Under a Cloudy Sky

After some glorious sunny days, it started to rain again as is the norm in our Winter on the West Coast of Canada.  It rained quite heavily on Monday.  These photos were snapped earlier this week during a break from the rain.

It was nice to see the bird's nest among the bare tree branches and the bird flying against a patch of blue sky.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday and Saturday's Critters this week.

Thanks for stopping by

and

have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Eye Canada and Food for the Soul

Hello friends,

I hope you have all enjoyed your Valentine's Day and are ready to greet the week with joy.

I wanted to share some beautiful photos.  I call it eye candy because of the beautiful water and beach scenes.

When I see sailboats on the water it gives me a sense of calm.  I think they look so beautiful with their sails unfurled and the boat calmly bobbing along.

When I stroll along the beach I am always happy. I love to see the beautiful scenery and look at all the smiling people.

It was a glorious sunny day. It was a warm 18 degrees Celsius though you'd think it was colder the way some people are dressed. The temperature can drop 10 degrees once the sun goes down.

Food for the Soul

A friend shared the video I've posted.
I enjoyed the music, photos and words so much and thought it might be enjoyable to you too!

I'

I'm still reading the books I shared with you in earlier posts this month.  I'm working on another one for a book club meeting.  I hope to join a group of people over an African dinner in town to discuss it.
 

A book for book club meeting.

 I haven't started the book yet and just picked it up from the library yesterday. I don't have much time to read it as it took a awhile to get it. The library only has 2 copies and they were both out when I put it on hold.

I've got several books "on the go" at present and hope to finish a few of them in the next week or so.

Here is a summary of the book from Goodreads.

"Like very good dark chocolate this is a delicious novel, with a bitter-sweet flavour. Vimbai is a hairdresser, the best in Mrs Khumalo's salon, and she knows she is the queen on whom they all depend. Her situation is reversed when the good-looking, smooth-talking Dumisani joins them. However, his charm and desire to please slowly erode Vimbai's rancour and when he needs somewhere to live, Vimbai becomes his landlady. So, when Dumisani needs someone to accompany him to his brother's wedding to help smooth over a family upset, Vimbai obliges. Startled to find that this smart hairdresser is the scion of one of the wealthiest families in Harare, she is equally surprised by the warmth of their welcome; and it is their subsequent generosity which appears to foster the relationship between the two young people. The ambiguity of this deepening friendship - used or embraced by Dumisani and Vimbai with different futures in mind - collapses in unexpected brutality when secrets and jealousies are exposed. Written with delightful humour and a penetrating eye, The Hairdresser of Harare is a novel that you will find hard to put down."

I'm joining up with Lady Fi at Our World Tuesday this week.

Saturday's Critters, February 13, 2016

There are usually a lot of seagulls on the beach.

On this day I only spotted one in the water and one or two flying overhead.

(Click the photos for a larger view).

I wanted to capture this piece of driftwood. While I was doing that I spotted the gull drifting along on the waves.

Too bad I didn't have the good zoom lens with me.

Happy Valentine's Day to you ♥♥♥

Joining in with our host Eileen at Saturday's Critters

Skywarch Under the Big Tree

I walk by this tree every now and then whenever I go to the Sky Train Station.  The Station is also a major bus transfer point.

The Greyhound Bus Station and the Amtrak Train to Seattle are just steps away from this tree.

I love the graceful branches and arch of this old tree.

It was such a beautiful day which only added to my enjoyment of the tree and the luscious green grass (though too bad about the litter).

I'm joining with Skywatch Friday today. 

 Have a blessed weekend.

Good Fences #1

Back fence at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden

Fence at the Waterfront

Joining this  'new to me" meme here.

