I spy with my little eye



A springtime image by David Peterson of Mouse Guard


+ Some purple hyacinths in an old honey jar, next to the window. Stems reaching, flowers beginning to fold in on themselves, heady scent starting to fade.

+ A boy on the bus, with foot-long eyelashes which are completely incongruous with his thick stubble.

+ Unspeakably scary news from the other side of the world, of trembling earth and colossal waves. Just like that, out of nowhere, for so many people everything is gone.

+ A couple, on the corner, trying to take an arm's length photo. Laughing because instead they took video of themselves posing.

+ Pigeons bathing in the street-side lakes that had formed overnight, as the city temporarily thawed. Whole parties of pigeons gathering at the pool, dipping under the surface before popping up, feathers askew, spray fanning out around them.

+ An office, on a mezzanine, reached by spiral staircase, overlooking the library, inside of a museum, with a window looking out on busy streets and falling snow. A place where one catalogues 16th century dresses and 18th century books. In a word, heaven.

+ A café, done entirely in white. Blinding: stark, bright, white. White wicker, white tables, white walls. Glass cases full of tiny delectables dusted with the green crumble of crushed pistachio. Customers wearing tweed and cashmere, sipping espresso from tiny white cups. A small white dish with two maracons.

+ A chunk of ice, hanging precariously over a doorway. Water dripping continuously. Will it shrink, or will it fall?

+ A suitcase, open on my living room floor. A passport, a pair of strappy shoes with height (I have to practice wearing those...), a sun hat, a book. A trip I would never have planned, but am grateful to be invited on.

+ An accidental glimpse in the mirror beside the coffee maker in the office kitchen. Dressed this morning by going: what is on the top of the pile? Grey cardigan it is. Hair coiffed at desk, after removal of hat + coat, and pulled back into a static-defying ponytail. Make up? Not really. But in that glimpse: rosy cheeks, happy eyes, as-if-on-purpose hair with just the right flyaways. How many times do we look in the mirror and not want to change a thing? Not often enough.

+ A paperback in my purse, for reading on the bus. A great cover. Purple, naturally.

Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions by Neil Gaiman

Winter's last hurrah

Things to look at when your office has no windows

These are from my "inspiration" files (aka wallpaper files) and some were gathered so far in the dusty past that I (shamefully) don't have any way of tracking where they came from. I still wanted to use them though, for a mosaic with just Spring-y things I already had saved.

(starting top left, with the bright blue room):

1. Not sure, I think it was in a magazine, and found via someone's blog that I don't follow regularly (vague enough?)

2. Mine, from my trip to New York

3. Magnolia Warbler by Ursula Vernon

4. From Getty Images, I think (dusty)

5. (brick & arch) also mine, from New York

6. "Dust and Sunlight" by Rosetta Stantucci, Australian artist that I discovered when Design*Sponge featured her gorgeous home

7.  (lanterns in night garden) No idea who took it... I think it was on the Real Simple website

8. Summer Reading by Matte Stephens

9. Photo and wallpaper created by Susannah Conway (I hope it's ok that I threw it in there!)

10. Also found on Susannah Conway's site, but it came from the November 2009 issue of UK Vogue, photograph by Hugh Stewart

11. Birds on a Berry Tree (detail) by Naoko Stoop, via her Etsy shop

12. Plum Blossoms by Hadly Hutton, via her Etsy shop

13. (big one, in center) mine, from last spring

Snail City

Two Snails by Jacek Yerka

Snail House by rorylanelutter

Snail City found here (I don't know if that is the artist or not)

Considering the series of misadventures I've been through of late (nothing serious, just allergic reactions, the flu, a chest cold, generalized grumpiness) I'm in a great mood this week. Could be that my shoulders are lighter as these calamities finally scatter and leave me be. Could be that a good friend just had a baby boy! Could be that I am watching the mailbox for some books that are coming to me from several little shops in the UK. Could be that it is SPRING! here in Montreal. I know that the west coast is being showered with cherry blossoms but most Montreal Marchs are snow-covered. This one is April-like in its snowlessness. And I am glad. I am a fairweather friend to snow (no pun intended), loving it in November, hating it by February. Actually, no. That's a lie. I still like snow, even in the darkest February days. What I hate is sleet, ice chips hitting my face, bitter cold wind and skating rink sidewalks. But those are worries now cast aside until NEXT winter! Can you believe it? I can't. I'm tempted to go all doom-and-global-warming-gloom but I won't. I will put away my heavy coat and sigh with relief instead.

