Friday, May 30, 2008

hiccups.....











That's a good one isn't it? Love a catchy title...gets your attention .... then a pretty picture draws your eye.....

The day began so perfectly ... well, with the exception of the hiccups that Mr. BumbleVee has had since about 2:00 yesterday afternoon. If it was me I would probably be tearing out my hair by now. I am sure it must be pretty annoying for him but he doesn't say much. He did manage to get some sleep...they quit about midnight. I think he must have finally fallen asleep still "hicc-ing". It is a full blown, abdomen wrenching lurch each time, and steadily.... it must be wearing him down a bit by now .. but he is still plugging away on the laundry room.
We tried the breathing into paper bags... sugar on the tongue.. holding his breath... pulling hard on his tongue... later we resorted to the medicine cabinet..... tried an old Ativan that I found .... later ...some Pepto Bismol.... a sip of Port.... Ibuprofen by midnight. .. nothing helped. He seems to stop for a bit while eating.. that is it. He says he should just sit there for the day nibbling something....

By noon... this black sky showed up... the wind started to blow... then we had rolling thunder for a few hours... one or two quick bursts of rain... and ... blue sky later in the evening.













Earlier in the day we had to go to Home Depot. I went to the plant section..they just got a huge shipment in...oooooooh....I bought some "Delta mix" pansies ... I love them. Lovely custard yellows with pinks and burgundies in the same flour... so beautiful. Also got some mixed snapdragons...so was busy putting in a few while dashing in and out of the garage to hold pieces of wood for screwing the pedestal boxes together. My hands were looking a bit worse for wear by tonight.... I don't think they will ever look clean again. Hmmm...wood glue sure stains fingers....










These dainty little blooms are Carole Mackie Daphne. The scent is absolutely amazing. Sort of like a day lily.... you just want to breathe deeply every time you get remotely close to it....













Remember this little antique vase? or champagne flute? or whatever it is... how perfect it is for a few sprigs of my Purple Leaf Plum !!

Let there be light! What a difference. My new pot lights versus the old fluorescent lights. The really strange thing about the first pic is that the colour of the walls is not that at all.... as a matter of fact... it looks like the colour we will be painting...while the colour in the pot light pic...shows the actual colour the room is now... pale and nondescript.... how weird. Didn't use a flash in either pic either. Making good progress on the room. Tomorrow... cut and paint side panels for the washer and dryer area.... cut and build a header for cupboards.. perhaps get that installed....

Monday, May 26, 2008

Sick days....















I quietly entertained myself.... browsing lovely rooms while my poor sweetie was sick.

Two full days down and out. He woke up Saturday with a pounding headache, horrible fever, chills and aching all over..totally nauseous... sore throat.... man, he had the works. He could hardly move much less hold up his head. He spent a miserable day...and nothing I could do for him really ... just had to encourage him to drink liquids..rest... and wait it out.

and then ...... he seemed to perk up noticeably... what can it have been? Certainly not a virus..or he wouldn't feel almost back to normal this quickly. very strange.....

Today, he said he felt well enough to put on the plywood backing for the laundry room wall. I kept saying that we should just do a little bit today. But, then, he wanted to pull out the old flourescent lights... which we did. I mentioned that it was probably enough. Then ... we "plumb-bobbed" (is that a word?) to find our marks on the joists for hanging straps for a suspended ceiling. ... and some wiring ran too close to where we wanted it... so we began to pull it out to move it. Discovered it was running into and out of some useless unattached box hidden up inside the already finished ceiling of the landing area. Brother...some of the things we have been finding in our renovation projects. Anyway... pulled out all of it... found we could totally remove one long run of it and just run it directly to the light switch for the laundry room. Can't figure out why the original electrician did what he did...but gained another circuit ...yet again. We did that with several when we did the bathroom. Not that we will ever need them...but there they are.... and more hours whizzed past.












Love it............... what caption should we give this one? .......

Thursday, May 22, 2008

it's raining, it's pouring..the old man is snoring...











...no he's not... he was up at the crack of dawn and there wasn't even a crack..... he's busy making measurements so we can go to our fav store... Revy..... for lumber, plywood and drywall.










