A little of this and a little of that...

I still think it's going to be an early winter. All of you may pooh pooh it but... Sorry!! I've been listening to the geese squawk early in the morning. And here's the proof.

On a happier note:Doesn't this look like a field of cotton?
I love taking photos of Orr Lake. Someday I'd like to turn them all into a coffeetable book as a present for Ken.

My castle workshop...
is coming up faster than I can get ready. I should have some WIPs finished soon to show you. Here's a little teaser...

I

New eBay Listing...

I have the guide book listed on eBay for $21.99.

Medieval Chairs

From what I've read, life in the Middle Ages meant a transient lifestyle due in part to volatile conditions and in the case of the nobility, to widely scattered land holdings that needed supervision. Rather than have enough furniture for each residence, much of the lighter furnishings was transported on these moves. Heavier items such as beds or tables were left behind but chairs which symbolized the importance of a person, were often taken.

The Glastonbury chair was known to exist since the early Middle Ages and is thought to be based on a chair made for Richard Whiting, the last Abbot of Glastonbury, England. Although often referred to as a "folding" chair, these chairs didn't actually fold, they dismantled.

The other type of chair was known as a Savonarola or X chair, so named for their crossed legs. They apparently originated in Egypt and were used throughout the Roman Empire. By the Middle Ages when chairs were used by kings and high ranking church officials, the X structure became a symbol of authority.
The Savonarola chair, named for a 15th century Dominican cleric, is distinctive for the elaborate curve of the X. Due to their solid wood construction, these chairs were not only sturdy but comfortable.
Funny enough Henry Tudor did furniture makers a disservice in dissolving the monasteries. It was monastic groups as well as the guilds who were instrumental not only in maintaining high standards of workmanship but also influencing the form and ornamentation of the furniture. Spires of Gothic cathedrals were the model for furniture finials, while circular tracery was made to resemble the rose windows of architecture. With the decline of high religious devotion in England, 15th century architecture grew simpler. At the same time in France it grew more complex.

Before delving into my medieval research, I'd never heard of either of them. These photos show the first prototypes made from plans that I found for the originals. They'll still require some changes, on the whole I'm quite happy with them. They're certainly better than most that I've seen on the market.

The Glastonbury chair on the far right also represents my first attempts at wood carving. The first chair back that I carved was meant to show a lion but when I had finished with it, it looked more like a pigs head on a lions body. I'm slowly learning that less means more, on areas one inch square or less.

OMG... addendum!

I've noticed that maple trees are the earliest tree to change color ...usually doing so in mid to late August but I was really surprised when I found all those "colorful" leaves in the lawn.
Normally trees drop their leaves as a way of keeping moisture in and keep from drying out but that certainly can't be the reason this year. We've had enough rain with lots of hot days in between. The amount of rain in a growing season also affects the leaf color intensity, and severe droughts can delay the arrival of the fall color show for weeks.
The leaves that I found were probably from a sugar maple since they're typically orange-red. Black maples produce glowing yellow leaves, while red msaple become brilliant scarlet.
I'm already noticing cool nights so I guess this was my first indication of autumn arriving. Those leaves still came as a shock!
My hydrangea is in full flower & has been for a while.
I hope it puts on this kind of display when it gets bigger. And as for my runner beans, I have lots of flowers but not much in the way of beans.
Because Canada has such a wide range of climates, ranging from sub tropical to arctic, our most discussed topic of conversation tends to be the weather.
...and I am definitely not ready to pull out my mittens yet!

OMG...

...do you see what I found!
The maples are dropping their leaves already.

Santa's Summer Cottage

We have family visiting for the entire last half of July. Between Ken's kids and mine and all their kids, it's family time at it's best! Having grown up an only child with not even any cousins around, I love making up for it with our extended family.
A while ago, Pikko and I had a discussion about Santa & where he lives in the winter. Yesterday we decided to visit with Santa at his summer cottage, located very definitely in Bracebridge Canada at the 45th parallel or halfway between the north pole and the equator. Apparently it runs right through the middle of this tree. We were made to feel extremely welcome
Here half of our gang, introduced themselves to Smokey the Bearwho has long kept a watchful eye out for forest fires in Canada. ...but then there's always one guy in the group who feels the need to get overly friendly.
Even here, thanks to our new "and expanded" value added tax, money must be tight; Mrs Claus apparently felt the need to open her own business, a bake shop. I presume that profits are used to buy toy making supplies for the elves. At the same time, she still finds time for a bit of color coordinated flower gardening ...as long as you don't look too closely at the fence. You don't supposed that Santa came home one night having over imbibed a little!
The property is quite large so we took the train to explore a portion of it. Everywhere elves were busy at work ...some even looked strangely familiarThe reindeer appeared quite well fed which is just as well since some of Santa's horses seemed rather wooden from turning too many circles Little Izzy must have sensed this; she hung on white knuckled the entire time but gamely decided to stay for several extended rides before switching to the swan boats and even taking a test flight on one of the available planes. Everything definitely met with her approval!
In the meantime, I tried out one of the latest couturier hat designs but decided that antlers just weren't meFinally we got to the reason for our visit; Mrs Claus welcomed all of us into her home, finding the time for individual chats.

And then we met THE MAN!

who graciously agreed to pose for group portraits.
Before we left, I had a private word with him regarding what I considered an oversight on his part. After mentioning that I considered myself most definitely on the "nice" list, I boldly asked why I hadn't gotten the one gift I'd craved for the past number of years. Surely it wouldn't have taken up much room in the sleigh! All Santa would have had to do is make up my million dollars in large denominations.
Before leaving, some of us older kids managed to stake out the first and then the last seats on the roller coaster, where during one particular curve, I suddenly remembered why I haven't been on a ride for so long.
Not sure who had more fun: the 4 kids or I and at least I wasn't the only one who fell asleep on the drive home.

Summer Travel Swap

I'm really late posting about this swap. I had another swap to finish & send off for the AllThingsMini that for the life of me wouldn't work out as I had planned. Not only was I on time restrictions ...once again!! but I kept changing my mind on what to make.

For the summer travel swap, my partner was Maria who showed me her beautiful city of Rotterdam. She had me arriving by train and then immediately put me on a bike
which must be one of the best ways to see a city. I've only been to a few European cities (in real life). Their old world charm never fails to fascinate me.
Maria instinctively knew all the things that interest me. We went to an open air market... for a bit of shopping before continuing on to a dollhouse museum...an al fresco meal and then a last look of Rotterdam at night.

Here's what Maria sent me home with as a reminder of my visit with her:
Maria, thank you so much! Hope to see you at Caterina's winter swap.