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.

I'm back...

Eeek...it's been a while. Where have I been? Certainly not sitting at the computer updating this thing. Oh no...the weather has been good and we have been spending our time at the beach, at playgrounds, watching bunnies, and generally enjoying the outdoors on our own, and with friends. Dust has gathered on surfaces, the laundry basket is overflowing and every one is down to the their last pair of underwear. Disintegrated cheerios coat the living room floor, along with the sand that is trailed in from our sandals. The (new!) fridge is relatively empty, as are the cupboards. There may as well be a sign on the door saying, "Gone Fishing". Potential burglars probably look through the windows and assume we've already been done over. But we waited a while for some good weather and goddammit we're going to enjoy it.

Big River and Little River

Feeding the wabbits

Close to Jericho beach there is an area of brambles and hedges, pock-marked with rabbit holes, known as the "Bunny Circle". Here bunnies live happily (or 'hoppily'...eh eh) and freely; stretching out in the sun, having 100s of babies, getting fat and lazy on carrots and lettuce. I think their only predators are coyotes...but they don't seem overly worried about it; lounging openly in the sun and not even backing down to the barking of frantic dogs. The kids love going there to visit the cute bunnies and force carrots upon them. Occasionally we have seen hamsters huddled together and hiding. I'm not sure the hamsters stay for very long. Why do people drop off their hamsters to live in the 'wild'?

Leaving the safety of their little plastic world, they are forced out into the land of bunnies, crows and coyotes. Yeah, they'll get a better life; if you consider bewildered panic, quickly followed by paralyzing terror at finding yourself as the main course to be a "better life".

In other news I bought some new toothpaste. It is called Crest Pro-Health and it contains grit. It is like brushing your teeth with sand. Nowhere on the package does it say that there is grit in the toothpaste. It is very odd. Be warned...

Almost summer

The weather hasn't been very consistent this summer (well, I guess it's been consistently cloudy and cool). But what is more annoying than crappy weather? Answer: the endless complaining about it. On and on and on. It's weather...nothing personal, nothing can be done...no one is in control. It's just weather. Please stop moaning about it. And if you're from the UK then you should be used to endless grey, damp days...year round. In fact, even if you're from Vancouver it should come as no surprise. Despite this erratic weather we have been able to enjoy some trips to the beach and to spend time with friends. And that is what summer is all about. Our friends Pete and Jenn and their kids Sapphire and River (another River!) are back in town for summer. We have had some fun hanging out and catching up.

Girls playing in the cold water at sunset

The baby and the bathwater...

The weekend after we got back from Saltery Bay was Vancouver's annual Folk Fest. It is usually great music, great atmosphere and a really eclectic mix of people. Unfortunately, this year was a bit of a wash-out, but it was still good fun. We didn't actually pay to go inside because we are broke...but next year (weather permitting) I think that we will. The girls had a money-making idea going where, for a donation, they would ask someone what animal they'd like them to be. The girls would then act like said animal for about 5 seconds. It was a cute and funny....scam. They made $30 in about two hours. 

Nicole getting her chakras cleansed by a man with a large didgeridoo

I did a quick camping trip this weekend. I went to Cascade Peninsula; somewhere I have not been before. A beautiful campsite 13km up a logging road and tucked beside the shores of Lake Harrison. For some reason I only did one night. Why the hell didn't I stay for 2...what is the matter with me? Stupid Vicky...stupid, stupid!

View of Harrison Lake from the campsite

Looking over Harrison Lake from the logging road

Harrison

But I enjoyed a day by the lake and on Sunday we had beautiful sunny day and a trip down to the beach.

shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yipitty boom de boom

Whooohooo... School is out! Seeee ya Grade one!. Now onto summer. If someone could just turn on the sun we'll do fine. For some reason when I think of the end of the school year, I am always reminded of the final scene from Grease. Not sure why...perhaps as a young-un it gave me some kind of hope. Albeit fleeting...and false. At my school at the end of the year you just hid and tried to sneak out like a ninja so that no-one would throw eggs at you...or worse. But Grease showed us all that high school could be fun! Really. Teenage pregnancy, drugs, bullies, no future, ...none of that seemed to matter...it was about friends and being accepted for who you are. Unless who you are happened to be a friendly, shy girl...in which case you'd better change into a slut pretty damn quick if you want to get anywhere... Good memories...great lyrics too!

