My World in First Week of August

It's turned out to be a quiet but busy few days of  this and that.  Doing the usual things that one does on weekends to catch up around the house.

I'm still a little under the weather so continue to occupy myself with indoor activities. 

It's not all work though. 

At times like this I enjoy my small garden more than usual and look for opportunities to take more photos, especially after a rain. See some samples (click here)  if interested.

Earlier this week.

I've been catching to watching many of my recorded television programs so I can delete them and make room for more.

 I watch Masterpiece theatre and have almost caught up to the several different series I've been following. 

 A few months ago I was enjoying, "Jewel in the Crown" series, the  final season of "Downton Abbey" (I was a latecomer to the series), "Selfridges" and "The Paradise". 

 I think my favourite series so far is "Jewel in the Crown".

Now I'm watching "Inspector Lewis" but seem to have come in at the last season of this "new-to-me" series. I get these programs from  the PBS station in Washington State to the south of me.  The station gets a lot of viewer support from Canadians.

What about you dear reader?

Do you have public television or do you watch any of these series on TV or on line?

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Another activity that's been keeping me very busy is "online window shopping".   I'm looking to coordinate a simple yet stylish and budget friendly outfit that I need for a daytime casual event.  I want to be comfortable and cool and be able to wear the clothing again as separates or altogether. I'm thinking of an all white, all natural tones, or a combination of white and off-white.

I often peruse all the deals at home and afar on line and try to see the styles and prices that capture my interest.  If the store is local I then go out to the brick and mortar store if I have time and try things on.  This kind of  activity is very time consuming.  But it beats in person shopping and not knowing in advance what is out there though certainly one can often finds nice things that aren't even on line.  The on line cost comparison is a frugal activity I like to undertake. Once I know what is on line and in stores I calculate the costs of buying in person or on line, factoring in shipping costs, taxes, my time, bus fares, etc. At the end of the day I prefer to support local shops as much as possible.

I'm mulling over several outfit possibilities. One possibility is a long, straight skirt. Here is a photo. Sorry it looks like a screen is over the image because I've taken the photo of the photo. The site wouldn't let me save an image.

The skirt has a bit of sparkle and I like that. I'm thinking of pairing a tank top similar to the one in the photo which I'll have to source from elsewhere because it doesn't seem to be on the website. I'm also thinking of a long sleeveless waterfall vest. But that is only one idea. The skirt is currently on sale.  On of that there is a time limited 25% discount so right now it is only half price. I don't go out shopping until Tuesday but I might order the skirt tonight because I like it that much.  I've never seen one like it in  the places where I tend to shop. (Update: I did try to order the skirt but wasn't happy about the price after shipping, customs and other charges were added. I also didn't like that I couldn't see the breakdown of costs before completing a whole lot of information on line. It might just be better to take a quick trip across the border and check the skirt in person.  Before I do that I will want to make sure that the discount will still be applicable because it is a time-limited offer.  To make it worth my while I would also check a few other shops nearby).

I have several other ideas for an outfit. which include:

- white top, style to be determined + white gaucho pants and long white waterfall vest
- white top, style to be determined (tank or Turkish tunic) + mid-calf skirt and long, white waterfall, sleeveless vest
- long white sleeveless or cap sleeve dress with long, white, waterfall, sleeveless vest

I also made a bit of progress in reading goals this week.  In an earlier post I mentioned finishing the book entitled "Circling with the Sun".  The book is about Beryl Markham, an early colonial settler to what is now the nation of Kenya.  Ms. Markham was a  pioneer in horse training and aviation and made her mark in both fields.

The book book was a very enjoyable read.  It gave me an insight into the life of  early British settlers to Kenya.  It opened my eyes to the lifestyle of the rich and famous in those days. The lifestyle of the rich and famous seems to be much the same today.  Aside from that,  Beryl Markham was a truly remarkable woman and very ahead of her time. She the first licensed female horse trainer and pilot in Kenya and became highly accomplished in both fields. She has the distinction of flying solo over the Atlantic Ocean from East to West (considered more challenging than West to East).  She is also credited with pioneering the use of small aircraft in safaris, a mode which is very popular today for those that have little time but more money.

 
After completing the books I'm currently reading  I will still be a few books behind in my readings goals for the year.  This year I set a modest reading goal because my focus this year is rest.  Even so, I got behind in my reading  due to being sick for much of the first quarter of the year with one cold after another. I've had another cold this past week but it isn't as bad as the winter colds. I don't recall a time when I've ever had quite so many colds as I have this year.  I think getting better sleep will help and I am working doing just that.

This book is about a young Palestinian man who builds a music school and develops an orchestra in Palestine.

This is an interesting book about a bookseller who has a store on a barge. He dispenses wisdom & appropriate books to readers.

What about you dear reader?

Are you reading any good or interesting books?

Do you set any reading goals for yourself or at least keep track of how many books you've read?

I never used to keep track of the books I read and have long forgotten many of them.

I now find it interesting to go back and see what I've read over the past few years and the types of books.

It seems that a lot of books I choose are of the historical fiction genre. 

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My nephew called and paid a brief visit on Saturday.  He is on the way to a conference in Montreal where he will present a paper on Wednesday afternoon. I'm very proud of him as he is in the final year of his Master's Program in Psychology. He has been undertaking laboratory research for about 4 years and  has already been to several conferences in the USA and Canada to present his research findings.  He is a very busy young man juggling work, research, studies and a committed relationship. I haven't had a chance to visit with him much over the last year.  In  less than a year he will be finished his Masters degree before embarking on the final leg of his educational journey.

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On Sunday morning I captured the beautiful sunrise to the east.  I went out to capture this after hearing the sad news about the young man in Kenya who passed away a few days ago from complications of cancer.

The colours in the sky were exceptionally beautiful.

My camera and I did not do full justice to the scene.

The morning reminded me of the wonders and beauty of creation.

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It's only a few more days before my last guest of the summer arrives.
So much to do before she arrives but I made excellent progress today in the preparations.
Enjoy your week!

Linking up with Lady Fi over at Our World Tuesday
and
NC Sue over at image-in-ing

Thank you for visiting.

News

I awoke to news today that was upsetting. The young orphaned boy I wrote about here and here has passed due to complications of cancer. He was barely 20 years old.

" Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."

James 4:14

I want to thank those of you who gave to help his medical bills and to those that have been praying for him.



The comfort is that he will never suffer again and as a Christian he is with his Heavenly Father.

 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. And you know the way to where I am going.” 

John 14:1-4

I was feeling rather emotional today upon hearing the sad news. Mostly because this boy is an orphan.  He's had a hard life so far and had to fight this terrible cancer. No doubt he went through periods of not really understanding what was happening to him especially during the chemotherapy sessions which weakened him a lot.  I am also grieving for the fact that he will never have an opportunity to reach his potential here on earth though in Kenya that is a very hard thing to do when you live in poverty.  Right now I am glad that this young man will never pain and poverty again.

In addition to the comfort of the biblical promises, I often find comfort in God's creation and from seeing nature close up.  Today it was in my garden.

I could hear the birds singing so beautifully.  Their warbling drew me outside.

I wasn't able to capture the birds in photo.  They are very well camouflaged in the trees and they fly away so quickly.  But I was delighted to find bees enjoying the flowers in the garden.

Beyond the enjoying the birds and the bees in the garden, I enjoyed the beautiful colours of nature.

I like the flowers and plants reflected in the bird bath.

This photo was taken a few months ago at Westham Island.

Joining up with Eileen at Saturday's Critters
and
Weekend Reflections.
Thank you for stopping by.

Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are.