Well I've been working on a painting off and on all day! I seem to be inspired to paint Sandpipers again and I always seem to go back to them. Actually it's a painting study of five Sanderlings in motion, all facing the same direction running along together!. I have such a fondness for them...

I had a music meeting with Melissa first thing in the morning, then off to the Post Office to mail two paintings, then home to get some laundry done. Roger is staining the steps on the side of the house but found time to download pictures of Devan's choir concert last Friday afternoon. Here are a couple of pictures:

My sweet Devan. Noah and his Dad, Gerard, are in the background.

Gerard, Noah and Devan at the choir concert.

You tube Video of Devan and the "You Gotta Sing Choir":  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gR03UqITTzo

Well today was so beautiful, sunny and not a cloud in the sky! We were up early to take a friend to a hospital appointment in Halifax. Then back to do work on a painting before beginning some outdoor yard work. Then I "supervised" Roger (he he!) while he washed the siding on the front of the house with a hose and cleaning attachment! It involved using a ladder to get to the siding above the front porch. Great job done and the house looks lovely and clean... and no one fell off the ladder!! Then it was lunch and off to choir practice! Always a joy! Next, it was a trip to our favorite nursery to get some basil to plant in a tub. We love making pesto with it! Of course I couldn't pass up some beautiful red geraniums, only $4.00/pot! What is it about planting and working with the soil on a warm sunny day that makes one feel so great?!. It elevates the spirit and made me feel wonderful! I took a couple pictures. Here they are:

Roger planting his basil!

Beautiful gardening day! : )

Now the mystery. I found a post-it note on the wall of my sunroom. "If a man who cannot count finds a four-leaf clover, is he lucky?" Hmmm.. who left that?? I do suspect someone!!   (not Roger's writing!)

Lovely day today! The morning was beautiful with bright sun rising, making me conscious of all the crisp colours and shadows which snaked before me on my walk. Had breakfast out with Scott and lunch out with Angela, my daughter-in-law! Simply lovely! I got lots of walking in too, so that was good! Angela dropped me off at home after lunch as a friend was waiting for me. My friend and I had a chat and cleared up some issues and I felt a great love for her.
I did some painting this afternoon in between laundry and ironing. I felt drawn to painting some Piping Plovers on a 6" x 10" paper. They are the sweetest little birds ever and I have rarely seen them, since they are so protected now. Thank goodness too, because it would be the saddest thing to lose them. Essentially their beach environment is protected so that the young can be raised without human interference. : ) 
Yesterday Roger and I walked on the Salt Marsh trail for the first time this year. We watched a bald eagle trying to steal a fish from an Osprey . The Osprey was being chased and they were swooping and diving and finally the Bald Eagle left and another one came and started chasing the Osprey. We felt it was tag teaming!! : )  I've never painted a Bald Eagle or an Osprey for that matter!

Eagles first started visiting Kings County during the winter months to feed on
shellfish found along the Bay of Fundy mud flats. Eastern Kings County is home
to approximately 90% of the Poultry Producers in Nova Scotia and local farmers
started to compliment the eagle’s diet by throwing chicken scraps in their fields.
Although a bird of prey, the eagles were not about to pass up a free meal. The
birds would soon learn just when to gather for feeding times and would start
 showing up in big numbers. 
 As the number of eagles gathering for feeding time grew, many people would
come to the area to see them. More and more came until the idea of a special
Eagle Watch was set up in Sheffield Mills. Today the area holds the record for
the largest wintering population of Bald Eagles in North America with over 500
birds recorded. Thousands of people from all over North America come each winter
to view, photograph and capture the beautiful sight of these birds in their
artwork. (taken from Sheffield Mills Eagle Watch)

Here is my grandson Julian's choir and they recently had a concert~ My son Scott dropped in with videos and pictures for me! So nice to see him on this dreary day. We've had so much rain! This afternoon I meet up with my Seniors choir  for another Christmas practice. So much fun!

Here is Julian accepting a choir award! He goes to Acadia university in the fall. : ) My father graduated from Acadia sixty two years ago and later was a professor there. Nice that Julian is following in his academic footsteps... : )

We said goodbye to our wonderful guests from Ontario, Terry and Barb. Barb is an artist who works in oils. It was wonderful to compare notes and styles in painting and we had a nice chat last night! This is one of her paintings which is 48" x 48". I think she is interested in getting a website up and running and is considering Weebly, since I went on and on about it! Although initially I complained bitterly over my other host site, Posterous, shutting down, I really do like working on this site and recommend it to anyone for being user friendly! Back to Barb and her painting, she gave me this interesting gallery site:  http://nancyjohns.com/events/past-events/forty-eight-x-forty-eight-exhibition/

Here we are into June already. Half a year gone! Petals are falling off the tulips and the magnolias. Now we're admiring the blossoms on the fruit trees! It is  our 80th Apple Blossom Festival in the Valley today. Above is a photo of our Queen Annapolisa.

 We've had a lot of rain this Spring and the grass and leaves seem to be particularly green and lush this year! Very beautiful! We are enjoying the birds at the feededers. Lots of chickadees and Bluejays. We're hopeful chickadees are nesting again in our birdhouse.

We've now begun Christmas music with the Senior's Choir. Nice to have the Christmas spirit in June! I can tell the members are enthusiastic as many have come forward with solo and duet ideas, some even bringing in music!  It gets hot in the hall when we practice so we have to open an outside door for relief. I personally think it's a great way to advertise the choir as our music drifts out into the street! We'll practice weekly until the end of June and then take a break for July and August..

I've been interested in painting ducklings just lately. I'm thinking I may paint an idea for one this afternoon. I get ideas in my head but fortunately not at night anymore! There have been times when I've had to get up and sketch or write down my thoughts! Then it's hard to get back to sleep!
Off to church soon, so I must get ready. Looking forward to our Ward choir and the practice for "O Holy Jesus", a very beautiful piece!