SNAP THAT

Hi friends and fellow bloggers, It's been a fantastic week weather wise here in Vancouver.   The photos I'm sharing today were taken with my phone camera on Wednesday April 25, 2018. A house on my walk. I was drawn by the big cherry tree on the side of the house.  I was surprised to see a number of gardens that were quite far along given that we haven't had a warm spring. I didn't take many photos of gardens that day. I normally wait for summer walks for garden photos. Magnolia tree blossoms are almost all gone but they are so pretty. In my last post I shared pink cherry blossoms. Today I'm sharing white ones. These trees are very tall. Whether the cherry blossoms are pink or red, I love them all. Vancouver has an estimated 40,000 cherry trees and at least 54 different varieties of them planted throughout the city. The first cherry trees were a gift from a sister city, Yokohama, Japan. Joining in wi

Hi friends, I hope all of you are well. I've been a little less present on the blog this week due to busyness. Unexpectedly my washer broke down so that added to my usual workload. I cleared everything out of the laundry closet and sorted everything as well as wiped it all down. Of course, the washer breakdown necessitating an analysis of whether repairs are worthwhile or whether a new machine is needed.  This in turn meant even  more time doing online research, telephoning washer repairmen, researching flyers for washer sales and so on.  It looks like I will have to purchase a new machine.  After talking to experts, reading reviews on line and speaking with relatives with similar washing  machines I feel rather fortunate to have had my washer working as long as it did.  Many people seem to get only 4-5 years out of a similar model while I had 10 years. Even so, it is really   shame that we live in a throw away society and that manufacturers and retailers have done s

This is my quarterly update on the books I've read in 2018.  The books I enjoyed most are An African Love Story by Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick,  The Secret Daughter by Shilpa Somaya Gowda and The Laws of Harmony by Judi Hendricks. Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick is a Kenyan author, conservationist, and expert in animal husbandry, particularly the raising and reintegrating of orphaned elephants into the wild.I completed reading the book on March 31, 2018 and learned that Dame Sheldrick passed away in Nairobi on April 12, 2018, after a long battle with cancer.  In previous visits to Kenya, I have had the pleasure of visiting the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust dedicated to the conservation of elephants and rhinos. If you are all interested in this work please see more information here about the trust and the ways you can help in the conservation efforts.  The work of the trust will continue under the leadership of one of the daughters, Angela Sheldrick. On my current reading pile are

Hello friends and fellow bloggers, I'm now back from my quick trip out of town to attend my late Sister-in-Laws (SIL) funeral. It was a very unique funeral. My late SIL had many interests in life and a host of friends and family members. She was a bit of a maverick and one of the MC's at her service called her one of the last true cowgirls of the area. It is only fitting then that they opened service with a Cowboy's prayer. The MC's were and are cowboys too. Her son and other relatives also work with horses and cattle and many work on the land. Many First Nations dancers, drummers and singers were there to honour and sing to her for several days before and during the service.  A fire was kept for several days and nights with young fire keepers staying awake to ensure the flame never burned out. Food was brought in by many locals and tea, coffee, juice and water was constantly available as we condoled with family in the days and nights before the service. One thing

Every man must do two things alone; he must do his own believing and his own dying. Martin Luther  ♥♥♥ Thank you to all who left comments and sent messages inquiring after my health. It seems that I've spent much of 2018 in the clutches of a cold or pneumonia or both. I still have a touch of it. The weather doesn't help as it's been cold and sometimes wet. Even so time marches on. I can count on this tree to blossom first every year. It looks quite old. I always look forward to Spring when warmer climates and clearer skies prevail and the blossoms unfurl in earnest. But this Spring has started on a sad note. I said goodbye today to a very dear and very long time friend.  She passed 2 weeks ago of diabetic complications.  Her daughter arranged for services today as there are many relatives who had to travel far to be at the service. It was a lovely service and my friend was noted for her long and faithful service to the church amon