Skywatch in July

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all well.

I've enjoyed this past week because the temperature has been a bit cooler and the skies have been beautiful. I hope you enjoy this week's photos.

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday this week. Thank you for stopping by. 

Currently Doing & Reading

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

There isn't much to report here other than it continues to be quite hot and that saps my energy and what I can accomplish.   I've also been taking it easy since my last post because I wasn't feeling well. I'm starting to feel a bit better.

The interior repairs and exterior patio renovations are getting near completion. Indoors the ceiling and walls need to be painted, the carpet underlay replaced, closet doors returned and a bathroom exhaust fan replaced.  I'm not sure if the contractor is going to be washing the carpets. He is sticking very rigidly to the insurance parametres because he doesn't get paid for 'extras'. It's appalling what insurance considers a restorative job. Even so, I've managed to work with the company that is overseeing the project and they have approved small extensions to the work here and there for which I'm grateful. I have my own carpet cleaner and if the job won't be done by the contractor, I will wash the carpets myself before I ask the moving company to delivery my furniture from storage.

There are several issues with the patio work but it's a bit harder to deal with since the issues affect all patios not just mine so we'll see how things go over time.  The project manager is betwixt a rock and hard place since he has his marching orders though he knows that it might be better to do things differently.  Overseeing all the work which has been ongoing for long is quite a tiresome process but soon it will all be over and there will be a scramble to try and return everything to normal and enjoy what is left of the decent weather.

In between the renovations and doing the normal day to day things, I've been reading.  These are the latest books.

Highly recommended

Just completed Reckless Daughter which I highly recommend to Joni Mitchell fans.

Just starting the book on the Vagus Nerve

Just starting the E George book, a crime novel.

I also go for a walk in the evening when the sun is not quite as hot.

I treated myself to dinner out on Friday night.

I won't be travelling at all this summer.  My brother was supposed to visit in July with his wife and the plan was to travel to WA state for a short visit.  That plan is now scrapped.  They hope to come in September and I also hope to have my niece visit in September. Hopefully we can all meet up in Vancouver if travel schedules allow.

Drop me a note in the comments about what you're doing this summer.

A Quick Trip to the Garden

 
Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I've been under the weather for a few days and the hot temperatures make it worse.

I wanted to go to the community garden plot but couldn't rally myself until after 8 p.m. There I did a bit of weeding and harvested Swiss chard and kale. They have both gotten so big; especially the chard.

I'm glad I made it to the garden. The side benefit was the cool and fresh temperature there. It was so much nicer to breathe the fresh air at the park.  The air at my home has been very hot and still all day.

I'm sorry if I haven't paid a visit to your blog lately.  I've just been too tired and preoccupied with all the exterior and interior work going on simultaneously.  Workers are getting closer every day to finishing the job.

Thank you for stopping by.

Skywatch Friday in the Heat of July

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Happy Friday to each of you. I hope you are having a fantastic start to your weekend. We are having a bit of a heat wave where I live. It started last week. I think it was Wednesday when the temperature dramatically increased. By Friday I was really feeling the heat when I went downtown to attend the Rolling Stones concert.

These photos were taken before the concert.  The last sky photo was taken in the concert venue.  It's the first time I've been in the stadium since they opened the roof. I'm not even sure if it is always like that or they just retract it during the summer.  All the other times I've been there the roof was closed. 

This is the side of the Parc Hotel on my way to the stadium next door.

Photo taken before the opening act took the stage.

The old guys can still rock and I really enjoyed the concert. If you'd like to read more about the concert, click here.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday.

Roses ~ Tuesday 4 Meme

Here is another of Tuesday 4  invented by Toni Taddeo and kept alive in her memory.   While June is the month of roses, they do bloom all summer long and well past September in many places.

1. What is your favorite color of roses? Do you have a favorite kind of rose? 

My favourite colour of roses is 1) orange or 2) deep pink. I also like the same coloured roses but with cream on the outside.

I was trying to find a photo of such flowers for you because I know I've taken some but I can't seem to find more recent ones. The one I'm sharing is quite old and taken with a small camera in the days before the smart phones started taking good photos.

