Home away from home

Routine - it's so easy to slip into a new one. I've only been here a few days but already I find myself slipping into a pattern.  Up by 7:30 a.m. or so, a leisurely breakfast while doing the daily crossword, watch the news and check my e-mail and Facebook (with no phone it's my contact to family and friends), and then get dressed for my morning walk.

Yesterday, I walked to my cousin's office - it had seemed a long distance when we were driving but really wasn't.  It took me somewhere between 35-45 minutes to walk (I'm not a fast walker) and since I was far too early, I stopped at Tim Horton's for a coffee along the way.  While I was in the store enjoying my coffee it began to pour but had tapered off considerably by the time I finished.

We visited for awhile and talked about cruises, past and planned...she's a travel agent and knows lots of tips and tricks for booking the best deals.  She drove me home around lunchtime, where I watched some of the Junior hockey bronze medal game before heading out again.

I needed to get a few items from the grocery store and stopped in at a local outlet hoping to find a reflective vest or tape.  I had no luck but it was a good walk as it took me up the hill into another part of town.

At home I read for awhile before the gold medal game was televised (Canada won 5-4 over Russia - first gold medal in 5 years!).  I took some photos of the interior of my home away from home.

The kitchen is bright and positioned off the front door of the house.  I really wanted this unit as it has a full kitchen, while the one-bedroom has only a microwave, electric fry-pan, and a small fridge.

The living room is the first room you enter as you come into the unit down a narrow hallway.  (The bathroom is to the left in this hallway). To the right of the lit lamp is the kitchen, the doorway you can see in the photo leads to the furnace room and past that the second bedroom and to the left of the television is the door to the bedroom.

 The bathroom is also large as it holds the in suite laundry facilities.  I was warned by my landlady not to use the dryer (much) but to allow my clothing to dry.  That's fine for most items, but not towels so I'll have to wait until she's out of the house!

The bedroom is huge with a king size bed and a double closet.  I'm still sleeping on the one side though I use more than I've been hogging the covers.

Did I tell you the furnace is wood-burning? Yesterday, Margaret was away all afternoon and most of the evening, so I kept the fire burning, The heat is turned off at night, and I hear herup and about early in the morning loading the furnace with wood.  I suspect she also has natural gas, as one morning there was heat and when I checked the furnace there was no wood in it.  Today I also noted there are two chimneys, side by side on the roof.  I don't find the house cool even in the early morning, though I do wear a sweater most of the time.

It's a lot of house for one woman to care for, and she mentioned she had it listed before her husband passed away (in December).  She's planning to list it again and find a place closer to Qualicum Beach just a few miles up the highway.  The neighbour's house is up for sale too...I checked the price on MLS...$1,295,000 though it comprises two lots.  I would suspect this house (4000 square feet) with oceanviews from the main floor would likely fetch close to a million as well.   Not for me, even if I won the lottery!

But for now, this is my home, sweet home.

Have a great day everyone!

If this is winter...

Bring it on!  My cousin B informed me that yesterday was  their idea of a "winter" storm.  I did notice people all bundled up, one lady in a fur-trimmed parka, but in comparison to the temperatures at home I found it mild...if a little wet.

I really didn't do much yesterday...which frankly, is part of the plan!  I did have a lovely walk along the shore.

The walkway begins about two blocks from here I am staying.  There is a large condo unit there called Beachview and I suspect the walkway was built as a result of this project.

The walkway extends into the community park where the boardwalk becomes paved.  Although it`s not visible in this photo, I was able to walk to the point about another 1/4 mile.

Unfortunately there is private RV park past that point that is fenced in, so my walk along the beach ended there.

A view looking back towards where I had come from.  Again, not a great photo but in the centre you can see a large white building.  The house were I am staying is back on the hill to the left of that.

I may have to find a bird book, I know the Canada geese but the white feathered one is new to me. I checked the birds of North America site and didn't find it.  Would you know what it might be?

There were also sea gulls (big fat ones) and crows wandering about.





I wandered back through the park and back up to the main street.

And look,  there are still plants showing color!  My landlady tells me her crocuses should be starting to push up by the time I leave at the end of the month.

This is a happy face!  It was wet, but such a refreshing walk.  I could wander as long as I liked as I had nowhere specific to go.  I was out for nearly an hour, before heading home for a warm shower.

My cousin stopped by later that morning, and then the landlady popped in for an hour or so in the afternoon.  I spent the evening knitting and watching junior hockey (Canada won!)

Today I'm off on another walk, this one much further, as I'm going to visit my cousin at her workplace - a travel agency.  She's already promised me a ride back....it's been many years since I've walked that far and I'm sure I'll be exhausted.

Note to self: I need to stop at a local store to pick up a reflective vest.  I'd like to take a walk after dinner but it gets incredibly dark here with overcast skies and often rain, the streetlights just don't cut it.

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Go!

