Fall is the Perfect Time of Year: Scenic Sunday, October 3, 2010

I think Fall is the perfect time of year. I can never get enough of the Fall colours though when I see the leaves fall, I do get saddened that winter is around the corner. I was never one who loved the snow. Though I might enjoy snow for a few days, I think the childhood memories of freezing cold, freezing a few toes and winters which dragged endlessly on, are never far from me. I do love one thing about winter which I will leave for the winter season to blog about *smile.

In the meantime, let me leave you with some final snap shots of Kamloops. These are likely the last photos I will take before I depart for my home on the coast on Sunday. It is Fall now but these shots are landscape shots of the city from the vantage point of the mountain. As you can see, the city is beautifully located alongside rivers and nestled in the valley.  When you drive in at night and see all the city lights it is particularly beautiful.  (Click on any photo to enlarge).

I hope you enjoyed these photos of Kamloops. If you would like to see some of the city in it's Fall splendour, please click here. Otherwise do join others here from around the globe for more beautiful Scenic Sundays.

Fall Colours: WW, September 29, 2010

To view more beautiful Fall colours join other participants in this week's Wordless Wednesday. Click here.

Crisis Update

Today was a tough day.

This is the end of the sidewalk leading up the hill to the hospital. The road below leads into the main part of the downtown core.  Today as I walked to town, there were several emergency vehicles just a few blocks from where this photo was taken. A young man had been run down as he was jay walking. I pray he is all right.

I wasn't planning on going in to the hospital to see mom as I am packing at her home.  Although I have made a lot of progress in sorting and packing, I still have quite a lot to do before I leave town for my own home and attend to personal business there. When I left the hospital last night mom was doing well.  But when I called the hospital this morning to say "hello",  a nun who was visiting mom answered the phone and said I must get to hospital immediately as mom really needed me. I guess she was having a nose bleed.

I didn't think too much of this since I thought the nun could help mom while she was there. I protested that I had a cold coming on.  If mom contracted a cold due to my presence she could possibly be in more danger from lung problems than from a nose bleed.  The nun insisted I get there quickly. That got me moving as fast as I could.

By the time I arrived at the hospital mom's nose bleed had stopped but as it had been going on for 2 hours she looked like she had been in a terrible fight. Her clothing and her bedding were full of blood and no one had tried to wash the blood from her face. I set to work to start cleaning her at which point the male nurse said he could do it. I declined as I didn't want mom waiting any longer to be changed.

It is Fall now in Canada. These are the colours of most deciduous trees, although we also have some deeper red colours on maple trees.  The most glorious Fall colours are found in eastern Canada.  This view is from the top of the hill just before get to the original hospital entrance.

After spending several hours at the hospital, I also got a chance to meet the attending doctor.  He was only attending to mom today.  Her family physician called him in especially to address the issue of the nose bleeds which have been happening daily for the past several days.  I don't know how to spell the doctor's name but he was such a godsend and such a delightful man. So kind and gentle and very clear in his presentation of mom's condition.  He readily informed me when I asked him for an update on several issues of concern.  Then he turned around and proceeded to repeat everything to mom.

The doctors in Emergency were concerned that she might get a blood clot in the leg that is infected with cellulitis so they have been administering a blood thinner medication daily.  It also seems that  a possible blood clot in the lungs were found in the  x-rays taken yesterday (Sunday).  When I visited mom Sunday evening she did complain of sore back and asked me to rub it as she felt something there that was bothering her. Now I don't know in retrospect if my rubbing the back was a good thing but mom seems to think I saved her life by doing this.

Today she was spitting out a lot of blood clots during her nose bleed. From what she says about the ordeal,  it is the worst nose bleed of her life even though she has had some doozies in her lifetime.  The specialist ordered blood work which was done at noon and by 2 p.m. he prescribed another IV medication to neutralize the blood thinner. He says they will have to monitor her carefully and that hers was a complicated case since they do need to continue to give her blood thinners.

I left the hospital at 3 p.m. and apparently before the doctor left, he told mom he would not likely be back to see her but that the nursing staff would call him if need be. At 9 p.m., mom called very briefly to let me know the nose bleeding had started again and that the doctor, who was then in the Emergency Room was expected to pop around and see her again.  I didn't get any call from the hospital so am trusting everything will be all right and will call the hospital first thing Tuesday.  More things happened today that made it a very tough day but I thank God I survived the day relatively intact and feeling less tired and sore than yesterday.

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

1 Peter 5:7

For my readers in Africa, I just want to say how impressed I am with the attending doctor today and with the attending doctor in emergency on Wednesday evening. Both of these good and knowledgeable doctors are from South Africa and we are so blessed to have them here where there is a shortage of good doctors in the country.

When I left the hospital a shift change of nurses had just taken place.  Here a nurse hurries home.

Photo of the Day

The rains stopped for the day and I am happy.

I Love Autumn

My Dogwood tree in all her glory.

Check out my slideshows of yesterday in Vancouver. I relished the small bit of blue sky in an otherwise cloudy and rainy week. Click the arrow to start the slideshows. Double click the snapshots to enlarge them and take you to the photo album. Enjoy!



And then, the unthinkable happened. It got even brighter outside. God is good.

A glorious Tree, A sign of Fall

Yesterday I showed you a road sign. Today it is a weather sign, a sign of Fall. I love the Fall and I love this tree.

A Wonderful Walk

Wow! For the first time in a week I went for a walk! Well actually it was an early evening walk. First I caught a bus to the post office and walked home, stopping here and there to poke along the way. It was glorious. The weather was balmy and there was the comforting smell of wood burning fireplaces going. Ummm. It felt so good to be out again when I've been cooped up all week.

I was so pleased to find that my much anticipated package of love arrived from Mechelle Tully of Australia. How divine. I'm going to savour listening to her sweet melodies. After that discovery, I went across the street and delighted my taste buds in some food, the first I've enjoyed all week besides the bannock I made last night. I stopped off at Helen's Grill and had a wonderfully succulent lamb souvlakia with rice pilaf, roast potato, tzatziki sauce, Greek salad and garlic bread. I saved half of the large order for a snack later or for a meal next day.

It was a toss up as to whether to stop and buy some produce and catch the bus home or walk and skip out on the groceries. I opted to walk as the night was divine and it's been awhile since I got any exercise. So out came the camera.

Fall leaves on trees. I love the colours.

I think the street lights give these leaves a wonderfully warm glow.

Fall leaves on sidewalk. Aren't they pretty?

Sun Sui Wah, Chinese restaurant visited by Martha Stewart, Home Queen extraordinaire a few years ago when she produced a television special on the City. I believe she proclaimed Sun Sui Wah, the Nobu of the North.

The next two snaps are of a medical centre with delightful mural art on it's exterior walls.

New movies are being shot in the area. How do I know? I spotted these trailers which are make-shift dressing rooms to the stars but I didn't bump into any celebrities. There were at least 3-5 dressing rooms parked here.

People are out and about having dinner at the wonderful cafes along the street. This one with the yellow awning is an excellent Japanese restaurant. It is great to have wonderful restaurants to choose from in all price ranges for every budget. That is one thing I love about my city. Well I must focus on looking at the sights, enjoying the ambiance and the walk. More pictures will come another day.

The winter 2010 Olympics are just around the corner. Maybe you will get to see some of the city streets yourself.