Excited About Italy

Today two things happened...I bought a Lonely Planet Italy book. Alex and I have been talking about a trip to Italy for a long time and today I thought I should buy us a book. We have no idea what we want to do or even want we want to see, so this is a good place to start. I gave Alex the book this evening and I think, just maybe, he liked the idea!

I also realized that I have pathetically few photographs of people on here...might have something to do with my inability to get out and about, but might not...

p365-31-07

Im Hafen einer Hansestadt

Super huge, super shades of brown, my Mom and I embarked on the crazy task of completing this 2000 piece puzzle that had been sitting in my parents' house for a very long time, unopened. It clearly states on the side of the box that this Ravensburger puzzle was made in Western Germany. It took me a few hours just to get the frame, but there are a few chunks of puzzle inside the frame now...I wonder if it will be done before my Mom leaves!

p365-30-07

What Am I? Part Two

The knitting of the object is now complete. Good guess Chandra, but it's not a tea cosy! Any other ideas?

p365-29-07

My Own Personal London

The skyline isn't quite right, I think the phallic looking block is the Obelisk and the weird cylindrical block is the BT Tower, but I don't know...I just like having a little bit of London, complete with black cabs and double decker buses in my living room. Thanks Sarah!

p365-28-07

Reinflated

The dome is back...and the sun was out...what a nice Saturday afternoon!

p365-27-07

Butterflies Have Magentic Personalities

These ones do anyway. In the ongoing saga of our fridge (in keeping with the tradition of the various household issues we've had this year), the manufacturer finally broke down and decided that there was something wrong with the fridge and sending the repair guy out for the umpteenth time was not going to solve our woes. Then yesterday they called and said they were going to send the repair guy in ONE LAST TIME. In preparation for the repair guy, who was going to move the fridge around, we took all the STUFF off the fridge and were amazed to find the number of magnets we really do own and how many of them are butterflies...We were even more surprised (repair guy included) when he arrived, climbed behind the fridge and the company called and said they'd be delivering a new fridge after all. So on Tuesday we should have a fridge that actually freezes things and we can make meals in advance and buy ice cream again...oooh life's little pleasures!

p365-26-07

Too Early

Everyday when we go for our walks escorted by a wheelchair, my Mom walks me to the sidewalk and leaves me outside of our gate while she gets the wheelchair. In the corner of our neighbours' garden is this little patch of crocuses. Seems too early for them, especially with the cold winter weather we've been having this year, but they're here. I guess we really will get spring this year!

p365-25-07

Scrabble Anyone?

How do you pass the time when you're housebound? Well, I have been lucky enough to have my Mom to hang out with, so we've been playing board games! My brain is finally functioning well enough that I can play Scrabble and not forget how to spell or how to add up the points!

p365-24-07

Little Blue Man

My uncle gave me this (rather blurry) Smurf after we watched cartoons together one morning when I was five. He was a forester and had decided he didn't like Smurfs anymore because they were just an anti-logging propaganda machine...seems the Smurfs said something like "Don't cut down our forest." This Smurf is a little battered and seen better days and keeps appearing out of nowhere.

p365-23-07

Conquer And Destroy

I don't normally make New Year's Resolutions. I definitely didn't make New Year's Resolutions this year...what's the point of trying to change my life drastically while I'm already in the midst of trying to heal drastically...anyway, I got back to Vancouver and I'm doing MUCH better, but still need help and not quite constant, but definitely regular care. There were a few days when I had to be alone for about six hours each time, so I had to do something to occupy myself. Daytime TV sucks by the way. So I started sorting and decluttering. It's going well...it's something people often resolve to do, just not normally me cause I'm a confessed Pack Rat. Yesterday afternoon we purchased a filing cabinet, so all the paper I sorted into files is stored away in a neat and orderly fashion in the office. And we bought a shredder. I LOVE IT...I just need to remember to only shred in small bursts so I don't burn out the motor!!!

p365-22-07

Delighted Taste Buds

Yeah, yeah, two today...my taste buds couldn't decide which they liked more, so you get both!


First it was the delightful Kona coffee first thing this morning ....mmmm.... freshly ground beans straight from the Big Island...


Then we stopped for milkshakes. Even though it was cold outside, what could be better on a lazy Sunday afternoon than a hand-dipped strawberry milkshake???

p365-21-07

And The Sun Came Out Again

It was chilly, but the sun was out. Finally no snow or rain! And, more importantly, the ice, slush and slippery sections were GONE. So I got to go for a walk! YAY walks and fresh air. I'm up to half a block...tomorrow we'll try for three quarters of a block. One day I'll make all the way around the block...one day!

p365-20-07

What Am I?

Not a toque, even if that's what it looks like...

Clues?

Something functional
Something that will be felted for better insulating power
Something that will only be used in the cold months (yes, I know they are quickly departing and will soon be replaced with spring and summer)
Something that will be filled with something else
Something that is not complete...it's actually maybe only about 20% of the way there...

p365-19-07

Helpful Hands

As I am still recovering, not entirely mobile, and generally in need of way more help than most people, it is not uncommon to see someone helping with a task that normally I'd have no problem doing on my own and wouldn't even think to ask someone else to help me with. Thank goodness for Alex (and my Mom and sisters and Dad and Fiona and Stacey) who have helped me do things in the last month including tying my shoes, putting my dinner on the table, getting my groceries and countless other things...this is Alex tying my shoes, again!

p365-18-07

One Day Makes All The Difference

I ran out of pages in my photo album and almost ran out of photo corners, so the photo albums and the associated junk have been neatly packed away and the desk actually has a top again! My Mom arrived today, so maybe tomorrow we can go on a trip to the photo shop to get more albums...until then, we will both enjoy having a tidy desk!

p365-17-07

Cluttered Desk = Cluttered Mind?

