Update...Summer Fun

So...time for an update. And another attempt to catch up, and keep running.

October already. Still relatively warm here and the trees are beginning to display their Fall shades. This has always been my favourite time of year, though in later years summer has become a close contender for 'favourite season'.

Here's a recap of the last few months in pictures.

June and Bronwyn turned 11, quickly followed by July, in which Nicky turned 11. Now River anxiously awaits November; when he will turn 9. He is waiting to grow taller than Nicky. "Will I be as tall as Nicky when I'm 10?" We patiently explain, again, that when he is 10, Nicky will be 12 and still most probably, infuriatingly, taller than River. "Can you measure me again?" he asks, while examining the door frame at the entrance to the kitchen. We have measured the kids over the past couple of years and there are lines; pencilled and faint, along with Sharpie lines, black and thick, that measure our height. Well, mostly the kids.  "You probably haven't grown much since last week", I caution. Explaining things over and over has become a sort of pastime with River. I will try to contain my exasperation and carefully explain, "River, you already asked that question, and I have already answered it...many times". "But that's not the right answer," he replies. His strategy; to keep repeating the question in the hope that eventually he will get the answer that he wants to hear.

September: the crazy month. Let's put everything into September! says... I don't know...The World. Let's scramble and rush around and gather a  myriad of those never-ending 'school supplies'. Last year's un-used school supplies get shoved in a box. Perfectly usable...but not new. I had to work more hours than I anticipated the first couple of weeks of September. I felt as if I was in a mad race; busy, busy, and I am glad to get back to some kind of normality. (ha!)

Going to try to maintain this thing and will mostly just post updates of what we're doing and journalish meanderings.

Will post this just so that I can actually get started. I hope the posts will be more up-to-date and refined from this point. I hope.

Back again....new chapters

Bronwyn in the sunset - by Mike

Dear Blog...it has been months since you last heard anything from me...

Months of stuff happening that I have not blogged about. The other day Bronwyn said, "You don't write your blog anymore, do you?" She's never read it to my knowledge. I don't know where the thought came from. Perhaps noticing I hadn't talked about it. My sitting-at-the-computer time has become very short...and I haven't been taking pictures 'for the blog' as I used to all the time. But she reminded me of why I started it in the first place. Or at least one of the reasons; so that she would have something to look back on and read later on. I mentioned that reasoning to her and she replied, "That would be very sad."
"Bittersweet", I corrected her. But surely a wonderful gift?

So it is the beginning of September...the end of a long and warm summer. We have been routinely sweeping sand from the floor of the apartment and emptying it from our backpacks and towels, after multiple trips to the beach. Labour Day weekend. It has been nearly a year since I last updated. A year full of events, happenings and emotions that it would be laborious for me to list here. It is easier if I just recap a little and then continue on. Of course, it is the nature of break-ups that I can only show and tell my part of the story.

We moved house last November, just a few blocks from our old place. Older, cheaper, but in a great location.  A simple 2 bedroom place in part of an old Kits house; a little ramshackle apartment. We have the original living room and kitchen; wood floor, high ceilings and big windows. The converted basement for bedrooms - low ceilings, sort of haphazardly strung together. An incredibly small bathroom with a low ceiling that means that anyone taller than 5'5" must stoop. But this is a great neighbourhood and we are only a few blocks from our last place and only a few blocks from Mark's apartment.

I began a new full-time job in March; teacher at a language development preschool. It's an intense, but rewarding job. The hardest thing about working full-time is being disconnected from the kid's school life. This is especially true for River. With resources for special needs education being reduced all the time, I fear he does not get the support that he needs. His anxiety level at school is  high (as it is for many kids with autism) and he has begun to dread going. He was staggering, teary-eyed, towards the end of grade 1, and I am worried about grade 2. As yet the school has not given me any information that would enable me to prepare him. So I am preparing myself for another year of school visits and letter-writing.

Bronwyn turned 9 in June. A smart, funny, quasi-tomboy; expert tree-climber. River learned to ride a bike (something we thought we'd never see), and he's also mostly poo-ing in the toilet (again, something we wondered if he'd ever do!). His communication has come on in leaps and bounds. Wonderful and positive, changes. His rigidity and OCD tendencies are also more pronounced now that he is older - something we work on daily.

