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\ The cat is the animal to whom the Creator gave the biggest eye, the softest fur, the most supremely delicate nostrils, a mobile ear, an unrivaled paw and a curved claw borrowed from the rose-tree. Sidonie Gabrielle The images in this collage are of twin cats who belong to the owner of a pet shop that I visited. They are beautiful and I was fascinated at how they followed each other around. I read somewhere that in the case of animals, they are twins if they come out of the same sac. The information that they were twins was given to me by the owner. She was happy that I was photographing them and that I liked them so much. Although I have my own cat, I hadn’t noticed her enough to describe her in the way that the writer of the above quote did. Sometimes we see without really knowing what it is that we see. “The imagination is like a lantern. It illuminates the inner landscapes of our life and helps us discover their secret archaeologies.” (John O’Donohue) Hope you enjoy the collage and that your insights and imagination are working well. I’m glad that the quote set my imagination to work.

“Just remember, in the winter Far beneath the bitter snows Lies the seed, that with the sun’s love In the spring, becomes the rose” I was at Niagara Falls just after the snowstorm we had two weeks ago. All the images in this collage are from the 22nd floor hotel room we stayed in that overlooked the Horseshoe Falls. The Horseshoe Falls is on the Canadian side and is the bigger of the three Falls. “Did you know the Canadian Horseshoe Falls crest line is approximately 670m(2,200ft) wide? It drops about 57m(188ft) into the Lower Niagara River. The American and Bridal Veil Falls have a total crest line of about 326m(1,100ft). It drops about 57m(188ft). The broken rock at the bottom of the American and Bridal Veil Falls is called talus. This talus reduces the interrupted fall of the water to as little as 21m(70ft).” ...

“Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized.” ~ Andre Simon All the images in this collage were taken recently when we had a buffet dinner party at our home. Although I’m not a wine-drinker anymore, I was delighted to discover that wine bottles make for good decor. This came upon me quite by accident, one might say. I had decided that the table in the hallway would be a good place for drinks and had placed wine glasses on a tray there and some napkins. To make that space beautiful, I placed a flower arrangement there with some battery-powered lights among the blooms. The only thing I hadn’t put there when I left to go out the evening before the party was the beverages. ...

 \ Flowers… are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world. - Ralph Waldo Emerson These simple flower arrangements were put together for use in my home a couple weeks ago. It was a special occasion. I decided to use Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila) as a big part of the arrangements and not just as a filler flower as it is often used. It is one of my favourites because it has such a delicate, light look, to it. It goes well wherever it is used. ...

 \ It’s lovely and white today in Toronto with all the snow that has fallen. I’m lucky that I didn’t have to go out or shovel snow. While I very much enjoy the beauty of all this whiteness, my soul and spirit longed for colour tonight. Luckily, I found some images that I had taken while visiting Niagara-on-the-Lake this past summer that brightened my spirit. Hope this collage will brighten your spirit too. For all those who like gardening and are looking forward to the time when flowers bloom again, here’s a poem for you in the dead of this winter. ...

 \ The history of Indian textiles is very ancient. The discovery of several spindles, and a piece of cotton stuck to a silver vase, revealed that the spinning and weaving of cotton was known to the Harrappans, nearly five thousand years ago. References to weaving are found in the history of Vedic literature on the method of spinning the various materials used. The foundations of the Indian textile trade with other countries began as early as the second century BC. A hoard of block printed and resist-dyed fabrics, mainly of Gujrati origin, found in the tombs of Fostat, Egypt, are the proof of large scale Indian export of cotton textiles to Egypt in medieval times." ...

 \ When I was younger, New Year’s Eve was a time for partying, celebrating, and much revelry. All your friends were going out and if you didn’t have somewhere to go, you felt left out. You heard about New Year’s resolutions wherever you went and felt you had to make some of your own - even if you didn’t tell anyone what they were. It didn’t seem as though you had a voice of your own. ...

\ We’ve been hearing a song by this name playing in many different places prior to Christmas and some of us were “Dreaming of a White Christmas” as is sung in another song. Toronto received all this white stuff Boxing night - over ten inches. Beautiful and white, isn’t it? I was out for a walk yesterday and took these snow pictures in the neighbourhood. Even the little angel on my porch is now sitting in snow. All the little children love the snow and can make their own snowman now. They also like to lie in the snow and make “snow angels.” ...

Christmas Lights\ The images in this collage were taken at night. I admired the Christmas outdoor lighting on my street for a long time before getting around to taking these pictures. However, I’m glad I waited, as they are more beautiful with the presence of the snow. “We feel most alive in the presence of the Beautiful for it meets the needs of our soul. For a while the strains of stuggle and endurance are relieved and our frailty is illuminated by a different light in which we come to glimpse behind the shudder of appearances the sure form of things.” ...

\ Christmas Day is celebrated all over the world - even by those who are not Christians. The birthday of Jesus is significant because of the message of love, peace, and forgiveness that he taught. As I did this Christmas collage, I was reminded of a Christmas concert that I once attended and of a wonderful song that was sung. It was called “Birthday of a King.” These are the words: ...