Sunday, October 11, 2015

Thankful


It is Thanksgiving here in Canada and I want to wish my Canadian readers a Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm grateful to have an officially sanctioned time each year to to pause the ordinary course of events and reflect on the goodness of God and the blessings in my life.

Of course one doesn't need to wait and give thanks only once per year. I try to do that on a frequent basis but it is still nice to have one holiday called Thanksgiving. Even more so if one knows the purpose of the holiday.

Life comes with it's share of sorrows, trials and tribulations and it can make some people very bitter.

But there are also times of  joy and happy moments. Daily too there are little things that give our lives added beauty, joy and meaning and put a smile on our faces if we let them..  As a person with an abiding faith I also hold on to the scripture that says 

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

No matter what happens I feel that God will work it out in the end if I just trust Him.
Things always happen for a reason and sometimes we do not know what those reasons are in the moment.
Only later can we look back with greater clarity and understanding.

That is the Burrard Street Bridge in background and on the right is the beginning of the West End (Downtown).

I am grateful for so many things, large and small.
Sometimes I just need to stop and think hard about what those things are. Sometimes we lose sight of the goodness and the blessings when everything is not going the way it should or the way we would like.  Those are the times when it is even more important to consider how blessed we really are.

The bridge above is Granville Street Bridge. The highrises in back are Fairview Slopes area.

I'm grateful for living in a beautiful city and having beautiful places to visit, either alone or with friends.
On the day of these photos, my friend invited me to Granville Island after stopping a very nice place for coffee in another part of town. But on other days, I have visited alone and still have a wonderful time having coffee or lunch, buying fruits and vegetables and people watching.

Another view of Burrard Street Bridge.

I'm always awestruck by the beautiful scenery at the waterfront no matter what part of the waterfront I happen to be visiting in this city.

This day it was rather quiet at Granville Island. It is a long weekend, Thanksgiving weekend.  I  suspect many people have left the City to be with family and loved ones.


I am grateful I have family and loved ones too.

Though my family is small, I love them dearly.
I am grateful that though my elderly mom is sick she is still here and I can talk to her each day.
I pray daily for her many needs:  for compassionate and helpful caregivers and that God would help her memory which is starting to fade, relieve her pain and help her in every way.

I am also grateful that this Thanksgiving, I have loved ones who will join me for Thanksgiving Dinner and that I can still make the odd large meal though I don't cook one nearly so often.   Even if I couldn't we would still gather and dine on rotisserie chicken and other fixings. 
The important thing is just to be together.


On the day I visited Granville Island there was a break in the weather and the sun came out. That may seem like a small thing too.  But it is the little things that add up to make pleasant days and beautiful weeks and months and years if we take the time to appreciate them.

We will have a few sunny days this week. I'm grateful for that too because it won't be too long before the winter rains come.

Bridges is a very popular restaurant on the Island. They have large deck on the other side where you can sit and enjoy the view.

There are so many more things for which I am grateful but I won't enumerate them all.
Mainly I wanted to share these photos that I took a few days ago.

They depict a very small part of Granville Island.
If you are interested, I've posted several other times about Granville Island and in more detail.
If you would like to read them you can find them here.

Thank you for stopping by.
Have a great week!

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Seagulls on the Island

Seagull at Granville Island in Vancouver
Granville Island Public Market in Vancouver is a destination for tourists and locals alike. There is a lot to look at and admire on the waterfront and the atmosphere is very peaceful and enjoyable even when there are hordes of people around. At least, I find it so, but I don't get to this place too often anymore. I may get there at least once, perhaps twice a year. 

This time I was with a friend who likes to go there and it was probably the quietest I have ever seen it. It looks like the group of ladies in the background were enjoying shopping and picture taking. I think they may have been waiting for one of the Aqua buses that goes from one end of the Island to downtown Vancouver.

I found these seagulls just in time for Saturday's Critters with Eileen. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

If you missed my post from Thursday please see it here. Especially if you are the praying kind. 

Thanks so much!

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Fall is All Around

These are current scenes of Fall/Autumn where I live. 
The first set of photos were snapped early evening just as sun was setting today on Tuesday .

You can see the sky is very dark and cloudy.  But we've had lovely sunshine and warmish temperatures for several weeks, interspersed with light rain for a day or two before the rain started this week.







I haven't done any gardening since about the middle of August. 

I need to make time to clean it up a bit before the winter comes around.



Many of the trees have lost their leaves due to wind and rain but there are still some lovely colours all around.

I snapped the next few photos when I went out for errands today.

It was quite wet!





These next shots will show October in a small Kenyan town in the highlands and were sent to me by a Kenyan friend there.
 My friends in the highlands have already started experiencing heavy rains.
It is expected to go on until December.

Residents in different parts of Kenya are being warned to evacuate but many have stayed put saying they have no where to go and no money to get there.


Besides being bad for people, especially the very poor, the bad weather makes it difficult for me to finalize travel plans to Kenya.

The wettest months are usually April and May.
The second rainiest season is October and November.
I would like to see or hear of a break in the expected El Nino rains and to determine how bad things are going to get weather-wise in the next month or so before I plan travels.

Nairobi (where I would spend considerable time) has already had very heavy rains and flash floods over the past several months. It has led to loss of buildings and even loss of life. Narok which is very close to Maasai Mara, one of the premier safari parks has also experienced flash flooding.