Don't need to water today....













Everything's soggy....











Can't even take our pile of rubble to the dump.... it would just be a mud bog over there.....










A small load compared to the bathroom when we took that apart. Check the album in my Picturetrail if you are interested in the bathroom reno.













We are getting pretty good at containing our mess.... after 20+ years of renos I hope so! Plenty of drop cloths. Shake often... sweep up the underlying dust often.......

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

ohhhhh..... help......











Early today I had a functional laundry room... clean, beautiful and I liked it very much thank you.













But, we are changing appliances ...... so, .... somebody began "imagine-eering"













.... and all of a sudden ...it looked like this!!! ackkk!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I stayed out of the way for most of it......










playing with some more colour on my new button-face. Highlights on the pupils are the final bit for making them come alive.... it just changes things so dramatically I can hardly believe the difference when I do it. It is amazing.





























It's fun to try different colours.... hair or fabric for hats.....






















Hmmmm....I may have settled on this bit of faux fur...

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

faces....

Seems I have several things on the go ... better get busy and finish something.... ..

This head is one I made some time ago... a covered button attached to a small body and can either be a brooch or it can be framed. I love making the faces.










Watercolour pencil crayons....













Recently, I found some larger buttons as well and was going to make a little girl doll with one of them. However, once I got this far with the face...she no longer looks like a little girl to me.... I don't have much control over how each of them turns out. Even if I used a model... sometimes they just happen.

Tonight, I put more colour on her eyes, gave her some pupils and was trying on "hair" and/or hats... more pics later....

wow....what a weekend....

Perfect weather.... sun and fun. Played in the garden for hours... still tidying up winter's debris. Enjoying the first flowers.









On a fun note:... neighbours had a tee time for Sunday ... high noon. Time to do battle with our closest city course.... the toughest and longest and in reality a benchmark course. Dusted off and polished up our weapons. Froze some water in a bottle. Packed some snacks..

If you can play well on this course....nothing will intimidate you. Length from the "champion" or black tees.... 6576 yards. So, even if you don't tee off from that distance, you still must walk past each of those tee boxes...and hence walk the whole length of the course. It is several miles by the end of the day. It is up and down hill and dale as well...so pulling or pushing or holding back our carts as we needed to... my feet were getting sore by the end of it. And..it was HOT. . we all got sunburned.

The guys used the whites at 5779 and we used the forward tees at 5503 yds. Long enough for the first 18 hole game of the season. On Wednesdays, with "my old guys", I only play 9 holes on a much smaller course. To be honest, I was a bit panicked to do 18 ...especially on this particular course, after not swinging a club all last year...and only having been out two times with my Wednesday buddies. I only wanted to have one swing thought in my head as I stepped nervously up to the first tee. Keep my eye on the ball. That way, no matter what I looked like, or swung like.... I would hit the ball for sure. There is nothing quite as embarrassing as "whiffing" (that means missing the ball entirely!!) on the only tee where everybody is standing around watching you ...... not that they really care... and for sure they don't know me...and what difference does it make anyway? ...but...somehow inside... it does. And, besides, they say right on the score card..... "this is an intermediate to advanced skill level course"... and although they also say all golfers are allowed on the course there is also the stipulation that you must keep up the "pace of play"...which is 4 hours, .... 4 1/2 hours maximum on busy days. If you can't keep up the pace you must pick up your ball and walk to the spot where the better players have hit theirs and take your next shot from there. So...I need to be able to get it at least 150 yds. or so on a fairway shot to be able to keep up. Marshals are out there in their little riding carts...kind of like the old west...almost like they are on horse back when you think of it.... forcing us to speed up or "play on" if we fall behind by more than a hole...... But........ first drive of the day..... 150 and straight down the center of the fairway!! Hah! we were off and I was a happy camper! the guys went into some trees...way down there........ and my friend was just to the right of me on the fairyway. (hahahha look at that... fairy way) ....love it. It is the fairway actually. However, it became the "fairy way" after the very first shot. It was magical... a beautiful golf course, ....all to ourselves! The group behind us must have had poor tee shots...and the group in front disappeared from the first tee before we even took our third shots... the pace was wonderful... walk, hit.. etc.. The guys behind never did get near us..... the ones in front were always off the green by our approach. Perfect pace. I only lost one ball to the water.... and managed to score 107.... I was pretty pleased with myself for my first game. I know I can improve on that by several shots... cuz I lost some shots to just silly errors and looking up too soon....... looking forward to the next attempt ...and will be soooo much more relaxed now that I know I can still do what I was able to a few years ago. Around the green I don't lose many shots... as a matter of fact, I took some sand and chipping lessons years ago... and the pro told me that women can do away with a lot of shots around the green by perfecting shots the guys never practice. He was right... women don't need to be able to hit the ball 250 yards... (especially into trees or long grass) .. as long as once we get to within 100 yards of the green we play it smart. And, practice chipping and putting.... it saves soooo many strokes! I like to think I am a pretty good putter... it does take a few games to get a feel for it though...










