In the fall of 1944, I was born together with my twin brother Walter in Gotha, a small town in East Germany. After my family fled to West Germany, I spent my high school years in the city of Velbert. When I was a teenager I discovered my passion for painting and drawing sketches. After my high school graduation, I attended the University of Wuppertal with the goal of becoming a teacher.. But after I met Peter, my future husband, my career plans drastically changed. When Peter emigrated to Canada in 1965, I decided to follow him a year later to Calgary, Alberta, where we got married. After having taught for eight years in Alberta, Peter, applied successfully for a principal-teacher position at the small community school in Fauquier, BC located directly at the beautiful Arrow Lake. For the first fifteen years of our marriage our family kept growing. Altogether we had five sons, Robert, a graduate of the engineering department of the University of Waterloo, Richard, a graduate of the school of architecture at the McGill University, Anthony, a graduate in economics of the University of Victoria, Michael, a graduate in heavy duty mechanics at the Cariboo College in Kamloops, and finally, Stefan, a graduate in information technology at SAIT in Calgary. After Stefan was born and the other children were old enough to be on their own, my duties as mother and wife began to ease a little and I found time to take university courses through distance learning and eventually after some fifteen years I graduated with an arts degree in English. from the University of Waterloo. But best of all, I was able to rekindle my passion for the arts. I sketched trees, painted with water colors, made portraits, created an entire family of rag dolls, and
more recently I started to draw illustrations for a children’s story that I had written quite some time ago. The story is about a princess who has to choose the right husband among five very talented suitors. One illustration of the princess is shown on the right. Once all my illustrations are complete, I will publish the story on this web site for everyone to see.. While I can do my rock art only in the great outdoors at our favorite campsite, there are many hobbies that I enjoy doing around our house in Fauquier. My husband and I both like gardening. Living in a very temperate climate, we grow healthy vegetables for almost half a year. We grow all our food without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. The reward comes, when we are eating nutritious meals prepared from our organically grown vegetables. I also like to surround myself with flowers and spend much time planting and caring for them. From the tulips and daffodils in early spring to the majestic sunflowers in the fall, a whole gamut of multicolored displays brings joy to our hearts at our little country home. Of course, there must also be time for fun and games. Peter and I love to go to the local beach and play bocce in the sand. When winter approaches, we play pool in the afternoon and spend time reading close to our cozy wood stove in the evening. Our greatest joy is having our ‘boys’ and their loved ones home especially at Christmas time.
Hi Gertrud,
This is just to say a very quick hello, having been pointed in your direction by your husband Peter. Your Blog looks amazing, so much interesting material, pictures, etc, and l feel we have much in common. Between Peter’s Blog and yours I am going to be torn between which one to read, and when…
A beautiful sunny unusually hot April day here in Scotland, I thought I would just introduce myself. You both obviously love to write and reminisce, and I shall dip into your Blog, as I will Peter’s, as I feel these compilations have very much been a labour of love…they look beautiful,
Regards and Best Wishes,
Krystyna
Good day Gertrud and what a lovely email to wake up to and read as I sit in bed , drink my first cup of coffee, and watch the clouds out of the window…
Your story and life also sound fascinating…and oh so positive. I admire what you are doing and how you are juggling so many things in your life. I know how that feels…but I get the feeling you would not want it any other way.
Right now there is much work to be done in the garden, tho’ we have an Arctic wind blowing some really cold air just now. Bit of a shock to tender plants…gulp! I could only do an hour’s work yesterday before I had to go home. I am also playing organ on Wednesday for a very big funeral, so lots of practise to be done today…and heart rending circumstances around it.
My 25 year old daughter comes home today for 2 weeks before moving down to London to start a new life!
Please excuse the rant and thank you so much for saying hello.