Friday, January 31, 2014

O Wondrous Day...

 
 
 

      YESTERDAY  - it snowed, and snowed and snowed. 

Winter had got lonely for us, - feeling sorry for himself, having been banished to the hills and the ski slopes.

He decided to pay one last visit - at least we hope it was the last time before he decides to move on!


 


 TODAY.......

 
 
 
and the sun has now reached the point where it skims the top of the mountain further along to the west, giving us twenty minutes more sunshine before it hides behind an outcropping.It makes my heart flutter and the garden tips I read on Facebook even more seductive.I finished the digital album I have been working on, looking for pictures in all the strange places they hide in my computer (because of my poor housekeeping) - thoroughly frustrated!
Maybe that's why the sun came back.....
 
O Wondrous Day!!
 
 
 
 
 
 


Monday, January 27, 2014

ABC Wednesday

The letter is C this week

Here is Marc Chagall, a Russian artist, born in 1887 the eldest of nine children. 

 
I have chosen the glorious Chagall Windows in the Hadassah Hospital in Israel to represent C,
the ones about which Marc Chagall said in 1962

"This is my modest gift to the Jewish people who have always dreamt of biblical love, friendship and of peace among all peoples.  This is my gift to that people which lived here thousands of years ago among the other Semitic people".

The light that emanates from these windows bathes the Abbell Synagogue at the Hadassah University Medical Centre in a special glow. The sun filters through the brilliant colors of the stained glass capturing their radiance and even in the misty haze of a cloudy day 'Chagall's genius transforms time and space'

 
Every pane is said to be a microcosm of Chagall's world, of his love for his people and his deep sense of identification with Jewish history.


 
Each window is dominated by a specific color and contains a quotation from the individual blessing on Jacob's twelve sons and Moses' blessing on the twelve tribes.



 
The Synagogue was dedicated in the presence of the artist on February 6, 1962.
as part of Hadassah's Golden Anniversary Celebration.
 
Click here to see other interesting representation of the letter C
with thanks to Roger and Denise and all their helpers who come and read your contribution.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Sunday

Off to church this morning with a peach pie and an apple pie, - my contributions for the pot luck luncheon we were having after the service to feed the Archbishop, who was coming to see how our little Anglican worshipping community is doing after our union with the United Church of Canada fell apart.
 
 I did not make these pies, but bought them from the ladies at the Mountain View Manor, an independent living facility which has marvelous pie sales at random times during the year to make money for little extras for having fun, - like the Wii, which provides wonderful exercise,  and the big flat screen TV whose remote is probably responsible for a fair amount of quibbling.......
I had to be driven to the church on account of not being able to walk the half a block of icy road laden down with pies. but coming home the sky was blue, the sun was out, the ice was melting and my neighbor from two doors down walked with me and we had a lovely chat and enjoyed the weather and the results of our time with the Archbishop.  That a small congregation of 15 should move the Archbishop to come to visit says something, - but I'm not sure what.  Probably that he feels some loving concern for us, as Archbishops are supposed to do.

He is a very personable fellow, and the ladies of the parish were all quite impressed with his gallantry when he made the rounds of the tables with the coffee and tea, replenishing each cup.

I can remember when the Bishop used to travel his Diocese with a Crucifer and maybe a Warden or two, and seemed to be a very lofty chap who impressed small children and young people but John travels by himself  and it was a pleasant and relaxing hour over lunch.

I spent the afternoon reading, sitting by the window where the sun shines through, starting off with more of Gerald Durrell as I finished the sequel to My Family and Other Animals (Birds, Beasts and Relatives) and then moved on to 'Justine' of the Alexandria Quartet.  I am wanting to finish this book while I am incapacitated with my wrist (which is healing nicely, thank you) but the print is so fine and the pages so many that spring might come before I am done, or the seed and flower catalogues might distract me and devastate my good intentions.

Tomorrow the weather man is promising sunshine - probably just a smidgin, but hopefully enough that I can hitch a ride to our old garden and see if the forsythia is have thoughts of budding, and if it is I will bring great bunches of dry sticks home and fill the house with glorious golden bloom - eventually!