I captured some beautiful night lights on homes on a recent walk in the neighborhood.
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Monday, March 15, 2021
Signs of Spring & Cooking Q & A
I had to pick something up in the neighbourhood on Saturday evening.
I walked to my destination and back and took these photos along the way.
The air was nice and warm so the walk was lovely.
Afterward I met a friend for a coffee. Of course we followed the procedures which are in place.
Crocuses are always the first signal of spring season. |
I love this little outside cafe area. |
This building with the bricks and bay windows has always been a favourite of mine. |
The public murals on buildings (right side) is always a beautiful sight. Can you see the pussy willows? |
I love the lace like effect of the branches and the brick building in background. |
A beautiful sunset but I didn't have the best view of it for photo taking. |
This building is a church I attended before they sold it and turned it into condos. |
Tonight the weather was much different. It was very windy and cold.
But I think spring is around the corner (she says hopefully).
Joining in with Our World Tuesday
and
I'm also joining in with Tuesday 4 Meme which is hosted by Annie at Cottage by the Sea and in memory of Toni Taddeo.
This week's theme is cooking.
1. What is the most valuable kitchen utensil you have or one you use often and could not live without?
My most valuable kitchen utensil is probably my blender stick. I use it often but so far it is best at whipping up instant puddings and whipping cream. I actually bought it to make blended soups but have only used it once for that purpose, lol. I also use it to whip potatoes into mashed but I prefer using a potato masher and doing it manually.
2. Do you have any fancy gadgets like air fryers, etc in your kitchen? How are they working out for you?
I do not own an air fryer though I'd like one. My brother and his wife enjoy using theirs. I do have some appliances (juicers, food processor, Kitchen Aid mixer. George Foreman Grill and Vitamix blending machine). I don't really use the juicers anymore because the Vitamix does it all. I love the Kitchen Aid for mixing up bread or dough for cinnamon buns or pizzas. I don't use the food processor that much except to shred cheese. I don't find it does a great job of it. I love a George Foreman Grill but mine has seen better days. I still use it now and then. I forgot to mention the Instant Pot (IP) until someone mentioned it in the comments. I do like my IP because it softens tough meats and makes cooking beans much quicker. I also forgot to mention the rice cooker which get called into action several times a week so it has more than paid for itself.
3. Do you have any step or labor saving ideas that make cooking and meal preparation easier?
The only thing I do from time to time is advance preparation of vegetables and meats or fowl. If you chop up vegetables ahead of time and or prepare the meat a day ahead, it makes cooking much more fun. However, you still have to do the dishes. I prefer doing dishes by hand rather than loading and unloading the dishwasher.
4. What is your favorite recipe of all time? Would you share it with us?
I don't have a favourite recipe that was handed down to me. I cook mostly everything from my childhood or that we ate in my family. It is all by 'feel' rather than recipe. If I want to try a dish mom never made, I google it and try the recipe with the fewest ingredients. I'm not afraid to omit ingredients or substitute ingredients within reason (using common sense). I'm a lazy cook at heart. It needs to be easy or I won't try it since cooking has never been my favourite thing. If I try a new recipe I will often post it on my blog so I can search for it later.
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Trendy Saturday Night Out
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'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.
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. |
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.
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. |
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.
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.
Ham and pineapple pizza |
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). |
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Yesterday Spring Seemed So Close
I first heard the news about my Kenya friend losing her child. Mother and family are going through an incredibly rough time right now; financially and emotionally and for the mom, physically too. See my blog post here if you have a moment.
Much later I went out for a walk.
The day was gloriously warm and sunny. A rarity in Vancouver over the winter months.
I'm not sure what these blossoms are but they caught my eye. |
The last time I took a photo of this fountain it was frozen solid. Yesterday it flowed freely. |
Some rose hips were evident. I haven't noticed this bush here before. |
A palm tree on someone's balcony beckons me to African shores. |
I smiled as this senior cycled by on his tricycle. |
A helicopter in flight. Can you spot it? |
As the sun was disappearing, it brought lovely pastel colours to the skies. |
You can see the twin (mountain) peaks of the Lions way in back of mountains and the towers of downtown. |
Friday, March 28, 2014
Cross in the Night Sky
On a recent walk to the local library I captured these photos of a church cross.
These were the best night photos I could capture on a cell phone. One day I might have a good camera to capture the illuminated cross at night much better. For now these will have to do.
The cross reminds me of the price God paid for my soul. It also reminds me of the two greatest commandments set out in Matthew 22: 37-40
37 ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
These form the basis of my love for helping people in general and my love for missions in Africa.
It explains why I help people like Elvis who is hoping to finish medical studies in Kenya this summer. There has been a hiccup in his studies due to recent striking and rioting at universities in Kenya but with God it may still be possible to finish university. It has been a long road for Elvis.
Although I do help Elvis and write about him and others in Africa, from time to time on my blog, sometimes others think the ministry is for me alone. The good news is that anyone can help if they would like to help.
Please know the Kenyan mission is for anyone and everyone. That is, anyone that wants to help.
If you feel so inclined please contact me and I can let you know how to send funds to Kenya. If you don't want to help or cannot help, that is fine too. I'm not here to try and pressure anyone. The decision is yours alone. If you are a believer, you can always pray. That would be awesome.
I am here to help raise awareness for those that wish to help on the mission field to Kenya. Once trained Elvis will have a much better opportunity to help himself and his family as well as bring health and healing to those who need medical care.
If you wish to learn more, please read about Elvis at the sidebar (top right of my blog).
Have a wonderful weekend.
Skywatch Friday
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
A Good Week
In addition to going to movies, we managed to make two trips to the beach front. One on of our trips, we stopped at a foot reflexology place before going for dinner. My niece told me the day before that she wanted a foot massage. I didn't take her seriously because I know she doesn't like to be touched and her feet are ticklish. While I was having my feet done, she surprised me by also having her feet massaged in the next room, lol. After that we went for fish and chips before heading to the beach to relax and make sure my niece was able to dip her feet in the water.
It was quite an experience for her to walk barefoot in the shifting sands with all kinds of dried, prickly seaweed, small stones and shells. Her balance is not good at the best of times and her foot muscles are not strong or used walking in the outdoors without shoes. She was very proud of herself after managing to take a walk along the beach to the water and back. I was proud of her too because she struggled to keep her balance but she made it. Afterward, her feet were very dusty from the sand. To make her laugh I told her she had "ghost feet". She thought that was very funny.
We stayed home on the weekend as our first few days out were not only very long but very hot. We were both tired and needed a bit of recovery. I spent Saturday getting the kitchen cleaned and preparing salads for the the day as well as preparing for a small birthday celebration we were to have on Sunday.
On Monday we went to Granville Island and had fun walking around & eating ice cream. It was a hot day but under the bridge by the waterfront there always seems to be a nice breeze.
After spending a few hours walking around, we decided we should have a bite to eat because we wouldn't be home for some time. We still had some sightseeing to do, a ferry boat ride and two buses to take before getting home!
The Inukshuk is always a lovely sight against the waterfront. |
Tuesday was our last day together and we went to a local park and had a mini picnic. While at the park, my nephew came by with a football and played catch with his sister. It was nice to watch them have fun together. After that we went for a nice long walk and ended with a small sundae before coming home to get her bags packed. The week went by quickly but we enjoyed our short time together.
This is my submission to Our World Tuesday and Skywatch Friday
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