A "no" has changed to a "yes"

A couple of days ago, the trip that I was wanting to take looked as if it wasn't going to happen.  The tour company told me it was a very popular destination, and all of the single traveler spots were filled.  I, along with several other "singles" were on a waiting list and also a "partner" list.  The partner list is for singles who would be willing to share a room with another single.  I was given two names, contacted both of them and one agreed to partner up with me.  I know it is not for everyone, however, I did the same on a previous trip and everything was fine, so have no worries about this trip.  Partnering with someone else, also saves a lot of money for both of us, as we now do not pay the single supplement.  

We do have several months prior to the trip, so hopefully, we will be able to meet up before leaving.  Then there is always the technical world to see and talk to each other.  So happy this trip is going to happen, as I was really looking forward to seeing Scandinavia.

This morning it is foggy again, we have had so much this winter, which is quite unusual for us.  No snow and temps for the next seven days are all going to be just above the zero mark during the day.   We could also have some sunshine, which has been almost non existent for the past month.

I need to get into my sewing room today, got a lot done yesterday, but have things to be done before the due dates for these projects.  The "February" door hanger needs to be finished by tomorrow.   A quilt and a block need to be finished by next Wednesday, and a quilt for my GG has got to be started,  So into the sewing room when I have finished this post.

Have a great day.

Cheers.

 

Christmas present

Yesterday I needed some technical help, so DD2 came to the rescue and all is working well now, with the help of a remote techie guy from who only knows where.  It amazes and worries me at the same time, that a person, with permission, can fix  a technical issue regarding my TV in my living room from where ever they are in the world. 

She also brought my Christmas present.  A Christmas gift in January!  yes. 

My  Christmas 2023 gift from her and SIL are  "flowers, once a month for all of 2024".   Beautiful yellow and red tulips they gave me are now in a vase in my kitchen.    Today, Sunday, is overcast and wet, so they are a nice pop of colour on a dull day, and will be for the coming days of February, which historical are not very nice.  

Last night was "date night" with my ex,  it did not go well.  Will I continue to do this?  I am beginning to  think---NO.  Enough said.

Today, it is raining and a possibility of it changing to snow, so it is a good day to stay inside and get some sewing done.  On Friday I pin basted a quilt, so need to start the quilting on it.  The quilt block for February meeting needs to be made too.  In March our guild has a reveal of a challenge, mine is not quite finished.   Lots to keep me busy for the next few days.

I got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, maybe another coffee and a shower would make things right, they always do.

So I am off to do that.

Have a great day.

Cheers.

Technical world has left me behind

The television I purchased several months ago has speakers at the bottom closer to the back of the unit.  So the sound is actually being  directed to the wall not out into the living area.  Because of this I need to up the volume a bit, which distorts the sound somewhat.  Solution, a sound bar which I purchased, and the store clerk said, "It's easy to connect to your TV" and she went on to tell me how.   She also said there were instructions in the box.  Easy!  maybe for someone who is familiar with all of this techy stuff, me not so much.   I feel so left behind with all the things a person needs to know to function in this world with all of the technical contraptions we are bombarded with these days.  I do consider myself somewhat knowledgably but don't have the confidence to go ahead with some of the things, just incase I mess it up and make things worse.   Much as I don't like impose I do have one of my SIL's  coming over today to help me connect it to the TV.  

As the saying goes, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks"

Do you feel left behind in this techy world?  

The pot luck dinner last night was again, delicious.   I have no self control when I comes to different dishes of food, so I tend to over eat at these functions.  To help control this, I took a small luncheon plate, a trick I used to keep the portions of food small for my late husband.  It worked, I did take portions of everything, but did not feel overly full at the end of the meal.  Not a lot of food can be put on a smaller plate.  I will do this again next month.

All of the  small piles of snow we had on the ground yesterday,  have melted and green grass and clear streets is now all that I see.  However, we are forecast snow for tomorrow, in the mean time, I will enjoy the mild temps.  When I went for my walk yesterday, it felt as if Spring was not too far away.  It appears my walk today will be much the same, as the sun is trying very hard to break through the clouds.

As mentioned previously the trip I was hoping to take is looking even more as if it won't happen, so I opened to brochure again, some of destinations I would not feel comfortable going to at the moment, others don't appeal to me.  So waiting until later in the year is what I might do and then look at the brochures being issued then.

Are you planning on a vacation this year, or have already been on one?  Where?

Have a great day

Cheers.

  

Green again

The slushy mess we had earlier this week is all but gone.   Milder temps and rain have melted all but a few small piles of snow.  Fields have pools of water over them as it cannot soak in the soil as it is still frozen.  The rivers and streams are running swift and wild with brown water from the snow melt.  No reports of them flooding. 

