Just a baking fool....

Yup, the rush to the 25th day has begun!  Somewhere back before Halloween, I agreed to put forth my labour for a fundraiser run by my neighbour.  Because, I like to bake, right? My neighbour and her mother have been running this charity for 30 years, which supports women and children in need in the Ottawa area.  It appeals to my thinking about the way  a charity can work well - that is to say, locally donated and administered, with lots of volunteer labour.  I can't donate a lot of money because I can't actually spare it, but I can give my time.  Especially to a cause that supports women.

It's been interesting working out the kinks with making perfect shortbreads (and this group has an army of other volunteers squirrelled away making goodies, so it is very profitable) in a ceramic pan from the Brown Bag cookie company.  I finally have it down ( and I'm writing it down so I don't forget how to do it) so just ask me if you ever need to know.

So, if I've seemed a little distant and uncommunicative, this is why.  It has taken much longer than I thought it would (doesn't everything - when will I ever learn? ) and I still have 20 left to make out of 70.  They are pretty though, and they taste wonderful!  Hasn't helped my tendency to pack on pounds, either.  The good news is that I am, for the moment, officially sick of shortbread!  But the testing was brutal.....

Must be done and packed by Dec. 1st.

Well, if you can't have texture in polymer, then have it in shortbread, I say....

The Archambault sculpture garden

'The Family'    ( with Parliament Hill in the background across the Ottawa River )

In the three years that we've lived here in the National Capital region ( Ottawa/Gatineau) one of the great joys has been to re-discover the joys of living in a city with many fantastic museums.  Our family has a joint membership to the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum.  Both are fabulous - and the membership gives us free access to the special shows at the Museum of Civilization - most recently, a show about design in Japan.  The War Museum also has special shows, most recently, War and Medicine, which was grisly but fascinating.  There is also a  permanent exhibit at the Museum of Civilization which has become very dear to me.  Part of my everyday life, you might say....

This region is also known for its amazing bike paths (not beside/on main roads, although there are bike lanes there too..) which wind for hundreds of kilometers through park land with 2 perfectly paved lanes.  Great for going fast, although the  speed limit is 20 kph!  In trying to keep healthy this past summer, I devised a circle starting and ending at my house of 20 kilometers which took me down to the Ottawa river, along the river front past the Museum of Civilization and then returning home.  (All downhill to the river and all slogging home...)  And another big reason for this route was so that I could stop and have a drink of water at the Archambault sculpture garden, look at the river and the endless people flowing by, and finally to stare at these wonderful sculptures.

the view of the the whole, nestled between 2 wings of the Museum.

The sculptor Louis Archambault was originally commissioned to make this grouping for Expo 67  in Montreal, and they were enjoyed by millions of people who visited this fantastic event that was held to celebrate Canada's 100th birthday (1867-1967). This could account for why I find these figures to be so comforting and familiar.  I visited Expo 67 with my family for 2 weeks that summer - I was 10.  It made a huge impression on me.  After seeing this fair, I believed I knew what the future held for Canada, the world ( and probably me personally...) - all was fun, invention, joy and optimism.  Ah, the future beckoned in the most seductive way in the 60ties and all was considered possible!  Do young people feel that way now?  I'm not so sure that their hope has not been erased by cynicism about almost everything.  But I hope some do feel as full of possibilites as I did that summer so long ago.

'Pregnant woman' with 'Poet' in the backgound

'The Poet'

'The Moon'

'The  Philosopher'  ( with the federal government intruding again at the side...)

Three children (with a view of the fabulous curvy shape of the the Museum)

'The Angel' with the one whose name escapes me....(behind)

'The Sun'

 Just looking at these shapes clears my head and helps me find new ideas.  Of course, this is seriously helped by the effort/exercise involved in riding my bike.  New beads down the line, I'm sure, once they have percolated through my thought process.  Could take months.....

Do visit this gem if you are ever in Ottawa...but remember, you have to cross the river to Quebec to see it!

'The family', detail of top

Bead table Wednesday

I 've had a long absence from bead table Wednesday, but I love to look every week.  I'm still working my way through the Bead Soup Blog Party.  I am almost two thirds of the way through...so many interesting components and solutions to be seen.  I know it will take me a while longer as I'm doing about 10 a day - pairs, that is!

Here's what's going on my table,  a whole lot of photography!  I've given up on the natural light setup except in desperate circumstances and have decided to do a  little permanent photography 'cave' with these tiles.  I can use light colored backdrops in the 'cave' when I get sick of the dark, but for now, it's working and it's quick and easy...I can also use a custom light reading on the camera that reads the contrast fairly well and is, of course, not as fickle as sunlight (or lack thereof).

There  in my cave are the recently finished sets and singles to be listed on Etsy, Zibbet etc.  This has been a fairly productive week and I am pleased to get stuff moving along.  I love to look at the colours all together and notice that this week, red and pink with blue featured prominently.  Some stuff has been sitting around while I thought about it, some for quite a while.

Some flat connectors which have been popular....

More pod sets, I'm still loving the exploration of surface...
Will soon vary the forms a little...

Some sculptural 3 dimensional pods - not every one's cup of tea, but fun to look at!

And rough, but also moving along, is my prototype toggle, very rough and it hasn't been colored yet, but I'm going to finish and use it myself to see how it functions - the first shot is together, obviously ,and the second shows the independent bits.

Have some more ideas along this line - I guess I'll see what happens!
Off the the bead table  Wednesday group on Flickr to see what's happening.