"There has been some lovely weather
--to look at."
Beatrix Potter
Early last week another "atmospheric river" flowed through our area. Oh, the rain. It poured down for two days, making little lakes in our garden and running in small rivers on a daughter's property right into their home. So much water!
The first thing I do when I get out of bed in the morning is open the curtains. On Tuesday morning I saw very little. Thick fog obscured everything but the street lights. By mid-morning it had burned off and blue sky emerged. The world was full of light and so were my spirits. A beach walk seemed just the thing!
Alas, as I crested the hill to Island View Beach I saw more fog covering the water. How mysterious and quiet it was. Bufflehead ducks played in the water and made hardly a noise. After walking for about 25 minutes the fog began lifting and when I turned to return to my car the sun was so bright I had to shade my eyes with my hand. What a difference!
I heard the eagle cry out and hoped he would turn to face me for the photo, but perhaps he, too, was protecting his eyes from the blinding sun.
Soup has been on the menu this week. Split Pea Soup here, made from my mother's recipe with the substitution of a smoked turkey leg rather than a ham bone. Equally delicious. I do love soup and also made a smooth broccoli soup one day.
Motivation has been low this week and I'm savouring the slow days of January. I stirred myself enough to make some Bran Muffins. I add raisins or dates to them and this version had chopped dates. Yummy with a bit of butter.
I did a sketch of houses that remind me of our visit to Leiden and Amsterdam in the summer of 2024. The unfinished watercolour has been languishing in my painting box and this week I took it out and finished it.
Another thing I'm savouring are the snowdrops appearing in various places - this small patch is in my garden, near to the house and quite sheltered. How white and crisp the flowers are! Our temperatures are unseasonably warm, so much so that a daffodil is blooming in our daughter's garden. We could very well get a blast of winter yet, and I rather hope we do. This warmth is quite strange.
And so ends another week. We're getting together with friends for dinner one evening this weekend and also taking a short road trip. My husband is becoming interested in beekeeping and wants to visit an beekeeper who is full of information to share. I'll go along for the ride.
A gentle read to start my Friday morning. Your corner does seem very mild. Love the snowdrops, so delicate and the painting of the houses is beautiful. Just the sort of activity for a wet day. Good luck on the bee keeping. B x
ReplyDeleteThank you, B. It's been extremely mild, but now the skies have cleared and we've had several frosty mornings with sunny afternoons. I'll take it!
DeleteFog is a mysterious weather event that has a playful vibe. Beekeeping is interesting. Having your own honey will be fantastic.
ReplyDeleteMay
Thanks, Maywyn. Our own honey will be lovely, but it will take some time to get any!
DeleteWhat a sweet painting of the little Dutch-looking houses.
ReplyDeleteSoup is great, we're thinking of making soup tomorrow, Finnish sausage, I don't have a name for it in English, but I'll try to remember to take a picture. 🙂
Snowdrops in January, oh my 🤔 I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you have the strangest and most wonderful climate 🌹🥰
Finnish sausage soup sounds delicious! We do live in a wonderful climate. The mildest in Canada!
DeleteWe have had an exceptional amount of rain this year and a lot of snow, too. I really love the fog when it hangs over the water---as long as I don't have to drive in it. It is eerie and peaceful to me. Love the watercolour...now to frame it! xo Diana
ReplyDeleteFog can be beautifully mysterious. Thanks, Diana.
DeleteAs soon as I saw your painting, without reading, I thought "That has to be Amsterdam!" Very nice indeed. It is definitely soup season -- I did Julia's French onion the other night and maybe pumpkin this week. The muffins look great and any eagle sighting day is a good one!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many delicious soups in the world!
DeleteSnow Drops...exciting. Your soup looks delicious. Oye...that fog is relentless here. I do hope we get your clearing with the sun shining through today. Great shot of the eagle even though he did not turn around. You are an artist!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Ellen. Clear skies now and colder. But I love the brighter days.
DeleteOur weather is like yours this week. Rain and fog. That is not “normal” for eastern Canada this time of year!
ReplyDeleteWeather seems to be abnormal in a lot of Canadian places this year!
DeleteLovely painting you finished. No blooms here. Snow disappeared yesterday with temps above freezing and then rain but overnight last night we returned to the cold and had a light dusting of snow on everything. More on its way tomorrow. Winter holds its grasp on us and will for many more months.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marcia. Winter seems to last a very long time in some places.
DeleteYour sketch is lovely, Lorrie, and makes me feel that I really must visit, one day. Snowdrops are appearing here too, such a dazzling pop of white amongst the wet greenery everywhere,
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DeleteThank you, Barbara. Wet greenery is definitely the theme around here. It's been so soggy. Snowdrops are a lovely sign of hope.
