A Beautiful Day After All

 Hi friends, 

I awoke today to a beautiful day.  That was a very pleasant surprise as I thought we were going to have another gray, overcast day.

I didn't go anywhere but having a beautiful day always makes me feel like doing more work inside.

While I'm busy this weekend doing the usual routines of cleaning, cooking and laundry, I am also trying to rest, relax and enjoy life.

I've been feeling a little more tired lately so I am trying to take it easy a bit but still keep busy if that make sense.

I didn't do the Fly Lady routines in order or keep on top of it all but I did do the routines as best I could. I also did some other "projects" such as decluttering my closet and one dresser drawer. I gave all the clothing items to one young woman who wanted them for her mother and grandmother. I am always pleased when someone will take and use the clothing because to be honest, I didn't even wear half of the items. The other half were worn once or twice. As I've lost weight my sizing changes and also I no longer need most of those items so off they go.

Other projects included:

• cleaning the cupboard where I keep plastic items and some bake ware. I got rid of a lot of it that was no longer usable.
• purchasing some new bake ware on line which I expect will arrive in a week or two. It will be nice to have something pretty to cook and present Christmas dinner in. The bake ware is from the Temptations line which many of you may be familiar with.
• sorting through my cedar chest where I keep duvets and sheets. I thought I had items in there to give away but I must have cleaned it out last year. I did notice though that the fitted sheet in the only set of white sheets I have, was terribly yellowed. I have only used them once and they are kept in a cedar chest so I'm not sure how they got so discoloured. I thought to give them away but decided I would try to get rid of the stains. After much effort on my part, the sheet is almost fully white again.  In a week or two I will clean it again and it should be perfect. At the same time I cleaned my sheets I cleaned a white, cotton safari jacket I have had for years.  In the last several years it was starting to yellow and discolour at the collar, sleeves and cuffs.  I also had a few pillow case protectors that started to yellow and I was able to get all of these items nice and clean. I still have a lace tablecloth that has a few yellow spots.  The next time I do the sheets, I will also trwat and wash the table cloth.
• making a loaf of French bread for the first time. It turned out well though I have to work on shaping. The outside was nice and crusty and the inside was nice and soft.
  

 

• making Cream of Broccoli soup for Sunday lunch.  A few days ago I found a bag of broccoli crowns on clearance sale for  $1. This is a photo of the soup before it was blended.
  

 

•  making a French Apple Cake. I had no plans to make an apple cake but someone posted a photo of the apple cake they made and I thought I had better use up the apples that were slowly going too soft. I've made apple cake before but this is the first time I've made French Apple Cake. I didn't have ice cream with it but it was really nice and I think I will make it again one day soon. Here is a link to the recipe I used in case you are interested.

 

Beyond cooking, cleaning, a few errands and household projects, I also watched a few movies and read some books. On Netflix I watched a few movies. One is called "The Inheritance" (not to be confused with the play of the same name) recommended by a friend of mine. It is a thriller/mystery and was good in a creepy kind of way, though not a horror movie as such. I also watched a cute movie called "Carrie Pilby", an American comedy/drama.  Book wise I'm making my way through "The Minimalist Home" which sets out yet another method of decluttering your home, and "The Convenience Store Woman", a quirky book about an unmarried Japanese woman who works at a convenience store and has to contend with the judgements of her family and co-workers.

Monday is Thanksgiving Day here so I will likely take the day off from reading blogs.  I have to prepare dinner and I want to enjoy a slow day of cooking and relaxing in the process. 

I wish you all a happy rest of your weekend and a pleasant week ahead.

Solo Hummingbird

I  happened to look out the window when a little hummingbird was hovering above a bush on my property. It stayed for a short while and I was able to get a few photos though not close ups.  I didn't have time to properly focus, zoom or steady my phone before the little bird flew off.

One day I hope to put out the hummingbird feeder and maybe more hummingbirds will visit.

As you can see the sky is grey and we've had rain. 

I just looked at the weather forecast and we're supposed have rain for the entire week.

It kills my hope of getting photos of the spring tree blossoms in sunshine-y weather.
I guess I can make do with the photos I've taken in other years. 

Joining in with Skywatch Friday.

Keep safe.

