cheers.

Still no word on what I have come down with. I went for blood tests Tuesday, which I was under the impression that I would hear the results of right away. Nope. Three days later and there has been no word, even after two calls to the doctors office. The results have been looked at, since the receptionist says she can see them on her computer, but I guess the doctor has to phone me about them. And she is not in again until Tuesday. argh.

The doctor thinks I have mono. I was telling Justine and Janelle a couple of days ago that I can think of nothing that I would hate to have more. They wondered about cancer and Aids. Right. Temporarily forgot about all life-threatening illnesses--I've been so blinded by my own pain...

I don't think I have mono. I had some of the symptoms initially (still have a bit of the rash and swollen lymph nodes) but over the course of the last week I feel like I have had every symptom in the book! Arthritis, chills, fatigue, swelling, extreme thirstiness, headache... Its been an interesting week.

Today I am feeling pretty good--no symptoms to complain about. And it makes life just seem so much more beautiful! ("You can't know the sweet until you've tasted the bitter." --Vanilla Sky) I am celebrating having an apetite right now by having a glass of eggnog (before it expires) and a chocolate.

cheers, everyone.
to a happy new year.

lists.

Christmas was spent:
1) writing poems
2) eating
a)chocolate
-squares
-fudge
b)stuffing
c)potatoes
d)salad
-Caesar
-three bean
e)cranberry sauce
f)pumpkin pie
3)playing games
a)Settlers of Cattan
b)trivia
c)Rook
d)Apples to Apples
4)singing Christmas songs
5)opening gifts
a) I gave:
--mom: pedometer
--Leanne: teapot and journal
b) I got:
--homemade scarf
--kitchen utensils
--picture
--tool kit
--slippers which you microwave for warmth (!)

I was well enough to:
1) go to church
2) not nap the whole day
3) play the accordion again
4) increase my apetite

good christmas.

good health = great gift

Christmas present number one: a trip to the naturopath's. Very interesting. I went in wanting to learn more about nutrition and my poor circulation. I left feeling like I had a good understanding of my body.

I recommend it. I learned a lot. It did cost money, (which is why I asked for this for Christmas), so if you can't afford to go but would like to reap benefits, here is a brief list of general things that I learned:
1. drink lots of water (of course)
2. eat sea salt
3. thumping your chest like a gorilla gives you energy
4. DO NOT CROSS YOUR LEGS
5. touching your left elbow with your right knee and vice versa (called cross crawls) connects your left and right brains

Stay healthy. (it seems like lots of people are sick at this time of year.)

I've been healed

Apparently, optical technology has changed a lot in the past couple of years. I went to the eye doctor for the my previously annual check-up, which has now turned bi-annual. They ran all of these crazy tests on me which was quite enjoyable, except that I always feel so pressured when I do them--if I answer wrongly my prescription could change and then my sight would be off and I could get headaches! Well, it turns out that either I've been healed, or I made many mistakes on my examination. My prescription has changed from -3.25, -2.75 to -2.75, -2.0!! I can almost see! This big change means new lenses and contacts as well. Contact lens technology has made huge progressions in the last year, says my optometrist. My contacts were quite obsolete. They are being replaced by a variety labeled Oasis, which are "silky smooth" and let in 97% oxygen, and I can sleep in them for six nights in a row. How exciting.

In my spare time I have decided to play the accordion. (My little brother has one which he picked up at a garage sale for $5.) Its been difficult teaching myself, but I am glad that I am employing six years of childhood piano lessons which were given up to play sports. Accordion is difficult; I will not be playing in public for a long time. I have started by learning Christmas tunes. Good King Wenceslas, Silent Night, and Jingle Bells are among those in my repetoire, which is growing as I flip through the carol book. Its been fulfilling; I have always wanted to play guitar, but have never had the time or dedication to learn such a complex instrument. The accordion is perfect because it is similar to piano, but portable and fun.

the prodigal daughter

Home sweet home. I have been here for two days now. I arrived safely after a very fast journey (I am used to 24 hour drives or 4 hour flights (plus layover time) from Sioux Falls). During the flight I lucked out in sitting between two middle-aged semi-pro golfers, sun-burned from their tournament in Palm Springs. Their team finished third in the world, first in Canada. I was part of golf talk the whole way home.

