Minnie's Bouquet

This is just the sort of thing Mickey might buy for his sweetheart:)
Available on eBay, 8 x 16", stretched canvas.

Thanks for the comments on the surf pictures! It was fantastic to see:) Gorgeous day today here in Nova Scotia. Perfect late August afternoon. I am fretting about the end of summer......as much as I ADORE autumn, winter is so long. I have yet to take a summer vacation. Just one night away doesn't count. Ah well, I still have some time left.

As always lately, Rap Ditty available for your voting pleasure. Scroll down to find it. I watched it again the other day and it made me smile. It was fun to make:) Nova Scotia Tourism has a facebook page and I saw that I am not the only one a bit disgruntled by the disparity in votes.
27,000+ votes for one video in particular VS less than 100 votes for most people. I have received quite a few and I am grateful but I have been promoting it here and on facebook and etc. etc. I feel badly for the people that have no outlet to promote their videos and don't have the computer skills to get the votes. What was very exciting at first has become a bit of a disappointment. I think if there were some judges involved, everyone would get a fair shot. Not just those of us with a bit of internet sway. Ok, I'm off the soapbox.

After Bill.....

The storm was not as bad as it might have been which was a very good thing! Later in the day, after the warnings were called off and the sun started to shine a bit, my daughter and I ventured off toward the shore.

The surf was wonderful! The road to Peggy's Cove village was closed but there were many places safely away from the water to gain a magnificent vantage point.

Many, many people came out to see the ocean. Some were not as careful as others. I have a bit of a telephoto so my shots look closer than we are.


It was breathtaking. The air was filled with salt mist! The noise was roaring.

Daughter enjoying the spectacle.


I am so glad we made the drive out there:))

This is today's reminder to vote for RAP DITTY! Scroll down to find it:) Thanks SO MUCH for all the votes so far. I really appreciate it.

Hurricane Bill

Monty, blissfully unaware of the rain outside:)

Bill is here, just brushing the southern tip of Nova Scotia before moving up the coast. We've got another 4 hours before it reaches it's peak here in Halifax. Still a hurricane but turning into a tropical storm. Big storm sea surge expected, 4 meters ( 12ft) greater than usual because Bill hits at high tide. Lawrencetown beach is closed because of the dangerous surf and rip tides, also because some surfers are crazy and are trying to get out there and ride those waves!

Here is the Peggy's Cove live webcam. Wow, those waves are something. You can see people driving by ocasionally taking a look. I'm going to go tomorrow I think. The surf will still be high. Hard to believe this is the same sunny cove I posted a couple of days ago.
The rain comes in waves and the wind as well. Trees are bopping crazily. There is something exciting about a big blow like this!
Here is today's reminder to vote for RAP DITTY! Thanks SO MUCH for all the votes so far. I really appreciate it.

peaches and paradise

Headed to "the Valley" today. Wolfville in particular, a charming University town. Lots of great fruit and veggie stands. Farms all around. We are staying in a Victorian B&B for the night. I can hardly wait. First time out of the city, really all summer. Looking forward to puttering and relaxing. My daughter has a friend there so they will hang out, which will be nice. I think my mom wants to see a play and I plan to do nothing!

Thanks so much for all the votes!!! Keep em coming.. here is today's reminder to vote for Rap Ditty Nova Scotia I think it is about the 4th one down.

Oh....and look who's coming to visit on Sunday!!!!!

It's all about the light....

This is St. Matthews's Church on Barrington Street. I was walking past on my way to meet some folk and the shadows caught my eye. So pretty, like lace. I was drawn inside.....

Oh and this guy is performing in the church on Sept 24th! So cool, a mix of Blues Jazz and Indian groove.

Across the street is the Old Burying Grounds. Opened in 1749, the same year Halifax was founded. Over 12,00 people are interred here but most don't have headstones. The earlier ones have been lost or there were none used. It is a quiet interesting place to poke about.

I finally made it here! A tweetup of #Halifaxchicks. It was fun to meet new people and see familiar faces:) The church is on the left and across the street is the cemetery.

