JULY 26.08

HI ON SATURDAY!

It's 5:03pm and I'm ready for bed! Is it the good book I'm reading or am I tired and lazy?

Spent most part of the day visiting with some friends, which was great fun and then we dropped into the Library (our home away from home), to get another pile of "more then I can read" books.

Then we stopped at an Iranian market and bought some Samosa's for dinner. So, I'll just make a spinach salad and that's Saturday's dinner.

We also bought some dips, like an eggplant dip, that is so delicious, also a hummus dip, and another cheese dip made from feta cheese. I'm amazed with myself and the food that I've adapted to and now love, since I immigrated from Ontario to British Columbia.

So, now, I'm going to put the computer away for the night, and get dinner ready and snuggle in for the evening. At least until 10pm tonight when the USA, puts on their fireworks show. I'll be up and standing on the balcony to watch. If it's anything like the show the other night, it will be something. Another show, on Wednesday, put on by China, and then the following Saturday, it's a combined big triple whammy of a show!! Please rain..hold off!!

See you tomorrow. I may try to take some fireworks photo's tonight, but have to balance it on the railing to hold it steady as the shutter stays open to do it's thing. I'm a little nervous of dropping it to the ground, 7 stories down!!! Ohhh nooo!!!

See you on Sunday!

ANOTHER FRIDAY IN JULY

ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY!

Here in Vancouver, the sun continues to shine brightly and warmly! I hear Ontario, is having a wet summer, so just hold on until I come home and I'll bring some of this liquid gold home with me. Why do they call it liquid gold??? Or have I used the wrong phrase???? Oh well....

What great plans does everyone have? You can tell me on the guestbook now and leave comments, because the dang thing works now, after months of frustration. So....what are you doing?

Pemberton, which is up along that mountain road we use to drive to the cottage, is holding a huge rock concert this weekend, with many great rockin bands, and popular singers. I sure hope the kids stay sober coming home, because that road, if it's the Duffy Lake Road, is scary as can be, with hairpin turns, and up one mountain and down another, and the whole time, I sat in the passenger seat, scared as can be, and when I got out of the car, my left leg was aching from stepping on the imaginary brake on my side, as well as having that sea sick feeling, plus, because we travelled with a cat and dog, I'd have cat throw up all over me and a curious dog that just had to watch the cat being sick, so was crawling all over me. Ohhh those were the days.....NOT!!

We had a big dinner today at Whole Foods. We went in for a bowl of soup and ended up, with each of us having meal. (Not cheap!) So, I can just sit back and watch 2 episodes of Coronation Street and not have to make dinner. Yahoooo!!

Hmmm, I think I just broke this chair I'm sitting on!! Hear that JOAN?? I hate these two matching little rocking chairs and have wanted to get new ones for ages, but Tom won't budge. They creak and make so much noise everytime you move in them! I just bent over to pick something off the floor and I heard a big SNAP. I broke something under there....teeee heeee!!

Toms kids have been rooting for me to get them changed also, but I have a feeling I'll have to crash to the floor before he'll consider buying new ones.

Well, that's my blog for tonight! I don't think I've missed more then 2 blogs since January. Can I keep it up??????

Have a good weekend!!!

A THURSDAY IN JULY

The weather continues to be beautiful here in Vancouver and I'm loving it! We haven't had rain for awhile now, and "holy mackeral.....the grass is getting brown in rainy Vancouver!"

Vancouver had a firework sort of contest every year with two other countries, and last night I could see a spectacular display from our bedroom patio. I could see quite a bit of it from there, and some of those big fireworks would give a huge big boom and echo of the mountains behind us and it sounded like loud booming thunder. Really neat!!


http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/photogalleries/template.html?topic=CelebrationOfLight They put on another huge big display next Saturday night and again next Wednesday. Thousands of people gather on the beach to watch the display. I love when it's over and I just have to step back into the bedroom and two steps, I'm in bed, while everyone down on the beaches have to battle the crowd. They do get a better view though!

Click on the link for pictures if interested. I tried to copy and put them on here, but nothing worked for me today and after ironing all day, laundry, cleaning, and a multitude of other things, I just don't have much patience to keep trying!

