Departure

Not been feeling much like writing recently. So much has happened in a short period of time...
Moved house, had a wonderful holiday in Italy and then returned home to Andy's Mum, Evelyn's health crisis after falling and breaking her hip. Evelyn passed away on Thursday the 3rd November and all thoughts of writing went with her. I had the most marvellous of mother-in-laws and miss her supportive energy and drive, not to mention the love she extended to all around her.

Will write again but for the meantime... the muse, like Evelyn has departed.

Departure from Canada - Arrival in Largs.

View of Green Lake from the ground.

Green Lake from above.

Well, we're back home! Our six weeks stay in Canada was a joyous time. The geography of the place is stunning. Snow capped mountains overlooking glacier fed lakes and trees as far as the eye can see!

We were based around an area of Whistler that is appropriately called the Green Lake. We took a flight with a local company, Harbour Air, over the lake down to Vancouver, so managed to see our base from a totally different angle. The photo below is the plane we were flying in! As you can see, not quite a Jumbo Jet.

... below the plane photo is the spectacular view of the Howe Sound where the town of Squamish nestles by the mouth of the Squamish river. This was an important strategic spot for the Squamish nation in years gone by, as they could control the traffic on the river as it flowed out to the local islands dotted along the BC coast line.

Squamish is one of the necessary weekly shopping destinations for nappies/diapers and such like. Walmart gets everywhere...  and we are very grateful that they do. So basically Squamish is still strategically situated!

Lodge Bedroom

Due to circumstances we stayed in six different locations over the six weeks, so returning to our own bed was very welcome. As Goldilocks says..."It was just right".

However we did enjoy some fabulous accommodation while away, ranging from a lodge to hotel rooms to a studio flat!

We also hired cars, went on local buses and even travelled on a Greyhound bus on a return trip from Vancouver to Whistler.

Didn't manage to fit in a train journey. Maybe next time...

and of course there was also Shank's pony - lots of walking!

Lodge lounge and kitchen

Hotel bedroom complete with kitchen

 We were well looked after. There is a sense of community in Whistler where everyone seems to know everyone else.

The Canadians we met were such a friendly, welcoming bunch.

However it wasn't just the Canadians who welcomed us... so did the Irish.
Thank you Cian for the use of your bedroom for 3 weeks.

Also the Australians. Thank you Joanne for your banter, friendship and support.
Also the Kiwis. Thanks Sam for driving us to Vancouver... it was much appreciated. You even made driving across the city seem relaxing.

... and last but by no means least, the Scottish contingent. Thank you Lianne and Gordon for having us around at your most miraculous of times and for producing the miracle that is Murphy. Who cares where you sleep when you get to spend time with Murphy Auld and his ludicrously happy parents. We felt truly privileged to share in Murphy's arrival.

Bliss

Many of the photos tell their tale of our Canada adventure and obviously the arrival of Murphy was the icing on the cake.

 And talking about cake, below is a pudding selection we enjoyed when "fine dining". Did I mention the food?
There is not just an abundance of every kind of produce, the Canadians do like their cake...

It you are ever in the Whistler area you must check out the shop called "Pure Bread". In fact just give me a bell and I will list all my recommendations...
 

Dessert Sir?

Silly Grandpa

The dessert seems to have gone to Grandpa's head! and Murphy is somewhat perplexed by his behaviour as was I.


Much more entertaining is Foxy. Murphy loves his Foxy and it shows. Friendship Canadian style. Just wait 'til he sees his first bear. I mean a real bear, not his cuddle toy.

There are bears all around Whistler. We even caught a glimpse of one on our last night. Now that is what I call exciting night life...

"Foxy watching over me"

Gordon holding his two precious Murphys!

Ooh Ah...

Vancouver - Goodbye Canada

 Now that we are back home there are even more changes in the offing. A new hip joint for Andy and a new "joint"/ house for us. Yep, we are on the move. Living peripitetically for six weeks with the minimum of clothing and limited space has shown us that down sizing can be an adventure. I will confirm that statement at a later date. Possibly October but could well be nearer the January 2017 mark.

Safe arrival - part deux

What an exciting time it is when a new arrival comes into the world. Welcome, Murphy Andrew Auld.

Proud Mum

What a bundle of joy and how proud are his parents, Lianne and Gordon. Not to mention his grandparents! He only kept us waiting a week after his due date... and had a bumpy first few days. However he is well worth the wait.

These pictures tell the story that no words can convey...

Proud Dad

Doting Granny

Doting Grandpa

on way home... released from hospital

adoration

only perfect

Two Sleeping Beauties...