 

2. Do you ever buy flowers for your home?

Rhododendrons

Yes, I definitely love buying fresh flowers but they've become so expensive just like everything else here. I heard an American from Ohio the other day say she can buy a bunch of fresh flowers for $5. I've been buying fresh flowers here for decades and the price has never been that low.  It used to be that on the street where I live there would be many small stores that would sell bunches of fresh flowers and in those golden old days, the price was probably close to $10 for one bunch.  Nowadays most of those shops are gone and flowers, when you can find them, are at least $15 and up to $100 + for a fuller more varied bouquet.  Sadly this means I don't buy fresh flowers very often these days.  If I have an extra $15 to spend then I'd prefer to buy fresh fruits or vegetables.

3. Are there any roses in your yard or neighborhood? If not what kind of things grow around you?

No. My neighours and I only have patio balconies and I've yet to see anyone growing roses. They do grow rhododendrons and other flowering bushes though I can't say I've seen everyone's garden since we have privacy walls. In the stand alone residences in the neighbourhood some people do grow roses of various kinds though one doesn't see as many of them as one would think.

4. What do you see when you look out your front door?   How about out your kitchen window or back door?  

My daily view. 🙏

I only have a front door and a patio door and north facing windows.  The bathrooms and kitchen have no windows. When I walk out my front door I see a hallway.  When I look out the patio door I have a very beautiful view of the mountains and a church steeple.

The Rolling Stones Concert

The concert has come and gone. It was so much fun! My brother bought me the ticket and he also went to the concert but had a ticket in a different section.  The seat mates to my left was a couple from Columbia who are here on vacation. The young woman has lived in British Columbia before and has permanent residency. She was bringing her boyfriend to check it out and they may move here together if he likes it. The seat mates to my right were a mother and son from Parksville on Vancouver Island. The young man sat next to me and we had great conversation throughout the night. He was totally enjoying himself though he didn't grow up with the music like I did.

The first thing that struck me is how many gray haired rock and rollers there were in attendance, many of them wearing merch like t-shirts.  You could see that many of them have been rocking it all their lives. 

This was my section.

This was my view as I ate a snack before the show.

I enjoyed people watching.

I didn't realize the stadium was open air.

The opening act was a group from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania called Ghost Hounds and they were very good.

I uploaded one of my videos to You Tube and I will probably add more later to my channel. First I  have to figure out how to edit the videos a bit.  It's a bit of trial and error. This song is called The Midnight Rambler. I hope you like it.

I think the last time the Rolling Stones were scheduled to come to Vancouver, Covid broke out and the show was cancelled. Mick Jagger announced that it was 19 years ago when the band last came to the city and 59 years ago when they made their first visit. 

The show was excellent and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It took 50 years to the month that I first played the Rolling Stones on my little 8 Track Cassette Player until I finally saw the band in person. I can still see the scenes in my mind from way back then.  Moreover I can still see mom and dad and how they were appreciating the music as much as I did and how they supported me in my love of the music.  (I loved them all the more for their indulgence of me).  I think they were just grateful that I chose to enjoy the music at home rather than running around town like a lot of the other teens we knew.

 The album was called Jumping Jack Flash  and it was the only cassette I owned of the band.  How fitting it was that the band ended their set with the song "Jumping Jack Flash".  It just felt like a very special evening which had come full circle.

The First Friday in July

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all well.

It's Friday and I'm looking forward to relaxing a bit. I'm going to the Rolling Stones concert tonight. The ticket was my Christmas gift from my younger brother. Wow, I haven't been to a concert in decades and things have changed dramatically. I cannot even take a purse into the venue. I could use a fanny pack but it ended up in storage when the contents of the master bedroom were moved out a few weeks ago. I just found this out yesterday when I decided to read all the rules and policies about 'bags'. I almost skipped over that part but I'm glad I didn't because I wouldn't want my purse being confiscated. Anyway I'll have to really pare down and make sure I wear clothing with pockets. That's a tall order too given we are suddenly experiencing a heat wave. 

I'm not going to let these challenges get to me. I'll probably be the 'lightest' I've ever been going anywhere in recent history, lol because I can't take much into the venue. That might be a good thing. I'll take an empty plastic bottle to fill with water, my wallet and my phone. These are a must because you need a debit card or a credit card. It's a cashless venue. Also you need your phone with the Ticketmaster app so you can scan your ticket. No paper tickets or screenshot tickets are allowed. Things have really changed a lot for those of us who never go to sporting events or big concerts but if you've been to these big events lately then it's all common knowledge for you.

