When I left the house this evening, I was greeted to one of the most delightful sights that I’ve seen this winter. My neighbours had taken the giant icicles hanging off our houses and had lined both sides of their walkway with them. I ran inside and grabbed my camera to record it (see right).Since…

I have always been drawn to images of empty chairs. Today while looking through the exquisite sketches of laurelines and coming upon this incredible orange chair among others, I began to reflect on why these images hold such appeal for me. In more contemplative moments, the chair ofttimes serves as a reminder of people who…

… thankfully the sun is shining. I took a picture yesterday of a corner of the back garden after a blizzard passed through the day before. You’d never know there is a pond in the lower right-hand corner of this picture. If you check out the gardening picture to the far left, you’ll see that…

Truth be told, my garden feels lost to me these days. It is buried under large piles of snow. Every time I look out the window, I realize how much I want to play in the dirt again. But this is not about my garden. It is about a story, The Lost Garden, by Helen…

While I have a certain fascination with Latin plant names, I find it equally intriguing to discover the origins of a plant’s common name(s). The plant in this picture is called a gas plant, Dictamnus Albus ‘purpureus’ since it can supposedly be lit on a calm and hot summer’s night. The plant is rumoured to…

I can’t even begin to imagine what life is like for a refugee child. What if I was forced to flee my home because of civil war or famine and then spend years of uncertainy living in a refugee tent camp? And yet, there are 9 million children worldwide who live in refugee camps never…

At this time of year, I love diving into Sara Midda’s books, especially In and Out of the Garden and South of France: A Sketchbook. They are perfect reading for these cold and snowy February days. Incredibly detailed, often small watercolours dot each page of the book – along with handwritten notes by the artist.…

Here I sit sorting through my silk ribbon collection; trying to decide on the flowers I’ll draw to embroider next. About six years ago; at one of life junctures, I grew to love silk ribbon embroidery as a way to pass through the winter months with my mind brimming with images of my summer garden.…

Sometimes I am awed by just how much musical talent exists in Saskatchewan. Last night, I attended a concert at The Exchange in Regina – Rogairi (pictured at right), a local Celtic group played along with Les cireux d’semelles, a traditional, energetic Fransaskois group. It was an incredible evening. While Les cireux performed, I realized…

Okay, so winter is getting to me. I want it to be over. If it worked, I’d stamp my feet most days and simply will the snow to be gone. But that isn’t about to happen today no matter what I do. It’s windy and snowy and rather than lament, I decided to pull out…