Here we are sitting in our hidden gem of a campsite ! 11 Bridges Campground near Drumheller. We are in a glade with grassy areas, enough room for our kitchen tent, Erin's tent and our trailer !! Marley has done her 'perimeter walk and stays in our secluded 'home'. YGS says " This is just perfect!" and " Camping is the Best Thing in the World !" You can't ask for anything better than that !
Games of cribbage were played last night and imagine it will continue later tonight if the weather holds.
Up early this morning, and Marley heard me and barked so we know she'll warn us of anyone coming into our site. ES and I have already finished a pot of coffee while everyone else is still asleep. An owl has been hooting and a small wild rabbit has been visiting. A good start.
Friday, July 3, 2015
Thursday, July 2, 2015
What a Glorious Day !!
Canada Day 2015 was a wonderful day! The haze from the forest fires disappated and the sun shone ! No rain, just a cooling bit of wind. Perfect ...
Hubby and I ran around to pick up last minutes items for the party, and a few things to bring camping. ED said to wait on picking up supper items until she saw what she had left from the party. We managed to freeze 24 bottles of water which will keep the food cool for a day or two and then we'll drink them.
I lost count of how many people showed up at ED's party. We went over about 2:30 and stayed till 8:30. I am not a party animal !! We brought the dog back. She had been very well behaved, especially with the children. But as more people were arriving and the fireworks were in the near future, ED thought it best that she be safer and quieter here. She somehow during the night ended up sleeping at my feet. This morning she is a little confused. Even though she is over at our house almost every day, a member of her family is with her. She keeps checking out to see if they have arrived yet. I'm betting they aren't even up ! This will be Marley's first time camping.......at least we're not going into bear country !
Hubby and I are all packed up except for the cold food. We've decided against bringing wood. We have enough 'stuff' with 5 people and a dog !! Hopefully the weather holds..
Hubby and I ran around to pick up last minutes items for the party, and a few things to bring camping. ED said to wait on picking up supper items until she saw what she had left from the party. We managed to freeze 24 bottles of water which will keep the food cool for a day or two and then we'll drink them.
I lost count of how many people showed up at ED's party. We went over about 2:30 and stayed till 8:30. I am not a party animal !! We brought the dog back. She had been very well behaved, especially with the children. But as more people were arriving and the fireworks were in the near future, ED thought it best that she be safer and quieter here. She somehow during the night ended up sleeping at my feet. This morning she is a little confused. Even though she is over at our house almost every day, a member of her family is with her. She keeps checking out to see if they have arrived yet. I'm betting they aren't even up ! This will be Marley's first time camping.......at least we're not going into bear country !
Hubby and I are all packed up except for the cold food. We've decided against bringing wood. We have enough 'stuff' with 5 people and a dog !! Hopefully the weather holds..
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Happy Canada Day !!
Happy Canada Day !! Today we are 148 years old ! YD and ES have been busy preparing for the 3rd Annual Canada Day Party. My ED's house backs onto Jubilee park in our city. There are activities and events galore. So far there are 42 people coming !! They picked up our kitchen tent for shade[ although it might be used as shelter from the showers ! ]
I will shortly be making a list of a few things we have to pick up for our camping trip. We are still hoping to get the trailer washed. ED bought a lot of food, so she said she is sure she'll have leftovers to bring, certainly enough for the first night ! A colleague at work told me about toasting marshmallows, pulling out the centre and pouring in some Bailey's irish Cream-- a Camper's Shooter. Must pick up marshmallows ! LOL
I have 4 lap afghans started. All my little bits of wool had been colour sorted and used up. Now I can use the cones of wool I had been given ages ago and finish them up over the summer. We saw of the cones of wool for sale in an store in Washington for 35 dollars !! I'm sure I was given over 10 and now I am down to three to use on the afghans. Another one is a beautiful variegated gold and real which I plan to use in a shawl or scarf. I might even try to crochet it if I have time to search for a pattern that I can follow. I am a knitter, not a crochet; a basic granny square is all I can do.
The rain has certainly made the plants spurt up. I am sure I will have lots of weeds by the time we come back, even though we are away for only 4 days.
