The Last Skywatch of the Month ~ Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

This was the scene as I stepped out to run errands late Thursday. It was raining earlier in the day but when it stopped I dashed out. The weather forecast includes a lot of rain which is usual at this time of year.  We recently ended a week of fog and sun, usually both on the same day.

I'll take the rain over the ice and snowstorms that are affecting much of Canada and the USA right now.  I hope the weather is fine in your part of the world. Thank you for stopping by on Skywatch Friday this week.  Stay warm and stay safe.

Simply the Best ~ Tuesday 4

Here is an older Tuesday 4 from Toni Taddeo.

1.   What was the best place you've ever been? A Place you would love to return to again and again.

There are two places I've returned to time and again.  The first is Australia, everywhere and anywhere on the east coast.  Cairns in the Far North Queensland has a special place in my heart due to family connections.  I also loved Sydney because in its winter it reminds me a lot of where I currently live.  After my 3rd visit to Australia though, I decided I'd better visit other places. One day I'd love to return and see the City of Melbourne.

The second country I love so much is Kenya.  It's a relatively small country compared to Canada where I live but it does take time to travel to places outside of Nairobi.  I love all parts of Kenya though I haven't travelled to the far flung northern areas mainly due to lack of time, money and issues of insecurity in the. north.  Perhaps one day I'll get to see the northern areas too.  In particular, I love the area around Kericho, Kenya, located in the Kenyan Highlands and home to many of the country's tea estates. I've visited the country 7 times and would like to return one day. If you search my blog you'll be able to see some photos of my travels to Australia though limited because it was in the days before smart phones. I do have more posts about my Kenyan travels.

Tea fields in Kericho, Kenya

2.   What was the best book you have ever read?

The best book I've ever read is a difficult one to answer. I have to identify several different books and I've shared these before in many different blog posts. The books are: The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher, Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry & The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I'm going to add a 4th book because it sticks in my brain though I've never had it on my favourites list before. It's called Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese. If you've read any of these books I'd love to know what you thought of them.

3.   What is the best food you've ever eaten? How about the best restaurant?

This is a difficult question too because I've eaten many best foods but I think two stand out. I do love Greek Souvlaki dinners (Chicken or Lamb) but they must include rice pilaf, roasted Greek potatoes, Greek salad, tzatziki sauce and grilled (warmed) pita bread.  It's the combination of all of the above that make it special. I also love calamari (deep fried squid) with tzatziki sauce.  Virtually any Greek restaurant I've eaten at knows how to prepare these dishes very well.

Chicken Souvlaki Plate

Another favourite dinner is special because it was a romantic meal. My now husband took me to an Ethiopian Restaurant in Nairobi, Kenya.  We had Beef Tibs and he fed me each bite and I fed him in turn. It was the one and only time I've ever had such an experience and we both laughed at attempts to feed one another.  We enjoyed ourselves and the meal was very tasty. Since then I've experimented with other Ethiopian dishes and I enjoy the food very much.  The restaurant we ate at was located in the northern part of Nairobi in the United Nations area but I can no longer find it on the Google Maps.

Beef Tibs

4.   What was the best movie or TV series you've ever watched? 

Best movies ever watched are The Ten Commandments with Charlton Heston, Dances with Wolves with Kevin Costner and any of the Bourne Trilogy, James Bond and Mission Impossible movies.  Do you sense a theme here? Historical and spy movies.  

Here is a movie trailer for The Ten Commandments. Have you seen the movie?  It's a very old one and I first saw it when I was quite young. In fact the movie was released before I was born but they would run the movie every Christmas. I haven't seen it on television for years.

 
So what would your answers be?  Get blogging and let us know.

The Fog Has Rolled In ~ Skywatch Friday

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

It has stopped raining for almost a week.  Instead we've been experiencing heavy fog.  During the day it can be sunny and clear but the fog will start rolling in during the mid to late afternoon and into the evening.

Earlier in the day when there was no fog.

After the fog started rolling in.

The fog adds to the atmosphere.

When I went out in the early evening to run errands it was damp and foggy.  I read later that many flights were being delayed due to the fog so probably the fog was much denser at the waterfront which is where the airport is located.  Fortunately I'm not flying any time soon so this doesn't affect me. I tend not to fly in winter because flight delays can be pretty much guaranteed no matter where one lives.

