Getting ready to visit an Art Gallery

Some news about my love of art

My mind is full of images, colours and shapes.

I see words in my mind too.

I love to see art objects and paintings.

I never thought I could make art myself.

But thanks to my art mentor and collaborator Heidi,

I now choose colours and brush paint on to paper or canvas.

I like first to express the idea of a painting in words as a poem.

Then Heidi and I try out the colours and shapes.

I have watched videos about art and how to look at paintings.

Now I am getting brave enough to actually visit galleries.

Most surprising--other people like my art

and I have been invited to hang my canvases in art festivals

like the Eden Mills Arts Festival in 2016. See:

http://www.edenmillsartsfestival.com/andrew-bloomfield.html

I cannot speak with my voice

but I have lots to say.

So I express myself in words and images as poetry

and with paint and shapes as art. 

Bridges Dream Project

Our Bridges community of communicators began more than 12 years ago. We started meeting regularly in Guelph to share ideas of communication rights, technology and life planning. In 2010 we produced a move and book called In Our Own Words. Here is the film on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JentrBCN7Z8

Some members have moved away from Ontario and it becomes harder for some families to drive long distances. So we have been thinking of other ways to keep Bridges alive and useful. One way is to produce more films and books about why and how we use alternative forms of supported communication. They will show that we are all different in the details of how we are supported. But we all want everyone who needs support to get it. We are concerned that people understand that it is we the communicators who are expressing our own thoughts and words. We hope to interest new people who will train to be communication facilitators. Here is one film showing how the Master Trainer Pascal Cheng worked with me in 2015 to show how new people can start to support us in our typing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bP7jICJ4Ng&feature=youtu.betyping

In 2015 we also started the Bridges Communication Group on Facebook on July 1. We post news about communication rights and all forms of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) including Supported Typing. We also can have chats in real time even though we live far from one another. For example, I chat with my Bridges friends Tim in Antigonish NS and Kevin in Petrolia ON. Please let me know if you would to join the Bridges Communication Group.

The micro-greens are ready! Lentils on the left and mung beans on the right. They taste delicious, similar to the sprouts.

I am running with my amigos Dean and David!

MicroGreens: A New Project

We are trying out microgreens as they are easy and we had all the resources available. Just a little bit of soil, light, water and some seeds. We are making an attempt with mung beans and lentils. You can also get packages of seeds specific to micro greens, but we wanted to see how well this would work. If they turn out to give a lot of greens, we can mix them with the sprouts for a delicious and nutritious salad.

The mung beans are sprouted and are ready to eat! I keep them in a sealed bag in the fridge and enjoy them on top of my rice cake and sunflower seed butter. Stuart thinks they taste sort of like snow peas that you eat straight from the garden.
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Now I am trying out lentils for sprouting. It's similar to the mung beans except that the lentils are soaked overnight first and do not need to have contact with water after. You are able to do this process with just a jar as well, however some sort of strainer is ideal as you want to rinse lentils several times a day during the sprouting process. Perhaps a mason jar with a few tiny holes in the lid would work well. I'll post a picture of the finished lentils as well!
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Just a picture of the new game I've been playing... Blokus. You have Tetris style pieces and they can only connect at the corners, still trying to finish with no pieces left over!

 The sprouting kit I received over Christmas!

Comes with a steel strainer/siv, bottom and lid (instructions as well for the mung beans I am using this time)

After rinsing the beans, we placed them in the strainer, the strainer in the bottom compartment which had a bit of water in it. It was important that the water just touches the beans, and that the lid is not air tight. I will need to rinse ever 12-18 hours or so, but they will soon be sprouted!