Things I have recently been enjoying:

• Castles in the Air ~ all about living in and restoring a crumbling castle in Wales, so far quite funny and charming. Also, I see from the website that after restoring it, they made it into a bed & breakfast of sorts. I am so tempted to go. Alissa, I would recomend that you check it out next time you swing through the UK, except that you have chateau ennui. ; ) 
• Old episodes of Da Vinci's Inquest. He's such a quirky trouble-maker.
• Homemade yogurt. Not homemade by me! A certain handsome housemate of mine has taken up this hobby and I just get to sit back and reap the creamy benefits. My favourite is getting to open a new jar and take the first, almost frothy, scoop. (Apparently the process is quite easy. Perhaps, if he is reading, he will post the instructions in a comment for the curious).
• Miss Endicott ~ A serendipitous find at the library. A comic about a young woman who is a governess by day and a solver-of-problems by night. The description claims that it is steampunk, which it may yet be, but I haven't gotten that far yet. Even without steam or punk, it is already pretty awesome.
• David Sedaris on audiobook. Recommended for those who do not mind laughing like loons on public transport. Also, makes the workday zip past.

Pretty in Pink

So, in the middle of March, I am usually pretty sick of Montréal. I really end up hating winter, and any dorky feelings of magical enchantment that might have welled up for those first snowfalls back in November/December are long gone. However.

Then there is SPRING!

Spring seems to happen overnight here. It was a while ago, maybe 2-3 weeks ago, but it did happen over one weekend. On Friday the trees were bare, almost autumnally so, and by Monday everything was green and starting to bloom. All it takes is one spike in temperature and the plants wake up in spectacular unsion.

All around my place there are lilacs in full flower (gorgeous PURPLE!!) and they smell great. Just across the street from where I work there is a cute little back walkway (cobblestone even) and it is in the shaddow of a pretty church courtyard, and lined with lovely old stone buildings. On my lunch break I like to stroll along it (it isn't very long... and there are usually people from nearby offices standing around there smoking... but still), and this week I remembered to bring my camera.

Hello, I have a blog

I kind of forgot.

But now it's spring, and I'm feeling inspired again.

So, I thought I would share a lucky find from some second-hand book shop purchases a little while ago. Masquerade by Kit Williams (who is also known for making curious clocks). I got it for the gorgeous art work, but I was delighted to discover that it was also involved in a secret treasure hunt and.... a scandal!

Besides... who wouldn't want to read a storybook written by this scruffy gentleman:


A few images from the book (taken from this lovely spot):

The book was meant to be a riddle, and if you could figure out the clues it would lead to buried treasure. The treasure was actually a beautiful filagree piece of jewelry made by the author, and hidden somewhere in England. And therein lies the scandal!

April showers

Spring is finally, happily in the air. I am finished school. Oh, I have signed up for a few projects this summer already - how could I just walk away from such a long educational career? Not possible! But my exams are written, my papers submitted, my textbooks ready for re-sale at the book co-op. I thought I would feel celebratory, but I mostly feel TIRED. I suppose I should not be surprised. I do feel my creativity buzzing though, I am thinking about coming back here to write... thinking about starting a blog just for photos/art work... thinking about writing project(s)... thinking about painting.... thinking about re-decorating the apartment.... and then I think about taking a nap. Today I got none of the things accomplished that I set out to, but I did take some rainy-day photos that I am pretty happy with. I am going to start putting them here for now, and see how that goes. It feels more fun than flickr.

April 18th 2007

I think my all time favorite season is autumn, but I have also always loved winter. Even the grey rainy winters of my west coast home were lovely to me. I am a total book worm (I haven't heard that term in a long time! I wonder why? Bibliophile seems to be used more now, which sounds dirty or snobby and doesn't conjure images of baby insects tunneling through ancient texts in endless dusty libraries. Such a shame.) and so wet, cloudy days make for great stay-inside-and-read days. However. Then I moved to Montreal. The land of winter.
It is April 18 and yesterday there was still snow on the ground. Not just the stubborn snow banks that will not melt until summer hits full force, but rather little pactches of slushy snow/ice from the flurries we had just days ago!!! This is totally bizare for me! In BC the cherry blossoms would be out now, as well as flowers and baby grass, greenery all over the place. Since I am someone who so enjoys the darker days of autumn and winter, I find it strage to discover this new sun-loving side of myself. Maybe it is also a reflection of me becoming a more balanced person, loving not just the melancholy rain which is wonderful for creative introspective pursuits, but now also life-giving sunshine which will help my tomato plants grow. I am something of a dabbler in paganism (neo-paganism or nature-spirituality or whatever the non-denominational version of nature based religion is) and so I observed the spring equinox as it came and went way back in March. It didn't seem to mean much back when the weather was still so grim. Even yesterday was dreary and sad. Today though the sun is peeking through the wool up there and a little colour has come back to the city. The air is still cool and I like this. Summer will come soon enough with it humidity and sweat (and the jazz festival!), but today is completely spring. Gorgeous.