caturday with...dogs

This wasn't the post I had intended to put up, but I realized that while I posted pictures of Luke's cat a few weeks ago, I haven't posted anything about my dogs.  So I'm re-inventing Caturday this week with pictures of my two canine buddies.

I currently have two dogs, and they're both whippets -- not greyhounds.  It's a bit hard to tell the difference in pictures, but they're much smaller than greyhounds.  The one with the white face is Shawn (and no, we didn't name him).  He was a show dog, and was given to us for free because he wasn't doing well in the dog shows, and he was always being bullied in the kennel by the other dogs.  He actually is the half brother of our other dog, Niles, who passed away in 2009 from a series of strokes.  But if you can't tell from that last picture, he has the biggest doe eyes, and he mostly sleeps (like a cat!), and dotes on my mom, whom he lives for.  He's about thirteen now, and has prostate cancer, but it doesn't seem to stop him.

Pip is the youngster that we got mostly to help Shawn deal with the grief of losing Niles.  When Niles died, Shawn was miserable.  He had never been without another dog before, and didn't know how to be alone if we had to go out.  So we got Pip, and at first it didn't work out the way we had hoped -- Shawn was pretty much repulsed by Pip.  But as Pip got older, they got a bit more fond of each other, but they're nothing like Shawn and Niles used to be.  I think that's okay though.  Pip is definitely his own dog; he's a total brat, although we're working him hard at obedience training.  Those spots on his nose?  They used to look like little freckles.  The only toy he can have is a plastic squeaky ball because he literally destroys everything else.  He cuddles with you only when he wants to, and likes to sleep underneath forts of couch cushions and blankets -- he'll actually ask for you to make a fort for him.  These pictures are a bit deceiving, because he is rarely this docile.

Well, there you have it!  Two of my very best friends in the world.  I'll definitely be posting more pictures of them in the future, and I'll try and scrounge up some pictures of Niles too (you see, he was a puppy in the days when we didn't even have a digital camera yet), likely in October because that was his birthday.  I also have a few more fun posts lined up for this week!

(P.S. I apologize for the lack of Wallpaper Wednesday this week, but you see I was in Toronto all day, and couldn't put one up.  I'll try and put a few extra wallpapers in next week's post.)

my first guest post!

Two posts in one day?  This never happens.  But I thought I'd let you all know that I've written my first guest post ever, on the awesome lit-centered blog, Lit Lovers & Corset Laces.  Bonnie's been on the search for Jane Eyre, and she was sweet enough to ask me to put in my two cents.  Please check it out, and take the time to read some of Bonnie's other posts.  She's a wonderful, spirited young writer, and deserves a read!


(I'm trying to be reserved and composed here, but really I'm giddy with excitement.)

beauty out of doors

Luke and I spent part of our Sunday afternoon enjoying the last vestiges of summer.  Although I long for cool autumn weather, once the noonday sun was gone, it was really lovely outside on Sunday.  So we strolled through the little backyard nature trails in his neighbourhood, and took some shots.  I was surprised at how many turned out, what with the light being so fickle.  We also fooled around with focus (or a lack there of) while we were hanging around in his room after lunch.

First shot taken by Luke

By the way, if anyone was wondering, there IS another FanExpo post coming.  I don't know why it's taken so long.  But there are a few more shots that I'd like to share of that weekend, and I will eventually get them up here.


Cheers!

a generous gift

On Wednesday, Luke and I celebrated our two year anniversary.  Well, at least we did part of our celebrations; we went out to dinner, and next week we'll be hitting up the ROM (the Royal Ontario Museum -- I'm so excited!).  It's been an incredible couple of years, and we're both looking forward to many more.  And I have to say, he gave me one of the sweetest gifts I've ever received: a vintage pocket watch -- and not just any pocket watch.  It belonged to his grandfather, who was very important to him, which I think must have made it a difficult thing to give away.  I also love that it's a wind-up watch, rather than one that runs on batteries. I took a few shots of it, along with a vintage keepsake box that I picked up, rather miraculously, for about $1.75.  It's the perfect place to keep the watch, I think, especially as I've been looking for a good use for it for about a year now.  I can't wait to find a nice long chain so I can wear it as a necklace.

