Exercise and Passport photos...

Yaaayy !! I am back the next day to blog again....I just amaze myself!!

So to start, I have another gem from Real Simple.....

"I rode the exercise bike this morning for an hour and a half. If it was a real bicycle, I would have been in Belgium by now. "
— Allison Janney in The West Wing

..... and that definitely WOULDN'T be me.....however it struck a humorous chord with me. I've often thought that an exercise bike or a treadmill would be a good investment....however, DH doesn't agree with me. He says that it would never get used....although how he knows that is a question in itself. I think that swimming will work for now....and if I ever do feel like walking I will do the rounds on the indoor track at the rec centre with my MP3 player plugged into my head. I think that walking with someone is a good thing, if you don't have to think or mull over anything....just chat. I find that swimming laps in the pool is a good time to think through problems or issues that need clarifying....just back and forth slowly and methodically breathing in those wonderful swimming pool fumes ;-) It's even better when you have a paddleboard and you can rest your chin on the board and stretch your arms out and let your legs do all the work, or alternatively, rest your upper body on the board, with your arms wrapped around it and again let your legs do the work.

This morning DH and I have been filling in the applications for passport renewal....after which we will take them down to the Canadian Government "Service Centre" along with our old passports and hopefully before too long we will get our new ones. It's interesting that when we had the photos for our old ones taken in late 2002 or early 2003
(can't remember exactly when)..I was smiling.....not a good photo, but nevertheless I was smiling. Now, however, one is not allowed to show any expression whatsoever on your face. In fact the lady taking my photo at BCAA told me I look "awfully sad".....so I lifted the corners of my mouth a tad and then I just looked serious.....or expressionless I guess. We had our originals taken in 2002 after 9/11 but it seems that since then rules have gotten even tougher as far as pictures go. I guess they like to see a picture of you as you will look to them when you approach Passport Control.....either scared ----less, or really p----d off!!! It makes it so much easier for them to match the picture to the person...:-)
On that note, I will finish my epistle for today and proceed with the rest of the day...or whatever's left of it!!

Slainte!

Reviewing......

So I can't believe it's been over a month since I last posted. I always WANT to post, but then when it comes down to actually put words on screen, my mind draws a blank. So I'm letting the thoughts flow for now.

It's been a hectic and somewhat chaotic *season*.....but nonetheless enjoyable!!
It's all about family and seeing family and talking to family and renewing familial ties. Exhausting yes...but oh so inspiring!!

The Kamloops side of the holiday was unexpectedly a lot of fun. I say unexpectedly because I was quite prepared to celebrate Christmas quietly with DH and NO KIDS and suck it up. As it turned out, we had rather well-spaced visits throughout the time from extended family members with an afternoon of art thrown in for good measure.

We did make a 5 day visit to the coast for our Christmas with the kids and their sig. others and our grandson and also for a New Years Eve "do" to celebrate the marriage of our nephew!! Lots of visiting and some shopping and catching up was included in those five days.

Our little Bichon Chauncey also had some time to renew acquaintances with friends at his favourite kennel....although I think the excitement got to him a bit as he had a bout of tummy trouble (polite words for puking doggie!!)on the way home and at home. That cleared up though and he is as right as rain now....

I am now in the process of R&R. I was supposed to start back to swimming today, but I suddenly realized yesterday that I need a few days to recover when I have busy times. It's an ongoing element of my life which I tend to forget about sometimes. I have a concert weekend coming up, so I'm getting up to speed with my practicing and in general trying to get my "art" house in order . Also....I was given an MP3 player for Christmas and I'm trying to find the time to upload the music I want.....and....I have photos to deal with ....posting for download etc... So this all has to be done at a rather subdued and slower pace.....and hopefully by next Monday I will be up and running (figuratively speaking) to hit the pool for some laps. I'm also fighting this overwhelming urge to get back under the covers and snore the day away!!!

I'm thinking lately that a somewhat more frequent blog might be in order. Not daily...although it can be....but more often than I have been in the past. It's all about stimulating the brain to think of things to say. It's so much easier to curl up and read what others write....easier but not very productive. I read or heard somewhere that if one wants to write, one should do so every day...even if only a few sentences. Interesting concept that.....I expect some of my blogs will go as follows....." Here are my few words for today.....Blah Blah Blah.....Slainte!!" I think though, that it's all about the discipline of sitting down at the computer and writing a few words EVERY DAY.....grab the coffee cup and head downstairs or into the computer room and eke out some random thoughts....bizarre though they may be (well maybe not TOO bizarre)....and soon it will get easier...at least I hope so.

