Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Happy Birthday to Me

Happy Birthday was sung a few times yesterday. I celebrated a birthday on Monday and though I don't generally go for big parties I do enjoy more intimate gatherings with family and friends.

~~~~~~~~

A friend made a scrumptious and diverse dinner.  There were 3 kinds of rice (plain white, brown and chicken pilau), millet ugali, chicken stew, sauteed kale/onions, roasted plantain, roasted chicken legs with a lemon sauce and chapati. Not to be outdone her son made 2 flavours of muffins in two different sizes.  We had a feast and I was stuffed.



I thought it was rather creative how this young boy made cupcakes and bought candles to spell out Happy Birthday. 
It was very sweet.

Here is the young chef lighting up the cupcakes before they sang and I blew out candles.


Not to be outdone my "baby" brother bought me a beautiful fruit cocktail cake with whipped cream frosting topped with fresh fruits. This is my favourite cake and it has now become a staple for family birthday celebrations. I will have a few more birthday luncheons as friends have invited me out later and as time allows in my schedule.

~~~~~~~

I haven't had time to post a lot of photos of my various outing over the past few weeks so I'm sharing a few from a few weeks ago when a friend invited me on a harbour cruise.

I have a lot of photos to share.  This post will only cover the walk along the northern sea wall toward the departure point for the cruise.



I alighted near the sea wall close to the entrance of the Westin Bayshore Hotel.  This hotel is popular with tourists and is located almost at the entrance to Vancouver's Crown Jewel, Stanley Park. Stanley Park is a 405-hectare public park that borders the downtown of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada and is almost entirely surrounded by waters of Vancouver Harbour and English Bay.  Read more about this beautiful park at this link.


I'm headed north west of the hotel so I need to go around it.  I found the hotel rather large and spread out.  It is also undergoing some redevelopment though it is still open for business.

A view west towards downtown Vancouver.

A small marshy pond located adjacent to the hotel. Too bad there were no birds splashing about




I love the riotous colour in all the blossoms.



Just as I am about to head due west, I look to the east and snap a few photos. 

The  white building with the 'sails' in the background right is the east wing of  the Vancouver Convention Center and where I was last week for Flyover Canada.  I just learned that it is still part of the Convention Center. I thought it had been replaced altogether by the new one (see photo below) but now I understand there is a west wing and an east wing which are actually two separate buildings.


See the paddle boat with tourist on the top deck.

You can see the port of Vancouver with the multi-coloured shipping containers in the background.  The float plane on the far right is part of the fleet for Harbour Air which flies to our provincial capital, Victoria and to many other points on Vancouver Island.  In late April the airline added flights to Seattle, Washington.



In the photo above you can see the structure in the middle with a green roof. That is the new 'west wing" of Vancouver Convention Centre.   It is built on stilts over the water.

 The living roof, seawater heating and cooling, on-site water treatment and fish habitat built into the foundation of the West Building make it one of the greenest convention centres in the world. The Centre recycles an average of 180,000 kilograms of materials annually, nearly half of the total volume of waste generated. It avoids canned goods, disposable utensils and dishes, and donates leftover food to local charities (source: Wikipedia)



The grey, concrete building peeking out just to the right of the lamppost in the foreground is the Vancouver Lookout Tower. At the top there is an observation deck and the only remaining revolving restaurant in the city.



I enjoyed my walk along the waterfront looking at all the activity on the water and the various boats and ships which were docked. Though the weather was overcast it was perfect for a day out.  Signage was present here and there announcing various tours and yacht rentals.



A float plane comes in for landing.
Signage announcing some water adventure tours.

 

I've now arrived at the departure point for the Harbour Cruise. Here I sit and wait on a bench for my friend to arrive. 
It isn't too long before I heard my name.
My former boss was out for a luncheon walk and recognized me in profile as I gazed out over the boats and yacts.
What a small world we live in.

In a short while afterward my friend arrives and we set off for our adventure.

Stay tuned.

Joining in with 


Thank you for visiting. Please come again soon.




28 comments:

Lady Fi said...

What a creative young chef! The flower shots are lovely too.

Sandi said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

magiceye said...

Belated birthday wishes! Have a great year ahead!

Lovely captures all!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Happy belatedBD! The meal prepared by your friends looks and sounds amazing. I love plantains...and would like to try the dishes I’m not familiar with (and of course chicken is just about the only meat I buy any more)... and the fruit cocktail cake later...perfect! Vancouver is such a beautiful City!

