Beauty in the Morning

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

I love colour in the sky but I seldom get to catch a sunset. I can't see it from my home. But I can catch the sun rising and sometimes there are some interesting cloud formations and now and then there is glorious colour to go with it.  I notice that the morning sky colour doesn't last very long so I'm glad I was quick enough to get some photos.

August 16, 2022

August 18, 2022

August 16, 2022

I'm linking up with Skywatch Friday today.

Thank you for stopping by!

February's Changing Sky

The sky is always changing and giving us lots of enjoyment. The month of February is no exception. Though it is our winter season and the skies are often a dull, grey blanket, there is always some colour and variation to be found if one looks up every day.

February 2, 2022

February 11, 2022

February 12, 2022

February 15, 2022

February 18, 2022

 

 

Joining in with Skywatch Friday.

Thank you for stopping by!

Yah, it's Friday

 Happy Friday and happy weekend ahead.

It's been a busy week of errands and trying to find this and that for upcoming birthdays and projects so I'm a bit late with posting.

I captured these sky shots in early morning hours. I'm actually a night owl as that is when I seem to get more energy to do things but I do love to see the sky and feel the cool air in the very early morning hours before the city gets loud and busy.

 

 

 

 

My herb garden is overgrown. Too hot to cook. I guess I should freeze some.

I've slowed down reading but I have a number of books to keep me busy. I'm reading a little out of each one and hope I can finish them all before they are due at the library or unavailable for further renewals. I also picked up these magazines awhile ago. I seldom buy magazines any more but I'm sure I will enjoy them. I especially love looking at nicely decorated spaces and beautiful gardens. It relaxes me.

 

Last weekend I did a lot of meal preparation and batch cooking for the week. It was lovely since I've been feeling rather tired. It enabled me to focus on my errands and a few other things instead of cooking every day.

In the Kenyan mission field, Pastor Jonah has been kept busy with Livingstone's leg issues. Livingstone has been back to the doctor several times for follow up, had his cast redone numerous times and had multiple x-rays done. His leg is not healing very well but then again it's only been just over a month.  I have tried to insist that they stop redoing the cast and expecting Livingstone for such frequent follow-ups but that is how they do business at Kenyan hospitals. In the west that doesn't typically happen since it takes months for leg fractures to heal properly. We'll see how it goes moving forward.

There has been an outbreak of Covid 19 in various parts of Kenya due to mass political gatherings that were held weeks ago.  Certain communities have been hit hard including the one where we focus the missions work, the town of Kericho and surrounding villages.  It means curfews and restricted travel are again in place in much of the country.

Regular readers of this blog will already know that Livingstone has had Covid but was able to recuperate at home with prescribed medicines. Ernest, the other man that had a broken leg, had been hospitalized for weeks but is now okay. 

There is a woman I am concerned about. Her name is Rose. She is 52 years old and several months pregnant. She landed in hospital with Covid like symptoms and ultimately tested positive for Covid. She has been in a small hospital for almost 2 weeks and in need of a great many medicines (I have no information on how these might affect the unborn child).

Another younger woman named Joyce was admitted to hospital with pneumonia like symptoms and later tested positive for Covid.

All these needs at once are stretching my resources since I also try to help certain households with regular food and  helps, 

If any of you are so inclined to help out please feel free to reach out to me. I can be reached at kerichojoy[at]gmail[dot]com. Pay Pal donations can also be sent there. If you experience any problems kindly let me know. I've heard of two people now over several months who have had problems sending donations. They were ultimately successful after trying several times. I could also send you a payment request through Pay Pal if you send your email and how much you would like to donate. I thank you in advance for considering the needs.

~~~

I tired myself out this past week by going out almost every day for hours at a stretch. I'm not used to that at the best of times.  So this weekend I hope to catch up to some chores, some reading and some rest.

~~~

Thanks for stopping by. Enjoy your week ahead. 

I'm linking up with Skywatch Friday.

A Quick Stop

Hello everyone, Happy Friday and happy weekend to all of you. 

