Home again...

Got back from Vegas on Tuesday. Took nearly as long to get from Victoria than it did from Vegas! Day off on Wednesday when we got some more of the fencing done then two days at work. Glad to have a day off.
Vegas was good. Weather was warm, accommodation good and lots to do. We walked miles! Legs are still aching. The picture is of the waterfall at the Wynn. What a fabulous hotel, very classy. Back to the real world now. I have several thoughts about observations in Vegas which I will share at another time.

Unreliable

I should know better than to rely on the weather forecast. It was supposed to be great weather all weekend. I wake up this morning to rain! Come on Spring get your act together. I suppose that the most reliable forecasting is look out of the window to determine whether you need a coat or what your day might pan out like.



Had a good day yesterday, but there was a sprinkling of irritation in me too. I was searching for a song on Youtube yesterday evening when that really irritating pop up appeared. "Why don't you use you own name for this account?" because I choose not to! It is my name, in part but I will decide when and what name to use. I don't want to be badgered into giving up all my information. I am grateful to use that service but hate The Big Brother attitude that someone is always watching you and trying to give helpful advise. If I want their input, I'll ask! Rant over.

Unsettled

The drive to work today was one of those mornings to appreciate where you live. Cold and frosty this morning (after yesterdays wind, rain, hail and snow....thanks Spring!)which gave some fantastic views over the Coastal Mountains and then the Comox Glacier as I drove up through Courtenay to Cumberland. I sometimes forget just how beautiful Vancouver Island is. The drive through the Comox Valley was picture perfect and sets you up for a great day, which it was. Now for a weekend of sunshine, garden here I come!

Spring has Sprung...apparently!

First day of spring today, not that you would know it from the weather! Bit of everything today, rain, hail, wind and chilly. It will be so good to get out in the garden (hopefully at the weekend), will settle for watching the birds on the feeders on the deck for now. We have some crazy Woodpeckers in the garden (Northern Flicker, above) and the Piliated (below)who likes nothing better than to peck holy crap out of the trees and stumps.



The birds are kind of crazy. We have a loopy bunch of Blue Jays who raid the seed tray regularly (they are really noisy)and I noticed the Robin this evening trying his luck for a few worms where the old raised beds have been dug out.

I suppose we should count our blessing we don't have the snow. Looks like lots of Canada is still under the white stuff, as is poor old England. Going back to sit by the fire...lovely!

Slap Therapy

For a long time I have suggested that some people are beyond therapy and require a good slap. Today I launched my Slap Therapy manual on the folks at work. They all agreed that it is a very practical solution to some of the dense and deranged nonsense that we are exposed to on (it seems like somedays)a daily basis. My little art project provided lots of laughter in the workplace today, which is not a bad thing. Job well done I say!~

Early...

Taking advantage of being up really early to write another post.Didn't mention in yesterdays post that I have had more success with my artful efforts! I had another piece published in Cloth Paper Scissors in the Jan/Feb edition. It is mixed media piece with the silhouette as a theme. The piece is called "It came from the deep" with the silhouette being a large octopus trying to sink a boat. Everyone was really complimentary about the piece, which is really nice. I spend a lot of time doing art projects and it is kinda nice to get some feedback (good or bed). I suppose I want to get a reaction from people. I always do the challenges in CPS and last week had another piece accepted to be considered for publication, this time a tunnel book. I have also started to go to an art journalling class, once a month here in Campbell River. My friend Sue raved about the class after Christmas and invited me to attend. It's a great group of ladies and we get to hang out for a couple of hours and try out new techniques. What's not to like?

Catching you up....

Happy New Year? Haven't been on my blog for almost a year. Didn't really get into it! Hoping I will this time around. Better post a catch up. Went back to England in June 2012, planned for three weeks, had enough after two and wanted to come home. I regard Campbell River as home now. Great to see the motherland again and catch up with some family and friends. It just seems strange to be a visitor in a country where you lived for 40 odd years! Had a great summer. The weather was lovely and we spent lots of time outside in the garden. We visited Cortes Island in the summer for the first time. Really Beautiful. In the fall we tackled the very ambitious task of building a new carport, with what I can say very proudly lots of sucess. Mark was so motivated he then went on to complete a new wood shed too! Then in November went for our annual getaway to Hornby, another beautiful island. Christmas came and went. Mark was not in the best of moods. The highlight of the holiday was Skyping (I am so tech savvy...NOT!)with my older brother in Perth Australia (visiting my Niece and her partner who moved there in September. 2013 arrived in a very quiet way then off we went to Sooke for Marks birthday. We stayed at a resort called "Point No Point", which is well worth a Google. Beautiful 40 acre property overlooking the Juan de Fuca straight. Well worth a visit. Hiking, good food, Scrabble and a hot tub....excellent. Had a week off in February and tackled building a new garden. I used the planks from the old car port to build raised beds at the bottom of the garden. Much better position as it gets lots of sun. The yard is coming along but we have had to do quite a lot of landscaping, which takes time! Now approaching Easter again and we are looking forward to a return trip to Vegas. Caught up now. Must do this more regularly. Simon