dancing in the streets

 It took 11 hours of sleep overnight plus 2 hours yesterday afternoon before I felt back to normal, however my muse has not yet returned so I’ll have to hack this out for posterity.

I’d had a few early mornings last week leading up to this weekend's stay at the villetta, and then there were a few late nights on the weekend coupled with early mornings. Gosh I was exhausted! 

Our weekend started on Wednesday afternoon after golf. We loaded a bunch of stuff, including my amazing vacuum, into the car and then headed cross-country to our vacation home. It was easy to unload and soon we were settled. Kirsten joined us for a quick beverage and then we headed to SF for a wee bit of shopping. It wasn’t long after we were back before K&S came by for an after supper drink. Ahhh!

Thursday we trundled over to Perth for a new tv remote and a scenic drive. We weren’t back for long before Olaf, Stephanie & Freya arrived. I sat on the sidelines watching everyone struggle to erect the nylon tent as they made their home for the next two nights. Graham arrived sometime before supper. Then the festivities began. 

I did some of the cooking and baking last week in preparation for the festivities which made some of the meals a bit easier, although Kirsten and the girls bore the brunt of the work.

Mom and Dad came by for lunch on Friday - it was cloudy and ever so slightly cool - perfect for some time on the patio although some did brave the frigid waters of the pool.

Friday night our hair all came down (those that have hair) and we danced and sang and rejoiced late into the night. It was wonderful! 

We came home yesterday after a congenial breakfast and hearty good-byes. 

The dogs have barely budged. We’ve been leaving Adia loose in the camper when we head over to K’s - I’ve heard her howl a few times but otherwise she’s settled in. At times I’d bring them over to the patio or for a little walk in the backyard - Adia was good for sticking around but Spike would eventually wander off, confused about where he was. I have to keep an eagle eye on him as he would for sure get lost. When I call him he is often unable to locate where I am, more reason to keep a close eye on him.

Awesome!

“a hot bath after a few days of short ‘navy’ showers”

“dancing and singing all night”

“having a 2 hour nap after we got home”

“seeing everyone so happy”

“the vibrant green of the young cedar”

new new zealand

 Saturday: We are comfortably settled into our seasonal campsite in New New Zealand. Yesterday afternoon the sky was spitting at us, daring us to make the trip. We took up the challenge, fists raised at the dark sky as we drove. The rain came down a little harder as we got here, but not hard enough to dissuade us from our task. 

Once the trailer was comfortable situated (with Kirsten and Shawn’s fine help) we got to work setting up. Stall mats were dragged into place to make a pad of sorts, we unhitched and leveled the beast. Then I got to work inside while Carm and Shawn hefted out Grace’s outdoor cage and then ‘built’ the patio. Heavy work as each mat weighs close to 100lbs, but an awesome result!

It was wonderful to spend time with everyone, pickup up exactly where we left off last fall.

This morning dawned bright and sunny. Yes, dawned. I know this because I left the blind open on the east side of the camper and the sun shone in my eyes at exactly sunrise! Spike woke up not long after so the dogs and I trudged outside for a few minutes. Hordes of hungry mosquitoes descended on us.

We puttered around the campsite the rest of the day, settling in and relaxing. Eventually Olaf, Stephanie, and Freya arrived.

Sunday: All the fun continued into today’s Father’s Day celebration. 

We arrived home late in the afternoon exhausted but happy. Spike has been on the futon since his supper with barely a flutter of an eyelid, Adia curled up beside him.

Thursday was a slightly different scenario. Oh gosh, I felt like crap and so did Carm. We struggled through the day, breaking up tasks with short rests, but we got through it happy with the knowledge that we are double vaccinated!

Awesome!

“feeling sick after the vaccine and knowing that it’s my immune system at work”

“pulling out of the laneway as we start our short journey”

“being with family”

“Adia doing her pee on the leash right away - she’s not used to ‘going’ while on leash”

“the new leashes worked out great”

“family all together”

fully jabbed

 It’s done! We’ve had our second shot and I didn’t even cry (although I was close a few times). The feeling of relief that isolation might soon be over was palpable. Plus the jabber kept the needle in my arm for ages as Carm futzed with his camera. 

When it was my time to go into the building, Carm asked the gatekeeper if he could come with me and get his at the same time instead of waiting for 2 more hours… well… YES! So we marched through the process together, each step bringing us closer to freedom (sometime in the distant future but we’re going in the right direction).

When it was all done and dusted we went to the local Canadian tire for some fabric glue to do more bag modifications. We were in and out pretty quickly thanks to the CT website aisle number directions to the product. It was hard not to be distracted by all the stuff.

Next stop was a lovely visit with friends. And then later with O&S online. 

A truly awesome day :-)

74.56% of Canadians 12 and older have had at least one vaccine.  

16.58% of Canadians 12 and older are fully vaccinated.

Awesome!

“Waking up knowing that it’s vaccine day”

“getting the jab!”

“waving at friends as we pull into their driveway”