Looking Ahead

Hi friends,


I've been sleeping more than usual. I feel I am fighting a cold but then again, it might be side effects from one of my newer medications. I've had 5-6 colds since the start of 2016 and that doesn't seem plausible though I do have friends who have had such a high number of colds.  It is just that I don't generally get colds.  I've also recently learned that one of my medications can cause upper respiratory tract infections. I will have to check into this in more detail with the doctor soon.

The colder weather is on the way I've been on the hunt for some stylish hats and vests that are a bit on the dressier side. I've heard that we can expect a  colder than usual winter season and I want to make sure I have the right attire that can also be worn for nights out to the symphony or concert.  I managed to find two hats and a nice cosy vest which I think will work nicely.

I got this cosy hat in gray faux fur to go with my black car coat.  I also got one in chocolate brown to go with my long faux beaver fur coat for those extra chilly days. I could not get a good photo of the faux fur vest I purchased in black but it is lovely and even better, it has pockets.

I've also purchased a comforter set, and sheets on clearance.  This will help keep me warm over the cold winter nights.  In my last frugal post, I mentioned that I'd purchased a comforter set and a set of sheets for a birthday gift.  The prices were so good that I decided to purchase some for myself.  The comforter was $43 and tax (marked down from $190 and tax).  I got the sheet set from a different designer line because I got a better prices that way.  Though the colour isn't exactly a match, it will do fine and coordinate with other comforters and blankets I already have.  The sheet set is 400 TC and  was $28.00 and tax (marked down from $120.00 and tax).

The weather has been sunny all week but the rain returned today.  Hopefully we get more sunshine in another few days. In the meantime I decided to delay my trip for laboratory tests due to the inclement weather.

View to the East

Once I made that decision, it freed me to gather together some unwanted or unused clothing, books and DVDs and a few kitchen items (coffee pot, bread machine and pots and pans). I've posted most of it for giveway and have had some good interest.  I was able to get rid of a lot of clothing and DVDs today and tomorrow others are coming for other things.  My decluttering is part of the Kon Marie process of tidying up even though I'm not exactly following her order of things. I am not following her order because at the moment, I'm trying to get rid of some of the more obvious stuff that needs to go. It will take me longer to sort through everything and that will still happen for later giveaways.

Truth be told, I haven't been very good about progressing on the Kon Marie method  since I began the effort a few months ago.  I've just been too busy with the garden, the summer guests, the task and errands and then my mother's hospitalization.. But little efforts here and there add up to larger efforts. Eventually it will all come together. I'm hoping this Fall and early Winter season I can make good progress in this area.  I certainly have enough projects to keep me busy.  I mentioned several of them in my last post but forgot to mention the "Kon Marie Project".

Since the sky is gloomy I've added a few flower photos here. These are from my archives.

Over the past few days I caught up to my reading goals and am now on the home stretch to finish the books for the year. I hope I can meet my reading goals and still manage the other projects.

Where I live the media from around the globe have descended.  The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their two children are in beautiful British Columbia for a quick royal visit. You may see some photos in the news where you live.

Photo credit:  The Mirror (UK, September 22, 2016)

Joining with Skywatch Friday

and 

Friday Foto Friends. 

Take care and have a wonderful weekend.

My World Has Turned Cold

Hi everyone,

I hope you have all enjoyed a wonderful weekend.

After a few days of warmer weather and sunshine, the rain has returned to the coast.

It is also colder than usual for this time of year. Or at least it seems that way but I'm sure it will warm up again before the month is over.

Although the gardening season is now over, I am still enjoying some colour in the container garden. I haven't looked after the garden since about the middle of August & I am amazed it has done as well. I guess it is all the rain we've had. Once the season is well and truly over, I will be cleaning all the garden debris in preparation for Winter.

This past weekend I enjoyed completing the 3 books I posted about last time.  I can now add those to my annual tally.  I'm still 2 books behind schedule.

Right now I'll focus on reading a very cute children's book about Dr. Doolittle by Hugh Lofting.  It was written in the 1920s.   I never learned about Dr. Doolittle as a child and I never did see any of the Dr,. Doolittle movies. I'm reading it now to assess suitability for sending to the boys I sponsor in Africa through Compassion International Canada.