I've worked two almost full days picking tomatoes in the greenhouse already. We are picking the last of the tomatoes off the vine in preparation to take out the crop in the next couple of days. I am glad that I made it here on time for this, as to me it is almost a ceremonious type of event--winding down a year of picking tomatoes by picking the vines up to the top and then cutting them at their bottoms...

Yesterday we came in for lunch break and mom had prepared lunch for us. David said that he felt like the forgotten son in the parable of the prodigal son--he's been slaving away on the farm for the past few months, unspoiled. I get home (after squandering my wealth in the city) and my mother slaughters the fattened calf (or fries the omelet...) It was quite funny and so they told me to put it on my blog site.

need. to. stop. moving.

Why does everything always happen at the same time? I feel like I haven't stopped moving since Monday. I'm not complaining, since I've been occupied with enjoyable things other than a paper to write, but still it is taxing. I am almost thinking that we should start Christmas earlier than October, just so that festivities will be more spread out. Either that or we need to make Christas less of a deal so that less needs to be done, hence less stress. Unless I just learned to deal with the stress...

I am in the midst of a "weekend workshop" which means that I have classes this weekend. It sounds brutal, but all we did today was create art and journal and talk and eat. Tommorrow will be more of the same. And then tommorrow evening I will be back home in Alberta! What a strange thought. Tommorrow the weather will probably be 20 degrees colder and I will live in the country and be able to see the stars and not have to wait in traffic and have a family and a job working in the greenhouse...

I find that it is always telling going home for the first time after I have moved somewhere or done something major. I will find out just how much I have changed over the past few months...

dreaming is awesome.

Last night I felt like I was in college since I stayed up until 1:00 working on a paper, then woke up at 7:00 and finished it five minutes before heading off to class. I enjoyed the familiar feeling, but also think that I might be getting too old for pulling short nights studying. I may have fallen asleep on the drive to school had it not been for Sharon in my passenger seat. I am not too old to procastinate on assignments yet, however. I shall never be too old to procastinate. Although, I wonder if it changes when you get married and have a family. The average student age in my class is over 30, and several fellow students have children. I can't imagine them irresponsibly pulling short nights like I did. They've probably been tucking their kids into bed and then going to work on their paper for weeks...

Speaking of bed, on Sunday I read an article which said that if you want to remember your dreams say to yourself, as you're laying in bed, "I will dream tonight and I will remember it." I haven't remembered many dreams in the past few months until Sunday. Now every night I have dreams and it is awesome. In fact, I can't wait to sleep right now to see what I will experience (and ease this fatigue.) The past few nights I've been playing on playgrounds on really steep hills, longing to roll down the hills, visiting home with new friends, seeing all sorts of old friends again... Dreaming is awesome.

snow fall number one.

First snowfall in the city and some hell broke loose. Vancouverites really cannot handle their snow since it only comes a few times per year. I had been warned of this, so I decided to take the bus to school this morning, thinking that I'd rather be protected in a big bus than bumper to bumper with my precious vehicle amongst a city full of poor winter drivers.

The traffic report this morning said there were a few accidents, some power outages, a tree on the road, some stallings, two school cancellations, and a shooting (yes, that was included in the traffic report.) As I waited for my bus, which was forty five minutes late, I watched cars successively skid through and then spin out at the stop signs.

This afternoon there were snowball fights and forts and snowmen happening all over town. I love the snow.

Saturday night.

I had an adventure Saturday night which started off at a sketchy place called the Candybar, in South Vancouver, to watch Kenda's friend's band perform. Beforehand was a classic amateur standup comedian show. Part two of the adventure started at 11:45pm, when Kenda and I were stranded at the bar with almost no knowledge of the bus system, chaos all around (being that the Grey Cup was being hosted here), and no time to waste since there is much homework to be done this weekend. It was a three hour journey via bus, sky-train, and lots of foot...
Besides cold, fatigue, surprise, and frustration, it also resulted in a free Archie Bunker cardgame and vintage radio/coffee table.

good art, bad art.

A couple of months ago, when I had quite a bit of free time on my hands, I thought that maybe I could become a superhero. I did not know what kind I would be, I only knew that I wanted to wear tights. I brought up this idea with Beka and she suggested that I fight bad art. Good idea, I thought.