Rhodesia said...

A very happy birthday, a bit belated but the wishes are for the following year. I am also very busy, just too much to do and I have not got the time to keep all my blogs going for the moment but I will be back. Love all these photos and so nice to see another country. Take care Diane

Nancy Chan said...

Happy birthday to you! Very creative with the cup cakes and birthday wish!

Debbie Harris said...

Happy Birthday! Your dinner sounded just lovely and what a great idea with those cupcakes.
Looking at all your gorgeous photos was like being right there! Awesome shots, thank you for sharing your beauty with us.

Have a glorious day ♡

eileeninmd said...

Hello Penny, beautiful images and scenes. I hop your birthday was great, looks like a fun time. I love the flowers and marshy pond scene. Have a happy day and week ahead.

Birgitta said...

Very nice and beautifuk photo series! Happy Birthday! I also have birthday today 22 May ;)

happyone said...

Happy Birthday. : ) I have one coming up next week.

carol l mckenna said...

Happy Birthday today ~ am impressed with the wonderful and creative muffins by the young man ~ Also wonderful photography by you !

Happy Day to You,
C & Z

Joanne Noragon said...

Well, happy birthday, you dear "old" thing. I would love all your cake, tooo.

Jo said...

Happy, HAPPY birthday dearest Penny! I wished you on Facebook. What a lovely East African meal you enjoyed. And the birthday cake from your brother looks yummy. Enjoy your harbor adventure. I'll be back for more! Blessings and hugs for a special friend. Jo

Dianna said...

First of all, a belated Happy Birthday to you, Penny. It looks as if you had a beautiful celebration! I loved all of the pictures...such a beautiful area! Thank you so much for sharing them with us. I enjoy seeing other places. xx

Kay L. Davies said...

You just made my day, Penny. I will be "coming home" from southeastern Alberta to the Vancouver area next month if the floodwaters in the Interior permit, but I'm not sure I'll get to see the harbour as all my family members live in the southwestern suburbs. So thank you for sharing not only your birthday but also "my" Vancouver. If I do get downtown, and to the park, I'll be thinking of you and your photos!
Kay
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Red said...

Happy birthday. You had a fine celebration and feast. I like poking around on the waterfront.

Angela said...

Happy Birthday. It looks like you had a great time celebrating. That cake looks delicious!

Al said...

Happy Birthday and nice shots. I fondly remember Stanley Park from my Vancouver visits.

Mari said...

Happy Birthday! I'm glad your friends and family spoiled you. I think it's so sweet that your friends son even helped.
I enjoyed the walk through Vancouver.

shayndel said...

Happy Birthday Joyful!! Looks like a wonderful and sounds like a delicious celebration!!!
The harbor cruise looks beautiful and refreshing!!

I have taken an "unofficial" blog break, not planned, still here, but just took a little time away!!! Thank you for your visits and I hope to be back soon ! Much love and blessings in your days!!♡

Andrea said...

Thanks for that wonderful tour of your corner in the world...Happy Birthday!

Gattina said...

A very happy belayed birthday to you ! I always say another year gone, lol ! What a beautiful place in Vancouver at the harbour ! Interesting sightseeing for me !

Jeanie said...

Happy Belated Birthday! What a wonderful selection of celebrations (and field trips, too!) Loved each and every photo. I have to say it was very clever to do the muffins with the candles that way and it sounds like loads of fun. Not familiar with a fruit cocktail cake -- I'll bet it's moist and delish. Sounds like a MOST wonderful time!

Stephanie said...

Happy belated Birthday to you, lovely lady! It looks and sounds like you had a wonderful time celebrating.

Hugs to you!

affectioknit said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Penny!

~Have a lovely day!

annie said...

Happy Birthday and many years to come.
Looks like a lovely party and the cakes and muffins look delicious!
You have some wonderful friends.
I love seeing the photos of Vancouver.

Angie said...

Belated Happy Birthday! I am truly impressed by the creativity with the muffins/cupcakes - I will have to remember that for the future! Your tour today was special - I loved all the flowers. It looks like those sailboats are all set for the summer!

jabbott said...

Happy belated birthday friend xxx

It Was a Spectacular Day! ~ Skywatch

Hello friends and fellow bloggers, It was a spectacular, sunny day where I live. It's still rather chilly from my point of view but the ...