 

I know the daily news is dreary and sometimes frightening, for many of us right now.  But here's to hoping that you will find something to make you smile or give you joy this weekend.

 

Where I live we've been deluged with rain and also a couple days of extremely windy weather.  I heard the meteorologist say the wind was moving southeast after it left us.

 

I was glad to see the backside of both the rain and the wind even if was only for today.

When you get the days like today you forget all about the rainy days.

 

I've been wanting to capture some waterfront scenes for all of you for quite some time. 

I'm glad I was finally able to do it.

These scenes were taken from a place called Ferguson Point in Stanley Park. Anyone who has been to the Teahouse Restaurant across the street will know how to find the point.  This is the first time I've stopped at the point and I'm glad I did even though my visit was brief.

There were a lot of people out walking and cycling.  When we get so few days of sunshine over the winter months everyone makes good use of them. I do hope they are all taking precautions as well. Recent reports from our head doctor are showing a trend downwards in our province.  But the outbreaks are now happening in places that were largely unaffected by Covid in 2020. 

I continue to take care and have only been out twice in 2021;  once for groceries and once to the post office. I will make another post office run very soon to deal with purchase returns, and possibly make a stop at the pharmacy. Those will be my only outings in January.

It will likely be mid-summer up to late autumn before I am in line for a covid vaccination so I continue to be as careful as I can be.  I am more concerned for my loved ones who live up country because the numbers are growing so big in the areas where they live. I will try not to fret too much and deal with my concerns through prayer.  That's the best any of us can do.

 

As you can see by the photos, the sky was very clear today.

I saw some wispy, low lying clouds as I took the photo looking toward the building in West Vancouver.
 

Since I last wrote in this space, I've been super busy working on a personal project which is very labour intensive and approximately 2/3 to 3/4 complete.  By the first or second week of February it will be completely done.  Once it's done I will rest briefly before buckling down and getting rid of old papers and more digital files.  I cannot get rid of excess files first out of fear I might inadvertently get rid of papers or digital files that I need for the project..

I haven't been as up to date with all the household routines during this period. It's mainly the dishes that I never quite seem caught up to doing. I was trying to get all the dishes done by hand and sinks washed and dried by the end of the day but it doesn't work if I have too many other things to work on and want them done quickly. I do continue to try my hand at new dishes or old dishes with a twist.  I didn't take photos of all the dinners but here are a few.

First up is a sausage and chickpea in stewed tomatoes over steamed rice. It was very good and I will make it again. I made the chickpeas in my instant pot (pressure cooker) which I cooked for 12 minutes. That way they would be able to cook for awhile in the stew mixture without breaking apart from overcooking.

Chickpeas and sausage over steamed rice.

The next dish is an Italian New Year's dish made of lentils and pasta. I think the Italians use smaller, round pasta but I could only find rigatoni at my local grocery.

Last but  not least, is a dish of creamy chicken breast, seasoned roasted red potatoes and finely sliced sauteed kale with onions and garlic. It was my first time making the chicken with the sauce and it was quite good.

 

I haven't done a lot of reading but I did read this fascinating historical book on the life of Father Yungbluth (Youngblood), Oblate Missionary to the First Nations and Metis people of the Peace River District (PRD). The PRD is located in the northern part of two provinces, British Columbia and Alberta. I knew this father when I was younger or at least I met him at various funerals he officiated.  He was already old at that time so I'm glad someone has set his story down for posterity. He was really a colourful character.

Kenyan Missions Update

In Kenyan missions, please pray for Pastor Jonah who was robbed as he alighted a bus Friday night (Kenyan time) after having travelled from the countryside.  He had gone to attend court to aid a widow who is seeking a court sanctioned land grant.  Many times villagers die intestate (without a will) and the land succession issues never get properly dealt with. It can create a lot of problems.  