Slainte!!

Inspiration.....or not...

Another Real Simple gem......


" You cannot reason with a hungry belly; it has no ears. "

— Greek proverb

....all I can say is.....

Eggzactly!!!!!!


Slainte!!

New Creativity.....

I got tired of looking at the same title in my blog, so I decided to change it.....by making a new post.....not sure what yet....but I'm thinkin'!!

OK....here goes...

A couple of new activities that I'm doing......knitting and painting...on a canvas....on a music stand (I don't have an easel yet....Christmas list!!!)

The knitting is My So-Called Scarf The video instructions for it are here
It took me ages to finally get it going and to be quite frank, it looks ok, but there are still a gap or two that I'm going to have to deal with at some point. I have knitted about 15 inches so far and intend to continue until I've finished the two balls of wool I have for it. I also have found a matching pattern for a toque called My So-Called Hat which I'm hoping to manage to do at some point. I have no idea why I started this project, but I think it intrigued me. I got the idea from here under her knitting section. So I sit and watch TV and knit....and believe me by doing that I have dropped some stitches and with THAT pattern, it's a tad difficult to pick them up. However, I have an idea to fix any gaps that may occur.

My other project of painting was long overdue. I picked up a cheapie pack of canvases at Walmart (my motto...go cheap if you're a beginner) and I put one of them on the music stand and it sat there for a few days. I was working on some drawings and kept looking over at the blank canvas. One day I finally said....what that h--!! I'm going to go for it. It was amazing...once I started painting the back ground...the ideas came flowing out....and when I came to a problem area, I knew it was time to take a break. Three days later, I got back into it and corrected any problems and added more things to it. It is presently sitting waiting for me to work again on it...and I have already sketched an idea to add to it. It's very forgiving working with acrylics....I just had to realize that I had to wait for the paint to dry before working to change something...otherwise I would end up with mud!! It's very therapeutic and I shall keep at it and see where it takes me.

I think that I have to learn to see what people are doing and enjoy it but then leave it. If I keep adding to the litany of things in my head that I want to create, I create nothing....nada. I cannot get it out of my head, there's a traffic jam of thoughts that cannot escape to land on the paper or whatever it is I'm supposed to create. This is a drawing of what I think my brain is like when it's full of creative ideas and thoughts....fighting to find the exit... the little door in the bottom right hand corner of the picture....

Those are my eyes by the way....
So there you are....yet another posting which actually had fulfilled my description of my blog...a journey towards finding a creative soul. It's a journey which is not always full of uplifting thoughts and ideas, but it's a journey that gives one pause to think about how one looks at life and my life in particular. Hopefully in time, I will feel confident enough to post occasional pictures of what I'm doing in my workshop.....but after looking at the state of my mind.....you can see why it may take a while!!! :-))

Slainte!!

Inspiration...

So Real Simple has sent me another inspirational quote that has meaning to me....and I'm sure to others as well .....hmmmmm????

"Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie. "

— Jim Davis

Slainte!!!!

Letting Go.....

Today I wept for a short while
Today I finally realized that I had to let my youngest "do his own thing"
A hard realization to be sure.....

What he wants to do is not important....what is important is that he believes that it's something that he must do.....despite my pleas to the contrary....so I have let him go...in a manner of speaking.

It brings to mind yet again something that my doctor... years ago...said to me when I was in the same position with my oldest.
His reply to my angst...."Let go and let God".....something which I have done without fail since he said that to me.

It's just that with the youngest....it's so much more difficult......so difficult.....

Slainte

Recovering......

Our friends from across the line and overseas have departed. Their visit required two visits to the Lower Mainland, one overnight (at J and C's) and one day trip. The first was to connect with them in Aldergrove and convoy with them up to Kamloops. Unfortunately, we were sideswiped by a very large pickup on the Coq......so large that the dent in the car I was riding was made by his tires, not his bumper. No one was hurt, but we were shaken up and lost the other member of our convoy temporarily. (I believe we passed each going in opposite directions as they were looking for us!!) We finally met up in Merritt. After getting that sorted out, the visit proceeded onwards. We did a day trip to Craigellachie to see The Last Spike and get an ice cream at the Dutchman's Dairy. We also just did some hangin' out in Kamloops and DH took them on a tour around Kamloops and the WildLife Park while I had some downtime. They arrived on Thursday and left on the following Monday. We also drove down with them to Langley and saw them on their way down to the border and then after a quick visit with J, we headed back home. It was a long day. All in all...it was a good visit...lots of catching up and visiting.