The children spend almost half their week with Mark, and the rest of the time with with Mike and I. To be brief, Mike and I became lovers and we now live together. Mike's son, Nicky, lives with us every other weekend and some weeks during school vacation. He is also 9 years old and he is great friends with Bronwyn and a real live-wire, full of boyish drive and energy and great fun. River looks up to him like a big brother. He is one of the very few kids who have patience to play with River and talk to him, show him things. All in all things are usually quite busy around here.

Things are settling into some kind of routine.  We have had a full summer - taking the kids on adventures and biking around the city. But this is it for another year. I ride my motorbike to work every day to work and I love it. I got my license in October. Passed first time! We decided against buying a car as neither of us gets paid very much and funds are low. We have to be creative - but we acknowledge that we make sacrifices on 'stuff' so that we can live in this neighbourhood.

I feel like I need a new name for this blog. Must begin to think of one... In the meantime, here's some pictures from the past year...

Cypress in the snow

Calgary

Keeping up the branches

Stealth camping and hiking on the north shore

Catching jellyfish at the beach

Mike and his sister Kennan

Mask Bronwyn discovered lying at the bottom of a tree stump

River at the mud flats

Mud pie target practise

Superbike

 

Ride to Stanley Park

Bronwyn and I went on a great bike-ride last Saturday. It was our first relatively long bike-ride since we got her new bike. She did so well! Kept up the whole time, her little legs peddling away. Commenting on the flowers and birds that we passed along the way; "Mummy, did you see those pink flowers that looked hollow inside? What are they called? Hey, I think I just saw a humming bird on that bush. Those little white flowers are beautiful; did you see them, mummy?". We crossed the Burrard Street bridge and she pointing out, with requisite "Awwws", every dog poking its head out of a car window, tongue lolling. We made our way over the bridge and down Beach Ave to Stanley Park. It was Bronwyn's first real ride in traffic. Every other bike ride has been along the beach or around our neighbourhood. But she kept up and we made it to Stanley Park in pretty good time. The clouds began to clear and it promised to be a sunny afternoon. Bronwyn didn't want to stop around English Bay, which can get quite crowded. Small crowds of people were already beginning to make their way down to the beach and the traffic was getting heavy at the end of Denman St. She said it was too busy for her and wanted to go to the "other" part of Stanley Park. So we rode further until we reached Second Beach and we stopped there. We shared an over-cooked veggie dog in a stale bun and shook our heads at tourists who were throwing fries to the numerous crows perched and gathered menacingly around the picnic area.

Second Beach

Bronwyn wanted to play at the playground so we walked over while she finished her ice-cream. Aside from a little swinging to and fro on the monkey bars and a bit of a climbing, the playground didn't seem to offer much to Bronwyn, although she did make quite a good attempt to have fun. Parents sat disconsolately around the perimeter, and I joined them there trying, unsuccessfully, to get some decent pictures. After a while I suggested we head down to the beach. The sun was shining and the temperature was warming up. Bronwyn liked that suggestion and we made our way down to the sand. The tide was out a fair way so Bronwyn was able to walk out and look for crabs under various rocks. There was a small group of kids around 8 or 9 years old also looking for crabs. They would shriek and scream loudly in pure excitement and wonder every time they saw one. One would exclaim, "Wow! This crab is huge, it's the biggest I've ever seen!" and there would shrieks from the other kids. Bronwyn was fascinated by their fascination, and comfortable in her 'beach superiority'. (*eye roll* seriously?). It was as if this was their first trip to the beach, or they certainly don't get to the beach often. One young girl complained bitterly when some sea-water got into her small silver sparkling shoes, "Ohhhh...I'm never coming to the beach again!" she cried. Bronwyn thought that was hilarious.

Nearby, a mother walked with her two small kids. Stopped to read her phone while her kids luxuriated, naked and almost naked, in the warm, wet sand. A young man was sitting among the rocks playing Debussy on his violin. He was quite accomplished and the sound carried beautifully. I know it was Debussy because another man, who sat listening nearby; dressed in black and looking like a biker, asked him what he was playing. I wanted to get in close to take a picture, but there were slippery rocks between me and him and I was distracted by the sound of other music coming from along the sea wall. We turned to see a parade rounding the corner and coming towards Second Beach.