In this case, the widow's husband died without land title but I understand her husband didn't have recognized title either as it rested with his late father.  The process is not yet finished but in about one month we hope it will all be successfully completed. We have been hiring legal help here and there and paying all the court filing fees because the woman is destitute.  In the meantime, we also now need to buy a new phone for Jonah so he can continue to communicate and make financial transactions (This is how most Kenya villagers now do it.  Most foreigners have a difficult time grasping this because they wonder how a villager can afford a smart phone. They pretty much need one because it is a lifeline to doing so many things, especially when you don't live close to a bank or a hospital).

 As always we welcome your participation in these undertakings if you are led.

Keep well and enjoy your weekend.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday

Friday is Here!

Hello everyone,

The week has gone by so fast I forgot it was Friday!

I'm sharing some beautiful sky shots from November 7, 2020. We had such a beautiful, sunny few days and I was very grateful for them. At this time of year they are few and far between.

On Tuesday I mailed some parcels to my niece and nephew for Advent. I still have to prepare their Christmas presents. It has been raining all week and this past Wednesday we had a holiday when we pause in our day to day activities and remember those men and women who have served us in the various wars. In addition to remembrance, I used some time in the day to prepare snail mail to send to a friend.

Despite my desire to get the garden cleared up and patio furniture put away by the end of October,  I still haven't done it. Today is Thursday and it rained more heavily than usual. But tonight I went out and purchased a patio table cover to help in the task. My plan is to wash the patio chair covers and the patio table and cover them all up for the winter.

 

I've been busy this week dealing with a few small items I've been procrastinating about for one reason or another. I didn't do any decluttering.  But one floor fan went to the recycling center. Even though it works, it is on it's last legs. As always there was lots of paper and containers that needed to go to recycling too. Those ones I just take to the recycling room.

A few days ago, our top doctor in the province brought in new restrictions due to ever climbing Covid 19 numbers and the country's top doctor recommended wearing 3 ply masks. I went out and bought another box of masks in addition to what I already have on hand. I also bought toilet paper and hope to buy some more this weekend. I don't go crazy and stock pile but want to make sure I have a reasonable amount of paper on hand this time in case more measures are brought in in two weeks.

We have at least been eating well during this rainy, cold season and I've probably spent more energy thinking of a variety of meals each week and more time cooking them than I normally do. It keeps me occupied during these difficult times and also makes me think of ways to use a variety of fruits and vegetables and other foods that I find in the weekly sales.

This first dish is roast beef covered in bacon before the final roasting. In the pot are onions, cauliflower and red peppers. On the side I made brown rice and green peas.

Another day we had spaghettini topped with a stir fry of big prawns, broccoli, cauliflower, onions and red peppers in a garlic-soy sauce. Wednesday night I made ham and pea soup but didn't take a photo.

Did any of you watch the Country Music Association Awards (CMAs) on Wednesday night?  I did and I watched it again on Thursday night on my PVR to enjoy the performances a 2nd time. Especially wonderful was seeing the great Charley Pride who received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. I remember listening to Charley Pride as a young teenager while I babysat the neighbourhood children for my pocket money. He was really inspiring to me then and he continues to be with his fabulous career and his deeply humble nature. I always wondered how he handled being a "cowboy" as a black man since he would definitely be in the minority.  The CMAA show was great and I enjoyed all the performances by the various bands and performers some of whom I'd never heard of before. I also enjoyed the co-hosting and singing done by Reba McIntyre and Darius Rucker, two great talents. Those of you who are not country music fans may know of Darius Rucker from his days fronting the band, "Hootie and the Blowfish". The band still exists but they took a long hiatus of 10 years while Darius pursued a solo career in country music.

Thursday night I made roast pork with onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms. Side dishes were mashed potatoes and green peas along with some gravy. It was very chilly outside and I got a bit wet running to stores in the rain so the dish really hit the spot tonight.

Apples seem to be a big feature in the stores right now. I bought a bag of Pink Lady and I'm snacking on those. I also bought a bag of Gala apples which I will likely use to make apple pie or apple crisp, perhaps both. I always think of this beautiful scripture when I see a beautiful apple.