However.....

....visits like this are a joy and pain for me. A joy...because I love seeing our dear friends and talking and visiting with them. I have known them for many years and it's always a pleasure to connect again. A pain...because I take at least 2-3 days to recover...sometimes longer. I force myself to be"up" during the visit, even if on my own, and pay the piper when it's over....I crash. The past two days I have done nothing but emails, reading and sleeping with some errands in between (which are exhausting but necessary!!)

It's all a part of the living with fibromyalgia and I have to keep reminding myself of that. Luckily I have been sleeping relatively well, but the fatique lasts all day. Hopefully it will improve with time and rest.....for a while a least.

Sometimes I want my old life back....in fact a lot of the time I want my old life back...where I could walk, ride my bike, get out of bed without wincing in pain, sleep through the night (although that's rarely happened!!), work in the garden, climb stairs with some energy, shop 'til I drop,.......sigh.....a different life entirely.

It's all about making a new life within my limitations. An ongoing project that hopefully I will have sorted before next year when I turn 60!!

Slainte!!

Awaiting guests......

We have guests coming.....from England...via Portland, Oregon, where they are staying with another old friend. They all have visited us many times when we lived in Langley and now they are going to travel the extra 3 1/2 hours up the highway to visit us in Kamloops. It's rather exciting. We will be going down tomorrow to overnight and connect with them and convoy back up here. The plus side of this is that, although our son will not be there to see them, his lady will be and so she will get to meet them...which is a good thing.

Today was spent getting the house in some semblance of order and getting beds sorted etc....tomorrrow we will do some last minute grocery shopping. I'm not really sure what we will do during their visit, but I'm sure playing it by ear will be the best way.......

I have known one lady in this group for over thirty years. I met her on my flight home from England in 1973. She was flying back home to Portland via Vancouver. We were delayed in Gatwick airport for 13 hours....and got to know each other quite well. She was an RN and we have kept in touch over the years with visits, phone calls, letters and in later years, emails. She gave her approval of DH when I introduced him and she also predicted both my pregnancies....thereby giving herself honorary godmother status for both our children (not in the religious sense). About 16 years ago she decided at age 56 to marry a former beau and move back home to England - just outside Manchester. Her husband is a hoot. A gentle soul who adores her and puts up with her moods. They make a loverly couple!!! The other lady in the group is a good friend who shared an apartment with J (my old friend) for many years when she lived in Portland. Over the years, J has had numerous medical problems but has still managed to keep moving and travelling. Whenever I ask how she is...her comment..." Ah..fair to middlin'...could be worse!!" She knows her limitations, but still manages to do the things she likes. I'm really looking forward to seeing her again...(as well as the others of course!!)

So...the bed downstairs is set up, studio is cleaned, a few more things to be done....but now it's time for dindins....

Slainte!!

End of Summer and a new season begins.....

So...after spending the month of August hibernating we did our annual sojourn to Osoyoos for some R&R away from home and home responsibilities.....and.....to visit some wineries, some new to us and some old friends (so to speak). We came back with less wine than previous years, but that was a conscious decision for financial reasons. For the first time we found wineries closed because they were sold out (a problem one runs into when travelling in the off season!!), however, the ones we like so much were open and had the wine we wanted. Some had changed their tasting rooms, added restaurants, bistros and some stayed the same. All in all, winery wise, a good trip.

On the motel side of things, we found that this year for the first time, we became one of that group of "regulars" which feels good. We have all booked for the same time next year.
I think, finally, that I have gleaned the way in which I want to use my holiday. It's taken a few years, but I think I've got it (like Eliza Dolittle!!) It's all about how one approaches it...and I approach it differently from DH. He finds his relaxation by reading, sitting on the patio and swimming and taking side trips, wineries, museums etc. I too enjoy those things, but if I'm not feeling up to it, I like to sit inside (where it's cooler) reading, drinking tea, writing....it's all about doing what I want to do. I tended to feel guilty not taking advantage of the patio, lake, and all the other good things. I realized however, that holidays are not just about doing all that stuff, it's all about not doing the stuff that you do at home.....and not feeling guilty about it....if that makes sense. So...once I explained my way of looking at things....DH still grumbled about it...but I think he understood. So....all in all a good and enlightening week away!!

