One Friday in March

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I went to town on Friday. I had some business to take care of right in the heart of the city. Afterward, I walked through town all the way to Chinatown and took some photos along the way.

Each year I plant pansies.  I think they are a happy and hardy plant.  I haven't planted any yet but I saw these cute little pansies downtown.

I always like the 'lacy' effect of the bare branches against the sky.
 

The iconic Fairmont Hotel Vancouver 

The stained glass steeple caught my eye

A front view of the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver

The Vancouver Art Galley through the trees

The Holy Rosary Cathedral downtown

View to the North Shore mountains. It snowed overnight.

The Salvation Army Shelter downtown.

I was on my way to see the film "A Complete Unknown", a movie about Bob Dylan. It did not disappoint.

One of my recent reads. This book is set over 3 days in a Dublin maternity/fever hospital ward during the 1918 Flu Pandemic.  It's a very graphic book and quite gripping. I recommend it.

As always, I enjoy a bit of quiet time knitting these simple dishcloths.  The top one was made with 'good' cotton yarn. The bottom one was made with inexpensive cotton/polyester yarn purchased at the dollar store.

I hope you're enjoying your weekend so far. Thanks for visiting.

Monday Starts the Week Again

This past Monday was demolition day at the condo. This was the beginning of it. The walls and ceiling were cut away later. The end result is that the water seems to have dried well enough and there is no mold growing. So that's great news! 

Now they have to fix everything and I'm keen to make sure the end product doesn't look like a patchwork quilt.  I can't wait until everything is nicely painted, carpets are washed and everything is generally fresh again.  I'm hoping to immediately reduce more items before I completely return things to the bedroom.  It might be a bit difficult but it must be done.

The workers arrived at 9:30 a.m and left at 5:30 p.m. I felt quite tired so I went out for a bite to eat and a bit of grocery shopping instead of cooking.  I didn't make it to the community garden but I must get there very soon.

While I wait for the bedroom renovations to begin, I'll be purging in other areas of the condo. I made good progress on Sunday by cleaning the bookshelves and getting rid of a lot of magazines, expired Covid tests and various bits and pieces. 

I also completed reading the thoroughly enjoyable books, The Botanist's Daughter by Kayte Nunn and the book Digging Stars by Zimbabwean author, Novuyu Shuma.

Rain was in the forecast for Tuesday but it only rained in the morning.  I was hoping for a bit more rain today and I see the clouds are forming though the sun is shining brightly.  Perhaps it will still rain later.  The forecast is for warmer temperatures again for the rest of the week.  Even if it rains more I have a lot of photos of beautiful scenes and flowers to enjoy from recent walks.

I'm hoping to make good progress on a lot of 'small' tasks and jobs this week.  

Enjoy your week ahead and thank you for making time to visit my blog during your busy day. I hope you'll visit again soon.

A Neighbourhood Walkabout

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are enjoying your Saturday so far.

Today it got warm enough to wear sleeveless tops, sandals and shorts if you so desired. I don't wear shorts anymore and I usually wear a very light long sleeved top over a sleeveless one.  But I saw plenty of people dressed for very hot weather today.

I've been trying to get out for a walk and errands as often as I can but it was actually very cold and rainy for about a week.  As a result I developed a bit of a head cold but I didn't remain in bed. In fact, I probably needed more sleep and rest than I did get but I'm working on it.

These photos were taken when the weather was still cold and rainy earlier in the week.

Does anyone know what flower this is?

Did you notice the little door and windows at the base of the tree in the above photo? I've seen several of them when I go out for a walk in the neighbourhood.  I think it's so cute and whimsical. Seeing this kind of vignette takes me back to childhood and reading about elves, fairies and little people. Do you remember stories of the Littles, a family of little people with mouse like tails?  I haven't thought about these stories for years but it was a pleasant moment in an otherwise ordinary day.

I hope you had a pleasant moment or two as well.

Thank you for your visit. Please come again soon.

A Walk Around Lake Lafarge

 Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

How are you all doing today?

I spent much of the day at Lafarge Lake with a dear friend of mine. We spent the time walking around the lake and sitting and admiring the ducks.  I was so busy catching up with her that I didn't do a very good job of taking photos but I did manage a few.

It was a fabulous day for an outing. The sun was shining brightly even though some of my photos look like we were expecting rain.  We weren't but it's still a bit windy and chilly in the shade.

The remaining days of the week are expected to get progressively warmer.

Lafarge Lake is a 5 hectare man made lake located in Town Center Park in Coquitlam. It is very easily accessed via the Skytrain and adjacent to the Douglas College campus.  In winter there is a fabulous light display which you can partake of for free. I meant to go with dear hubby this past Christmas but he got busy with work and I didn't wish to go alone. Perhaps it will work out for Christmas 2024. 

I've read that it's a very popular and crowded event. I suppose because it's a free event and there is plenty of parking. There is also a fabulous Evergreen Cultural Centre nearby and a brand new community centre will open in a few days. This is a great place for one but I think families with children would especially appreciate the convenience factor.

Night Beauty

I captured some beautiful night lights on homes on a recent walk in the neighborhood.