Some Images of Edmonton, Alberta

These are some quickly captured images as we drove around downtown Edmonton looking for a particular bank (which we never did find despite the fact that both of us had seen one in the general area in previous days).

Hopefully you can make out the super moon in the centre of the photo.

Rogers Centre where big concerts and events occur.

Taken from the parkade at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. The hospital complex is huge.

Gas/petrol was 24 cents a litre less than in Vancouver.

A lovely church rooftop (I didn't get the name of the church).

A picturesque view of the city and N. Saskatchewan River looking east from St. Georges Crescent.

I did not have a chance to take a lot of photos but I hope you can see that Edmonton is a beautiful city.

I can clearly see that the camera lens is very dirty and I hope I can get it clean again.

 I've always liked my visits to Edmonton and the summer is especially nice with many activities around the city.

I'm hoping I'll have a chance to visit under better circumstances soon.

Our World Tuesday

A Few Seasonal Images

The tree this year is much narrower and a bit shorter so it can be squeezed into small spaces.

I made these two winter scenes in jars but it's hard to keep the stickers stuck to the sides.

 

 

 

 

Today in Vancouver we were supposed to have record rainfall of between 40-60 centimeters. I stayed indoors and watched television and internet news to learn about street flooding in various parts of the Greater Vancouver area.

These photos were taken from the safety of my balcony.

 Joining in a bit late with

Our World Tuesday

Enjoying a Clear Day

When it rains a lot it's always a pure joy to see the sky on a clear day.

Even better when the view is so lovely ♥

*Total rainfall to date in 2018 1008.6 mm 
Source: Vancouver Weather Stats

I also love the twinkling light at night 

and

the cross on the top of the steeple.

Even though I've done a lot to prepare for Christmas I feel the advancement of time.

So much to do yet but the most important thing is not to stress and to enjoy the Christmas season.

Linking up with

Our World Tuesday

 Enjoy your week ahead.

♥♥♥

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 

Our World Tuesday

Thank you for visiting. Please come again soon.

A Busy Week

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 so little to improve the longevity of machines.
Most of us have become aware that machinery and equipment of various kinds are no longer built to last even if they don't become obsolete due to technological advances.

While I was cleaning out the closet, I was motivated to complete a number of Spring cleaning projects.  Things get so dusty over the Winter despite regular cleaning.
It feels good to clean in nooks and crannies and get all the dust bunnies out.  

Several bags and boxes of items to give away were put together and photos taken so that various advertisements could be prepared and posted on line.  I'm always surprised at what people are interested in.  This time the large bucket of powdered laundry soap was a sought after item. And also some clothing which often seems to be the hardest for me to get rid of.

It is very time consuming to give away several different items at the same time.  It requires responding to emails and scheduling meet up times when it is convenient for both parties. Inevitably I find, that often those that are the first to request an item are the ones least likely to be reliable when it comes down to picking the item up when they say they will.  I still prefer to give things to someone who might actually use them rather than to throw things in the trash and add to the landfill.

  

  

Since Saturday the weather has been slowly improving with more sunshine and gradually warmer days.

Soon I will need to prepare the garden.
 In the meantime I've started some seeds, both flowers and vegetables. This is the first year of starting my garden mostly from seed. Usually I purchase starter plants because I'm often behind schedule.
This year due to late warming weather, I think I can garden in the old fashioned way which is how everyone did it when I was younger.

