Precious moments..

 Not so much a sequel to the previous blog...  more like

                             "a peek (through the camera) of our precious moments".

 Andy and I were thrilled to share many wonderful moments with the family over the past three months.  We stayed with Gordon, Lianne, Murphy and Rosie for the first two months and then Kenneth came out to join us and Andy and I moved into an airbnb with Kenneth for the last month of our stay.

We received many wonderful gifts, and not just from Santa. There was the gift of time spent together. The gift of laughter. The gift of play. However there was also an unwelcome gift of Covid. 

Lianne became unwell on Christmas eve, and was ill on Christmas. Boxing day Kenneth succumbed, me the next day, then Andy followed the day after that and eventually Gordon developed symptoms and we all tested positive.

I like looking at the positive aspects of things however the only positive thing I could see about Covid was my enforced leisure as I slept round the clock!

Now we are through it and looking back on all our precious moments, even more precious now...

Here are Murphy and Rosie having fun in the rain. Children can teach us a thing or two about having fun. Muddy puddles being an essential factor.

I invested in welly boots for the rain and furry boots for the cold...

As you travel through the photo album, that is this blog's offering you will notice that togetherness is the theme, with different combos at different times.

The girls

The boys

What are we watching!

Strictly fans.

preparing...

finished!

 

 

 

Buckets ready

 and when Kenneth arrived...

woolly hats and Christmas jumpers

Engrossed

Brotherly love.

and two of my very favourites...

going for a stroll

well earned doughnuts

extended sojourn in Canada

Yep, that is how you spell the Canadian town, our son, Gordon and family stay in. We spent the last three months visiting them in Squamish and getting to know our grandchildren... and surprise, surprise I had no time to write the blog! Too busy enjoying the many exploits and adventures of the Canadian lifestyle.

 Now back a week and well recovered from jet lag, I thought an overview of our time away was worth documenting even if just for my own recall...

First of all though, Andy and I would like to wish everyone a healthy, happy and peaceful 2022. 

                                                  ......................................................

 Before we get to the story telling, here's photos of what the grandkids get up to - every picture does tell its own story...

Taekwando

Goggles essential

So many photos to choose from. Be grateful that the photofest is limited to the few that reflect the versatility of our granchildren.

As you can tell, we are so proud. 

Murphy loves swimming and has now added being a ninja warrior to his repertoire. 

However sledging in a basin is just being practical and using what first comes to hand, especially as Rosie has borrowed his snowboard!

 

Getting ready for acting class!

Now it's Rosie's turn to charm with her photos. Here she is ready to cast a spell...

Or maybe her bedside manner will help you feel better. Either way she will certainly brighten up your day.

It was a wonderful experience, becoming involved in their day to day activities. Getting to hear what happened at school or day care and joining them for Halloween was a real "treat"!

Our visit was to include not just Halloweeen but also Christmas and New Year. We celebrated Thanksgiving, Canada style, as soon as we arrived and Gordon and Lianne even hosted a 70th birthday party!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We experienced the novelty of a Pumpkin Patch complete with rabbits, goats and horses. A highlight of this visit was Nonna (me) falling face down in the mud, and me dubbing myself as the "Goat Whisperer". (video available by special request)

Previously, when visiting Canada it has been spring or summer so a winter visit was always going to be a bit different for us. We just didn't know how different!

First of all, Squamish can rival Scotland for its amount of rain... and this year was especially wet with torrential rain and floods prevalent for most of November, however in December, the weather became chillier and the rain turned to snow - lots and lots of snow!

 However as Billy Connelly is often quoted as saying "there is no such thing as bad weather only the wrong clothes!"

I wonder what he would think of the following weather forecast for our planned Christmas and New Year festivities.

 

We were certainly going to have a White Christmas...

There is so much to tell about our three month adventure, I will save some stories for my next blog...

However, I will finish on what constitutes a "Date Night", when you are young and in lurve and then later on, much later on, but of course still in love!

The Young Ones.

 

 

 

 

The not so young ones!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Windows and metaphors

 More and more I realise that there are metaphors for life, if you know where to look. Such as windows...

We have been residents of this flat for five years now and our proposed extended window has been long awaited. The original window was a single pane with a crack and the wood was rotten and when we intended to replace it last year Covid restrictions changed the plans. No biggy considering how other people’s plans had been put on hold, cancelled or been hijacked by disastrous circumstances.

Now for the metaphor - we had a restricted view prior to the pandemic. We didn’t know that our vision was limited or that there was no way of knowing what was about to surface in our lives. No-one could see the pandemic coming and neither Andy nor I could see what our intention of enlarging a window was going to unearth.

However I am getting ahead of myself.

Once restrictions lifted, we booked the work. We were told August, then it was cancelled to September. The 16th in fact! "Great" said Andy, "it can be my birthday pressy to you!"