YD and her family are off the races in BC and then for a holiday/ SIL brought back the kayak thata they borrowed for their camping weekend earlier in the month. I don't know where one would go to go camping out west. BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan are tinderboxes. Guess we'll stay home for most of the summer. We are now under an Air Quality Advisory. I can see and smell the smoke from hundreds of kilometres away.
Time to get my act in gear and make my lists !!
I will shortly be making a list of a few things we have to pick up for our camping trip. We are still hoping to get the trailer washed. ED bought a lot of food, so she said she is sure she'll have leftovers to bring, certainly enough for the first night ! A colleague at work told me about toasting marshmallows, pulling out the centre and pouring in some Bailey's irish Cream-- a Camper's Shooter. Must pick up marshmallows ! LOL
I have 4 lap afghans started. All my little bits of wool had been colour sorted and used up. Now I can use the cones of wool I had been given ages ago and finish them up over the summer. We saw of the cones of wool for sale in an store in Washington for 35 dollars !! I'm sure I was given over 10 and now I am down to three to use on the afghans. Another one is a beautiful variegated gold and real which I plan to use in a shawl or scarf. I might even try to crochet it if I have time to search for a pattern that I can follow. I am a knitter, not a crochet; a basic granny square is all I can do.
The rain has certainly made the plants spurt up. I am sure I will have lots of weeds by the time we come back, even though we are away for only 4 days.
YD and her family are off the races in BC and then for a holiday/ SIL brought back the kayak thata they borrowed for their camping weekend earlier in the month. I don't know where one would go to go camping out west. BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan are tinderboxes. Guess we'll stay home for most of the summer. We are now under an Air Quality Advisory. I can see and smell the smoke from hundreds of kilometres away.
Time to get my act in gear and make my lists !!
Dull Monday
A drizzly dull day to start off my full official day of holidays ! Can you call it a holiday when you don't get paid ?? I had a full slate of things to do todya. The trailer needs a good cleaning and a final sweep of leaves off the trailer pad was also on the list. However with the drizzle this morning, that isn't going to happen.
Another set of windows haave been cleaned, the irises have been deadheaded and the kitchen tidied. My poncho is now sewn.[ YGS will be pleased] Yesterday a few mending jobs were done so that is out of the way. EGS qualified and got his racing driving license yesterday ! He's only 8 !!! ED stained her deck in 32* sunshine. She said she is sure the stain dried on impact.Looking at the weather forecast, it's a good job she got it done yesterday.
Hubby is off paying the municipal taxes . It's such a huge chunk of money, but couldn't rent for the cost of the taxes. He was supposed to go and add some boards onto the stairs of the ED's deck. They are already stained and ready to go. We'll see if the rain lets up, although if it rained gently all day I wouldn't mind. We desperately need moisture.
Where did the time go ?? It rained practically the whole day so I contented myself with going through my wool stash and watching some episodes of Midsommer Murders that I hadn't seen on Netflix. YGS came over for a sleepover while the sons went to baseball. The other team forfeited but YGS didn't want to go a sleepover so he didn't go home with his Dad. We don't do anything special, he goes to bed at his usual time , but he thinks it is so special ' I read for a bit. Years ago I had read the Outlander series and I have restarted them. They are a lot more fun to read after seeing the TV series.
Rain again yesterday but I managed to get out into the trailer. It hasn't been used in two years since we went to Yellowstone. In a break in the rain, Hubby and YS did a minor patch . Then the next thing ED, ES YGS were over. Some went into the hottub and we spent a couple of hours sitting around outside. There is a haze in the air from all the forest fires. Then it was off to bed to read.
It was our 42nd anniversary yesterday and the first time, Hubby has ever forgotten !!!
Another set of windows haave been cleaned, the irises have been deadheaded and the kitchen tidied. My poncho is now sewn.[ YGS will be pleased] Yesterday a few mending jobs were done so that is out of the way. EGS qualified and got his racing driving license yesterday ! He's only 8 !!! ED stained her deck in 32* sunshine. She said she is sure the stain dried on impact.Looking at the weather forecast, it's a good job she got it done yesterday.