It is now the beginning of the new symphony season...and we begin with Brahms. How wonderful is that?? The programme - Piano Concerto No. 2 and Symphony No. 3. .....and I have been practicing.....even with a silent mute whilst on holidays. (Gosh I'm keen!!) I have....2 rehearsals tomorrow (Thursday), 2 rehearsals on Friday, 1 on Saturday and concert Saturday night. It will be tiring...but I'm really looking forward to it.

So I have put my art on the back burner for the time being....and working on a writing project that I started a couple of years ago. It's about the steps one takes to re-invent oneself. An interesting thought.....considering that I'm listening to Martina McBride sing "My baby loves me just the way that I am"....but then these steps could lead in a circle and one could reinvent the original.....couldn't one???

Enough blithering....
Slainte!!

A new me!!!

OK, I'm not normally a Simpson's fan....but I just couldn't resist doing this......I found the link on the blog of a Swedish art student.....http://www.simpsonsmovie.com/main.html
You can transfer it to your blog or elsewhere by using the Print Screen button....cut and paste..that way you don't have to sign up to anything.....:-)

This is my avatar.....
I don't think it's a bad likeness....:-)...you think????

I'm Simpsonized!!!!!

Slainte!!

A post of catching up......I think

It's been a long time...I know. I have been in a funk....not sure why...not sure if I'm out of it yet...but I do feel as if the light is dawning.
I finished Harry Potter today.....and no I will not spoil the ending. Suffice to say it's full of action and complexities and is riveting. I do find, when reading a book like that, I cannot stay glued to it as do some. I need to rise out of it and take a breather and do something else. I cannot fathom how someone can write like that, in that style, keeping a plotline going for that long a time......well..yes I can imagine...but it never fails to put me in awe of the writing talent. How does she sleep at night with so many characters running around in her brain????

The last few months have been very hectic with weddings and a birthday party...all out of town. The upside to that is we were able to stay with J&C in Aldergrove (they have a two bedroom suite now!!) and spend some quality time with our grandson. We were also able to spend quality time with T&D in Victoria (before the move!) as we stayed at their place on our visit to Victoria. There are definitely benefits to offspring having two bedroom apartments (or at least a comfy futon!).....it saves on hotel bills!! Some observations of our recent travels....

• Car rides are exhausting.....fun...but exhausting.
  
• I will NEVER travel the prairies in summer again. I'm of the opinion that you have to be born there to actually appreciate all the positive aspects of "The Prairies" (We had a wedding in Prince Albert, Sask. and did a road trip ...going there wasn't too bad....coming back.....hmmmmm.....what can I say....even in an air conditioned car ....ARRRRGH!!!) I think the town and cities have lovely areas....but outside the towns and cities......endless telephone poles......
• the way to cure a dog of car sickness is to take him on a loooong car ride over a period of days and stay in hotels and he'll eventually settle down. By the end of all our driving, Chauncey, dear little laddie, is happy to hop in the back seat and settle down with no drooling at all. What a trooper!!
• Pedicures are very nice!! A friend offered to give me a pedicure in Leduc and I accepted the offer...first time ever for me and it was a treat!! It did, however, make me realize how much I really should have it done regularly....or at least once in a while.
• Weddings on a lakeside beach are very cool and relaxing and informal...as are weddings in back gardens. Weddings in golf clubs are very relaxing too, in a different way. They have the formality but still retain that more casual atmosphere. All four weddings were different and all were wonderful. I am so glad DH and I were asked to attend the weddings of T's dear friends of many years. The nice thing about that is that you reconnect with the parents that you haven't seen for years, some since your kids were in high school. It was a good wedding summer!
  
• I love my camera!! I spent a lot of time taking random shots, over DH's shoulder, through the car window (between the bug spatter!!) and just pulling over and taking a shot of a great looking rock formation. I'm just not sure what I'll use them for...but some are pretty cool.
  