♥♥♥

A Different View

Joining Skywatch Friday today

This week I'm sharing night photos of the sky.  Not day time photos. I was out and about doing errands and just had my phone with me. The phone camera doesn't have great clarity especially at night but it will do in a pinch.  I couldn't go out without trying to capture the beautiful colour and mood in the sky.

I took this photo because I like how the windows in the building reflect the colours of the sunset.

This photo is taken towards the south. Can you see the crescent moon peeking through the branches?

Bus stop in the same general vicinity.

This is a wonderful coffee shop that also has great pastries and sandwiches.

The weather has been dry all week along with blue skies and sunshine. It's a nice treat after so much rain in September and October.  We have now gone for a record setting 13 consecutive days without rain. I hear it may rain this weekend but it is not a guarantee. Next week it should be dry and sunny for most of the week.

The next part of the post is more of a record that I can look back at in years to come when I need or want to reflect back on what I've been doing with my time. Of course it doesn't cover every detail. Only the highlights or the key things taking up time.

READING

In my Bible reading I have now started on 2 Corinthians in the New Testament. In terms of library books I could not get too invested in the book entitled 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Petersen because I didn't have much time for reading over the past 2 weeks.  I was unable to renew the book even once due to the long wait list.  It will have to go into my "read later" list.   In the meantime I enjoyed, Memoirs of a Muhindi:  Fleeing East Africa for the West by Mansoor Ladha. I'm also half way into a book entitled Jackie, Janet & Lee:  The Secret Lives of Janet Auchincloss and Her Daughters, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Lee Radziwill.  Once I'm finished I have 2 books on style and fashion to read for a book club I'm in.

PERSONAL

This week I've been very busy getting my calendar organized for November and December. My friend and I have confirmed our tickets for the Christmas concert in mid December.  There are another 2 concerts that I just learned about and they are coming up in a few days.  One is free and one is by donation. I've heard the orchestra before and so I know the concerts will be top notch. If I'm able I'd like to get to at least one of them and am awaiting word about whether a friend can join me.

I've been busy trying to shop the sales on line for some of my clothing gaps for next summer.  Most of the items don't fit well but several of them are perfect. I've also ordered most of the smaller gift items I need to wrap for Christmas.

I have a few medical (colonoscopy and knee assessment for possible surgery) and a dental (bridge replacement) procedures that must be done soon.  In fact, I had a colonoscopy Thursday morning but it wasn't able to properly completed so I must return in 6 months. The doctor found a very small polyp but she didn't snip it right away and when she tried hard to find it later after a full examination of the colon she could not find it again. I really don't look like these procedures (who does?) especially because I thought I was getting the same doctor I had last time (he was very efficient and I felt virtually nothing.  I was disappointed to get a different, albeit nice, doctor today.  In the end  my disappointment was justified because the outcome was a failed procedure.  If anyone (probably many of you) has had this procedure you know it isn't much fun preparing for it or going through it. I am still grateful that we have access to these kinds of detection measures though. We are very blessed in this day and age.

I'm also sorting out an outstanding bill with the dental office.  It should be fairly straightforward but for whatever reason it doesn't seem to be. It involves multiple people at the dental office and one, if not two, insurance companies. The dental staff say my insurer didn't pay all the cleaning costs because some of it is not covered. This is all new stuff for me because my insurance has always fully covered cleaning procedures. This year I even had more cleaning units than every before but now the dental offices want to charge me more.  It makes no sense to me. I figured it was an error but it may turn out to be otherwise.  When I press the patient coordinator, she can only give me a partial explanation which wasn't sufficient.  I told her I want a clear and justified bill before I pay and that I'd like to resolve it before getting the bride work done before the end of this calendar year.  I'm now waiting for a call from the billing department.  It gives me a bit of time to carefully go over the bill they've sent and to prepare my questions.

All this is time consuming.  But I've found when I'm proactive about such matters I end up saving myself money.  For example, for the colonoscopy, when the district hospital staff book an appointment for me they send all the instructions to me including instructing me about the over the counter medicine to purchase to cleanse the colon (Colyte or Peglyte).

