This and That on a Mid-March Day

Wednesday was a spectacular day with glorious sunshine and fluffy white clouds. The sun came out after several rainy days but the temperature was still quite chilly.

On my walk I captured some beautiful flowers outside one of the local grocery stores. I just love the flowers in the foreground and the large store window capturing a reflection of the clouds and blue sky. You can see the leaves haven't come out on the deciduous trees yet.

By mid afternoon it turned mostly cloudy again though we expect sunshine and much warmer temperatures for the next week or so.

I've been keep very busy this month with a lot of small things including sewing alterations,  reading, decluttering, cooking, appointments and so on.  

A small containers of buttons broke open and the buttons scattered all over the larger container they were in.  It spurred me on to do a little bit of a tidy up of some of the most often used sewing supplies.  This will help me as I work on other projects.

3 small containers of sewing supplies sorted and organized

I've been decluttering a bit here and there. Nothing major but it all adds up. I'm also still trying to use up old toiletries. Some of them seem to have a bottomless supply. I'm adding everything to some large recycling bags and will do a count later.

In my reading, I finished reading the 5 fictional books in the photos below and one book on style. I enjoyed all of the books. My favourite pick was Ken Follet's Armour of Light followed by The Nightingale, The Venice Sketchbook, The Cafe by the Sea and the House of Fortune in that order. The Style for Everybody Guide was a very straightforward and well written, simplified guide to clothing and style. I've read a lot of them and I liked this one a lot because it is not so overwhelming in the information it presented.

Also completed in the last few weeks.

I've started reading a few books with a spiritual theme.  Usually this kind of book requires more time for reading, reflection and retention.  I'll probably pick up another novel to read in between study.

That's all in my world for now. 

Thank you for your visit.

Skywatch Friday ~ March 1, 2024

Hello friends and fellow bloggers, Happy March to you all!

A few days ago I shared some early cherry blossoms but since then it's turned colder. We're expecting very unsettled weather for the next week or so.  I'm hoping consistently warmer temperatures arrive in a week or so.   In the meantime, I'm preparing to plant some seeds so I have something to plant in the garden.

These sky photos were taken today around dinner time. The sky looks menacing but the temperature was much warmer than it was on Tuesday night when we had a bit of snow. 
 

I baked a bit of bread last night. There's nothing nicer than freshly baked bread with jam and butter and tea on a cold night.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday this week.

Happy New Week to You

Happy New Week to you friends and fellow bloggers.  This week we face the end of February and the beginning of March. I'm wondering if it will be a cold one or a warmer one.  Right now the forecast seems to be for a cold one with possible snow once or twice this week but we will see. I guess I'm skeptical but anything can happen. 

It's actually been somewhat warm here recently as evidenced by what I found yesterday (Saturday) in my neighbourhood.  Today, although I don't have a photo, there were far more blossoms on the tree than there were yesterday.  But later on Sunday the temperature plummeted.

Tonight when I went for a walk and a few errands,  I had to wear my gloves to keep my fingertips warm. I hope the sudden cold won't harm the cherry blossoms.  Although there have been some periods of great cold snaps around the province, even in Vancouver, there has not been enough snowfall overall.  In fact, many ski hills were not able to open for their usual ski seasons due to lack of snow. All this is not good for the summer when it's predicted to be very hot once again.

In home news, I found this recipe in a magazine dedicated to one pot dinners. It's called Pecan Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Apples. I made it Saturday night and I omitted the pecans because I didn't have any. I also omitted the sugar because the balsamic vinegar and apples was enough to sweeten the dish.  It turned out delicious.  Now I have a new chicken dish to add to my repertoire when I need a quick and tasty meal. The other one pot chicken dish I like a lot is Creamy Tuscan Chicken.  But I don't always have sun dried tomatoes on hand and I also don't always want to have a creamy dish.

This year I hope to do a lot more things creatively but I'm not off to a rousing start. I'm still reading a bit more than I'd planned but soon the garden/s need planting so we'll see how I make out. It's also tax time again and that always keeps me busy as I do the taxes for DH and I jointly. It means, I have to corral all the receipts for the both of us which is hard enough to do with one of us. I'm sure some of you understand what I mean.

Besides keeping busy in various ways, I'm still trying to be a bit creative. A friend in England sent me this adult colouring book. I see that I need better lighting to colour within the lines and since I like felt tip pens I think I need to work on pressure of ink application. Either that or buy some wooden crayons. How about you dear reader? Do you do any colouring? Do you have any tips for me?  If you don't do any colouring, do you have any favourite hobbies?

Thanks for stopping by! 

Skywatch Friday ~ February 9, 2024

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope this month of February is going well for you. 

Time is passing so quickly and I didn't have a chance to join in with Skywatch last Friday so here I am today.

We've been having mild and warmer weather for a few days but it is turning cold again. It was nice having a few days of unseasonably warm temperatures.  Though I know that isn't the best for our water supply and our forest, my bones need a good warming and rest from the draftiness of winter.

I hope you're keeping warm enough or cool enough wherever you live.

Happy Skywatching.

Skywatch Friday 

Snowy Sky and Snowy Scenes

We've been having very cold weather for a week and in the last 2 days, a lot of snow. This is very unusual for us here in Vancouver though in the last few years the snow and cold has been increasing over the previous decades. 

People were advised to stay home if possible on Wednesday so that there would be fewer accidents. I did go out late to pick up a book at the local library so I had an opportunity to take some photos. The first photo was taken on Tuesday after a significant snowfall.  More snow is in the forecast for late Thursday.

I hope you are keeping warm enough if you are in the cold parts of the northern hemisphere.

 Joining in with Skywatch Friday this week. Thank you for stopping by!