The West Island is a region at the western end of the Island of Montreal, consisting of several boroughs, cities and suburbs.  Some of the nicest boroughs are those which are bordering onto the lake, Lac Saint Louis, which stretches all the way from Lachine to Senneville and further.

Last weekend I went to visit friends in Baie d’Urfé which is one of the towns overlooking the lake and I took some pictures.

Here pictures of Lac Saint Louis

The municipal park of Baie d’Urfé

The town hall of Baie d’Urfé

A view up from the lake to the road

Driving along the lakeshore from Baie d’Urfé to Beaconsfield you will see beautiful houses, small and big, and really romantic little streets to go for a walk with your dog

One of the big mansions on Lakeshore Drive

The view on the other side of the street

Another picture of the lake

 

It’s time to have a nap !!

 

 

 

 

Another great human being has left this world.   LEONARD COHEN, one of the greatest artists of our time and yet so humble.  His words and his music touched my soul.

Source:  The New Yorker

From his latest CD “YOU WANT IT DARKER”:

• It seemed the better way
• When first I heard him speak
• now its much too late
• to turn the other cheek.
•  Sounded like the truth
• seemed the better way
• Sounded like the truth
• but it’s not the truth today.
• I wonder what it was
• I wonder what it meant
• First he touched on love
• Then he touched on death.
• Sounded like the truth
• seemed the better way
• Sounded like the truth
• but it’s not the truth today.

            Leonard Cohen

 

SOURCE:  THE SUN CO.UK

People lighting candles outside Leonard Cohen’s house in Plateau Mont Royal, Montreal.

 

 

 

 

For a lot of people the kitchen is the most important room in the house.  When they visit a place they will immediately look at the kitchen before anything else.  Even the price of the property very often depends on the look of the kitchen.  Some people need large kitchens for large families and others are happy with a small one, as long as it is functional and up to date.   Then there are preferences.  Most people go for open plan while there are a small number of people, like myself, who actually prefer closed kitchens and preferably with a table in it where you can sit and eat.

One of my friends had this most exquisite  kitchen and when she sold her house I was not surprised that it sold very quickly.  Here are two pictures of her kitchen and you will see why I fell in love with it.

White walls and black cabinetry and granite counter tops make this kitchen really stand out.  At the other end you can see a large table and 4 chairs to make this an eat-in- kitchen.

With large windows there is lots of light coming in to make it look bright.   A large beautiful chandelier can be seen just above the table.

Here a beautiful kitchen looking out onto the garden.  This is a holiday flat in London which I found on the HomeAway website.  It is really lovely.

Source:  AntonyRoberts.co.uk

A very long kitchen where on the other side there is an equally long table for a large family, topped with a colorful red tablecloth, gives this kitchen a special look.

Source: Designmoi.com

Since I am a big fan of everything “Vintage” I had to show this picture of a wonderful Retro dining set (to die for).  It matches very well with a white, Scandinavian style, kitchen.   Again there are no curtains on the windows to let the light come through.

And don’t forget to decorate your kitchen table with fruits and vegetables or also with plants or flowers.

 

Here is an update on my large Hibiscus plant which I took in from the garden a couple of weeks ago.   This magic plant keeps on growing and growing and every day there are new flowers to be seen.   This is the first Hibiscus plant I ever had and I love it.

 

Going for a walk yesterday here in Rosemere I walked through piles of leaves and I looked at the Halloween decorations still up.   Now that Halloween is over we are already thinking about winter and the holiday season.

one of the houses I passed yesterday.  It looks really nice.  The ground covered with colorful leaves and at the entrance pumpkins are still reminding us of Halloween.

The street covered with leaves and some more Halloween decorations to be seen.

 

And while I was walking along I thought this is the time of the year when we have to prepare for winter.  Cover our patio furniture and bring in the last flower pot.  Then we start to change things around the house to make it look more festive.  I brought out all my white pillow covers and curtains and tablecloths.   In winter “white” looks best and this is when I really like the Scandinavian decorating style.

Here are some changes that I made:

In the sunroom I covered my table with a long white tablecloth which matches the white curtains.   I already put  lights on some of the little pine trees.   I also cut some branches from the cedar hedge and put them in a vase.

I decorated my old wooden table with 2 cute little Christmas trees

To make it look different you can place a winter painting next to the pine tree.

White and beige colored pillows on the sofa

source:  ANTONY ROBERTS CO.UK

I really love this almost bare room.   The ceiling is so beautiful and the colors of the room are serene and calming.

Source: SPAAZ DE.

Outside on the patio a wooden table with silver Christmas decorations.

 

 Soon I will be decorating the big Christmas tree.   I already placed strings of little lights all around the house since it gets dark so early.   I call them my “winter lights”.   It does not take long to decorate a bit around the house and it does not need to be expensive.  If you only buy some Christmas lights or place a few candles here and there and bring in some cedar branches it will already be enough.  I myself celebrate winter with LIGHTS.   I call it the SEASON OF LIGHTS.