Latin

Today we break the record for the most consecutive dry days in Autumn set in 1954. We likely won’t have rain until Saturday. 

Today will be like yesterday; I’ll work on both leaves and the armature.

The new satin finish varnish makes the leaves look much  nicer than they look with a gloss finish. I’m gluing wire to each leaf with which I’ll attach them to a long string of white LED lights that will illuminate my entrance path by casting light through my large living room window. I’ll lay my creation along the sill of the window.

And the armature is really coming along! I’m thrilled with it. But I’m a long way from finished and until I coat it with paper, a photo is pointless. I absolutely love the work. It’s amazing to see an idea become three-dimensional. It’s going to be a joy to decorate when I am done.

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If you now anyone who says, “at this point in time,” instead of, “now,” here are some really great phrases to share to aid in their quest to sound ... what? Intelligent? (Me? Judgemental?)

Noli me vocare, ego te vocabo.

Don't call me, I'll call you.

Fac ut gaudeam.

Make my day.

Radix lecti

Couch potato

Mellita, domi adsum.

Honey, I'm home.

Fac ut vivas.

Get a life.

Sona si Latine loqueris.

Honk if you speak Latin.

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I’m off to walk with Her Highness. Then I’ll come home to work on my crafting and do some baking. There’s Apple pie and then there’s Mutsu Apple pie. It’s the best Apple pie I have ever eaten and I have enough Apples for two more pies.

Do you know much about Apples? My grade five teacher got me interested and later in life my passion for the story of Apples got me a writing gig for a local grocery market chain. Theirs, is a fascinating story.

What I love about the story is that the fruit, in all its varieties, that we love so much are “mistakes.” The Apples we eat are genetic mutations discovered serendipitously and then replicated through cloning. You can’t grow an Apple from seed. Their story astonished me and introduced me to one of my favourite “heroes,” Luther Burbank.

More Durrells

What a surprise! There’s not a cloud in the sky this morning. I had no idea more glorious weather was in store for us. Today, we will tie the record set in the early 1950s for the most consecutive days without rain during Autumn. 

The sunshine fills me with energy and I have lots to do. I’ll definitely work on both the armature and the leaves. I have enough wire to finish the frame for the figurine I want to make and new varnish with a flat finish for the leaves.

Sheba and I walked with our small group this morning, nice and warm. And tonight will end with a spa in the dark. I’m still not used to early-onset darkness, but tonight will likely be as clear as was last night and it’s a privilege to be so warm and cozy and relaxed under the stars here. With no streetlights, we get excellent clear bright nights and it’s easy to see starts, the International Space Station (I’ve seen it once) and the Aurora Boralis (also only once). Night spas are gorgeous!

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Relocating the bird feeders has brought daily orgasms of ecstasy to Fred and Ethel, both of whom now live on my office windowsill. It’s mere meters from the objects of their obsession. Their tales twitch and knock against the wooden sill as the birds, big and small, dance, argue and gorge in the sunshine. 

Pairs of one species of small birds like to fly in a tight, tight intertwining circle together, straight up and then down again. Their flight path, if drawn, would likely resemble a double helix. When one occurs, Fred and Ethel cackle and “bark” their enthusiasm.

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This is how my days now go: I varnish leaves, build my armature and read Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand.  Life could not be better. I move from joy to joy through the day and then climb into the spa before dinner. After eating, I do more on the leaves or armature, then I read in bed before turning off the light. 

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The Durrells in Corfu  was perfect entertainment for me. The screenplay was a delight; each character was wonderfully unique and the dialogue was brilliantly witty. The acting was faultless, the scenery, absolutely delicious. Apparently, this coming Sunday on PBS, Keely Hawes hosts a program about the real-life family. Here’s a link to the trailer.

  

Supplies Supplied

Look at that colour (above)! The leaves are off the Japanese Maple that is growing in my courtyard. I have three more that are more wine coloured; this one is really fire engine red.

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I didn’t go to see Patsy this morning after all. She’s very busy renovating her home to accommodate life only on her lower floor. 

Patsy’s been my guide since I moved here. She was the only person on the island whom I knew (slightly) when I arrived. I met her through my friend, Beth; we all worked professionally in the theatre in our glory days. And she’s single—my favourite kind of person; I can call her up and meet her at Drumbeg Park for Champagne at Happy Hour.

This past summer she got a truly horrific diagnosis; hence, the renos. I’ll wait to see her later in the week.

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I felt antsy yesterday and this morning; I’ve been restless, slightly despairing over having nothing to do. But that feeling’s gone now because the wire I ordered arrived today, and I got some satin-finish Varathane. Now I’ve lots to do; I can get back to work on my armature and varnish some more leaves.

This is a meringue sculpture! Yum!