First family outing

Such a happy family occasion... being able to walk along the lakeside

Yes Murphy was travelling incognito, we don't want just anyone seeing how beautiful he is....

Safe arrival - part one

Well here we are again, in a beautiful part of Canada. We are visiting our younger son Gordon and his partner Lianne, who are expecting their first child... imminently!

We visited them two years ago in Whistler as they now live and work in this part of the world. It is a truly fabulous part of Canada, with its summer sports of golfing, sailing and mountain biking and winter sports of ski-ing, skating and all round snow activities.

View from Lianne and Gordon's apartment

We enjoyed a great flight to Vancouver, with just a small hiccup picking up car then a smooth ride to Whistler. Weather is grand... as in sunny and high 20s! Whistler is as we remember it. Beautiful and full of the beautiful people.

The photo on the right was taken at 6.30am on the first morning from Lianne and Gordon's balcony... and the one below is taken from inside their Canadian home. What a view! Lianne says that she never tires of it. It has a calming influence on the most anxious of souls... except when the planes take off on the half hour. Small plane excursions set off to Vancouver or around the glaciers. This will be a must before we go.


Last visit to Whistler was in time for Crankworx, the downhill mountain biking thriller.

This time we arrived in time for Whistler's yoga 4 day festival called Wanderlust. Yoga Canada style!

The village was full of yogis and yoginis in posture and pose and even some free festival concerts to help with the ultimate chillin' experience...

Festival Concert

Andy and Gordon are preparing for the ultimate juicing experience...

Who knew that healthy eating could be so colourful...

and that the taste could be so enjoyable.

Amazing what becoming a Dad can do to the taste buds.

Italian dining

Ultimate experiences have ranged from a visit to the OB (obstetrician) to the ultimate shopping experience at Walmart... and then there was the most perfect of ends to a wonderful week by going to an Italian restaurant. Who knew that my love of Italy was going to follow me to Whistler...

I will be blogging more as the experiences keep coming.


Safe arrival - part deux next week. Lianne has promised an exciting story to tell.

In the pink!

Andy and I recently attended a most wonderful wedding,

 held in a converted barn, in the vicinity of Cambridgeshire... a long, long way away from the Largs coast.


Finding an outfit for the wedding in a converted barn proved to be problematical for me. I wanted an outfit I could wear again with my usual request of being comfortable.

As you can see in the photo. I am in the pink and what is wonderful is that a friend of mine, Beryl Shaw, took the role of personal dresser and found the perfect outfit for me.

We went shopping after a Ladies Lunch event at The Blythswood Hotel and the very first dress she picked up was tried on ... fitted ... and bought within the space of 30 minutes.

I had been looking for 4 weeks for such an outfit and the best bit was that it came with a 50% off.

Moral of the story... shop with a good friend, always. If anyone wants Beryl's contact details, I can pass them on!

Summer Sensations

I wrote the poem below nearly 20 years ago. Not much has changed throughout that time. I know that there is much discussion about Global Warming, however I think whatever is changing is gradual and will happen over much more than decades... as not much has changed over the nearly 2 decades since I penned this ode!

How is July 2016 working out for you? 

Answers on a postcard please...

 

 Summer Sensations

Sun sizzling, blue skies, cotton clouds, fresh air

Heart skipping, unbridled pleasure, brown skin, bleached hair

Bright eyes, contented sighs, summer shorts, flopping sandals

Hanging baskets, sandy beaches, surfing waves, citronella candles

heralding…

Bar-BQ weather, country rambles, garden parties

… Mediterranean fayre.

Rain drizzling, grey skies, heavy clouds, dank air

Constant dripping, relentless gloom, sallow skin, lank hair

Dark eyes, depressed sighs, winter woolies, sopping wellies

Deepening puddles, stinging hail, welcoming pubs, beer bellies

heradling…

“Greenock weather”, Arran midges, Oban smirr

… The Glasgow Fair!

                   

Let’s enjoy ourselves whatever the weather! 

Eileen Auld 1998

Mauritius

These photos were taken on the island of Mauritius in 2013 when Andy and I were there on holiday.

The first photo is the typical idyllic tropical island scene, with the rolling surf beyond the protecting reef.

Andy and Kenneth exploring the reef

 

The second shows my husband Andy and son Kenneth exploring the reef on a less idyllic day...

And then the cyclone decides to visit the island. Andy and I are "enjoying" the weather. 

Andy says: "It is just like Largs promenade on a summer's day!"

Blowing in the wind!

