Time is Passing So Quickly

We've been having gray skies and buckets of rain all week.
The news reports a lot of flooding in various parts of the city.
Other than a trip out on Sunday and some errands on Monday I've been staying inside so I am snug and dry.
A wind storm has now been forecast so I spent a bit of time today moved the patio furnishings and storing the patio umbrella so it doesn't blow away and damage things.

I've noticed how very dark it is now. Morning light comes later and evening dark comes earlier.
Thankfully the Winter equinox will arrive soon and gradually the days will become longer and lighter.

My blog post is entitled "Time is Passing So Quickly" because despite my early preparations I don't feel ready for Christmas.

I did complete Christmas shopping and wrapping and Christmas cards both paper and electronic. I also did the Christmas decorating. I've managed to meet with a few friends before the holidays and have one or two more to see in the next week.

 But there is still a lot to do: cleaning, sorting, paperwork, a bit of cooking and preparing to travel out of town.

I am not able to get much done each day.  I only do what I feel like doing so my list of things doesn't change much from day to day. At least I'm enjoying the Christmas lights during these dark days and I'm sure I'll get everything done that is important.

READING

My latest read is Becoming by Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States of America. I read it quickly and I found it very well written and interesting.  I shared the book with a number of friends all of whom told me they had the book on their reading lists.

Mrs. Obama will be here in Vancouver on March 21st and there is a lot of excitement around her visit. 

I'm not sure what I'll be doing then so I haven't purchased a ticket which means I'll probably miss out altogether. These kinds of events with well known people always sell out here.

I've read 57 books so far this year. My original reading goal was only 35 books but since July it seems I've been reading a lot of books.  I just kept increasing the goal as I read more and more books.
I am hoping to complete another 1 or 2 books before the end of the year.

CRAFTS

I haven't had time to work on crafting too much but I did manage to make 2 globes out of a few craft items from the Dollar Tree, Michael's Craft store and jars from my cupboard. I enjoyed this little craft and will know how to do a better job if I make some again in future.

A few weeks ago I also started the pink and berry afghan. I'm still not finished and I've run out of time to make the black, gray and white afghan I was hoping to have finished by now.
I guess that means I've made 8 afghans this year rather than 9.
Next year I may only make 1 or 2.
I'm not sure yet what craft I will focus on. Perhaps I will finally knit a pair of socks or make more doilies to use up some of my crochet string.

Little by little I tie the loose ends in the back. There are so many of them that I'm still working on it. I would say I am about 2/3 done. It's not my favourite thing to do so I don't work at it that often.
Once I've done that I have to block the afghan to help give it proper shape.

MOVIES

I've also been catching up on watching several movies during the wet and gloomy weather.

Here are the movies and a brief summary of each:

Nancy - A strange story about a young woman named Nancy who becomes increasingly convinced she was kidnapped as a child. When she meets a couple whose daughter went missing decades earlier, the couple's doubts give way to willful belief.

By the Sea - Written and directed by Angelina Jolie while she was still married to Brad Pitt. The scenery and the costumes are very appealing but the story itself is very shallow and not my cup of tea. Set in France during the mid-1970s, Vanessa, a former dancer, and her husband Roland, an American writer, travel the country together. They seem to be growing apart, but when they linger in one quiet, seaside town they begin to draw close to some of its more vibrant inhabitants, such as a local bar/café-keeper and a hotel owner.

A Star is Born - with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. I saw this story years ago with Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. I liked it at the time but I wasn't that enamoured of this newer version. Lady Gaga has received a lot of accolades for her acting role but personally I wasn't that impressed. Her acting is very flat and monotone however her singing is just as impressive as always I was very impressed by Bradley Cooper who does a wonderful job of playing an alcoholic singer. The movie however has a very sad ending.

The Girl in the Spider's Web - Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist find themselves caught in a web of spies, cyber-criminals and corrupt government officials – both in Sweden and in the United States – whom are only known as The Spider Society. A movie filled with many twists and turns. The role of Lisbeth is very capably played by Claire Foy who you may remember from her performance as a young Queen Elizabeth in the series "The Crown".

I'd be interested in your thoughts if you have seen any of these movies or read Michelle Obama's book.

~~~~

Given that most people, including bloggers are very busy right now with Christmas plans or travel plans, I probably won't be posting much before Christmas. It will depend on how much I get done in the next short while.

Wishing you all a wonderful next few weeks

and

a very Merry Christmas!

A card I purchased from a Kenyan artist on the streets of Nakuru.

