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!

Life and Sky Updates & Thoughts on Happiness

Hi friends,

The rain, gray skies and coldish weather has continued all week so far. It means I didn't get out for new photos.
I'm sharing some from a few weeks ago when I baked some bread and took some photos of the sunrise.

I'm kept fairly busy with trying to ration the food stuff in the home so we don't need to go out to shop that often. I  also kept busy trying to find something to plant in the garden. This wasn't as easy as in years past due to the line ups to get into stores and also just the fact that there seems to be less on offer or things are sold out.  At least the things I want. I spent an hour in line on Friday to get what I hoped was the last of the things to put together a semblance of a garden. I may need to go once more to find the rest of what I'd like but I'll try to make do.  Here at home it looks like some restrictions will ease soon.  Personally I will continue to take great care until we are more assured of the future outlook. In the meantime I've got plenty to keep me busy.

In addition to being busy baking, cooking and tending the garden  I'm also spending a lot of time in contact with people in Kenya that I try to help.  The end of the month keeps me very busy in that regard. Many had difficult lives before Covid - 19 but the restrictions and curfews make finding daily bread even more difficult, very difficult. If any of you would like to help with a donation toward the Kenyan needs kindly be in touch at the email on the right side bar. I know not everyone can help or even wants to help. But if you do then the option and opportunity is available.

 I am often awake at sunrise.  This is usually the best time to get my sky shots.  

I love it when the gulls are flying around in the morning before the day gets busy. 

I always wonder what they are doing, seeing and even whether they think about what they are seeing. 

They seem to enjoy circling around in the air before everyone else comes out to make 'noise'.

I get the sense of their enjoyment by the way they fly and glide around and make a lot of bird calls. 

They seem to know exactly when it gets busy with traffic and people because they abruptly stop flying around until next morning returns.

 

It is also a joy for me to see a sky full of different clouds and colours.

This is one of the

more beautiful ones I've captured in awhile.

I found this little graphic that lists 10 ways to be happy. 

  I've employed many of these strategies in my own life though I hadn't seen this graphic, lol.  I have to say that I very seldom suffer from unhappiness.

I know some people find it easier to be unhappy than to be happy.

Unless one has a serious mental disorder or is grieving the loss of a loved one, I think happiness is a choice one makes and an effort to do certain things to avoid feeling down and depressed.  Happiness takes some effort because many people, including me,  are not chipper by nature.  I don't roll out of bed each morning and greet the day eager to get at it.  But I am thankful for each and every blessing including the simple act of waking up each day.  The alternative of not waking up and having another day to enjoy on this earth is one I hope remains in the far distant future.
Being happy takes effort but at the end of the day I think it is well worth it.

 

I will link up with Skywatch Friday later this week.
Thank you for taking a moment out of your day to stop by and visit my blog.

 Stay safe and be happy.

♥♥♥

It's a Beautiful Day!

Beautiful hydrangeas. This photo is from my archives and was taken on a walk last summer.

Hi friends,

Just popping in to say "hello". I'm keeping very busy with this and that. I've been tidying in the garden, reading, crocheting, mending, cleaning, shopping, going to appointments and trying to catch up with a few friends.

Still lots to do but today as I went out I was feeling ever so content with the world and felt so happy.

When one feels happy they want to reach out and "touch someone".

The sun has been shining, the weather is warm and I am happy.

Don't misunderstand me.  Not everything is right in my world right now. I have worries and concerns just like the next person. I also have many pressing cares and concerns that sometimes weigh on me. But now and then I stop and remind myself that God is in control.  Yes, he is!  Sometimes I want to control and manage every thing in my life.  One thing I love to do is find solutions to any issues I face.  But now and then, I hit a wall and a roadblock that I cannot surmount or find a way around.  It is then that I am stopped in my tracks and realize that I do not have the ultimate control. 


When troubles do come and seem overwhelming, I am reminded of the holy scriptures that tell us we should cast all our cares and burden on him for he cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7).  There are some things that I go through or that that loved ones and friends face that are trying.  Though I can try to help, it is God alone who knows all things.  He knows why things happen and what the outcomes will be.  I just need to trust that it is all GOOD what ever happens.  God's Word says "All things work together for good to them that love God  to them who are the called according to his purpose". (Romans 8:28)  These verses help sustain me in a troubled time and help me press on in prayer and hope.


Whatever is going on in your world today, I pray that each of you have moments of joy and happiness.  If you are dealing with overwhelming matters of life, try to give your cares and worries over to the great "I am" for he really cares for you.

If any of you have time, please also continue praying for my friend Jonah in Kenya who is waiting for the Lord's answers in his life.  Also for my friend Elvis who hopes to finish university very soon (August).

We still need a bit of help to help for Elvis to finish strong, both for his living costs in July and August and for graduation fees.  If you can help at all, please do let me know how and how you can send the support (pay pal, e-transfer, etc.  If you can use Money Gram, Western Union, or World Remit, you can also send directly to Kenya and I can give you the details.

Another photo from my archives.

I am still on a bit of a blogging break but I do visit blogs and leave comments almost daily.

Have a wonderful day!

Happy Thoughts

After 3.5 days of  non-stop snow early in the week the sun came out to say hello.

There were also some atmospheric low lying clouds left behind.

 

I like the lightly striated clouds against the pale blue sky.

I also like the cross in the newly renovated church steeple which peeks out above the leaves. At night it lights up the sky.

I wish you all a beautiful weekend with happy times and happy thoughts.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday.