It Snowed!

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Vancouver has been experiencing a cold snap this past few days and we also had a lot of snow over a few different days. 

Today and yesterday were super cold. I went out Monday and had a good long walk home. On my way back I snapped the baubles on the outdoor trees. I think they look lovely and brighten the otherwise bare branches and gray sky.  We had a fairly large amount of snowfall overnight Sunday so you can see a large amount of snow on the sidewalks.

Monday night the snow began falling again and we woke up to the patio trees and furniture heavy laden.  I didn't go out today because I knew it would be quite chaotic today on the roads and it is hit or miss as to whether the stores are open. In fact I went to a shop in the neighbourhood on Sunday night and when I got there I discovered it had closed an hour early.  This is what many businesses do during times of storm. It helps everyone to get home safely.  I hope to go food shopping on Wednesday because I need to buy groceries for Christmas dinner. 

Stay safe.

🎄🎄🎄

Skywatch Friday Vancouver

 Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

Happy Friday to you all. I hope you are all doing well.

Thursday was a beautiful, sunny day here in Vancouver. I had an appointment downtown and walked back to the main transit station to return home. Along the way I took these photos to share with you.

Vancouver Art Gallery (with red banners) and the Vancouver Hotel just to the left in the photo.

Robson Square in the heart of downtown, UBC downtown campus

View looking south from Robson Square, Vancouver courthouse just beyond the trees in middle

Part of the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel

Adjacent buildings reflected in one of the Wall Centre towers

The Vancouver Courthouse

Nelson Street going east

I'm linking up with Skywatch Friday this week. 

Thank you for stopping by!

Skywatch Friday ~ October Vibes

Site of the new subway station at Broadway & Main

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

We've had record setting temperatures over the fall season but on Friday we are finally expecting some rain.  The other day the meteorologist reported that since July to the present time we have only had 16 mm of rain when the norm would be just over 160 mm of rain. No wonder the tree on my patio died. It had been looking sickly for a few seasons and it has finally succumbed. I'm a bit sad but it's not going to matter much. 

Within the year or so the strata will be uprooting all the patios and is contemplating not having any gardens at all. The weight and growth of them (dirt, plants, roots, water) has the potential to become problematic for the structure of the building. No decisions have been  made yet and there will be a special meeting to discuss all the results and options going forward once a report is ready. I think I would rather confine my gardening to containers on the patio and have a bit more footage to arrange furniture.

In the meantime here are some photos I took of the sky when I was out and about running errands earlier in the week.  I took these photos just as thd light was fading. I thought the ones with the trolley lines set against the sky were quite interesting.  A lot of those lines will be likely be eliminated once the new subway system on the Broadway corridor is running (target is late 2025) but I don't know that for sure.

 

In my reading stack this week I found a wonderful little book called The Birds of East Africa. It is short read of approximately 200 pages and is a sweet little tale set in Nairobi, Kenya. The style is along the lines of Alexander McCall Smith's #1 Ladies Detective Agency books.

I'm now reading the best seller The Distant Hours by Australian writer, Kate Morton. It's an interesting book about family secrets connected to 3 elderly sisters living in an imposing and decaying castle. 

I picked up both of these books at the thrift store on a whim and wasn't expecting much from them but they are both turning out to be satisfying reads.

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I also picked up a set of sheets and pillowcases at the thrift store. I wouldn't have purchased them but they were a good price, minimally used and I like blue and white. This set is by Tommy Hilfiger but strangely they look quite wrinkled even though they are not 100% cotton. I don't iron most things including sheets. By the time they are pulled flat onto the mattress most of the wrinkles will disappear.

Each piece of the 4 piece set was sold individually.  I didn't notice that the two exact same pillowcases had different prices until I got them home.  I'm guessing two different clerks priced them.  I paid about $26 dollars in total for the set. I think the price is okay given what new sheets cost and these appear to be little used.

Have you found any good thrifting deals lately or read any good books?

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

Skywatch Friday ~ At Spanish Banks

Hello friends and fellow bloggers.

Happy Friday to all of you and best wishes for a wonderful weekend wherever you are. 

Today I want to share a few photos taken in late August, 2019.  These sky photos were taken at a lovely beach area called Spanish Banks located in the western part of the City of Vancouver. I don't get out there very often but always enjoy it when I do.

 

The weather here has been lovely this week. It's sunny and warmish during the day though I have noticed a distinct bit of chill by early evening. It's supposed to rain on Friday before getting warmer again.