• I also took some pics of the fire devastation still visible around Barriere and the damage of the Pine Beetle Infestation.....somehow those two enemies of the forests will connect to do major damage in the years to come, I'm sure. Our beautiful green province, it's fast disappearing ......when we were in the Alberta side of the Rockies the green was everywhere and lush, no red and no grey....for now.
  
• If I ever win the lottery or make a pile of money, I will sell up and move to Victoria in a heartbeat!! Every time I go there I realize how much I have missed the ocean and the whole living near the ocean state of mind over the years. It wasn't as noticeable when we were in Langley because we were near the ocean (well....1/2 hr away....) and we did go over to Victoria to see my mom. But up here in Kamloops....it's sooo dry......and hot.....and well...not as green!! Judging by present house prices in Victoria now, one would have to win the lottery or be prepared to have a mortgage....something we're just not prepared to do.....especially on a pension. So.....sigh.....it'll have to be regular visits.....and deep breaths of sea air :-)
• Speaking of which....when we were down in Victoria for the birthday party of my cousin, DH and I took a little drive around and ended up at Ogden Point, the cruise ship terminal in Victoria. In the space of 1 hour 3 huge cruise ships arrived....and I was just over the moon. We had opera on the radio, sea air and a huge ship slowing coming into dock....how much of an ocean fix can you get!!

• .....I get weepy just looking at the pics. When I was a child, my Gram lived one block off Dallas Road and when we would visit her, we would take a juice can and a sand shovel down to the beach and play among the logs. Dallas Road has always been my place to regain my "sea self". Sitting on a park bench facing the water, memories flood over me... watching the CPR ferries heading for Seattle and Vancouver and telling which ones they were by the number of funnels that they had. Dad and I had them all pegged. Growing up in Victoria ....one has to go back eventually...and I hope I will.

• The birthday party was wonderful....lots of people there, some I knew, some I didn't. T&D came for a while and probably knew much fewer than I did....but the family were happy to see them...some not even knowing that they were back from Massachusetts. Caught up on family news .....

I have many more things to say I'm sure, but this will do for now. Since we have been back, I have sorted through china, pictures, cupboards and done a little gardening.....and I have taken to sitting out on the deck at night enjoying the peace and cool night air before bed, writing in my journal and in general cogitating on the day and life in general......calm mind before bed.

Slainte!

Another Day...another wasted day....

I'm just not sure what's wrong with me. I'm sleeping ok, (for me) but I just cannot get it together to get anything accomplished during the day. All I want to do is sleep and read and wander around the house. I have a roomful of pictures to sort, an art journal to update....and nothing....NOTHING gets done.
I went outside to help DH weed today in the front, and spent the time sitting on the lawn.
I spent some time downstairs but on my laptop intending to do some updating and .....nothing....I played Poppit.
My life is passing me by and I can't stop it.
I hope it will get better soon.....

Slainte!!

To Market ..to Market ..to buy a fat......LIP????

So we went to the market this morning....lots of good stuff.
Veggies are out now and still a smattering of plants as well as strawberries and cherries.
However.....we found a place that was selling peppers, tomatoes (all different kinds) and cukes. It appears it is a greenhouse that uses biological pest control....thereby no sprays...which is a good thing.
The seller said to us, as I was picking the peppers I wanted..."Those look like a pair of lips" So we took that to heart and voila!!!



Smmmoooooch!!!!

Then there's the pic of our basket of goodies that we bought.....and no..that's not a fish...it's a cucumber covered in plastic....and the little tootsie roll on top of the honey is a doggie treat for Chauncey. There is a lady there that sells home made doggie treats of all kinds so we always gets a bakers dozen for him...he loves them!!

...and finally...as an extra....a picture of a hens and chicks plant on my patio that ..it seems...is due to flower soon. It's the first time I've ever had one of these plants get to that stage .....I'm quite pleased!!

So...all in all a pretty good morning....we actually managed to get up early enough to do the market thing. After the market we went over to Art Knapps and got some chives and seeds for 30% off....AND...we were allowed to take Chauncey into the store and the greenhouse with us. How cool was that!! A lady had a Siamese cat with her as well.....needless to say we made a quick detour to the seed stands until she was through the till and out the door. Chauncey was just a tad too curious!!

Just a little note here...I am contemplating setting up a photo and art blog....still thinking about it...but I'll post it here when I do...

Slainte!!

Random Thoughts......