The earlier book  I previewed was too violent and very sad. I didn't want to send that to young boys in Africa who already lead challenging lives. I'm also limited as to what I can send because the books can't be too costly.  They have to be taken apart and shipped in sections as well as meet criteria of thickness and dimension.

I'm also reading Alexander McCall Smith's, The Saturday Big Tent  Wedding Party and making progress on the book, Sweet Dreams by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics.  I started the latter some time back but am only just now making progress.

Have a wonderful week ahead.

Linking up with Our World Tuesday.

Thank you for stopped by!

Frugal Notes & A Short Update

This week I've been trying to get back into a normal schedule and have had a very busy week.

I've taken out my wall calendar and plotted the appointments I've made for the months of September, October, November and December. Doing this makes me feel more in control and less frazzled and enables me to pace my days and weeks so as not to get too tired. When a friend calls for a get together it is also much easier to see when I can easily get together without feeling too squeezed for time. When I get together with friends I love to have a free day  so I can easily spend time with them and afterwards have a relaxing time of shopping or making my way back home.

It's also been a good week of frugality.  The freebies and good deals are welcome indeed because expenses have been rather high with all the travel and associated expenses to visit mom and the health care and daily essential needs of people in Kenya.

Ways I've saved money this week:

• free haircut and style (another has been booked for November). I colour my own hair as needed and purchase colour on sale. Sometimes I use henna which is much less expensive than hair colour but I don't like all the muck it entails.  Henna is a messy and time consuming process but very frugal.
• free movie (Jason Bourne) using points I've accumulated over several months
• free movie at the local library (Eye in the Sky)
• used a 50% off Subway sandwich coupon today. I purchased a foot long and shared with a new-to-my-street homeless woman. I also gave her some cash and asked her a few questions as well as talked to her about the local shelters.
• free purchase ($85 worth) of vitamins and personal care products using accumulated points at the pharmacy.
• Flyer food shopping. I've saved oodles of money this week buying 2 sides of pork loin that I cut into slices for stir fries, roasts and pork chops. This is an enormous help to the food budget and will last me a very long time.  I had also hoped to get a side of roast beef  on sale so I could do the same.  But the store didn't have the advertised sale when we got there today.
• large heads of cauliflower purchased for less than $2. (the lowest price we can get here and in fact $1. lower than usual). I will be making faux mashed potatoes with it.
• 10 kg bag of flour for less than $6. This will last a long time as I don't do a lot of baking these days.
• Okanagan peaches which cost $2.69 a pound at my local grocer were priced at $1.49 a pound at the produce store a few blocks away. I don't normally purchase peaches but I have a craving for peach cobbler now that cooler weather has arrived.
• Lots of other great deals which will really help with the food budget this month and into next month. I will likely do some menu planning which I haven't done for some time. I want to ensure that all the fruits and vegetables I purchased will not go to waste.
• Bedding linen - I purchased comforter duvet set and 400 TC sheets for a birthday gift. These were a  real steal at 50% off clearance  prices and I know will be used and appreciated by the recipient. 
• Borrowed several books from the library. Inexpensive entertainment and I don't need to store them or give them away once I'm finished.

New Books on My Reading Shelf

First up is The Illegal by Lawrence Hill. I've had this one on my "to read" list but see there are a lot of people waiting for it at the library. I noticed it on the Fast Read shelf this week so picked it up and am enjoying it immensely. It is quite a powerful book and evoked several emotional responses from me already.  You can read more about it here.

Update:  I finished the book on Saturday.  This book deals with the timely issue of undocumented aliens unwanted in the countries where they have sought refuge. It is set in fictional countries. I was moved by the book and thoroughly enjoyed the telling of the story.

I picked up this next book by a new to me author. I  have no idea what it is about but liked the first page when I read it. You can read more about it here.

I started this book on Saturday. It is a book about a man newly diagnosed with dementia. He travels from England to Spain where his newly separated son is living in Lomaverde, a Spanish utopia for expats.

Last but not least is

Dr. Zentner has herself struggled with weight loss and is currently an internal medicine specialist in Vancouver where she works with obese patients. In the book, Dr. Zentner defines and offers specific tips for those who fall under various eating personalities: the emotional eater, the calorie drinker, the fast-food junkie, the all-or-nothing dieter, the portion distorter and the sitting duck. Her book is a practical guide for how to address obstacles to weight loss for each of the  eating personalities.

