A Little of This and That

Hi friends,

I hope all is well with you. I'm basically okay but have been feeling more tired than usual and fighting against a cold.  I did go and get my flu shot.  I usually like to get it as early as possible but was a few weeks late this year. There isn't a lot of excitement going on right now but there are a lot of small things to be done.  It is a time of taking stock, getting appointments out of the way, completing little odd jobs here and there and thinking ahead to Christmas.
 
I seem to have enough energy for doing only very basic things like every day meal preparation, hand washing of dishes, doing the laundry, reading the Bible and praying for the needs of others, keeping abreast of the Kenyans I am helping (see side bar top right), only the necessity shopping and buying or making Christmas gifts and deciding what to do over the holiday. I've also been on You Tube a lot as I'm over subscribed to various channels.  When one doesn't feel like doing their own work, you can watch others do theirs, lol. Actually I learn a lot by watching and hearing other people from all around the world.

One of the things I don't like about living where I live is that when it comes around to Christmas season it is very difficult to get in to see or participate in the Christmas program of your choice. People really plan ahead here and by this time in the season it is very difficult to get into the venue of your choice.

I thought I was early in thinking about which Christmas concert, play or event to attend. Christmas is almost 2 months away but already seats are limited on choice dates and venues. After some back and forth over options, a friend and I decided to try and get tickets for this event:

The choir, soloists and chamber ensemble
will perform J.S. Bach’s joyous cantata for
Christmas, Herz und Mund und Tat und
Leben, which features Bach’s famous Jesu
Joy chorale. The choir will also perform
shorter seasonal works for Christmas, plus
carol singing with the audience.

Here is a You Tube video of some of what will be in the program (different performers).



 🌟⛪🌟

We are looking forward to the concert. We will have a quiet Christmas again this year. I'm trying to get to the point of a very quiet, relaxing Christmas with days to enjoy music, warm lights and the joy and hope of the season.  Consequently, I don't have big plans for Christmas but have already put together most of my gifts for a few family member and friends (yet to be wrapped of course). There are still a few gift items to think about. I tend to keep gift gifts small and (hopefully) meaningful.  I've also discussed with my nephew the idea of taking an overnight trip after Christmas to visit his sister. It is always nice to make this trip if weather permits.  We can enjoy the season in a visit with loved ones but also see the season decked in snow.

In my NT Bible reading I am now halfway through the Book of Romans. I've also completed the following books since my last post and I can recommend both of them depending on your interests.  I've noticed a  French theme runs through my reading in 2019.  It wasn't planned that way but likely stems from my trip to Paris earlier this year.

Written by an American widow who moved to Paris after losing her husband.

Written by a Canadian journalist who immigrated from Africa.

 

Currently in my reading pile.

Written by a well known, sometimes controversial, Canadian psychologist.

Written by 2 American housewives who made a career teaching about healthy living.

Now I leave you with a beautiful sunset as I'm participating in Skywatch Friday.

You can click each photo for a larger view.

See you soon in Blogland.

♥

Sunset Over Alberta

This sunset was captured on the drive back from the recent trip to Grande Prairie. 
The photos were taken while driving west on Highway 16 from Edmonton to Jasper (a few photos of Edmonton City can be found here, and photos of the drive north to Grande Prairie can be found here).
 I think the location of these photos was near the town of Entwistle as we hadn't yet reached the town of Edson.

Joining up with

Skywatch Friday

and 

Friday Foto Friends

It's Raining, It's Pouring ~ Again

After my post here, we had one more nice, sunny day. 

Perfect weather.

Now we are back to rain. 

The weather is about 8 degrees cooler today than it was last Wednesday. The forecast ahead sounds pretty good. It is rain mixed with sunny days and temperatures a few degrees warmer than today.

I planned to work on the garden this weekend but it was just too wet.

I have managed to plant kale and brussels sprouts. My few perennials are also doing well.  There is a lot of work to do even with a small garden and so many containers.  Every year I dread the planting. It isn't easy to get the big bags of soil up into the patio and out into the garden and I have to jump up onto the retaining wall to plant.  I think I would enjoy gardening a lot more if I have a house with street access.

