J. Kelland Perry

Entranced

Published on February 2, 2015February 2, 2015 by J. Kelland Perry55 Comments

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:

…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 to the Notre Dame Cathedral is imposing…

…and so elaborately adorned.

How about this golden carved door in Florence?
Gotta love the Renaissance.

I saved my personal favourite, also in Florence, for last.

*Ailsa’s Weekly Travel Theme: Doorways @ wheresmybackpack.com

Friday Bouquet #14

Published on January 30, 2015February 12, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry

I’ve followed Sue on Travel Tales of Life for some time now and love her beautiful blog. From her About Page:

“Living in Calgary, Alberta, married to my best friend Dave for over thirty years and Mom to adult children; my decades as a nurse have shown that in a moment life can change completely. Passionate about social justice, volunteerism and not letting the phrase “What would people think?” or my own fear get in the way of trying something new; the possibilities are endless.

Travel Tales of Life has been featured in-depth by More Time To Travel in speaking to cycling tourism for those over 50. My posts have been featured in The Caribbean Daily, What’s Up Tasmania and About Basque Country online magazines and the HIS Vancouver travel website.

Enjoy the tales and I hope you will be inspired to try something you have been thinking about doing.”

Check out her latest post below for some captivating photos from around the world:

Where Would You Like To Travel?

Comments are closed here in the hope you will visit Sue’s blog.
If you do, please tell her Jennifer sent you. 🙂

Dad in The Big Land

Published on January 27, 2015January 28, 2015 by J. Kelland Perry31 Comments

These days, few of us experience the old-fashioned pleasure of receiving a letter by standard mail. So imagine my joy to find, tucked inside a Christmas card from my aunt in the U.S., a handwritten note, along with a handful of photos sent to her from my father.

She writes:

“Dear Jennifer – A note to enclose with these snapshots sent to me many years ago. They are precious to me, but belong in your heart and your home. It was a great adventure that Ralph shared with me over the phone lines. – Lovingly, Irene.”

Discussing this with my aunt recently, she was unable to nail down the year they were taken, but she believes Dad made the trip to Labrador in the mid to late fifties. That would make him, at the youngest, twenty-one, and still single.

An added bonus: his familiar handwriting scrawled on the back of each snapshot. ♥

I have captioned each one with his words.

A closer look:
I love his outfit. Lots of layers, warm boots, yet he is wearing a jacket, shirt and tie, and his hair is perfect.

01-03-~2 (4) (1) — **Our plane at Gander before takeoff 4:30 pm**

This begs more questions: why did he fly out of Gander and not St. John’s? Who was he with and who took the pictures? Why did he make this trip to Labrador? Unfortunately, we are fuzzy on all the details.

01-03-~2 (2) (1) — **Crossing the bays to Hopedale**

01-03-~2 (3) (1) — **Deserted shack and our dog-sled at Big Bay between Hopedale and Davis Inlet.**

01-03-~2 (5) — **At Makkovik with “husky” pups.**

No surprise to me at all that Dad would love the little animals!

If only he and I could sit down and have a chat together about his adventure in “The Big Land.” In any case, I cannot put into words how good it feels to see my father’s young face again. ♥

Have you ever gotten mail that made your day?

Is there someone you love and miss with all your heart?

Further Reading: Labrador, the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador

Overdue, but here’s my Review

Published on January 21, 2015 by J. Kelland Perry16 Comments

Thanks to a reminder from The Daily Post today, Drawing Insight From Your Annual Report, and with January nearly over, I’ve finally gotten around to sharing my 2014 review. My bad.

A special shout-out to the bloggers below who always take the time to visit and leave encouraging comments. What ever would I do without you? ❤

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 13,000 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

January Blue

Published on January 15, 2015January 28, 2021 by J. Kelland Perry55 Comments

It’s a blue winter day on Perry’s Point.

It isn’t a sad and lonely day, but one painted with the hues of a brilliant blue sky and a blanket of sunshine, the kind of day where the sun and snow merge to design graceful shadows in the hollows of the landscape.

Sun on the newly fallen and drifted snow creates a tapestry of shadowy forms,
from the palest baby blue to the deepest of indigo.

The slanting afternoon rays of sunlight hold little heat,
but warm the heart of this nature-lover nonetheless.

The surface of the snow waves and crests,
while most of the bay lies still under a layer of slush and ice.

Dunes of scalloped white surround me…

…and the only hint of sound is the faint exhale of a frigid breeze.

Certain feathered creatures have already been here.

At the end of the Point I reach the icy blue coastline…

…where the water is still full of movement in spite of the sub-zero air.

Cold, but fluid…

…clear and beautiful.

Other shadows dapple a weather-worn barn…

…and sun-bleached fences.

Hidden in shade, a bird house waits for spring, and a new tenant…

…while our neighbour’s fishing boat awaits a new summer.

