In Like a Lion - Out Like a Lamb- Tuesday 4

Welcome back to another Tuesday 4 in honor of Toni Taddeo it's founder. They say March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.  

March 29-31 are the "borrowing days" when weather is traditionally rough or stormy and the month was named for Mars the god of war because March was the time for the start of wars.

1.  What brings out the lion in you? What brings out the lamb? 

When I see someone being ill treated it brings out my inner lion. When I come across someone in need or distress it brings out the lamb in me. Also when I see love or kindness in action, it brings out the lamb in me.

2. What are you enjoying in terms of TV, movies or books right now?

Right now I'm enjoying books. I have a more than a few on loan and I'm a bit behind on my reading. I'm actually ahead in my reading goals for the year but I'm behind in terms of completing all the books I've borrowed before they become due.  I just completed an excellent book called The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. 

I've been trying to find something 'good' to watch on television and YT but haven't been much interested in the usual things. I did catch the 3rd season of "Night Agent" on Netflix which I enjoyed. I also finished watching the Netflix series, "Tehran". I always enjoy spy movies and sometimes a spy series and I started watching this one before the current war with Iran. I'm waiting for the newest season of "Slow Horses" on Netflix but that won't be released until the Fall.

March 20/26

3. It's Spring now... are you happy to see it come?  Will you be going out more?

It's officially spring and the weather is finally going to be sunny for a few days. This is what I've been waiting for and 'yes' I hope to get out more.  I like going for strolls when the sun comes out but first I have to get over a bout of sickness.

4.  Create an ideal weather scenario for each season.. the perfect  weather for summer, spring, autumn and winter.

August 2025

A perfect summer is sunny but not too hot and an occasional day of rain to keep everything nice, green and refreshed. This type of weather allows a person to enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities. Too much heat is not comfortable and can result in wildflowers.

A perfect spring starts the season with more rain and tapers off as the season progresses with more sunny days. It also features blossoming trees and early flowers like daffodils.  Too much rain ruins the cherry blossoms.

October 2025

A perfect autumn is warm with a small chill in the air as the season progresses. It also features many beautifully coloured leaves on the trees. If we're fortunate there won't be a lot of rain because rain causes too many leaves to fall too early.

A perfect winter where I live is no snow in the city but lots on the mountains.  Hopefully there are not so many days of torrential rain or temperatures that dip too low.

January 2026

As you can see, it rains a lot here. I really don't mind rain at all. I just mind it when it is very heavy and sometimes when it rains for 2 weeks without sun.  Growing older has made me less tolerant of our weather because I also get cold easier these days. Our weather is milder in winter months than it is in much of North America so I don't complain too loudly.

St. Patrick's Day - Tuesday 4

It is St. Patty's Day here at Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.

1.  Do you celebrate in any significant way?   

No I don't.

2.  Is it religious to you or secular?

Secular. Where I lived as a child, it was always synonymous with wearing green and little leprechauns.  I don't think we had many Irish people living in my town.  Later in the city, the day had more to do with wearing green, going to pubs and drinking green beer.  There are more Irish people in the city, in fact quite a few but I've never heard from them as to whether and how they celebrate.

3.  Is there any green in your wardrobe ? Your home? Is it a good color for you?

I've never had much green in my wardrobe even though I like the colour. I once owned a beautiful, emerald green dress.  For some reason I never wore it even though I took the trouble to get a seamstress to line it so I wouldn't have to wear a slip with it.

I'm currently expanding the colours of my wardrobe and moving away from the jewel tones and black I love and wear so often. I'm trying to incorporate more neutral colours and colours in nature's palette: gold, brown, beige and now green. I have 2 clothing items in green. One is like the winter, crew neck sweater you see in the photo. The other is a lightweight summer top in white with green and navy dots.

I really don't have green in my home either except for plants which I love.

The colour green does suit me but for whatever reason I have never developed the practice of wearing it.  I love green in nature and in my home, when it comes to plants, both artificial and real.

4.  March has a lot of things associated with it... The Ides of March on the 15th, St. Patrick's Day and the old saying that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.

