Drama in the Sky ~ Skywatch Friday

 

Joining up with Skywatch Friday today.

Currently ...January 5, 2026

Happy New Year everyone, 

I hope the year has started well for you despite all the tensions in the global community. 

I always take time at the beginning of each year to ease into it. I just can't jump back into things when a new year begins. I've never been able to do that. 

So true to form I've been taking things very slowly.

Here are a few snippets of the first few days. 

Recent activity

Decorations came down on January 1 and went to storage

Looking to fix or buy:

The handle on my bottom mount refrigerator broke some time ago and I've been searching for a new refrigerator ever since. Why buy a new one instead of repair it, you might ask? It's because I've never liked the current refrigerator. Much of the time it freezes all the fresh vegetables.  It has a few other quirks. Anyway, long story short, I searched high and low and couldn't find a refrigerator I wanted in the right colour, energy rating, features and price.

So we decided to try and fix it only to discover that the original part is discontinued. I found out the number for a substitute part and ordered it.  Today I learned that the company cancelled the order was cancelled because the substitute part has been discontinued.  It's such a shame because the 'fix' is actually very simple if one had the right replacement part. 

They sure do not make things to last anymore. We either have to live with the refrigerator as is, without the handle or buy a new refrigerator.  I think for now we'll just live with it. Hopefully something suitable will be available for purchase later in the year.

I also ordered some dress shoes online. They were leather, on sale and though they were 3 inches high, I thought they might work since the sole was also quite high. They arrived in record time.

Once I put them on and walked around, I could feel they aren't going to work.  It feels like I'm walking on stilts.  They are 3 inches high though they don't look so high in the photo. There's no point in keeping them if I can't walk around in them. The other 2 items I bought (cardi and leather gloves) were perfect.

Currently reading

A birthday gift from a cousin of mine

Last year I set a modest reading goal. Once I met it I kept on going and was surprised to end the year at just over 20,000 words read (59 books). Some of you may recall that I planned to spend more time on crafts and less time reading.  I did spend a bit more time learning a new to me craft (bead embroidery) but not nearly as much as I'd like. I haven't set a new reading goal for 2026 but will do that later this month.

Word Theme for the Year

My theme for 2026 is REST. When I looked back over 2025, I found I was busy dealing with a lot of things that were not of my design or idea. I had so many tasks that had to be fulfilled in order to meet the schedules and needs of others. Some of these were health related, some were family related and others were related to the building and condo in which I live. It meant less time to do the things I wanted  and it also left me feeling quite tired. A long and lingering cold that started in the Fall and continued until recently also ate up a lot of my time. Right now I'm just trying to prevent any relapse as I make my way forward.

Immediate Future

I have a number of medical appointments and other appointments in January. I'm also trying to clean and tidy so I can get some projects underway and deal with a few things lingering from 2025. A cousin is travelling to her sister's not so far away from me for her annual 'birthday' visit and one of my brother's may also visit soon to see his new baby granddaughter.  Both of these visitors to Vancouver mean I likely get a chance to see them which will be lovely since it's been awhile.

I'm looking forward to 2026.  I don't currently have any big plans because there are huge financial costs coming in the year for more building renovations. Nonetheless I'm hoping to make some modest gains in a variety of areas.

What about you dear reader? 

How did your 2025 go and are you looking forward to 2026?

End of 2025 and a Few Last Minute Images

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Tuesday was a super busy day for me.  The day included running errands in the late afternoon and early evening. I thought it would be fun to share some snippets of what I saw while I was out. I made my usual trip to the library to return a book and pick up another. 

There was a chill in the winter air and fresh snow had fallen on the mountain tops. Today was a treat in that it was so nice to see the mountain peaks in all their glory today.  Not only was there freshly fallen snow on the mountains but the sky was clear enough and bright enough to enjoy the view.

I was out in the neighbourhood running a number of errands when I took the following "night time" images.  It was only about 5:30 p.m.   Apparently we'll be experiencing a wolf moon or super moon which will reach it's full peak on January 3rd just after 5 a.m. I doubt I'll be up that early to take a photo. You can read more about the moon here in case you're interested.

A popular outdoor seating spot in warmer months.

I enjoy all the Christmas lights at the time of year.

I'm reading my last book, number 59 of the year which will bring me to 20,100 pages read. I didn't think I'd meet the 20,000 pages because I slacked off a bit from reading to focus on a few other time consuming things. However, reading is an easy, pleasurable activity when you have a few minutes to spare so I always have a book on hand. 

My first book of 2026

If I don't read from you or post again before the end of the year I want to wish you all a very Happy New Year. May God smile on you and your loved ones in 2026.  