This pic is from a few years ago... forgot my camera on Sunday.... playing in a foursome with the guys from the smaller company we are now "with". A rather cool October day at a beautiful private course that we managed to get on .. due to a member of the course who used to own the engineering company. Sure wish I had pics of this past weekend.... darn it.


Mr. BumbleVee.... who is notorious for a rather poor attitude on a golf course, (I have decided it is because he is very competitive, but, also embarrasses easily) had a really great day. I mean,it became almost legendary years ago... when working for a large oil company. Yearly golf tournaments had to be played... one year somebody called me to say they had a lottery going for a big weekend golf tournament... did I want to buy some squares. They had a huge pool of money already..almost sold out. It was a guessing game... on which hole would G lose it. At first I was ... uhm.... a bit embarrassed ... both for me and then for him. But... I figured what the hey... I could win some money! the pot was pretty big! As it turned out... he did fine for two whole days... somebody who didn't know him had chosen the third day ... and they won. They even had people in his group and in front and behind watching and they would be the judges as to whether he really lost it or it was just a normal swearing thing as they all do if they miss a critical shot or something. They all agreed...he held it together pretty well 'til the morning of the third day..when he was in contention for a big win and then...as they say in golf.... "the wheels fell off" .. both with his game and his attitude. People have to hide when his wheels really come off.... clubs might even go sailing ... sigh... poor guy. But.. . back to Sunday.... he shot an 89 !! He has never broken 100 on this course. He was quietly very impressed with himself I am sure.. ... now to hold onto that thought. I end up not being able to play with him if he "loses it" more than a couple times in a season ... I then just refuse to go with him to the course until next year. I have to find others to play with... so I am still hoping that as he ages..perhaps he will mellow....but..... not clinging to that hope very desperately. After all ...he is a man. But, I have found other people to golf with so that he doesn't have to force himself to be out there just to make me happy. It is kind of sad really.... because he has infinite patience with others.....how strange. He even taught me all he knew about golf.......til the point where he said he didn't know enough to help me any further and that I should probably take a few lessons from a pro. He has taught many others too... so patient with all of them...even the totally non-athletic ones...but just not for himself.... I so want to be able to golf with him til well into old age....so I guess I do keep hoping.....

Monday, May 19, 2008

Some colour in the yard now....











Look Susan... I tried the trick with the white board behind then...










This is a pretty little creeping phlox...











Dainty primrose....

Friday, May 16, 2008

Only mad dogs and Englishmen...

(and me) .... go out in the midday sun. What was I thinking?.... I'm only half English. Whew!! and was it a hot one here by noon yesterday. It was still 27C at about 7:00 in the evening .... so am assuming it got several degrees higher than that earlier in the day.




















I should have left the south (and sunniest side) before I did...but you probably know how it goes. The poor blue fescue looks so dead, dry and cluttered with leaves, needles and cones after the snow melts....










ahhh... much better. A good trim .... hehehe.... okay, so it looks a bit skinned! Not to worry..they grow back. That side of the yard is my xeriscaping project.










Three maids in a row...look how gloriously well they grow! Why is that? .. but, you know, I still think dandelions photograph so well..in all stages of their growth cycle. I've seen some great shots of them full blown...seeds sailing off on a breeze against a blue, blue sky...... .lovely....