 

Eventually, the weather really closes in and the reef gets hidden in the mist and the island battens down its hatches for the storm ahead...

  The message learned ... let's enjoy ourselves  whatever the weather.

Some day, one day!

How many times do we say the words "some day, one day"? Or is it more of a thought, not even vocalised into speech... perhaps spoken but with a sigh.

Why do we project a future that is beyond our grasp? Why do we dream without the expectation of it coming to fruition?

I procrastinated about snorkling. I know, not a terribly deep and meaningful goal but one I kept putting off because  ... yes, you guessed it ... fear. While holidaying in Mauritius I used the excuse that I breathe through my nose and couldn't possibly breathe through my mouth! I think my snoring would tell a different tale!

Off the west coast of  America, I expressed the doubt that the wet suit wouldn't fit. Well of course it would ... I would just look somewhat large!

During holidays around the coastal Mediterranean waters, I found every excuse I could.

• I'm not fond of flippers...
• Can't see without my glasses, so goggles are of no use
• Waves make me sick
• I need to look after the children, the bags, the deckchairs, the beach.

I couldn't use the excuse that I couldn't swim as I love swimming but fear makes you say the strangest of things.

The islands of Fiji had been on my "some day, one day" list. Then I got the opportunity to attend a Tony Robbin's Life Mastery course in Fiji. Imagine my surprise when in the midst of detoxing my body and reprogramming my mind, I was encouraged to face my fear of snorkling and found to my delight the joys of the ocean that I had avoided for over 30 years.

Six of us went out on a boat, far away from our island shore into the deep waters surrounding the many Fijian island destinations. I had an instructor with me and found with his expert tuition that my fears were groundless. I could breathe! In fact the breath and the view below became a meditative experience. Not only was the sea alive with beautiful coloured fish and coral reefs but I could see members of the shark family... the friendly ones... moving about far below me, with grace and purpose, ignoring me completely. Sharks hadn't been on my agenda before the snorkling experience but once seen folks... never forgotten. I can assure you.

I so enjoyed myself that I went off on my own and I was the last one back on the boat for the return journey to our island home.

This day gave me such insight into the "some day, one day" scenario. So much so, that for every year since then (2004) I have looked at my one day list and ticked off many dreams/goals/fears and found that each time I did so, the tendency to procrastinate has got less and less. Living in the now and embracing everything that comes my way is the recommended habit of Living It.


The end of the day photo below is the one that says it all. I see it and I remember every moment of my Pacific Ocean adventure.

Namaste folks ... and no there is no photo of me in a wet suit... at least not in my photograph album.

Time away.

Andy and I went away for a day to one of our favourite places, Loch Melfort with two of our favourite people, Billy and Catherine.

View from our bedroom

The weather wasn't the best. No perfect blue skies but we still managed to have the most superb of times.

The view was still inspiring as the clouds gathered and the sea tossed up spray over the rocks onto the beach and the Highland cows calmly grazed through it all. They have no sense of weather watching but just get on with the job in hand. That of eating and eating.

There was the sense of getting away from it all. A feeling of joy in the moment spending time in a worthwhile way. By that I mean in the company of friends who can laugh with you and at you at the same time...

Arduaine

We walked around Arduaine Garden enjoying the display of rhododendrons just beginning to show their colours. I can recommend both the Loch Melfort Hotel and Arduaine Garden and would also recommend that everyone takes a moment now and again to spend time away from the hustle and bustle of hectic living and savour the moment by moment company of friendship.

Let's move away from weather watching and enjoy ourselves whatever the weather.

Over the Rainbow

Happiness Is

What a wonderful sight. An empty piste with fresh snow and a rainbow to inspire. Whether you think that "Over the Rainbow" is a heavenly place where bluebirds fly or you love the sight of a miracle of nature, the picture reminds us that life can be Awesome! as our trans-atlantic cousins say.

The two skiers in the photo are our sons, Kenneth and Gordon. They are having a ball together on the slopes in Whistler, Canada and my response to their enjoyment is summed up in the statement "Happiness Is"... yes that's right... just...

Happiness Is. Not over the rainbow. Or under it in a pot of gold but in the present moment, enjoying what is.

Missing You!

Have you missed me? It has been a while since I communicated through the blog. I have not been writing the blog as circumstances have curtailed my moments at the computer and if I am absolutely honest... which as you know, I love to be... the subject matter, that we "writers" call the muse, has been missing.

