Summertime and the Living is Easy?

 Welcome back to Toni's Tuesday 4!  We need to enjoy every season to the fullest even those of us for whom summer is not the favourite season.

1. What do you like to do in the summer?

Sad to say that summer is not my favourite season. Primarily because it is too hot. So what I like to do to avoid heat is to stay indoors and sit as still and as quiet as possible. It's my time for watching television, reading and doing slow housework. When I have more time I like to go to the beach and have a nice walk to enjoy the ocean breezes and spectacular scenes.  

 

Summer is also usually the time I enjoy having a visitor or two but the last few years this didn't happen. Hopefully next year.  This year I've been spending a lot of time downsizing and doing small DIY projects so I can enjoy the months ahead.

2. What is your favorite summertime food and beverage?

My favourite summertime food is probably a well done cheeseburger with potato salad and a very cold lemonade with ice (not too sweet) or a iced coca cola with lemon juice. Oh, and let me not forget many varieties of ice cream and fruits, especially watermelon to quench the thirst. In former days I enjoyed having a Mr. Misty Float from the Dairy Queen. I had a few this summer but now I find them too sweet and tart at the same time.

3. How do you beat the heat?

I beat the heat by sitting indoors at home or in an air conditioned coffee shop. When I go outdoors I tend to walk in the shaded areas as the sun is too hot for me.

4. What do you really like about the summer season?

The best thing about the summer season is going for a walk on the beach to enjoy the ocean views & waking up very early just to watch the glorious colours in the sky. I also like to enjoy the garden when it is in full bloom.

Thank you for stopping by!

 

 

Happy Friday, Happy Skywatch & Happy Weekend

Hello folks and blogger friends,

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer to date. It certainly is different from the last few years in many ways. I'm thankful to have the freedom to go out and about more than the previous years. But I didn't get a chance to go out of town for several years now.  This year was no exception.  Even though restrictions were mostly lifted, I really don't care to travel right now and contend with all the travel/transportation delays and related issues.

 

We've had a heat wave for much of (July and ) August.  Even when the posted weather has been in the lower 20s Celsius, it has still felt sweltering.  Even Jonah who is used to the heat and dry areas in Kenya has commented about how hot it has been here. At last we had a dip in temperatures today and a sprinkling of rain. It wasn't a lot of rain but combined with lower temperatures it made all the walking I did today much more bearable.

 

 

I had to go deep into downtown Vancouver today to the Purolator service center to return a few Amazon parcels. Normally I send items back through the post but these items had to be returned by Purolator. It was very convenient to get to the center by bus as it let me off across the street. I thought I would return straight home and the bus stop was right outside the center's door. However when I got to the bus stop there was a sign saying one had to catch a bus at Burrard Street. That was a lot of walking for me especially since my knees aren't fully rehabilitated. Fortunately I managed to do what I needed to do.

 

After I finished downtown, I did more errands in my neighbourhood.  I was shocked at how many people were out and about.  There were lines of people everywhere waiting to get into virtually every single restaurant and drinking establishment  Of course it is Friday and many people go out on Friday nights but tonight it was noticeably busier than usual.  I don't know if it was because the weather was cooler and more comfortable or if suddenly people are realizing that the end of summer is almost upon us and they're trying to soak up every minute left of it. It's probably a bit of both.  It was also very busy with tourists downtown though it doesn't seem so in the photos. It was nice to see so many visitors walking and enjoying the sites.

 

The photos I'm sharing are from downtown Vancouver in the city's West End Coal Harbour area. For most of the day the sky was a very dull gray. The sun came out around 6 p.m. but I couldn't stop to take photos.

Thank you for stopping by and have a great weekend.

 Joining in with Skywatch Friday