You live in a lovely place

nice photo

thanks kindly, yes, Ontario is a lovely province, I must say, when I first came here? It was as if I had found my childhood island of Java in Indonesia AND the south-eastern part of the Netherlands and the lower regions of the Belgium Ardennes Mountain range with me!

It's beautiful Powderbrush, do you fish or have a boat? Maybe you skate on it, so much to ask like what's the weather like, what do you grow?

ah, I don't fish anymore. Am too energetic for this sort of thing. I have to be on the move, like long hikes and preferably on my own, with my old dog or together with my hub. I never learned to skate unfortunately. I am from the former Dutch East Indies, now Indonesia. Grew up in the Nls and always hated the winter with a passion. Was actually never warm, until I came to live in Canada, due to the fact, that the houses are better insulated and there is central heating, which doesn't cost an arm and a leg to heat. My children though, both, learned to skate and play hockey. I am more of a horsey person. Love horses, dogs, cats, hiking, Playing badminton and swim a little.
In the summer months, we drive up to our cabin in the woods, (we own 14 acres in the wilderness of eastern Ontario and have a cabin there) During the days, we spend our time at lakesides and my hubs does snorkeling. I swim a bit and read my English and Scottish women magazine. I subscribe to Woman's Weekly and The People's Friend. Then I am (according to my hub, a romantic. I feel that I just like a whole lot of pretty things from the old days. First it was Victorian, hence my victorian garden table and love for rattan garden furniture, herbs and miniature herbal plants.) I used to do a lot of embroidery and worked with silk ribbon embroidery and with beads. I have in my life always made my own clothes and do also interior decorating. hihi, am VERY lucky to have a handy man for a hub. He's learned a thing or two from me. I learned a lot from having worked in one of Europes oldest wallpaper factories, who did interior decorating and construction work for wealthy people in the Netherlands. And due to little finances, when I became a single mother, learned all sorts of things in Canada.

Bought up old and secondhand furniture, stripped and refinished it and then resold them. Or taught myself to do re-upholstering. I just used self help books and talked with professional carpenters, decorators etc etc. And most of the time, I just didn't know how things would work out. But I have never had a boo-boo yet. Then one day, I saw all these beautiful antique or old jewelry at antique markets and stores and began to purchase them, take them apart and made new ones. Some of which I also sold.

I took lessons to make porcelain bisque dolls and through research found out how the old dolls clothes were made. Actually they often turned out to be miniature adults clothes, fashions from the late 1800 and early 1900s.

I always felt ignorant and very stupid, so I did all of these things to see, if I could do it too. All the things I saw others make and be successful at.

At one point, I made jewelry boxes, from cardboard and covered them with soft materials and batting. On the top I made silk flower arrangements, played around with silk ribbon flowers and beading and sold many of them, to my own amazement, most of these were always purchased by artisans themselves.

I have done decoupage on the walls in our bedroom and allthough I didn't think I knew how things were done and what they would turn out to be, things generally were ok. I am lucky that my hub usually understands what I am trying to do. Although sometimes, he scratches his head and then it is up to me.

The ONLY thing am sooooo frustrated about is the fact that I can't draw worth a hoot nor can I paint. Like painting flowers or a landscape or a portrait. I can't do that. But I can and do know how to use a saw, and hammer and plain! hahaha, I know how to mix paint colours or dyecolours. I know how to do some special painting methods to finish walls and wooden furniture pieces. To my amazement many things I have made in the past, or just done? People have liked and bought from me too. I didn't think that they were all that good. And I believe, those that bought those pieces from me, just liked what I did, but don't really understand what good quality work, especially artistic quality work is. But everybody was/is happy. That is important? don't you think?

So this is a little bit about what my interests are and what I do and try.
Our cabin and land is about 5 hours drive east from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in south Central Ontario. I can't row a boat, and although I have done canoeing? I am not good at it, as I have fear of drowning. But dump me on a rock in a lake and one can leave me there all by my little old self all day, and I am happy. I love to visit other people's homes and gardens, as I always learn so much from others and get good ideas.

Vacations to foreign parts of this world are only any good to me, If I am allowed to just walk about by myself and get to know people that live there and are willing to teach and share with me, all that they do in their homes and gardens.

Once while vacationing in Coventry, I learned to do brass rubbings and I still have it and I look at it often and am amazed that I did it and that it looks soo pretty and lovely.

I have a teatowel, which I bought for 50p in 1979 in London and I had it framed here. Tis a teatowel with the picture of Queen Elizabeth the I and people often think that I have embroidered it, but tis just a teatowel. The frame cost me an arm and a leg. But the whole thing together looks lovely. I also collect bone china plates, dishes and cups and saucers.

Blimey Powderbrush, I don't know where to begin, I'll bet you don't get much time to watch TV. We here in the UK could do with you as a role model. Far too many of us have been 'feather bedded' for far too long, (Ask not what you can do for your Country but what your Country can do for you) which because it's the wrong way around, has much to do with the mess we're in just now. I laughed about the bit where your 'Hubby scratched his head' I envy you all that space and silence. I also like sitting in silence out in the Countryside but here there's always an aeroplane to ruin it. Like you I save almost anything bits of wood/metal and I like to make things. My main hobby now is gardening but I like to cruise up the local river, I'll post a pic of the boat if you like. It's nearly 100 years old now. much older than me lol.

have to take hub to work now and then am off to some kind of Italian fishmarket, to make a fish stew for tonite. have never made a fish stew. Saw it on tv, last saterday evening with hub. This chap is English and went to Cornwall and Devon, on the boats which do special kinds of preserving fishing. (You get my drift eh? preserving fishing?) So am going to try my hand at it, now that the whole process is still fresh in my head and we'll see how it tastes! haha, can't go fishing, toooo cold, BUT can buy some and still enjoy this dish! Made in England, eaten in Canada!

And YES. YES! LOVE to see your old boat!! I L O V E boats that sail along rivers! Will talk about them, as they have them in Nls!