In doing some research I discovered that these two medicines appear to be covered by one of my insurers but I wasn't completely sure because of the pharmaceutical name.  When I spoke to the pharmacist I usually deal with, he insisted I needed a prescription. I told him it doesn't make sense to request a prescription for an over the counter medicine but he wouldn't budge so I left things and called the insurer. The staff person was useless. She wasn't the DIN number even though I didn't purchase the product.  I told her what the pharmacist told me. She suggested I just get a prescription. I told her time was of the essence and there was no time to book in with the doctor.  so she wasn't helpful at all. She just suggested the pharmacist is the one who could answer my question by putting in the DIN number to the system. I already knew that wouldn't work with my primary pharmacist because I'd already spoken with him and he knew the answer.

I went to a 2nd pharmacist. They did what the 1st pharmacist should have done. They processed my ordered under my name with whatever information they have to provide to the system and the claim was processed (meaning the medication was covered).  This is a savings of $33.00 (thirty three dollars Canadian) for 30 minutes of my time in 3 phone calls and discussions.  I won't have to repeat these questions because I have an answer. In 6 months I have to buy this product again and (also into the future) so it is a regular savings of at least $33 dollars each time.  When you add together all these small sums of money it begins to really add up.

I also informed my regular pharmacist that he was in error.  He seemed perplexed  and continued to tell me that their system doesn't put the claim through. I suggested it might be their own computer system that needs tweaking.  He agreed it might be the case but I know that he is a franchise owner so he wouldn't be the one to try and resolve the system. It is much bigger than he is.  To be honest, I have heard that this very large pharmaceutical company always acts like they don't know what you're talking about when it comes to coverage for over the counter medicines. It means that other people like me are experiencing the same issues and getting a run around. I have no idea why a company would turn it's nose at money and not try to get to the root of the issue. Perhaps they are like me. Requiring a lot of time to analyze, assess and ponder before acting to correct things or perhaps it is just such a large company that trying to rejig the computer program is too difficult.  Eventually they may get around to it.

In other financial activity, I've finally cancelled some financial products that I've been wanting to cancel for a few years.  I just never was fully ready to cancel them for one reason or another.  Then unexpectedly my financial advisor switched companies this year.  Rather than follow him as a client, I decided now was a good time to make the switch.  He was disappointed but I haven't even met him once in person in over 10 years so I figure I am not losing by moving on.  In fact, I'm hoping to gain something like a more personalized experience.  Now I am caught up with the investment and financial product decisions I need to make.  I will continue streamlining things where I can and making a few adjustments here and there as needed.

KENYAN MISSIONS

Another thing taking time is my Kenyan outreach.

The man name Ernest who was run down by a motor vehicle has had his cast removed. He still has a follow up visit to see if his leg is straight as it seems maybe it is a bit bent. I'll know more about his condition in a few weeks. One friend generously helped him with money to help him buy nutritious food during these months he has been convalescing and it has really helped him. I am hoping that if I am able I can help Ernest to start a small barber business from home to provide modestly for his own needs. If any of my readers would like to help Ernest with food, a cow for milk needs or his barber business, please let me know.

Eunice, the woman with the issue of blood (chronic anemia likely brought on through long term poor nutrition) has been slowly improving on a special diet and on hormone medicines.  However from time to time she has a set back and lands in ICU.  She was recently in ICU for a few days this past week but is now back in the general ward. Since she has been on the special diet and the hormone treatment her set backs still happen suddenly and dramatically but they appear to be shortening. We continue to believe for a complete restoration of health after a time on the medication.

If anyone would like more information please see the link at the top right side bar.  If you are able to make a donation we would greatly appreciate it.

The two boys in Kenya (John and Ian) who I sponsor through Compassion Canada were writing their examinations this past week and I'm hoping to get a good report from them when the test results are in.  Both boys have a vision for trying to achieve more in school and I encourage them in their goal.

Alvin, one of the young men who graduated from Engineering has done very well on his English as a Second Language Test.  He is currently looking for a thesis supervisor whilst also preparing a graduate studies application to a university in Vancouver, Canada.  Carolly, a medical graduate will, as of today, November 8th, 2019, be a fully licensed doctor in .  This is a huge achievement for him and we are very proud of him.I will add some photos to this post once received.

That's it for now. Thank you for your visit. I hope to see you soon in Blog land.

