Blogtober Fourteen: Visiting a Museum

 

A little armchair travel this evening. During our stay in Leiden, we visited the Young Rembrandt Studio. Rembrandt was born in Leiden and spent his childhood here. The house he lived in no longer exists, but the studio where he first studied painting does. It's very small and most interesting. A media presentation has paintings come alive to tell the story of Rembrandt's youth, and of friends featured in his paintings. It's not very long, but extremely well done. And it is free!

We took the train from Leiden to various cities - Rotterdam, Delft, Haarlem, and Amsterdam. They were easy to use and very reliable. 

Our walk from the train station to the museum took quite awhile, but we had the time and enjoyed seeing various parts of Amsterdam. How fun it would be to have a boat moored right outside your front door!

I had hoped to visit the Van Gogh Museum, but there was a mix-up in our ticket date and we ended up not going there. Instead, we visited the Rijksmuseum. One thing I wish I knew more about is art history. The little I do know is just enough to make me realize how much more there is. I have learned to focus on a selection of exhibits in a museum. If I wander at will, I am soon overwhelmed. 

Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem

There are a number of Rembrandt's works in the Rijksmuseum. I love the light and the fineness of the hair in the above painting. Apparently, he often used the sharpened end of a wooden paintbrush to create strands of hair. 

The Night Watch by Rembrandt

The Night Watch is one of Rembrandt's most famous works, and is surprisingly large, measuring 12 by 14 1/2 feet. He must have stood on a ladder to paint it. 

The Milkmaid by Vermeer

Vermeer was another artist I knew of and whose works I wanted to see. 

Still Life with Cheese by Floris van Dyck

I'd not heard much of van Dyck, but loved the subject of this still life. It's so Dutch! Cheese!

We wandered around other parts of the museum and Tim was especially taken with the intricate models of old ships. These technical scale models were built for the Royal Navy and used for constructing the actual ships and training crews. The above model is of the William Rex, built in 1698. So detailed!

Rain fell in the night and today has been softly grey. A good day for puttering at home and not doing too much of anything. 

A number of you asked about the Cranberry Pie my daughter made for our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. Here is a link: Cranberry Lime Pie. It's on the Bon Appetit site and is sometimes behind a paywall. If you do a search for the recipe it comes up with a list of ingredients in the preview. My daughter also used a graham cracker crust with spices in place of the gingersnap crust. 

Also, the initials I used to mark the places at the table were wooden, not chocolate! I'm sure the children would have much preferred chocolate. I use the letters from time to time at the table, or for making words around the house. 

Blogtober Thirteen: Happy Thanksgiving!

 

There be three gentle and goodlie things

To be here

 To be together

And to think well of one another

L.M. Montgomery (from Pat of Silver Bush)

We put all the leaves in the dining room table to make room for 13 of us to sit down to dinner. Often, we have a children's table in the kitchen. It's nice to have everyone together from time to time. Everyone was very well behaved, even the adults! Lots of laughter and chatter.

It's become usual to eat our main meal, then clean up the dishes before dessert. Today was so warm and sunny that we all drifted outdoors to eat dessert. My eldest daughter made two luscious Cranberry Curd Pies, and my youngest daughter brought fruit with a chocolate dip and a caramel peanut dip. I contributed Pumpkin Pie. There is LOTS of pie leftover. 

Everyone goes home with enough leftovers for another meal of turkey with all the trimmings. Now the house is quiet again. Turkey broth is simmering on the stove.

 "I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; 

and that happiness is gratitude doubled by wonder." 

G. K. Chesterton

A quiet evening is ahead. We'll maybe nibble on some leftovers. I'll settle in with a new book. The evening is cooling off and we'll close the windows as dusk settles in. 

Thank you to those who read my blog, and to those who comment. I'm grateful for each one of you. 

Blogtober 12: A Perfect Autumn Day

 

I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as 

autumnal sunshine by staying in the house. 

Nathanial Hawthorne

This morning was taken up with kitchen work in preparation for tomorrow's dinner. Two pumpkin pies sit waiting, a sweet potato dish and braised cabbage will finish cooking tomorrow. But, like Nathaniel Hawthorne, I didn't want to miss being outside on this most glorious day of autumn sunshine. 

On part of the trail around the bog not too far from my house, woodpeckers can be heard tap tap tapping. Today's tapping sounded closer than usual and I stood for some time trying to see the bird. I finally found him, but he was shy and skittish, not wanting to be photographed.

Trees glow in the light. Leaves are getting thinner on the trees and thicker on the ground as October winds on. 

A little rabbit sat motionless beside the path, hoping I wouldn't see him. How pretty are his ears with the light shining through. 

I made a quick trip to the grocery store this morning and as I drove home, a gust of wind blew through the trees and a shower of gold leaves swirled and drifted in front of me. It was a magical moment that I might have missed and am so glad I did not. 

Most of the colour is near to the ground in the woods, shaded by the tall conifers. Light and colour and pattern. I was surprised that more people were not out enjoying the day.

And here at home the light poured in the windows and warming the house so much that I went barefoot indoors for most of the day. What a gorgeous day it has been - one to remember when the grey days and rain arrive. 

Blogtober Eleven: Here and There

 

It often seems to me that I get busy with doing household chores without making the time to do the things I'd really like to. This morning I set aside a couple of hours at my sewing machine. How enjoyable it was to stitch two pencil cases, a simple task, but I was pleased with the result. Then, I cut out fabric for a blouse I'm planning to make. And you know what? All the household chores that needed doing were completed, too. I think it's important to set aside time for doing whatever it is that fulfills you, like being creative. 