So, my blog is short tonight and I can't come up with anything interesting to tell you about that's going on at the moment. So, with that...hopefully, tomorrow's blog with be a tad more interesting.

Happy Birthday to Dave, the newest member of this families clan. Hope it's a great one Dave, and all the best!! Big hug from Tom and I!

SQUEEZING THE LOONIE

I'm watching the news and it's all doom and gloom with the price of just about everything you buy, zooming up in price. It's certainly quite noticeable in the cost of groceries, not to mention the gas prices. Transportation cost in Vancouver for everything from the bus, the sky train, sea bus, ferries, have risen in cost. Airline tickets are horrendous!! They even charge if you prefer a certain seat now. West Jet, I think is $10 and Air Canada is $22, each way, if you want to have a window seat in advance, or wait until 24 hour before the flight and take your chances that you don't get stuck in a middle seat!! I have claustrophobia, and hopefully will get a window seat, although I don't know how that helps me....it's a long way down! But I need to sit near the front, because I start to sweat and almost go into a panic when the plane comes to a stop and everyone starts to stand in the aisles, anxious to get off the plane. I have to keep talking to myself to calm down and stare at the ground and not notice the ones holding everyone else by putting on their jacket, and retrieving belongings from the over head bins. I'm not crazy about plane rides anymore, but sure remember what an adventure it once was! Maybe it was the food they served that made it much more fun!

Good Heavens....now they are talking about runway incursions where collisions are so common on airport runways. Twenty seven of them last year!!! There was 19 in 2007 here in Vancouver and 8 so far this year!!! I wonder what Toronto's is!

I walked over to meet Tom again at Park Royal where his chiropractor is, so got a little exercise. Then I went to the mall with my friend Patricia. I was so tired, I could barely walk. Just one of those days, where it all catches up with you and bed sounds so great! It will be an early night tonight!!


Tomorrow, my day will be spent catching up on ironing!! It's been building and I can't put it off any longer!! I hate ironing!! I should enter the iron woman competition!!! Wouldn't it be nice to see a man doing it for a change, like my little picture below?

Thanks Irene (my Auntie) who faithfully reads my blog and signed it! Yahooo!!

Much appreciated and will see you in September!

JULY IS VACATION TIME

It seems everyone is going somewhere this month, or else they are just getting home from a vacation, either spent travelling off somewhere to faraway places, or just staying at home, sleeping late, taking day trips, or just lounging on the deck or in a hammock. Whatever, it's a time of the year we all look forward too, and at the end, so very glad to come home and relax!

Funny isn't it, we call vacation relaxing, yet when it's all over, there is no place like home! Vacations can be HARD work!!

It's sometimes exhausting planning vacations. I remember the road trips across Eastern Canada we took when the kids were small. I can hardly imagine me doing that now. I know how much I need for just myself when I travel these days, I can't imagine packing and remembering all that had to be done for a family of four. We also took the dog with us!

The early days we'd go camping which is certainly NOT a way I'd want to vacation now, unless it was in one of those mobile home with pop outs, air conditioning, or heat, whichever I desired! A kitchen sink, a stove and comfortable beds and many more comforts that a tenting life sure doesn't provide. I think tenting and sleeping on a air mattress, and swatting at mosquitoes is for young and hearty people.

We did move up to a cottage eventually, and in fact had a couple of cottages through the years. One in a place called Minnapuka, which was on the CN Rail line up Gogama. The second was a caboose we bought from CNR and we tore out the inside and turned it into a very comfortable and roomy little cottage, beside a lake with great swimming and fishing. This was near Folyet, Ont....accessible only by rail. Boy, do I have stories to tell about those vacations, but I'll save all that for when I bring back my pictures from home and can show you on here.

All of these vacations, where in my "other life", which is when I also went with my sister to Ireland for a whole month. It was my first time away from my family on a vacation, and how great to spend it with my sister. What a fabulous time it was and so great to feel "free" for a month. Just going where we felt like and travelling any road that looked interesting. We met so many wonderful Irish people, looked up relatives both dead and alive and delved into our family past. No skeleton's or family secrets though....we seem to have been tame people. At least until Roxanne and I arrived!!! (joking of course, but we did let loose a little!) We drove all across Ireland and up and down the entire country! Wonderful!!