I'm now reading about the portion distorter and will soon be finished before reaching the recipe section. The book is quite interesting and I think can be useful to anyone who wants to better understand his/her relationship to food and weight gain or loss.

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The weather here has turned from sunshine to rain as of today. In a few days Fall will officially arrive. I'm sad to see the end of the longer days of light but there is always the Spring to look forward to again.

Besides catching up on reading goals I've got a lot to do to catch up on things around the house. I'd  like to paint the master bathroom and get it organized before the Winter arrives. I already purchased shelving and racks, etc. and have painted the shelves.  But still have to purchase paint for the walls and get the shelves and racks put up.  Now that the growing season is over I'd also like to clear the garden in readiness for Spring. Normally I don't do this and just wait for Spring to do all the work but I want to be more organized for the next growing season.  At least that is the plan.  I also have a number of sewing projects (altering clothing for mom and for me) and making progress on works-in-progress (crochet and quilting). Besides all these projects, I have a few personal goals I want to embark on.  I'm still doing research and trying to get a few things in place. We'll see how far I get.

Update on Mom:  Mom is more or less the same. She calls me most mornings and struggles valiantly to speak. I notice that when I talk to her about relatives or family she is able to respond with clearer speech. My brother who lives in far north will be visiting her this weekend so I will delay my next trip to see her for another week or two.

Update on Eunice in Kenya:  Eunice's son took her to the hospital where she was treated after her stroke for her one week follow up visit. They kept her for several days which was unexpected. But whatever they are doing seems to be helping her. She is now able to walk a bit using the aid of a cane.  Unlike my mother, Eunice is able to speak.

Please continue to keep these women in your thoughts and prayers.

Have a wonderful weekend.

A Profusion of Colour

It's been a busy time preparing for guests and doing deep cleaning in advance of arrival.
I'm glad all the cleaning is basically done because it is going to get far too hot for it in a few days.

After days of cleaning, I relaxed by taking photos and catching up on my reading goals. I've become very behind on my reading goals for the year and needed to make progress.

 

At twilight the sky is serene.

It's hard to get a good night shot.

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This week has been rather warm but it is going to get very hot by Thursday. I'll probably be looking to go to a mall or movie just to sit somewhere cool

Reading Progress This Week

The Temptress by Paul Spicer. This book attempts to solve the mystery of who murdered Lord Erroll in colonial Kenya.  I read this book primarily to learn more about the life and times of the early British and American settlers in Kenya. I enjoyed the quick read.

The other book,  West With The Night,  is the memoir of Beryl Markham.  It doesn't follow a chronological order of events in her life. Instead it focuses on  her life as an aviatrix and to a lesser degree on her experience as a horse trainer. I enjoyed the first half of the book a lot.  About half way through I got tired of  the style of writing and the lack of detail about other facets of her life.

However, Beryl Markham had high praise from the well known author, Ernest Hemingway who had this to say about her book

  "Did you read Beryl Markham's book, West with the Night? ...She has written so well, and marvelously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer. I felt that I was simply a carpenter with words, picking up whatever was furnished on the job and nailing them together and sometimes making an okay pig pen. But this girl, who is to my knowledge very unpleasant and we might even say a high-grade b*, can write rings around all of us who consider ourselves as writers ... it really is a bloody wonderful book."

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 I  also made some good progress on a few of the books on raw food eating that I took out of the library a few weeks ago.

New Book Started

 The new book I've started is a musical memoir written by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics.

I'm joining Lady Fi and others at Our World Tuesday.

Have a great week everyone!

(Note: Blogger seems to be doing funny things. It published my post twice but failed to publish several comments I've approved. I apologize to Melanie, Joanne, Teresa, Eileen and Sally. I don't know why your comments will not publish.  Thank you for taking time to leave a comment. I'm hoping they will yet appear).

My World in First Week of August

It's turned out to be a quiet but busy few days of  this and that.  Doing the usual things that one does on weekends to catch up around the house.

I'm still a little under the weather so continue to occupy myself with indoor activities. 

It's not all work though. 