We're back in business...maybe...we'll see how long the computer cooperates this time...


Well, if that's true, then I qualify. Kelsey kindly went to the photography store on Friday with a CD with all of my pictures from Europe in 2001 and last fall...yeah, almost 300 of them...so I've been diligently putting them in albums...and throwing away tons of other junk I've come across in the process...de-junking...I think I say I'll do that every year, but I guess I just needed to be housebound to actually get to it!

p365-16-07

Exercises

The physiotherapist came by today. I still haven't graduated from the walker, but she thinks I'm improving. She drew these great little stick people so that I'd know what to do for my exercises this week. Baby steps added together will eventually make a giant step!!

p365-15-07

Waiting On Fourth Avenue

After a week with us, Kelsey had to go home...we met her at work and took her to the airport...it was just getting dark when we got there...such a switch from a month ago when it would have already be totally dark!

p365-14-07

Hockey Day In Canada

We spent Saturday watching Hockey Day In Canada, partly because we like hockey and partly because it was being broadcast from Nelson. My cousin plays on a Kootenay all-star team that is based in Nelson, so we thought we'd look for her...and just before the Canucks game started, we saw her!

p365-13-07

Decluttering

Well, I'm somewhat restricted on what I can do right now, so we collected all the piles of paper in the house and I spent the afternoon sorting through them. It's not quite finished...it won't be until it gets off the table and back into the office, but I filled the recycling box to the top and have two HUGE bags of shredding to do. We're going to get a filing cabinet soon so that all this stuff can actually be put away...it feels good to actually DO something!

p365-12-07

Are We Still In Vancouver?

I'm not sure if we're still in Vancouver...what with the snow on the trees and the blue sky out the bedroom window. Except that it means I can't go outside because of the slippery factor, I'd take this over the rain ANYDAY!

p365-11-07

They Miss Me...

and I miss them too...These were in the umbrella stand outside our front door when I woke up from my nap. Kelsey helped me pick the right size vase and find a place big enough to display them. They're beautiful and they came accompanied by a note from my coworkers who apparently can't wait to have me back. Well, the feeling is definitely mutual. I can't wait to be back at work.

p365-10-07

Substitute For Meatballs

When the power went out in half the house last night, the kitchen was of course in the half with no power. So we abandoned the Danish meatballs Kelsey was going to make and bought some yummy Pad Thai instead.

p365-9-07

Everything Breaks At Once

Okay, you can stop imagining...option (c) not listed below happened...which means a viable computer with a heathly USB port and constant internet connection happened upon me, however temporarily.


When I (a) have a new computer or (b) magically convince the dying-a-slow-and-painful-computer-death computer to recognize its USB ports again, today's picture will be posted.

It's a picture of the computer chair, with the seat precariously hanging...I'd be in even more trouble and pain if I had been on it when it did that...

Sigh...

p365-8-07

Go Giants Go!

Hmmm...well...we were sitting right next to the security guards, so here's the ceiling of Pacific Coliseum. It was an okay game in the end. The Giants won 2-0.

p365-7-07

Chaos And Clutter

Wow...coming home can be such an adventure! My Mom very kindly helped me pack my bags and then made lists of what was in each suitcase for me. But Alex and I still were totally blind trying to find my toothbrush last night...and our living room is in a bit of a state. It would appear that Christmas took over and the suitcase spewed its insides everywhere, but all that will change tomorrow. It's the 12th day of Christmas today so the tree and all the stuff under it are both going away...at least until next year!

p365-6-07

Not One, But Two

I couldn't decide on today's photo so there are two...the original choice was Kelowna airport, while Kelsey and I waited for all the other passengers to get on the plane.


Then when we arrived in Vancouver the wind was so strong and changed directions so our plane had to fly out of its first attempt at landing (we were still far from the ground) and circle around a bit before it actually landed. This picture is blurry, but we think that's a big power outage.



p365-5-07

My Constant Companion

For the past almost five weeks this has been my constant companion (with the exception of the very few times I've ventured out with my wheelchair). This makes so much noise on the slate floors in the front hall at my parents that my sister though I was being accompanied by seven small running children who were also dragging their feet when I answered the door one night. The gorgeous socks are to prevent the back draggy parts from scratching the hardwood floors. They don't work so well on carpet, so it's a good thing there isn't much of that left in this house. Tomorrow we return to Vancouver and hopefully on Monday the physiotherapist will visit and confirm that the walker can be retired.

p365-4-07

L'hibou

A loud bang woke my Mom this morning and she looked out her bedroom window to see a pygmy owl sitting on the roof where it had apparently landed after crashing into the window.

Pygmy owls are not nocturnal which explains its presence during the day, but the curtains were closed on the window it crashed into, so why it crashed is a bit of a mystery. My Dad suggested maybe it was chasing something.

I didn't take this picture...It was taken for me so that I could see the little owl without running up the stairs...um, not something I'm able to do quite yet. I've heard their calls before, but never actually seen one.

closeup

p365-3-07

Swirl Painting

Rebecca came over and we played Sequence while my Dad took Alex to the airport. She was showing us how quickly she can swing her arms around and how much the blurs look like the swirls on her shirt.

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Welcoming 2007

We had a very pleasant and relaxed New Year's Eve. My parents, Alex and I joined my aunt and uncle, and my cousin and her fiancé for a game of Cranium. The table is littered with napkins from the goodies we munched on while we played and a variety of beverage glasses that seemed to magically refill themselves, because you can't welcome the New Year without an abundance of food and beverage!

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