Needed to get some errands done yesterday.  First stop was to get some more white thread I needed.  A fabric shop and me are the closest of friends, but yesterday I promised myself to go in and come out, no loitering around the fabric.  I did good.

They I went to a craft shop, you see the pattern here, I found what I needed and bought nothing else.  Cannot say, I wasn't tempted because I was.  So many lovely things, things I don't need, they were just "wants", they are still in the shop.

Then I went to a travel agent, the trip I wanted to take is full, so I am number five on a waiting list, I am not expecting any cancellations to happen  It is a very popular part of the world so the chances of me going are slim to none.  You have to be 55 years or older to go on trips run by this company, I have been on four with them, and enjoyed every minute.  Disappointed? yes a bit, will need to look at the brochure again to see if anything else appeals to me.  

Nothing on my agenda until the pot luck dinner tonight.  The usual things that need to be done, of course.  If the rain stops long enough I should get myself out for a walk, I have not done one outside for several days.  

So, should get moving.

Have a wonderful day

Cheers

What a mess!

Had to go out this morning to do a few errands, I sure did pick the wrong day to do that.

All the snow, which was not a lot really, is starting to melt due to rain and a temp just above the zero mark.   That is good but also bad.  All of the snow that was pushed to the side of the streets earlier  covered up the drains, so all of the rain and melting snow on the streets has no where to go.  It is just making everything a slushy mess  which is difficult not to just walk in but to drive in too.   Walking on the sidewalk would be a foolish thing to do today, as the water/slush gets sprayed up by uncaring drivers which are going too fast for the conditions we are currently having.

Roll on spring.

One of the errands I did this morning was to visit my late husbands niece.  She is a couple of years older than me and a spinster.   She lives in an apartment complex which I believe is owned by the Optimist Club.  These apartments are small and I mean small and because she has a lot of ornaments everywhere it looks even smaller.  You can't swing a cat in it, as the saying goes.  No! I do not harm any animal.  But, this niece does have a cat, which is an indoor cat, meaning it does it's business  in a pan of litter.   Unfortunately, I could not stay long, because I either have a very sensitive nose or that pan needed to be cleaned a long time ago.   When I returned home I had to change my clothes and put them in the washer as I could still smell her cat's toilet.   I am sure it is not healthy for her, however, she is so use to the smell it is not noticed at all.  Knowing her attitude, she has a big chip on her shoulder, she would never take any notice of comments regarding the litter pan from me or anyone else.  I will visit again when we can sit outside on her porch.

The little meeting I had with another woman of the quilting group was very productive, so everything is ready for the February meeting.

On Friday, this week is the building residents pot luck dinner, I have decided to do baked beans this time.  They are always well received as who doesn't like bake brown beans. 

I am now going to put a piece of ham in the oven for my dinner later, and also do some sewing, and there is always that book I am currently reading. 

Have a great day.

Cheers

  

It's back

After several days of no snow and lovely sunshine, upon waking this morning yes, it is snowing again.  The only consolation, it is warmer, warmer she says, -6*C at 9:30 a.m.   The snow is coming down horizontal today, not vertically as it was when the wind was blowing.  Not sure what it is like underfoot, so no walking outside today, hopefully later this afternoon when the streets have had the crews out sanding and salting, along with the traffic the streets will we clear of snow, then I will drive to the arena for a walk around the track.

In the mean time, I will get into my sewing room and work of the projects I need to get finished during the next couple of weeks.  One of the members of our guild and myself are in charge of the program activity for the February meeting,  so on Monday next week we are getting together to fine tune our plans.  As we have a number of new members, it is difficult to remember names, (believe me, I know from living in this building)  so our plan is have each member make their own name tag.  

Some water testing in being done this morning, so no water for approximately an hour.  It makes you think about how lucky we are to be able to turn on the tap and instantly have water flow out. 

That reminds me of when I first came to Canada, I lived on a farm in the country.  Country in Canada is a lot different than country in England.  The farm had a well.  Water had to be carried for the house and of course, the animals in the barn.  It was not a pleasant chore even at the best of times and winter weather, which I remember as being even worse than winters now, made it almost unbearable.   After several years that farm was sold and a move was made to one with running water in the house and the barn.  That made life so much easier.  There was even a toilet which could be flushed.  

We take the supply of safe clean water for granted these days, however, so many people do not have any water.   

Must get a move on,

Have a great day.

Cheers.

Ice Sculptures

For the past few days we had had some very high winds from the S.W. which whipped up high waves on Lake Erie.  Along with the bitter cold temps, the spray from the water coated the pier.   On the news it showed the rough water, so on Monday I went to see if the wind and water had made the ice sculptures again.  Yes, it had, however, as I had previously taken photo's I did not take anymore.    These two photo's were taken in 2022, when the same conditions were making these sculptures.

 

They are actually lamp posts.  