As a superhero who fights bad art one thing I would abolish is the tv show Craft Corner Suddendeath... I think that was the name of it. I watched it this morning. The host must have come from WWF or some other adrenaline-based show, and the two girls competing were shallow and fame-seeking. Their assignments were three crafts which they had to complete in 10 minutes each. The first was a decoupage plate set of a celebrity couple, the second was a winter accessory made out of socks, the third was a discoball made out of christmas lights and coathangers. Everything turned out to be poorly constructed kitsch craft. ugh. And it was all done for cheap entertainment value, too. As a superhero I would have to do something about this.

I would replace bad art like this show with a good art experience I had last night: the Vancouver Art Gallery hosted an event called Fuse in which the gallery was open all night until late, wine was served, there were several tours given, a d.j. mixed it up, an installation piece was presented. It was a whole evening of festivities, communing in the gallery with fellow art-lovers. The art-world needs more Fuses, or at least a format for interacting with art in a way that is more personal and absorbing than just going from piece to piece to piece in a large gallery with a limited amount of time...

On another note, I made the newspaper yesterday. I was interviewed Wednesday by a lady as I was walking down Lonsdale Avenue, coming from the library. I feel pretty special.

happy thanksgiving.

mmmm, so full...
I went across the border today for Thanksgiving dinner with my relatives in Ferndale, Washington. It took about two hours to get there, one hour to get home. Amazing how much of a difference the time you travel makes.

I thought my days of American Thanksgivings were over, but fortunately it looks like the tradition will continue--at least for one more year after this. Sometimes I feel like I am leading a double life being a dual citizen. A harmless non-secretive double life, but a double life none-the-less. I claim to be Canadian until I flash my American certificate of birth abroad at the border, slip past and participate in American festivities, then head home, showing my Canadian passport on the way back. Yes, life is good.

So were the sweet potatoes. My aunt made the best sweet potatoes. They tasted like pumpkin pie--I would venture to say even better than pumpkin pie! And they had walnuts baked on top... and there were two types of stuffing and really fluffy mashed potatoes and beans and carrots and apple cider and cranberry sauce and strong coffee and eggnog and apple and pumpkin pies and even cake... mmm...

I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving.

delivering phone books is not fun

This is Sharon and I before we began delivering phone books. We attended a meeting regarding the job Wednesday morning, wached a video which explained the process, picked out a nice, little, nearby route, and loaded up my station wagon to its maximum. We breaked in order to go to our practicums, and I found that the video was correct when it said that vehicles drive differently when they are loaded with phonebooks. I was swerving all over the highway.

Practicum over, we returned to the job, stopping at some businesses before they closed. Then they closed, so we made our way over to residential areas with our list and the 200+ phone books we had left to deliver. We may have been slow. But it was hard! Vancouver is a big city and therefore phonebooks are heavy! And not only did we have to deliver them, but we had to put two in a bag together, with a bookmark in one. Then we needed to find out how many suites are in each place (and there are alot in this area) and where all the entrances are and how to best notify the residents that their phone book is here. And the listings are incomplete, too, so we were constantly searching for houses and numbers...

The good parts: an old man gave me a "hooray I got my new phone book" song and dance; a dog gave me a love bite; I discovered a lot of crazy yards; a made a few muscles; we explored a shipyard.

The bad parts: It took us over 5 hours in total ! (it was supposed to take 2-3); one of my toenails was too long so it cut the toe beside it; my back hurt; we were grumpy; and, for all of this effort, we were paid $39...Minus about $15 for gas= $24 / 2 =$12 each /5+hours= somewhere around $2.25 per hour.... that is one third of minimum wage. aargh.

What made things better was that when I got home I was greeted by my housemate, Kenda, who nearly demanded that we go to nearby Grouse mountain right away, since it was the opening day for the ski hill. This meant free gondola rides up and down--a savings of about $35. Plus a free half a cup of hot chocolate! I swear half of Vancouver was on the mountain top, and skiing must've been insane. We avoided the slopes-- just drank hot chocolate, watched a video about the grizzlies at the top of the mountain, admired the view from the top, and fought our way through traffic. This picture is all of Vancouver with a bit of West Vancouver in the foreground. Definitely a happy-to-be-alive moment. It even made me forget about the scam that delivering phone books is. Temporarily.