Ben Perry’s shed is called a “store” around these parts.

Still more shadows hide in furrows of snow and last summer’s grasses. I wade in.

My toes are like ice cubes inside my boots at this point. I hop over the fence to home.

Time to put the kettle on…

…and thaw myself out with a cup of tea.

And my world changes from blue to green.

How is your January going? What is the colour of your winter?

Daily Post Weekly Photo Challenge: Shadowed

Friday Bouquet #13

Published on January 9, 2015February 12, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry23 Comments

A departure from my usual “pat on the back” of fellow bloggers, I found this quote recently and it made an impression on me – as did its author.

“I am an optimist, and I believe that people are inherently good and that if you give everyone a voice and freedom of expression, the truth and the good will outweigh the bad.”

– Matt Mullenweg, founder and CEO, Automattic and WordPress Developer

Matthew Mullenweg, born January 11, 1984 in Houston, Texas, is an online social media entrepreneur, web developer, philanthropist, and musician. He is best known for developing the free and open source web software WordPress, now managed by The WordPress Foundation.

After dropping out of college and working at CNET Networks from 2004 to 2005, Mullenweg quit that job and founded Automattic, the business behind WordPress.com, Akismet, Gravatar, VaultPress, IntenseDebate, Polldaddy, and more. In December 2012, Mullenweg was listed in 2012 Forbes’s 30 Under 30 in Media. His professional blog is ma.tt, a domain hack. ~ Wikipedia

Matt lives in San Francisco, California. His hobbies include photography and music. He turns 31 on Sunday.

*Photo from WordCamp San Francisco 2014 taken by Sheri Bigelow (ma.tt)

A Newer Perspective by Vivian K. Perry

Published on January 5, 2015November 11, 2018 by J. Kelland Perry41 Comments

Happy 2015, lovely readers, bloggers, and my feline friends and fans. ♥

Vivian’s the name, for you newbies who haven’t had the pleasure of my sparkling company as of yet. I’ve returned to brighten things up in the blogosphere with another guest-host spot on Jennifer’s Journal. So take a break from struggling with your (ugh) resolutions for a few moments, and join me, won’t you?

My sister Maisie and I agreed to help show what is new and different in our world, specifically a nifty new camera to pose for since St. Nick dropped by last month. Jennifer hasn’t had time to learn all its functions yet, so she took these photos with the autofocus feature, just for a little test run.

Maisie hogged the limelight most of the time…

…but she did pose admirably and didn’t shy away, as she is wont to do.

Okay already! Now, what about moi??

Scenery? Is that necessary? Granted, the new camera does take nice shots – even through the kitchen window…

And naturally, Jennifer wants to show off her granddaughter’s new artwork, another of her treasured Christmas gifts.
(Yes, it’s her grandgirl’s birthday today too, so Happy Birthday, young lady! xox)

But what about me, and my joie de “Viv”?

Oh, come on, woman!
In what universe are a couple of ol’ ducks more photogenic than two purry Perrys?

Finally! { sigh} That’s a bit of an improvement.
But I know we can do better…

There! That’s it. Pixel Perfection.

Toodles, my darlings. Until we meet again…meow!

~This has been Vivian’s entry for The Daily Post Photo Challenge: “New”~

What’s “new” in your little corner of the world? Maisie and Viv are all ears!

Happy Old Year :-)

Published on December 29, 2014January 17, 2016 by J. Kelland Perry24 Comments

For several reasons, 2014 was a happy and productive year for yours truly, and probably the most pleasant since we moved to Bonavista Bay North four years ago.

Fittingly, the most popular song of 2014 turned out to be “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. With its simple, exuberant message and its cheerful beat, perhaps I’m not totally surprised it has become one of the bestselling singles of all time (Personally, I liked his hit “Get Lucky” a little bit more).

However, I find myself partial to the version below by Walk Off The Earth, a band from Burlington, Ontario. They are accompanied in this video by the American pop rock band, Parachute. Have a listen, and tell me what you think!

Thanks to Denise and Dave for introducing them to us a couple of years ago, and kudos to Paul for “feeling the endorphins release”. 😉

What was your favourite happy song of 2014?

Was it a good year for you, or one you are glad to put behind you?

What is bringing you happiness right now?

Links of Interest:

Pharrell Williams’ 24 Hours of Happy

Walk Off The Earth (Official Website)

Jennifer’s Journal
3 Years Blogging

Friday Bouquet #12

Published on December 26, 2014February 12, 2020 by J. Kelland Perry

Wendy L. Macdonald, the GreenLightLady, is a fellow Canadian blogger. We have been following each other for nearly two years, and during the entire month of November we were also each other’s writing buddies for National Novel Writing Month.