I'm currently in the Regina Airport ready to embark on the first leg of my trip.  I though I'd have a hard time sleeping last night and I was right, at least for the latter half of the night.  After 1 a.m. I was awake every 30 minutes to  an hour, checking the clock to make sure I didn't miss the alarm.   I finally got up at 5:30 and went outside to shovel the driveway....one.....last....time.

We got a total of 9 cms. of snow (about 3 3/4 inches) over the past 24 hours.  I'd shovelled twice yesterday but it had blown in on half the driveway so there were spots that had more than the snowfall.  It is also cold, -24C (-11F) with windchills into the -30 range.  I know I'm going to miss my kids and my cats....but I certainly am not going to miss the weather!

******
Just before I boarded the plane in Regina I realized I had forgotten my cellphone at home  I'll have to see if I can get one of those disposable phones, with a pay as you go plan, because although I have my laptop I won't always be connected. Maybe that's not a bad thing.

I'm now waiting for the first call for boarding for the flight from Calgary to Vancouver, part two of the journey.  It's scheduled to leave in just over a half hour so I expect we'll be boarding shortly.  When we landed in Calgary, we weren't able to get into the terminal as our ramp was in use and the pilots were waiting for directions.  So we sat on the tarmac for about 20 minutes...the little guy across kept asking his mom, "can we get off yet?"  Oh so close, but oh so far away!

*****
The third leg of my journey was the best.  We landed in Vancouver about fifteen minutes late but with still enough time to grab a bite to eat and to send a Facebook message to my daughter.  I realized one more thing I'd forgotten,...my driver's licence.  I'm such an idiot!  Since I'm planning to drive to Comox to pick K up from the airport on the 13th I don't want to be without my licence...although I did consider asking her to bring the items with her I realized even if I were to borrow my cousin's car it would be my luck that I'd get pulled over.

We left a few minutes late from Vancouver and the flight was only 15 minutes!

B was waiting for me in the terminal and I couldn't help but jump and down and say, I'm here, I'm really, really here!

We drove straight to Parksville, to the home I'll be living in for the next month.  The unit is in the basement, and all of the rooms are large, and decently furnished.

I have a huge king sized bed.  I'm so used to be skooched over to allow the cats room that it feels a little odd to have this much space.

There is a complete kitchen (where I am currently sitting) which would likely have a view of the ocean except for the tall hedge in front of me.  I expect my landlady M has the better view.

And it really truly is only a minute to the beach, however it is down 57 steps and this part of the beach has been closed due to erosion.  The community park is only a block or so away so I'll be able t wander down there to get to the beach.

*****
After meeting M, bringing in my belongings, B and I went to the grocery store to get some basic items. I was very appreciative as it would have been a heavy haul walking the six or eight blocks.  Now I just need to pick up a few items at a time as I need them.

We spent the afternoon back at her RV with the two dogs, Chip and Dale (miniature Pinschers) and her cat Xena (Himalayan).  Her husband got home from work shortly before 5 and we left him to watch Hockey Night in Canada when we went for dinner.  I was "home" by 7 p.m., unpacked, in my pajama's and reading in bed in short order.  It was a long day!

*****
It's pretty apparent B and are family.  When I sent the message to my daughter I told her I'd get B's address so she could send it Priority Post.  I had also posted on my timeline what an idiot I was forgetting my cellphone.  When I got to the airport in Nanaimo, B told me she had already sent a message to my daughter with her address.   As mom used to say, great minds think alike, fools seldom differ!

My brother just e-mailed to say, the weather app on his phone shows 4C in Nanaimo, while in Regina it is -34C with windchills of -44C.

I'm here, I'm really, really here!  It's just after 8:30 a.m. and I'm going to go out for a walk in the rain.  It was coming down hard for a while but seems to have tapered off as the sky is lightening.

Have a great day everyone!

Friday Funny

I sure hope I won`t need these on my trip!

Happy New Year!!!

Wishing you all peace, health, and happiness in 2015!

Ready, set..

I love Christmas!  I love the gift buying, wrapping, decorations, the food (all the food), visiting with family and friends.  But this year, with my trip coming up I've been a little distracted.

Christmas seemed to sneak up on me a bit, and yet I was so relaxed this year. We had a wonderful Christmas Day.  My daughter spent three nights here arriving on Christmas Eve and leaving on Saturday. Since my son works retail, Christmas Day is the only full day we have together. Of course, being young adults they tend to sleep in so our day didn't get started until nearly noon.  It meant I had a quiet morning, sitting with my coffee in the glow from the lights of the Christmas tree.

I started our dinner, a beef roast, in the slow cooker about 8:30 a.m.  Later I set the table, getting a little help from Saku.

For dinner we had the roast, with Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes, cooked carrots and a broccoli/cauliflower salad (it was so good!). I'd never made the Yorkshire pudding before, but they were easy and my daughter loved them!

My friend C joined us for dinner.  She spent the morning with her ex-husband and her son but was going to be on her own for the rest of the day.

We had a wonderful visit (and meal...if I do say so myself).  C has been part of our lives since my son was just a little guy; she was the one who rode the rides on the midway because mom was too afraid!  There was lots of laughter as we shared memories!