Remembrance day

I am feeling inspired today. Here is a poem.

Remembrance day

One nation under umbrellas
as we met around a monument
of names and dates and unknown places
threw down plastic poppies
but not our umbrellas
and high heeled shoes
to let the rain drench
and the mud crash
between the trenches of our toes

fashion faux pas

Yesterday, for my practicum at the hospital, I dressed nice and professionally: my classy Dutch pants with a blouse and blazer to go over top of. On the way to my practicum I dropped off my resume at this place which I really wanted to get a job at. Its an independant business which makes cat and dog toys out of hemp fabrics and organically grown catnip. I would've most likely done production sewing and fabric dying for them... but the position was filled, the lady told me. Too bad.

As I walked away I looked down, admiring my outfit until I noticed that I was still wearing my slippers! By this time it was too late and too far to go home and fix this fashion faux pas, so I went to the hospital and carried on with my practicum, in my slippers. It was quite enjoyable, actually. I felt as comfortable as I could have been, since first of all I had to scrounge up a place to do my session in since I did not book anything, and secondly because I had to videotape this session so that I can later critique my mannerisms. Yes, the slippers eased everything along.

I heard today that the last 31 out of 40 days have been overcast/rainy here. I am getting used to it, but to see a statistic like that is once again disheartening... The mountains suddenly dawned white caps over the last weekend which does make this weather a little more exciting.

Since tomorrow is Remembrance Day, I am once more faced with a four day weekend and no plans. I went to the library this afternoon and took out 4 cds, 4 dvds, and 4 books which should keep me busy. The books are all about dying since I'm doing a report on this. Probably the least appealing subject, but I feel like it will benefit me the most since I seem to be dealing with it in the majority of my clients... So, I am settling into a weekend of death and most likely rain. With a few highlights, hopefully.

warm feeling at a traffic light

Today, as I was waiting in my car for a light to turn green, a balding man crossed the road wearing fairly short shorts and big black rubber boots. It was at this moment when I realized that I belong... At first I thought I did not fit in since I was not upperclass and/or very funky. This was emphasized by the fact that intially people kept asking me where I was from, and an Indian man in a grocery store used the little English he knew to tell me that I looked like a "prairie girl".

North Vancouver is for everyone.
West Vancouver, however...

look what I found.

This is one of the band shots I took of Gabe and Brielle--I mean Rupert and Beatrix... (do I have that right?)

change of font

Is it just me or did all the fonts change my blog? I liked it better before. Maybe if I turn off my computer and go to sleep in the morning it will be all better.

Something scary for Halloween

Here are some of my neighbors.
What kind of people are they?
dun dun dun...

Ambleside Park, Horseshoe Bay, Gastown

Friday night

This is a Margaret's blog inspired poem.

Friday night

1:00am, downtown Vancouver
from a horror movie he has
one eye, the other is
his unbuttoned shirt.
I give him money in hopes not
three streets over to find him
once again
begging his pity show.
Maybe he used my money to involve change
when with about $57 and two credit cards
we leave the club
we make our way, closed
swollen and mutilated shut.
There is a chance that he will spend it
on fixing himself rather than money.
Blood drippped down his neck
himself in violent drug deals, I am just being.
Fill my pockets
to my vehicle.
Homeless man, fresh scrape on the side
of his neck and blood dried down
masking the pain
I return two days later
and shirt once again.
I wonder if this is inconsiderate
as I tell him I don't have.

mom's the word

I would like to say hallelujah for a number of things:

1. mothers. They are great for exploring places (and paying for the parking!) as well as helping you understand your situation, and just caring. Mine has now left me, but that is okay since I think we were able to catch up quite well.

2. the weather. It has not rained for the past few days and has even been sunny and warm today. It has been great for walking around.

3. Picasso. He puts on a good show. I went and saw it today at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The show included mostly his older works, many of them etchings. I had no idea he was such a prolific printmaker, as I associated him primarily with his paintings and sculptures.

4. the strike is over! the teachers voted last night and 78% decided that 18 days without class is long enough and they would accept the proposed changes. This means that I can go back to my practicum and see my clients again which I am quite excited about. I miss them. And now there will be no more extra long weekends...