At times like this I enjoy my small garden more than usual and look for opportunities to take more photos, especially after a rain. See some samples (click here)  if interested.

Earlier this week.

I've been catching to watching many of my recorded television programs so I can delete them and make room for more.

 I watch Masterpiece theatre and have almost caught up to the several different series I've been following. 

 A few months ago I was enjoying, "Jewel in the Crown" series, the  final season of "Downton Abbey" (I was a latecomer to the series), "Selfridges" and "The Paradise". 

 I think my favourite series so far is "Jewel in the Crown".

Now I'm watching "Inspector Lewis" but seem to have come in at the last season of this "new-to-me" series. I get these programs from  the PBS station in Washington State to the south of me.  The station gets a lot of viewer support from Canadians.

What about you dear reader?

Do you have public television or do you watch any of these series on TV or on line?

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Another activity that's been keeping me very busy is "online window shopping".   I'm looking to coordinate a simple yet stylish and budget friendly outfit that I need for a daytime casual event.  I want to be comfortable and cool and be able to wear the clothing again as separates or altogether. I'm thinking of an all white, all natural tones, or a combination of white and off-white.

I often peruse all the deals at home and afar on line and try to see the styles and prices that capture my interest.  If the store is local I then go out to the brick and mortar store if I have time and try things on.  This kind of  activity is very time consuming.  But it beats in person shopping and not knowing in advance what is out there though certainly one can often finds nice things that aren't even on line.  The on line cost comparison is a frugal activity I like to undertake. Once I know what is on line and in stores I calculate the costs of buying in person or on line, factoring in shipping costs, taxes, my time, bus fares, etc. At the end of the day I prefer to support local shops as much as possible.

I'm mulling over several outfit possibilities. One possibility is a long, straight skirt. Here is a photo. Sorry it looks like a screen is over the image because I've taken the photo of the photo. The site wouldn't let me save an image.

The skirt has a bit of sparkle and I like that. I'm thinking of pairing a tank top similar to the one in the photo which I'll have to source from elsewhere because it doesn't seem to be on the website. I'm also thinking of a long sleeveless waterfall vest. But that is only one idea. The skirt is currently on sale.  On of that there is a time limited 25% discount so right now it is only half price. I don't go out shopping until Tuesday but I might order the skirt tonight because I like it that much.  I've never seen one like it in  the places where I tend to shop. (Update: I did try to order the skirt but wasn't happy about the price after shipping, customs and other charges were added. I also didn't like that I couldn't see the breakdown of costs before completing a whole lot of information on line. It might just be better to take a quick trip across the border and check the skirt in person.  Before I do that I will want to make sure that the discount will still be applicable because it is a time-limited offer.  To make it worth my while I would also check a few other shops nearby).

I have several other ideas for an outfit. which include:

- white top, style to be determined + white gaucho pants and long white waterfall vest
- white top, style to be determined (tank or Turkish tunic) + mid-calf skirt and long, white waterfall, sleeveless vest
- long white sleeveless or cap sleeve dress with long, white, waterfall, sleeveless vest

I also made a bit of progress in reading goals this week.  In an earlier post I mentioned finishing the book entitled "Circling with the Sun".  The book is about Beryl Markham, an early colonial settler to what is now the nation of Kenya.  Ms. Markham was a  pioneer in horse training and aviation and made her mark in both fields.

The book book was a very enjoyable read.  It gave me an insight into the life of  early British settlers to Kenya.  It opened my eyes to the lifestyle of the rich and famous in those days. The lifestyle of the rich and famous seems to be much the same today.  Aside from that,  Beryl Markham was a truly remarkable woman and very ahead of her time. She the first licensed female horse trainer and pilot in Kenya and became highly accomplished in both fields. She has the distinction of flying solo over the Atlantic Ocean from East to West (considered more challenging than West to East).  She is also credited with pioneering the use of small aircraft in safaris, a mode which is very popular today for those that have little time but more money.

 
After completing the books I'm currently reading  I will still be a few books behind in my readings goals for the year.  This year I set a modest reading goal because my focus this year is rest.  Even so, I got behind in my reading  due to being sick for much of the first quarter of the year with one cold after another. I've had another cold this past week but it isn't as bad as the winter colds. I don't recall a time when I've ever had quite so many colds as I have this year.  I think getting better sleep will help and I am working doing just that.

