Whats up with me?

Well, quite a lot actually. I'm now officially on vacation for... (drum roll please) 6 months! Yep, I did it and am on sabbatical from work to focus on other creative and fun ventures. So it's been 1 week now and let's just say it's been interesting. I've had the time to relax, enjoy the country life and plan some of my projects. And I must say that I don't miss the daily commute to the city, no I really don't.
So here are a few photo updates of my country life. My little garden is flourishing and we've already had the joy of eating some home-grown tomatoes, cucumbers and radishes. Now it's time for string beans and hopefully peppers. Once again, carrots were NOT a success... maybe next year.

Back row: green beans, cucumber, zucchini, tomatoes
Middle: radishes, beets, green and red peppers, hot chili peppers
Front: onions, herbs, green onions and more herbs

Here we have a few pics from some flowers in full bloom around the house. Such a joy to see them grow.

Hemerocalle

Poppies grown from seeds, so beautiful and delicate petals 

Hello Sunshine - one of the many 6' tall sunflowers by the side of the house. Can't help but smile when you see these tall beauties.

So during the past week, I had the pleasure of going on a field trip with my lovely Mama, to visit the Clef des Champs gardens in Val-David. They specialize in herbs and medicinal plants, it was a beautiful and quite warm day and I truly enjoyed the visit and the company.

Mama looks like a Southern Belle

Thanks for the hat Mama. (Yes I know, we really look alike)

A glimpse at the mountainous gardens at Clef des champs

In case you're wondering, Mika is doing great, she's a really happy dog, resting in the shade.

Mr. Fox and I have officially been living in the country for a full year. He's so happy that we've stayed in one place for such a long time! he he I think we have many more years ahead of us in our little blue house in the mountains.

After living through the full 4 seasons, it is safe to say that I'm really happy Spring has arrived. It's such a joy to clean up our land after it has been dormant under the white blanket.

One of my first projects this year was to build a compost bin. With Mr. Fox's watchful eye and helpful tips, I repurposed Mika's dog house (she hadn't adopted it, and it was clear she never would) and used the lumber to build a decent sized enclosure. I'm pretty happy with the result. Looking forward to using the rich soil it will create either in the fall or for next spring's plantings.

Adding dried leaves to the compost.

We've also started up our outdoor fire pit and are enjoying the warmth and light on cool Spring evenings. And the smell of a campfire is so appealing.

I guess it's safe to say I've turned into a real country girl !

Quite an outfit, n'est-ce pas?

And on country road, we don't have many passersby. But on occasion, we'll get an unexpected guest!

One of our neighbor's hens came to say hello.

Needless to say that there is never a dull moment here in the mountains!

À la prochaine!

Atelier Brie - First Post

Hi and welcome to Atelier Brie. This is my entrance into the grand world of blogging. I'm an avid reader of countless sites and I figured: why not me! I therefore hope to contribute some fun and interesting finds as well as share some of my own work with the community.