In her own words:

“I’m a writer, poet, and nature lover.
I also enjoy expressing myself through photography.
Creation has a lot to say.
My prose and poems are a small sampling of nature’s words.
I’m a Christian that loves reading the Bible
so you’ll find a few Scripture verses woven into this blog.”

In keeping with the festive season, last week she shared a Christmas post that is decidedly “blogger style”. Click on the link below and don’t forget to tell her Jennifer sent you.

The Twelve Days of Blogging

Comments are disabled in hopes you will comment on her blog.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, everyone!

Jennifer’s Journal is Turning Three

Published on December 20, 2014January 17, 2016 by J. Kelland Perry43 Comments

Happy Birthday to my little blog!

Actually, my blog will turn three years old on New Year’s Eve, but I thought I’d get a jump on marking the occasion with questions and answers about my experience as a blogger.

1. Did you think you’d still be blogging after three years?

I didn’t think about it in the beginning. I only knew I was willing to see where it would take me.

2. Can you describe your blogging experience in one word?

Rewarding! This post tells why.

3. How has your blog changed from the time you started until now?

At first its purpose was to practise more writing of poetry and short prose to better prepare myself for the discipline of novel-writing. But my posts broadened quickly to include photography, still in keeping with my blog’s central theme of sharing what I love.

4. Are you a better writer three years later?

I believe I am. I think my ability has been honed, while my curiosity about everything has expanded tenfold. Writing a couple of novels definitely helped too. I hope my research and editing skills have improved as well.

5. What do you dislike most about blogging?

I keep wishing I could meet some of the wonderful people I’ve found here on WordPress. Or at least hear their voices. Come on, everyone, let’s vlog! (video-blog) 🙂

6. What do you love most about blogging?

It’s hard to choose only one thing, but I love to create something that readers can identify with and moves them to share their comments. Posting photos that others like as much as I do is gratifying too.

7. What advice would you give to someone starting a blog today?

Commit to a schedule and blog regularly. Be consistent and be yourself; in other words don’t try to be everything to all people. Don’t choose a theme with a white text on a dark background, or too many bells and whistles. Most people find it hard to read those kinds, including me.

8. What has surprised you the most?

Connecting with people who are like-minded, as well as those who have different interests and opinions. Besides it being an education, it is a great way to cultivate an open mind and form new friendships – even if they are the virtual kind.

9. What have you learned about blogging?

Most people are visual creatures. An image catches my eye and invites me to read in a way a block of text alone can’t. The writing still has to be engaging, of course.

10. Who was your first follower?

Carla from Seasons Change and So Do I. We started our blogs on the same day and we still follow each other. We’ve both been through a lot in our lives, and just as her blog name suggests, we have gone through significant changes since we began blogging. I’m grateful for her support. She feels like an old friend.

11. What are the most popular posts of the past three years?

I will qualify this answer with the reminder that I had fewer followers in the first couple of years, so the lists reflecting the most popular posts are also the most recent.

By reader views:

Greenspond – Part II
Friday Bouquet #11
Hello, December – Goodbye, Nano!
Christmas Renewed
Imagine (and a Birthday)
Wildlife of Newfoundland & Labrador
A Walking Trail, Bergy-Bits, and Other Pretty Things
About Me
To Sea by Virtue
Relics of Rome

By reader likes:

About Me
Unexpected
Photo Challenge: Threes
Battered
Summer Lovin’
Cat Dreams
Vivian’s Room
Photo Challenge: Up
Remembering Rhonda
Is There Room* in Your Book for Me?

12. What are your ten personal favorites?

Thinking Out Loud
My “Backyard” – Part 1 & My “Backyard” – Part 2: The Beach
A Spanish Purr Sounds Just As Sweet
The Day We Met
If Only
She Writes
“That’s my father”…
Hey, Little Girl
Vivian’s View From Here
Autumn Walk on the East Coast

13. Anything you’d do differently?

I should have started blogging sooner. I have a vague memory of wondering why anyone would want to have a blog. Now I know.

14. Anyone you want to thank?

I’d like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read Jennifer’s Journal. I especially want to thank those who have liked, commented, followed, signed up for emails, reblogged on WordPress, retweeted on Twitter, or shared my posts on Facebook. You all know who you are. 🙂

I also thank the lovely bloggers who shared their stories, advice and talent with me, supported me in my writing, and those who nominated me for blogging awards.

15. What will the next year look like for the blog?

I have three chief areas I hope to work on:

a. more opinion pieces, poetry, and short fiction to develop my skills for writing articles and short stories
b. better photography, thanks to a new DSLR camera for Christmas – providing I learn how to use it 😉
c. articles about writing, while periodically sharing what is going on with my pursuit of the craft.

~ J.K.P.

Is there anything you’d like to see more of in future?
Jennifer’s Journal would love to hear your suggestions.

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Jennifer’s Journal *3 Years Blogging*

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Jennifer’s Journal
3 Years Blogging