Starting the Week off Right

Last week was the first sunny week for some time and in fact the week ended on quite a hot note. That is about to change and thankfully I was able to complete planting both my balcony garden and my community plot before the weather cools a bit. It is expected to cook by about 10 degrees Celsius this week and hopefully it will rain for several days.  According to the weather forecast it looks like the best chance of rain is on Tuesday with 90% chance of rain and Sunday and Monday with 70% chance of rain respectively. I find the garden does much better with rain water than with tap water and the ground just soaks up the rain which is great for the tender plants.

On Sunday evening (Mother's Day), I was walking back from the community plot and came across these gigantic poppies. They were simply too beautiful to pass by without getting a photo or two even though the sun had set about half an hour earlier.

The photos are not the best quality but I think they look a bit like paintings.

I went out on the patio in the wee hours of Saturday morning to take a few photos. I was excited to find a hummingbird perched high on a nearby tree.  My camera battery was dead and I had to use my phone so the quality is not the best but I think you can make out the outline of the bird at the top of tree (right side of the photo).

The hummingbird was perched quietly on the tree top for almost 30 minutes in total.  I was hoping it would make it's way to my patio garden but it never moved until it flew away.  I spotted another hummingbird flitting about and drinking nectar from the blossoms on the Solomon's Seal on my patio.  It moved  far too quickly to take a photo and didn't stay very long to enjoy the nectar.

The sunrise is always so peaceful and beautiful. I love the golden colour of the sky.

At about 4:30 a.m. it gets rather noisy with the seagulls squawking overhead. They zip back and forth and back and forth like they are going crazy. It is almost like they are excited about having freedom in the skies at that early hour. I do not know why they don't do this during the day time too.

There are always several seagulls flying about but I only managed to capture one as my main subject was the hummingbird.

Thank you for your visit to my blog.

Wherever you are in the world I wish you a fabulous week ahead.

Our World Tuesday

What's Up?

Hi friends,

I hope you are all doing great and enjoying whatever season you are currently experiencing. It is spring in my part of the world. It came late and as usual the best part for me, the cherry and apple blossoms, were so very fleeting and I hardly got a chance to appreciate and enjoy them.

I seem to get a shorter chance each season to enjoy them so I'm always grateful for the photos I manage to take of them each year and for the photos others share on their blogs. If you missed some beautiful blossoms you can enjoy a few here.

Much of our spring so far has been cold and rainy. From time to time I hear the weather person saying the temperatures have been seasonal or normal for this time of year with the exception of a few days here and there but in my own recollection it has seemed colder. We had warmer temperatures in January (unseasonably warm) than we did in much of the following months. That should be changing this week as we are supposed to get dry, sunny days with increasing temperatures to the end of the week.

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday I spent a bit of time in the patio garden because it was sunny as expected. Each day the temperature increased slightly over the day previous.

I'm including the photo below to show you how clear the sky was early Tuesday evening. I also wanted to share the painting on the side of the building. I always stop to admire it from across the street.

I look forward to the sunshine we are having.  But I'll be happier if the temperatures don't soar to high in the coming days and weeks. Today, Wednesday, it already felt very hot.  We have wildfire issues almost every year and so it's best the temperatures do not soar too high too early. Wildfires have become a concern each and every year for some time now. Not only is it devastating to our beautiful forests and private properties,  it is dangerous work to fight the fires and expensive for the governments and taxpayers. The budget for fire fighting is increasing each year as wild fires unfortunately become the norm. I think most of us attribute this state of affairs to climate change.  However I also heard on the news that almost 50% of the fires are caused by humans being careless. In this day and age one would think that people would be more careful.

I'm sharing the photo below because some of you might remember that the high rise (with the tree on the roof top) can be seen from my balcony or patio. It seems like it has been going up for a very long time but at least the past half a year seems to have been spent on the finishing touches. It looks like they are getting very close to occupancy.

Starbucks is on the street level and has been open for a few months already.  Recently, a friend of mine who visited from Toronto, Canada spent every day there studying for the legal bar examinations to qualify as a lawyer in BC. I met him there a few times for coffee.  The second floor of the building will house a grocery market called Nester's. When I look at it from across the street I can see the shelving going in but I'm not sure when they plan to open for business.