~~~~

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Skywatch Friday

A Friday to End November

The sky as seen from the patio on Thursday, November 29th, 2018.

It has been raining for much of the last 2 weeks and most days it has been quite heavy rain.

It was nice to have a clearer day today. 

The sun was out a bit earlier but I wasn't able to take a photo of it.

I've had a different kind of week.

I've been feeling very tired and my neck is very tight causing me to feel nauseous. I get like this from time to time.

So mostly I've been resting and reading and doing a little tidying here and there.

I finished my berry and pink coloured afghan but I still have to tie off all the loose ends in the back.

This is time consuming but I am pleased with how it looks. Very pleased.

I haven't started on the last afghan of the year but hopefully next week.

My little tree is up and all my presents are wrapped except for one more I must buy for my niece.

I'm so glad the job of wrapping is finished as that is the most time consuming part of everything

I never did get around to completing the task of putting up my curtain rod.

I just was not up to it.
Perhaps I'll feel up to it in a few days. I also need to finish the Christmas decorating but the decorations are in storage downstairs.

~~~

I've also kept a bit pre-occupied with technical issues this week.
I don't know how many of you try to watch DVDs on your computer.
Since I downloaded Windows 10 long ago it has messed up my usage of the CD/DVD feature on my desktop.
It also makes my scanner more troublesome to use.

I got my brother to try to adjust things but he had no more success than I did.
In the end I purchased an inexpensive DVD player so I can watch DVDs from the comfort of my sofa.
 Mostly I borrow DVDs from the library but from time to time I also watch one from my small DVD collection.

I also had an issue trying to sync my Kobo reader (Canada's version of Kindle).
It's been a long time since I charged it up. In the meantime it no longer recognized it's Wi-Fi connection at home.
Despite inputting the correct Wi-Fi address it just would not connect to the internet.
My brother is more tech savvy than I am.
 He got it working again by deleting some public Wi-Fi addresses I'd used in the past.
I was very happy since I've recently purchased the book
Shadows Along the Zambezi as recommended by blogger friend, Diane at Photo Diary.

I also have many other novels on it which I would like to read.
Now my library is up to date and I can start carrying the little reader with me. 


~~~~~~

The following books are in various stages of completion.

I want to return them to the library this weekend or at latest by Monday.

Half finished. I'm not enjoying the stories as much as I'd hoped.  Most are quite bleak.

A complex piece written by a Vancouverite. I'm enjoying it but the story doesn't quite flow easily for me.

Half finished. My completion was hampered by the fact I do not intend to begin the meal plan although I guess that could change.

An easy read but an odd and only slightly satisfying story.

A satisfying read which kept me engaged until the last page. My enjoyment was enhanced by learning the author is Canadian.

