Category Archives: travel

Lilystone…

17 Friday Jun 2022

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what a delightful day… got up, dressed, put out all the cushions and had breakfast on the back deck, admiring the ten or so poppies waving their lovely heads in the flower bed…

Hilda the Gardener arrived and started weeding and tidying everywhere…

a friend picked me up and we drove to Rosenort to eat and do a little shopping…

we had a delicious lunch at Lilystone Cafe, where we both picked up a few treats to bring home for later… I was happy to see them making great use of technology to take orders and prepare the bills… staff were friendly and treated us like family…

then we headed over to Lilystone Gardens, where we engaged in a bit of retail therapy, including a Christmas present… they are just now recovering from flooded fields and roads…

after an enjoyable return drive to the city we stopped at her house to check out some recent work and her very lush garden…

home, a wander around the garden to admire how tidy it is, and a sit down on the deck with a cup of tea and my book…

;-)…

nervous…

09 Saturday Apr 2022

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three years ago today we arrived on Maui… and the first thing we spotted in the hotel was an orchid… how cool was that…

I had been thinking of visiting Hawaii since my beloved’s parents went the first time, many, many, years ago…

it lived up to everything I imagined;-)…

travelling had always made me a bit nervous, but having a companion certainly made it easier… I am wondering about how I will feel about future trips…

tubing…

05 Tuesday Apr 2022

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recently my grandson and I had a conversation about some fun times… two of the things he remembered are below…

one was a tubing trip down the river in Courtenay, BC, where I was knocked off the tube by a tree branch and lost my new hat… everyone but me was quite happy as they hadn’t liked it, lol… he was around seven at the time… I ended up with a bruised leg and a gash on my head… it certainly was something I won’t forget, and apparently neither will he…

the other memory was around a beta fish in a vase that I kept on my desk at one of my workplaces… he has always been interested in fish and is a great collaborator with the goldfish…

so interesting to hear the things he remembers;-)…

luggage…

28 Monday Mar 2022

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up at 3:15 am…

the last of the luggage was at the front door and a quick breakfast was eaten…

in the car by 4:05… dropped her at the airport and drove by the new Western Aviation Museum on my way home… it looked really cool, even at 4:30 in the morning, lol…

back to bed and up at 8:30… texted with her as she waited in Toronto for her connecting flight…

then I returned the den back to normal…

gathered up towels and sheets and ran a load of laundry…

the house feels a little empty and there was no one to make lunch for😢…

I am already thinking about the next time we can get together in person, although we chat nearly everyday…

it was a wonderful visit and I enjoyed each and every minute…

I truly am blessed…

mid-day…

27 Sunday Mar 2022

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today, we had one hot tub mid-day and a final one is planned for just before bed…

laundry was done and bags were packed…

a favourite meal was ordered and enjoyed…

we visited, napped, and ate chocolate…

things are lined up at the door for the very early morning trip to the airport…

it was a wonderful time and I enjoyed every single minute;-)…

networked…

24 Thursday Mar 2022

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another good day with my guest…

started it off with a smoothie, cashews, tea and the last of my Calgary bonbons…

had a hot tub and put chairs on the deck in anticipation of warmer weather and more melting snow…

got a new external drive hooked up remotely, and the various computers networked, thanks to my computer geek in Ottawa…

had a bit of a rest while my guest was out for a few hours with a friend…

and then we had dinner with the oldest grandson…

it was delicious…

on our way out for an end of day hot tub;-)…

girl…

23 Wednesday Mar 2022

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it has been two and a half years since I last saw this girl in person…

and something like four years since she’s been home…

I am delighted and look forward to making the most of these next few days…

so far, we’ve eaten chocolate and macarons and I got the cutest tray from Paris with Monet’s NYMPHEAS (water lilies)… it was a lovely reminder of a wonderful visit the two of us had to a museum in New York…

more lazy days, tons of conversation, favourite foods, and walks outside are on the agenda;-)…

what a wonderful treat this is…

drove…

08 Tuesday Mar 2022

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yesterday I drove the car… woohoo… it has been four months since I was last in it… I see the doctor every three or four months and that is the only time I am out and about on my own…

the drive was fine, although the corners were difficult to maneuver with so much snow making it hard to see if other vehicles were coming…

in the afternoon I also drove to the eye doctor’s office to have my glasses tightened… been a very long time since I’ve been in a store… they had excellent procedures in place which made it feel safe… and the great news is that now my glasses don’t fall off my face when I bend over, lol…

seems like everywhere I went there were big trucks that were being filled with snow on street corners…

spring is coming… there were puddles right next to huge banks of snow…

and then, my grandson arrived and off went the car;-)…

goosebumps…

17 Thursday Feb 2022

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got a message today from someone who I had given a recommendation of places to visit on Vancouver island…

I had suggested Cathedral Grove in MacMillan Provincial Park… they thought it was amazing…

it is one of my favourite places ever…

within steps of the highway all traffic noises are gone and the walk through the giant trees is meditative and soul filling…

these pictures are from a visit with my beloved in the summer of 2011…

still gives me goosebumps when I remember what a special place it was…

wash…

27 Monday Sep 2021

Posted by in camping, family, food, life, moments, retirement, travel, Uncategorized

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I’ve been thinking about the opportunities I’ve had to visit and spend time with family and friends…

one of the things I always do is wash up after meals… it started when I would visit my daughter wherever she lived… she has never liked doing dishes so it was a simple thing to do in appreciation for my time there…

whenever I have been camping with the kids, particularly when the boys were little, I would wash and have one of them dry… it was a great way to have one-on-one time and also get the job done quickly…

now, if I am visiting with friends at their cottages, it is one thing that I can do to be helpful…

one of my grandsons took this photo while we were camping this summer;-)…