On the other side of the Chevron gas station is a new and very popular pub/restaurant. It has replaced a Japanese restaurant which I frequented.  One day it was open and the next day unbeknownst to me it closed it's business. Just beyond the restaurant, a few doors away (at the street corner) a popular produce place has closed. I used to enjoy stopping there for fresh fruit, vegetables and organic products.

I think the taxes for small business are simply too high. Recently the city council raised property taxes twice in 2019 (my property taxes increased first to 4.5 to 6.0 percent this year even though property prices have dropped).  The additional 1.5 percent increase was supposedly to lessen the tax burden on small businesses but some business owners have told me that their landlords had already increased their rents.  This means the tax increase did not achieve it's stated purpose.  It only makes the tax burden heavier on individual owners IMHO.

I feel I am so far behind in various tasks I'd like to do that really need to be done in a timely manner. For example, I haven't planted yet at the community plot. I was hoping to do it earlier this week with the nicer weather we are having but have been tired and also busy with other priorities. I am hoping to get there tomorrow or Friday. I prepared the soil over a month ago and have been waiting for just the right day to plant both gardens.  I see the date on my photo below is almost 2 months ago when I cleaned the garden debris and added fertilizer. But honestly the weather has been either cold or wet since to feel like doing much more. I'm probably the last gardener to get my garden planted at the community plot.

In the patio garden I've put out the furniture (minus the cushions until the rain stops) and covered the outdoor tables with tablecloths.  I've been visited almost every day by my neighbour's new cat. The cat is only a year old and is very pretty, friendly and mostly fearless.  I'm of two minds about her coming to my patio garden so often.  I caught her digging in my garden the other day and I became concerned when I  saw one of the recently planted bulbs laying exposed on the surface of the soil. Not only might she destroy what I've planted but she might also start doing her business in the garden. My neighbour assures me she won't but I suggested she try to train her cat to stay on her side of the patio.  On the other hand, she is very sweet cat and I enjoy seeing her so it is hard to get angry over her visits.  I can tell my neighbour is anxious and wants me to like her new kitty cat so that I won't raise a fuss about it. But I know she is also concerned that her cat might start jumping over the partition to the neighbours beyond. That might prove more problematic.

Back to planting matters.  This year I wasn't able to plant many pansies.  Though I purchased enough of them the delay in planting means that at least half of them died off.  The other half don't look that great but I've planted them anyway and am hoping they will revive with some tender loving care.  This will be the first year I haven't planted many pansies since I first started gardening.  I've also planted fewer petunias this year but they tend to grow quickly so it should be fine.  I love all the colour petunias bring to the garden and the happy faces of pansies in full bloom.  To make up for the lack of pansies and petunias I've planted a lot of red geraniums.  Their brilliant colourful blooms always cheer me when I see them flowering in the garden.  The garden will look much better soon when the flowers and other plants start to mature.  I spotted a pretty little hummingbird last night. Hopefully I will see a lot more of them this summer. Maybe I'll finally be able to catch a photo of one this year if I can spend more time outside relaxing.

As we head into warmer weather it is also a time for better grooming with the hair and nails. I got the hair coloured, highlighted and trimmed. It wasn't the best job my hairdresser did this time around but it is more than adequate. This week or next week I'm hoping to get a massage and foot reflexology session using coupons I purchased 2 months ago already. They will expire in another few weeks so I must make sure to use them.  The nails will have to wait since my fingernails are damaged from the last person who did them. I cannot believe it but they need time to regrow.

This post was longer so I cut out several paragraphs.
I've got lots to keep me busy from now to at least the end of summer and I'm also expecting visitors.
It means I will hopefully spend more time relaxing and enjoying my mornings and evenings out on the patio rather than simply doing things out in the community or indoors.


 I'm determined to sit outdoors this summer and read, enjoy my coffee, crochet or work on my laptop.  Last year I spent little time relaxing in the garden enjoying the fruits of my labour so I'd like to change that.

What about you dear reader?  Do you have some restful summer plans or active and adventurous plans?

Let me know in the comments.

Thank you for stopping by.
Before I go let me wish all the mothers a
Happy Mother's Day.
 Many of us, like me, have lost our mothers and so it is a time to remember them fondly with love and joy for all they did for us.