On Tuesday the sun shone most of the day and the night sky was also clear which made the temps plunge.  Along with the cold and wind it felt like -25 to -30*C.  I did not go out to confirm those readings, just took the TV weather person's word for it.  

In the afternoon I went to the library and applied for a new card and check out a couple of books to read.  Then there was a meeting in the lounge with the company that provides the invoices for the utilities in the building.  Apparently some of the residents had been having issues, so some heated loud words exchanged.  The light snacks of cookies and coffee helped to calm those voices down a bit.  In the end it appears everything was addressed and will be rectified in due course.

 Today, Wednesday there is a mixture of sun and high cloud, I needed to get milk from the store and my car temp reading was -13*C and 10:30 a.m so did my 2 1/2 kms on the arena walking track this morning.  Doing some sewing this afternoon and will open one of those books too.

Have a great day.

Cheers.

It finally arrived

WINTER

Around 5:00 p.m. yesterday snow arrived and was blown around by high winds, expecting huge accumulations as it continued for several hours.  However, when I went to bed no snow, rain had melted it into a slushy mess.  The forecast also indicated there was a possibility of thunder and lightening but I saw none.

This morning! snow again and gusty winds blowing it around and it is decidedly colder.  This is what we can expect for the weekend.  This woman is going no where, lots to eat and many things to do, so no reason to venture out,  the walking will be made up in the upcoming week. We should consider ourselves lucky as here we are almost the middle of January and really no winter weather to speak of.  

My son was going to come for a visit today, however, the roads are too treacherous for long distance travel, there is always another weekend with no weather to be concerned about. 

I did do an extra long walk yesterday, I would guess it was about four kms. I don't have one of those fancy phones or watches to tell me, I look at the signs on the trail I walk on.  The weather was quite nice in the morning so enjoyed the extra time outside.  

As I sit here writing this, people are out walking their dogs and others are doing their daily run, I am sure the time outside will be long enough to do the necessary and to get those steps in.

What am I doing today, laundry is currently in the drier, a roast of beef was taken out of the freezer and that will be in the oven this afternoon.  I have two quilts which are in the process of being completed and also fabric for one that I should have had done several months ago.  There is also some recorded programs to watch on TV, so no reason to be wondering "what can I do".

Have a wonderful day, keep warm or cool.

Cheers

Is Winter finally here?

 Could be or maybe not.  When I looked out of the window early this morning snow was coming down quite hard.  A couple of hours later it had stopped so we only have another dusting.  It appears to be very mild hovering around the zero mark so some of it has melted already, and now the forecast is indicating a mixture of light rain and or snow.  

Trivia night was fun, the team I was on had the lowest score so we lost once again.  These trivia nights  certainly makes one feel how much you don't know, or have forgotten over the years.  Or, maybe it is the mind is not quite as sharp as it was.   I think the best explanation is, it takes longer for the information to sift through all of the things we do know and doesn't come through until after the time limit to write the answer down.  An interesting couple of hours was had by all.

This afternoon I am house sitting for DD2 as she and SIL are both working when a new fridge is to be delivered.  There is a time frame of  three hours for the delivery, so I will be taking some hand sewing to do during that period of time.

I hope to get my walk in sometime today, it all depends on the weather, it could get a little slippery underfoot.  If it does, the area walking track is just down the street a few blocks, so will do that to get my steps done.  

Have a wonderful day

Cheers  

One week into 2024

Well, that certainly was a fast seven days, I really don't know where the time goes.   

The weather we are currently experiencing is not January weather as we have had in past years. It is still mild, with a temp at present - 10:15 a.m. of 2*C, however, what wind might be out there would certainly make it feel a bit colder.  Living here in S.W Ontario, it is a milder area of Ontario, further north locations have snow and colder temps.  I am quite happy to be having this weather, unfortunately local ski hills are not able to function due to the lack of cold temps so they can make snow if Mother nature doesn't provide it.  

On January 1st. I noted the times for sunrise and sunset,  today one week into the new year I did the same, so far we have gained seven minutes of daylight, you would never know it though, as it has been cloudy every day.  Hoping when the sun does poke its head through those clouds we can turn on our lights a little later.  The forecast for the this week does not look as if that will happen any time soon.

Lazy day yesterday, did some hand sewing as I had an upset tummy, all good now, must have been something I ate-----could it have been the licorice allsorts-   LOL.  

Housework to be done today, not that there is much to do, it's all taken care of in a short period of time.  A walk is also on the agenda, and tonight is Trivia night in the lounge, so will be  going to that.  

Have a wonderful day

Cheers.

We have some snow

While I was out walking yesterday snow flakes started to fall, not the big fluffy ones, but, they were flakes just the same.  There is a light covering on the roof tops and the grass, however, the parking lot and walking path are all clear, so it appears another walk is going to be OK to do later today.

