agm part 2

herring cove granite boulders / azalea ? mlou's wonderful garden / waterfront Halifax / mlou's front entrance / Dee Dee's ice cream in a waffle cone natch / more herring cove hike / my bedside bouquet / I heart lichen & moss / herring cove coastline / miniature ecosystems on rocks - sigh / mlou's garden / herring cove pathway / along the waterfront landscape / hydrangea / blooming blossoms / herring cove / talay thai take-out yum / big bouquet of coral red roses in the new kitchen

Off in a minute to the nearby bigger town for our monthly shopping excursion - details & itinerary of Day 2 in the sweet city coming a little later - stay tuned - more chatting, walking & driving, events & activities, more talking & most excellent food.

6:45pm - finally back at my desk has been a rather action packed & tres efficient day - oodles of errands, a jewellery design meeting (goodness - sung by les chorus of angels), more errands & topped off with a healthy fish n' chips dinner - roasted oven fries & flour dusted, pan fried haddock hmmm... oranges (sweet as can be) for dessert. As promised les Saturday itinerary - agm 3 part deux.

MLou: So ... what do you feel like doing next ?
Susan: gee ... I don't know, what do you feel like doing ?
MLou: hmmmm ... what do you feel like eating ?
Susan: gee ... I don't know, what do you feel like eating ?
MLou: Um ... what would you like to drink ?
Susan: gee ... I don't know, what do you feel like drinking* ?

Chip + Dale

Saturday - the coffee goes on at 6:30, 10 mins later I'm having coffee in bed in my lovely guest suite at Casa Dingle when I hear MLou & the J girl coming down stairs once MLou's filled her coffee cup we retreat to the bedroom (I sitting up in bed with a million pillows she comfy in a rocking chair) for for our next round of chatting, planning, discussing, talking, chatting some more etc ... 8:30 she goes off to make her daily Skype call to husband L. who works in Thailand (6 weeks there/6 weeks home - he's a geophysicist and I like saying that ;-) while I get dressed & ready for our day. I pop in always briefly to wave & chat with Lauchie for a minute or two. Next while MLou showers I go out into her gorgeous wooded garden to take photos the light is fabulous all day in their gorgeous spot nestled in the trees. Into the car & off to the Farmer's Market (oh my the smells) - you name it Indian food, flowers, fresh pressed cider, so many good smells - decisions, decisions what will breakfast/brunch be ?? we settle on crepes I have a cider (a combo of 4 different apples freshly pressed) Shut ! Up !! so good. Dee's Dee's ice cream for dessert. Then to the Spring Halifax Crafter's show - over 80 artisans & craftspeople - amazing selection of you name it from granola bars, ceramics, embroidery, prints, woodworking - tons of great handmade stuff ... then a visit with MLou's parents (lovely), back home to pick up the J. girl for our hike along the real ocean and granite boulder hill at Herring Cove (most strenuous hike yet complete with spectacular views a cruise ship leaving & incredible geological formations).

We take the scenic route home 'cause every flowering shrub in Halifax is now flowering - azaleas, rhodos, magnolias, cherry, plum, forsythia - gorgeousity. Back at Casa Dingle by 6pm to get the Winnie report - hooray she has left her security spot** been downstairs & outside to do some business, & had a snarf of cat food (anything she wants) & back up to her nest under my desk. Phew - that makes me feel better. Potato chips (an agm ritual), cold drinks + much more chat-a-thon, counter leaning while talking in the big new kitchen - 8pm back in the car & downtown to TalayThai for take-out. We place our order then stroll around downtown (near the railway station) & my old neighborhood during our NSCAD days. Delicious thai food (cocnut soup, fresh spring rolls, tamarind prawns, & vegetable green curry) yum - stuffed we turn at 11:30.

Sunday morning the coffee begins gurgling at 6:00 am (repeat Sat. early morning routine) - back into the car, driving, much more chatting & she drops me off in Truro with the Prince at 10:30 home in Pugwash just past lunch - Missy D (& les Gang) are all thrilled to have Mama home.

