Recent Days

Hello friends and fellow bloggers, 

How are you doing?

Life is very hectic right now so I thought I would just show you my current life in pictures.

First up is the patio. It's being completely renovated but the work has been on hold for awhile. Once new pavers arrive for other patios in the building, the work will restart. The pavers will be laid, the cladding and railing on the exterior wall replaced and the garden wall built and filled with soil.  The new estimated completion time is the end of June.  I have no idea what I'm going to plant since I want something that can withstand all seasons with a bit of space left over for annuals. I'd also like something large enough to provide shade but I'll have to wait and see what the new garden guidelines will state.  We've never had garden guidelines before.
 

I made a lot of progress this week on decluttering.

After shredding, these papers go into the big bag in the above photo.

I bought these from SA but never did use them. Sad.

A TV to give away or take to electronics recycling.

 

The bags went to charity, the bike went to a friend

Sunday dinner of baked salmon and roasted vegetables.

Hair tool went to charity

A tasty dinner out, courtesy of a brother

Decluttering.  These went to the trash

Whew! It's a lot of decluttering but it feels good. I just wish I could make quicker progress with the papers. 

I'll be finding out in a day or two whether we have to move out.  I've been working hard to downsize on the assumption that we'll be moved out by the end of May.  At this point I'd rather remain at home because I don't think the work required is as bad as initially thought. But I'll know more soon.

Keep well and thanks for dropping by!

A Dinner Out

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

How are you doing?

You may remember that I celebrated my birthday last week. It was a hectic week due to water leaks in the building and dealing with investigators, movers, insurance adjusters and temporary lodgings but in between I managed to have a birthday lunch or two.

One of my brothers who lives far sent me some funds for a meal on him. Due to being quite busy and not in the mood for cooking, I really appreciated having a meal or two out. This was the meal I had on Friday night and it was delicious (Spicy Tuna Maki and a Bento Box meal of Beef Udon Soup, a California Roll, Mixed Tempura and salad).  This is one of my favourite 'go to' places in the neighbourhood and one of my favourite Bento Box meals. What can I say? I'm a creature of habit, lol.  When I know something is good I return to it again and again.

How about you dear reader?

Do you like Bento Box meals?

Are you a creature of habit like me?

Once again, I thank you for your time to visit my blog today. I'd be honoured if you would leave a comment and I hope you can visit again soon.

Library Tour

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

The weather was inclement but I decided to go for a walk to the library.  Before I did that I met up with a friend for coffee.  She's going in soon for knee surgery and I'm not sure if she'll be up to visitors or going out for awhile after that. I was planning on visiting her at the hospital but that depends on whether she is up to a visitor during her expected short hospital stay.

After we had a coffee visit, I made a trip to the bank, met up with my nephew for a few minutes and then took a walk to the local library. It was raining and cold but my jacket has a hood so I was fine and it wasn't raining heavily. 

I thought it would be nice to share some photos of the library's interior.  I visit the library often but I've never showed the inside.  It's a small branch but much larger than the one it replaced.  There are lots of nooks and crannies to read or work on a computer and a good selection of books and movies to borrow.

Interior entrance

Reception area

Featured books and fast read books

Non-fiction holdings

Newspaper and reading area.  There is a fireplace in the corner which is turned on during winter months. 

Movie collection

Magazine collection

Fictional collection, youth and children's books beyond

Fiction holdings

This area is reserved for teens and children

Another shot of the teen/children area

The sign says teens but everyone sits at the tables

I hope you enjoyed the tour of our little library. It's usually quite busy there but on Friday night it wasn't quite so busy. I noticed that the patrons that evening were all men. I think there was only one woman besides myself and no children. I was only there to return a book and pick up another.

The below photo shows the book I picked up. It's written by a doctor who wrote about many patients of his who over the years, told him of their near death experiences (NDEs).

A Little Household Shopping

Hi friends and fellow bloggers, 

I hope you are all well.

I've been busy this week shopping for items for the household.

I needed news pots for transplanted household plants. I wanted plastic pots do they wouldn't be too heavy.

I also picked up a few items at the thrift store.

Like these bed risers. The ones on the left are the new ones.  They're almost twice the size of my former ones so they'll be perfect.