Joining in with Skywatch Friday for the first time in 2026!

Road Trip - Part 1

Hello friends,

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas  Day however you spent it.

I love Christmas but I always feel good when the day has passed.  I can take time to relax and catch up on some rest.

These photos are taken on our road trip from Vancouver to Kamloops for a Christmas  visit with a loved one. I thought it would be interesting to share the scenery along the way. 

First up is a map to orient ourselves.

Our drive begins in Vancouver (near the top of the yellow area on the left). We are driving along the 'green line' (Highway 1) past Surrey, Langley and Abbotsford to Chilliwack and beyond.

Here is a map of the entire province British Columbia on the left and Alberta on the right with cities like Grande Prairie, Edmonton, Calgary and world famous parks like Jasper and Banff 

We left around 7 a.m. and it was still dark.

As we reached and passed  Chilliwack, there was a lot of low lying fog.  The entire southern coast and Fraser Valley have been experiencing a lot of heavy rain (atmospheric rivers) in the coastal areas of British Columbia (like the states of Washington and California).   There has also been a lot of flooding and evacuations and you could see that the fields still have a lot of water in them.

I'll be sharing more photos of the scenic drive in future posts. I apologize in advance as I did not get photos of the actual towns and cities for the most part. It's rather hard to do that without stopping and we were trying to beat the bad weather.

Thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post. I hope to visit yours soon.

Merry Christmas 2025

 

Take care everyone and enjoy the Christmas season. I pray you feel a sense of peace, love and joy whether you celebrate alone or with friends, family and loved ones.

Skywatch Friday - Speeding Through December

The month of December is flying by!  The weather here has been heavily raining for much of the month so it's been a bit of a challenge to get photos when it hasn't been raining. I did manage to get a few.  (Note:  I'm sorry to those of you who visited through the Skyley blog because my photos upload sideways no matter what I do!).

Tuesday was exceptionally wet but I had to go out for a medical test.

I love these lights from Saturday night in the neighbourhood.

Holiday Express ~ Tuesday 4

Welcome Friends to Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4. 

The holidays are coming fast!  They are loaded onto the Christmas Express  train and there is no stopping them now.

Are you ready for them this year?  

Well it's been a very busy few months and it hasn't helped that I've had a very long lasting cold. I feel okay one day then get a set back the next. This has hampered my ability to get things done. So basically I'm going with the flow. Everything will get done when it gets done. There's no point in stressing as this is the season we should make time to reflect and rejoice in the birth of our Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ.

 1. Is your tree up? How tall is it?
what color lights? 

Yes, thankfully I managed to put up the tree. I bought a pre-lit tree a few years ago because decorating is not one of my favourite things. Now all I have to do is add some Christmas baubles and I'm done, lol.

The tree is 7 feet tall with clear lights. It is a very narrow tree to fit into different areas of my small home.  I love it!

Are there lights in the window? On the door?

No lights on the window or on the door though I do have a wreath on the door with some string lights. I also have lights on the mantle along with some greenery.

 2. Got a menu for Christmas Eve and Day?

No menu for Christmas Eve and Day as we'll be spending Christmas with my niece who has asked for Italian food.  By that she means spaghetti but we'll see what else is on the menu at the restaurant. Our dinner will also not be exactly on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day but it will be close to the day.

3. Who is coming for Christmas or who will you visit?

Yes, one brother and my dear hubby and I will travel to  my niece and brighten her holiday.

 4. What is your favorite Christmas memory?

I was about 6 years old, maybe even a bit younger. I remember the house was so beautifully decorated. The tree glowed so prettily in the dark with the lights and the artificial snow spread across it's branches. I'm sure there were other decorations as well and it all looked so magical.  For sure I remember the nativity scene came out each year and took pride of place.

That year, a beautiful 'walking doll' was under the tree for me.  They were all the rage at that time. I remember how pretty she was and how much I enjoyed her. My mom told me many years later that that Christmas was a hard one financially.  She had bought the tree many months before and she was so thankful that she did because there was little else under the tree that year.

I always marvelled at how much my parents were probably stressing and suffering over the idea that Christmas wouldn't be as good as usual for the children but my childhood memory is that of a very special Christmas.  It wasn't so much the gift I received though I really enjoyed it. It was the magical atmosphere that was created. 

Wishing each of you a wonderful, blessed and magical Christmas.

City Lights

I never tire of the city lights especially when the days grow dark early. I'm always happy to see the lights which illuminate my path.

 Thank you for visiting this Skywatch Friday post. Have an awesome weekend.