nearing the ending

3 of my favourites, 2 favourite art pieces of mine + Oliver snoozing on the bathroom counter / wild blue daisy - chickory near the water / the view from my studio office chair - we love hummingbirds / that 3.99 Walmart mini rose is not so mini anymore / wild & tangled / rudbeckia ? / Miss D in the front garden - I love this house / more seaside wildflowers / & more orange roses / phlox / NessieNess loves this time of year / still life with audio books (all from the library) / crazy about the miniature forests of moss & lichen / where we left off last - not-so-brave / not sure what these sweet white blooms are / this photo shows where we live - look closely centre-ish of photo - that's our front ocean facing yard / & the above photo taken from this boardwalk exactly 139 steps from our front door 

All transitions are composed of an ending, a neutral zone and a new beginning William Bridges

I used to have a copy of William Bridges well known & much loved book Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes - I bought it years ago way before I met Doug and was in the process, by necessity, of getting ready to leave/sell 29 Black Street. Even though I'm in a much different & much better place now and the leaving is by choice & desire not by necessity I'm still finding the transition difficult. The end(ing) feels like it's just begun even though I've been planning this move, & knowing about for ages. It's become a reality and not just a fun dreamy topic of conversation.

I am nearing the ending, feeling the grief, sadness & worry, worry that I'll have regrets and at the same feeling quite confident that in the end I won't - I've been planning this move for a very long time. I'm ready, so ready to welcome the neutral zone + I'm almost there & then !! what's more exciting than a brand new beginning.

I'm ordering a new copy of this book today. Happy Weekend to all ;-)

the sea & salt air

the sea on the crescent beach at low tide / thistle a common seaside wild flower / on the point of Thinker's Lodge looking back to the inner harbour / seaweed / an abstract of seaweed / a beach still life of sand, mussels, periwinkle & more seaweed / seaside landscape  / eel grass / towering cluster of mussel shells / rock, barnacles & more yellowy green seaweed / on the crescent beach

To stand at the edge of the sea, to sense the ebb and flow of the tides, to feel the breath of a mist moving over a great salt marsh, to watch the flight of shore birds that have swept up and down the surf lines of the continents for untold thousands of years, to see the running of the old eels and the young shad to the sea, is to have knowledge of things that are as nearly eternal as any earthly life can be. Rachel Carson

Words can't express how lucky I feel that I live 139 steps from the sea and that I can spend time each day walking at the edge of the ocean - it thrills me, each and every new day. 

I'm currently midway through Elizabeth Gilbert's great fat, new novel - The Signature of all Things - history, botany, the study of moss, a strong female character - I have both the book and the audio book which is read by a fantastic narrator ! (I take turns going back and forth between the two)  Next up is the biography of Rachel Carson - On a Farther Shore 

Happy Weekend to all ! next week I'll be catching you up with some of the latest happenings here at the teak topped desk & Susan Black Creative Empire HeadQuarters - I have lots of great projects on the go.

threes

scenes from this morning's early walk by the sea (after my walk with Miss D ;-) gorgeous & very fragrant wild roses / the archway of green that I walk through to get to the crescent beach - sigh / usually calm waters of the Northumberland Strait / lemon scented yellow wild roses from the gardens of 29 Black Street / a row of huge old poplars I love - my favourite tree / tiny waves on the crescent beach / wild daisy meadows / at the base of a very senior & majestic poplar / quintessential Nova Scotia wildflower - lupins / more crescent beach love / sweet tiny leaves & stems of forget-me-nots going to seed / the yellow wild roses again in our front garden

expect nothing
appreciate everything

such a perfect & easy to remember mantra/motto

Currently reading three fantastic library books  1).  a big, fat, fantastic novel, aren't they always the best kind, especially in summer - The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert (science, nature, botany, history, yummy) 2). non-fiction - Overwhelmed: Work, Love and Play When No One Has the Time by Brigid Schulte - as someone who spends way too much of my time feeling overwhelmed, way too much time wasting time + procrastinating + wanted to cram lots more stuff into my schedule this is a fascinating, incredibly researched, well written book on the idea(s) of time & specifically leisure time (?) is there even such a thing anymore ... maybe it's never really existed and if it has what is it ? 3). + a memoir - funny, light + recipes - The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City by David Lebovitz

oh & one fabulous cookbook Donna Hay's - Simple Dinners that I love so much I'm ordering my own copy

+ I've begun this every bedtime (or end of day) ritual 3 by 3 from Jena Coray via Oh My Handmade - much harder than it seems* but such a valuable end of the day reflection. The first week I added my 3 of 3 daily section to my "morning pages" journal 1). I valued about myself 2). I am grateful for & 3). I am glad I spent time doing ... but today I've decided to do this practice in it's own little notebook because I think it will be interesting in the future to look back at the compilation of goodness & gratitude all in one place. I'm all for creating new rituals in my day to day life ... & especially if they're this good for you.

* you're encouraged to think of 3 brand new things for each section every day

the very best medicine

the lawn at Thinker's Lodge at sunrise / old poplars with their coat of lichen / ah the moon, the wisps of clouds / beach grass patterns / the grey & white of winter / winterscape / the wharf & dingy beach / my footprints in the freshly fallen snow / the crescent beach / snow capped queen anne's lace / a favourite vantage point looking out into the strait / cottages at crescent beach awaiting spring 

The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. Now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours. 

Alan Bennet 

I've been happily busily, bustling away at many lovely new & exciting creative endeavours. Sadly ones I can't talk about just yet … 'tis the nature of this beast. Licensing art, creating art for the stationary, gift & home decor markets. I'm used to the secrecy, it's always been this way - I've been doing this on my own (sole proprietor) since the fall of 2001. In February I start 2 brand new e-courses. Feb 3rd the fantastic & fabulous Lilla Roger's course - Assignment Bootcamp - an extension of sorts of the much loved by many Make Art That Sells A & B (I participated in both) & Feb 17th I begin Kelly Rae Robert's new e-course Mixed Media Mantra's - ya know I love me a good mantra & why not learn from les Queen of mixed media technique, art & style + I've taken Kelly's courses before and they're super value, chock full of content & goodness.

Miss Winnie Darlin' Dixon continues to be great ! hooray ! hooray !! coming down those stairs with ease, eating like a horse (and trying to chase the cat food rider), Monsieur Bleetito also turned 15 this past week and he's quite suddenly, in the past week or so become super affectionate, cuddly & has begun sleeping on the bed at night - when he can find a spot ;-) no one needs a king size bed more than we do.

There has been a ton of goodness in my life over the past 6 months, especially creative empire building greatness, but it's also been one of the most stressful upsetting times that I can remember (daily pain in my stomach stressful). I'll admit, far too many of those days, I resorted to using undesirable, fast acting, home remedy-ish coping skills (cupcakes & vino, cheesies, more vino) - but lately my very best coping tools* are practicing self compassion (those are the times when you need her the most), getting away from my desk for a walk with my camera - always a fast acting, trance inducing drug, or having tea on a tray with a biscuit and a cat in my nest (my most favourite room in this house - the chocolate brown bedroom) and/or best of all, when all else fails, reading a book. I find for stress, strain, anger, hurtful feelings, anxiety, and/or all manor of yuckiness…fiction is always the very best medicine.

Never trust anyone who 
has not brought a book with them 

Lemony Snicket

* Oliver reminded me that I left his name off my key badness coping strategies & it's true he should be top of that list for he is the most wonderful, comforting, psychic, loving, affectionate, loyal … cat ever. "if there are tears, he will appear … instantly" thank you sweet cat