A nice documentary about a wonderful human being. I cried at the end.

 ~~~~~~

I found this cute little children's poem about the end of November.

I hope you enjoy it.

It's the end of the month.

The glory of Fall has passed us by and in some cases barely arrived this year.

I started the month by wishing you a month of adventure.

I hope you found it despite the inclement weather in most of the northern hemisphere.

As we move into December and wind down 2018 

I wish each of you peace and time to reflect upon and enjoy the month ahead.

Thank you for your visit.

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A Busy Week Ends

I made it to the end of the week!

I trust my American readers had a fantastic Thanksgiving.
There is always so much to be thankful for and I've been reading some of your gratitude lists this week.

There is lots to report on the missions in Kenya and in other things too.
I've organized everything by subject so you can skip ahead to those areas of interest
My photos are sprinkled throughout this post.  All photos are from my archives with the exception of the baking photos & the graphics.

 MISSIONS OF HOPE, KENYA

The first bit of good news is that my friend Jonah in Kenya was released from hospital on Sunday. Since then he has been staying in a small hotel in the city of Nakuru and seeing the doctor for follow up. Tuesday was the last follow up visit and on Wednesday he expects to return home to Kericho.  He is still a bit weak but the doctor said he will recover his strength in time. He had been incorrectly diagnosed with food poisoning when in fact he had Typhoid Fever. It is the first, and hopefully last time he will contract this disease. I surmise that he picked up the bacteria at the small hotel where he stayed and ate in during his most recent trip to Nairobi.

 Lake Elementeiti, Kenya. You can just make out the lake through the trees

In other news, I've met a young medical student in northern Kenya who finishes his residency training in a week. I met him through an Indian woman I've known for many years. She lives in Guwahati.  She ministers at various Christian meetings in India through Word and song.  When I met her she lived in Mumbai and then returned to Mizoram, her home state after marrying an American.  She now makes her home in Guwahati.  She adopted the young medical student as her spiritual son and I told her when I next get to Kenya I will visit him and take photos for her and give her a report.

The young man is in the very last stages of his medical training. He needed help with his rent and food for this month so I offered to help him.  The amount was very modest but so much needed.  After paying his rent he shared the food he purchased with his grandmother who raised him after his own mom died. His biological mom died because they were impoverished and she could not afford medical help. Before she died she told her son she wanted him to be a doctor so that he could help people like her. It is amazing that he was only 5 years of age when his mother spoke these words but now he will soon fulfill her wish and his destiny.

In a week I will send a little more money for his grandmother.  This will help her get through the Christmas season because her grandson will travel to Nairobi where he volunteers with the Red Cross during school breaks.

In January 2019, he returns to university for one more class and after that expects to graduate in May 2019.

Kenya has very high unemployment hovering close to 90 percent but this young man should be one of the fortunate ones and be snapped up by one of the hospitals.  Medical personnel are very much needed in Kenya and there is currently an inadequate supply of doctors in the country.

Another student I am assisting has just returned to university for his final year of a Bachelor's degree in Engineering. Actually he graduated a year ago and we celebrated his achievement.  Unfortunately the university's program was not accredited and in order to get recognized he must take another year of study. He isn't alone in this.  When he enrolled at the university he and his fellow students were told that the program would be accredited.  By the time they graduated they found out the accreditation had not been achieved.

What it means is they must all return to university for one more year to get accreditation.
After he graduates he hopes to get scholarships to enable him to study abroad and possibly find employment before returning to Kenya. 

The other engineering student I was helping was not able to find steady employment.
After 2 years of  start and stop jobs where I assisted him with starting all over again several times I told him I was unable to continue supporting him if he couldn't find work or create a job.
He was able to secure a small loan from the bank.  Sadly the loan was insufficient for the purpose of opening a small hair salon and barber shop.
I matched the loan to try and help him get established.  Even with the loan funds I've provided it is a very modest start and it is difficult to get things going.  There have been various challenges to the business operation but he is trying hard to make a go of things. It is really up to him now to make or break because he doesn't have many choices.
Young men in Kenya have a very hard time to find work. In fact anyone who isn't very creative at creating their own business will find it very difficult to provide for themselves and to get married and start a family.

I am really praying he will succeed so he and his girlfriend can marry and he can also help provide for his disabled mother.

There is much more to report but I will save it for another post.

YARN

It's been a busy week working on my long list of 'to dos' which included several shopping forays to buy yarn.

In my last post I wrote about how I'd purchased and lost, the yarn I bought for the afghan I'm currently crocheting.

Once I got home I  called several stores where I'd stopped on my way home but none of them had my bag of yarn.

I was resigned to buying the needed yarn again so on Tuesday night I went back to the store. When I got to the cash desk the young lady that helped me on Sunday said  that I had left my shopping bag behind. She blamed it on her distracting me. I wasn't upset in any way because she had distracted me due to trying to find various discounts to save me money.

I was very happy to find my yarn.

Not only did I get my yarn back but I realized I actually needed just a bit more yarn.
I was able to purchase the required skein  for 55% off the regular price.

It was a nice bonus. 

Another nice bonus was the young lady who served me.

I often have wonderful service but this young lady was extra special.

