One Night in August ~ Skywatch Friday

The moon was quite an orange colour but it's a bit hard to tell from my photo. Nonethless I like all the colour in the night sky.

Thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post. I hope you'll visit again soon.

 

Rainy Days & Mondays ~ Tuesday 4

Welcome to Tuesday 4

We've had a lot of rain recently and it got me wondering about some things.

Could we discuss it please?

1.  Do rainy days and/or Mondays really get you down? If so why?

Rainy days do not get me down. I actually like rain. It's only when it rains heavily for 10-14 days that I start to get annoyed. Thankfully that doesn't happen very often.  

On the other hand, Mondays happen every week and I've never liked Monday's. It's a hold over tension I feel from my school days and my work days. Often I'd have homework from school or work related paper work which I'd bring home but never got around to working on until the last minute if at all. It caused me stress.  I still get a bit of stress when Monday rolls around even though I no longer have home work.  Monday means back to the business week when offices,  'business related' organizations and public institutions are open again.  Either they're calling me or I'm calling them and the telephone tag begins.  These days I find they don't just call once and leave a message for you to get back to them. If you don't call right back they act as if you have really delayed in getting back to them. It's very annoying.  Alternatively they don't even call. They want to email you or text you which is even worse.

2. Does thunder and lightning frighten you at all?

How about your dog or cat and what do you do to help them out?

Yes, actually thunder and lightning do frighten me, especially when the thunder is very loud and the lightning is significant.  I was just telling my dear husband the other night, that the crack of thunder and the flashes of lightning can seem like they're going to split the earth and sky open.  In fact, just the other night we had such significant thunder and lightning here that it made the news. 

I no longer have a cat but when I did, she would hide during a storm. If she was not hiding I would sometimes hold her and try to calm her as she would shake from fright.

3. If you are at home on a dark, rainy day what do you do with your time? Some find it a good day to cuddle up with a cuppa and read or watch TV... what is your preference?

I like to sit with a good cup of tea and a snack and read or watch television.  I guess reading would be my preference unless there is something really great on television which is rare these days.

4. Ever been caught in a downpour or has rain ever ruined your plans?

bonus question: Why do Mondays seem to be so unpopular with so many?

I've been caught in downpours in Canada and in East Africa. Rain never ruined my plans but may have delayed getting on with them.  Here at home I always check the weather and make plans appropriate to the weather.

Mondays mean the end of the weekend which people use to catch up on other things, spend time with friends or relax in other ways. See my answer to #1 for a further explanation of why Monday's are unpopular.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week!

In the Pink - Skywatch Friday

The end of August and the lazy days of summer are fast approaching.  Where does the time go?

Writing those words brought this beautiful song to mind.  Perhaps you've heard it.

Enjoy your weekend and thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post.

The Garden

Time seems to go by so fast.  Seasons come and go like the wind.  This summer was no exception. 

I've noticed a difference in the air over the past week. The heat of summer isn't as intense and I've needed a covering once or twice.  Normally I don't feel a distinct  change in the air until September 1st.

Here are a few photos at the community garden. I always enjoy the plants in spring and summer.  I'm already missing them though autumn hasn't arrived yet.

I still have a few things I want to enjoy before summer ends. I hope you do too.  Have a great week ahead!

Mid-August ~ Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope today finds you happy and healthy and that the weather you are is treating you right.

Earlier this week I had to run some errands downtown.  As it happens it was near the place where the cruise ships dock when they come to Vancouver. The ships dock within a short walk to downtown Vancouver and the touristy area called Gastown.  Gastown is the original Vancouver and it is still comprised of a lot of old buildings and cobblestone streets.

The next two photos look east to the entry to the Gastown neighbourhood.  Here you'll find lots of tourist shops with souvenirs, restaurants, coffee shops and a residential area.

It was a very busy day with tourists and locals alike walking all along the street.  I overheard some tourists say how much they loved the city. I only hope they don't end up changing their minds.  If they walk a little further beyond Gastown they will enter what is considered to be the poorest postal code (area) in the country.  There you'll also see the saddest sights around with many people battling all sorts of addictions. It really has become such a problem despite governments and all kinds of agencies trying to tackle the myriad of issues over many decades. Anyway, I digress.  This post is really meant to be about the beautiful day I was experiencing.

It really was a beautiful, sunny day.  Though there was a slight chill in the shade earlier in the day, it heated up considerably by the mid afternoon. I had to remove my light cardigan and store it in my bag.

The 'fluffy' white clouds against the pale blue sky evoked a sense of calm and peace.  Everywhere you look the people are smiling and enjoying themselves.  These are very enjoyable times to be out and about in the sunshine.

