A Gala Post!

Arts and Awards! The two go together like wine and cheese so consider this an exclusive invitation to my “Gala” (almost "Giller!") post.

First, have some complimentary champagne and let us look at the art

I recently purchased this little painting from UK artist and illustrator, Karen Davis, who has a most magical blog, Moonlight and Hares. I have always admired her creations so when she posted this little ACEO painting (2.5” x 3.5”) my heart leapt! Fortunately for me, she put the original up for sale and soon it was on its way across the Atlantic Ocean from Wiltshire, England, to Alberta, Canada.

When the package arrived I was off to the framers. Diana, at The Right Angle, understood my vision for the painting and quickly undertook the task of putting the pieces together.

I think she did a fantastic job.

On Sunday, Hubby hung it in the front hall for me as the wee toddler napped.

I love it and stare at it! To see more great art and items of beauty, head over to Karen’s blog and say “hello!”

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Now, ahem, on to the award[Z] portion of the evening!! :-)

I have been honoured with the Best Blog Award by both Anna of Green Tapestry and Rebecca of In the Garden.

Rebecca also, very generously, offered me the Honest Scrap Award. As did Deborah of Green Theatre a short while ago. If this was an Oscar moment, this blog would be the sleeper movie that all of sudden got nominations! I am really thrilled to know that people whose blogs I admire are looking my way as well. It is an honour!

I really wasn't sure I would be able to properly acknowledge these awards so I was hesitate to accept. However, I am really quite moved to have these truly great bloggers take notice of my blog, so I want to say "Thank you!!" and accept them here in my own way.

First, let me say something about the award - givers, whom I admire tremendously:

Anna at Green Tapestry – another incredibly talented UK-er! (Coincidence? I think not!)
She has a great talent in her garden and her allotment. She also heads out in her caravan and finds the most beautiful hidden gardens to share with the rest of us. I truly enjoy seeing the gardening world through Anna’s eyes – and her great photography. She can also write an enticing tale and if you check out her letters on Teza’s Garden, I guarantee you will learn something new about gardening.

Rebecca of In the Garden has a terrific creative sense in her garden - and writes beautifully to boot! She also has great taste in plants! Check out her post on the “blues” in her garden. Rebecca shares the same zone as me and inspires me to try new things. I am so glad I found this blog.

Deborah of Green Theatre has an amazingly elegant approach to gardening. Everything looks like it was meant to be. She also has the spookiest Halloween house ever! Deborah's design sensibility and gusto for creative projects always inspires me.

Since I am quite new to blogging I still move in small circles and many of the blogs I enjoy have received these awards once or more already. Therefore, I would like to call your attention to three blogs that I greatly admire that you may not all be aware of. They are:

Northern Shade Gardening
This is a knowledgeable and daring Zone 3 gardener with a wonderful eye to developing a woodland shaded garden. If you want to learn the “good stuff” about gardening – go there – her archives are a treasure trove!

The Informal Gardener
Miss M is in the Laurentian mountains of Quebec, Canada. She has a great sense of the beauty of the natural environment and can also teach you a thing or two about growing vegetables using sustainable methods. Her photographs are lovely and make you want to eat your veggies!

Sweetbay
Sweetbay gardens on a large property in North Carolina, US. Now, to say this property is stunning is an understatement. Her garden, dotted with gorgeous pine trees, is a haven for pollinators and other creatures, including her sweet horses and cats. Her photography is amazing and, particularly, her photos of her roses are to die for. She also has an amazing variety of plants that elbow each other to outperform just for her. You could spend hours on this site!

I encourage you to stop by for a visit at any of these blogs for some inspiration. I won’t ask these gardeners to carry on the award as I think they tend to explore the same fabulous blogs I do and have very likely already been awarded in recognition of their great blogs. However, please do check them out and poke around their archives a bit if you are looking for some enchantment on a November evening.

The Honest Scrap award asks that I share ten honest things about myself. Be prepared to be agog (hee hee;))


1. My taste in music is changing. I am falling for opera. Who knew?
2. When I was pregnant I loved anything that tasted of spinach, oranges or salmon. Still like them better now than I did before baby.
3. My hubby can raise one eyebrow, like James Bond. I know this is more about him than me, but I love this “party trick”. We have a picture of him in a tuxedo on our wedding day with his eyebrow raised and his arms crossed. *Sigh* Does this make me a Bond girl??
4. My ancestors on my Mom’s side are Loyalists.
5. One year at university I ended up taking Children’s Lit and Advertising during the same term. I kept finding great parallels in that they both drew from the well of the familiar-to-us-all characters to tell their story.
6. Having lived in port cities, one of my favourite sounds is the sound of church bells muffled through the fog on a Sunday morning as I sip my tea.
7. The very first story I read my son after he was born was “Wind in the Willows” – a little each day as I cuddled him. (The copy I read from belonged to Hubby when he was little)
8. I, ahem, have been known to make sound effects when I drive.
9. I love trees – in nature, in paintings, photographs, sculpture and even silver engraving.
10. I will conclude with a super-secret tip: My Dad tells me that you always look for gold tangled in an upturned tree’s roots. I can’t help myself and always take a second peek when I come across one in the woods. Let me know if you find any!

I would also really like to say “thank you” to all the visitors to this blog. In the eight months I have been blogging, you have all been so encouraging and so inspirational. I’m learning so much from each of you and truly admire all your creative talents. A toast to all of you!