So...it's been a while.
Throughout that "while" I have had several topics flow through my mind for blogs.
However, I can't remember many of them now. So I think it will be ....thoughts as they occur.

• Our marriage turned 30 on Monday. Our "friends" didn't think it would last 6 months when we got married.....not sure what they were thinkin'...it took us two years to decide to get married....so we'd better make it work!! My DH's version of our marriage..."It's had it's ups and downs". Not the marriage per say....but life in general in that time period....but then...doesn't every life?? My assessment.....my love, my life....I couldn't have functioned without him. He may not say a lot....but he has ALWAYS been there for me when I needed him. I am tough to live with and he does it admirably!!
  
• I noticed tonite that whenever I stress about something....I tend to want to retreat to childish things....simple books, easy games, things that don't require my mind to concentrate....and they make me happy. I was playing a game on the computer called Poppit, where you pop balloons with prezzies in them...and the prezzies are stuffed toys (I think) and they float down to the bottom of the board and sit there in a nice little line. If you don't make it through the round ....all the toys disappear and you have to start over. I felt a touch of sadness as the little toy icons flew into oblivion to make room for the new balloon board. When I actually finish one level....I sit and look at the toys for a minute before I blast them away for the next level. Sigh....so cuddly and non-threatening.....ok I know that's all very weird, but it's an outlet ok????
• I have a new art project that I'm contemplating. A mixture of art journalling, collage and maybe a little polymer clay. I have been perusing blogs and sites of various and sundry artists and gathering information and inspiration. So the other day, I thought I would sit down and try to put something together. It's like I have a lock on the door of my creative mind. I see all these things I want to do, yet I cannot transfer the ideas outside my head. So......to while away the time, I am teaching myself to draw...after a fashion. I'm hoping that with a little exploring and experimenting I will find the way to unlock the door and fill pages with much creative drivel, which hopefully will turn into something meaningful at some point. I'll keep you posted.
  
• We have been sorting through my family history...in letters, photos, newspaper clippings and albums. It started when we decided to go to an 80th birthday party for my cousin....and were asked to bring pictures etc that we might have from his past. I have lots of pictures and I think I have a letter or too as well. However, in doing this, we've also come across lots of other family stuff and that's only two boxes.....there are three or four more to go. I came across a lovely photo album that my father made while he was stationed in Newfoundland during WWII. It was with the old fashioned black pages and the little corner stickers...but he had illustrated and embellished it with white ink. It was just wonderful. I really didn't know he was such an artist....but then I'm not surprised, considering his sisters and mother were artists of varying types....all good. He also wrote little blurbs about the pictures as well as labelled them all. I'm not sure who they all are....but they are definitely a part of history. His history and Canadian history
• We have recently also gone back over the genealogy of our family and reread some of the information given to us by my cousin in England from his research. It seems that we are well and truly from Irish stock which pleases me no end. The roots of our family go back centuries to the pagan chieftan's of Ireland.....a proud heritage to be sure. There is still more to be researched but I think that's to be left until we actually get to Ireland.......a wish of mine yet to be fulfilled.

I think that's it for now....life continues on apace with new things every day. I'll try not to leave it so long for the next post. In the meantime......

Slainte!!

Yet another applicable quote!!!!

So.....I have thought of various and sundry topics to blog on....but they will wait...as they always do.

I have another quote....which is SO applicable to those who are frantically getting ready to travel tomorrow......


"Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. "

— Kurt Vonnegut

so....relax and laugh and it WILL get done. Ty and Magnificent M. , enjoy your trip and the conference:-)

Slainte!!

On sleeplessness......

" Night time is really the best time to work. All the ideas are there to be yours because everyone else is asleep. "

— Catherine O'Hara

Yessss!!!!

I knew there was a reason to stay awake!!!!

Slainte!

Something for foodies....

I subscribe to Real Simple's daily inspirational quotes....not all are relevant to me....but this one I thought, was not only relevant to me, but to a few other bloggers out there....and you know who you are ;-)

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.
— Virginia Woolf, "A Room of One's Own"

I now have it (along with an appropriate picture) as my wallpaper...which I was able to download from Real Simple

Definitely words to live by....you think??

Slainte!!

To Journal or not to Journal.....

I have written some form of journal for many years....off and on. I have bits and pieces of journals in various and sundry little books, mostly stashed in my bedside table...or in my workshop...or in the bag that I carry everything that doesn't fit into the suitcase.

