SNAP THAT

It is still Fall but it has been quite chilly and I think chillier than the norm. Perhaps that will change as the season progresses. So much for El Nino bringing us a mild winter season.  I don't find it so bad when I go outside but my knees do.  I took these photos on Sunday in late afternoon. Usually we do  not have frost that hangs around past morning and usually we get a lot of rain. When it is raining the temperature is several degrees warmer so there is no frost. I find the designs in the frost quite beautiful. It reminds me of my childhood when we had a lot of snow and frost on our windows. The frost was very thick and always had such lovely and intricate patterns. Our household heating seemed to work very well compared to what I have now. When they designed my place they didn't think about cold weather and where to put the radiators. It is too cold and drafty (though I do plug things up to stop the drafts). My poor bird bath, w

In the past several weeks I've noticed large flocks of birds every where I go. I am not sure if they are migratory birds that are flying south, or if there is another reason. But they are interesting to watch. It is hard to capture them when they fly so quickly though. Joining in with our host Eileen at Saturday's Critters .

It's always pretty to see the sunlight glinting off the windows in the far distance.   At this time of year when the light is scarce, a clear and sunny day is a precious gift.  Have a great evening. Joining in with Skywatch Friday today.

Hello everyone, Some of you will remember from earlier posts that I was trying to assist a child named Baby Fidelis and her family, to raise funds for medical help.  The funds were needed to travel from Kenya to Canada so that the baby could undergo reconstructive surgery. Medical costs were to be donated to the family but the family had to get to Canada and have funds to live on as well as funds for after care once they return home. After a tumultuous start to their journey, the baby and her mother arrived in Toronto, Canada in August, 2015.  It's been awhile since there has been any news but thanks to a news agency in Kenya, there is now a public update. I'm sharing the photo and story below. Credit goes to The Star, Kenya. Baby Fidelis underwent successful surgery last week in Toronto. There aren't any new  photos of how the baby looks since she is barely a week out of surgery. But I will update the photos of the baby if, and when, they do become available. Th

A few weeks ago I had the good pleasure of going with a friend to our local central library for an event but haven't had a chance to write about it here. The occasion was a reading and book launch by local author, Carol Cram. She was launching her latest book, A Woman of Note . Here is a summary of the book as provided by the Goodreads site "Virtuoso pianist Isabette Grüber captivates audiences in the salons and concert halls of early nineteenth-century Vienna. Yet in a profession dominated by men, Isabette longs to compose and play her own music—a secret she keeps from both her lascivious manager and her resentful mother. She meets and loves Amelia Mason, a dazzling American singer with her own secrets, and Josef Hauser, an ambitious young composer. But even they cannot fully comprehend the depths of  Isabette’s talent. Her ambitions come with a price when Isabette embarks on a journey that delicately balances the line between duty and passion. Amid he

I went to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra tonight. The VSO website described tonight's offering as follows: Maestro Bramwell Tovey presents a performance of  Fauré’s luminous and profoundly beautiful Requiem . Stravinsky’s deeply moving Symphony of Psalms and Haydn’s rich and aristocratic Military Symphony set the stage for Fauré’s choral masterpiece. Conductor / Performers Bramwell Tovey  conductor Nathalie Paulin  soprano* David John Pike  baritone* Phoenix Chamber Choir  * UBC University Singers  * Graeme Langager  chorus director Repertoire Stravinsky Symphony of Psalms* Haydn Symphony No. 100 in G Major, Military Fauré Requiem* Just before th

Beautiful Day November 19, 2015 This was the day and sky today after heavy duty rain and wind storms earlier in the week. The sky was nice and bright blue. How is the day where you are? Joining in with Skywatch Friday

This is a lovely gospel song sung in Swahili and has special meaning for me. It is special because on my first trip to Kenya a group of orphans encircled me and sang this lovely song. It really touched me. No one translated the song for me at that time.  Though I could not speak Swahili I knew it was a worship song unto God. I tried to track the song down for a long time.  Every time I would ask a Kenyan friend, no one would know which song I was trying to recollect. I only knew the words "Ni wewe bwana" and decided to search on YouTube when I couldn't get any of my friends to help me find the song.  Guess what,  I found it! (Update: It has already been some years since I found it and had a Tanzanian friend translate it for  me.) The version I'm sharing is the same song but this one on the video is sung to a slightly faster beat.  It is sung by well known (now deceased) Tanzanian Gospel singer, Fanuel Sedekia. This song gives me joy and lifts me u

Hi friends, I decided to post once again about Movember and the Movember campaign by the Kenyan Boys Choir.  Movember is a campaign to raise money for it in support of the fight against several men's diseases.  Am not asking for your help in this post. If you do want to find out more you can click here . How many of you have heard of Movember? It is a global charitable cause set up to raise funds for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men's mental health. The idea is that men grow mustaches in the month of November and try to raise funds for the fight against these diseases. If you have ever had prostate cancer, testicular cancer or mental issues or, you have a loved one who has, you may be touched by the efforts to fund raise. My friends in the Kenyan Boys Choir  have been moved to grow mustaches and do their part to  raise funds for the cause.  In Kenya where they live the treatment options and care available for anyone with cancer is very minimal and the

I've been busy with a little of this and that over the past few days and still fighting a bit of cold symptoms. I've been taking my daily Emergen-C (packets of Vitamin C & B which I mix with water before drinking) and it seems to help keep my energy levels up and the sniffles at bay. I was glad to have finished writing a few letters and post cards to my sponsored boys in Kenya and Ethiopia which I put in the post today.  I am prepared for Christmas for them. Though I didn't send funds for Christmas gifts for the children, I opted to send  family gifts so that the boy's families could have a nice Christmas without financial stresses.  Christmas is the time in Kenya where the families like to try and get a new set of clothing and also have a meal that includes meat or fish rather than just starch and veggies.  I hope that they will be able to also get a few other food stuffs they need since inflation is rampant in Kenya right now.  I am not quite sure what the si

Some of you will recognize this church steeple. I usually show a long shot of it. I thought it would be fun to show a different angle today. Joining in with Skywatch Friday & Friday Foto Friends