Hubby is off paying the municipal taxes . It's such a huge chunk of money, but couldn't rent for the cost of the taxes. He was supposed to go and add some boards onto the stairs of the ED's deck. They are already stained and ready to go. We'll see if the rain lets up, although if it rained gently all day I wouldn't mind. We desperately need moisture.
Where did the time go ?? It rained practically the whole day so I contented myself with going through my wool stash and watching some episodes of Midsommer Murders that I hadn't seen on Netflix. YGS came over for a sleepover while the sons went to baseball. The other team forfeited but YGS didn't want to go a sleepover so he didn't go home with his Dad. We don't do anything special, he goes to bed at his usual time , but he thinks it is so special ' I read for a bit. Years ago I had read the Outlander series and I have restarted them. They are a lot more fun to read after seeing the TV series.
Rain again yesterday but I managed to get out into the trailer. It hasn't been used in two years since we went to Yellowstone. In a break in the rain, Hubby and YS did a minor patch . Then the next thing ED, ES YGS were over. Some went into the hottub and we spent a couple of hours sitting around outside. There is a haze in the air from all the forest fires. Then it was off to bed to read.
It was our 42nd anniversary yesterday and the first time, Hubby has ever forgotten !!!
Sunday, June 28, 2015
So Finally, It's Summer !!
After a decent year at school, the last two montohs were hell. Now that the year is over, the stress is lessening . Another couople of weeks, and I'll be in vacation mode !
We have taken the pond out for a couple of reasons. The maintainance was becoming too much and the cost of water and electricity kept going out. So friends from school came and took all the goodsized rocks out. It took 4 men two trips with a big truck. That was such a relief to have the rocks gone ! The underlay[ originally from under the dining room carpet] and the water proof lining were picked up on Big Item Pickup which made our lives a little easier. Since then we've been screening dirt to get out all the little rocks and turning part of the pond into a vegetable garden. It is tedious work, mostly done very early in the morning before the heat hits ! I've been out since 4:30 for 3 hours !
The front flower beds are coming along. After 28 years, we had to start afresh after every thing was destroyed when the weeping tile and sump pump were put in last all. Daily watering has been needed as we are having the driest spring/summer in over 50 years . We use ' gray water' from out showers for watering the pots and hanging planters. The vertical planters are doing very well, quite pleased with them so far.The tomatoes are flowering and there are a few tomatoes. something has attacked my wax beans; those have been replanted. The garlic, onions and some cucumbers are doing well so far.
May and June were so busy with 7 birthdays, Mother and Father's Day, Victoria weekend, Anniversary, and Canada Day and a party or two for each one !! ED is having her 3rd annual Canada Day party. ES was able to make a section of the wrought iron back fence into a gate so there is now easy access to Jubilee park. No longer do we have to walk a couple of blocks ! We will not stay too late. We can see the fireworks from our house and then go to bed. It takes over an hour for the vehicles to leave the subdivision as they close it down to empty the park.
However, if the heat wave continues, we could change our mind ! ED was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship foro graduate studies. You had to be doing it full time with a 3.8 average !! Since her University pays for all her courses, she used the money to have air conditioning installed ! Her master suite is on the third floor of a ' victorian' style house. Now she knows why the 'help' slept upstairs ! Vents were closed in the basaement, first and second floors to get the cool air up to the third ! We do it the old fashioned way, opening windows and doors early in the morning an then running around closing them up as the heat rises and sun hits the windows. Then we use fans all night !
I've finished 3 lap afghans using squares that my mother had knit over 30 years ago. The squares had been bagged up and stuck in back of my sewing cupboard. Now they're done, ready to be given to charity. Then I had a look at all my bits and pieces in my wool stash, at least another 2 lap aghans, maybe more. I do havae my fleece poncho to sew. I've sewn everyone else'[s, but not mine !! YGS keeps reminding me that I need to get it ready for camping !
And speaking of camping, we are going for 3 1/2 days with ED, ES and YGS and the dog !! It should be HOT !! Fortunately I can stay behind with the dog in the shade ! :) Camping to YGS is eating and playing. He remembers camping two years ago as we had lobster ! No one has mentioned it to him or shown him pictures. YGS named everyone who was with us - except his mother ! Interesting, isn't it ?