I'm not really complaining because I absolutely love having a real garden even though I live in a condo in the middle of the city.  It is nice to see things growing and to have a few birds drop by to visit.

In other news, I had a pleasant surprise in the mail when a long time friend sent me early birthday wishes. Her daughter, a mutual friend and I, were all born within a few weeks of each other and she likes to remember all of us.

My friend sent me two butterfly plates made locally. The card is cute too.

I don't make a big deal out of my birthday and I don't like others to either.  I'm not sure if this is because birthdays after the age of 16 were not celebrated in my family.  In fact, only certain birthdays were celebrated in a major way; ages 1, 7, 10, 12, 16 were the ones I remember. (Well I don't actually remember my first birthday party, lol. I just heard mom talking about it a lot as it was the first birthday of her firstborn and was special to her).

I am totally opposite to some of my friends who remind me weeks in advance of their upcoming birthday. But when someone does something quietly for me in remembrance of my birthday, it touches me a lot.

While I was out shopping for starter plants on Friday night, I was blessed by this awesome sunset.

I tend to miss out on beautiful sunsets here as they aren't visible from my patio and I'm often home at the sunset hour.

~~~~~

I noticed that many people are still having terrible weather and my wish for you are some perfect days ahead.

Though we are back to rain here I am not too down about it. It only takes a few beautiful days here and there and the promise of more ahead, to keep me happy.

Have a wonderful week ahead wherever you are.

December Sunsets

"The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy."

Psalm 65:8 (NIV)

I captured these photos of the sunset on Monday evening.  

 

Even the hanging telephone wires couldn't dim the beauty of the sky.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday today.

Enjoy your weekend and have a Merry Christmas!

Beauty in The Sky

Even a telephone post can look beautiful silhouetted against the sky.

Join with with all the gang who host Skywatch Friday here.

If you missed my post on Little Linet in Kenya, please read here.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Glorious Sunset

¹The heavens declare the glory of God;

and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Psalm 19 (KJV)

I was researching a venue on line tonight for a Christian women's retreat that I am hoping to attend early next month in Niagara Falls, Ontario (more on that later).

As I was telling mom about the virtues of the hotel where I have booked my room, she let me know that the sky was red so I "ran" to see out the patio.



I took these photos.



I think they turned out rather well despite the fact that the tallish trees across the street block out a better view. The trees in the photo above are a type of coniferous trees. Coniferous trees do not lose their leaves during winter and they grow "cones". I have even seen though smaller pine trees in Kenya which was rather surprising to me but it turns out there is a fantastic arbour in Kericho where there are numerous foreign plants and trees. That was a delight to see amongst other things in my visit there.

The photo below shows the cones from a coniferous tree down the street. You will see a lot of it's cones have dropped to the ground.





In the photo above is a young deciduous tree. This one will lose its leaves before the winter snows fly and return again by Spring.



Ah, God's glorious handiwork.

It always is a moment of bliss when I see such marvellous works.

Mombasa Sunset

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

Genesis 1:14

I stayed right on the beach in Mombasa. Though the weather was very hot there, the hotel air conditioning worked very well and it was cool to sit out on the beach with the gentle breezes.

I love sunsets everywhere and Mombasa was no exception! The sunset views on the beach were fantastic!

Drinking in the Sunset

Is there anything more beautiful than a glorious sunset? I snapped this photo a few nights ago.

Summer Comes

[Caption: Palm tree & sand in front of local restaurant]

Summer Poem

Summer brings us nice warm sun
For swimming, fishing, and lots of fun
For finding seashells in the sand
For sunbathing to get a tan
To do all these things and more
At the beach and seashore

Author unknown

I was surprised to go out yesterday and see these scenes of palm trees, sand and Muskoka chairs set out on the street. It is a clear sign that spring is almost gone and summer is just around the corner.

It has been rather hot here already with little rain so far in the month of June and record breaking temperatures. With temperatures this high one doesn't have to go and seek heat elsewhere.

I'm so glad to have air conditioning, and patio windows in my hotel suite. I can get fresh air or cool air and enjoy putting my feet up while I look out over the evening sunsets.

[Caption: Put your feet up and relax]

The sunsets are spectacular every evening.

~ I am blessed ~