DeleteDear Lorrie, your photos are beautiful and your split pea soup looks scrumptious 😋 I love ❤️ pea soup. I also love your sketch.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. Pea soup is delicious and so filling!
DeleteMmm mmm - everything here is delicious, in one way or another! The muffins, the soup, the snowdrops, the painting... well, maybe not the fog. I was so glad that in these parts the fog was absent this morning. Sunshine is so helpful! How do they manage who live much farther north than you, with those long winters?
ReplyDeleteLong winters seem to drag on interminably further north where I used to live. By February everyone longs for warmth and sunshine.
DeleteThe rain we had early in the week certainly was relentless but happily we now have sunshine. I like your pretty snowdrops and I like your watercolour painting. Have a lovely weekend.
ReplyDeleteNow we have sunny crisp days and those are lovely. Happy new week!
DeleteOh your watercolour is so lovely, you are a wonderful painter. Your weather has been strange and eerie, and your photos of the shore are amazing. I have never heard of bufflehead ducks (have to look that up), they sound interesting. I always enjoy your photos out in nature, thank you. PS we are hoping to go to Canada again this year, and I can't wait to see it all again :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Patricia. Strange weather, indeed! I hope you enjoy planning for your trip to Canada and that the trip itself is wonderful!
DeleteI always enjoy catching up with you, Lorrie, with your nature, good and family photos. How fun to go to a resort in Mexico with your family. We love Mexico, too, as it’s so festive and affordable.
ReplyDeleteHappy New year to you. I’d love one of your bran date muffins before I go.
Thank you, Kitty. It was a wonderful trip to Mexico.
DeleteThat is a very nice watercolour painting ... lovely colours.
ReplyDeleteYour soup looks delicious and so do your muffins.
It's always nice to see snowdrops ... and then daffodils and tulips, but I'm getting too far ahead.
Enjoy your January days.
All the best Jan
Thank you, Jan. We do have to wait for the different flowers to bloom, hard as that is sometimes!
DeleteLoved the way the week unfolded from rain and fog into light, soup, sketching, and small seasonal wonders.
ReplyDeleteThe fog at Island View sounds magical.
Your painting is beautiful.
The snowdrops are so delicate and pretty.
Snowdrops are such lovely things to see in winter.
DeleteI love your painting, it takes me back to my visit to Amsterdam in June of 2024. I wonder did you use the paints you bought while you were there. If I remember correctly, you shared in a post you bought paints made at a mill.
ReplyDeleteFancy you remembering that! I confess that the bottle of pigment is still sitting in my studio, unused. I would like to collect the supplies for making the paint - your comment encourages me!
DeleteYour beautiful watercolor immediately reminded me of Amsterdam, dear Lorrie. I also love your muffins and especially the soup... such a wonderful time for it! I love soup too, in all its variations and always when it's cooked with care, because that's when it tastes best.
ReplyDeleteWe still have to wait for the snowdrops – lovely photo.
I wish you happy walks and send you warm greetings.
Viola
Once upon a time my husband became fascinated with beekeeping. Oh those foggy mornings do make us want to just tuck in with a good book and a cup of tea. You have the most gorgeous places to walk at the beach and spot eagles. Soon I will be visiting a place that I can often spot eagles, it delights my heart.
ReplyDeleteOur weather has been unusually warm and dry this winter. Our entire state is behind in snowpack by more than 50%. I hope we can catch up or many rivers will be low this summer.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoy making soup! I save chicken bones and vegetable peelings, etc, in a big bag in my freezer and when full I use it to make broth as a soup base. Your watercolor is very pretty!
We're getting another blast of snow and frigid temperatures this week. On the upside, I noticed that it's still light outside at around 5:30 pm!
ReplyDeleteI love your watercolour of the row of houses. Yes, definitely soup weather, the thicker and warmer the better:)
ReplyDeleteI really loved your sketch of the houses; they look so very Dutch to me. The clear colours, the shapes, the little boat and the water… all of it together feels just right. It honestly reminds me of those decorative house sets you can buy here to place on a windowsill, that’s how familiar and authentic it looks.
ReplyDeleteAnd your pea soup made me smile too. Very Dutch! Though here we put slices of smoked sausage in it. Seeing your soup brought back a childhood memory: we had to go to the butcher and buy pea soup there. He made it himself, and I’ve never tasted anything quite like it since. It had a very distinctive flavour, with plenty of pepper — I think that’s what made it so good. My mother loved it. Funny how a simple bowl of soup can unlock memories like that.
And lastly, the eagl... I really like him, even though we’re seeing the back of his head. I’ve never actually heard an eagle call, so now you’ve made me curious… I think I’ll look that up on YouTube.
Thanks for your blogpost!
Liefs,
Aritha