Just one more thing to trim..or rake under or sweep... and already it was 1:30 ..... time for lunch.










This is it when I get dusty, dirty and can't be bothered going in to eat.... crackers out of the package..a blob of peanut butter and some juice... ahhhh heaven. And perfectly fine nutrition. I was happy to sit in the shade for a bit. I was getting toasty! My back was killing me too...so it was time. Boy, after the winter laziness...I am outta shape! I better toughen up. I had to sit on my folded up mat to do anything after the first hour... couldn't bend over or squat anymore.










the dafs are still beautiful...more of them have bloomed... several different colours it seems.










These are almost peachy pink...not yellow at all really.... a lovely colour...

Today; another perfect day....off outside to check out my garden.......still plenty to do...a few more days yet til I can say I have things to the point where I consider it "tidy"....

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Tiramisu is a desert?? .....











Boy, I sure hope these guys didn't have to pay for their menu printing. I was a little concerned... maybe they didn't know the difference between sand and sugar....I ordered the Chicken Penne ...

Today I learned how to make a killer Crème brûlée .. I copied that from Wik... because I don't have the proper accents on this keyboard to do it justice. It is French for "burnt cream". However, I chose to make mine a lovely golden brown when I broiled the surface...a torch is the other option for achieving the toasty look on top. Tomorrow I will put the recipe on my Tea and Scones blog.

My friend Maria spent some time today showing me the ropes.... ohhhhhhh man, is her recipe tasty. I have never tried to make it...and, I have to admit..it is not something I would order for dessert at a restaurant. No...given a choice..I would probably choose something sinful and chocolate. Not that this isn't sinful...but..it just isn't chocolate is it? Maybe I've had a spoonful of brulee on a rare occasion but that would be about it. All that changed today. Now, I can make my own.... and know exactly what to expect. Perfect consistency... perfect sugar....perfect flavour.. .. toasted to a T......










Oh, I'm sorry.... I forgot the camera 'til waaaay too late. Yup...even licked the dish...felt like a cat... with tuna.....mmmmmmm.......










My daffys finally got "dilly".....and now have petals all yellow and frilly.....

UPDATE ::: Creme Brulee recipe now on Tea and Scones blog

Sunday, May 11, 2008

there goes the neighbourhood....














A cute little couple was wandering around the neighbourhood yesterday .... checking out real estate, I guess. First they were kind of sauntering along on the edge of the road.... then they moved on to the sidewalk.... probably so they could get a closer look at the yards. There isn't even any curb appeal right now... only a few of us have cleaned up dead leaves and junk after the winter. Our last snow just melted.

The little lady got curious about a garden and walked straight up the driveway across the street. The husband started to follow her, but thought better of it and back tracked.... even went all the way back out onto the road..... trying to look like he was not with her. He had a bit of a limp...so was limping around in smallish circles...kind of kicking at little pebbles every so often ... trying to appear nonchalant. She, meanwhile, was really getting downright nosey. I watched from the front room window as she marched directly onto Luisa's front patio, looked at the front door and big window ... then, just stood right there... looking at the garden and the dried and dead winter debris that has not yet been removed. Maybe she realized she had gone too far.. ...she made her way back to where the guy was looking intently at some small thing on the road....although she didn't seem in too much of a hurry. Off they went down the road together.... and didn't she walk up the next driveway too ... into Joan's yard. This time, sort of pretending to inspect some leaves on the hedge near the sidewalk but all the time inching further into the yard. I went into my craft room so I could get a better look ..opened the blind just in time to see them leaving that yard and moving on down the block....

