What's Up?

Hi friends,

I hope you are all doing great and enjoying whatever season you are currently experiencing. It is spring in my part of the world. It came late and as usual the best part for me, the cherry and apple blossoms, were so very fleeting and I hardly got a chance to appreciate and enjoy them.

I seem to get a shorter chance each season to enjoy them so I'm always grateful for the photos I manage to take of them each year and for the photos others share on their blogs. If you missed some beautiful blossoms you can enjoy a few here.

Much of our spring so far has been cold and rainy. From time to time I hear the weather person saying the temperatures have been seasonal or normal for this time of year with the exception of a few days here and there but in my own recollection it has seemed colder. We had warmer temperatures in January (unseasonably warm) than we did in much of the following months. That should be changing this week as we are supposed to get dry, sunny days with increasing temperatures to the end of the week.

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I spent a bit of time in the patio garden because it was sunny as expected. Each day the temperature increased slightly over the day previous.

I'm including the photo below to show you how clear the sky was early Tuesday evening. I also wanted to share the painting on the side of the building. I always stop to admire it from across the street.

I look forward to the sunshine we are having.  But I'll be happier if the temperatures don't soar to high in the coming days and weeks. Today, Wednesday, it already felt very hot.  We have wildfire issues almost every year and so it's best the temperatures do not soar too high too early. Wildfires have become a concern each and every year for some time now. Not only is it devastating to our beautiful forests and private properties,  it is dangerous work to fight the fires and expensive for the governments and taxpayers. The budget for fire fighting is increasing each year as wild fires unfortunately become the norm. I think most of us attribute this state of affairs to climate change.  However I also heard on the news that almost 50% of the fires are caused by humans being careless. In this day and age one would think that people would be more careful.

I'm sharing the photo below because some of you might remember that the high rise (with the tree on the roof top) can be seen from my balcony or patio. It seems like it has been going up for a very long time but at least the past half a year seems to have been spent on the finishing touches. It looks like they are getting very close to occupancy.

Starbucks is on the street level and has been open for a few months already.  Recently, a friend of mine who visited from Toronto, Canada spent every day there studying for the legal bar examinations to qualify as a lawyer in BC. I met him there a few times for coffee.  The second floor of the building will house a grocery market called Nester's. When I look at it from across the street I can see the shelving going in but I'm not sure when they plan to open for business.

On the other side of the Chevron gas station is a new and very popular pub/restaurant. It has replaced a Japanese restaurant which I frequented.  One day it was open and the next day unbeknownst to me it closed it's business. Just beyond the restaurant, a few doors away (at the street corner) a popular produce place has closed. I used to enjoy stopping there for fresh fruit, vegetables and organic products.

I think the taxes for small business are simply too high. Recently the city council raised property taxes twice in 2019 (my property taxes increased first to 4.5 to 6.0 percent this year even though property prices have dropped).  The additional 1.5 percent increase was supposedly to lessen the tax burden on small businesses but some business owners have told me that their landlords had already increased their rents.  This means the tax increase did not achieve it's stated purpose.  It only makes the tax burden heavier on individual owners IMHO.

I feel I am so far behind in various tasks I'd like to do that really need to be done in a timely manner. For example, I haven't planted yet at the community plot. I was hoping to do it earlier this week with the nicer weather we are having but have been tired and also busy with other priorities. I am hoping to get there tomorrow or Friday. I prepared the soil over a month ago and have been waiting for just the right day to plant both gardens.  I see the date on my photo below is almost 2 months ago when I cleaned the garden debris and added fertilizer. But honestly the weather has been either cold or wet since to feel like doing much more. I'm probably the last gardener to get my garden planted at the community plot.