I went out for some errands on Thursday.  It was very hot and there was not a cloud in the sky. Here are a few photos for you.

I was on my way to dinner and I happened to pass by a flower shop which is relocating this month. They had various sale signs in the window. I spotted this trolley and tried to enter to buy it. The store was closed but the owner saw me pointing to the item and let me in. I bought it and then had to return to my home before I could go out to dinner.

As many of you know, I am decluttering but I do still buy certain things that I need for how I want things to be in future. For sure I want plants and greenery and I currently lament that I have very few flat surfaces. This little trolley will help solve that. It can also be used as my DH bedside table because I'm getting rid of a big chest that we have been using as his night stand amongst other things.   The table takes up way less space than the chest.

I ended up going out for Vietnamese food instead of Japanese food. It was very tasty and the young water struck up a conversation with me about my phone because he has a similar one. I've learned he has only been here for 10 months from the beautiful coastal city of Danang, Vietnam.

A fabulous meal.

That's it for now. Have a wonderful Friday.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday today.

Update on the Current To Dos

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are all fine today.

It's been a busy day for me after a night of insufficient sleep.  After a period of dormancy and lack of action it seems things are moving forward at last on both indoor and outdoor repairs.

There wasn't much happening outside today. It seems they were removing garbage and excess materials in preparation for the final restoration work to be done. I'm hoping it will be done soon because it is already going on 6 months of work. Mostly work that has occurred elsewhere on the property, not on my own balcony. 

The work hasn't progressed beyond this point.

Indoors, the insurance adjuster came at last to inspect the interior damage and work to be done. It was a pro forma visit just to add something to her files because the household insurance will not be responsible for the interior renovation work.  The strata building's insurance provisions have been triggered and work will be done by a contractor of the strata's choosing. The same company that did the emergency work will do the interior repairs. Someone is arriving shortly to take an overview and make sure he and his crew are prepared for the actual repair work with the needed supplies.

I'm happy about that because now I will make sure that I bring two areas to their attention which were not captured in the original report. One of the items is the malfunctioning bathroom exhaust fan. It stopped working shortly after the water leak and I believe the motor probably died due to excessive water contact. So I'll bring it up today and see how it goes. In the meantime, I removed the old fan and I'm cleaning out the opening. It's so full of heavy duty dust. I was shocked since I'm always vacuuming the ventilation screen at least every week. In any case, it is a good opportunity to make sure things are nice and clean.

Old fan full of lint/dust

In fact, I ordered a fan from Amazon and was simply going to install it myself. However the fan arrived in obviously used condition without instructions. In addition, it is much smaller and lighter than the original fan despite my checking to make sure it was the right model etc. So I will be shipping it back. If the insurance doesn't cover a replacement, I'll take the old motor to Home Depot and make sure I get something that will work.

New fan & motor

I've been cleaning out several boxes that the movers packed and stored in the master bedroom closet. I got rid of a lot. Most of which has become trash because I've kept it so long without using it.

I need to take another good hard look at things and get rid of even more.  I'm just so over keeping things for possible later use.  I'm also more resolved then ever not to hang on to things or to over buy things. I've observed that things end up not being used once they are stored away because I never see them and then it becomes clutter and ultimately gets tossed out or given away. Either way, it is a wasteful practice.  Overall, I'm making progress in not buying so much. NowI just need to make more progress in downsizing my possessions. I'm getting my DH to do the same because he has accumulated a lot since joining me.

When I need a break from insurance and renovation issues, I'm usually looking at small home improvements. It takes time to consider what needs to be done and even more time to look for budget friendly solutions then going out to find them in stores or on line.  I make small progress here and there. I also continue to read when I need a break. Right now I'm making progress on reading these books.

Books 35 & 36

Book #37

I've also decluttered a few books that I picked up free over the years.

I'm not sure how many of you noticed that I've posted every day for 61 days ending on Canada Day, July 1st. It was a bit of an experiment and I think the first time I've ever done that over all these years of blogging. I now plan to cut back a bit and enjoy the rest of the summer. 

Thank you for visiting and commenting. I always love to read your comments and visit your blogs. Those of you who blog regularly will know that I'm a prolific blog reader and commenter. I enjoy reading about what you're up too and letting you know I visited by leaving a comment. I figure that if I take the time to read, it is only an extra minute to leave a comment.

That's it for now. Take care until next time.