Holy October, Batman! Where the heck did September go? There's no reason why I shouldn't remember it, perhaps it was just such a lovely month that it was a warm sunny blur.

We had three weeks of fantastic weather, which was a huge relief after the cool wet summer we'd been having,and I finally got a chance to do my first solo canoe trip! Though it wasn't long, only one night spent on Killarney Lake, it was ideal conditions and I had a lovely time doing nothing once I got to camp! (Well, I read a lot and watched the squirrels and chipmunks work at putting away lots of acorns.) I was worried a little at the fact I had forgotten my map, but I knew the route so well that I was fine. (And no one else noticed my error.) The highlight of the trip was definitely in the evening, when I heard a few wolves howl for the first time!

But that was last month and the cold and the wet have come back to make up for lost time, and the forecast for the rest of October isn't looking very promising! Perhaps Graeme and I won't be doing our tip in the park?

I should probably get used to the cold again though, as this winter we're heading out to Alberta to work at a ski hill south of Calgary called Castle Mountain, and it's regularily a dry -30 celcius. I'm really looking forward to it, we're going to take the train out and perhaps do a stopover in Winnipeg to check it out. We get off at Edmonton and take the bus to Calgary where we might stay a night with a friend, then go to Pincher Creek. (The closest town.) We'll be there until April, when we might head back to Killarney for another summer. We'll see!

I've been getting lots of time to read and paint too. I just finished 'The Mists of Avalon' by Marion Zimmer Bradley, and highly reccomend it to anyone who is interested in Arthurian legend. I also read the first book in the 'Twilight' series, as it was left at the outfitters and I was wondering what the craze was all about. I didn't have high expectations but it was a fun fluffy read, very gratuitous after the much deeper Avalon. (Also rented the movie and am looking forward to reading the other books & seeing 'New Moon' when it comes out. Graeme has been very clear and specified NO POSTERS.)

Finished a couple watercolour paintings and some more are coming along, working on a white water lily right now. Other than that we're just waiting for the end of the season here at Killarney when we can go home and see family.

Here’s a small selection from my recent favourites, with watercolours as the theme!