to discover once you start going from one blog to another, what a wonderful resource for people like me who don't go out a lot and don't have a huge social network.

I'm off to watch Heartbeat and Midsommer Murders!

A DREARY AUTUMN DAY IN VANCOUVER WITH A BEAUTY ALL ITS' OWN

When I was out for my workout walk this morning I took a couple of pictures but it was a dreary Vancouver day so they are dark pictures. The autumn ones are quite pretty though.

Had a day at home apart from my workout this morning. I slept in and I feel much better today. I was beginning to feel a little exhausted from the workouts that aren't really that hard but much more than I have been doing for a long time. I get the weekend off so I am happy about that.

I finished a watercolour I started a few days ago, started a new one and did a little stitching on my next crazy quilt purse. What a great way to spend my day! Oh yes, I also did the crosswords in the two free papers - I do those every day!

The watercolours I am doing are exercises from a book called How to Draw and Paint Fairyland. It has step by step instructions which is a good way to learn. After I have done a few, I will branch out and do my own.

There is a BIG workshop going on right now and it sounds like fun. I love painting BIG, when I was going to art therapy I always wanted to do everything BIG. I will pass on this workshop though because it means using acrylics. There is such a sense of freedom in painting BIG.

FREEDOM - WHAT A WONDERFUL WORD!

AUTUMN SPLENDOR

I bought some new watercolour paper today. One Strathmore Visual Journal and some Italia Aquarelle. I also bought a new book called Watercolour - The Spirit of Spontaneity. It has some lovely pictures in it an some instruction, I'm looking forward to starting on it. I don't have to go out tomorrow so I will spend the day creating.

I had a good workout this morning, I'm not too sore today so that's a good thing. When my daughter came to train me this morning she brought me a little pumpkin from a pumpkin patch she and friend went to yesterday. I would love to go to a corn maze/pumpkin patch. They have several in the Lower Mainland. Too bad I don't still have my car - sometimes I really miss it.

I have missed my blog and am sorry that I have lost my following. I was so pleased to have HybridJ and Rose visit on the first day that I was back. Thanks for your comments.

THE LAST ROSE OF SUMMER

Such a beautiful rose for so late in the season.

Met with a friend for coffee today and had a nice long chat. She has had a few bad days so she was happy to get out and enjoy the sunny afternoon.

When I got home my daughter phoned to say she was coming over as she is helping my neighbour to format a book she has written and she came go visit with me for a while. I love it when my girls drop by.

Another neighbour asked me if I would carve a pumpkin that was given to the building so I had fun doing that. All in all a very pleasant day.

I had to take a day off my exercise program, I was so tired and sore I just couldn't face doing my workout today. I had permission from my trainer (my daughter) so it was guilt free. I worked out on Sunday when I was supposed to take the day off so I won't do that again. My daughter told me to take it off but I didn't - doing too much again. I have been told to focus on doing everything softly. I tend to do everything hard rather than gentle and soft and I am supposed to focus on sights, sounds, and smells between the one minute intervals when I get my heart rate up. I haven't started on the food yet - one thing at a time is enough. I am also supposed to focus on opening up my chest and I can notice a difference already. Don't like the pain much though!!!! She will be here at 7:30 in the morning for my next session - ouch!!

a simple watercolour

I am back, if anyone still visits me. I have been re-evaluating my art and trying to decide what direction to go in. I am so scattered, trying to do too many things. I am having difficulty with the smell of the acrylic paints and I am tired of all of the STUFF in my small apartment so I have decided that I am going to focus on watercolours, crazy quilt purses and purses in general. I hope this will help me to be more productive. I saw a psychic many years ago and she told me I should paint watercolours. I like them because there is no smell and the clean up is so easy. I also like the delicate nature of them. a work in progress

I have also hired my daughter (she is a personal trainer) to train me. I have been a physical and emotional funk for a long time and really need to get moving and improve my health, stop lying in bed until 11:00am - 12:pm. It is just a waste of my life. By the time I get going the day is half over.

I am also thinking of starting a new blog and leaving this one. I don't like the new format and I think it is time for a change. Starting fresh.

There are a couple of classes and a challenge I am contemplating for the New Year - yes Christmas is only two months away!!! Where did the year go?

I did a little on the art journal course I signed up for but, again, the smells from ironing the pictures on the fabric caused some problems. I seem to have become so sensitive to so many things but especially chemicals. So there sits another unfinished project, money spent and piles of stuff in a bag!!

I have also been helping my neighbour who went blind after cataract surgery and is now in a seniors facility - I refuse to call it a care home - and that has been an education and a very unpleasant experience. The way we treat seniors in this country is appalling!! We are hoping
he is going to be moved to a different home and, if so, I hope it is better than this one.

So that is what has been going on in my life over the past two months. I hope to be back on my blog now and think some more about starting a new one. I have been visiting you all every day so I am up to speed on what you have been doing all you wonderful creative people, you have been doing some wonderful work.