on the days over Christmas Mother Nature gave to me...

🎵🎶 frigid cold temperatures, wickedly high windchills, 

ice crystal showers and a skating rink-like roadway 🎶🎵

Staying safe means many things these days!  With the weather we welcomed (or I should say did not welcome) over the past few days, I made sure to find ways to still be active outside while staying safe from the conditions.  In addition to the outside active hours, I spend many, many, many hours inside being creative to keep my mind safe and sound.  As the days go on with these extreme weather warnings, the blog title could become 🎵🎶 on the twelve days of Christmas... 🎵🎶  

When it was time to be "out & about" I stayed close to home and kept the time and distance on the shorter side.  I monitored the forecast and was out the door for the warmest time period.  An hour was a safe enough time span at Nose Creek on this day.

I have been a good girl and rewarded myself for that! I purchased a set of watercolour brush pens and they sat under my tree until Christmas day. I always wanted to paint with watercolours, I took lessons through the city years ago but had no luck with making progress nor with finding enjoyment in the craft. Earlier this year I watched many tutorials and gave it a try again yet with no success.  The look of the softness of watercolour projects appeals to me and I was not ready to give up.   I discovered watercolour brush pens and on this day when it was not safe to be 'out & about", I opened the pack and laid some shades.  These projects were created from watching beginner tutorials on how to lay the colours. 

With another day of windchills in the high minus thirties and dipping into the low minus forties, it would be another day keeping my mind active and healthy.  I spent hours on end searching for lessons and practicing with the brush pens.  This time I was ready to learn all about blending.  In addition to learning about blending, I learned I need to purchase artist tape to tape down the paper which prevents the paper from rippling when it dries.  I will also purchase watercolour paper rather than using the multi-media paper that I have on hand.

When I woke this morning and checked the forecast, it showed a short window of opportunity to safely be "out & about" after the wind died down somewhat and before the snow began falling.  I ventured a bit further up the skating rink-like road to Nose Hill.  This time around, two hours was a safe enough time frame. Today was my first time ever seeing Bohemian Waxwings!  These are five of the couple of dozen that were flying about.  I learned they come to cities over the winter where they are often visible but stay in mountain forests the rest of the year and are hardly ever seen.