County governments have been clamoring for funds from the Treasury.  They need to prepare for the expected bad weather and potential dangers to people and property, especially in the low lying areas of Kenya. I don't know if they were successful in getting the needed funds.

I do know there is a lot of pressure on the national treasury at the moment.   Teachers have just ended a strike and medical personnel are constantly threatening to strike or are on strike.

The government says it has no money to pay the teachers.  To the governments credit, they have been doing some very good things which also cost a lot of money.  For example, these are the initiatives that come to mind: free education for many who used to pay; new hospitals; better equipping hospitals, digitizing a lot of government services and making them accessible on line; giving youth employment; improving highways; reducing cost of electricity hookup for those that live off the grid & expanding National Health Insurance at much reduced rates. Perhaps there is more they have done but this is the list that easily comes to mind.

Given all these good things, it is hard to stretch the national budget further.  Especially when so much is lost to corrupt practices.
Who can blame teachers and doctors for going on strike when corruption reaches the highest levels in the country and appears to be rampant amongst high ranking  politicians, business people and public officials.
Corruption is something thing that Kenyans want their government to end pronto.
I suspect that if they could really stop the corruption there would be a lot more money in the coffers to pay the teachers.

Kenyans have a lot to bear.
Life is not easy there at all for those that are trying to make an honest living.
It is a pity because the country has a lot to offer and the people are some of the most hospitable people I have met.




 PRAYER REQUEST

My thoughts right now are with a friend's relative and his family. A man named Edmond has a form of terminal cancer called Myelofibrosis. It is an uncommon cancer which affects the ability of the bone marrow to make red blood cells. He has had this cancer for long and is currently suffering much more than ever before.

Please pray for him and his family.  They are of very humble means and the emotional, spiritual, physical and financial stresses are overwhelming.  Not to mention the stress of how the family will survive when the head of the household is gone.

In African cultures, and for sure in Kenya, they do not like to speak of death.  So it is difficult to know how much longer this man has left to live. For now, he is in hospital and requires copious blood transfusions daily.

As I mentioned, Edmond appears to be suffering worse than ever before.
Pray too that the hospital will be able to provide the blood and medicines needed to keep him comfortable.
Kenyans lack so much of what we take for granted in health care.
Every week I read of drugs supplies that have run out or basic equipment that is not available.
Even though the government is doing a lot, there is still a long way to go to meet the needs.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday this week.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

A Night of Music

On Saturday evening I attended a concert of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

There were two guest artists, Tianwa Yang, a brilliant, young violinist from Germany.

Photo Credit: VSO website

 The other was the dashing and expressive conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto of Mexico.

Photo Credit: VSO website

The repertoire consisted of :


Bach/Stokowski
Passacaglia & Fugue in C minor
Paganini
Violin Concerto No. 2 in B minor*
Beethoven
Symphony No. 8 in F Major

I opted to get to the concert early so I could hear a presentation.  The speaker gave an overview of the concert pieces and a little history on each of the composers who wrote them.


Pre-concert presentation and explanation of the night's program.

 People relax in the lobby before the concert.

Small audience at the pre-concert presentation.
   I personally found it quite chilly in the venue.  I am recovering from a chest and ear infection so the slight breeze coming in through the open entrances to the outdoors, was enough to make me shiver.  Concert doors (to the outdoors) in the city are usually kept open until just before the concerts are about to begin.  I guess this helps make the flow of people into the building go much faster.

I only had a thin sweater over an equally thin top as I'd forgotten to take a wrap with me in my haste to get to the presentation on time.

I bought a coffee to warm up but finished that before the 20 minutes presentation was finished. I was still getting chilled from the breeze so  purchased a glass of wine.  I was surprised to learn that the venue now permits drinks in the concert theater (thank God for that).  The only stipulation is that the beverages cannot be in a glass container.
It took the entire concert to finish the small glass of wine.  It did in fact help to keep me warm. Each time I felt a chill taking hold, I had a small sip of wine. These small sips were plenty for me as it had been hours since eating a  late lunch.
Some of the VSO members practicing.


 Beautiful architectural details of the Orpheum Theater






The performance was very well attended.

 I was very pleased to attend this concert especially since I received a complimentary ticket.
 
I  enjoyed the concert so much and I'm now thinking I might attend the New Year's Day program.


What about you dear reader?
Do you attend the symphony or do you prefer other forms of music and the arts?

Joining with Our World Tuesday

Saturday, October 3, 2015

October Sky


I've enrolled in a short Spanish course.

On my first day of class, I captured the scene above while I was having a quick lunch purchased from one of the food trucks in the photo.

The weather was beautiful and you can see that the sky was such a lovely clear blue.  Also you can see that the leaves are turning golden and red.

I hope the weather is lovely wherever you are.

I am late adding my photo link to Skywatch but have been under the weather this week.

Am now taking medicine and should be feeling better in a few days.
It is Super Moon edition at Skywatch Friday.
I don't have a zoom lens or an expensive camera so my Super Moon looks so far away and small.

I had to cut out the the trees and buildings from my photo because the city lights made the moon photos too blurry.

Perhaps I can borrow a zoom lens before the next Super Moon and see if my photos are any better.



I'm on my way to an evening with  the Symphony.

I hope you are doing something you enjoy this weekend.

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