I gave up watching when I lost sight of them behind a bushy spruce tree. But, it wasn't over.... later, I was in the bathroom and all of a sudden I noticed some movement in the back yard. What? I moved over to the window and wasn't the guy walking up our driveway! What nerve! He was coming toward the house but when he caught my movement he stopped dead in his tracks and straightened right up. I peered out the window directly below me and sure enough.... there she was! Not just looking at the gardens this time... oh, no !!.... ... not content with that...there she was sitting in my huge plant pot !!! That did it! I quickly opened the window and told them to get lost...go find a home on the golf course. There was a mad flurry.... plenty of squawking and quacking .... a tiny white feather floated down behind her........ whew! Just in the nick of time. One year she left me an egg in that planter before I could put a cover on it after seeing her in it several times. If it was a better situation, I would probably let her have them and even buy a little paddling pool for the babies... but, it is just not a great place to raise ducklings. Last year she planted some eggs in Luisa's garden.... why on earth doesn't she stake out a nice nesting area on the golf course?....why in the middle of a neighbourhood? I don't get it.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

..... a sad day ...

Happy Mother's day Mom....I miss you.























her beloved ocean....


























...she loved seagulls....she took this pic...

Thursday, May 8, 2008

My old guys....

It's definitely not summer weather....today it is hardly spring weather. Last week there were some really nice, warm summery type days...but this week, not so lucky. Comes and goes ....










Angus, me, Howard.... definitely not this year! No greenery around here yet.

Yesterday it was only +2C at 9:00 a.m. and my old buddy Howard called to see if we were still on for golf. I haven't golfed with my "old guys", as I call them, since '06 .. because as some of you know, I had a broken foot last summer. Still irks me because if I'd had a proper diagnosis in February it might have healed by summer. But, no...it dragged on through 3 doctors, vigorous physiotherapy, pain and my own stupid perseverance..which probably even caused more injury... ' til a Sports Medicine guy got angry at the fact that nobody had even ordered a bone scan prior to treatment. Then we got action. But, then I was also in a cast all summer and after that trying to rehab the foot 'til almost Christmas before I could walk on it with minimal pain. I digress... with some venom.... but, never mind...onward and upward.....back to "my" old guys.

It is not a rude term...honestly it isn't. It is more endearing than anything and they know it. They are old and they refer to themselves as old. It is a great source of amusement for them....they joke about it all the time. They laugh and say that any game could be their last; they'd rather die on the golf course than in bed, so they better be out there .... and, they are tough old guys...definite keeners. They trudge out there rain or shine. As a matter of fact, two years ago, when I wimped out on a particularly cold and rainy day, they carried on without me. After the game..they went to the thrift store, bought a tiny pair of purple rubber boots, wrapped them up and made a big "whoopdedoo" of presenting me with them at "our" table after the following day's game. The crowd around the outdoor tables thought it was a hoot and had a good laugh...I had pink cheeks...oh, and I never missed a game after that! 'Til .... my foot episode. They called me every few weeks to see how I was and I did drive over just to have coffee with them after a couple of their outings. I sure did miss my old guys. People that age just have a whole different outlook on life... have so much information to impart..... stories to tell... opinions to give and even plenty of questions to ask...I am mesmerized by them for an hour while we have coffee after a game.
We are not great golfers but we still like to do as well as we can. Each of them hits balls at the driving range other days of the week.. I play other courses. We mostly count every stroke (well, it depends if Howard is keeping score... can't say for sure.....he is pretty crafty..lol...) We play a small course that is easy enough to walk although this year Howard is taking a cart; two of them have had several heart attacks. Sometimes they talk of playing other courses; but, then, say the hills would kill them...hold a hand over their chests and look at each other in all seriousness...then get that twinkle in their eyes and there is raucous laughter. We laugh at each other if we put it in the trees... they tease me if I pound my club head on the ground when I muff a shot... we try to figure out ingenious ways for each of us to get out of trouble spots without standing on our heads.... pretend to be watching a plane if we see Howard "improving his lie" by kicking it out from under the lilac bushes.... toss down an extra Top Flight if Angus is taking more than 5 full minutes searching for his (he is Scottish and proud of it)...then holler at him that we found his ball... some days I laugh and giggle so much my face hurts by the time I get home. Yup, I do love my old guys.
Yesterday, as I said, it was only +2C when I got the phone call to see if I was going to show... I said I'd be there if I had to wear ear muffs and a parka. Luckily, it warmed a bit; I shed my jacket half way down the first fairway. By the 3rd I took off my vest... then my sweater... hey..this was not bad. We all had grins on our faces.. not bad at all. Several more holes and we turned the corner by the dam.. the wind picked up ... a stiff breeze blew over the still solid frozen water.... yikes !! back on went the sweater, the vest and the jacket... I opted not to bother with ear muffs for just one more hole. The clouds rolled in and rain began... a few snow flakes too...we definitely rushed our putts on the last green... practically jogged to the grub shack and ordered hot chocolates all around. I almost wanted some Tia Maria in mine....

