the beach

I step onto the fine grainy surface of the sand & wiggle my toes until they are buried out of sight. The rather strong breeze gives my face a caress, bringing with it the scent of that deep blue, watery version of the sky. The sound of crashing waves on the shore makes tingles of excitement run down my back. I take a deep, refreshing breath and can't help but smile. Three whole seasons of absence have been too long a time... way too long. I'm back now. Back where waves lap gently against the shore, leaving behind seashells - whose pasts are forever destined to remain untold. Back in the land of unending hues of sapphire, where the colour of the horizon is a blend of the two dreamiest shades of blue. Back where inspiration seems to crash into you, just as easily as the white crests of rolling waves. Yes, I'm back in my own little 'Narnia'.
Do you have one too? :)

on rainy days

slight curves adjustment

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curves adjustment

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curves adjustment

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curves adjustment

**The winner of Emilie's banner is Nela of Beloved Star. Congratulations! Please e-mail me by Thursday to claim your prize.**

Every day is different, and each one has its own charm... but rainy spring days have an unique loveliness. Just hearing the pitter-patter of raindrops makes this small part of me, that I didn't even know existed, come alive. I can't help but throw open a window or simply step outside... close my eyes and get lost in the fresh, evergreen, indescribable scent of rain. During spring, there's also the faint, but sweet, aroma of blooming lilacs, which becomes one with the gusty breeze, and blows across my face, tugging on my hair. Mmmmm... sometimes I wish could lock moments like these into place & always be able to come back to them later...
What moments inspire you?

and April slipped into May

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curves and colour balance adjustments

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black & white

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black & white

May is a lovely month, don't you think? It's when flowers show off their bright colours and sweet aromas. When soft lilac-scented breezes caress your face and play with your hair. When the weather warms up, and when snowflakes don't suddenly appear and settle themselves in your hair. May is that single month of the year when the weather is perfect - not too cold or too hot, but right in-between.
And this particular May? Changes will be hitting the blog! Nothing too big, like a name change or anything, but I am in the process of putting together a new blog design, so keep an eye out for that. ;)
As for April, I want to apologize for not posting that much, it was quite a busy month for me. Many thanks to Emily Grace, for her lovely guest post on my blog! :) And since we're talking April, I might as well mention that I made cookies for the first time ever last week... and burned them... a little (I've done cupcakes, and normal cakes, and six layer birthday cakes before, but never cookies :P). This April, I also had my first ever Skype call with a bloggy friend & I guest-posted over at Nela's blog. Those were three major achievements that I simply had to mention.
Also, if you're interested in guest-posting on Essence of Eve during May, please e-mail me at swordmaidenforchrist(at)gmail(dot)com. I'm planning on posting at least two times every week, but with the design and all the work I have to do, guest-posters are welcome and much appreciated. :)
I'm going to bed now. It's 11:30 and I'm so tired - which is mainly why this post is not that very organized. That first paragraph has nothing in common with the other two... but I really can't think straight right now. Please ignore this messy post, enjoy these April photos, and goodnight.

flowers, showers & and an April update

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curves and colour balance adjustment

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And this? This is the new roller coaster at Canada's Wonderland. The Leviathan - 306 feet tall, 80% drop, 148 km/h fast, and 5486 feet long. Basically, it's something I wouldn't want to find myself on.

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black & white // my mom <3

These are from last week, before April decided to turn into March. It snowed this afternoon... but at least it didn't stick. Crazy weather! :P
I've only posted five times this month, six with this post. *sigh* I'm desperately trying to get myself organized to finish school by the end of May. So that's one reason I haven't posted as often as I normally would, and what's more, I've taken up babysitting (saving up for a camera upgrade!). I think I'll make myself a posting schedule for May - something I should've thought of earlier. But anyways, I'm so sorry for not stopping by your blogs and commenting, guys!
Also, I'm going to be changing the content of my posts a bit. I want my blog to become a clearer reflection of me. I'm not the kind of person who likes to share personal thoughts, moments, and life experiences much; I like to keep them to myself. But I've come to realize just how much I've been encouraged by those kinds of posts on other blogs, and I want my blog to be a source of encouragement too. These past couple of months, I've mostly been posting just for the sake of posting, but with not that much content. I want my blog to be a diary, MY diary. And currently, it's only about 1/4 of what I'm striving for. I'm taking blogging to the next level & I hope you'll bear with me. :)

A Rather Unusual Saturday

My Saturday started out pretty normal. I decided to bike to the library in the afternoon, but when I got back, I found everyone in the backyard. Apparently, my dad had gone to get something from the shed earlier, and guess what?! He found a squirrel nest with three babies! The mother had made it inside one of those disposable hanging baskets we happened to have lying around.

this is as much as could be seen of the babies in the nest

So my dad took them out of the shed, but the mommy squirrel had other plans...

this is actually outside our backyard, 'cause we left them on the other side of the fence.

She picked her babies up, one by one, and carried them right back in again. It was really cute to watch! This is the only not-so-blurry shot I was able to get though (squirrels. are. fast.).

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This is the hole she got in through. Our shed is kinda old (we're planning on renovating/replacing it, but so far, we haven't gotten around to it yet), and this happened a couple of months before we moved into the house (which was about three years ago). The other half of that poplar tree you see there, damaged the shed when it broke off during a storm (we'll be cutting it down later this year. it's old and dry), and the person who was supposed to fix it didn't *ahem* do that good of a job.
So now, we got a cage and we're going to try to get the mother inside, and then possibly drive out to the woods somewhere and drop her off with the babies. A protective mother squirrel is not someone you want occupying your shed... especially not in spring, when you need the use of your gardening tools.
As for this guy...

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...I found him just sitting in the grass. His belly was a bright yellow, but sadly, I didn't manage to capture that part of him.
If you've been following me for a while (or maybe for longer ;), you may have noticed that I'm really not into shooting animals. Last Saturday was truly unusual!