* neither of us drinks alcohol
** her bed under  the TTD (teak topped desk)

agm part 1

quince / ocean / in mlou's garden / the best falafal ever Mezza / Herring Cove hike / waterfront Halifax / mlou / in mlou's garden / buckwheat savoury crepes from the Farmer's Market / more Herring Cove views / the view from my bedroom / gorgeous pink heather / geology

watch your thoughts, for they become words

watch your words, for they become actions

watch your actions, for they become habits

watch your habits for they become character

watch your character, for it becomes destiny

unknown

Friday's itinerary - Arrive in Halifax around 11:45 have a lunch date at Mezza with Shelagh Dufflet (better known as Alice in Paris Loves Art & Tea) MLou has to go off to an unexpected press check so she drops me off & Shelagh & I have a big ol' gab about the life of a creative entrepreneur so much to talk about we barely scraped the surface. Ate the most delicious falafal, hummus, stuffed grape leaves & assorted pickled veggies evah - yum. MLou joins us a little later for her lunch & the 3 of us carry on gabbing. Next stops Love Me, Boutique & Inkwell who both sell my wares (drop of some owl postcards for Andrea to give away at Inkwell's upcoming first anniversary celebration !!). Final stop Deserres (wonderful big art & craft supply store) where I purchased mostly gel pens & a shocking amount of neon pink implements ;-) Raced home for the Prince's 6pm how's-Winnie-Dixon-faring telephone call (at this point she has not left her bed under my desk : ( she doesn't like it when I go away). Cold drinks & much more chatting in MLou's spacious new big kitchen then back in the car with Missy J (Jigs the Wheaten Terrier) to Bedford for much talked about fish & chips food truck. Oh my - hand battered haddock, handcut fries with malt vinegar, sea salt & ketchup + tartar sauce and/or hot chili mayo for dipping fish - oh & let's not forget little paper dish of creamiest coleslaw - I die !! chat, chat, drive, chat home again to the house in the beautiful woodland park setting - chat, chat, chat bedtime.

It is neither good nor bad, but thinking makes it so

William Shakespeare

Relaxing, invigorating, inspiring, exciting, satisfying, calming, reassuring ... I just feel so much better having spent my 2 days away with MLou but it's really difficult to pin point the exact reason for the incredible relief I feel. The one thing I'm noticing most is the desire in me to stop thinking. Oh I start down that well worn path, often (shockingly so) but I stop myself because where I'm headed is a big ol' ponder/worry about all the eggs & potential eggs & maybe a few unwanted eggs + some much desired eggs in my basket - a terrible, productivity killing, habit that's gotten much worse since my creative business life has gotten bigger, bolder, wider & busier. But, so far, it's only day 2 I start having those thoughts & I stop myself. MLou & I discussed all those eggs in great detail, we made plans, set goals, examined ideas, made decisions, chose directions I left feeling - ahhhhhh. It's OK - she took the big heavy load I've had on my heart, head & shoulders & said no worries let me carry it for you - you just get stuff done, one thing at a time.

We've been friends 20+ years. She knows me, she trusts me ... she completely believes in me - enough to make me believe in me too. It's the 3rd year I've visited her in May/June. 2 years ago when I visited I was just about to embark on this can I make a living as an artist/illustrator life - can I leave my increasingly unfulfilling product design (do exactly what the client asks job) behind & develop my own creative style & personality & build a self sustaining Creative Empire that is about me (licensing & illustration gigs that want the Susan Black style). The last morning over coffee we decided these annual meetings we've been having, where the main topic of discussion (though we fit lots more topics in too) is figuring out my business, are our most excellent agms - annual general meetings.

lavender

hydrangea - MLou's new kitchen

The finest kind of friendship is between two people who expect a lot of each other but never ask it

Sylvia Bremer


My weekend was exceptionally freakin' fantastic & in every possible way + over 200 photos loaded into iphoto this morning but I have much to get to this Monday morning - a few new potentially thrilling freelance projects (& one hopeful licensing phone chat at noon) - so it will take a day or 2 for me to do my blog review of my exciting & therapeutic 2 days away. I'm still reeling a little from all the goodness that got packed into one 48 hour chunk of time ... thank you, thank you MLou - xo Susan

Last night the Prince & I watched Barney's Version for a second time - a total gem of a movie. Based on the book (& life of infamous Canadian curmudgeon & literary hero - Mordecia Richler) - it's funny, touching and completely lovely - highly recommended ! and from the soundtrack (which is also excellent) our poet laureate Leonard (Cohen).

re treat

juicy

leaving this morning for 2 days in the city staying with Mlou, taking in the big Halifax Farmer's Market, the Halifax Crafter's market & we're meeting Shelagh Dufflet Alice in Paris loves Art & Tea for lunch tomorrow at Mezza. Much chatting, walking, talking, relaxing ... I need this wee retreat so very much.

some former cannots

a springtime study of mostly green & yellow - oh my I take so many photographs - 'tis the my season ;-)

Keep high aspirations, moderate expectations & small needs

William Howard Stein

I think you might be surprised at some of the things on my former list of cannots
or in the spirit of the cans ... just a few of the items on my yes I can list. 