"A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."  Proverbs 25:11

This verse reminds me how important it is that we have the right words to say at the right time. I am often in the position of having to know just what to say as it seems people I know do like to talk to me whenever they are going through difficult times. This week a friend of mine is going through marital distress. I try to say the right things that would not only be scriptural but also comforting. I sure hope that things work out for the good of everyone in this situation.

 Last, but not least, I enjoyed a few pomegranates this week.

 “Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranates
With choice fruits, henna with nard plants," Song of Songs 4:13
 

Pomegranates are so delicious. I love the juicy seeds and I'd like to get more.  But soon we'll be fully in the season of mandarin oranges and I buy a lot of oranges in the lead up to Christmas.

I remember a funny story from when I was very young, in Grade 4. A boy in my classroom used to come to school every day with his lunch which consisted of 1 package of deli meats, 1 entire loaf of white bread and 1 pomegranate. He ate it all every day. I remember being amazed by that and also being intrigued by the pomegranate which no one else I knew ate. In fact, I only knew the name of the fruit from the Bible but no one ate it that I knew of except for this one boy. It's funny the memories that remain with us through our lifetimes. I often think of that boy when I eat a pomegranate and wonder what happened to him. I don't recall his name.

With that I wish you all a wonderful weekend and a safe weekend ahead.

Linking up with Skywatch Friday.

The Park Was Busy

It was a beautiful sunny day today. One of the first in weeks. I went to the park to visit my community garden plot which I haven't seen since late last summer.  In the meantime, someone plucked some of the weeds in my plot but left them in the garden. Someone also stole my trellises. I believe it was my neighbour who likely volunteered to weed my garden. I know she cannot stand the sunflowers and mine had grown rather tall.  The mess left over the winter was probably bugging her because she and her husband seem very fussy about their garden and anything encroaching on it.   I saw some weather worn trellises in her garden that weren't there last year.  No one else has the same trellises and I can only speculate.  The trellises were not expensive but it is the idea that someone else helped themselves. Not only do I not have trellises but I have to spend time to go to the store and look for more at a time when it is not so easy to get into stores or to find what you want there.

People were sprawled everywhere on the lawn at the park. I've never seen so many people in this small park and my photos don't do justice to the numbers that were there. I also saw signs about the appropriate distance to keep from others and I believe people were following the instructions.  It was early evening and people had seemingly been at the park for the better part of the day with their lunch buckets and their blankets.  Some were just beginning to leave for home.

We have been told we can work in our gardens but we must bring our own tools during the Covid 19 restrictions. I agree with the rule but in truth it inhibited me from getting to the plot sooner.  It means I have to carry everything with me to do the gardening and it can be awkward and heavy. 

While I was there I did see one older gent enter the community garden shed and use the garden tools.  Either he didn't get the memo or he doesn't care. I  also saw him interacting with others in the park who clearly were not his family.  Why the mother let her little girl interact with a stranger who might be picking up the virus and spreading it, is beyond me.  Maybe she  doesn't buy into all the public awareness about social distancing. I know many fall into that category.

I for one do believe there is a virus and though I don't agree with everything that's being said, I am doing my best to avoid direct contact with others. I am also minimizing the things that I touch that have been touched by many other people.  Today I took my own rake. Next time I'll take some other tools and some seeds.

My garden had a number of thing growing in it that I didn't recognize, probably growth as a result of  wind blown seeds. I did my best to clear up a few patches of soil and I hope to return soon and plant a few seeds, including sunflowers.  Last year I was told that I could plant sunflowers as long as they were not super tall.  More than half of the plots had sunflowers growing last year and I do so love the look of them. I've also planted a few sunflowers at my home garden and they are sprouting nicely. A few other things are sprouting but it is too early and probably too cold for some of the seeds (cucumber, peppers) and I planted the tomatoes too early. I'll figure out what to do about it soon.

Some restrictions will be lifted in my province just in time for Mother's Day gatherings. It doesn't make any difference to me but I'm sure it does to many others.

Happy Mother's Day to those of you who are mothers or those of you who have a mother with whom to celebrate. 

Joining in with 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. 


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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.

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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.

Joining in with 

Skywatch Friday

and

Friday Foto Friends