We're still here then...for now.

Still here then? World didn't end? Oh well, business as usual. I wonder if some people secretly want it to end so they have an excuse not to do anything...talk about lazy. Anyway, the Kaeshammer show was fantastic. What amazing talent. And the musicians were clearly having a lot of fun. Kaeshammer really is a phenomenal pianist/musician and I am surprised that he isn't more well known. I first bought one of his CDs back in 2000. It was a really fun night out and it was great to spend time with Wendy. Thanks Simon for being out of town so that I was Wendy's date.

Bronwyn and Gala collecting shells

Finally, we got not 1...not 2...but 3.... yes 3, consecutive days of sunshine and warmth last week. A taste of summer...I hope. We made it down to the beach every day and it felt like old times; hanging out while the kids were looking for shells and crabs and digging in the sand. Eating ice-creams and fries bought from the concession. Great fun.

In the above picture (taken by Mike), Bronwyn ran after, and collected, a plastic bag that was blowing along the beach, "So that it wouldn't kill the sea animals". What a back drop. Such a beautiful place to grow up.

 Bronwyn (with lizard face-paint) digging with Nicky (pic by Mike)

Of course, the weather changed in time for the long weekend. But that was okay. I had planned to have a clear-out of the house and garage and that is what happened. I spent all day Sunday (without rest) clearing out the garage, the cupboards, the house, you name it. It felt good...as if I'd taken a power washer and washed through the house. It was much needed and my brain feels less cluttered as a result. I could go another tier and really get rid of stuff, but I think I'll leave it for now. Mark went out and got plants and soil for the deck and it is starting to take shape and look good.

I put this little contraption in the yard for the kids. Our neighbours gave it to us because they were throwing it out (I know, more garbage I collected). I just had to fix the elastic on the edges and re-tie it and hey presto...a bouncing thing for kids who, as we all know, like nothing better than to bounce. Around this neighbourhood there are quite a few yards filled with huge trampolines. You put your kids in and zip it up and they stay in there bouncing up and down for hours and leave you alone. Only thing is you need a huge garden...and when I think about them, they are weird. I also created a sandpit for the kids. All in all, a busy weekend.

Fries at the beach. River's favourite!

On Saturday I attended a writing workshop. I felt I needed a bit of a push and some direction. It was a really useful workshop and it was good to meet other people who would like to write. I have let things slide over the past while and it was good to get a bit of a kick start. Lately, I have met a couple of people who are willing to share and give/receive feedback on writing. I'm looking forward to having something that I can get feedback on. Well, I should say I'm looking forward to finishing something. I have decided to be stricter with my time and more disciplined. No matter how busy I am. There will be more fish sticks and cans of soup for dinner. Any complaints? Well, I think we all know how to use the kitchen equipment, don't we? I am wasting too much of my life doing chores...endless, thankless, and boring.  On top of all River's stuff, it is more than full-time work. Come January I will likely be back working for a money. At this point I cannot imagine how I will even have time to sleep when that time comes. There will have to be some changes to compensate and we may as well start now.

An update on Stefan: he is doing much better. Still on a lot of medication and still having good days and bad days, but overall he is gaining weight and having more good days than bad days. All going well he will be back home on June 6, the day before his 8th birthday...a birthday that we thought he might not see.

PNE...a LOT of fun!

River at the PNE - his face speaks for all the kids there! (taken by Mike)

We had a really fun trip to the PNE last Monday (the Pacific National Exhibition is a big traditional agricultural fair with lots of shows and fun stuff to do). I went with the kids and some friends (Mike and Nicole) and their kids (Gala and Nicky). It was a lot of fun, it's been years since I visited the PNE. I don't know why I haven't been in so long - it's one of those mysteries. I always thought parking would be a nightmare. But Nicole let us know about a spot with free-parking and it was easy to find. It was great to go with other people because it is exactly the type of thing that I cannot do on my own. I need someone else to help me keep track of River and his teleporting ability. We spent hours there - there is such a lot to see.