Thanks SO MUCH for all of you who have voted for Rap Ditty! You can vote every day so I will be keeping this at the end of my posts:) Vote then, scroll down to submit it:)

I Love Nova Scotia!

Hooray!
My video, Rap Ditty Nova Scotia, is up and awaiting your vote:) I must first say that it is a bit primitive. Poor audio and picture quality and on my computer it bucks and jumps and the pics lag behind the sound:( I hope that's just on my computer because the finished video was absolutely fine in terms of pics and sound synching up. What it lacks in quality it makes up for in SPIRIT! Yay! Nova Scotia!

Maybe let the video load a bit before pressing start? Send the link to your friends and family, vote once a day! Help this gal win a big Nova Scotia party to which, of course, you will all be invited! Really! I have no idea how to get over 20,000 legitimate votes but I can just do the best I can. Any ideas? Any creative marketing folk out there? Also, let me know if it runs smoothly on your machine!
There is a cast of 58 in this wee video:) Thanks to all who participated:)
Here is the link!! Vote then to scroll down to lock in your vote:) Thanks!
Rap Ditty Nova Scotia

Pip, pip and all that.....

Now that I have your attention....:)
I've been away from this blog spending time with these English Gents and many others like them. The Halifax Buskers Festival is on at the moment and it has been a wonderful ten days of hot sunny weather and a lively waterfront.!
This is how they started off...

As the show progressed, great hilarity ensued



And extraordinary feats of strength and skill.


Stay tuned..... tomorrow I think my iLOVENova Scotia video goes live. I uploaded it today and the site said within 24 business hours it would be up:) It was torture to edit because my computer crashed after EVERY cut! But as primitive and unpolished as it is, it makes me smile each time I see it. Fun to do. I will link to it here of course! And will do it every day until the voting is over. Somehow, I have to get over 20,000 votes!!!!!!! Yikes. Can we do it? Yes we can:) We can certainly try:)

Tuesday

Mini Sunflower on eBay now!
4"x4" $25.00

So....I'm deep in the throes of my "fly by the seat of my pants", "get it done as fast as I can" "doesn't matter if it's not perfect".... two minute production! 2 minutes is a long time. I still have a lot of shots I need to get. It is fun though. I do feel disheartened by the two entries with 18,000+ votes! I see that NS Tourism site has now put up a barrier to prevent hack voting which I am sure has transpired. What would be grand is if on Aug. 31st, the counters are rolled back to 0 and everyone starts on an even playing field:) Fair is fair.

Foggy day today, sunshine rest of the week! Good day to get the inside things done...like getting rid of gigantic dust bunnies which have been growing for a while now.

I love N.S.

This is a very typical sight along the back roads and countryside of Nova Scotia. Charming old houses with banks of day lilies.
Speaking of Nova Scotia..... I am busy trying to shoot a video with my newly won FlipCam! Nova Scotia Tourism is running a contest in which you can win a $15,000 dream vacation. All you need is a 2 minute video describing why you love this place. The money can be used towards anything you want. I might like to rent a big lodge and have a party, flying in friends and family from around the globe:)
Because there weren't a lot of video entries, NS tourism ran another contest giving away 2 FlipVid cameras a day so you could have the equipment to get started. All one had to do was tweet about what they would do with the $. I did and I won one:)
Now I am rushing to shoot my wee video so I can get it up and get some votes:) There are two there with 18,000+ votes and the rest are about 200-4000, I am thinking thewre might be some hanky panky going on. Anyway......I will try my best and once it's up I'll let you know:)

results....5 min cake

Ok, I tried it and it was good! Not gourmet, but tasty and considering it just takes 3 minutes in the microwave one cannot complain. It puffed dangerously above the rim while cooking but collapsed upon removal. The chocolate chips sank to the bottom but when I tipped it out they made a sort of chocolately topping. (It uses no baking soda/powder for those who asked)Use a BIG mug:) Would be REALLY good warm with ice cream.