Sad Goodbyes

Florence 1943-2016

We little knew that morning
God was to call your name.
In life we loved you dearly,
in death we do the same.
It broke our hearts to lose you,
You did not go alone.
For part of us went with you
The day God called you home.
You left us beautiful memories,
Your love is still our guide,
And though we cannot see you,
You are always at our side.
Our family chain is broken,
and nothing seems the same,
But as God calls us one by one,
The chain will link again

~~~~

Today my aunt was laid to rest.
She was a very stoic woman who had a lot of strength. She was in great pain on a constant basis but would never complain or let on that she was not well.
She lived her life her way and that is what is important.
Her husband passed many years ago after being ill for a very long time.
She leaves behind 2 sons and 2 daughters and several grandchildren and great-children.  

Sadly, another family member passed today too.

My cousin Patrick and nephew to my auntie, Florence and to my mom.

He had heart trouble and several heart attacks over the years. 
He had another heart attack today after they laid my auntie to rest.

I don't know for sure but I think it was the stress of the long journey (for him about 1000 km one way).

 Patrick was a loving and sensitive person who became closer to my mom and would visit her in the care home after losing his own mother. 

Sad, sad day for his wife and young son left behind.  
It  was only a few short years ago that their other son passed unexpectedly..
They say a parent never gets over the demise of their child.  A child dying before a parent is out of the order of things.
 
~~~~


In a post a short while ago I was writing how important it is to give thanks for every good thing and to enjoy the beauty that is here all around us while we can..
If we are exceptionally busy we should pause and remember to  give thanks.  Embrace all that is good and lovely.
Always remember to tell your loved ones that they are loved.  We just never know how long we will have with them on this earth.

 Prayers abound for the immediate loved ones who will find it difficult in the weeks and months to follow.
 
Much love
and
May God watch over you and your loved ones and keep you safe
♥♥♥.

2 Corinthians  (TLB)
       

 ⁶ Now we look forward with confidence to our heavenly bodies, realizing that every moment we spend in these earthly bodies is time spent away from our eternal home in heaven with Jesus. ⁷ We know these things are true by believing, not by seeing. ⁸ And we are not afraid but are quite content to die, for then we will be at home with the Lord. ⁹ So our aim is to please him always in everything we do, whether we are here in this body or away from this body and with him in heaven

Kunghei Fatchoy

'Happiness and prosperity!'  

Kunghei fatchoy /gong-hey faa-chwhy (Cantonese)

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is marked by the lunisolar Chinese calendar, so the date changes from year to year.

The festivities usually start the day before the New Year and continue until the Lantern Festival, the 15th day of the new year.

I did my celebrating today as I was invited to join a group of seniors to celebrate Chinese New Year 2016. I had a very nice time and wanted to share the photos.

First I was greeted at the door with a name tag and someone offered to check my coat.  One inside, I was given a choice of two gifts. I chose a small calendar because I liked the red packaging.

Some of the Decorations
 

I have always loved red paper lanterns. Actually I like all paper lanterns but red stands out.

Our smiling servers

Food

Upper right and clockwise: fried rice, rice noodles, spareribs, sweet & sour spareribs, tofu and veggie

 Dessert

Warm sesame seed balls with red bean paste...so delicious. We also had an orange and some candy.

Appreciative diners

Entertainment Program

The entertainment program was very full. I was quite tired and had to leave at the last performance when the seniors did their sword dance (you'll see them below in the double ring dance).

Violinist playing a modern, electric violin & our MC who teaches drama to many of the performers.

A beautiful couple who sang a romantic song.

A group of limber seniors doing a double ring dance. They also did a sword dance but I didn't get photos.

A young champion on the left and her younger sister.

This young woman is champion Guzheng musician in both Canada and China. She also has impressive showmanship.

 

A Spoken Word group. The woman in black is reciting in English after the Chinese version done by the group.

These two ladies did a very nice Indian dance.

I think this is called a handkerchief dance.  The woman also performed the Indian dance above in purple costume.

This group of women performed several times in beautiful costumes (different costume for each dance).

Here is the same group of women in another costume.

