Sunday Snap: Bath-time Bliss
“I think a lot of contemplation happens in bathtubs. It does for me. Nothing like a hot bath to ease the tension and think about what’s going to happen next.” ~ Sarah McLachlan
Photo: Perry’s Point, May 2, 2016
Maisie and Vivian,
our welcoming committee.
“Time spent with cats is never wasted.” ~ Sigmund Freud
I love cats because I enjoy my home;
and little by little, they become its visible soul.
~ Jean Cocteau
“Books. Cats. Life is good.” ~ T.S. Eliot
Do you have any furry friends who greet you at the door?
Sharing a post today from three years ago. It’s a travel-themed favourite. 🙂
Have you ever been impressed by the beauty of a door? The world is filled with doorways* and entrances, but here are several that left me either pleased by their quaintness, awed by their workmanship, or entranced by their immensity and grandeur. All before ever setting one foot inside.
For starters, a charming little one from the Barbour Heritage Village in my town:
This entrance in Bonavista with its crisp contrasting colours and symmetry:
In Montreal, the beauty and craftsmanship of this splendid doorway:Â 
…and how about the opulence of this entrance in Cannes? No, we didn’t stay there… 😉
We stayed here, our inviting little home away from home:
The view through our balcony doors was also appealing, beckoning us outside.
Hard to top the view of Lake Maggiore from our patio doors in Stresa:
Here’s a closer look of the northern Italian lake:
In Paris, the entrance…
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Sunday Snap: Glitter
 “All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”
~ J.R.R. Tolkien
One of my favourite winter snaps. First published here on February 25, 2012.
Turn that frown upside down, little fellow.
Seals have been paying us frequent visits around the Point this winter.
I’ve shared snaps of a recent visitor on Instagram this week, as well as a little whitecoat on an earlier Sunday Snap, but today’s pic is a favourite from the post Calm in 2016.
I’ve lost count of how many times this particular photo has been pinned on Pinterest.
Wishing you all a pleasant week, my friends!
Last Friday, I had the honour to serve as one of three judges in our local high school’s speak-out competition.
Held and sponsored by Badger’s Quay Lions Club, this year’s event boasted nineteen students competing from Pearson Academy, the highest number of participants in all of Atlantic Canada. Good on you, teen citizens!
Purpose of a Speak-Out:
• To provide youth with the opportunity to practice and build skills through public speaking
• To encourage youth to have a public voice in issues of concern to them
And the winners are:
Bridgette, 3rd place. Topic: The dangers of drunk driving.
Leah, 2nd place. Topic: Being “Seventeen” in today’s world.
Megan, 1st place. Topic: How cancer in a family affects the children. As the winner, Megan will go on to compete at the regional level next month.
What stood out about the winners: plenty of eye contact, how well they articulated their thoughts, and how animated and relaxed they were with the audience.
I thought all the students did very well with the preparation of their chosen material. As per speak-out regulations, however, several excellent speeches received penalties for exceeding time limits.
I enjoyed this event immensely and would love to be invited back again, and I’m super-encouraged by the high level of participation and interest in public speaking demonstrated by our local youth.
Has your child ever competed in a public speaking event?
Share your experiences with me below.
I love the horizon I captured in this photo for two reasons: its misty summer haze and the slight curvature that it exhibits.
This picturesque little fishing village is my mother’s hometown. My father’s maternal roots are here as well, so many of my relatives are from Grates Cove. Some live there, while others have summer homes.
A National Historic site recognized for its acres of rock walls, it has also been reported that Grates Cove has the highest number (per capita) of mainlanders buying houses to live, in all of Newfoundland.
To learn more and see photos of the rock walls, visit my blog post from 2013: Grates Cove
To see more photos from around the province, visit my dedicated page: Newfoundland and Labrador
Daily Prompt: Horizon
Do you have relatives living in tiny villages?
It’s a cold and snowy day here at home, but the following warms me down to my toes.
I’m thrilled to see another powerful 5-star review on Amazon for Calmer Secrets!
Take a look:
“Calmer Secrets is a fascinating and mature, well-written second look into the lives of the Cross girls which takes place some four or five years after the events of the first book. The time gap and the substantial content in each novel support Jennifer Perry’s decision to split this story into two books.
Samantha is all grown up, Ben is gone, and against her self-centred, irritating sister’s advice she tumbles into a relationship with old friend Kalen – who has turned into a hot rocker. Their mother continues to wrestle with her issues, and the charming Henry, Veronica’s four-year old boy, is Samantha’s darling. The scene is set for a gritty, realistically told and engrossing unravelling of events, and old secrets, which will change everyone’s lives.
The gripping story kept me helplessly reading on, late into the night. Hints are dropped, with a thud, or a tickle of the mind, and I yelled at Samantha not to be such a fool, at Ronnie for her attitude, at Kalen, at Ben, at Darlene, at Cash… the only one I didn’t yell at was little Henry.
*Much* is explained as the final secrets are revealed and the ends of the story are resolved, and one begins to understand the complexity and depth of these beautifully crafted characters.
This is an excellent novel of family, love, and the damage that secrets can do. Highly recommended, but you have to read the first book first. Together, they make an epic story of ordinary life.”
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1D4NN653C42PN
*Comments are closed because I’m feverishly writing this week and trying to minimize distractions. See you on Sunday!
With all the snowstorms, cold snaps and bleak weather many are experiencing lately in North America, I changed my mind about the January scene I was going to share.
Instead, I thought a hit of warm and vibrant colour was in order. These tiger lilies in my daughter’s summer-house garden may be the perfect antidote to give you hope for gentler days ahead.
I can almost smell the clover and green grass, feel the summer’s heat on my shoulders, and hear the bumblebees buzzin’ around. A-h-h-h!
“What good is the warmth of summer,
without the cold of winter to give it sweetness?”
— John Steinbeck
WPC: Growth
Happy 2018!
With the start of January, many bloggers like to share a statistical overview of their blog’s traffic and engagement for the previous year. I’ve chosen not to bore you with share my numbers, because personally, I value the quality of blogger/ follower interaction over the quantity of views, likes, follows and comments.
In the spirit of that, I’d like to throw out a bouquet to all of you who consistently stopped by and liked my articles, updates and photos throughout the year, but particularly I wish to thank my most frequent commenters of 2017. You know who you are, and I hope you also know how much I value your visits and our conversations! 🙂
December 31, 2017 marked my sixth blogging anniversary.
How long I will continue to blog? I suppose I’m still getting something out of showing up here, so I haven’t the faintest idea, really!
I’ve seen other bloggers come and go over these six years, and some of them I truly miss. And as recently as this past week, two of my favourites have decided to close their blogs, one dealing with grief over the loss of her spouse, and the other citing lack of time due to her job and her art. Both of them have been here on WordPress at least as long as I have, so naturally, their absence will be deeply felt.
How long have you been blogging, and how long will you continue?
What do you like the most – or the least – about it?
Have you lost some of your own go-to bloggers?
Please share your thoughts with me.
Jennifer's Journal 