She was so pleasant and kind and it was nice just to see her smiling face again.

I wish we could all be like her. It makes life so much brighter when you meet happy people.
 I'm now at the point of joining my granny squares together. I'm not sure how long it will take me to finish it but once I'm done I'll share a photo.

CHRISTMAS PREPARATIONS

I've decided to give one of my finished crocheted afghans and some knitted dishcloths to my brother and his wife for Christmas. I told him he can use the afghan to keep his knees warm this winter (see more about this below under "Personal"). I've also been purchasing a few additional gifts and gift wrap items from the dollar store in my neighbourhood. Tomorrow or Friday I'm hoping to go to a different dollar store in Chinatown. I hardly ever get to the Dollar Tree (DT).  Whenever I'm on You Tube I see so many vloggers talking about their DT hauls and the fabulous things they make with the things they get at the DT.  Basically I need a few things to add to a basket I'm putting together for a young lady. It's a kitchen and baking theme. Earlier I purchased some baking pans and a Bundt cake pan. I will add various gadgets and utensils, oven mitts and some food items to the basket. I'll likely add a few of my knitted dishcloths too.

 I also purchased two Christmas gifts for the brother who lives locally.  I already gave him the gifts because I want to make sure he fit the slippers (he did). I also wanted to make sure he liked and would use the charging station I bought for his phone and devices.  He seems to like the charging station but I know he hasn't actually tried to use it yet. I will be making up a stocking for him to open on Christmas Day so he has a little something that is a surprise.

 I had a chance to put my new smaller tree together though I haven't had a chance to decorate it yet.  It already comes pre-lit so it doesn't need much.  I'm still keeping my eyes open for a white table top tree.

Last but not least, I've purchased a few items for myself as I like to do each year.  All items were purchased from Canada's home shopping network (TSC):  a pair of warm shoes with fuzzy stuff inside (Sketchers), gel soled slippers (Tony Little) and cashmere socks (Pajar). I haven't purchased any cashmere socks for well over 10 years and have been keeping my eye out for them. I finally found the best price on TSC and ordered them. I thought if I liked them I would order more but now they have sold out of their stock.  I haven't received my order yet. There have been mail delays due to a rotating postal strike but the order should be arriving soon.

I captured a lone gull bobbing on the water. There were a lot of them that day but I like this one off by itself.

PERSONAL

My brother had to go to the Emergency Room (ER) for observation a few days ago. He started hobbling in the morning and by the time he was at work he could barely walk due to acute pain in his knees. After testing the doctor diagnosed him with arthritis and gave him an injection of pain medication.

I had this same thing happen to me a few years ago though I didn't go to the ER. I waited a very long time to tell my doctor about it. When I finally did she sent me for x-rays and confirmed my fears about osteoarthritis.

When I first started having knee pain I could barely walk for 4 months. I went to the acupuncture doctor several times a week for several months.  When I didn't get any relief I just stayed home because I was exhausted from dragging myself around.  In that short space of time I gained 40 pounds and it took me years and very diligent effort to lose it.  Along the way I learned about rehabilitation walking poles, whole body vibration and curcumin.  These 3 things have kept me walking.

READING

I made some progress reading The Couple Next Door.  It isn't the usual kind of book I read but I am enjoying it so far.  You can click on the title to read more about it to see if you are interested.

Fellow blogger Diane at Photo Diary also recommended 2 books by Zimbabwean author, Diana M. Hawkins.
I purchased the ebook called Shadows along the Zambezi

 and recommended the Vancouver library purchase the second booked called Shadows over an African Heart.

The library agreed to my recommendation so I can borrow the book later and others can enjoy it too.

I believe these two books deal with the difficult subject of elephant poaching. 

Can you spot the gull atop the Inukshuk (the stone man)?

HOUSEHOLD

I started putting up the new curtain rod. 

I have to do this job in stages because it requires a lot of getting up and down on the little ladder and making sure

everything is as straight as possible because each bracket requires two holes.

I see there are actually 4 brackets in the box, not 2.  This is great because the sales lady told me there were only 2 brackets and I almost bought 2 more to make sure I had enough.  Now I won't have to purchase any more.

When I was out running errands I came across some free stuff outside of a thrift store. 

There were 4 tiles with printed scenes on them. I took two of them and the other two were scooped up by another woman.  When I put my two tiles together they make the face of an elephant and its tusks. I've put them on the wall behind the chair in my little reading area. They coordinate with the afghan I made for myself at the start of the year (the one on the top of the pile in gold, grey and off white colours).

 

BAKING

I made some cinnamon buns using the the same recipe I made bread with last weekend.

I made enough dough to also make one loaf of bread since all the other is gone.

The buns turned out perfectly. I used very little sugar and a lot of cinnamon spice.

Now that I've made bread twice in such a short time I probably won't be baking very often in the foreseeable future.
 I might bake something for Christmas (cookies or squares of some kind, maybe buns) but I don't really need that much since my family is not very large.

I try to capture the birds flying in the morning but they are very fast.

 Take care everyone.
Thanks for visiting.

Joining in with

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Skywatch Friday

Saturday's Critters

A Few Days In Pictures

 Watching

The sky as it was on Sunday morning just after 7 a.m.
It was nice to capture a morning without an overcast sky and rain.

Baking

Saturday I decided to make  a simple Chili Con Carne in the Instant Pot.

It looks a bit greasy but there is no added oil and the beef was lean.

That gave me a craving for freshly baked bread. I started making it very late but was able to enjoy it fresh before bed time. It was so delicious.

