Thursday, October 7, 2010

Things I Like to Do

Lona of A Hocking Hill’s Garden wrote an interesting post on 10 things that she like to do.   I enjoyed her list and was just about to make a comment on how I liked her post when I noticed that she put the challange out to a few more bloggers to do the same.  To my surprise I was on the list.    At first I went NO WAY!! and then I thought oh what the heck.   Everyone should know how shallow I really am so if you are ready here I go.   In no particular order of importance:
1.    I love to read.    I usually have two or three books that I have my head into at any given time.   One needs to be a good story. My family when I was growing up were readers. Whenever we went on vacation I think we emptied the library out.  My own family have not found the love of reading.   I love to curl up in bed at the end of the day and read.   I don’t get past a couple of chapters before I conk out but it is my way of winding down.    I spend too much time at the computer.
Books I am Reading
2   I love to bake.    I love to eat it too unfortunately.    I am not a Martha.  It doesn’t have to be fancy. I like to make pies but cookies and quick breads are good too.   I don’t do as much of it as I used to. The kids have moved away and hubby isn’t into baked goodies.  I have to keep myself out of it as I can put weight on by looking at it.   But if I am asked to bake for an event I pitch right in.   The last thing I baked was last week.   I write a newsletter for my Horticulture Society and it was requested that a member’s Grandmother’s Tomatoe Soup Cake be included.   So,  I baked the cake and took a picture of it for the recipe.   It was quite delicious and moist and so easy to make.
Close up Tomatoe Cake
3.  Photography is a real interest to me.   I have always taken pictures but usually with an point and shoot on automatic setting.   In the year or so my husband and I purchased a Canon XSI.   At first I was intimidated by it but as I began to use it I fell in love with it.   I have taken some classes to learn the various aspects of how to take good pictures.  I am enrolled in one now for the next 8 weeks.  We purchased a macro and a telephoto lens.   The macro I use mainly for flowers and the telephoto is to capture the birds.
IMG_3503
4.   Shopping is something I like to do.    I like to get out to the shops and look at what is new.  I love shoes.  I don’t dress in the latest fashion but like  good classics.    Every year at this time my friend Shirley and  I would join the Mann sisters for a weekend in Buffalo for three days of shop till you drop and then drag ourselves home exhausted only to do it again in the fall of the next year.  We had so much fun.  My friend Shirley passed away this year at 57.   I miss her.
beeded sandles
Yeah they are big.  Size 10.  
5.   I enjoy going to the theatre.   My friend Shirley and I had a subscription to the Royal Alexander Theatre in Toronto.   We saw 6 shows a year.   Some of the big ones and some not.  Most of the them truly enjoyable.  We had the same seat if we were in the Royal Alex all the time and would meet the same people in the row each time.   Our husbands hated the theatre and could not understand why we would want to spend our Saturday afternoon there.   We made a day out of shopping at the Eaton’s Centre, lunch with a nice glass of wine and then the show.  
6. The Sandbox I like for the most part.  We have lived her for going on 24 years and I have enjoyed playing in the dirt here.   Oh, I do wish for clay soil once in a while but every year I add a few more plants and edge the beds out further.  I love to watch the birds in the backyard. We had our property certified as a Wildlife Habitat.  Horticulture is a relatively new thing to me in the last 12years. I took some courses and joined groups of like minded people and have enjoyed making things grow and educating the community on good gardening practices. 
7. I like to have a nice lunch out with my friends.   It is great fun to have a lunch not made by me and add a sinful dessert to the mix.  I enjoy the catching up with a few laughs with good friends talking about anything under the sun.
Jump on Spring 2-09
I know I am going to hear about this pic.   The geek on the end right is moi.    Judith  is in there LavenderCottageGardening and Jennifer  AGardenofThreads, two great friends,   taken a couple of years ago at the Toronto Botanical Garden.
9.   I like to spend time with my family and especially the man I married 40 years ago.
10.   Do I have to say I like the gym.  Well that would be a lie.   I need to go to the gym but I don’t especially like it.  I like my Trainer Filomena but she makes me work harder than I want to just to keep me from falling apart.  
Okay I hope you are not bored.   I told you I was shallow.  
I hope that the following bloggers will also participate.  I am anxious to read their favourite things.  All you Canadians out there have a wonderful Thanksgiving.   Valerie
Will you join me? 
Judith @ LavenderCottageGardening.blogspot.com
Jennifer @ AGardenofthreads.blogspot.com
Linda @ CraftyGardener.blogspot.com
Carolyn @ warrengrovegarden.blogspot.com
Di@ theblueridgegal.com
NatureGirl @ nature-trail.blogspot.com
Bush Bernie@BushBernie.blogspot.com
Georgianna@georgiannalane.blogspot.com
Lori E@ familytreesmaycontainnuts.com
MaryLou@misformaga.blogspot.com

Rules:
  Post who invites you
List the Things you like to do
Invite 10 bloggers to participate

8 comments:

Unknown said...

You ladies all look gorgeous!
Happy Thanksgiving to all Canadian neighbors.
Have a great weekend.
TTFN ~ Hugs, Marydon

Kate/High Altitude Gardening said...

Hey! I want those sandals. :)) A fun list from top to bottom.

A Garden of Threads said...

Hi Val, Great list. Now I have to post 10 things about me. LOL

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Hi Val
This looks like fun! I don't remember that picture being taken, but we're down at the TBG enough.
My Dad's favourite cake was my mother's tomato soup with cream cheese icing - not many people have heard of it so glad to see you tried it.
Hope there is no time limit on the challenge; I'll have to wait until we return home to use my photos.
Happy Thanksgiving
Judith

chasity said...

that double coneflower is sooo cool!

Georgianna said...

Love your list, Val! And I LOVE seeing you with Jen and Judith – what fun!! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!! xo – g

Self Sagacity said...

Your list is fun and you are lucky to have so many wonderful friends...that blogs as well.

Judy said...

Great list...I could identify with many (including your love/hate relationship with the gym).

So sorry your sister passed away at such a young age!

Hoping You Have a Blessed Easter