Another great vacation was spent with my daughter Erin and family in Sacramento. They took me down along the Oregon coastline all the way past San Francisco to Monterey. What a trip, and so many wonderful memories of a beautiful, fun family time.

All fabulous memories and great vacations. I've been lucky to have quite a few good ones, but also spent just as great ones, staying close to home, and day trips with girlfriends and family.

Then there are the ones I've been so lucky to take this past few years with my husband Tom. I won't spend much time on this blog telling you all about them, as I already have told about them with pictures in past blog, available for viewing on here if you look in "Past Posting" on the bottom of page.

Time for me is running out for completing anymore of this blog today, so with that, I'll say ta ta, and wherever you are heading or have been, I hope your vacation is or has been one to remember!

PS...thanks for signing the blog.

HOLLYHOCKS AND CHILDHOOD

Hollyhock Fairies

I don't know how many of you did this as a child, but we'd pick the head of the hollyhock, leaving a little stub sticking up at the top, then get a bud, and squish it down over the stub, and it looked like a fairy with a beautiful dress. Then my friend and I would line up the different pretty colours and the fairies we made to became our beautiful dancing ladies.

A fun summer craft to teach your Granddaughters

Nip off one fully-opened hollyhock blossom at the bud. Invert it to form the doll's skirt. (Note - only the old-fashioned single hollyhocks work.)Use a couple of closed buds to form the doll's head and the ballgown bodice. (Some people peel of the green wrapping on the bud they are using for the head, but stop when you get to the petals.)
Use broken toothpicks to link the buds and the skirt. Some doll makers simplify by using just one bud for the head and skipping the bodice bud. (That's what my friends and I did.)
Optional: Spear a toothpick horizontally through the bodice to serve as the doll's arms.
Use a single petal or small blossom for the doll's hat. I preferred to use a bell- or flare-shape for my dolls' hats, rather than the turban effect shown above.

Modern touch: Use a small-point marker to draw eyes and a smile on the doll's face.
Make many dolls with a wardrobe of glorious colors, then find a comfortable shady spot in your garden and stage a hollyhock doll ballroom dance. (Or float your dolls in water to see them bob and sway.) I prefer the one-bud dolls myself, and they float better. The two-bud dolls are top heavy, but they are good if you want to "dance" the dolls with your hands. We had so much imagination back then (still do). Do kids today do things like this?

Well, I see a couple of my friends where kind enough to sign the guestbook, and I do thank them very much. As for the rest of you stinkers......

I guess nobody wants the clues to the little frog game in the last blog either. Oh well....I tried to entertain you!

Today, I went with my friend Irma, who lives across the road, to IKEA, and also the Sears outlet store. I enjoyed BOTH store's and bought home bargains! Ohhhh, to be rich and have a big house!! So many things I would love at IKEA. What a big store and only my second time in one and the prices are reasonable too! Has anyone seen the commercial of the girl in IKEA, after she reads the balance on her cash register receipt, and gets all excited and runs to the car, hollering "Start the car, start the car!" Tom laughs at that one everytime, so he asked me if I did the same thing. I honestly didn't think of it, or I would have done it and given Irma a good laugh!

GUEST BOOK WORKING FINALLY

PLEASE SIGN IT!!

WEll, I think I got this guestbook working! All else has failed, either because I installed wrong or visitors just won't put the effort into, just saying a "hello."

It was another beautiful day and the forecast is the same as today, all week long!!

Today, we relaxed, then I took a walk down to the Farmer's Market. Took a few pictures of the beach.

Sitting on the logs that float in and just enjoying the sunshine and the view.

Busy beach today!

Too HOT for me down here! The tide was out, so there is lots of green junk up on the shore.

http://funstufftosee.com/frogleaptest.html

Can it be done??? of course it can..........

See if you can do this little puzzle which is a 2nd grade test question.

If you want to know the answer, let me know!!

Good Luck