family…

15 Sunday May 2016

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up early and enjoyed time in the hot tub… missing my beloved today… not always sure why it is more pronounced some days, but have learned to just feel my way through it…

happily was able to meet the kids for brunch… really miss them when we can’t get together on the weekend…

before I left the house I took some pictures of various blooms…


these are the last two flowers on the orchid which came from IKEA in October… was so thrilled to see a new stem starting with tiny buds on it…

then I moved the mandevilla and mini roses to the dining room table, where the light shone on them nicely…


decided to start walking to the restaurant and meet the kids on the way… lots of yellow flowers happily growing everywhere I looked, lol…


also saw quite a few blooming bleeding hearts on my walk…


once we got home took a few shots of the boys…

while we were visiting, my daughter spotted these feathered friends at the feeder…


very exciting… maybe the weather is going to warm up and we will see more of them…

ended the day with a phone call from my Ottawa daughter…

family is so special… happy to have opportunities to spend time with them…

recycling…

14 Saturday May 2016

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very strange to look out the front window and see garbage and recycling bins lined up along the street…

hadn’t set mine out so it was very odd to see them in the yard… first time in 43 years that they’ve been on the front street… the city has closed off a number of streets and apparently they will be working on the road for a number of months… guess I’ll be getting used to it…


last night I used the mandolin to slice some zuchinni and onions for supper… and not a scratch on me, woo hoo… I really like using the different parts of it, but have been causing injuries to my fingers nearly every time… 


happy to see this little hosta peeking through the soil, although with this crazy weather hope it doesn’t freeze…

cut a few of the mini roses and put them in vases around the house…


this one is beside my bed… so pretty…

runners…

13 Friday May 2016

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strange weather today… had planned to meet a friend for a walk around the Gardens at the Park…

sky was lovely when I was first up at 6:45…


if you look hard, you might see the robin in the tree… then this…


all those white dots – snow, sigh… so we decided to meet for breakfast instead…

actually wore runners because I didn’t want to get my toes wet and the temperature was around zero…


after breakfast I went for a walk to and around the English Garden…

couldn’t get into the Leo Mol portion but was excited to see they are replacing the gravel path with bricks… they have replaced other paths in the Garden as well… looks very nice and will be easier to walk on…


the tulips are just starting to open… glad I went over today… hope to get there next week to see them in full bloom…


finally, about 6, the sun came out… crazy day, lol…

difficult…

12 Thursday May 2016

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another early work day… juice had the cutest little umbrella in it…


been thinking of many I know who are dealing with difficult issues right now… health, work, loss… so much sadness…

happy news, today was a colleague’s birthday…


this was the gorgeous rose she received…

seems like flowers everywhere…

tonight I made lettuce wraps with taco meat and grated cheese… I like this type of meal because you have to work to get it eaten… even though it is cold, windy and overcast outside, this was a very nice meal… felt like Spring, at least in the house, lol…

been a full week… glad to have the day off tomorrow…

transition…

11 Wednesday May 2016

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the sky was overcast and it was spitting this morning, but the lovely mini roses on the kitchen counter looked gorgeous…


took this just before leaving the house at seven…

there are lots of plants with flowers on them all over the house because it isn’t  warm enough to put them outside… sure do make me happy…


a young friend is working on some containers with airplants so I took a picture of mine… think I might search out some moss to put in the bottom of them…


the sky caught my eye around 6 tonight… rather foreboding…

and by 8 it looked like this…


nice transition… sadly, it has gone back to the dark overcast…

was up and out early, so I am heading to bed as I’m tired… another early day tomorrow…

night…

rain…

10 Tuesday May 2016

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woke up to the gentle sound of rain on the window… we’ve really needed it…


could almost see the grass getting greener, lol…

was a bit worried because I am still getting water in the basement if it rains a lot… happily, when I got home and checked, it was dry… even though it rained on and off all day…

finally wore my new Patagonia rain jacket when I headed out for my lunch date… bought it for New York, but the weather was great so I never used it…

met a friend at deer + almond… my first time there and it was excellent… food was tasty and the service was impeccable…