What a bunch of troopers .."my old guys". Howard is 90 in September, Angus is 83 - 85 (I can't remember now), and Chuck..the youngster will be 80 soon..then there is me. I first met Howard years ago through a mutual friend in the dental field. She used to golf with him, but was not keen on golf at all...so when I had gone with them twice...she gave it up. Left just the two of us...then we talked Angus, a curling buddy of Howard's, into golfing with us. Another curler, Al, joined our group. Sadly, Al had a brain aneurysm a few years ago and we lost him. So, then, we rounded up another curling buddy..Chuck. I'm thinking I should take up curling.......

I thought they might want to find a fourth guy... but they always said no way. They resisted my efforts to get out of the foursome, so I guess they enjoy my company enough to keep me on. They used to tell me they took me along for my eyes but mine are worse now than Howard's..he had cataract surgery over the winter and has 20/20 ..!! I wish I could have something done about my colonies of "floaters" that are causing me such grief... it is getting tougher to see anything....I am glad they can spot my ball... no matter where I lob it.














Another day...another storm. Tree on the last hole...last year.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

1st "Blogiversary"....











Or, should I call it .... little things...?

A year ago yesterday was the beginning.... does anybody check way back on a blog to see why or how it began? I do. Many times I find a blog that interests me and I do a lot of background reading... What fun it's been with my own...and how quickly a year can pass. Well, that always has to come with some qualifications doesn't it? Some days it seems as though time speeds by and at others...like when we are waiting for something special or important...it takes fooorrrreeevvvver..... but, over all, time does zip past (for me anyway)

Many bloggers say they find it difficult to come up with ideas for entries.... not me....I'm easily amused..... love the little things and seem to find them in every nook and cranny of my life. My days are filled with dozens of them. My personal theory is that most folks, for whatever reason, just fail to notice them. Too busy? not observant? can't see the forest for the trees? plenty of reasons I guess. I amuse myself further by documenting some of my own little things, little thoughts, or little ideas... I've also been enjoying trying to get some good pictures .... or some fun pictures...... whatever the day brings.










Here is one of my latest little things. I am baking my own bread now. For years I had "yeastphobia" or something... I didn't dare to try anything with yeast...who knows why. A blog about bread baking changed my mind.... put it at ease...and now...I love baking bread! Oh, the aroma!! the taste...the real taste of real bread! We ran out of home made last week and somebody referred to store bought as flannelette bread. Hahahhah...good one.

I'm not very prolific with my dolls and bears, (I am a bit lazy... okay, a lot lazy) but absolutely love making them when I get going on one. Sharing the pics and any bits of that learning process has been fun too... who knows, some of it might help somebody doing the same. Here is the latest.. I went to the local doll show last weekend...a lady was selling little babies and even a class on how to do them. I came home and tried it myself. This completed baby was a gift from a British doll maker... mine on the left is...uhm...er.... a bit less peaceful looking. Hahahah.... but it is not baked yet...so there is still hope.











So....that is my little thing for the day.... just breezing through to say "hi"... and singing "Happy Blogiversary to ME!" Plug your ears for sure! I can't carry a tune in the proverbial bucket! Now, I'm off out to enjoy a brilliant, sunny blue sky day.... check out my stubby bits of greenery in the garden areas... do a bit of clean up and see if I can figure what I might like to change with any areas this summer. Last year I was hobbling around with my foot in a cast and so wasn't able to play and dig in our yard.... ...couldn't even mow and I love mowing the lawn! There is plenty of work to be done out there now.... yikes!










And... Mr. BumbleVee is already out there .... having fun raking....so...I'm off. Have a great Sunday everybody!