How is your March going thus far? Is it quiet? Is the weather good, bad or ugly? Is it a lion or a lamb?

It's been good but busy and also quiet.  I thought it was going to be an early spring with garden and patio work to do because we had some beautiful,  sunny days and some blossoming trees.  Instead it has been raining so much and it's still too cold for me to put away my winter jacket and winter bedding.

I bought a cotton-linen bedspread to use once the weather gets warmer. In summer here, it can be too hot to use covers but this one is very light for those nights when a light blanket is needed. I was just trying it on the bed to make sure it fit so the pillow cases you see are the winter, warmer ones.

Thank you for visiting today. Have a wonderful rest of your week.

It's March ~ Tuesday 4

Welcome to Tuesday 4 begun by Toni Taddeo.

It's March and it might be nice to talk a bit about it.

The year is going by quickly.

1. March comes in like a lamb and goes out like a lion.  How has it made it's debut in your area?

March 1st was a cold and it rained very heavily at times.  I stayed indoors.

2. Is St Patrick's Day something you observe?

I don't observe St. Patrick's Day. Where I live I've only ever seen it as a day for people to wear green and many go to an Irish pub for 'green' bear.  No one I know observes a special dinner on that day. In more recent years there has been a St. Patrick's Day parade and there seems to be a bit more happening each year.  There is a Ceilidh on March 15th and a concert of the Welsh Choir the next day.  There is also a Celtic Festival that weekend.  I've looked at the festival program and it seems like a lot of it is focussed on drinking so I don't participate.  Besides which the weather is usually not very nice on St. Patrick's Day.

3. Do you observe Easter? 

I do observe Easter. 

4. What will those holidays see you doing this year? 

It's usually a quiet time of reflection and gratitude for Christ's death and resurrection.  Church's here like everywhere also focus on this message.  It's also time for a holiday meal with one or two loved ones. Long ago, a much larger group of family and friends would gather together for Easter dinner but those days are long gone as are many of the people. 

This time of year most of us in the western hemisphere are anticipating the arrival of the Spring season.  So I've planted up some seeds in readiness for the garden season. Hopefully they won't sprout up too stringy and straggly.

Saturday night I took a walk to the garden to return a book called The Venice Sketchbook. It was a poignant read set in Venice, Italy during WW2. Once I got home I realized I had another book I needed to return.  It had fallen to the side of the sofa and I didn't notice it until the next day when I was vacuuming.

 

I wanted to do more 'creating' in 2024 but haven't really gotten in the groove yet. I did make a few dishcloths. I was surprised to find a skein of cotton yarn at my local dollar store. I thought it would make 2 cloths but it only made 1.5. I returned to the store to buy another skein but there were none left. I tried another store location but they had none. I'm thinking that this was a one time offering so I don't hold out hope of finding more.

Some of you who've followed me for years may know that I love plants especially tropical ones for indoors. However it has proven impossible for me to grow them indoors. It just too cold with drafts in all the wrong places and lack of natural light is also a problem. As a result, I purchased a artificial bush last year and put some fairy lights on it. When I was out for a walk the other day I found this abandoned tree sitting on a bench outside a store. It didn't look like it belonged to anyone but to make sure I enquired inside the store. They told me that it had been sitting on the bench for three days and to please take it if I wanted. So I did. It now sits beside me on the sofa and I'm very happy with it as it is just the right height without being too wide in diameter.

I took this patio photo last week. Today the workers started laying the new foundation. I think they will make a lot of progress this week.

This is how I spent the first few days in March. I'm feeling happy and content and looking forward to Spring.

Joining in with Tuesday 4 this week. Thanks for stopping by!

A Sunny Day

 Last time I posted about the cherry blossoms on a rainy, cloudy day.

Today I'm posting a photo of the beautiful day we had on Friday. It was only one day. Today we are back to rain. On Wednesday it is expected to shine again and hopefully will be warming up after that.

On Thursday night I found it very cold in the house and I was wondering why. It's because it snowed at the higher elevations overnight. I woke up to a beautiful sunny day and fresh snow on the mountains.

Can you tell I'm excited about spring?

Thanks for stopping by.