~~~~~~~~~

Reading

New books I'm reading

Book #54

  

The description of The Couple Next Door makes me think it's based on Madeline McCann's story.

I've read the first few chapters and it seems very likely the books is based on Madeline McCann's disappearance but the details are probably creative imaginings.

If you are unfamiliar with the Madeline McCann story you can click here to read.

Book #55

I haven't actually started this book (#55) yet but it involves a young girl of 10 who lives with her mother in Vancouver.  A relative from China who was involved in the Tienanmen Square demonstration arrives to seek refuge with them.  You can read more about the book here.

 ~~~~~~~~~~

Eating 

When I am out and about on errands I usually have to have one meal out and most often it is a late dinner. 

Here are two recent dishes both from Vietnamese restaurants.  Both very delicious though in the 2nd dish the vegetables were almost raw. That didn't bother me because I've read that raw or very lightly cooked is much healthier.

Hot and sour chicken soup and a shrimp salad roll with peanut sauce.

Crispy noodle seafood and vegetables.

 Christmas

After decluttering two weeks ago and getting rid of my 4.5 foot Christmas tree I managed to purchase a more suitable one for my living space.  I'd used it for about 15 years, possibly longer so I got my money's worth.

I wanted a new one because I found it difficult to put the Christmas lights on and it is increasingly difficult each year to find floor space to accommodate it.

I gifted my old tree  to a lady who is receiving visitors from Ireland for Christmas and wants to make the house nice and cosy.

I wanted to buy a  table top tree but when I was out shopping I couldn't find a small white one. This week I finally saw the kind I'm looking for in a flyer but the only colour choices were pink and blue. 

In the meantime I've purchased a 4 foot tree. It is pre-lit and about half the circumference of the one I gave away.  

Now I'm searching for a star to put on top. The one I purchased from Michael's was far too heavy so I'll keep on looking.

I also managed to buy a few Christmas gifts. 

I still have to purchase something for my niece but I've spotted something that might be suitable to add to the puzzle I already purchased. She loves puzzles and is very good at them.

I purchased  a few more balls of yarn for the granny square afghan I'm making
I'm not sure what happened but on my way home the balls of yarn went astray.
I called the two places I stopped on the way home and they don't have my yarn.
I'm not happy because of the loss of funds and the loss of time in going to buy them.

I will need to return tomorrow to buy more yarn as I've run out today.
Thankfully I didn't lose something much bigger.

Home Improvements

I finally purchased a long curtain rod for my front room.  In early Fall I purchased and installed a rod and my curtains but it didn't work out. Within 2 hours the whole thing sagged. I took it down and have been looking for a longer one ever since.

I'm going to try and put the new one up and see if it sags.
I wanted to buy additional supports due to the problem I had last time.  But the female sales representative said she used to work in draperies and the rod I was buying was strong enough without additional supports. I doubted her but decided to try it out. I sure hope she is right and that I won't need more brackets otherwise I will have to return to the store and order what I need before the curtains can finally go up.

I also bought some weather strips to put around doors and will get some bubble wrap to put on the large windows to cut down on drafts.  I learned this latter tip from a woman on You Tube called Alaskan Granny.
I've gone years without weather proofing though one year I did put plastic on the lower half of my windows.  That really helped a lot.  This winter I don't want drafts. My feet get too cold.

Making

I'm beavering away on the granny squares and think I will have enough soon. At least I can now envision the final

product.
I'm liking how it looks and the colours seem very popular with the women.
I will show a photo soon. I'll wait until I get to a point where you can see how the final product is shaping up.

I'm not sure yet if I will gift it or try to sell it. It seems there is always someone who can use an afghan for those chilly nights.  As for the three extra afghans I've made, I gave one to a friend for her birthday (berry and pink colours) and I will give one to a friend and one to my brother for Christmas. Both of these are in shades of beige, grey and mustard colours. I haven't yet started on the grey, black and white afghan.

I wish all of you a great weekend ahead.
Prayers for those suffering right now as a result of Malibu fires and other tragedies around the world.
Have a blessed Thanksgiving if you are celebrating in the USA.
Thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays besides Christmas and Easter.
In Canada we celebrated Thanksgiving in October.

Joining in with Our World Tuesday today.

Another Week is Over

This was what it looked like a week ago when I went to Michael's to purchase yarn. 

I love the glow cast by the evening light and golden leaves.

I purchased one big ball of yarn to start a new afghan in shades of gray, black and white (Caron Big Cakes). I now have the 3 big balls of yarn that I need to make the afghan.  The afghan will be in the same pattern (Ocean Wave pattern) as the last few I've made.  But I also bought another smaller ball of yarn in Berry (Red Heart yarn) to make a Granny Square Afghan.  I don't have a pattern as such for the latter. I'll simply make a bunch of  squares and stitch them altogether when I think I have enough of them.  I might use a coordinating colour and I might not. I used up the Magenta yarn (Vanna's Choices, Red Heart yarn) after making only 6 squares and there is no more of the colour in stock at my local Michael's.

The joined yarns in two afghans on the left need to be finished but they are otherwise done. The squares are more portable so can be made anywhere (not that I usually carry it with me).  The  3 balls of yarn will be made in Wave pattern afghan.

The finished afghan for a friend's birthday. I've given it to her somewhat early but don't think she has opened it yet.

Try as I might I could not get a good photo of this afghan. It's long enough when full extended to cover the feet and all the way up to the neck and is longer than the pattern instructions. That way my friend can keep nice and warm on a cool night.

Here I've folded the afghan in half. I think it gives a better sense of how large it is.