 

Joining in with Skywatch Friday.

Thank you for stopping by!

Skywatch Friday - Downtown Sky

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope this weekend find you well and in good spirits. 

I'm joining in with Skywatch Friday today.  The photos I'm sharing were taken downtown earlier this week.

The sky was mostly hazy from wild fires that have been burning all around.  But late in the afternoon the sun broke through.  Enjoy and thank you for stopping by.

The hub of financial and business district near Burrard Street and Pender

High rise on the way to the waterfront.

Promenade around the Pan Pacific Hotel.

Side view of the new Vancouver Trade & Convention Center.

The back view of Christ Church Cathedral with green top of Hotel Vancouver peeping through.

The side of the newish Trade & Convention Center and North Vancouver in background.

Goods stored for shipping. The pile of whitish yellow substance is sulphur.

A small float plane is landing.

The Lions Gate Bridge in background.

The area where trees are jutting out is Stanley Park with North Vancouver in background.

Tuesday 4 - Questions

Joining in Tuesday 4 Meme today in memory of Toni Taddeo.

1. Are you happy with the way your life is going?

My life is always changing and I do my best to roll with things. Currently I am undergoing major changes due to a new-ish marriage and the fact my husband joined me all the way from Kenya.  We are both adjusting well and Jonah has been very busy with work and studies. We have a lot we hope to do in future and desire that our plans be aligned with God's plans.  We are off to a good start and look forward to more to come. Apart from these major changes, I'm in the midst of trying my hand at home improvements and though I'm slow I'm happy with things so far.  Last but not least, I am taking 2 short courses this fall and so I expect to be even busier from now until Christmas.  Keeping reasonably busy always makes me happy and moving forward.

2. Are you planning any trips in the future?

I had hoped to have a short trip this summer but it didn't happen. I have no specific travel plans in the near future. Instead I've been trying to see things in my city that I've never seen before. A few weeks ago it was going out to different suburbs near and far and spending some time at one of the parks. 

This morning, after a seminar I attended downtown, I strolled to the Waterfront stopping along the way at Christ Church Cathedral. I've never been inside the cathedral before and have wanted to do that for quite some time. Today was the day and in addition to touring the cathedral I was able to participate in a prayer service at noon.  I also signed a book of condolences for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. There were congregants on hand greeting visitors and they were very welcoming and engaging.

After that I continued my walk down to the Waterfront where I had a late lunch of calamari.  I took some photos from the Pan Pacific Hotel and then continued my walk to Simon Fraser University's downtown campus and one of the few fabric stores in the city, The Dressew.  They didn't have what I was looking for but they kindly pointed me in the right direction.

I was struck by how many tourists there were today.  Many of them struggled with their luggage as they made their way to pick up points to catch a bus to the airport, while others studied their maps and tried to figure out where they were heading. It was lovely to see and hear so many accents today and most of them were from England and India.

You can't quite make out the yellow colour of the pile of sulphur on the right.

 

The sky is quite hazy from the wildfires burning all around us including Washington State to the south of us.

Outside park area with waterfalls at the food court near the Convention Centre.

The brick building is the 1930s Art Deco inspired Marine Building.

I was surprised to see the sun come out. There were a lot of tourists at the waterfront but there was no cruise ship in the harbour today unless it sailed much earlier.

View from Pan Pacific Hotel next to where cruise ships dock.

One of the docking points for cruise ships. Left is the new Convention Centre.

3. Are you reading anything at the moment or do you plan on reading something interesting?

I just completed an interesting book on bees called Bee Time:  Lessons from the Hive, have just started reading Homo Deus: A Brief History of  Tomorrow and awaiting a book from the library entitled The Ten Thousand Doors of January.

4. What's for supper tonight at your house?

I'm making a late supper of roasted chicken breasts, tater tots with pico de gallo and green salad.

 Thanks for stopping by!

First March Skywatch

It was an absolutely beautiful Thursday. I had an appointment downtown an took a few photos to share with Skywatch Friday followers. If you look at the map in the first photo, I've circled the specific area where I took photos (black oval circle on map). 

I was tired today as afterwards I stopped at a food court, then went to look at fabrics in a store near the waterfront. Then I hopped on the bus and stopped at a pharmacy before walking home. I'm hoping to get to sleep earlier tonight as I've had a busy week and haven't been getting enough shut eye.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone. Thanks for visiting.

 

Joining in with Skywatch Friday.