 There are special events for Chinese New Year going on all month in my city.
 There are performances and exhibits at the  Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Pavilion  in Chinatown.
The Lion Dance is performed in different locations around Vancouver though I haven't seen one for a few years.

The Lion Dance will be the culmination of many of the activities and be held in Chinatown on Sunday.

 There are so many activities to choose from.

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Are you planning to celebrate Chinese New Year where you live?

Kunghei Fatchoy!

My World Today

Another week is here.

Today was a provincial holiday called "Family Day". The day is intended to enable families to spend time together and bond. The holiday was first enacted in Alberta and slowly over time other provinces have followed suit. I think it is only a matter of time before the holiday becomes a national one. It has already grown from a provincial holiday for one province to a provincial holiday for 6 provinces.

It was a beautiful day today but I stayed in and made some nice soup and bannock bread. I didn't think to get photos but the food was good.

Today I did a bit of Spring cleaning though it isn't Spring yet. I've got so many small and large chores that need doing so am getting a bit of a head start. I washed one of the furniture covers for the outside patio and tidied a few things outside that were an eyesore for long. I also emptied and trashed a lot of dried goods that seem to have provided sustenance for bugs and washed out two of my (lower)  kitchen cabinets.

I've never, ever had bugs in my dried goods before.  Now that they have started it seems I can't get rid of them. There are two types.  The first are tiny little black bugs that seem to like red lentils best (and brown rice).  The second type lay a lot of eggs and once hatched they look like small moths.  I first noticed the problem in some gluten free flour I'd purchased and thrown out long ago but I guess the eggs had spread.  Whenever I think I've gotten rid of the bugs, I find more.

It has been a real nuisance and a waste of money. The little black critters even get into airtight containers. They are so tiny that they just crawl under the lids. I'm hopeful I got rid of them all now but somehow I think I might find a few more. Mostly everything they might be interested in has been trashed so I hope that  means I've gotten rid of everything they like to eat.

I've been reading a few good books.

I'm still working on Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. This book by a Nigerian author now living in USA is about a young Nigerian woman who moves to the USA. It begins with the woman getting her hair braided in a salon and flashes back to her family life and love life in Nigeria to set the backdrop of how she get to America. I'm just at the part where she is about to return to Nigeria and reunite with her first love. I'm enjoying the book very much and is the second novel I've read by this author. The first one I read was, Half a Yellow Sun.

Snow in May is a delightful little book of short stories set in the bleak landscape of Siberia, Russia.  Personally, I don't really enjoy short stories. I prefer the fully developed story line that a longer book can provide. But the cover of this book appealed to me. It was only when I got it home that I discovered it wasn't a novel.

The setting for all the short stories is Magadan, an isolated fishing and mining town in northern Russia.  It once was a transit center for prisoners sent to Stalin's labor camps. The young author, Kseniya Melnik, is also from Magadan and immigrated to Alaska at age fifteen. She earned an MFA from New York University and now lives in Texas.

The third book I'm reading is Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee.  I'm still in early stages of the book.  The protagonist, Jean Louise Finch, "Scout" has returned to Maycomb, Alabama from New York City to visit her aging father Atticus.  Atticus is a long-time lawyer in Maycomb and some of you may remember him from the American classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, also written by Harper Lee. This is only her second novel and it is rumoured that she actually wrote it first but it was never published until summer of 2015.  I am enjoying it so far despite some of the negative reviews it received. I was on the library's wait list for 7 months to get this book and I'll have to finish it and return it on time as there is still a significant waiting list of hopeful readers.

Tomorrow I'll be joining some elderly folks for a celebration of Chinese New Year.  There will be singing, dancing and some foods that are eaten especially at Chinese New Year. It should be interesting and I'm looking forward to it.

I leave you now with a few shots I took today. We were fortunate to have a wonderful, sunny day and I believe tomorrow will be much the same. After that we expect heavy rains for the rest of the week.

Much of the new snow that had fallen on the mountains last Friday has melted.

This is my world this Tuesday. 