But now...I have a journal in my laptop computer...password protected (of course!!)

I have journaled in my computer before in Word and then password protected it and then forgotten the password when I discovered it months later....sigh!

However...now...I have a program!!

About a year ago, I discovered that when I installed Office 2003 into my laptop, it had also installed a program called Microsoft Office OneNote. (One of those things that you discover after using the program for about a year!!)I believe that the original and most logical purpose of this program is for business use....but it can be quite well adapted for personal use. There is a section.....yes there is .....called.....JOURNAL!!It's lovely....it dates itself with date AND time no less....it saves itself automatically when I close the program....and you can password protect it easily....it's great!

So I have used this for about a year...and I have used no other. I don't write into it everyday....just when I feel the need.

I have found that journaling can help me to dissect problems and worries into smaller groups so I can examine them more fully and try to decide what it is about the problem that IS a problem. It helps to unload the worries into written form and seeing them that way makes them more manageable....at least for me. It's like I "leave my worries in the laptop"...at least for a time.

It's not all about worries either....I like to write about things that make me happy and joyful so they remain with me..... people I love and activities that I love to do and events that put me in a positive frame of mind.

As I said, I have always journaled intermittently in one form or another, but as I grow older it seems to have become more important to have a record of the process and it's ups and downs....emotionally, mentally and physically.

Interesting.......

Slainte!

Book, books, and more books.

So in this healing time, among other things we have turned our attention back to books.

When we were in Massachusetts, we went to the Borders store near Stella's place and came out of it somewhat poorer than when we went in......and that was only the first trip.

Since we have been home we have visited Chapters at least once and then there was the symphony book sale this last week...and DH visited a second hand bookstore...on the way home from the library no less!! Luckily we only went to the book sale on the last day (when things were half price) but we still came home with 2 bags full of books.

The excitement of going to a bookstore...new or used....for me, is right up there with a good concert!!

We have a cupboard in the guest bedroom full of books we have yet to read....and there are various bags of books lying around the house.....

I ask you....is it no wonder that I never get out of the house!!!!

But....I do love books....and never more so than now, when we need the time to relax and recoup our energy. Sometimes I feel the urge to do something else....and I do it.....but then after..I end up back in my corner of the sofa under the reading lamp with my latest book and a "tisane" and the dog curled up at the end of the couch. DH has taken to sitting sideways with his feet over the the arms of the big chair to read and the dog lies on the back of the chair. When we are both reading in the same room, poochie switches between us at regular intervals....

Among other things...retirement has brought me back to reading...and for that I'm grateful. It's a therapy like no other.

Slainte!

The stresses of life....

I do not do well the stresses of life. I try....but I don't do well. ...and neither does DH as it happens......
......because we internalize everything.

In the past month and a half ...

• we have been incredibly ill with the flu and cold,
  
• we, very suddenly, lost a brother/in law (DH's brother),
  
• regained our daughter to the West Coast, and
  
• experienced travel, moving worries and their effect on dear Stella,
  
• stress of the highest level from both Stella and ourselves,
  
• some worries about things back home and now...
  

...we have been hit by a massive exhaustion that has depleted our reserves and left us filled with anxiety.

I managed to play a concert this weekend, but it was a tough go. Having J & C here for the weekend to quietly visit (and do after dinner clean up!!) was wonderful...but the fact that both DH and I are still in our jammies at 9:50 pm, having done virtually NOTHING all day says everything about how we're feeling.

I am SO happy that Stella and King D are together again, it was good to be with her in Mass. albeit at times edgy. I love them both so much and wish that we had been stronger for her in Mass. but it was an experience that I would not have exchanged for anything. We finally got to experience everything she had talked about first hand and in that respect it was a most memorable time.

I think that DH and I need to pamper and really look after US now and hibernate for a while to recoup the lost energy.....you see, we never fully recovered from the flu before we were grieving and then travelling. So now is the time I think. When a good portion of my day is felt to be on the verge of tears and I see tears in DH's eyes when we talk, I know then that we have no strength to continue and we must stop and recover and finish the grieving process and heal.

We will go to a wedding in Pitt Meadows on Sunday....but that will be it for a while I think.

This is not meant to be a whining post, or even a sad post......I just needed to say something about how we were feeling..........and the eyes are starting to brim....so.....

Slainte!!