Halloween

Well ... how could I not post something Halloweeny today .. even if my "spirit's pilot light is so small you can hardly make it out .. BIG sigh !
I couldn't help but take some vintage movie posters and collage them up ? to maybe spark a memory or two for anyone out there that loves the old classics before blood and gore took over ?
Hollywood is so sleazy they have no idea leaving some of the details to movie goers is scarier than seeing some one's "innards" ? ripped out .. so they don't win any points with me at all .. just splash a gallon or two of red paint over some so called body parts and there you are .. bingo a modern hollywood horror movie ... jeez !

The classics   .. they were the BEST !

My favourite funny and scary (OK .. yes .. look at Raymond's Massey's face eh ? he was also Canadian !) .. two sweet old ladies thinking they were helping out the lonely people of the world and a few crazy ones as well .. now mix that up with Cary Grant (no .. I am not that old but he was handsom and had class .. and wasn't a vampire called Edmond ? sheesh ! go figure ?)
This is my kind of Halloween .. pajamas, a stash of candy, and this DVD .. ahhhhh!
Happy Halloween !!

Shadow Shot Time

My first thought for a "Shadow Shot" was "Thinking Gargoyle" .. poor guy never gets to be highlighted in any of my posts .. so this is a special one for him!

... and then I just couldn't resist "Winthrop" because he is sitting in the shadow world too : )

Then I thought .. so close to Halloween it has to have something "creepy" in this post, right ?
So my huge spider sitting on the dining room light is perfect !

... and then I thought (yes .. more brain cells are being zapped this morning) .. how can you have a spider without a fly ? remenisant of all the old "The Fly" movies that were so corny !

Finally my signiture header picture to top it all off  .. that was from last year .. this year seems a little less Halloweeny for me .. drats ! The Great Pumpkin will not be happy with me : (
So .. for more unusual shadow shots make sure you fly on your broomstick and visit Tracy with Hey Harriet showing off all the other worldly ? shadow shooters and a Happy Halloween for you all !
PS .. I tried out an OLD script to stamp my name but I wonder if you can make it out it is so fancy: )

Friday's MAGICAL Beam of Light !

This was my magical beam of light SINGING to me this very morning!
 I was NOT singing, repeat NOT singing .. ergo sanity levels maintained in household and neighbourhood ? ...
I have to confess I was crunching down on my morning toast and coffee, after sleeping in till 7 this morning, which is a miracle because I usually get up at 5 due to continuous headbutting at my bedroom door by of Emma (she should be in kitty head butting contests) Sophie cheers her on .. her vested interest is BREAKFAST !
But I digress .. I had my back to the deck door .. Number One Son was at the door when he said "Quick mom get your camera !!" to which I shape shifted into a race horse .. no snickering people! and ran to the dining table to grab said camera .. thus series of pictures here that I think convey a tiny bit of
"Holy Moses!!!" .. but that is just me folks .. the after shots of the "sky fight" between clouds and clear sky, was interesting too .." I deem this beam" a lucky one and I will be buying a lottery ticket today!!

More bulbs? are you crazy? and where do I put them ??

How beautiful can it get with this gorgeous multi petal tulip in shades of pink ?
So there was no way I could resist it .. right ? Ah "Angelique Tulip" !

Then I was suckered in to the colour of this month for me .. ORANGE ! and in this beautiful shape ? No way is there running away from this tulip either !  Ballerina Lily Tulip
This white one is called "Tres Chic" .. gorgeous eh ?  and "Pretty Woman" in the red .. go figure ?

OK .. these last two  .. I was feeling rather .. hum  .. patriotic ? about some red and white tulips just for Canada .. my home and native land .. can you hear my attempt to sing ? good thing you can't .. even the reaction from my cats (running as far away from me as possible .. possibly scratching the kitchen floor with an array of sparks while doing so ?) should emphasize the "no singing rule for Joy" in this house.
In any case .. now I have to find the perfect spots to plant them in .. this is going to be one heck of a mission .. possibley losing quite a few brain cells while applying the problem solving machine ;-)
So .. after swearing to husband about how well I resisted buying more bulbs .. and on line ? .. DUH ??

Los Dias de los Muertos .. Day of the Dead in a good way !