5. a new practicum opportunity. I was just called by a lady who works at the hospital running a Children's bereavement group. Tomorrow I am going to have to skip morning class to attend an introduction seminar to see how I can best use my art therapy training to participate in their group meetings. It should be interesting.

6. sewing machines. My mother just gave me hers since she bought a new one. So now I can sew all I want! Does anybody want a monk bag? I have also begun sewing wrap- around pants. So, if anyone wants to support a poor, unemployed student living in an expensive city, let me know.

6. my car. I love my car. I just got the oil changed and they inspected it and found a mouse home in the air filter. They replaced that, topped up all the fluids, filled the tires, and now it runs extremely well. Until today I had only seen one other Honda Accord stationwagon. This morning I saw two parked right beside eachother! They were exactly like mine but black with smaller rust spots and intact paint. Not nearly as much character. I was excited to see more beautiful cars, but sad that my car had lost a little of its uniqueness.

I think Hallelujah, by Leonard Cohen, might be one of my alltime favorite songs. Jeff Buckley's version is good too. I also saw k.d. lang sing it for Alberta's centennial celebration and that was quite lovely as well.

mother daughter time.

My mother is here and we have been spending quality time walking and admiring various aspects of the city. Granville Island, Stanley Park, theatre production of The Elephant man, church, Horseshoe bay, Ambleside Park, Lonsdale Quay, seabus, Gastown, farmer's market, rummage sale, scrabble... we have done it all. And we still have another half of a day to do what we can.

nice but rain.

I just heard on the news this morning that Vancouver has been ranked as the best city in the Americas to live in. Yes, it is nice, and I won't complain, except for about one thing: Can't they do anything about the rain?

roommate wanted.

Does anyone want to move to Vancouver? I found the perfect place. It is right on the North Shore. It even has its own private rocky beach and access to the nearby private sandy beach! There is a creek running through the backyard which the salmon spawn in and it is nestled in a natural rainforest. It has two bedrooms, another room which could be a little bedroom, room for a huge studio, living room, kitchen with bright blue tile counters, separate little rooms for the toilet and shower...its close to a provincial park with walking trails, Deep Cove (where Ben Affleck lives), the landlord promises to lend out his rowboat and build a natural outdoor hottub...all for the low price of $775 per month! This is outrageously cheap for North Vancouver, especially coastal property!

Disclaimer: this place is in a shipyard, which some might think is "dumpy". I think it has character and provides lots of free parking spaces. The place also needs some painting and definitely new flooring. It has a spider problem, and the landlord hasn't hooked up the washer and dryer yet and there is only one plug in for both of them. It also stinks, especially when the salmon die after they spawn.

I think it has potential to be a little utopia, but that could be the idealist and wannabe handiman in me talking. Somebody either tell me that they need a place and think I'm right, or that I am being totally irrational! Because thinking about this place is taking away from my studies...

North Vancouver (10/13/05)
2BR main. Nr Cates Park, 1100 sf. Perfect for studio. Private. Cat ok. $775 + 1/2 util. 929-3478

who knew?

Did you know that you can cross the border without a passport or birth certificate? I did it yesterday, no problem. All you need to do is smile nicely and they let you in, even if you might look like a bit like a terrorist or drug dealer since you don't comb your hair and pay more than $5 for each item of clothing that you wear... How safe do you feel now, my American friends?

Yes, it was quite exciting. I went across with my lovely almost lifetime friend, Kristin, since her roommate works at a coffeeshop across the border in Lynden, Washington. Here's a picture of them. Kristin is the dark haired one; her roommate, Chrystal, is the blonde.

Lynden is another fake Dutch towns. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a Tulip festival, as I saw all the other makings of Orange City right there. It was exciting to be back in the States again! Maybe I have become more American than I thought. However, it was a disappointment that I forgot my lackluster American dollars and was also surprised to see that gas prices are double what they were when I left! wow... As good as it was, I returned to the homeland two and a half hours later.

