October 12, 2021 at 2:56 pm (destinations, Links, Places, postaday, Recommended, Traveling)
Tags: Dublin, inspiration, Ireland, life of B, memories, nostalgia, photo challenge, spring
Self misses travel soooo much.
Grateful to Becky at Life of B for coming up with the theme of Past Squares. Self is really having fun going through pictures of her past trips.
These are from May 2017.
Self loves parks, all parks. She loves green, and she loves people-watching.
October 8, 2021 at 3:34 pm (Artists and Writers, Books, Recommended, Sayings)
Tags: advice, COVID Reading, favorites, Fridays, inspiration, mysteries, reading lists, thrillers, writing process
A book is like a car. It pulls up to the curb and the passenger door swings open to the reader. The engine revs. Do you want a ride?
Once you get in, the car takes off, the door slamming shut and the rubber burning in its wake. Behind the wheel the driver’s got to be highly skilled, heavy on the pedal, and most of all, oh man, most of all, somebody you want to be with. He’s got to drive near the edge of the cliff but never over. He’s got to turn sharply just as you think you know where you are going. He’s got to gun it on the final lap.
Introduction by Michael Connelly to the 2003 Edition of Thomas Perry’s The Butcher’s Boy
Self borrowed her copy from the library, and it is pretty beat up. Nevertheless.
She absolutely loved Eddie’s Boy. Which is what led her here, to the very first book of the series. What did she love so much about Eddie’s Boy? The main character was a professional hit man, married to a member of the British peerage. If that character description doesn’t grab you, self doesn’t know what will.
August 17, 2021 at 11:23 pm (Links, postaday)
Tags: California, Cee Neuner, Garden, inspiration, music, photo challenge, summer
Prompt is from the Beatles song, sung by George Harrison.
Thanks to Cee Neuner for the prompt. You can find the full lyrics on her blog.
I chose my inspiration from the refrain:
Here comes the sun
And I say it’s all right.
I have a collection of solar lanterns. My newest one is a bright, butter-yellow.
July 15, 2021 at 7:37 pm (Links, postaday, Surprises)
Tags: Cee Neuner, inspiration, photo challenge, summer
At first, self didn’t think she’d find anything that fit this challenge, but suddenly, her eyes landed on one brown thing in her living room. Then another. And another. Pretty soon, she had a whole series of possibilities, just from the living room! Thank you to Cee Neuner for always finding a way to get self’s creative juices flowing.
July 6, 2021 at 12:47 pm (destinations, Flowers, Links, Places, postaday, Sundays)
Tags: blogs, Fourth of July, Golden Gate Park, inspiration, nature, summer
Learn about this challenge, hosted by Life of B.
Yesterday a friend and I went to Golden Gate Park. We parked up by Stowe Lake, and wandered around quite lost. Her cell said to go right, mine said to go left. I said I wanted to see the de Young (I have a membership card and I needed to go to the bathroom) My friend wanted to know why, whenever I’d ask for directions, I’d ask for the Japanese Tea Garden. I said, The de Young and the Japanese garden are right beside each other; if you find one, you find the other.
Originally, we were supposed to hunt up the Conservatory of Flowers, but it seemed a long way, and I hadn’t brought a sweater (It was cold and windy. Lucky she had a grey hoodie; I only had a thin cotton top. Anyhoo, I’m kinda glad we never found the conservatory, because when I got home I looked it up on the map, and we’ve had had to cross the entire park, lengthwise.
The park was lush and green, and it felt good just to be alive. The eucalyptus trees (not native, I was told by a naturalist on a tour last month) smelled heavenly.
Here are a couple of trees I saw in the Park.
Stay cool, dear blog readers. Stay cool.
July 2, 2021 at 4:34 pm (destinations, Links, Places, postaday, Recommended, Weather)
Tags: art, blogs, environment, Fridays, inspiration, museums, nature, photo challenge, San Francisco, summer
Thanks to The Life of B for the #TreeSquare Challenge!
Self’s first post for the challenge are the trees of Land’s End, San Francisco, just outside the Legion of Honor. She visited the museum in June. (The trees are in the background, not the focal point, sorry)
These coastal California cypresses have endured wind and fog for many years — even, centuries. Hopefully, they will endure for centuries more!
Stay cool, dear blog readers. Stay cool.
May 31, 2021 at 4:11 am (Flowers, Holidays, Links, postaday, Sundays)
Tags: Cee Neuner, flower photography, Garden, inspiration
The columbine on self’s front porch are blooming again. She went out to take a few pictures for the May Colors and Letters Challenge (today’s color is Orange Red), but ended up taking pictures of her other flowers as well.
Thanks to Cee Neuner for hosting the Flower of the Day Challenge!
May 8, 2021 at 7:33 pm (Artists and Writers, Dearest Mum, Family)
Tags: inspiration, memories, Mother's Day, Saturday, The Philippines
To self’s mother, who at fourteen became the first Filipino artist to win the New York Times International Piano Competition, who returned to the Philippines with Dear Departed Dad and had five children, who this year beat covid, pneumonia, a minor stroke and being in the Makati Medical covid ward for weeks (during the worst of Manila’s second covid surge) and is now back home. Self greeted her yesterday, but wanted to do this today.
Here she is as a young pianist:
Love you always. Visiting next year, for sure.
Stay safe, dear blog readers. Stay safe.
May 4, 2021 at 10:42 pm (Books, Conversations, Explorers, Recommended, Women Writers)
Tags: COVID Reading, fantasy, inspiration, novel, reading lists, spring
“I knew enough of the language by then to understand what the husbands were telling me: the forest was no place for a creature like me. I was too small, too weak. I should stay in the village and raise babies and grind tisi-nuts into flour and be safe.” Another crooked smile. “But by then I was very good at running away. I stole a bow and three skins of water and made my way back to the ivory door.”
“But — “
“Why?” Jane rubbed her finger along the wood grain of the table. “Because I didn’t want to be safe, I suppose. I wanted to be dangerous, to find my own power and write it on the world.”
— p. 211, The Ten Thousand Doors of January
In response to which, self has only one thing to say: HELL TO THE YEAH.
Stay safe, dear blog readers. Stay safe.
April 25, 2021 at 9:01 pm (Artists and Writers, destinations, Links, postaday, Sundays)
Tags: art, Calder, exhibits, Golden Gate Park, inspiration, museum, opportunities, San Francisco
Self hasn’t missed a day in April! Here’s how to join:
Post anything that’s
sparkling, polished, shining, clever, cheerful, colourful, astute, brilliant, sunny, glorious, translucent, distinct and clear
But whatever you post has to be in the shape of a square. Get inspired by the galleries on The Life of B.
Today, a gallery of Calders from the Calder/Picasso exhibit at the de Young Museum, Golden Gate Park. Photo # 3 is Calder’s homage to Josephine Baker. LOOOVE the fish.
’twas a memorable exhibit. Going on at the same time as the Frida Kahlo.
Stay safe, dear blog readers. Stay safe.
 | anthropologist on Thursday Doors Challenge: Down… |
 | sustainabilitea on Thursday Doors Challenge: Down… |
| anthropologist on Thursday Doors Challenge: Down… |
| sustainabilitea on Thursday Doors Challenge: Down… |
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