So here I am sharing the fact that yes, I have missed you.
Missed, writing my thoughts in a form that clears my head.
Missed, thinking of who the reader might be that ponders my words.
Missed, having time to construct a communication that has meaning to me and in turn hopefully, has meaning for you.

I am writing this blog to all the friends that I have neglected over the past months and even years while I became absorbed in my own story. You may even find a card or letter popping through your letter box as I reach out to tell you that I am missing you...

Take this as the first of many methods of connecting with the world at large. We need to connect. However we need to connect in a loving and generous way. A connection that satisfies the soul and not the ego. I know that the ego can be a good friend, but I am looking to connect with my soul family not the millions of egotists that so many of us turn out to be. And I am including myself in that group, folks!

The following is a poem that I wrote many years ago when I was struggling to connect on a soul level with anyone. Perhaps it resonates with you or maybe it doesn't, however just less than 20 years ago I realised that something was missing in my physiotherapy practice and the answer was being there for you, however I also had to be the being, who is here for me...

Searching for answers

There is only one question requiring an answer.

Only one answer that justifies our existence.

All I need to know is that I am here for you.

Are you here for me?

Researching the Problems

How do you measure Grief?

Only by its presence… heal my pain.

How do you measure Love?

Only by its absence… feel my need.

How do you measure Joy?

Only by its presence… share my delight.

How do you measure Freedom?

Only by its absence… release my chains.

How do you measure Life?

Only by existence… be with me.

                                                By Eileen Auld 1998

Mind your "Ps and Qs"

Being told to mind my "ps and qs" has always been a puzzle to me. Contrary to most people's thinking the phrase doesn't mean which side to put the stem on the "o"! That never made sense to me anyway, as the meaning of being polite, in minding your manners, was implied in the phrase.

I am, as many of you know, pedantic, so I have even researched the meaning... (isn't google wonderful? ) and it would appear that no-one really knows the meaning behind the phrase. Therefore I have decided to make up my own!

The Ps are for process, progress and prosperity. We take our mind and think about the process, the how things get done. Then we notice what happens when we go through the process, we progress. By watching and learning from these two "ps" we reach prosperity, the natural outcome of work being progressively done...

The Qs now are a different matter altogether! They are for Quality Questions. Many moons ago, when I attended the Tony Robbins seminars, Tony was always reminding us to ask Quality Questions. Not for interrogating others but for reflecting on our own lives. January is one of the best month's for reflecting. Like Janus, we can look back and see what has happened and also look forward... in every sense of the words... to the future. I implement a process called Momentum Planning every November, but it can be done at any time and anywhere.

Here are a list of Questions to ponder. They can be associated with one year, five years or even a lifetime. Once you go through the process of reading them, write down your answers and enjoy "minding your ps and qs" ...

• What did I accomplish?
• What were my biggest Disappointments?
• What did I learn?
• How do I limit myself?
• What are my personal values?
• Where do I go from here...

 Six powerful thought provoking questions and the seventh one is -
 "Did you read and apply the process?"
My advice to you is to remember the Ps and Qs not just the Qs!

Adventuring together...

What have you decided that 2016 will bring to you?

I know you are probably reacting to that question with the reply "who knows what is ahead of us?" and to a certain degree that is true. However we can still make decisions that will affect our future. Such as the decision to make regular exercise part of our daily or weekly routine. Or to risk a little more by expanding your comfort zone.

The decision to smile instead of frown is a wonderful life changing decision especially when looking in the mirror!

Now I am not on the goal setting, vision board, writing dream list theme today. I am asking you to consider being a little... just a little.... more adventurous this year and see where it takes you. Being adventurous is a state of mind. It is not necessary to travel to lands unknown or take to the high seas to establish your adventuring credentials. It is however embarking on something or to somewhere that was previously unknown to you.

Or you could look at every day as an adventure as a child would look at a playpark... the shutes to slide down, the merry-go-round, that goes round and round and of course the swings. Everyone experiences swings in their lives. To a child a swing is fun and unbeknown to the child, it requires sustained effort to keep the swing going back and forth. So here I am thinking that sustained effort is what I will be putting into my 2016 year of adventure. Starting with the Forever oppportunity I was given 15 years ago...

Yep it is 15 years since I was given that first Aloe bottle to share with my Mum. Now it is an integral part of my life. It maintains my health levels at premium... able to fight off bugs... of all types and is part of my adventurous year of expanding the opportunity internationally. Could you be one of the business partners I have been looking for? Are you looking for adventure? I would love to share the amazing benefits that Forever has given our family and friends worldwide. How about coming on this adventure with me?

Applications to:    eileen@well-connected.biz