the old mantel clock

Martin was hoping the clock, from his parent's wedding in 1939, did not have a broken spring.  Does anyone know a good clock maker?

In Full Bloom

I bought a mature Christmas Cactus at our church's fall bazaar earlier this month, fully loaded with buds.  This week it has burst forth into glorious bloom!  I recall my Grandma Anderson's large Christmas Cactus on a plant stand in front of her dining room window fascinating me as a child.  Perhaps that's why I was drawn to this lovely specimen.

Fall Garden Cleanup

We have quite a different view in the back yard in late fall.  Once again we can see the church and the homes on Victoria St. All the lovely morning glories that covered the fence in summer, having died back, must be removed. I enjoy the quiet contemplative task an hour or so each afternoon.

The New Look

Here's a look at Martin's newly refurbished den.  Kathryn was the inspiration and help for getting this done.  So, at last, all the old carpet has been removed from the bedroom, dining room, living room, and den.  Each room has been painted.  I really like the way the woodwork looks.  We almost went with all white for the rooms, based on the notion that white makes small spaces appear larger.  But in the end, we went for the deeper tones of colour that appealed to us, and can't say that it shrunk our sense of space one iota.

Fall Activities

Kathryn came over for a few days to help us redo Martin's den.  She's an energetic worker and did a great job painting the ceiling, walls, and woodwork.  Then she tackled the removal of the old carpet and pad.  She saved us many hours of knee crunching, and shoulder pulling work.  It looks so nice.  Mart chose the colour.  Today, we all went on a stroll through Paxton Bush to take in the lovely fall leaves; they are falling fast.  The leaves are brilliant in colour, as you can see.  I pressed and mailed some leaves to the little girls in California, but the colour does fade a bit.

Dress Up Time for the Girls

Trying on the sun dresses made by Nanna Pennie.

The Grand Tour

Another great time together with family.  We all converged at Audrey's new summer digs at Leisure Lake for wine and dessert and lively conversation.  Her kind neighbour loaned us her golf cart so we could have a tour of this lovely area.  All nine of us couldn't fit on the cart, so this was the first group.  Peetra was driving, while Audrey narrated.  Joanne and I waved at all the friendly neighbours.  On the way home, eight of us stopped off at "The Car Barn" to enjoy their famous chicken dinners.