The highlight was when we went to see the the Super Dogs show (a dog show, where the dogs do all kinds of tricks and agility/speed stuff). I had promised to take Bronwyn and it did not disappoint. She even wore a dog outfit for the event. Awwww...I love that she is still at the age where it's cool to go around wearing a dog costume... Here she is "being" a Super Dog. She has decided that she was born part dog. She can indeed run eerily fast on four legs, but lately she said her nose twitches on one side. What more proof do you need???

I didn't get too many pictures; it was quite busy. I decided to take her again on Sunday (just the two of us). I didn't see too much of the dog show because River got fed up pretty fast. We can also do a couple of rides together. Bronwyn went on her first "big" ride; the big swing roundabout thing. She's on this blurred picture somewhere. She loved it.

We ate fries, hot dogs, cotton candy, and donuts. Went to see the agicultural displays and all kinds of animals. It was way more fun that I anticipated and all in all it was a really fun (and exhausting) day.

Quiet weekend...

Mark and Bronwyn are away this weekend. They have gone camping back to Birkenhead Lake. I am a little worried because I heard about a massive landslide north of Pemberton. I am hoping they can make it back and that the roads aren't too crazy. I was going to go as well, but decided that I needed some time to plan...and a couple of evenings by myself. It has been a rainy weekend here. I took River out for a bit yesterday. A quick walk and then a bike-ride, we got soaked, but it was fun. We have been so spoiled by good weather that I found myself scratching my head and thinking, "Huh? It's raining...what can we do??" How soon we forget that it rains most of the time here!

I have managed to get a bit of planning done for my kindergarten program. I have to admit I am doing a bit of metaphorical "nail-biting" while I wait to see if anyone is even going to register their child. All along I have adopted an approach that if it works, great. If it doesn't then, oh well. We shall see.

I watched a couple of interesting movies. "White Heat" with Jimmy Cagney. It's one of his later gangster (more Film Noir) movies, but it's still a good one. An amazing performance by Jimmy Cagney as a psychotic gangster overly attached to his "ma". As far as I am concerned Jimmy Cagney played the consummate gangster. I think I will have to rent and re-watch more Cagney movies. I also love Film Noir, but haven't watched anything in a while. Time to change that.

The other movie was a Belgium horror movie, "Calvaire". Very dark and twisted. I've read it described as a mix between "Deliverance", and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (two of my favourite films of the thriller/horror genre), but I think it's more like "Deliverance" gone the extra mile, i.e, what might happen if you found yourself lost, alone, and staying at an inn in the village of the hillbillies. Quite disturbing, but done very well. The director plays with with our sympathies, so that the deranged aggressor is somewhat likable...a nice twist that makes the whole atmosphere of the movie more chilling. I used to watch more horror movies way-back-when. Particularly, during the three mind-numbingly boring years in Kettering, England; I used to watch horror movies just so I could actually feel something...perhaps a bit of adrenalin just to comfort myself that I hadn't yet completely turned into a zombie-drone. I don't watch much these days, and I'm can't stand the stupid "Saw" (torture-porn or whatever) type of rubbish. But movies of the horror-genre with some decent plot and character development that are chilling and somewhat disturbing are worth a watch now and then.

I got a bit of knitting done. Mainly finishing the crocodile for Bronwyn. However, it is difficult to knit during subtitled movies...I forgot about that.

On another note, I am reading "Pickwick Papers" by Charles Dickens (I should have read it long ago...but oh well). It is hilarious! I am enjoying every minute. Maybe the timing is right, but it is simply one of the funniest books I have read in a long, long time.

And lastly, why has River been waking up at 5:30 AM (or before)??? I hope it's not going to be ongoing...

Long weekend.

We had quite a good August long weekend. Mark did some work on the van. We've had a couple of issues...besides ridiculous parking fines and getting towed. Oh yes, I may have neglected to mention that a week or so ago our van was towed from the beach parking lot. Admittedly, we were parked in a No Parking spot...but so were 1000s of other cars! Last Wednesday the car had a dead battery and I had to call out BCAA. River missed his last speech therapy session for a while (he takes a 3 month break every so often) which I was quite peeved about. The locks had also been acting up. One minute they were trying to lock themselves up and down and the next we couldn't open or unlock the passenger side door...etc., etc., no need to bore with the details of the van-locking problems. I'm starting to wonder about that van...it better not be possessed like our Subaru was. I may have to run around splashing it with holy water yelling, "I CAST YOU OUT! UNCLEAN SPIRIT!" Anyway, Mark managed to fix it so that was good.