As an aside, I feel I should note that in my house, there are about three places in my house that have really nice natural light, and two of those places are the seat of an armchair, and an ottoman.  I lament the lack of tables in good light.  Alas.  

wallpaper wednesday

As I was making up my wallpapers for this week, it occurred to me that this is my fourth Wallpaper Wednesday -- which means that I have indeed kept this blog for a month!  That is quite possibly a new record for me, and I feel oddly proud of myself for that fact.  This week's wallpapers don't have a particular theme; just some edits I did of shots I've taken.

Hope you like them!

childhood influences: a little princess

When I was little, there were a few movies that I watched over and over again.  Among them were such classics as All Dogs Go to Heaven, Beauty and the Beast, Secret Garden, and A Little Princess.  The latter two, film adaptations of Frances Hodgson Burnett's novels, were especially enchanting for me.  I practically knew them by heart (and still do, miraculously).  But as I was watching A Little Princess last night, it struck me suddenly how much those movies influenced me.  

Let's start with my love of chunky, ill-fitting sweaters.  I won't give the film full credit for this obsession, because it seems I have encountered them everywhere over the course of my twenty-one years, but Sara Crewe's gray sweater with her patterned nightgown has been an enduring image in my brain.  There's something artistic about it; maybe it was because Sara was such a storyteller, and I love telling stories.  Nowadays, I make beelines for the sweater sections of thrift stores, because I'm sure to discover something along these lines.  

The next fascination that came from this film was lockets.  You can only barely see it in the sweater picture, and unfortunately I couldn't find any good shots of her actual locket.  All I know is that since I started watching A Little Princess, I could not get enough of heart shaped lockets.  My mom bought me a plastic one when I was probably six, and it sang "You Are My Sunshine", which is still one of my favourite lullabies.  I have so many memories of my mom singing it to me.  But I have since moved up in the world of lockets.

My boyfriend bought this locket for me for our first Christmas together -- two years ago.  My friend had tipped him off that this was something I had wanted forever.  I absolutely love it.  I wore it everyday for quite a long time, but after the clasp started coming loose at random moments, I had to stop wearing it all the time.  The last thing I want is to lose the thing I've worked to attain for practically my entire life.  But really, it was everything I wanted in a locket.  And I especially love that it has little pink and blue flowers in it!

Obsession with big old windows with natural light coming through?  Check.  Secret desire to dance in the snow, in my nightgown?  Check.  Love of attics, even if they creep me out slightly?  Check.

As a hopelessly romantic child, Captain Crewe was more or less my ideal man.  Unabashedly kind, a good father, and classically handsome.  Although I think that last point had to do with the fact that Liam Cunningham played him.  I mean, just look at those eyebrows?  And that nose?  And that jawline?  Oh my.  I just watched him the other day in Centurion with the ever impressive Michael Fassbender.  He doesn't look much like he did in 1995, but still.  An unbelievably suave actor.

Not an obsession, but I still love this image.  And I will forever love A Little Princess.  I'm looking forward to actually reading the book, now that I have a fairly decent hardcover copy of it.  I hope the cute monkey is in it...I really hope he wasn't just a Disney invention.

Now, to re-watch Secret Garden...

Eggs in One Basket

Ahh, September has rolled around at last.  This is my favourite month of the year; there are still sunny, lovely days, but it begins to get cooler, and I get to wear all my cardigans, scarves, and jeans with boots.  Is there anything better, really?  However, it seems that this year, southern Ontario is still clinging desperately to the last vestiges of summer, because even though I went shopping this week for autumn essentials (mmm, rusty oranges, deep plum purples, and forest greens), it's been 37 Celsius for the past few days. Definitely too warm for long sleeves, and certainly too hot to drink tea.  But that hasn't really stopped me.

speckled eggs -- believe it or not, they're actually candles!

top & belt: reitmans

That there is my cherry blossom mug.  I pretty much only drink my tea out of this mug.  It's just so lovely and feminine, that I can't NOT want to drink tea out of it.  And if anyone's interested, the tea inside the mug is Creamy Earl Grey; if you haven't had it yet and you like black teas, go out and buy it!  It is the most delicious tea I have ever had.  Mmmmm.