Then Andy got a phone call to say that the window installation had to be delayed again. Now it was being rescheduled for October. When the situation is one of constant change, emotions can get frayed or alternatively dulled as one hiccup after another encourages stress or distress... in my case, initially it was frustration.

Room ready for workmen...

and now...

Not so much a feature wall as a talking point, and yet no point in talking about it. When tackling the job, the builders started with the inside wall and thank goodness for that, as they found that we have steel wires running perpendicular to the steel beams and no way can they demolish the wall!

So now we are left with a bare wall, the contractor is left with a window we don't want and at present, both the builders and ourselves are out of pocket and none of us know how to resolve the situation at present. 

Architect has been phoned. "Unusual situation" - is his response. Structural engineer's office has been contacted. "He will get back to you"- was his secretary's response... and my response seems to be an unusual calm. I know, not like me. Frustration is gone as believe it or not, I am grateful.

I am grateful that the builders didn't start outside as there could have have been a disaster in the making. Not one of our own choosing but a consequence of our own actions nevertheless.

Now back to windows and metaphors. No-one can ever see what's ahead and no-one can ever know what is hidden from view. All we can ask is that we can see the situation as clearly as we can. Deal with what is immediately in front of us, appropriately, calmly and without demolishing any support structures (relationships) and together seek the best solution.

Putting things into perspective is important and our building "hiccup" is just that, a blip in the anticipated order of things.  Lesson learned - anticipation does not ensure reality.

The only thing we can be sure of at this moment in time is that we are definitely not going to get a picture window!

Another birthday...

 Starting the blog with a photo of my faithful companion of 68 years, my much loved Teddy.

Eileen (aged 2) and Teddy

We are both delighted to be celebrating another birthday. As you can see he is wearing well for his years, meanwhile I have reached the grand old age of 70!  and whether I am wearing well or not is irrelevant, as I feel no different to when I was 69... when Andy and I enjoyed a family dinner with Natalie and Kenneth.

 However the recent changing circumstances have allowed us to have a larger family gathering this year. So we celebrated the occasion with nine of us dining out at a local restaurant. There I am sitting betwixt my two sisters in law, Chrissie and Alison, smiling at the Vesuvius of candles. Obviously 70 candles couldn't fit on the muffin!

Surprise!

 

 

Previously, when asked what I wanted for my birthday, I responded with "scallops" and scallops is what I got...

Mmmmmmm.

The G and T went down a treat too. Just in case you thought I was drinking water!                                               

   

Friends of ours sent a birthday card, with photos of me over the years, What is noticeable are my changing hair lengths as in the past I experimented with different styles before settling on the one I have now...

cin cin

No birthday is complete without a glass of pink Prosecco. Well, if I can't get to Italy for my birthday ... the least I can do is bring a taste of Italy to Largs...

Togetherness

This month's news has flagged up the extreme paradoxical situation of our global society. As some of us are being released from life saving restrictions, others in Afghanistan are finding life threatening restrictions being imposed.

There are no words to express the horror of what is unfolding in an area of the world, known in ancient times as a hub for diverse cultures. Once a land of plenty it is now a piece meal, war zone.

The 13th century mystic poet Rumi, was born in the area we now call, Afghanistan. His poetry focuses on love and friendship and he encouraged music and dancing as a means of understanding the spiritual aspects of life. Togetherness was a common theme in his works.

                        " Together is my favourite place to be" - Rumi

Togetherness is a rare emotion in today's society but when we glimpse it, we know its' worth, and when we share it, we know its joy...

Murphy and Rosie - together.

Friendship

 I had a visit from my friend, Diane, last week. It was the first time we had caught up inside the house... although strictly speaking we were outside on the balcony, but you know what I mean.

Diane had brought me roses and I just adore roses. She also brought a cake and I am quite fond of them too!

However it started me thinking about how important friendship has been in my life. Especially like-minded friends who like what you like... or alternatively don't like what you like but seem to like you anyway!

Being an only child I looked for companionship outside the family situation and have been blessed with many good friends throughout the years.

Grazie amici, 

wherever you are...

Confusing...

 This cactus doesn't know what time of year it is...

• It started off as a gift of a Christmas cactus, many, many years ago, when we lived in a previous home.
• Then it entered a quiet phase when we moved house to Buchanan Street and emerged as an Easter cactus, flowering when spring came.
  
•  Now it has decided to flower in the summer. Unusual for this type of plant but its flowering season has obviously reflected the changes in the light variation of our past three homes.

So for 5 years it flowered in December/January. Then for 15 years shared its growth in March/April... and now it is flourishing in the month of June. 

Could it be confused?

Perhaps... or  perhaps it is an inspirational plant, in its' ability to change a flowering season depending on where it finds itself. Or where I put it...

Yep... it seems I have a philosophical plant... even sharing a life lesson with me.  

It didn't change its nature, it can't, is still a cactus! However it still flowers no matter where it is. Circumstances change the timing, not the purpose!

Now I wonder what my money plant is telling me?