We'd opened gifts earlier in the day.

The cat is a gift from my friend's C & N.  On the card it reads in part:
"Pop Artist Romero Britto uses vibrant colors and bold patterns as a visual language of hope and happiness."

This is "Happy Cat" #1289/4000
Isn't he cute?

 
The bag is from my brother and his family.  He'd told me he bought something I could use on my trip and I'd guessed an umbrella!

It has a drawstring at the top so I wouldn't be able to use it as a carry-on.  But it will certainly be in my suitcase to be used for carrying groceries, or my camera ...and probably an umbrella. :)

My children gave me this Saskatchewan Roughrider hoodie.  I had suggested a t-shirt but this will be great for spring and fall.

Boxing Day I did go shopping, but not early as I have in the past.  I slept until 8  a.m. and then headed for Walmart. The big score was kitty litter - a large container is normally $15 but was on sale for $10.  I got four of them, along with cat food, both dry and wet (not on sale).  I wanted to stock up so my son C doesn't have to purchase any while I'm away.

I also picked up more yarn (yes, I'm getting quite a stash built up) at Michael's.  the project I was thinking I would take on my trip is too big so I wanted something smaller.  I'll share that in another post, suffice to say it's new to me and it's going to be fun!

After shopping I met my friend B for brunch at Denny's.  She wanted to try their pumpkin pancakes.  I stuck to the tried and true, the Grand Slam breakfast.  Later that day, I made a batch of buns and a salad to take to a potluck dinner that evening at C&N's.  We normally would go out for dinner but the restaurant was closing at 3 p.m.  C made a beef stew, there were two dishes of perogies, coleslaw, a veggie platter, and my offerings.  We all ate very well.  Did I mention I love the food?

After dinner, we watched some video of N's summer job; he flew water bombers fighting fires this year.  We played a Christmas trivia game C had put together,(do you know the name of the Grinch's dog?*) and listened to "The Shepherd".  This story, by Frederick Forsyth tells the story of a De Havilland Vampire pilot, going home on Christmas Eve in 1957.  Without his instruments, running low on fuel, and encountering heavy fog, the pilot is certain he is doomed, but a Christmas miracle occurs and he lives to tell the story.  If, like me, you've not heard the story, take a listen.


Yesterday was back to the normal weekend chores, and I took down most of the decorations, and undressed the tree.  My son still has to dismantle the tree and carry it downstairs for me so I can vacuum and wash the floors.  I also got my sewing/craft room re-organized so that I will be able to use it.

There is room to the left of my chair to set up the ironing board and the closet (not pictured since it still a mess)has my yarn stash, iron, material, and other supplies.

Today, I slept in until 9:30 (how lazy!).  The cats did have me awake earlier to feed them but I decided to let myself sleep until I woke up. Apparently, Christmas has tired me out!

I still have housework to do (see above) but I've taken it pretty easy so far.  There is batch of buns in the oven, and another pan to go in shortly.  Half of the batch I made on Boxing Day were eaten at dinner that night, and my children made short work of the rest.  This batch should last a little longer, I hope!

After the buns are done, I'm going to go outside, get some fresh air and shovel the driveway as we got a bit more snow yesterday. We're into a cold snap (-26C this morning) and this should be the last time before I leave.  (Yes, I started packing yesterday!).

It's going to be busy week before I get away.  I'm working full days on Monday and Tuesday, just three hours on Wednesday and then on Friday afternoon.  The latter two days are the result of the need to have sufficient managers in the office to supervise the minimal number of staff who will be around.  I've got a manicure and hair cut booked for Weds. a.m. and some last minute errands to run on Fri. before I fly out on Saturday.  By this time next week, I'll hopefully be posting pictures of my first walk on the beach on the island.

I'm horribly behind in reading blogs but hope to get caught up in the next week or so.  To atone for my lax ways, here's the recipe for the salad I made twice this week.

Broccoli/cauliflower salad (all measurements approximate)
3 cups of bite-sized pieces of broccoli tops and cauliflower**
minced red onion - as little or much as you like
cherry tomatoes halved - as little or much as you like
Dressing:
Equal parts of mayonnaise and sour cream (I used 4 tablespoons of each to start)
1 tablespoon of vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons of white sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Stir together and pour over vegetables.  Let stand in bowl for a couple of hours before serving.

This has to be my new favorite salad.  The dressing is fresh - it's the only word I can use to describe it and the colors, green, red and white are so Christmas'y.  A co-worker brought it for our Christmas Eve brunch and when I asked she gave me a list of ingredients but no measurements.  I just put it together by taste. No pictures available as it was all eaten by the time I thought about it.  Enjoy!

Have a wonderful week everyone!
*Max
**I cheated and bought two bags of pre-cut

Merry Christmas!

Wherever you are, however you choose to celebrate (or not) this day, I wish you all a day full of the things you enjoy most.

Love,
Eileen

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