Today I went to an Apple Festival on the campus of U.B.C. and sampled about 40 different types of apples, all grown locally. Ambrosia was probably favorite variety, followed by Honeycrisp. There were about 15 others that I really enjoyed as well, but have since forgotten the names of. It was enjoyable other than the inevitabe rain, which put a definite damper on the day (no pun intended.) Who knew there were apple festivals?

This picture was taken in the coffee shop following the apple festival.

For not having any plans whatsoever for this weekend it has been quite eventful.

schedulelessness

I have a bit of time right now since my housemates ended up sleeping in rather than going to a yoga class with me.
Actually, I have quite a lot of time right now since the schools are on strike. Today is the day which I do my art therapy pracicum at an elementary school, but since the teachers are acting illegaly I have nowhere to be today.
Okay, I have a tonne of time. I have nowhere that I need to be until Tuesday, since that is my first day of class every week. Class Tuesday and Thursday. Actually, personal art therapy and discussions about client's artwork on Tuesday, class on Thursday. Practicum Wednesday and Friday. Its a fairly ideal schedule. Maybe someday I will occupy some of this free time with a job, but nothing has worked out yet. For now I enjoy getting more sleep and spending time daydreaming and discovering. As my mother helped me realize, though, what will I be doing if i am not making money? Spending money. So maybe I should try harder to find something.

Wow, nowhere to be until Tuesday! No plans whatsoever for four days...how exciting.

Anybody have any suggestions as to things that I could do? The forecast is for rain the entire weekend, so I guess I can schedule in my new rain ritual: drinking a pot of tea (preferably licorice spice), lighting a couple of candles, and reading.

leftover pumkin pie

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving. Yes, it is strange that it is today. I am used to celebrating at the end of November since I have been an American the past four years. I am used to Thanksgiving being a much-needed break from homework, a chance to retreat in the comfort of a relative's home in rural Minnesota, a huge feast with first strangers and then relatives, the prelude to Christmas... Today will be quite a contrast since I am in Vancouver now, have already had two Thanksgiving dinners, and do not feel much like being ambitious since it is rainy today.



This picture is what you get when you use the self-timer setting on your camera without first looking through the lense and carefully planning the picture out. I accidentally pressed the shutter button so my camera started counting down before I could object... It was chaos, hence the expression on my face. Regardless of the poor composition, it gives you an idea of who my Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday night was spent with (and the walls of the apartment.) These were only half the folk, however. They are four of the girls in my 15 girl class, the roommate of one of the girls, an Austrailian, and a guy from downstairs a few floors. Diana's boyfriend is also missing since he was setting up the other camera and heroicly tipped my camera to the side so we even ended up in the picture. A little while after this picture was taken the rest of the group showed up: two Peruvians, a Russian, Mexican, and someone from somewhere else. It was quite an international crew, and even those of us who were national (?) were from outside of the province. Aaah, culture. Today I am thankful for culture(s). And the opportunity to live in such a diverse place.

Yesterday I ate my second Thanksgiving dinner with Margaret, her adopted grand/host parents and all of their adoptees and "orphaned" folk whom they could round up. It was also quite an eclectic group with a range of ages from 80ish to four and a half. We feasted and then played with Lego with the child. I'm thankful for Lego and other games, and children who make you realize the value in play.

I am thankful for all the regular things as well, I just thought I would be selective with a few of my thanks.

Today I think I will eat more leftover pumpkin pie. mmmmm.

A couple of nights ago I went blog-hopping. I started off at Margaret's, then clicked on all of her links, then on most of the links attached to those links. I felt like I was in touch with the greater community, with people that I still wanted to know and see. It was at this moment which I decided that I wanted to have my own blog site, to at least create the illusion of closeness. Yes, the internet is wonderful, since through it we can still maintain conversations and show eachother things even though we are on opposite sides of the planet...

On Thursday the lecturer for my Readings class at Vancouver Art Therapy Institute ended off with this poem. It was exactly what I needed at that moment.

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting--
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

--Mary Oliver

Touching, isn't it? Its the kind of poem which makes you want to sigh and put your arm around whoever is next to you... Anyways, I don't want to establish my blog site as being fluffy, so I will stop here.

But first I shall enclose a couple of pictures taken this morning. Margaret and I went to Lonsdale Quay, a marketplace on the North Shore. We looked around, she bought a vest, we admired the view of the coastline and then took a couple of pictures.