I have managed to keep one resolution of walking every day,  however, "the not buy any fabric" resolution was broken yesterday.  I purchased a collage pattern last year, and intend to get it started and hopefully finished during the winter.  It uses batik fabric, of which I have very little, and of course none of the colours needed.  A fabric shop which carries only batiks, not too far from me was having a sale,  who can pass up a sale of fabric!   Three other members of the guild and I went and had some retail therapy.  The shop was quite busy, and I did not find all of the colours I needed, so will have to go back.  

Another resolution was broken last night while watching TV.  Licorice allsorts was a Christmas gift,  I love them, and as I am trying to eat healthier, decided to only have three in the evening.   Have you ever tried to consume only three of your favourite sweet treat?  It is almost an impossibility.  Previous evenings have been OK, last night, well not so much.  

Must get back on the straight and narrow starting tomorrow.

After the Christmas dinners I had at my two daughters homes over the holidays, leftovers came home with me and popped in the freezer, needless to say not much cooking has taken place in my kitchen for the past week or two.  Unfortunately, all those dinners which were frozen are now gone, so will need to prepare dinner tonight.  Due to the wintery weather, something warm and comforting should be on the menu tonight, will have to look and see if anything fits that description.  

Have a great day.

Cheers.

What was that in the sky!

In my neck of the woods, recently I have had dark clouds, some full of cold rain showers, others just rushing by, those I hope were carrying the snow flurries which were predicted but thank goodness did not empty out over my city.  Having said that, we did have a little dusting of snow that had settled on the roof tops overnight.  But, early this morning that big ball of fire in the sky was warm enough to melt it and we are now back to dreary looking skies again.  These last couple of weeks have been mostly cloudy,  I do miss the sunshine.  

Went to my first quilting meeting of 2024 yesterday, as in past years, all the members make a block which is then sewn together to make a quilt for a facility which helps homeless people get into an apartment and make a new life for themselves.  There is always a "show and tell" where members have finished a quilted project and brought it to show everyone.  Unfortunately, not many were shown, not much sewing was done of the holidays, that also applies to me too.  

Had my hair trimmed this morning, I was beginning to feel like a shaggy dog, all neat and tidy again for a few more weeks.   Then I needed to visit the grocery store to stock up on perishables, fruit,, veg, milk and a loaf of bread.  I don't think a lot of people have been grocery shopping this past week, I am sure they have been cleaning up leftovers as I have been doing.  Anyway, there were a lot of fruit and veg on the clearance rack, and I picked up a bag of bananas, two great big bunches which were in great shape.  I will eat them until they start to get overripe then they will be turned into banana bread or muffins.  It was such a great deal, I couldn't pass it up.

Also made a quick stop at the arena where there is a walking track, as I wanted to enquire about the opening and closing times, as that is going to be an alternative place for me to walk when weather conditions are not favourable outside.  Hours of operation 8:00 a.m. to 8:p.m. so lots of time to get in a walk, when I went there years ago, it was always quite busy in the early morning hours, I doubt I will be there at that time.   

So now, as I have just wrote about a walk, I should get all togged up and get moving,  walking in the southerly direction will be OK, it's the return north which will see me walking into the wind.  I keep telling myself, it's new years resolution to walk every day, you will not freeze to death and there is always a nice warm drink of tea I make when I return to warm me up. 

Have a great day.

Cheers.

Happy New Year

Every day since Christmas Eve, I have been out either during the day or the evening, being with family and friends.  The food and late nights finally caught up with me, so last night I stayed in.  There was a shindig upstairs in the lounge but, decided I needed a quite evening for a change.  Quite enjoyed it too.

This morning was cloudy but the sun finally poked through for a short period and has now disappeared again.  It was quite cool when I went for my walk,  3 kms today, will be increasing it after the week, (a resolution - to be more active)    The sun shone on my face walking south but when I returned to my starting point the slight wind was in my face.  As it was coming from the north, it had a bite to it.  Note to myself, wear thicker gloves, as the only part of my body that was cold were my fingers.  When the weather becomes colder and more slippery under foot, I will be going to the walking track at the arena, not the best place to get some exercise but the safest one for me.  Don't want to end up falling at this stage of the game.  

All the calendar's were changed to the 2024 ones, I like to use the ones which have a large space under each day, using it to jot down appointments etc.  I also use that feature on my phone to, however, still like to see the written word for dental appointments etc. which are scheduled for much later in the year. 

No need to prepare dinner tonight, as I am going to use some of the frozen meals I accumulated from my two daughters left overs from Christmas meals.  Just pop one in and nuke it.

A slow day of news, not much activity anywhere, stores and businesses closed for the holiday, and I am sure not many people are out and about do to some excess partying late last night.   

Have a great day

Cheers and health and happiness for 2024.