I was gifted an awesome journal for Christmas last year; Picadilly’s 200 Writing Prompts. I am still working my way through it! I wanted to share my most recent entry with you…
Agatha Christie: The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah
“Hercule Poirot is travelling by luxury passenger coach from London to the exclusive Kingfisher Hill estate. Richard Devonport has summoned him to prove that his fiancée, Helen, is innocent of the murder of his brother, Frank. There is one strange condition attached to this request: Poirot must conceal his true reason for being there from the rest of the Devonport family.
On the coach, a distressed woman leaps up, demanding to disembark. She insists that if she stays in her seat, she will be murdered. A seat-swap is arranged, and the rest of the journey passes without incident. But Poirot has a bad feeling about it, and his fears are later confirmed when a body is discovered in the Devonports’ home with a note that refers to ‘the seat that you shouldn’t have sat in’.
Could this new murder and the peculiar incident on the coach be clues to solving mystery of who killed Frank Devonport? And can Poirot find the real murderer in time to save an innocent woman from the gallows?” –Agatha Christie Wiki
I was gifted an awesome journal for Christmas last year; Picadilly’s 200 Writing Prompts. I am still working my way through it! I wanted to share my most recent entry with you…
For the majority of this year my fitness routine was centered around rehabilitation for my broken ankle. I am nearing the one year mark of my accident and feeling much stronger. I used to use the NTC app all the time; and I’m happy to say I am back on it.
According to holidayinsights.com, World Art Day, “is an international celebration of the fine arts. Sponsored by the International Association of Arts (IAA), the goal of this day, is to appreciate art in general, and to spread world-wide enthusiasm and awareness for the arts… April 15th was chosen as it is Leonard da Vinci’s birthday.”
As an art teacher, I thought it would be a fun day to celebrate not only with my students but also my awesome readers.
Some ways to celebrate as suggested by holidayinsights.com include the following…
Exhibits include… Tiffany Shaw: Edmonton River Valley Byron Samson (Mistikonȃpȇw): Place of Honour Maud Lewis Inheritance Animal Architects Damian Moppett: Untitled Abstract Drawing in Space Water-Wise, River Breath: Reframing design’s role with water Sidney Kelsie: Right in Your Own Backyard Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From
The AGA also offers many educational opportunities for students which include, in-person tours, in-person studio sessions, full day programs, virtual conversations about exhibits and virtual studio sessions.
2. Participate in the creation of art. =I usually like to give my artists choice in terms of the projects and media they use. This year the kids are going to make Pablo Picasso Portraits.
3. Teach kids about art. =My classes always love the ‘Art Thief Webquest’ activity; they get to do some research. I usually pair this activity by showing them a video about the “World’s Most Expensive Paintings” (This one is from 2014 but other updated versions can be found on YouTube, or you can have the kids look up current prices)
4. Purchase a piece of art. =Since we just did a renovation in our basement and are still decorating; this suggestion is right up my alley. There are lots of great pieces by local artists available at spring markets, which I look forward to frequenting but until then I found this cool print at Ikea; Pjätteryd
5. Appreciate ‘art’ all around you. =We can all do this everyday; find the beauty in the chaos. Art comes in all shapes and sizes and sometimes can be found in the most unexpected places.
6. Help support the arts/artists. =You can donate to local artists and facilities by accessing CanadaHelps.org or larger nationwide ones like..
I was gifted an awesome journal for Christmas last year; Picadilly’s 200 Writing Prompts. I am still working my way through it! I wanted to share my most recent entry with you…
Today is National Pet Day; there is nothing in this world I love more than my fur babies; my three cats and my beast of a black lab. I noticed that my dog is going grey around his mouth –it really hit me that he is 5 years old… he is no longer a puppy.
We have always talked about getting a second dog; we want to have another bird dog trained by the time our current dog retires, not dies, but retires. After seeing his breeder at the Outdoor Show last month; adding to our family has been constantly on my mind.
Are we ready for a new puppy?
I spent some time on the American Kennel Club website to find out. They encourage you to reflect on the following questions…
1. Is your current dog out of puppyhood and completely trained and bonded to you? =Our dog is out of puppyhood and completely trained; he spent 5 months with his breeder learning how to be a solid waterfowl dog and an obedient family pet. He is 100% bonded to myself and my husband –my husband moreso. We feel that since our dog is at a good age where he would tolerate an energetic pup and continue to fulfil his role in our business and family while still maintaining his connection to us.
2. What’s the age of your current dog? =The suggestion is that a dog be around 1-2 years of age before adding a second. He is still in very good shape and still ‘young at heart.’ I feel like the longer we wait he won’t be as tolerant of a young pup. 3. What kind of dog do you want to add to the pack? =We want to add another waterfowling lab (preferable black or chocolate) to the pack. We would love to actually have him bred; it would be really cool to have a pup that is related to our current dog. We would go back to his breeder and make sure that she picks a dog that suits our needs. It is recommended that you get dogs of opposite sex however, we would have to be careful because our dog is “in tact.” On the other hand, two males could potentially result in a different dynamic to deal with as well. 4. Do you have any big events or projects coming up? =I have summers off and breaks throughout the year; my husband works 1 week on and 1 week off. Between the two of use our dogs wouldn’t be alone often–they would have our love, attention, the ability to provide fairly consistent training and socialization. 5. Is your family onboard? =Yes, however, I think it is hard for my husband to think about our dog getting older and retiring. 6. Can you handle the additional cost? =Yes, we have equipment from when our first dog was a puppy and training. We purposely built our dog run larger so that it would be a comfortable space for multiple dogs. Vet insurance makes procedures cheaper at the vet. We also realize that our budget for food, will double. We have already talked about sending the new dog to the breeder for training; this is expensive, however, it is a major benefit to us, our current dog and our business. It is a worthwhile investment to have a well trained dog.
I also took a quiz at “The Dog People,” and we are ready!