I also bought these new, never used shower curtain hooks for the main bathroom. They are the perfect colour too. Now I can get rid of the old ones which are starting to get rusty.

Last, but not least, I purchased a few extra planter pots and some chains for hanging plants from the ceilings.

I really find it tiring to shop for clothing or household items but I'm happy with my success this week.

How about you? Do you enjoy shopping?

Neighbourhood Street Scenes

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are well today.

These are photos I took on a recent walk in the neighbourhood. You can see the sky is very grey and dull but what you can't see is how cold it was. Seriously cold.

I had to wear a long sleeved top, a sweat jacket and my winter rain jacket. I was just fine dressed this way but I was so surprised to see how cold it had become. I don't remember it ever  being so cold at this time of year although the rain is no surprise, lol.
 

Ukrainian Orthodox Church

Former Evangelistic Tabernacle, now turned into condos

 

Very near the corner of Main St. & Broadway

A newish restaurant I haven't had a chance to try yet

I like the joyful exterior of this place

The new Broadway/Main St. subway station will be located here (behind the photos)

I hope you enjoyed this peek into the neighbourhood.  Thank you for your visit.

More

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I made some good progress earlier in the week with the decluttering. I got rid of several bags of books, clothing, kitchen items and miscellaneous items (see the items in front of the bookshelves). I also tried to get rid of two quite large items: a stationary bike and a 55 inch flat screen television.  

I had my nephew transport everything except the bike and television to the charity shop. A friend and her husband and children arrived today to pick up the bike.  She also wanted some cookbooks so I was able to give her 5 books.  I didn't think to take a photo of them though I am trying to keep track of everything I offload (except papers) so I can look back on it later.  

I have 2 people interested in the television but they have no way to transport it.  Actually one of the people is in hospital and the other one has just been evicted from her apartment so she has bigger issues to deal with.  I know I can easily get rid of it if I post it on line.  But I don't want strangers coming over and I can't easily pack it downstairs to meet anyone at the building's entrance.  I've asked friends to check around if anyone they know is interested in it.  Otherwise I may just have to take to the electronics recycling depot. That would be a shame since it works but once I started getting things out the door, I want to move quickly to get other things out the door.
 

I've already gone through the bookshelves once or twice and gotten rid of alot of them. Once I've taken care of a lot of smaller items, I intend to return to the bookshelves as there is much more I need to whittle down.

How about you dear reader? Have you ever done a major purge of your things. Did you just get rid of whatever was in your way or did you, like me, take so much time to carefully go through every item first?  There is no right or wrong answer. Just different approaches to the same issue.

Thank you for stopping by. Please visit again soon. xx

Skywatch Friday - May 24, 2024

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope you are well today,

I went to lunch with a friend.

So when we chatted to make the plan, I heard her say "Seasons in the Park", a beautiful restaurant in Queen Elizabeth Park. So that is where I arrived on Wednesday last, just before noon. I waited but no one came and there was no reservation under her name.

I decided to sit in the lounge area and keep an eye out for her. I also called her at her home and cell phone numbers but there was no answer. After about 10 -15 minutes no one had arrived but I received a phone call. It was her! I was at the wrong place.  I hurriedly got the new instructions, reactivated my Uber account and went off to meet her. 

In the meantime, I took these photos of the entrance to Seasons in the Park. If you look in the first photo beyond the windows, that is where one would get a fantastic view of the city. I had no time to capture the views of the park which is so beautiful at this time of year.

These chairs are near a fireplace where I waited.

So the next venue is a place called Shaughnessy Restaurant and it's located in another park called Van Dusen Gardens. Van Dusen Gardens has a magnificent light show at Christmas each year which I attended in 2022 and 2023 and posted about.

My friend and I were so excitable and chattering away that I completely forgot to get proper photos of the restaurant and the park itself.  These photos are from the entry to the restaurant.

The outdoor seating area

The restaurant was bustling, the wait staff was super and the food excellent.  Best of all was reconnecting with my dear friend.  She is the one who took me for birthday lunch. We've been friends for 38 years and met almost from the beginning of my move to Vancouver.

I'm linking up with Skywatch Friday. Thanks for stopping by!