On the hobby side I've read a few more books and increased my year-to-date total to 21 books.
I've put together several completed books to gift to my hairdresser tomorrow. I usually get books on loan from the library but from time to time I purchase a novel or two from the thrift stores. I often return them to the thrift stores once I'm finished but this time I am happy to give them to someone I know enjoys reading.

~~~~~~~~~~

I had a huge surprise late last week when relatives arrived in town without  notice.  They were here on other business but managed to find time for a lovely dinner.  Eight of us dined, visited and laughed together at a local neighbourhood restaurant and we had a lot of fun.
  Considering they live so far away it was touching to know they made time for me.
This particular set of relatives always does.

Last, but not least it seems so many people I know have their birthdays in April and May.  This has been keeping me busy writing and sending cards and phoning far away friends.
It's always nice when someone remembers me on my birthday and I try to remember special days of friends and family members.

I'm enjoying the last days of the tree blossoms.
I missed out on a lot of them but there are still some beautiful ones around.
I hope you enjoy the few I've posted here in this space today.
I think this variety of cherry blossom is the Prunus kanzan or the Prunus serrulata.
Sadly the trees are getting rather old and I never see anyone pruning or tending to them but they are still blossoming each year and bringing a lot of joy to me and to others.

Linking with

Our World Tuesday

Thank you for visiting!

Trendy Saturday Night Out

The area where I live has become a trendy hot spot for dining and drinking. People come from quite far to partake in one of the many busy restaurants and/or the multitude of craft beer places in the general neighbourhood.  The craft beer places are in the same general neighbourhood but on the way to the city. I am travelling in the opposite direction to the southern edge of the part of town known as Mount Pleasant and on the fringes of the area known as Riley Park. This is where there are many coffee shops, dessert places, boutique shops and a plethora of eateries.  I'll share some of them with you in this post. These are only a fraction of those that are available on this busy street called Main Street. Main Street is the centre street in the city. If you go west of Main Street you are in the western part of town and if you go east you are in the eastern part of the city.

I was surprised to see just how busy it has become. Years ago when I first lived in the area (multiple homes ago), this area was definitely not the place to be. Once 6 p.m. rolled around everything shut down and was very quiet. Over the years many new business people moved into the area revitalizing it with trendy eateries and shopping places. Formerly it was known as antique row but today there are very few antique places to be found. The millennials have no interest in antiques it seems. Many of the long established antique stores have vanished or they have reduced their floor space and moved on to other neighborhoods.

I love the sign in the photo below. On one side it says 'good food'. On the other side it says 'eat".

 I've never eaten at the restaurant but they had a long line of people waiting for a table.
Perhaps you can see them in the photo below.
 What you cannot see is that there were a lot more people waiting in patio seating to the left of the sidewalk.

Notice the outside benches along the right side of the sidewalk

They are there because the restaurants all along this block are exceptionally busy.

The burger place in the photo below has great burgers and fries.

I haven't tried this place for years since I try not to eat so many burgers or fries. It looks like they have a great lunch special.

I was pleased to see the used book store was open late. 

There is another one across the street that closes earlier (around 6 p.m.).
The sushi restaurant next door to the bookstore is quite good though I haven't been there for a long time.
 Many restaurants I stopped going to since I retired due to needing to manage diabetes. Nowadays I stick to a handful of restaurants when I need a bite to eat and make many of my meals at home so I know what is in the dish
There is a second sushi restaurant adjacent to the first one.  It doesn't seem quite as busy but they offer brown rice and other healthy options. Many of the Japanese restaurants in town do likewise.

I love the sign at the Thai Restaurant. It glows so prettily in the dark. Again I haven't been to this restaurant for years but it was good each time I went.  They have always had a great word of mouth reputation and the reviews on line are excellent also.  

A lot of out of towners seem to hit this spot when they come to the city and want Thai food.

For my dinner I ended up at a diner and had a marvellous Greek dinner of Roasted Lamb, something I never make at home. 
Unfortunately I didn't take a good photo of the diner or even of my meal but it was very tasty.

Earlier in the day I ran some errands in the area called South Main. It is where the community library is located. I picked up a few movies there and returned a book that was coming due.  
The weather was gorgeous and the light very beautiful. 

The newish library and Community Centre on the ground level with apartments above.

 

I love old brick buildings like this. We have so few of them left in the City. We never had so many to start with.

The steeple on the building in the photo below belongs to what used to be a church I attended for about a year. Sadly, the congregation sold the building which was converted to condos and they bought land in another municipality.

 I did not follow the congregation out of town because I lived and worked in Vancouver and the new location wasn't convenient.
Many long established churches left the city due to dwindling attendance and the high cost of everything.  

Fortunately the trend seems to be reversing and there are a lot of new churches being founded in the area and across the city. Most of them are worshiping in diverse places such as spaces above coffee shops, in shopping malls and cinemas due to lack of their own building.

Personally I don't mind worshiping in these different types of spaces as long as there is a place to gather.

It makes it a bit less convenient though for office administration, nurseries and programs.

The high rise in the photo below is the first one to be built in the neighbourhood.  It likely won't be the last.
In fact just a few days ago the council just approved 3 high rise buildings (one development) about 10 blocks away. Again the development was hotly contested because it cuts off the sight lines to downtown and the mountains  which up to now have been protected views.  Vancouver has basically run out of land and has to build upward.  Those involved with the planning say that the mountains will still be visible from this side of town.  Others are concerned this is the beginning of high rises everywhere. The city has reached the point where the only solution is to build high rises.  It just keeps on growing and there are not enough homes for everyone.

The builders started building the high rise in earnest in about October 2017. They made good progress but there is still quite  lot to be done. The development takes up a good half block of the city and incorporates a low rise and a high rise plus a lot of amenities for all the residents.  I've seen the renderings for the complex and it looks great but I always withhold my full judgement until I see the finished product. All the apartments in the complex sold out many years ago already while the debate about building was still going on.

 Last but not least, I intended to make several pizzas when my cousin visited last weekend.

Instead I took her out for a wonderful Greek Souvakia dinner which she really enjoyed.

I made the pizzas for my brother and I instead.

Ham and pineapple pizza

My pizza above ended up being almost a triangle shape after baking. Despite trying to make it round it kept shrinking.

I divided pizza dough meant for 2 pizzas into 4 so I had to stretch the dough quite thin.  I prefer thin crust anyway.
I only have one round pan so the other pizza is a long one.
At my diabetic workshop the other day one of the ladies said she wanted to offload her pizza paraphernalia
which included a pizza stone and I'm not sure what else.
I said I would take it so I hope she remembers to bring it next time.

Primarily veggie and cheese pizza but part of it has ham (at the top).

The pizzas were both pronounced "very good".

Thank you for stopping by.

I'm linking up with 

Our World Tuesday today.