friday i'm in love...

August 10, 2018 Arlene Giddings

* Driving down random dirt roads and finding a whole bunch of cows who seem to be as curious about the random girl with the camera and loud music as she was about them...

* I know nothing about football (or hockey...or baseball...or rugby...well...sports in general...)but this kid! I couldn't stop watching.

* I so can't wait to see this! :)

* Fresh string beans...tomatoes...cucumbers...sigh. All the things I love to put salt on.

* I have been saying this all along.

* Being home for this today...so weird, Mother Nature...pull it together.

* Finding fantastic new Instagram accounts to follow as a result of #augustbreak

wordless wednesday - #augustbreak - sky

August 8, 2018 Arlene Giddings

#augustbreak2018 - 5 facts about me

August 7, 2018 Arlene Giddings

1. This is how I take a lot of photos...by climbing on the roof of my car
balancing myself on the open door. One of these days, this is not going to
end well for me. Because.....

2. I am not that coordinated.

3. Sometimes when something makes me happy and I think no one is
looking, I clap my hands...really hard and really fast. Just for a second or two.
Sometimes I do it in public without thinking...and that's a little embarrassing.

4. I sing in the car. Loud. To everything. (and bonus fact...I can't sing a note.
I sing like I talk...somewhat monotone. Heh.)

and yeah...I love ice cream...like...LOVE ice cream.

5. I didn't get my driver's license until I was 36....but now, I LOVE to drive.
I hate when someone else is driving. I just want to drive all the time...and sing really loud.
I am not sure that that I am a fun driving companion.

if you want to know more about #augustbreak
check it out over here!
you can play along on instagram, facebook or your own blog! :)

whatcha readin'? {book 19::goal 24}

August 6, 2018 Arlene Giddings

In all honesty, I struggled a bit with this book.
I didn't really like it at the beginning, I found she had a
funny way with words that was sort of throwing me off.

I did like it more as I got further into it but,
seriously, it was a little too gritty and gruesome for me.

If I had read this when I was younger, I may have been more
enthralled...kind of the same way I was with the story of Charles Manson
and how people...girls...blindly followed him
whereas now, I just get irritated with the whole idea.

All in all, I thought it was good and after I finished it,
I did mark it as 4 hearts so I must have liked it but
I finished it back in May so I am wondering why my notes
don't seem to match up with my rating. This is what happens
when I don't blog about it right away.
:)

4 out of 5 ♥♥♥♥♥'s

NEXT UP: FIERCE KINGDOM - GIN PHILLIPS

lazy rainy sundaze...

August 5, 2018 Arlene Giddings

it has been a bit of a
rainy sunday...
the sun seems to be trying to
push its way out of the clouds now
but for most of the day,
i have found myself inside...
with extra time on my hands.

i haven't been doing any doodling.

at first, it was because, a while back,
i had some very strange dizzy spells...
or maybe vertigo...
kind of like hangover bed spins
but without the fun the night before.

eventually, they decreased in severity
but seemed to come back when i would
look down which meant
i couldn't write, doodle and even taking photos
with the big camera was difficult.

i did go to the doctor
but it was about 3 weeks after the worst of it...
she did some neurological tests
and everything seemed to be ok
although i was still getting dizzy quite often at the time.

but...long story short...
i seem to feel fine now!
but then
it was so sunny and warm outside
that i just couldn't seem to make myself
sit inside at the desk and play
until today...

so here's a little fairy.
:)
i feel a little rusty but also kind of excited to get back to
paper and pen and watercolors again.

also, i am playing along with an instagram challenge
that susannah conway has created
called #augustbreak
which has daily prompts...it's been a long time
since i have done one of these and so far,
i am really enjoying it!
if you are on instagram, check it out!

and...just a few photos from North Rustico...
my sister in law & her husband recently invited us to stay
at a cottage with them for a night or two...
which meant some early morning shots of flowers
(there were other photos taken but alcohol-driven-dance-offs
are not so pretty the next day...)

and...because today is today...
and this weighs heavy on my mind...
don't drink and drive.
call a cab, a friend, your mom, your friend's mom...
sleep on someone's couch, walk home, hitch a ride...
call your ex, your buddy, the next door neighbor, your mailman...
whatever...
just don't drink and drive.

(i like to remember her best on her birthday...
this day only makes me sad for what could have been...)