After weeks of rain we've been having a few spectacular sunny days. I wanted to get down to my favourite beach to take some photos but I had a late start today. I decided on the spur of the moment to go downtown and I'm glad I did.
There were a lot of people out today enjoying the warm fall day. In fact there were even a few people in their swimming trunks.
I wanted a photo of the dog and his master but the sun was shining directly in my path. I took a few photos anyway. Here is the photo in black and white and colour. He was a lovely dog but he wasn't so thrilled about fetching the stick until his master threw it some distance into the water.
In the beautiful scene below I was competing with several other people for photos, lol. I decided to leave one in the photo for fun.
Here are several people testing the water.
We had summer weather temperatures today.
I always love the scene as I come upon the huge metal sculpture and the mountains in the distance.
These trees are not yet in full fall colour but I don't know if will get back to the beach in time to catch the foliage as the leaves develop deeper golden and orange shades.
I hope you are enjoying the weather wherever you are.
I'm sharing sunflowers today. I took these photos last Saturday when I went grocery shopping. They caught my eye in the parking lot and you can see the beautiful blue sky in the background.
These patio photos were taken within a few days of the sunflower photos. It's been raining for the better part of two weeks and is a bit chilly too. I managed to snap these photos during some dry and clear periods.
This morning the rain started up again but I understand it is to be a short few days of rain and sunshine for several days after that. I cherish any bit of sunshine we can get before the winter rains.
I'm reading two Jane Goodall books, one book of letters by Laura Ingalls Wilder and this short book about Swedish Death Cleaning. The concept of death cleaning is to make sure you declutter before you die and leave a bunch of goods, furniture, letters, jewellery and other possessions to your loved ones to clear out after you are gone. The book is short and humorous and gives a few ideas for how to go about the process. I like this concept of death cleaning and taking time to go through things yourself to decide what to do with them.
My sister tried to do this before she died and my mom cleared some of her personal papers. In both cases, there was still a lot to deal with after their last moves and demises. It brought home to me just how important it is not to allow the build up of extraneous things. I've been trying for years already to down size. I don't think I've made a whole lot of progress but I am learning things about myself in the process. I also think that next year will bring a lot of changes and progress.
If you'd like to know more, have a listen to this short video where the author is talking about death cleaning.
Here at home I've been very busy doing a bit of decluttering and organizing little bit by little bit. I'm also reading of course, cooking, shopping and the usual household tasks. I spent the day waiting for a delivery which never came despite my best efforts to call the UPS and get it done. I waited the entire day and half the night. Now I have to stay home again Friday waiting for the delivery. They also have to pick up a returned item so I hope to get it all done at once.
I think I mentioned last time that I am taking a Creative Writing Class. In the class a few days ago we critiqued each other's short stories. My story was up first and I was quite pleased with the feedback received. There were some really good, constructive comments that will help me undertake the revisions.
Overall people responded well to my story and very positively. The instructor said she thought with a bit of work my story could be submitted. There is a lot more work ahead for me writing, editing and so on but I was stunned, and pleased.