Joining in with 

Skywatch Friday

I was going to post this week to

Friday Foto Friends
but Debbie says she will not be keeping this linky party going.


It's been fun while it lasted and I've met some wonderful lady bloggers through her efforts. All the best dear Debbie.

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.

~~~~

Joining in with

Friday Foto Friends

and 

Skywatch Friday

Enjoying a Clear Day

When it rains a lot it's always a pure joy to see the sky on a clear day.

Even better when the view is so lovely ♥

*Total rainfall to date in 2018 1008.6 mm 
Source: Vancouver Weather Stats

I also love the twinkling light at night 

and

the cross on the top of the steeple.

Even though I've done a lot to prepare for Christmas I feel the advancement of time.

So much to do yet but the most important thing is not to stress and to enjoy the Christmas season.

Linking up with

Our World Tuesday

 Enjoy your week ahead.

♥♥♥

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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A Change is Coming

The last few days there has been a definite change in the temperature of the air. While it is still generally warm, there is now a distinct chill and I need to have a shawl or a light jacket when I go out. It seems to me that the chill has arrived somewhat early this year and rather abruptly. We don't usually notice the shift until the day after Labour Day (the first Monday of September).  This year Labour Day is on September 4, 2018.

The sky was looking quite cloudy when I came home from an appointment around 4 p.m. on Thursday.  There is no rain in the 14 day forecast but the temperatures are anywhere from 6-10 degrees cooler each day than they have been for months.  I don't mind because the Fall or Autumn is one of my favourite seasons. I do not do well in intense heat.  I far prefer the chill of autumn when it isn't yet cold and one can wear cosy sweaters and scarves. In some years the Fall season can go on for some time. Those are special times.

After I finished my errands I stopped for this breakfast/lunch. It isn't my favourite place to dine but it was handy and I enjoyed the omelette and sourdough toast.

The next few photos were taken on Wednesday. You might notice that the light of the day is not a intense as the past few months.

The photo below was taken at 7 p.m. It was still quite bright out but now the daylight hours are shortened by 1-2 hours each day.

I'm reading my 45th book of the year.

 

It is very interesting.
 I haven't gotten to the sad part yet but it will come.

Here is a synopsis of the book taken from the internet.

On July 12, 1969, Ruth Davis, a young American volunteer at Dr. Jane Goodall’s famous chimpanzee research camp in the Gombe Stream National Park of Tanzania, East Africa, walked out of camp to follow a chimpanzee into the forest. Six days later, her body was found floating in a pool at the base of a high waterfall. With careful detail, The Ghosts of Gombe reveals for the first time the full story of day-to-day life in Goodall’s wilderness camp—the people and the animals, the stresses and excitements, the social conflicts and cultural alignments, and the astonishing friendships that developed between three of the researchers and some of the chimpanzees—during the months preceding that tragic event. Was Ruth’s death an accident? Did she jump? Was she pushed? In an extended act of literary forensics, Goodall biographer Dale Peterson examines how Ruth’s death might have happened and explores some of the painful sequelae that haunted two of the survivors for the rest of their lives.

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I watched the much hyped first episode of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime Video. If you have a chance to watch it I would recommend it. It is very well done and quite riveting. 

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I managed to get my documents photocopied yesterday to add to my earthquake kit.

If you missed my post on earthquake preparedness you can find it here.

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I've always loved zebras. They are so beautiful and these ones are from Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya. I'll never forget my safari there.
I'm sharing them for Saturday's Critters with Eileen.

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Last but not least, I am remembering my mom today.
She would have been 82 on Friday.

 These photos are from the last celebration of her birthday and were taken a few days after her stroke.
We were surprised to arrive and see her driving her wheelchair. She couldn't swallow yet so she she couldn't eat the cake that's why we only bought a small one. We usually bought her a chicken, seafood or Chinese dinner but this day we didn't want to eat in front of her so we only bought a cake to mark her day.


I always liked to treat her on her birthday.
 She loved her roses, her cake and balloon.

I remember wanting to wait until she was able to eat with us to celebrate. My youngest brother insisted we celebrate on her day. I'm so glad he did because it was the last time we were able to do so and see her smile.

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 That's all for now.
Wishing you all a wonderful and safe weekend.

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