Now to figure out what to have for supper. Has to BBQed of course. Salad fixings from the vertical planter and some icy cold water !!!
We have taken the pond out for a couple of reasons. The maintainance was becoming too much and the cost of water and electricity kept going out. So friends from school came and took all the goodsized rocks out. It took 4 men two trips with a big truck. That was such a relief to have the rocks gone ! The underlay[ originally from under the dining room carpet] and the water proof lining were picked up on Big Item Pickup which made our lives a little easier. Since then we've been screening dirt to get out all the little rocks and turning part of the pond into a vegetable garden. It is tedious work, mostly done very early in the morning before the heat hits ! I've been out since 4:30 for 3 hours !
The front flower beds are coming along. After 28 years, we had to start afresh after every thing was destroyed when the weeping tile and sump pump were put in last all. Daily watering has been needed as we are having the driest spring/summer in over 50 years . We use ' gray water' from out showers for watering the pots and hanging planters. The vertical planters are doing very well, quite pleased with them so far.The tomatoes are flowering and there are a few tomatoes. something has attacked my wax beans; those have been replanted. The garlic, onions and some cucumbers are doing well so far.
May and June were so busy with 7 birthdays, Mother and Father's Day, Victoria weekend, Anniversary, and Canada Day and a party or two for each one !! ED is having her 3rd annual Canada Day party. ES was able to make a section of the wrought iron back fence into a gate so there is now easy access to Jubilee park. No longer do we have to walk a couple of blocks ! We will not stay too late. We can see the fireworks from our house and then go to bed. It takes over an hour for the vehicles to leave the subdivision as they close it down to empty the park.
However, if the heat wave continues, we could change our mind ! ED was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Scholarship foro graduate studies. You had to be doing it full time with a 3.8 average !! Since her University pays for all her courses, she used the money to have air conditioning installed ! Her master suite is on the third floor of a ' victorian' style house. Now she knows why the 'help' slept upstairs ! Vents were closed in the basaement, first and second floors to get the cool air up to the third ! We do it the old fashioned way, opening windows and doors early in the morning an then running around closing them up as the heat rises and sun hits the windows. Then we use fans all night !
I've finished 3 lap afghans using squares that my mother had knit over 30 years ago. The squares had been bagged up and stuck in back of my sewing cupboard. Now they're done, ready to be given to charity. Then I had a look at all my bits and pieces in my wool stash, at least another 2 lap aghans, maybe more. I do havae my fleece poncho to sew. I've sewn everyone else'[s, but not mine !! YGS keeps reminding me that I need to get it ready for camping !
And speaking of camping, we are going for 3 1/2 days with ED, ES and YGS and the dog !! It should be HOT !! Fortunately I can stay behind with the dog in the shade ! :) Camping to YGS is eating and playing. He remembers camping two years ago as we had lobster ! No one has mentioned it to him or shown him pictures. YGS named everyone who was with us - except his mother ! Interesting, isn't it ?
Now to figure out what to have for supper. Has to BBQed of course. Salad fixings from the vertical planter and some icy cold water !!!
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
A Special Day !
Today is my youngest grandson's birthday . He is 5 years old and ready for school; "not that he will learn everything at school--'cause he already knows a LOT of stuff !! " He's already received most ofhis birthday gifts. We bought him a good shovel, his cousins bought him a small, but very sturdy wheelbarrow and his auntie bought him his own gardening gloves, watering can and garden tools ! He was so excited as he was well equipped to move the mulch from the driveway to the backyard. His birthday party is later on in the month .
I've poked around in the soil, and yes the asparagus is almost ready to burst through the soil.So I have planted lettuce, radishes, green onions and cukes in the vertical planter.
The front flower beds have been edged and 4 ball cedars planted. Now we have to move around some perennials to fill the spaces. Mot of the beds have been cleared of leaves and twigs, ready for some compost and worm poo. ! DH shredded newspaper ready to put into the wormery.
