SNAP THAT

We are blessed in my city to have a lot of guerilla gardens.  In case you haven't heard of guerilla gardening yet, it is gardening on land that the gardeners do not have legal right to use, often an abandoned site or area not cared for by anyone.  We get a lot of guerilla gardening happening on the sides of city streets.  A lot of them are small little gardens planted around trees. Guerilla gardeners certainly add a lot of beauty to the city and brighten up all kinds of neglected areas of land where people pass by.  These little gardens bring a smile to my lips and joy to my heart. I like to take photos of these gardens whenever I can. Here is one guerilla garden. And here is a  pretty pink clouds...just because ... it's Skywatch Friday.   Click here to join Floral Friday Photos and here for Skywatch Friday.  AND If you are new to my blog and you haven't yet read about Little Linet and her cleft palate challenges, please read here .

I had the great joy to attend an annual African Market today and had a good time shopping, eating and chatting with people. The market was organized by the Canadian Network for International Surgery (CNIS).  You can click on their badge on my sidebar and it will take you to their website if you'd like to learn more. Here are some of my photos from the event. Unfortunately, I did not think to get a photo of the people selling food or of the dish I bought. I bought a dish of injera, cabbage with carrots and lentils. The spices MADE the cabbage and lentils divine. A long view of the CNIS courtyard. If you look at the man and woman in the center back you will see the gospel singing duo from Kenya:  Alex Ominde and his famous wife, Mary Atieno Ominde. One of the many vendors selling Kenyan jewellry. Rasta-man icon, Bob Marley image. Pioneer Kenyan gospel singer, Mary Atieno Ominde and her husband, Alex Ominde,  provided a short and rousing musical set of wonderful

I LOVE this series of sky photos which were all taken on an August evening between the northern BC towns of Chetwynd and Dawson Creek, British Columbia (far western province in Canada). August is usually a good time to travel to this part of the country.   The days are still relatively warm and sunny. By mid-August you still have sun but you can begin to feel the slight chill in the air as the weather transitions to Fall/Autumn. For more beautiful skies from around the globe, click here .

The last time I wrote about Little Linet she had recently had her front teeth removed and she was having problems eating. She is now undergoing testing in preparation for cleft palate surgery. All photo credits:  Jonah of Missions of Hope Here is little Linet with her mother in their home. Here Little Linet looks cautiously into the camera. I wonder if she knows what is really in store for her?  Probably not as she is still very young. This is the environment in which Little Linet and her younger sibling live.   As you can see they are very poor and there is trash all around the neighbourhood because there is no garbage pick up.  There is no way the family could manage to give the little girl surgery without outside help. Little Linet's next medical test will be on August 28, 2012. Shortly after that, we hope that she will be pronounced a candidate for cleft palate surgery. Then she can be free to run around and play like other children.  Her mother can also

This photo was taken on August 14, 2011, driving from Chetwynd, BC to Dawson Creek, BC. I love this photo because of the country road leading to the full moon. For more Sky photos from around the world, click here .

The eldest of my nephews is getting married on September 1st. It is a garden wedding in a hot city (semi-arid) so I didn't know what to wear. I wanted something cool and unfussy. This is what it looks like on but that isn't me in the photo. I found just the dress on line. It is quite comfortable and very light in weight though lined.  I like the colour very much. I am thinking of buying these Birkenstock sandals for comfort and for keeping cool. I actually had my eye on these since long before I decided what I will wear to the wedding.  Now is a  good time to order them on line.  I should have them by the time of the wedding.  I think I've also found a dress for my niece who doesn't normally wear dresses. This maxi dress is very light and cool. Since she is much smaller in the neck area, this higher neckline will be great for her. You'll notice the dresses are both simple and flowing. I think this shape is my new favourite for dresses and

there is more than pollen and dust on this flower. Look at the top of the flower (where the petals meet the centre of the flower) and you will see a stray hair. I presume it blew there with the wind. Please join in with Floral Friday Fotos. You can join in here . And with Tina and Weekend Flowers here . You can also join in with Our World Tuesday and get a glimpse of bloggers all over the world! Click here .

Many of you know that I set myself a modest reading goal of 24 books this year. Though I like to read, I also like time for other things, including simply "vegging out" so I don't usually read more than one or two books a month. Sometimes I get into a phase where I crave reading.  If  I happen to be reading a good book, it spurs me on to read even more.  This week was such a time.  I had the delightful experience of reading a book called The Obamas by Jodi Kantor.  The book gives good insight into what drives the Obama's forward in their mission in political life. It also provides a look into the transition the Obamas made from life in Chicago to the White House in Washington, DC.  It also gives some good insight into the workings of Washington and the White House itself. I found it quite interesting overall. After enjoying The Obamas , I finished reading two other books that I had only partially read and set aside. I was also able to read one of the many book

I had a great visit to Vancouver's Punjabi Market. I've been meaning to go down Main Street around 50th Avenue to peek into the grocery stores and see if I could find henna for my hair. I did indeed find Henna.  I was very pleased with my selection and the cost of the product but the real test will be in how it works. Before going to the market, I got a tip from my friend Jo about buying samosa pastry sheets to use in making samosas.  I had never heard of this item before but I was able to find it at the Punjab Food Center.  I was also able to buy some coconut cream, curry and a few other items for future cooking adventures!  Some day I'm hoping to try Jo's samosa recipe here . The Punjab Food Center has such an amazing array of spices. These two photos show the bagged spices but the store also carries a lot of bulk spices.  When I have more time I will take a better look at the spice selections.  I  was also impressed with the selection of "exotic"