I can clean out (& off) my incredibly plentiful, stuffed to the gills, imac computer files
I can & will get noticed out there in the beautiful fray of creative talent
I can empty my trash (imac) on a regular basis without holding my breath in fear
I can breath deeply & often
I can, once newly clean & sparse, file & trash effectively & efficiently the files on my computer
I can & will use usb sticks to archive (in a sensible & orderly fashion) important scans & files
I can figure out a way to continue to blog every day without it taking up so much of my time
I can sort through & organize my iphoto files by genus, species, colour, alphabetically ... whatever
I can do my own financial books, I can know the profit margin of things I sell on etsy & wholesale
I can completely de-clutter my office ... my home, my life & keep it that way
I can paint, draw, collage & be creative at least 50% of my working hours - it's about 2% now
I can worry less ... a lot less
I can stop taking things personally
I can speak less, think less & be more still
I can stop making assumptions
I can be more kind & more grateful, always
I can streamline my creative world & life (who am I kidding they are 1 in the same) so I'm not pulled in a zillion directions
I can garden this year 'til the cows come home
I can have a much more balanced life - I've turned into a workaholic but it's counter productive I do believe
I can stop trying to prevent bad things from happening everywhere ... all the time
I can learn to houseclean ... I'm so bad at it now - who has time to vacuum - not me (5 animals ;-)
I can have much less stuff, spend less money
I can practice & apply the "good enough" principle more often
I can read more, relax more
I can write more letters (snail mail) & send more packages (shammy)
I can get more exercise, stretch more, treat my body better


I can stop rushing & holding my breath through life
I can, I will, I promise myself

can

the water in the harbour this early morning + more scenes from my walk with my best girl Miss Winnie D.

If you think you can do it, you can.

John Burroughs

Back at the beginning of this new year, back when many in the blogging world were choosing their one word for the 2012, a one word mantra / resolution meant to guide & encourage oneself through the year. This oneself, moi, always a fan of the any & all SSIS* plans (*spiritual self improvement seeker) hopped firmly on the "one word" bandwagon. I thought & pondered, researched  considered copying, others words (a huge list found here) & pondered some more. I ended up choosing the word Up stolen blatantly from Ali Edwards (kinda of the Queen of the whole one word movement). I picked the word Up for a few reasons 1). Up has only 2 letters - now that's a great reason ;-) somehow that made this word super appealing 2). as a graphic designer I deemed Up to be an usually (typographically) beautiful word & finally 3). the important, whole-point-of-the-thing, reason - I think of my self as someone who spends too much time feeling down therefore Up seemed a natural choice.

Never, never, never give Up

Winston Churchill

Well as you can imagine ('cause I think you know me well by now) that wasn't the end of my pondering the one word thing or continued SSIS*. Was it the right word ? I wanted a right word, ! what could that right word be I wonder. Ponder, ponder, ponder.

For the most part of this new year I've been taking the amazing, life, creative business, life again altering e-course with Kelly Rae Roberts & Beth Nicholls - Hello Soul, Hello Business - it's turned me & my Creative Empire desire on my head & back again. I can't even begin to tell you the ways I feel changed by taking this course ... it just ended a week ago & my mind is still so full & a flutter with ideas and questions and plans. I guess that's why I've been so quiet here lately, so many new things, too many things, exciting, thrilling, scary, nervewracking, stressful, fun, exciting (did I say exciting ?) things I want to say & to talk about but I haven't yet found their voice(s). Like my upcoming e-courses for example - Shut Up !! more on those in detail next week.

The one thing I can tell you that the course has done for me - it's changed my one little word form Up to Can. Uh Huh !! Look out !! 'cause I Can do anything (can't believe I ever doubted it). I can do big, crazy, scary old historic can't stuff I've always told myself I couldn't do, that's not who I am any more - so what's been up with that 'tude ? No more I tell ya, I'm havin' none of it. Les battle royale (of the Susan's) is on.

can
can
can

watch out I said !

yes, ya can can ... you know that we Can Can - Pointer Sisters - funkalicious


*self improvement seeker

beautiful girl

beautiful sweet Bee - Missy D & I met up with her this early morning - 7 years 2.5 months