The ship that is docked is the cruise ship named the Coral Princess.  It's a rather large ship and was apparently custom built to navigate the Panama Canal.  The ship is probably travelling to Alaska though it could also have come up from California.  Have you ever been on a cruise and if not, do you wish to go on a cruise?  I've never been on one myself. Some day I'd love to cruise up to Alaska.

Thank you for taking time out of your day to visit my Skywatch Friday post.  I hope to see you again soon.

The "Ber" Months ~ Tuesday 4

There are just 3 weeks left until the "ber" months begin.  September, October, November and December.  Fall/Autumn begins in September and ends in December.  

Autumn begins in September and it is called that until leaves begin to fall and then it's called "fall". 

Sept means 7, Octo means 8, Novo is 9 and Deca is 10 but the numbers are off since the calendar was changed long ago from 10 months to 12.

Ber is an adjectival suffix from latin meaning month.  Let's discuss it.

Welcome to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 where we ask just 4 questions each week to encourage blogging and enjoying the ideas and work of fellow bloggers.

1.   What foods make you think of the autumn months ahead?

Squash soups, pumpkin lattes, apple cider, pumpkin and apple pies, pumpkin and cranberry scones; all these foods and drinks make me think of the cosy autumn months.

2.   Are there any songs you associate with the fall month?

The beautiful Nat King Cole song,  Autumn Leaves.

3.   Are you looking forward to the ber months at all?  Why?

Yes, and No. "Yes" because I love the autumn leaves. I also love the cool, crisp air & taking walks to enjoy and admire the beauty of the season. I also like wearing heavier clothing in fall colours and not having to worry about becoming too hot. 

"No" because the older I get, the less I like winter.  It's too long and too cold for me and the ber months means winter is close behind. Over the winter, I also miss the growing season, the colours of spring and autumn.

It's difficult to take a selfie of one's outfit (I don't like mirror photos)

4.   School in New Jersey always begins after Labor Day and before that I would have dreams of going to school in my pajamas!  Did anything similar happen to you?  Did you dread going back to school or were you happy and excited?

I never had such dreams. Going back to school was always an exciting time. For some reason, kids like to go with their mother to buy school supplies and I was no exception.  It was also the time when we got new clothes for school wear.  In those days we didn't wear school clothes or 'good clothes' at home. We changed our outfits every day after getting home and wore our home clothes. Clothing lasted longer that way.

Thank you for stopping by my Tuesday 4 meme.  I hope to read your answers too!

Road Tripping Part 2 - Skywatch Friday

Hello friends & fellow bloggers,

Last week I shared some photos of the drive to Kamloops from Vancouver, BC. In this post we continue our journey with a peek at Kamloops from the lookout.  

The lookout provides a very beautiful view but on this day the smoke from wildfires burning to the west, obscured the city below and across the river.

The smoke on most of the return trip was not as bad but I suspect it's worse now.  More fires are burning and there has been a lot of fire destruction in several places to the west and the east of Kamloops.  It's very sad. Firefighters have arrived from Mexico & I think Australia to help our firefighters fight the blazes.

Near the Fraser River at Hope, BC

Near Chilliwack, BC

Farming fields of Chilliwack, BC

Passing through Surrey, BC on the way to Vancouver

 

Approaching the Port Mann Bridge.

I'm always happy to get back home safe and sound. Thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post.

Update:  On Saturday, Premier David Eby declared a state of emergency in the province due to new, very fast moving wild fire situation.

B.C.'s wildfire service warns the conditions are explosive and unlike anything they've ever seen before.(Yahoo News August 8, 2026)

Road Tripping Part 1- Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all well and looking forward to the weekend. I don't know about you but even now that I'm retired, I always look forward to the weekend. I guess it's because I know I likely won't take or make any business type phone calls for a few days, lol.

Last week my brother and I went on a day trip to visit a family member for the day. We travelled from Vancouver to Kamloops, which is a distance of 354 kilometres or 220 miles.  I'd been wanting to make this trip for many months but various things kept me busy at home.

Here are a few photos taken along the highway.  The skies were mostly clear when we left Vancouver.  But along the way and in Kamloops itself, the sky was very hazy due to the smoke from the wildfires burning several hours to the west of where we were.  I was glad we travelled when we did. If we had left a day later we would have been sitting for hours on the highway due to road closures caused by a vehicle on fire.

     

In the last photo we are beginning our approach into the city of Kamloops.  As you can see the smoke was pretty thick.

Thanks for coming along with us on this Skywatch Friday road trip.