Mother's Day was lovely. I spent most of it ou tin the gardens. We went to ED for supper[ I so enjoyed the mushrooms ! ] and our game of croquet . Thank goodness for our PVR ! My ' soap opera' as DH calls Outlander was interrupted by a real life soap opera with the neighbour. Sometime this week, I'll watch the episode
People got out and voted !!! An orange wave [ orange crush] swept across the province. We are desperately hoping they increase the budgets for education and the cutbacks will not be too great. I should be safe being here the longest and being bilingual. Time will tell. We are having a meeting tomorrow, but I suspect nothing will be decided on til next fall. By then we could have won the lottery and I wouldn't need to work ! Who knows ???
I've poked around in the soil, and yes the asparagus is almost ready to burst through the soil.So I have planted lettuce, radishes, green onions and cukes in the vertical planter.
The front flower beds have been edged and 4 ball cedars planted. Now we have to move around some perennials to fill the spaces. Mot of the beds have been cleared of leaves and twigs, ready for some compost and worm poo. ! DH shredded newspaper ready to put into the wormery.
Mother's Day was lovely. I spent most of it ou tin the gardens. We went to ED for supper[ I so enjoyed the mushrooms ! ] and our game of croquet . Thank goodness for our PVR ! My ' soap opera' as DH calls Outlander was interrupted by a real life soap opera with the neighbour. Sometime this week, I'll watch the episode
People got out and voted !!! An orange wave [ orange crush] swept across the province. We are desperately hoping they increase the budgets for education and the cutbacks will not be too great. I should be safe being here the longest and being bilingual. Time will tell. We are having a meeting tomorrow, but I suspect nothing will be decided on til next fall. By then we could have won the lottery and I wouldn't need to work ! Who knows ???
Saturday, May 2, 2015
Sunny, But Cool
It is a gloriously sunny mornig, but only 5*C. We were so spoilt with warm weather for a few days, but we are back to normal - or even below normal. However we have had no rain and we a re desperate for rain. The ground is so dry that we have even had to water. My asparagus is not up yet even thougoh the rhubarb is. That means, to me, that it is not warm enough yet to plant.
It was a long week at school and very busy. It has been a satisfying year and I'd love to continue in the same job next year, However with all the cuts proposed in the coming year, we are all left up in the air. The most important thing is that I have a job next year as I can deal with whatever I'm assigned.
We had a little guest last night for a sleepover. YGS loves to stay overnight even though he goes to bed at the same time ad last night didn't even have a treat ! [ unless Grandpa slipped him one ! ] The whole family ended up here for a pizza supper, completely unplanned.
Today we can hopefully get out to do more work in the yard. DH has bordered one of the front flower beds with 4 x 4. He's hoping to do the other today. Then we have to figure out what perennials we can move into the beds as they were destroyed last fall. Decisions, decisions. More leaves have to be raked, All of the smaller branches of our huge tree have been cut and organized into the wood pile. There are only the large trunk pieces to split and stack.
Next week is the provincial election. Will the people come out and vote ? Will they vote for change ? we've had the same governing party for 44 years and we need change. Course one member of our household is a right winger while the rest of us are left leaning. Could be interesting !
The household is waking up so we'll get on with our day !
It was a long week at school and very busy. It has been a satisfying year and I'd love to continue in the same job next year, However with all the cuts proposed in the coming year, we are all left up in the air. The most important thing is that I have a job next year as I can deal with whatever I'm assigned.
We had a little guest last night for a sleepover. YGS loves to stay overnight even though he goes to bed at the same time ad last night didn't even have a treat ! [ unless Grandpa slipped him one ! ] The whole family ended up here for a pizza supper, completely unplanned.
Today we can hopefully get out to do more work in the yard. DH has bordered one of the front flower beds with 4 x 4. He's hoping to do the other today. Then we have to figure out what perennials we can move into the beds as they were destroyed last fall. Decisions, decisions. More leaves have to be raked, All of the smaller branches of our huge tree have been cut and organized into the wood pile. There are only the large trunk pieces to split and stack.
Next week is the provincial election. Will the people come out and vote ? Will they vote for change ? we've had the same governing party for 44 years and we need change. Course one member of our household is a right winger while the rest of us are left leaning. Could be interesting !
The household is waking up so we'll get on with our day !
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