Silent retreat

Oh, it was lovely! The whole 5 days of silence - no internet, no telephone, no TV. Instead there was a nature and an awesome library.

The Domaine of Silence is set in a magnificent forest in Lachute, just outside of Montreal in Quebec, Canada.

Rooms are pretty small but very clean and comfortable. I just loved the blanket on the bed

All activities were announced by the bell - wake up, meals etc. I did not have to look at the watch at all. The surroundings are fantastic, here is a view from my window:

Can you see a bridge far away (click on the pic for a better view)

Well, that is the bridge. I was a little hesitant to step on it, it looks a little crooked. I got brave, walked on it - it was stable

 and that's the view from the bridge

On my little walks I found not just beautiful views but some critters

Do you see a little chipmunk? It's on the grass by the leaves.

And there was a lawn. I swear, there was no flowers previous day... they show up from nowhere

Aren't they look lovely? And there was a humming on the lawn, I had no idea what it was, so I decide to do a little hunting with my camera

 it took me a while, but I captured a very handsome grass hopper.

The walks were amazing, lovely paths

except the signs - all in French!

Though I found one that I could understand

 Inside the Domaine I found a lot of Egyptian art

and, to my surprise, a lovely embroidered piece

Are you still with me? I had a great time. I came back rejuvenated, relaxed and transformed. I've lost close to 6 pounds and 2 inches of my waist line. I feel great and I'm sure I will do it again!

Even today's weather didn't affect me much. You know, I was going to look for a box form my Stitcher's Alphabet but it turned ugly and I decided to go home. I took some pictures while driving

 Do you see the snow on the trunk of the car?

 Poor visibility

 Signs completely covered

SNOW

 

 and in the middle of this - swans going south... I wish I could fly with them...

That's OK, I'll bet that tomorrow there will be a lot of black ice patches... but tonight is a stitchy night!

So long my friends,

Evalina

Snow!

You should see my amused face when I open my eyes this morning. Every day I was hoping to see trees covered with green buds - instead I saw at least seven inches of SNOW... It's May 16th for God's sake!

I am so tempted to stay home and stitch but the weather man is saying that later in the morning the snow will stop. I guess I should go to work earlier to skip the traffic...

So long my friends,
Evalina