Cora arrived mid-morning. I read a stack of books to her - she chooses them and I oblige. She and her sister love being read to. With Iris beginning kindergarten this year, I'm realizing how short the time is to enjoy these two young girls. Once they go to school, things change. I very much enjoy times with the older grands, but they are busy with so many activities and we have to schedule times with them. 

After lunch we went for a walk around Swan Lake. It was longer than I'd remembered, but my little companion chattered happily all the way. Of course we had to stop for games of hide and seek, for looking in puddles, and for touching mossy rocks and trees.

Blackberry leaves so gorgeously coloured. There were a few ripe berries that I picked and she ate, saying they were sweet and just a little bit sour. 

She picked a bouquet of flowers, adding to it along the way, planning to give it to her mother. Then she threw it into the lake, regretted her action, and wanted me to get it back for her. Nope. Not going to happen. 

Our two-hour walk ended with one tired little girl and one tired Nana. But oh what fun we had! I snapped a few photos to share. Old Man's Beard (usnea) is especially photogenic. These golden days won't last forever and I'm soaking them in as much as possible. 

Blogtober Ten: Stitching and Cake

 

The stitching I'm working on is a simple kit, but it's taking me a long time to finish it. I have another in a similar style and I will give them to the two youngest granddaughters when they are done. Perhaps I should set a deadline for myself - maybe Christmas. I've realized that I don't do as much handwork as I once did. I'd like to get back to it.

The days are filled with sunshine and the dahlias keep blooming. Things are a bit of a tangle in the garden and it's time to get serious about the fall clean-up. It's hard to tear things apart when everything is still green and lush. I have had more success with leaving dahlia tubers in the ground and mulching them well than pulling them and storing them. I like to mark them with a stick once the first frost arrives and I cut them way back, so I know where they will grow come spring. 

I bought spring bulbs and hope to plant them early next week. I like to do it after our Canadian Thanksgiving. We'll be having the family over for turkey with all the trimmings. Preparations have begun - today I cut the bread for the dressing and shopped for potatoes, sweet potatoes, and more. The cranberry sauce is made. Working ahead alleviates a lot of last minute panic. 

Friends came for coffee this evening. I made my standard Apple Cake from a recipe given me by another friend many years ago. I'm not a big fan of ice cream and prefer my cake with whipped cream. There's not much left of the cake now that everyone has gone home. 

Tomorrow will be a day with the youngest granddaughter. I wonder what we will get up to. It's always an adventure. 

Blogtober Nine: A bit of This and That

 

It was interesting to read Barbara's comment about chrysanthemums being a funeral flower in France. It was the same in Ecuador. In the small jungle town where we first lived, there were no florist shops or flower stands at the market, but the funeral home had flowers and Tim occasionally bought some there for me. 

Today was much sunnier. The autumn crocuses (colchicum autumnale) are blooming now. They are known as "naked ladies" because they bloom without any leaves. I wonder who comes up with these names? 

I find the allium bulbs so sculptural, and cut four of them for a tall vase that's outside on the patio. 

A bouquet of sunflowers from a friend is a cheery sight on the dining room table. 

I was hoping that one coat of paint would be enough on the bathroom, but this morning's light revealed a few skimpy patches that needed to be re-rolled. That's done now, and I've tidied up the drop cloths and painting paraphernalia. We'll wait a day or two before re-hanging the towel bars and mirror to let the paint harden. I always get impatient to put it all back together, but it is best to wait. 

Our son gave me a large bowl of tomatoes from his garden. I made Crispy Baked Tomatoes for dinner one night. The tomatoes are unbaked in the photo above. Today I roasted a large pan of tomatoes and froze them. They make wonderful soup, or are good on a pastry crust for a simple tart. There are still more tomatoes to use up, so there might be some sauce in the making. I confess that I'm ready for the garden produce to take a break! 

We're thinking of Florida this evening and watched a bit of coverage of Hurricane Milton just coming ashore. We have friends in the area and so hope that they are out of harm's way. Weather can be truly dreadful. 

Blogtober Eight: A Dreich Day

 

Lerwick on the Shetland Islands, Scotland. Misty skies that turned to a downpour marked our wanderings through the town. In my reading of novels set in Scotland, I'd come across the word "dreich." It seemed to me that this was such a day, but I wanted to make certain. As I lined up to return to the ship, I asked one of the port workers if this was a dreich day. A big grin split his face and he agreed that it was indeed dreich. He thought it great fun that this Canadian would use a local word.  

Today has been another dreich (wet, overcast, gloomy). Little Cora came for the morning and we walked to the park thinking to beat the rain. Alas, we came home with wet jackets and frizzy hair. After taking her to preschool, I changed my clothes and painted a bathroom. We've replaced all of the windows in the house over the past 18 months and a few rooms still need paint. It's good to be nearing the very end of this major house renovation, done in very large part by my husband. I come up with the ideas; he makes them real. Teamwork of the uneven sort. 

On a sunny day I snapped this photo of the naturalized lawn now bright with cyclamen. 

The grocery store has a large flower display area outside the store. It's so full of colour just now - those pots of mums for porches and patios. 

At our family birthday party a couple of weeks ago, we all visited a corn maze, tramping this way and that, turning around at dead ends, and playing a bit of hide and seek. In the middle was a pile of hay bales and pumpkins for picture taking. Here are our five darlings; 4 girls and a boy, all dearly loved and growing up so quickly!