I had an open faced seared tuna sandwich with a goat cheese salad… yum…

spent time in the water after work as my swimming pal and I went for an aquasize class…

lots of water today, lol…

plants…

09 Monday May 2016

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happy with all the new plants… can hardly wait to get them outside…

the gardenia smells delicious…


and the flowers are very pretty…

the two tropicals are ready to get into the garden…


they are going to make it a bit more lush… not exactly sure where they will end up,  and will likely move them around a bit to find the best spot…

the mandevilla looks great and I can hardly wait to get it planted…


very happy with the fire table…


been looking for months for just the right one… saw this on Friday and met the kids to actually buy it on Saturday and they brought it home in their vehicle…

was able to get it going easily… simple to turn on and off and I think it is going to be just the right thing for me…


sat in the hot tub and watched the flames for ages… very nice…

looking for a bit of help with the gardening I think…

dumplings…

08 Sunday May 2016

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up early and had a hot tub… a red squirrel came to the feeder as well as this cute little sparrow…

 

went to Rona and got $56 back from when I bought the power washer, as it had gone on sale… woo hoo…

so then I picked up a gardenia standard and three mini roses, lol…


think all of these will go into the planter at the front door… once the risk of frost is over…

saw this Canada goose as I was leaving Rona…


headed downtown to meet the kids, my sister-in-law, and two nephews for dimsum… great meal and visit…

once home, put out the cushions, had a nap and sat out in the garden… looking forward to finishing the pond remodel now that we have all of the needed rocks…


sunny and warm, with very little wind…

had a few phones calls with my Ottawa kids and made chicken and dumplings for dinner… got the dumpling recipe right this time but not sure how I feel about the whole wheat flour… may go back to white flour and just not have as many… no point making them if they don’t taste good… using almond milk instead of 2% but that doesn’t seem to affect the taste…

was a bit odd not to have supper with the kids but soccer has put Sunday dinner on hold for the next while…

mothering…

07 Saturday May 2016

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been thinking of my mom…


for the majority of our lives we did not do well together… she wasn’t able to mother my brother and I due to illness… not sure I understood at the time…


we connected much better during my adult years, and had an extraordinary four months at the end of her life as we travelled her final journey together… 


I was fortunate to be with her every day during that time and learned so much about her… we came to be good friends… 

such a difficult time, but also a blessing…

it appears that Mother’s Day has gone from a day to treat your mom, to a weekend, even week, of excess… all I want is time with my children…

these days, with all this hype about Mother’s Day, I am thinking of all those who don’t necessarily get along with their mothers… or those who mother people but are not considered mothers… 

life is short… give someone a hug… you never know what tomorrow will bring… besides, it feels good;-)…

growth…

06 Friday May 2016

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took out the recycling and garbage this morning and had to come back in and get my camera to take some close ups of the stunning apricot tree…

   
 
beautiful…

was back at the dentist for a filling, sigh… am certainty getting better but still find the whole thing stressful… the dentist was worried about my gag reflex (which is quite special, lol) due to the position of the cavity, but it went well… 

as I walked back to the car I took some shots of the hedges as the leaves are bursting forth with new growth…

  

mid-morning the downtown streets were fairly quiet, so no one looked at me oddly as I stopped to take these pictures…

  

noticed these flowers at the side of the house and thought of all the times my girls brought me bouquets of them…  

my grandsons have also brought me similar bouquets, lol…

as part of my Fridays off I have been trying to meet friends for a meal… today I met up with a very special young woman and her daughter… we rarely have a chance to get together, so it was a great treat…

had those big girl pants on as I went to the restaurant half an hour early and sat enjoying a cup of tea while I waited for them…

  

lots of personal growth taking place… was comfortable being there on my own, which is a huge step…

met my daughter and showed her a fire table that might work in the garden…

  
been looking for just the right one for a long time… this might be it…

had a great call with my sister-in-law and am excited to see her over the weekend as she comes to town for Mother’s Day…

interesting how growth happens… all of a sudden it seems the leaves burst open and at other times it seems like nothing is changing at all… 

look forward to the changes in me as I move forward in this new reality… even after four years it still feels fresh…