This book is about a young Palestinian man who builds a music school and develops an orchestra in Palestine.

This is an interesting book about a bookseller who has a store on a barge. He dispenses wisdom & appropriate books to readers.

What about you dear reader?

Are you reading any good or interesting books?

Do you set any reading goals for yourself or at least keep track of how many books you've read?

I never used to keep track of the books I read and have long forgotten many of them.

I now find it interesting to go back and see what I've read over the past few years and the types of books.

It seems that a lot of books I choose are of the historical fiction genre. 

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My nephew called and paid a brief visit on Saturday.  He is on the way to a conference in Montreal where he will present a paper on Wednesday afternoon. I'm very proud of him as he is in the final year of his Master's Program in Psychology. He has been undertaking laboratory research for about 4 years and  has already been to several conferences in the USA and Canada to present his research findings.  He is a very busy young man juggling work, research, studies and a committed relationship. I haven't had a chance to visit with him much over the last year.  In  less than a year he will be finished his Masters degree before embarking on the final leg of his educational journey.

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On Sunday morning I captured the beautiful sunrise to the east.  I went out to capture this after hearing the sad news about the young man in Kenya who passed away a few days ago from complications of cancer.

The colours in the sky were exceptionally beautiful.

My camera and I did not do full justice to the scene.

The morning reminded me of the wonders and beauty of creation.

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It's only a few more days before my last guest of the summer arrives.
So much to do before she arrives but I made excellent progress today in the preparations.
Enjoy your week!

Linking up with Lady Fi over at Our World Tuesday
and
NC Sue over at image-in-ing

Thank you for visiting.

Summer Arrived

Since I wrote last we've had a spell of warm, sometimes hot weather. The kind where you need to throw the windows wide open at night so you don't suffocate.

Thankfully this year there has been little of the really hot, uncomfortable weather. We've had just enough (for me) to remind me that it's summer.

To cope with the heat and stale air inside, I've been taking my breakfast outside on the patio.  It's very refreshing.

Blueberries, shredded wheat and almond milk.


I haven't yet got around to the small projects I need to do around the house. the weather has been a bit too warm for that and I've been feeling tired since Thursday.

It turns out I have a summer cold.
I haven't had one of those for ages. I must have caught cold with the fan going and at night it can be a bit chilly with the windows open.

I've been using my time to sleep and catch up on reading.
I recently completed The Paris Secret.

 
I'm nearing completion of The Valley of Amazement (81% completed)
and, I'm about one third of the way through a new book
The Children of the Stone.

I am not sure if I've mentioned it before but I'm working on getting consistent sleep and better sleep as a way of helping my health.
I've been at this new regime for about one month with varying degrees of success.
I thought it would be a way to determine if inadequate sleep is impacting my blood glucose management.
My new sleep routine seems to be having a very positive impact on my blood glucose numbers. In fact, now I'm having problems keeping from getting numbers that are too low, at least when I get good sleep.
In addition to impacts on blood glucose, I've found lack of sleep has immediate effects on blood pressure (mine is normal but can run on high side of normal at times), body aches and pains and general tolerance for the daily things of life.
I've always known this intellectually, but experiencing and observing the affects first hand is something quite different.

I found an interesting study on the impact of lack of sleep on diabetics and took this photo (click to enlarge) of  one interesting page.

I'm slowly catching up to paperwork and a few small tasks.
It feels good to move forward but I'm expecting another summer guest soon.
Before she arrives I need to make progress on all my errands and a few projects around the house and garden.

A photo of my patio garden taken on Friday.


I hope your summer is going well.

We have so many summer festivals here.  There are multiple festivals and events going on every week and it's hard to keep up to what is going on in the city.  I guess that is all good for the tourists.
As for me, I'm enjoying staying home and the peace and quiet as I convalesce.
Another long weekend comes to an end today. I found it quiet and peaceful in my neighbourhood.  Long weekends the locals like to get out to visit relatives or go camping.

We will be back to rain this week if the weather forecast is to be believed.
I don't mind for the garden to get another good soak.
Thanks for stopping by.
Happy August!

Our World Tuesday