Skywatch Friday & a Bit More

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all doing well.

I'm popping in to see how everyone is doing. I've been on a wonderful break. I've been enjoying a much slower, relaxed pace of life. I'm not doing anything unique or exciting just enjoying the usual things I do at a slower pace.  Rain started about a week ago and we've been getting a bit each day which is wonderful as it is good for the earth, good for the dams and good for the gardens and natural life. Today (Friday) it was back to very hot weather.

From my patio garden

Amongst other things I've been busy shopping for and preparing for various friends' birthdays and looking forward and planning and shopping for the prezzies I need to get organized for Christmas. I've also continued reading and currently reading books 33 and 34

I also joined a fashion book club where the leader suggests books to read, then we experiment and share the results.  I haven't done any experimenting yet as  the first step is to read the books. I'm not sure I'll have a lot of time or interest in this but I do like to see what others are wearing and it is a nice diversion from the daily grind.

I've been watching a lot of You Tube videos and learned about the Trim Healthy Mama cookbook from some American ladies who vlog. I'd never heard of this plan or cookbooks before but have now ordered them from the library and think I'll be trying a lot of the recipes in at least one of the books. Do any of you follow this plan? People who follow it consistently seem to get great health and weight loss results. I'm afraid I'm not too good at consistency in following plans. I just try to learn healthier ways of cooking and eating and have decided to purchase their most recent recipe book.

I wrote last time how I had been having so many problems with my knees. I have been popping a lot of OTC painkillers, various health supplements (Turmeric, glucosamine and a host of other daily vitamins). I still have to go for my updated x-ray before I am referred to an arthritic program but I am happy to report that the pain levels have been more bearable this past few days.  I continue to walk almost daily and get on the whole body vibration machine for about 10 minutes daily.

Meeting with friends has proved to be a bit more challenging as several have been ill, a hazard it seems of growing older. I always feel great when I get a chance to sit and meet with friends I haven't seen in awhile and I have been able to meet with a few. I hope to get to meet a few more in the next few weeks so I can have a clear slate before company arrives.

My family had a scare a few days ago when one of my brothers almost met his end after a freak accident in his driveway. Thankfully he is fine. After the accident he was trying to rest in his house when he started experiencing chest pains. He went to hospital and they checked his heart and his head as he had smacked his head when thrown from the vehicle when it stopped on the roadway.  The doctors pronounced him okay and after a couple days recovery at home he told me he was very bored and wanted to go to work the next day. He is very grateful that his injuries were not worse and that it wasn't yet lights out for him. So much can change in an instant and we his loved ones and friends are grateful that things were not much worse.

One of the many geraniums from my patio garden

Updates on Missions in Africa

In my last post I wrote about Levi the Engineering student I had been helping in Kenya. He is now in India and getting registered for all his classes.  The entire process of registration and running from building to building when he isn't familiar with the place is somewhat overwhelming.  But he is a determined fellow so he will no doubt see it through.

Ernest is recovering at home though he has lost an alarming amount of weight and he was already very thin. We are trying to help him with funds to buy more produce and food in general as he has only been drinking milk and eating ugali.  Ugali is a  type of thick corn flour mush eaten by virtually everyone in Kenya but it isn't very nutritious.

Eunice is still in hospital and needs prayers as her condition has been weak for some time though somehow she manages to hang in there.

There is no update about Alvin.  For now he continues his participation in the boys choir, his church activities and meeting with various friends.

Carolly is finishing his last week of medical internship and will be graduating in the Fall since he has already passed his medical examination. Well done, Carolly! We are hopeful that one of the Kenyan hospitals will snap him up and give him a paid post as a doctor very soon.

I no longer sponsor Kevin in Uganda.  The community he lives in is graduating from the program. It means they will be able to develop their own businesses for self sufficiency and grow their own food as well as pump their own water.  Hurrah!  The remaining 3 boys I sponsor in Kenya and Ethiopia are all doing well.

Petunia from my garden

I'll be continuing my summer break though may pop in here from time to time (and continue to visit as many vlogs as I can)  and  especially when I want to share a photo or two.
In meantime I will continue reading, tending to my gardens, knitting and decluttering.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday this week.

I appreciate your visit, your comments and your blogging friendship.

Enjoy!

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.