I'm enjoying the fog while it's here. I expect that by next week the rain will be back.  Thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post.

We've Got Questions ~ Tuesday 4

Welcome once again to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4.  Here are some questions for you.

1. Where did your mother and father grow up?

My mother and father both grew up in northern Alberta in several small communities close to what is now the city of Grande Prairie.  They were both born in Grande Prairie, Alberta too.  Back then it was a one horse town but today it is a thriving and much larger city.

Grande Prairie as you approach from the west

It looks very flat around this area but that's a bit deceptive because there are gently sloping hills and valleys all around just off the main highways and byways.

The following photos are not really in order of how we visited or passed through but they will give you an idea of the scenery in the area.

It was summer when I was last there. This beautiful flower pot decorated the entry to the hotel.

More northern scenery

And more....I think this was just after entering Alberta from northern British Columbia 

We visited relatives in Grande Prairie & East to Valleyview before visiting an uncle in Fairview.

Not too many of these old wood buildings are still standing.

Now we are heading west to Dawson Creek, British Columbia (BC)

2. Where did you grow up?

I grew up mainly in a small northern city in the province of British Columbia. The city is called Dawson Creek. It was small back then and it's still quite small today. It's claim to fame is that it is the place where the Alaska Highway begins.  There is a sign to show where the highway begins at "Mile 0".

3. What was your favorite meal your mother made? What is your favorite recipe to make?

That's a difficult one.  My mother could make something out of nothing and it would all taste good.  Whatever she made was filling, 'stick to your ribs' food so you were not always hungry.  The dishes that I recall liking a lot are spaghetti and meat sauce and roasted chicken pieces.  The chicken was to die for, so tender and juicy and reminiscent of KFC chicken with flavour.  My favourite as a child.  She also made wonderful bread, muffins, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, cakes and pies, with the latter being her specialty.  One of my brothers took after mother in the pie making department.  I didn't inherit mother's skill of making pies.  You would laugh if you saw my sorry attempts, especially concerning lemon meringue pies. It's too bad I don't have a photo of my efforts to share with you. I can laugh about it now but I remember at the time being frustrated when my efforts did not pan out.

I don't really have a favourite recipe but something I make often is a stir fried noodle, vegetable and meat dish or a stir fried vegetable and meat dish to have with steamed rice. Perhaps my favourite recipe is one I don't make very often.  It's a Greek meal of chicken, lemon potatoes, Greek salad, Tzatsiki sauce and pita bread.  I'd make it more often but it's quite time consuming and labour intensive because almost all of it, with the exception of the pita bread, is made from scratch. I prefer making something that is quick to put together but now and then I like something a little more involved.  I also love to bake but try not to do too much of it because I eat too much when there are freshly baked goods in front of me. 

I especially like baking bread.

4. What are the advantages you enjoy where you live?

I'm assuming you mean, where I currently live which is a considerable distance from where I grew up albeit in the same province. 

I live in the large metropolis of Vancouver, British Columbia. I love it for its plentiful trees, green spaces (parks and private gardens), and spectacular scenery (beaches and mountains). I live in the rain forest and I even like the rain.  However, as as I get older I'm finding that even a winter with more rain than snow is still a bit too cold for me.  The other thing I love about where I live is the fact that I don't have to travel out of town to access government services or health care and we have an excellent public transportation system.

I hope you enjoy this photo heavy post. I couldn't resist sharing a lot of photos.

Thank you for stopping by!

Skywatch Friday in Early January

We took a drive out to Langley City and Chilliwack at the weekend. I had to return an item I'd ordered on line and I wanted to try another item on at a brick & mortar store.  It's a good thing I did that because the fit wasn't quite right. I saved myself some money from ordering and the time it takes for delivery and mail in return for the improper fit.

As you can see it rained that evening but the pretty lights of Christmas were still up in an area of town known as District 1881. I don't think I've ever been to this area before. We didn't really explore. We just drove around and stopped at a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant for dinner before heading back to Vancouver.

Here is a film I found on You Tube about District 1881. It has become something of a tourist attraction which seems to have caught the locals by surprise.

While most of the rest of Canada is dealing with heavy snowfall at the moment, here at home, the next few days are expected to be dry and sunny.  Hopefully I'll have an opportunity to get some day time photos to share on Skywatch Friday.

Thank you for stopping by!