I'm joining Lady Fi and others for Our World Tuesday.

Enjoy the rest of your week.

Wildlife in the Rockies

These photos are taken from a trip through the Rocky Mountain range between the provinces of British Columbia and Alberta.

The purple line on the map below gives you some idea of the route taken.

I have been through the Rocky Mountains several times but this was the first time through the mountains using the town of Rocky Mountain House as the way to get there. (I usually go through Jasper and Banff).

If memory serves me correctly we were travelling in the month was May.  We ran into snow in a few parts of the mountains. We also saw a bit of wildlife. 

Joining in with Eileen at Saturday's Critters.

If you missed my Skywatch post you can see it by clicking here.

Thank you for visiting and have a lovely weekend. xx

Beauty in Twinkle at Twilight

I am blessed. 

 This week, I was admiring all the twinkling lights and freshly fallen snow on the mountains. 

So I stopped to take a few photos.   

As I did, many stopped to admire the beauty too and acknowledged me by smiling and saying some wonderful words about the beauty before us.  I was glad to pause and commune with others in gratitude for the beauty that is here.

For when we live in a place of such beauty we should never neglect to give gratitude. 

When we see moments of beauty we should always pause even ever so briefly and drink it in.

Today I say "Happy Birthday" to my beautiful (late) sister who was born on this day.

We miss her still and have the hope that one day we will reunite.

Today I also bid adieu to an auntie who I will not see again on this earth.

Rest well in God's arms until we meet again.

Today I give thanks that the Pokot man and my friend Jonah have both had surgery and come out of it.

Now I pray for their full recovery.

Time on earth is in God's hands alone. 

Let us give thanks for every breath we take.

~~~~~

In beauty I walk 

With beauty before me I walk 

With beauty behind me I walk 

With beauty above me I walk 

With beauty around me I walk 

It has become beauty again 

It has become beauty again 

It has become beauty again 

It has become beauty again 

(From the Navajo Way Prayer and Blessing)

 

Joining in with Skywatch Friday

Can you Help? & Update on Baby Fidelis

Hello friends,

The man in the photo is from Pokot country in Kenya and his name is John. He is the one that had 3 snake bites just before my friend Jonah got bit. Both of them are suffering from complications after initially healing well. I hesitated to put this man's photo up because this tribe of people doesn't like to have their photos taken. (I remember it wasn't so many decades ago when my people also did not want their images captured on film.  These days we take a lot of photos).  Anyway I know that it is difficult for people to feel connected to someone to help them if they don't know what they look like so I decided to post and hope for the best.

My friend Jonah has been on medication over the past week or so to try and reduce his lung size. He is likely going to have surgery on February 4th as the medication is not working to reduce his lungs. Doctors from Germany are at the Eldoret hospital.  There will be 4 doctors performing and assisting in the procedure on Jonah. His brother has ho travel from Kericho to Eldoret to sign the necessary release or waiver forms.  I'm still praying that this surgical procedure will not need to be done because it is very serious business.  But if it does go ahead, I pray for the very best result and a quick healing time.

The Pokot man above is also now suffering COPD as a consequence of the snake bites.  He needs more financial help to get the proper medical attention. It would be ideal if he can get help at the same time Jonah does so that they can both benefit from the assistance of the foreign doctors. I just wish I knew more about the surgery as what I've read isn't very encouraging. I am having to trust in God that ALL will go well and that these two men will be safe.

If you  can help the Pokot man, please contact me soonest.  You can either use the contact form to the top right of this blog or by send me email.  Click here.  Prayers are also much appreciated.  God bless.

 Philippians 4:6-7 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

~~~

In a spirit of rejoicing, Baby Fidelis and her mother made it home safely to Kenya on February 2, 2016.

Here they are being greeted at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after the long journey home from Canada.

Thanks be to God and to all those who prayed for and helped this dear baby. 

She will need to undergo more surgeries in future but for now she is at home with family.