~~~

On Tuesday I had a pleasant surprise when the sun came out and the skies partly cleared.

I'm reading several books but slowed down. I'll focus on finishing this one

 ~~~~

I'm closing with a few photos from my archives.  These were taken in Delta, BC just over a year ago.

The eagles like to flock near the bog at an organic waste facility. As the salmon stocks in the ocean dwindles, the eagles are looking to other food sources. It sounds great. But it is perhaps not so great for the pilots and planes that fly in air space near by. Nor is it great for the many home owners who must now contend with traffic congestion on their country roads and influx of professional and amateur photographers as well as the simply curious.  On the day I went out to shoot photos it was a bit overcast and snowing so it was really quite deserted.

So many photos were taken but without better lenses it is not so easy to get a good photo

Thank you for dropping by. 

Please come again soon.

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Saturday's Critters.

Just Popping In

Hi friends,

I'm just popping in to say 'hello' and 'how are you'?  It's been awhile since I posted here and today's post will be brief.

Since I wrote last we have been having quite a lot of inclement weather.  Very dark skies and lots of rain. I would say we also have cooler temperatures than usual. We sure could have used the rain during the summer when all the wild fires were raging. Some parts of western Canada (northern British Columbia and Alberta) have even had snow yesterday and today and quite cold temperatures. We expect less rain and snow and warmer temperatures again soon and normal autumn temperatures to follow.  The intense heat of the summer and sadly, my garden is pretty much done for the year. I plan to dig all the debris from the annuals up before the end of the month.

You can just make out the Light Rapid Transit in the middle right.

I'm reading.

I started a Creative Writing Class yesterday. I enjoyed it immensely and look forward to the next  few weeks of classes. I'm just hoping I can keep up with my homework. The instructor says we really should be writing every day! For a procrastinator & non-writer like me it will be a challenge but one I hope to meet.  The course is actually free and I cannot believe the caliber of the instructor. She is a writer, editor, publicist and comedian.  Maybe this is her way of giving back or looking for new authors.

Farmer's Market

On my way back from class I managed to stop at a local Farmer's Market. Sad to say I've been wanting to stop at this market for a few years and just never seem to remember what day it happens.

I happened to be walking by and saw that the market was underway, albeit much smaller than during the fullness of summer. I decided to have a quick look. I was on the hunt for bread or baked goods and there were some nice baked goods but no bread. In the end I bought 2 small tubs of hummus (one with beans and one with red pepper). I also bought one round package of vegan cheese. It is all very tasty but the vegan cheese as you can imagine is very pricey.  By early October, the Farmer's Market will be finished for another year so I'm glad I made it to at least one market day.



The photo below is taken from a 7th floor window looking south. The high rise you see on the horizon is the one you sometimes see in photos from my balcony.  You can see how threatening the sky looks but amazingly the sun came out late in the afternoon and it only rained a bit in early evening.

Last, but not least, is my small patio garden.  My flowers are pretty much finished for the year what with all the rain we've had over the past week.  I'm trying to hang on to them a wee bit longer because the brightly coloured flowers give me so much enjoyment.  But I'm planning to try and clean all the garden of debris by the end of the month if all goes well.

That's it for now friends. I'm feeling like an apple cake due to the coolish weather.  I've made this cake a few times but the recipe is from a blog that is no longer public. I'll have to google a new recipe.

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