Getting my groove back..

My goodness it was gorgeous out there this morning!Took this snap with my iPhone a few hours ago.
 I started running last July ( love it and hate it haha) and did really well up until November when it started to get cold and dark in the early mornings. I went to the gym sporadically over the winter and started running/walking outside a month or so ago. What a difficult time I've had getting into the routine of it.
Last year I was up at the crack of dawn and off I'd go. It was such an uplifting and inspiring way to start the day. By 7:30am I'd have my exercise over for the day and would be wide awake and ready to tackle anything!  For some reason, those really early mornings are eluding me at the moment BUT I managed to get out at 6:18am today and am so GLAD I did. The air is cool, the light is soft, the dawn chorus is winding down, hardly a soul about. I think as the days get hotter, the early mornings will happen naturally again. Here's hoping!

Don't want to lose me? Read more...

Nothing like a rainy June to make the colours pop. I don't mind the rain, I really don't. I am a minority I know. We will have sunshine soon enough and lots of it as the summer progresses. For now, the wells are getting topped up and the gardens a good start and it looks so pretty. I woke up at around 3am and the sound of the rain pouring outside combined with the darkness and my cozy bed made for bliss.

 So.......the reason for this post..... If you follow/read my blog with Google reader or have liked it using Google friend connect..as of July 1st that service will be shut down. So.....I have found Bloglovin, a great way to follow all the blogs you love. You set up a free account and then you can add all the blogs you love and can read them all in one spot. To import all the blogs you already follow/like on Google Friends Connect / Reader go to this page and import them to Bloglovin:). So easy. Also a plus with this site is you can comment on blogs directly without leaving the reader. Yay.

Things that are round....

How cool is this? It's the Hansen Writing Ball. The first commercial typewriter ever made. Invented in 1865 by the reverend and principal of the Royal Institute for the deaf-mutes in Copenhagen, Rasmus Malling- Hansen. I love the look of it. Apparently Freidrich Nietzsche used one:)

And...while we are in the realm of balls...check THIS out! Beetle Sphere by Ichwan Noor at the Art Basel Hong Kong fair in Hong Kong.

Last but not least in my mini gallery of round things....A hair perming device from Germany. 1929. Waves supposed to last a year!

 

Ok, ok, this isn't round but it was so pretty I had to share it with you! A toaster from the 1920s.

Wild Leek, Vegan Restaurant

A friend of mine, Kirsten Taggart, has just started living a dream of hers! She has opened a cozy Vegan restaurant and Juice Bar in Halifax called Wild Leek. A trained chef, Kirsten has had a love affair with wholesome food for years. Her blog, Kirsten's Kitchen is full of yummy recipes that showcase her special connection with good food.

Located at 2156 Windsor St. on the corner of Lawrence, Wild Leek  is sandwiched between a small variety store and a used book shop. You can't miss it. Painted bright green with two flower baskets and a lovely mural on the side of the building.

It is a tiny spot with just six tables I think, I can't exactly remember the number but it is bright and cheerful and has free wifi!

Dominating the high ceilings is an amazing light fixture, I love it!

The menu is simple with only a few basics available on a consistant basis and the rest is dependant on Kirsten's mood and what fresh produce is available and eventually, special requests:)

The day I was there I had the special which was a Shepherd's Pie,  (lentil base and mashed potato topping) slathered with gravy,and a yummy salad.

My mum who was my dining companion had the broccoli and caramalized onion quiche which I have to say was DELICIOUS! Hard to make it look pretty but you get the gist:)

Wild Leek also makes their own seitan and there are a few things on the menu that utilise it including their own version of Bahn Mi which is a Vietnamese sandwich.

I have to say everything I ate was yummy.Lots of dessert to choose from also. These were to die for, chocolate, pecan, peanut butter thingies...

Mum had a coconut cupcke:)

I know there are a lot of food pics here but hey....it's a restaurant. This was moist and dense and aawesome!

I haven't even touched on the juice bar side of things. Lots of choices there. One which caught my eye was "strawberry fields" Strawberry,banana,coconut and vanilla,mmm
They are open Tuesday to Saturday opening at 8am and closing at 4pm except  Friday 7pm. Friday at suppertime  Kirsten will be doing a dinner service with a lovely plated special meal. Saturday they serve Brunch!

 Pop by and say hi to Kirsten and her sidekick Andie:) Tell em I sent you!

May Monday

Spring! So beeeeutiiiifulll!!

I iust went for a short run. I seem to have gotten out of that habit....so easy isn't it to let the exercise slide:) Will try to do a bit of p90X later today. I started it and then went to NYC and now have to start all over again. Felt so sore the first week, not looking forward to that, but looking forward to results. Haha we shall see.
New York was a fast busy and very educational trip. I'm full of ideas and plans and inspiration:) The Surtex Show was almost overwhelming but I am so glad I went. I will try to sum up some of what I learned about art licensing in a post to come.

So today I've got a ton of painting to do and paperwork to do and supplies to buy and printing and people to contact and, and, and, ....Hello Monday! What's your day looking like?

New York New York!

Took this wee plane on Friday and then in two hours, found myself here! This is the view from my hotel....See the Empire State Building on the left?

I'm here for the Surtex show to learn about licensing art. Very excited:) 

Buy One Get One

Woo Hoo, BUY ONE GET ONE FREE sale!! Until Wednesday May 15 midnight only. Let me know the second print you want, in "notes to seller" at the checkout! Please feel free to share this:) Click on this link to get to my shop.

Commander Hadfield to Ground Control

Spring ice off Newfoundland, captured by Commander Chris Hadfield from the International Space Station. He has also captured the hearts of thousands during his current stint aboard the ISS  with his gorgeous photos, tweets, and facebook updates. Hadfield has given us a small glimpse of what life is like thousands of miles above the earth. Sharing random tidbits such as, yes, onions do make you cry in space too although tears float away instead of falling:) He is clever, funny, insightful and humble.

Chris and the two other astronaughts end their tour of duty tonight when their Soyuz spacecraft is set to land on the wide steppes of Kazakhstan at 10:31 p.m. ET. In Canada you can watch live coverage on CBC television starting at 3:50ET

 You HAVE to watch this link, recorded in the Space Station, it is Commander Hadfield singing a revised version of David Bowie's Space Oddity. Hauntingly beautiful !!

Happy Mother's Day....

Here in North America we are celebrating mothers today. Breakfast in bed, flowers, cards, gestures of affection and gratitude. I'm spending my day at the Halifax Seaport Market today. My usual weekend stint. I'm giving a shout out to all who nurture, moms or not!

“Why can’t you see I’m a cat,” said the cat,
“And that’s all I ever will be?
Why are you shocked when I roam out at night?
Why are you sad when I meow and I fight?
Why are you sick when I eat up a rat?
I’m a cat.”
“Why can’t you see I’m a kid,” said the kid.
“Why try to make me like you?
Why are you hurt when I don’t want to cuddle?
Why do you sigh when I splash through a puddle?
Why do you scream when I do what I did?
I’m a kid.”
“Why can’t you see I’m a mom,” said the mom.
“Why try to make me wise?
Why try to teach me the ways of the cat?
Why try to tell me that ‘kids are like that’?
Why try to make me be patient and calm?
I’m a mom.”

- Shel Silverstein

which way

I love reflections. The arrows make it interesting to me. Corner of Prince and Granville in Halifax.