In the patio garden I've put out the furniture (minus the cushions until the rain stops) and covered the outdoor tables with tablecloths.  I've been visited almost every day by my neighbour's new cat. The cat is only a year old and is very pretty, friendly and mostly fearless.  I'm of two minds about her coming to my patio garden so often.  I caught her digging in my garden the other day and I became concerned when I  saw one of the recently planted bulbs laying exposed on the surface of the soil. Not only might she destroy what I've planted but she might also start doing her business in the garden. My neighbour assures me she won't but I suggested she try to train her cat to stay on her side of the patio.  On the other hand, she is very sweet cat and I enjoy seeing her so it is hard to get angry over her visits.  I can tell my neighbour is anxious and wants me to like her new kitty cat so that I won't raise a fuss about it. But I know she is also concerned that her cat might start jumping over the partition to the neighbours beyond. That might prove more problematic.

Back to planting matters.  This year I wasn't able to plant many pansies.  Though I purchased enough of them the delay in planting means that at least half of them died off.  The other half don't look that great but I've planted them anyway and am hoping they will revive with some tender loving care.  This will be the first year I haven't planted many pansies since I first started gardening.  I've also planted fewer petunias this year but they tend to grow quickly so it should be fine.  I love all the colour petunias bring to the garden and the happy faces of pansies in full bloom.  To make up for the lack of pansies and petunias I've planted a lot of red geraniums.  Their brilliant colourful blooms always cheer me when I see them flowering in the garden.  The garden will look much better soon when the flowers and other plants start to mature.  I spotted a pretty little hummingbird last night. Hopefully I will see a lot more of them this summer. Maybe I'll finally be able to catch a photo of one this year if I can spend more time outside relaxing.

As we head into warmer weather it is also a time for better grooming with the hair and nails. I got the hair coloured, highlighted and trimmed. It wasn't the best job my hairdresser did this time around but it is more than adequate. This week or next week I'm hoping to get a massage and foot reflexology session using coupons I purchased 2 months ago already. They will expire in another few weeks so I must make sure to use them.  The nails will have to wait since my fingernails are damaged from the last person who did them. I cannot believe it but they need time to regrow.

This post was longer so I cut out several paragraphs.
I've got lots to keep me busy from now to at least the end of summer and I'm also expecting visitors.
It means I will hopefully spend more time relaxing and enjoying my mornings and evenings out on the patio rather than simply doing things out in the community or indoors.


 I'm determined to sit outdoors this summer and read, enjoy my coffee, crochet or work on my laptop.  Last year I spent little time relaxing in the garden enjoying the fruits of my labour so I'd like to change that.

What about you dear reader?  Do you have some restful summer plans or active and adventurous plans?

Let me know in the comments.

Thank you for stopping by.
Before I go let me wish all the mothers a
Happy Mother's Day.
 Many of us, like me, have lost our mothers and so it is a time to remember them fondly with love and joy for all they did for us.

Joining in with 

Skywatch Friday

I was going to post this week to

Friday Foto Friends
but Debbie says she will not be keeping this linky party going.


It's been fun while it lasted and I've met some wonderful lady bloggers through her efforts. All the best dear Debbie.

For the Ladies - Frugal Hair Colour

Today's post is really for the ladies and particularly those of a certain age. Ahem, the age where you must decide to colour your hair or go au naturel (grey).

I never coloured my hair as a younger woman. Instead I would have it permed on a regular basis whenever I had a shorter "do".  Eventually I gave that up and grew my hair out.  That's when my hairdresser talked me into getting highlights. I really liked the highlights but after years of getting them done and starting to go gray, I needed touch ups more often than I wanted.  This was not only costly but not good for my hair which tends to need a permanent dye to address it's colour resistancy.

I searched in health stores for a more natural alternative.  However these proved unsatisfactory when I discovered that most of them also contained chemicals.  After looking on line for a solution, I reluctantly decided to experiment with henna. This wasn't an easy decision because henna tends to colour the hair red which is not my colour of choice.  Also henna does "take" on dark hair too well and my hair is naturally dark brown.  Nonetheless I decided to give it a try.  I debated about whether to order from an on line company but my then hairdresser told me that some of her clients bought their henna locally.  After hearing that I went to the local Punjabi market to look for henna.

