furniture

Since the last time I wrote, just after we returned from the rally, summer has mostly deserted us… we’ve had a few weeks of rain and cold with the odd bit of nice weather as a teaser. Yesterday was beautiful - we were in the city with appointments and errands - and today is gorgeous as well. It was actually nice enough to FINALLY bring out the patio furniture this afternoon. I'm writing these first few paragraphs outside on the sofa! Hurrah!

The wind through the trees is the perfect accompaniment to the sound of birds singing to their babies. There seem to be nests everywhere - between the trees that just won't stop growing, the grass that Carm is in a constant battle with, and the birds, squirrels and chipmunks, it's a riot of life.

We’ve only been swimming a handful of times because of the crappy weather which keeps the pool temp low. Today it reached a balmy 72F/22C… the perfect temperature for an in and out but not for floating around for ages…

The plants on the deck are struggling - some didn't come through the winter with flying colours… the ferns really took a beating, palms are mostly dead, coelous is leggy and ugly. Will a few more weeks of sunshine help them recover? Some I think are too far gone but it's too late to get replacements. I just won't take photos!

Carm’s been getting lots of rounds of golf in… I haven't been up to much other than lazing around trying to get myself going… I've had no energy to do much beyond a slow walk on the treadmill - I'm hoping to get my energy back soon!!!! It will happen! This is just another infernal blip…

Last Thursday Steph came to pick me up for a girls night at Kirsten's. We had a fun time with some black humour hilarity bringing tears to my eyes, I was laughing so hard. Why is it that the awful things are the funniest once the immediate trauma is gone?

Saturday I made heaps of cardamom buns for the family gathering on Sunday - Father's Day and a hurrah to Shenna for becoming a doctor. 😀 Mom made ‘Christmas Morning Wife Saver’ which is an egg, bread, cheese, and ham extravaganza - it wasn't Christmas but we enjoyed it just as well!

Awesome!

“finally getting patio furniture outside”

“a sunny June afternoon”

“finding a dress for Aura's wedding”

“summer suppers of salads”

home again in both places

It's blistering hot out today which is awesome because we are home and the water in the pool is the perfect temperature, cool but not cold. I had my first outdoor shower of the summer! Hurrah! It maybe wasn't so great for Carm as he started to tackle mowing the long grass… he got the front done, muscling the hand mower for over one and a half hours.

The last few days of the rally have melded into one reel of scattered memories. Tuesday night we joined everyone at a Bavarian restaurant for schnitzel and borscht - both were delicious. I think I skipped the campfire that night - I was mentally done! 

Wednesday morning we did the normal coffee gathering and from there I joined Candi, Fran, and Hazel for a little shopping trip to the outlet stores. It was a lot of fun! It was great having a few extra eyes to give feedback - Carm always says everything looks great - which I know is not true - so it's not the most helpful. These ladies gave awesome feedback! 

I tend to not join in to group activies… I'm not sure why, maybe slight shyness or awkwardness. Maybe slightly low self-esteem and the fear that I won't fit in. You'd think that with a childhood of moving schools every 2 years that I'd be good at developing friendships but I never learned that skill. I remember many times as a child standing at the edge of groups but being too anxious to join in. It's strange because in general I'm fairly self confident (or at least I think I am). I stepped outside my comfort zone more this trip and I'm so glad that I did. I got to know a few more people better which left me feeling that I'd missed out on knowing them all these years! It's a lesson to be learned!

I even joined the ‘games’ afternoon and had a blast! John had organized 5 games: bocci, corn hole (such a strange name!), ladder ball, ping pong into cups, and finally kicking a soccer ball through a maze. It was lots of fun even without alcohol and even though I was pathetic!

The crazy thing is, everyone is lovely and so inclusive!

Finally at the end of the day Wednesday, everyone piled into trucks for the farewell dinner at the Mandarin restaurant. It was a huge ‘Chinese’ food buffet - of course they had the regular stuff like chicken balls and fried rice (hard pass on both), but there were tons of stir fry type dishes, a decent General Tao chicken, and a myriad of shrimp dishes. There was also freshly carved roast beef. Oh, and a bit of sushi. I went up THREE times! We sat with Mark & Marilyn, and Terry & Hazel. We know Mark & Marilyn quite well but this was the first year that we'd spent much time with Terry & Hazel - they are so much fun!

Thursday we got up early and after a walk and a coffee started packing up. After our good-byes we were on the road towards Kirsten's at about 10:20, arriving there around 11:30. Carm backed the trailer into the driveway like a pro and then drove straight into our ‘spot’ hitting the exact place that puts us level! Even the satellite dish was easy. It's great to be there - it feels like home and I LOVE our coffee mornings with Kirsten! Mom, Dad, and Aunty Kristine arrived a few hours later for a visit, and then at dinner time we got together with Kirsten, Shawn, and Nissa for pizza before retiring for an early night.

Both Shawn and Carm picked up a tick somewhere on the laneway 😞 Freaked out a bit by that!

Now that we are home, it's time to get back on track with eating! We ate like crazy, and nothing particularly healthy - there was barely a vegetable to be seen!

Awesome!

“shopping with the girls”

“getting to Kirsten & Shawn's”

“seeing Aunt Kristine”

“a great slice of pizza”

“getting home”

lazy day

Today the summer sun is blazing in the sky - it's a warm high 20s - too hot for a really long afternoon walk but we did amble the lake loop, taking our time and pausing in the shade occasionally. The dogs didn't seem too bothered but I didn't want to stress them. 

We fed them early tonight as we were meeting up with everyone at a restaurant about 25 minutes from here - they’ll have a bit of time to digest and won't feel stressed by hunger while I lock them into the bedroom. They are really calming down - I think they are exhausted! But Lupa is still pretty interested in other dogs but passes some without too much excitement.

And Lupa does make some noise when we leave them :-(

This afternoon as we wandered down the back forty road I let myself be immersed in the moment. A breeze warmed by the sun caressed my bare arms. The smells and sounds of summer were heavy in the air. The fragrance of grass drying in the sun combined with the odd flowering shrub for a perfume that would sell millions if only it could be bottled up. Birds were lazily singing their songs of joy. I tried to soak up every ounce in the hopes that I can conjure up the experience on a day that isn't so wonderful.

In the distance was a small flock of swans - floating white dots on a sea of blue. Yesterday I saw close to a hundred out farther on the lake! The giant family of Canada Geese must have moved on to another part of the lake but the evidence of their presence was still visible on the road!

Awesome!

“huge flocks of swans"

“a leisurely morning coffee with the dogs chilling out on the grass”

“a few quiet hours in the afternoon”

“our site is booked for next year”