Skywatch Friday - Speeding Through December

The month of December is flying by!  The weather here has been heavily raining for much of the month so it's been a bit of a challenge to get photos when it hasn't been raining. I did manage to get a few.  (Note:  I'm sorry to those of you who visited through the Skyley blog because my photos upload sideways no matter what I do!).

Tuesday was exceptionally wet but I had to go out for a medical test.

I love these lights from Saturday night in the neighbourhood.

Another Friday in November ~ Skywatch Friday

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope this day finds you well and looking forward to the weekend.

I've had a good week. I'm feeling much better than I was a week ago and that's always a good thing.

I also had some good news. My nephew returned for a brief visit from Oklahoma, USA and we had a chance to catch up on each other's news over dinner. I always love spending time with him and his lovely wife.  He asked me when I will visit him and I said I would consider it when the weather is warmer.  

Travelling south of the border is not something I really want to do at this time but I would consider doing it for him.  Whether it will work out remains to be seen because I know it's going to be a very busy early part of 2026 but at least it's now on the list of things to consider.

One of my nieces had her first child a few weeks ago.  Earlier this week, I learned that her younger brother and his new wife are having their first child this summer. So there is a lot to celebrate as far as new life and family expansion is concerned.  My niece and nephew are the 2 youngest children of the brother next to me in age. He is over the moon at the moment with these new and upcoming additions to the family.

The city has had a lot of rain over the past month or so but there is enough variety and drama in the sky to keep me entertained.  The sky is ever changing. All I have to do it look up.

Thank you for stopping by and paying me a blog visit for Skywatch Friday. Wishing you all the best of the weekend.

Late to the Party ~ Skywatch Friday, November 7, 2025

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I'm late to the skywatch party today. It was a busy day for me because I've been sick for well over a week. Today I wanted to get out for a bit of a walk and though I was out and about for several hours I didn't walk far. I was not only trying to get some fresh air but wanted to do some errands before the rain started up again.  It's been pouring quite hard here these days. 

In the last shot you can't see the sky as such but I thought the colour of the leaves and of the neon banner colours made for a lovely shot.

The colours also match the cover design for the latest library book I picked up. Ken Follett is one of my favourite authors and I'm looking forward to reading this new book.

Thank you for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post. Wishing you a fabulous weekend.

Autumn Arrived ~ Skywatch Friday

Hello everyone, 

Welcome to my blog. I'm sharing a few photos taken near the end of September showing some of the autumn foliage. The weather had been quite hot for some time but autumn arrived suddenly with lots of rain and colder weather.

I feel the chill in the air as I sit and write this post.  The cold air blows through the vents in the hallway and in the apartment.  It happens every year when the heat of the summer turns to the chill of autumn.  I always have to remind the caretaker to adjust the air flow.  I don't think it bothers too many people.  There are really only 2 or 3 units that are most affected because of where the vents are located and I'm often the one bringing the issue up at this time of year. 

Anyway, I took the following photos when I exited my class at the community centre from a different door from where I'd entered earlier in the day.  I was surprised to see how the leaves have turned from green to the golden colours of autumn.  You can see in the photos that a lot of leaves have already fallen because it got quite windy and rainy over the past few weekends. 

The white bags and the umbrella have been set up by a local group that was organizing a community clean up.  Many people had signed up to help out and they were waiting around for things to get underway.

This building with curved windows was built quite some time ago.  It was one of the tallest buildings in the general neighbourhood at the time.  However there are now multiple building projects awaiting development in the neighbourhood and they'll be 25 to 30 stories high.  

Part of the City's plan is to mandate developers to build residences in the immediate vicinity of the new sky train and subway stations in the neighbourhood.  One of the new stations is about a block west from where this condominium building is located.  The details are in a document called The Broadway Plan which I've read.  It gave me good insight into the plan for how high the buildings can be built and where they will likely be located.  There isn't any land left to continue building single family dwellings.  Such an expansion of high rises will definitely change the nature of the area.

By the time this post goes 'live', our weather may well have changed. It will be nice to see the sun again but at this time of year we begin seeing much more rain.

Take care and thanks for stopping by my Skywatch Friday post.

A Beautiful Day ~ Skywatch Friday, September 12, 2025

Hello folks, A good friend and I have been trying unsuccessfully to get together for months to celebrate our birthdays.  It didn't work out because she's had to work so much overtime but we were finally able to get together last Friday.

Here is a photo of her wearing the cardigan I crocheted for her over the summer.  I was pleased that it fit her perfectly and she liked it a lot.

It was very hot and humid and the sky was full of smoke though the air didn't smell so bad. We took our time and had lunch at the Granville Island Public Market. I didn't take any photos of the market area or our lunch because it was so busy and hot that day and I was feeling pretty tired.

After a long chat, we took an aqua bus to the Vancouver Aquatic Centre and walked along the waterfront until we got to the intersection of Denman and Davie Streets.

 

The gift at the end of the day was this beautiful sunset.

After these photos we ended our night by going out to dinner at a Greek restaurant where I had a wonderful Moussaka dinner. I haven't had one for years.  Besides a nice visit with my friend, the thing I enjoyed most was the beautiful sunset.

Thank you for visiting my Skywatch Friday post. Enjoy your weekend.

Skywatch Friday, September 5, 2025

Welcome to September and welcome to another Skywatch Friday post.

Today I'm sharing a few photos taken on two different days.

Our sky has been a solid mass of gray and the air has been smoky since Wednesday. After a summer free of smoke in these parts, we are now having a week of bad air.  

Wildfires have also come closer to home with a fire jumping across the Coquihalla Highway which  remains closed since Wednesday.

Thank you for visiting and stay safe wherever you are.

First Sky in August ~ Skywatch Friday

Hello everyone, 

So glad you could visit my Skywatch Friday post. These photos were taken at daybreak.  I'm always happy to see the pink in the sky in the early morning hours.  I hope you enjoy them.

 Enjoy the weekend. See you soon.

Last Friday in July ~ Skywatch Friday

 

These photos are from a walk when I went to do some late night errands earlier this week.  It was supposed to be a lot cooler but I'm so glad I didn't wear a jacket. I found it quite warm even until the late evening when I finally returned home.

This is the current location of City Hall

Looking northward to downtown from Cambie Street

Looking south on Cambie Street

Another southern view of Cambie near 12th Avenue

Broadway Street. A new subway is being built under where we stand.

Today I realized that it's almost the end of July and before we know it summer will be over. I was feeling a bit sad. Though summer isn't my favourite season, I will miss the bright days we've been having.  I realize I tend to live in the future, always looking ahead. As the years go by I try harder to  cultivate being in the present and appreciating each day. 

Thank you for visiting my Skywatch Friday post.

Have a wonderful weekend!