What looked like a small procession in the distance, became, as we approached the revelers, a joyous wedding. Jazz musicians dressed in outlandish and colourful suits and dresses played a spirited number on saxophones, trumpets, trombones, while the wedding guests, dressed in their 'sunday best', laughed and danced. What looked to be the bride or bridegroom's mothers or aunts danced in front of the parade, waving bright red feather boas that left pieces of down scattered along the path. The bride and groom were a radiant young couple and the whole entourage was carnivalesque; a sort of throw-back to what I imagine to be an old fashioned New Orleans type of celebration. I thought wouldn't it be wonderful if these people were all fun, creative friends who decided to just sort of throw this wedding together. "Come and join us and bring your instrument!" But I suspect the musicians are paid to play at weddings and everything is carefully choreographed. Still, it was fun to watch. Now that was a wedding I would have liked to be invited to.

Bronwyn and I packed up and headed home, stopping at Segal's for bagels and chocolate and raspberry rugelach (which were sitting irresistibly on the counter). Again, although she was tired, Bronwyn kept up the whole way. It was a really fun outing! Bronwyn was worn out. When Trini and Lorne took her out for pizza that evening I think Bronwyn nearly fell asleep at the table!

Steveston revisted

Happy slightly belated Easter! The bunny has risen! It was a bit of a weird Easter for us. Mark was struck down with a bad flu on Good Friday and was essentially bed-ridden and unable to function for nearly 6 days. We had a bout of glorious sunny weather and it was the first long weekend since Christmas. This did nothing to help his already flagging spirits. Now River has it, poor little guy.

The kids and I made the best of things and got out to enjoy the weather. On Saturday I took them to Steveston (where we used to live). It is a fabulous place to visit. We began at a trail off the dyke that we call "The Coyote Walk". I have mentioned it before it a secluded trail that takes you along the tidal flats past Scotch Pond to where there used to stand an old cannery. Although it the sun was shining, the wind was quite cold. The old couch we found a while back had been moved to another location and this time the tide was way out.

Scotch Pond

 

A disassembled sitting room

Following the Coyote Walk we decided to walk around Garry Point and explore the different beaches along the way. I love when we find adhoc sculptures and balancing structures along the shoreline.

The kids explored rocks, logs, twigs, sand, and water. The only problem with that section of the Fraser inlet is that it is not safe to swim in. The water is quite polluted with the all the industry going on just further up the Fraser Arm. But it is perfect for a Spring day when it is too brisk to want to swim or go in the water anyway.

Later, we toured the village and, of course, had Fish and Chips at Dave's restaurant. Then the kids wanted to go back to the beach and so we did. We ended up hanging out in Steveston for hours and having a lot of fun.

Still here

Yes, I'm still here. Still plodding along, like a dependable donkey, draped with jolly bells, trudging back and forth along the seafront at Cleethorpes beach, lugging ornery kids overstuffed with fish and chips and ice-cream. Rumours of my taking off to a tropical island with a handsome billionaire who wants to 'take me away from all this' and feed me those delicious little French cakes and pour wine while we discuss knitting patterns, have been grossly exaggerated. I have been busy. It's my mantra.

But it's not all drudgery and endless chores...there is some fun stuff. Really. Among other things, I have started on an exciting project with my friend, Helen. We are both keen knitters and she came up with the idea of our collaborating and creating knitting patterns and hand-dyed knitting kits to sell on the web (and perhaps in stores). We have a website (which I will link to this blog...eventually). It is www.stitches-studio.com...check it out! We will be putting knitting patterns up there, as well as interesting articles. And we're blogging about the creative process. It's a lot of fun, and great to collaborate with Helen. I have been doing a fair bit of dyeing and have become very interested in the whole process. There is something quite satisfying about dyeing your own yarn. Also, it means I can move all my knitting chatter over to the other blog.

I have also been trying to enjoy my last weeks before I start work. On Monday I begin work as the Assistant Preschool Teacher at the local preschool. I am looking forward to it for a number of reasons; making money, having an activity outside of the home...called a job, getting to know other people and, of course, working with a very sweet group of children. My first job in over 5 years; part-time and not terribly lucrative, but in the teaching field and incredibly convenient. I am hoping it will be a good bridge between not having paid work for 5 years, and whatever I do next (become rich and famous, obviously). There will have to be a few changes around here once I begin work. But I can't see it happening without a struggle. The donkey is growing wings and becoming Pegasus...outta my way! Okay, not quite.

We've had a few sunny (but cold) days here and have managed to get down to the beach a couple of times. Here's a couple of pics of the kids.

Yeah, we build sandcastles...even when it's freezing!

"Thanks for taking me to have so much fun, mum" awww

Nothing like hitting a log...

Who needs shoes?

Perhaps footwear is a good idea after all

Aint we bootiful!