This Wave's For YOU!

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

'Fast away the old year passes.....
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses!'

Thinking of family and friends, far and near, and sending all best wishes for 2011!!

CHRISTMAS 2010....and the Approach of 2011!

Had planned to post on Christmas Day itself, but..... I nodded off in front of the fire, then the next thing I knew it was Boxing Day!!

A beautiful candlelit service on Christmas Eve struck just the right note to begin my Christmas celebration, phone calls and e-mails kept me connected with family and friends, and a delicious turkey dinner in the company of good friends rounded out the time of celebration...

Another turkey dinner tomorrow with more friends, plus a visit to the local pantomime of 'Wind in the Willows', continues the holiday festivities. A friend has 'Open House' on Tuesday afternoon, then on Wednesday afternoon, my friends and neighbours here in the building are coming for a 'wee spot of tea'. Thursday evening the 'skirl o' the pipes' will echo through the building, as other friends gather here for a 'Tartan Tattoo and Hogmanay Happening', in anticipation of New Year's Eve... by which time, I shall be quite content to park myself in front of the TV and watch others whooping it up!!

My wish for you, in the custom of the Scots, is:

LANG MAE YER LUM REEK!!

Translation: LONG MAY YOUR CHIMNEY SMOKE!!

Origin: At the time when this saying originated, not everyone could afford coal to burn to keep warm. The saying is therefore a wish that you will have adequate finances. If you could afford coal, then you could also afford to feed your family and were better off than a lot of the people at the time!

HAPPY HOGMANAY!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

MOTHER'S 100th BIRTHDAY, December 22, 2009

In just a few days' time, on December 22nd, it will be one year since we gathered for Mother's centennial celebration!!

I'm sure the marking of her 101st birthday will be much more low key - although apparently the Queen should still be sending a birthday card!

The Scaffolding Came....and the Scaffolding Left....

Although the actual physical work of remediating our 'leaky condo' did not take a full year, these two sets of pictures are taken just over a year apart, and give an idea of the 'before' and the 'after'.

We are SO thankful that the project is now completed - and we enjoyed a special celebration together this past Monday to mark that completion!!

The Road Scholars and the Unveiling of 'Our Emily'

Painter Emily Carr is a local Victoria celebrity, but up until October this year there had been nothing to indicate this fact to either visitor or resident. One of our Road Scholar friends was on the committee charged with rectifying that situation. Consequently, not only to celebrate a historical figure of note, but also to support our friend, the Road Scholars turned out en masse for the unveiling of the statue of 'Our Emily', in the grounds of the Empress hotel, overlooking Victoria's Inner Harbour. In the large crowd gathered for this festive occasion, we saw at least three Emily look-alikes, one of whom had a monkey (Woo) riding on her shoulder, just as Emily dd in real life! It was a memorable occasion, and we were especially privileged to have our picture taken together with the sculptress herself!

Sunny Summer Outings With Local and Visiting Friends

I am so thankful to have so many friends who are ready to drop everything and head out for an adventure of one kind or another! So many activities to choose from, on a sunny Sidney or Saanich Peninsula day.....

Biking & Hiking on Hornby Island and Around Parksville

The 'Road Scholars' is the name we have given to the group of us who enjoy pedalling - not too vigorously, on the level and in fair weather! During the spring, summer and fall, we plan a different route each week, with a specifically chosen rest stop along the way. In June we decided to venture farther afield, so loaded bikes on vehicles and headed up-island. A short ferry ride to Denman island, a short drive across the island, then another short ferry ride brought us to Hornby island, where we explored the quiet, sometimes gently sloping, country roads on our bikes. Our two cabins, where we spent a very peaceful and restful night, overlooked the water, and the next morning we went on a lovely hike through a park, again enjoying panoramic views of the ocean.

After the peace and quiet of Hornby island, it was a bit of a shock to be encountering the traffic of Parksville, but we did eventually find a quieter area,which was much more to our liking!

Having had such an enjoyable time away together, we are seriously exploring the possibilities of a trip to Holland in the not-too-distant future (while we are all still able to push those pedals!).

Remediation, Dumpster Fire and Volcanic Ash....

As many of you know, Bevan Walk, the condominium building in which I live, was undergoing remediation earlier this year. It had been diagnosed as a 'leaky condo', much to the dismay of all of us living and working in the building....This necessitated the decidedly expensive 'treatment' of replacing the exterior of the building, as well as the installation of all new windows. For the best part of eight months, the building was surrounded by scaffolding, which in turn was shrouded with blue and green netting.

As the new windows were installed, they had to be tested, to ensure that they would remain watertight when battered by driving rain...so, welcome to my bedroom, where such testing was taking place!

A few weeks later, water was once again being sprayed around, this time by the Sidney Fire Department, on a fire, started accidentally, in the big yellow dumpster containing waste building materials. Four fire trucks responded, but thankfully the fire was well-contained, and extinguished in short order, much to our relief!

After all that excitement, I was really looking forward to being able to attend the wedding of David, my one-and-only nephew, and his beloved, Esther, in England, at the end of April. However, you will recall, that was when planes were grounded for several days because of the volcanic dust in the air..... In spite of my non-appearance, David and Esther had a most memorable day, and I really enjoyed spending some time with them when I was visiting in August.