I wanted to post about this special spooky yet wonderful holiday in Mexico.
It has fascinated me for some time so it just had to be blogged about finally .. before I forgot ! I want to say thank you to who ever these artists are that I made this collage from .. beautiful colourful art that is simply amazing along with this holiday : )

Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de los Muertos) is a Mexican holiday. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it attains the quality of a National Holiday. The celebration takes place on November 1st and 2nd, in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2). Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts.
Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl. In Brazil, Dia de Finados is a public holiday that many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and, at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their dead loved ones. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe, and similarly themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.

October's garden wee gifts to me ?

This was an amazing pale purple ? violet ? morning a few days ago ..

There was a thick long fog/cloud bank at the bottom, blocking the sun for a while ..

When the sun did come out it was almost too bright for us "mole people" after so much cloud and rain.

I spotted Morden Sunrise by pure luck  .. it was hiding on the other side of the garden ! naughty rose !

Little rain drops refused to fall or evaporate just yet !

I saw a hit of colour with one of my first spireas .. I played with the "fuzzy factor" to highlight the colour : ) so you aren't out of focus .. it is me ! wink wink

Another surprise colour was my pineapple sage .. it finally bloomed even after all of the ugly weather that ambushed it .. that hit of red really draws you eyes in .. then the subtle orange of the miscanthis "Purple Flame" grass .. is ready to be admired as well.

Speaking of "purple"

Then that glistening white ...

I am totally in love with flowering kale now .. I will have to have it every year !

Then my other Morden Sunrise demanded attention !

Now how much more can you ask of a rose near the very end of October ?

A Tiny Taste of Halloween

I'm sorry I don't know the artists to these great Halloween works but I want to thank who ever they are for making me *SMILE* big time   "Thank You All" !
I also want to wish my sister Leah a VERY happy birthday .. where ever you are sis'    : )

Shadow Shot Time

This is a very simple scenario .. you don't have to scrutinize the picture for possible multiple shadows (which can be fun in it's own right) .. My little "Pot Pixie" holds a spade in her hands ready to go to work for me .. that is what I love about pot pixies .. they never think any job is too big for them ?
I love that her green wings show up as green in the shadow as well .. I couldn't ask for more !
Now .. Tracy over at Hey Harriet has many many shadow shooters across the world showing their shadows off for us to see .. so skeddadle over and have a peek ! there might possibly be more pixies there ? wink wink

My Sky Watch Day

This is the original picture of my morning sky some weeks ago .. a mix of colour and shadows .. nothing spectacular .. but when you begin to play with it ?

In "black & white" mode it signals a different feeling when you look at it ? perhaps it is a bit cold and threatening ? you feel there may be a storm brewing ?

Then when it is converted to "warmfly" it has a completely different atmosphere about it .. almost warm and fuzzy ? .. not ominous, as the first one felt.
We can look at the same physical scene but if the colours are played with it truly does change our attitude about it doesn't it ?

I couldn't help but add this cloud with so much of it showing off it's different "structures"
Soft and flowing .. to almost brush strokes .. to feathering .. something we simply take for granted .. looking at it for a few moments but not picking up how truly complex it is.
Such as it is with nature .. appearances can be so deceiving and provoke such an array of emotions : )

That hit of colour we need ........

I am going to cheat here and flash some colours from last year .. I think I am "colour deprived" with an almost "no show" due to whipping wind and rain this October .. BIG sigh !

Even my ivy isn't quite as pretty as last year .. it had so many variations to it's coat of colour.

I always love having a vivid blue sky above the trees to really create a contrast : )

Then there is a mirror of water which shows it off in double form .. so pretty !

This one with the wind swept trees on an almost mini me island reminds me of Tom Thomson 
Such an amazing Canadian artist with a mysterious death while canoeing on Canoe Lake in Algonquin Park. He wasn't quite within the "Group of Seven" .. another artist I enjoy is Emily Carr ..
Well .. this is a cheat post from last year .. I just needed that hit of colour and there you go !
I haven't even decorated for Halloween yet .. now that is an EEEEEKKKKKKK !!

                                                    Tom Thomson Paintings of Autumn

Colour in Movement

When I took this series of pictures I really didn't think they would turn out .
The wind has been wicked .. and for this window of time the rain stopped and the sun came out .. just long enough to make my dear Sumac's leaves "shine" a little bit.

So much of the beautifully coloured foliage has been stripped from the trees in my area .. we have had such crappy weather with wind and rain .. I wait all year for the "show" and it decided it wasn't coming to town ?

Now for a visitor that looks a little disgruntled ? .. His opinion of the day and windy events was left on the railing .. bad boy/girl !!

I may have to resort to posting last years leaves at this rate ... BIG sigh !!