Happy Holidays !

Dear readers and visitors of my blog,

I wish you a wonderful Christmas celebrations - to all who observe it!

Mixed feelings

I know that time to be getting ready for the holidays and the winter weather is here.

Cayo Coco, Cuba

Since I started my blog, I haven't been absent for such a long time. I'm alive and well, and I even had a vacation in Cuba. I have been following all of your blogs, but in the last two months, I haven't had the ability and opportunity to write. I myself find it surprising. I hope that soon I will find some inspiration, and then I will post more often.

Thoughts on Things

The water is thinking, how wonderful it is to flow rather than to be still!

Victory is mine

My kitchen renovation is complete. The walls are the ceiling are now as straight and even as they can be. There are many little moments that could be adjusted - there are no curtains, kitchen island, door handles, and a few other things. However, this kitchen is quite ready to cook and live in.

The renovation continues: I have lost track of the days

Our contractor checks the quality of his work from time to time and makes these marks. Our renovation continues.

Kitchen Renovation - Days 4 and 5

 Photo from the Internet.

We are at the middle point of our project.

Kitchen Renovation - Day 3

This house was built in the 1930s. It's interesting to see - in the 2010s - what it is made of.

Kitchen Renovation - Day 2

Kitchen Renovation - Day 1

Things Recently

In our neighbourhood,next to one fairy dull house, there is a real British phone booth. How cool is that?

Between blue and green

I really like the shades between blue and green. In the summer, they stir the imagination and remind one of wonderful Caribbean vacations. I think about those quite often, because, over the last little while, I've had to repair quite a lot of things in my house, and completely change even more. The renovations continue, and the Caribbean, at the moment, is something to dream of.

It was 12:30 in Toronto

Now I can give instructions on how to crash the party of a 20-year-old guy in Toronto. You need to have a great camera. You need to have some insider friends among those who are celebrating. Preferably, this insider will have forgotten the keys to his place, and his parents happen to be your friends. Of course, you need to be coming back from a great party yourself, in order to look tired, but not too tired; well-dressed, but moderately so. With a little glint in your eye, hungry for adventure.

A Home You'd Like To Return To

This summer has turned out to be a very busy one.  I am grateful to all who continue reading my blog and commenting. These photos are from the previous weekend, when we went to visit our friends. Their house is such that you would like to return to again and again.

Summer Is Here

The main colours around me right now are - believe it or not - red and green. Last week, we celebrated Canada Day. We went on an outing to a resort. Our way was temporarily blocked by a little parade dedicated to the day. I liked all the characters that were present there. They were enthusiastic, outrageously cute, and possessed an infectious love for life.

How to Measure Time

Now I know a way to measure time.

Their Secret Lives

It is the season when their lives has become public. In reality, the majority of their lives are spent in secret. They entertain their guests, dance often, drink morning dew, and don't even realize that, one day, the summer will end. We are the ones who witness their lives.

Other People's Cats

You won't see any photos of my cat in this post. This is all other people's cats. However, the longer I live with our adopted cat, Deniska, the more I'm glad that, at one point in time, we have taken him from the shelter. I can see that love is able to perform miracles. I think that his next step would be to learn how to actually speak to us - that's how extraordinary his personality is.

The Royal Botanical Gardens, and Some Latest News

What a pleasure that our electricians have finished working on the second floor. Now, them and I have decided to take a break from each other.

Treasures, Contractors, Mother's Day, and More

First of all, I would like to both thank and apologize to everyone who visits my blog and leaves such nice comments. It really helps me in my current situation, which I will elaborate on a little later.

It's Beautiful Day

It is a beautiful day here in Toronto!

An Unexpected Guest

Today, we had an unexpected guest. At first, I heard the sound of claws going up the wall outside the house. I took a photo from the window, but the guest became shy, and ran off into the garden. I took my camera, and went over to photograph him from the deck

My Recent Creation

I have finished knitting a new project. After that, I decided to do a triumphant dance to the sound of Petit Beteau & Garance Doré.

When Daydreams Catch Us Unawares

Very often, we might see snippets of our daydreams in art or an unexpected place - even in the most ordinary situation. Although our everyday routines are always following us, we should leave a moment to let something unexpected visit our minds, and then we can really daydream.

I love you, Honey Bunny

No bunnies were harmed during the photoshoot.