I found a few different brands bags at a store which isn't terribly far from my neighbourhood. Both brands were similar in price and cost approximately $10.00 (Canadian dollars) for 1 kilogram of  henna powder.  I purchased 2 bags about one and a half years ago and am now half way through the second bag of powder.  For me a 1 kilogram bag lasts for at least a year doing root touch ups and one or two whole head applications. I have a lot of hair compared to most women so I also use more powder than many women would need.

Top of my head after henna and light blow dry.

Before I can colour my hair, I first have to mix the powder.  I do this by putting some henna powder in a plastic or glass container to which I add a liberal helping of cinnamon powder.  I then add some warm (not hot) coffee and stir well until all the lumps come out.  I tend to like my henna mix on the thicker side so it doesn't run down my face and neck after application and while waiting for the colour to take. Sometimes I add plain yogurt or olive oil to the mixture so condition the hair.  I am usually only colouring the roots so I do not add the yogurt or oil very often.

My hair is quite thick and long so requires a lot of henna or colour.

I do my own application and then wrap my head in plastic or with an old towel.  After that I go about doing my daily chores or will sit down and read a book.  I make sure not to get chilled and to keep my head warm.  Some people use a hair blower to heat up the hair after it is wrapped in the plastic.  I leave the henna on anywhere from 2 - 6 hours then hop in the shower and wash it all off.

Once the henna sets it gets quite hard and crusty.  You really need to scrub it and rinse it well. Once I towel dry my hair, I add some oil to the hair ends and blow dry my hair.  This is generally the only time I use the blow dryer.  To keep the henna colour fresh, do not wash your hair too often.  A few times a week is enough. Daily washing will deplete the colour more quickly. 

This pic is a little blurred but you can see the henna is reflected throughout the length of my hair though I only do the whole head of hair about twice a year.

On average, I colour my hair at the roots every 2-3.5 weeks. I don't have a lot of gray hair but those I do have are very strong and colour resistant.  To make matters worse they mainly come out around my hair line at the temples and crown so they show quite readily.

My former hairdresser charged me $60.00 (Canadian dollars) to apply henna that I pre-mixed and to give me a cut and/or blow dry. If I went to the hairdresser every 3 weeks at $60 a visit, this would cost $1020 plus tax (Canadian dollars) a year. When I was getting highlights it cost more like $80 a month ($1160 annually for highlights and hair condition every 3 months).  Even that was a good deal compared to most salons in town where women I know pay at least double ($160) and more.  The price is probably even higher now but I haven't checked since I never go to a high end salon.

It's been about 6 months since I've had a trim.

Now I go to a completely different hair dresser.  She gives me a super deal and only charges $40.00 (Canadian dollars) to apply the henna and cut and blow dry my hair.  Even at these wonderful prices, I only go about twice a year to get my entire head of hair coloured and to get a cut and blow dry.  Sometimes I splurge and get a hair conditioning.  I can condition my own hair too but I seldom do. Sometimes it is nice just to have someone else do it for you, isn't it?

Altogether I would tally my hair grooming costs (cost of henna, cost of hairdresser) at about $90.00 (Canadian dollars)  annually.  This is a huge savings from a few years ago when I was going to the salon every month and spending $1070 more annually ($1160 - $90 = $1070).  My pocket book is healthier and my hair is healthier too.

I'm not sure how long I will continue to apply henna to my hair. It is quite a lot of work to apply even though I only colour the top and sides of my head.  The job is quite messy and my gray hair grows out very quickly. For the time being I am enjoying the savings I get from doing my own hair. Surprisingly I also like the (copper) colour and shine I get.

The colour in natural light is not quite as bright as you see in the photos.  The hair has a different tone when the camera flash is on it.  Another bonus of doing my own hair is that I don't have to spend hours at a salon.  I can do other chores around the house while I wait for my colour to set or read a book or watch television.

What about you dear reader? 

Have any of you given up on fancy hair salons? 

Do you colour your own hair or perhaps barter with someone to do your hair for you?  

I'd love to know. 

Perhaps you've given up on hair colour altogether and gone natural.