We walked up to Broadway and got Sushi for Saturday's dinner. There is a local sushi place called Jun Sushi where we go for cheap (I've heard it called "lunch-grade" sushi). Nothing fancy, just good, fresh, and cheap sushi. Super friendly owners and food that is ready when they say it will be. There are almost as many sushi places in Vancouver as there are coffee shops, but it is key to find a good one in your own neighbourhood. It reminds me that it has been a while since we made our own sushi. We really got into that for a while (I think it was back when Mark made a decision to cook more...back in 2008..eh eh...sorry Mark - but it's true :) Anyway, Mark can make sushi, gyoza and chicken teriyaki, complete with all sauces and dips, to rival any restaurant. We even tried tempura....but it set all our smoke alarms off so we gave that one up. This was at our old place where we had a red light outside our apartment that began flashing every time our smoke alarm went off so that all our neighbours were alerted to that fact we were the idiots stood on chairs with cushions pressed against the ceiling while smoke billowed out the open door and windows. But I think a sushi night is in order. Best not to let new-found skills get rusty.

The rest of the weekend we went down to the beach. Bronwyn was desperate to show Mark how she could swim. Here she is. I love the concentration on her face.

River seemed much more relaxed and was able to stay at the beach with us. He even took another dip in the water. We're all getting pretty tanned this year. It's so great to be able to get out to the beach and the temperatures have been perfect.

Mark and I had a bbq on the deck on Sunday and Monday....delicious. It's fun to have a meal by ourselves now and again instead of the chaos that often accompanies eating dinner with the kids.

In the summertime...

I haven't had much time to update my blog. We are having too much fun at the beach, playing in the sun and splashing in the water. The past two days River spent the entire time at the water splashing and wading in...even though he knew where the water fountains were. Amazing. I think our trip to Saltery Bay helped. He got used to the water and began to enjoy splashing about - even though he doesn't usually fair to well in wide-open spaces. Big progress as far as I am concerned.

River exploring his love for water fountains...perhaps a thing of the past (it's Bronwyn's hat..)?

Yesterday we were at the beach for 4 hours and I only had to chase him once or twice. I think I should put a life-jacket on him though. He wades into the water now without stopping!

Bronwyn has had a blast. Her and her friends have been non-stop playing, like only little kids can. Digging for clams, finding minnows, splashing and swimming. She has actually learned to swim. It's a kind of strange inefficient doggy paddle...but she stays afloat and moves around. It led me to think, "That's not swimming, it's drowning with style!" But she is so proud. She tried to think of everyone she ever met in order to compile a list of who she needed to tell that she has learned to swim. Oh, and her friend Sapphire taught her apparently...nothing to do with Mark and I taking her swimming. Or me taking her nearly every day to the beach!

There is a beach nearby, close to the Vancouver Yacht Club marina. We were going there because it was a breakwater and very calm. It helped Bronwyn to build her confidence. I worried a bit about pollution from the boats. But in reality I don't think the boats ever leave the marina. I've been there a lot and I have hardly ever seen anyone around the boats, nor have I seen any boats coming and going. Oh the life of the rich!

The inflatable shark is "Sharky". We bike down to the beach and he goes in the child seat...it looks quite funny! That's our green boat in the background...ha ha...NOT!

The tide has been quite far out during the weekday afternoons. It's great to walk out along the sand flats. The temperature has been amazing...just perfect for swimming. I wish I could get more pictures near the water...but I don't want to take the camera and end up getting it wet. Perhaps I can do that next week when the tide will be higher during the afternoons. I already fried my cell-phone. But it was a vintage one anyway...all it could do was be a phone! I angled for an iphone...but "luckily" Mark had an old cell-phone that he generously gave to me...just slight less vintage than the one that got wrecked. Oh well...next time. Anyway, it's lovely to have time to play and swim at the beach. We are so lucky to live so close to such a fabulous park.