High Park - Cherry Blossom Time

Finally, cherry blossoms are here to delight us in Toronto's High Park. It was a special day when we managed to see them. It happened yesterday; we arrived there when it was almost evening, and it was foggy all around us. I noticed that all the most familiar places look more mysterious in the fog. Despite the fact that it was after 6, there were many people, who were enjoying the delicate aroma of the blossoms, and the intricate feeling of the beauty that could vanish at any moment.

Happy Orthodox Easter!

Happy Easter to all those celebrate Orthodox Easter! I wish you all beautiful weather, a wonderful mood, and for all your loved ones to be with you.

This Weekend

Happy Easter !

I'd like to wish my friends a Happy Easter, if you're celebrating it this week!

I wish you all a gleeful time.

Yesterday and Today

Some of my previous posts have been a little too optimistic on the subject of spring already coming to Canada. Although it's easy to get excited at the first signs of its arrival.

Stripes

The theory that a black stripe in life is followed by a white stripe is very calming. I think that not everything is so certain, and that stripes can be multi-coloured. What do you think?

Homeowners in Canada

(The above picture is neither of me, nor of my family)

Homeowners in Canada – it’s a special type, clan, class, department, or order of people – call them what you will – united by one noble and very important idea; to find joy in this process, despite all the time, effort, energy, and material expenses that having a house takes up. I would define this process as a mission.

Friday Mix

Happy weekend!

Sleepless in Toronto. Monday

How often do we use the experience of other people? How often is it really useful to us? I've thought about it for a while, and came to the conclusion that I really love listening to the experiences of other people but, in real life, it is often useless. It's not that I'm stubbornly trying to start everything from a blank page. Even knowing about concrete situations, in which a person acted a certain way, something pushes me in my own direction.

Spring: the Early Days

Hooray! Spring is almost here! It's not that this winter was too harsh or snowy; or brought a lot of troubles, but it did last a little too long. It feels like, the moment it's March 1, everything is ready to greet the arrival of spring. I, personally, am absolutely ready. However, March is still going to tease us with the ghost of winter and unpredictable weather patterns.

How to Spice Up Your Husband's Life

After Saint Valentine, having worked so hard and lost all common sense, flew away to relax at an angelic spa (with meditative music, fragrant flowers, soft white robes and cleanliness), real life has claimed back its rights. One of the common elements of real life is actions, which you may regret, either later on, or immediately after carrying them out. Some of these actions can be classified as the easiest methods for getting on your husband's nerves. They include, but are not limited to:
1. Secretly knitting him this trendy sweater, and making him wear it in public.

Moments of Life

While the colours of my walls are still whimsical, I've decided to use them in the most effective way.

Every Day Is Valentine's Day

I'd like to wish all of you who celebrate Valentine's Day a happy one. I have decided long ago that it's best not to wait for the actual date, but to find it in your life every day. Sometimes, the help of Saint Valentine is very necessary, especially in those moments of misunderstandings. That's when flowers, chocolates, and kisses can be of great assistance.

The Feeling of Living in Your Own House is Totally Different

The Colours of the Walls

The latest news: today, we have received the keys to our house. Tomorrow is our grand move. If only our movers would arrive on time, because we've been warned by our friends that they are notorious for showing up late, if at all.

Once Upon a Time

Quite a few events have taken place over the course of this first month of the new year. A little too many for my taste. I prefer a gentler flow of time. I like to be able to observe the rays of the sun as they glide across my tablecloth. One such ray stumbles upon a teacup or a tangerine. It freezes for a moment. Then it jumps over the object, and continues on its way. With all the concerns that I have had to settle in the last little while, I haven't even been able to find a moment to visit High Park. And that should tell you a lot. My stress levels are pretty high at the moment.

Many thanks to all those who are leaving me comments and visiting my blog. I promise that, after a bit of time, I will answer all of your questions. And, of course, I will recall our move from Moscow to Toronto, once upon a time.

Happy New Year to all those who celebrate the Chinese New Year.

A Сouple of Things, and a Thought

If you start packing up the things you have acquired over the course of 11 years, you're bound to make some interesting and unexpected discoveries.

I have found the shoes that I had brought from Moscow, which you can now safely call vintage. I even thought "What if, instead of a Little Red Riding Hood, there was a Little Red Shoes? The fairy tale would have a completely different ending".

Eat, Pray, Pack