Beauty in the Ordinary

This is not about being brilliant, or extraordinary, it's not about wanting to be famous, or making headlines, or trying to impress...this about sharing a 'gift' each day with the world...to lift the spirit of people when they read this blog, to show them the beauty in the ordinary.
"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." Raold Dahl

Friday, January 13, 2012

Climate Change and Economic Downturn

I don't purport to understand the science of climate change in depth.  I do think that nature has it's own timetable and plan that is only marginally influenced by us meager humans.  
(See the effects of eruptions of Mt. St. Helen's 1980 and Mt. Pinatubo 1991.)

I am, however, thoroughly enjoying the difference each winter here in Niagara-on-the-lake is bringing.

December 2010 - January 2011






December 2011 - January 2012








Similarly, I don't completely understand all the economic doom and gloom that is being constantly reported.  Oh yes...I get the belt -tightening, and the unemployment...but then, in our little town of just 12,000 people, I see all the construction going on.








Ice wine festivities begin this weekend...I'm hoping the warmer temperatures hold!
(Howling winds and snow forecast for today!)



January  13...OOps...spoke too soon.  Major snowstorm came in today.
Not a lot left after reasonably mild temperatures, but the mercury is going down, down, down tonight!
It's going to be cuddle up by the fire, newspapers, coffee and staying home tomorrow!

31 comments:

  1. You say 'beauty in the ordinary', Jacqueline, but Niagara on the Lake seems far from ordinary to me!

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    1. I guess you are right Tom...it is a very special place. Should I change the title of the blog???

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    2. 'Ordinary in the Beautiful'? Nah, stick with it.

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  2. Mr Blogger's recent interference has made your 'comments' almost illegible.

    My only advice re the economy, is always to think of Micawber.

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  3. I know Cro! about the type size...and I don't know how to fix it! Yikes...anyone have any ideas?

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  4. Ice wine! I must know more about this...sounds like so much fun. We have the same weather pattern here and construction left right and center. The paper says one thing and life around me says another. I do wonder....

    Love your land of 12,000....glorious photos. Can you send the sun over our way...bit grey in Surrey these days. That's England for you!!

    Best wishes Jacqueline for a lovely weekend...have an extra glass of ice wine for me!

    Jeanne xx

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    1. Stay tuned Jeanne. The big event on our High Street the weekend of 21/22. I will be sure to post lots of pictures.
      Canada is the leading maker of ice-wines...and I can say from personal experience, they are delicious.

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  5. I agree with all you say,it is the same in our little town,although our area is being ravaged by coal mines the employment prospects are very good,all those working at the mines have huge pay packets,there are no homes to rent and as soon as one is built it is sold,however for all of us who are otherwise employed that makes life a challenge..for little families on "normal wages" the rents are too high,getting a deposit for a home almost impossible but you can never have it both ways I suppose. We own our home and are self employed so we have much to be thankful for,our children have good jobs away at the coast and the children are having a wonderful life.. I just worry about our beautiful farms disappearing to great holes in the ground.We have literally almost had no summer this year..3 hot days so far and I really should say warm as we are used to 40degrees and we have not gone over 35..this is 2 years in a row now ...so a subtle change is happening,who knows next year it may go back,life is very interesting.

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    1. I think we need to look at the much bigger picture ABL - over much longer periods of time. Change is exactly what happens with weather patterns!

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  6. Oh wow look at that view, the snow and everything - it's beautiful.

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    1. We got our first really true snow storm of 2012 yesterday Molly, but even that one was nothing like the snow we had in 2011. Supposed to be really cold here this weekend.

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  7. Glad to see NOTL building and thriving... as the song says ...

    To everything - turn, turn, turn
    There is a season - turn, turn, turn
    And a time for every purpose under heaven

    A time to build up, a time to break down
    A time to dance, a time to mourn
    A time to cast away stones
    A time to gather stones together

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    1. Absolutely right V. Mother Nature knows best.

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  8. We have a large amount of homes being constructed near us too. At Christmas people were shopping like crazy-not me.

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    1. We need to spend more wisely in these times Olive...but spend we must!

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  9. fab snaps.......it's colder in London today but has not really reached 'winter'.....just a lot of dank, damp, drizzley days.......I agree with yoy, I sometimes wonder what might happen if the news told us some really good stuff if it might not change our attirtudes and our economies!!

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    1. Thanks YAH (I love that your initials spell that!)...I would love to have just one day of Only Good News...not sure the media-mopes could stand it though. My dear old Mum used to read the newspaper from the last page to the first...she believe that the good news (if there was any) was tucked way in back.

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  10. Jacqueline....what a gorgeous shot of your legs in that Tutu standing on the rocks in front of Lake Ontario

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  11. Replies
    1. SOAC-M I get that recovery is not distributed evenly over the globe. Just wanted to present a slightly more positive picture than we hear on the news every day.

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  12. Hello again. I saw your comment on my blog. How do you make your dead board/ life map from Pinterest? I am interested.

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  13. That was supposed to be dream board

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    1. Look at thinking of the new year...I treat it exactly the same way as if I was looking for images from magazines. No rules, just what speaks to me. Interesting there are so many reindeer!

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  14. Winter has been pretty weird on the prairies. Until now, it's been way too warm for hibernating. (This Bear is getting really tired.)
    We've had a storm blowing in for a few hours now, and we could get 15 centimetres of snow (about six inches) before this is all over. Then the temperatures crash to the -20s and -30s.
    Winter, it seems has finally arrived. Just a few months late.

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  15. Beautiful photos! We have very mild weather over here at the moment! I wouldn't mind a little bit of that snow:)
    ~Anne

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    1. Rain and mild temperatures over the past couple of days have washed all the rain away Anne. I don't mind at all...I know there is February and March to get through yet. We will not get off scott-free, that's for sure!

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