Someone slept in this morning...

Conditions at 10:00 - 21* and sunny

Later- 26* with a mix of sun and cloud

...and no, it wasn't grandma! It was 7:00 when Meghan got up so I told her to quickly get dressed, we had to go. We just had time to go to Timothy's for a bagel and a coffee and milk before getting to the University. But we made it!

This morning is the second day of Regis and Kelly and let me tell you, this place is just buzzing! Only on PEI could people with such celebrity status just tour around, go into restaurants with their families and have a great time. Apparently Kelly and her husband and kids were at Lot 30 on Sunday night for supper. Her son had caught an 8 pound trout somewhere (but no one is saying where) and Gordon Bailey cooked it for them. One of the guys in our department was at the restaurant on Sunday and was actually sat at the next table. So of course, some conversation took place. It sounds like they are having a great time here. Today's Guardian has a photo of Gordon Bailey from Lot 30 serving some treats to them on the show yesterday.

I was one of those people who was fortunate enough to get tickets and I was going to take Brenda but in the end I decided not to go. A couple of girls from here are going but they're

using vacation time to go and I don't have any. I could go but I'd have to make up the time and I just would rather leave on time. My boss is also away for 3 weeks starting next Monday and we're trying hard to get caught up on stuff before she goes away. I also may have a job interview next week, and I have one tomorrow, so I feel a little guilty about taking the extra time. SO in the end, Brenda is taking her cousin Maureen.

I'm sure they'll have a great time!

Meghan has finished her scrapbook on the Taylor Swift concert. It is absolutely priceless and I've shown it to everyone here at the office and they all LOVE it! Years down the road, it will be a priceless memory. I can't wait to put it on display at her wedding years from now! IT will be one of those things only a Grandmother could possibly get away with!

We talked to Patti last night. They had arrived in Halifax and were on their way to the hotel. They plan to tour the city today and will head out on the ferry tonight. Meghan and I plan to drive down to meet them so they can just follow us home. We'll likely stop in Montague somewhere and pick up something to eat, then head home. It's looking like it might be a great night for a bonfire. Last night was perfect - warm and no wind, let's hope tonight is the same.

Last night I took Meghan out on the road with her bike again and she now has a much better idea of how to use the hand brakes. We didn't try to navigate the driveway again, but stayed, instead, on the pavement. That's one of the joys of our road in the evenings, virtually no traffic. We were out for about 1/2 an hour and not one car went by.

I may have created a monster. I showed Meghan how to post a comment so I suspect there will be a great many for a little while when she gets home, until the novelty wears off.

A Crushing Defeat for Holland

Conditions at 7:00 - 21* and overcast (rained earlier)
Later - 22* and overcast with a chance of showers

Sunday morning, Meghan and I both slept in. She crawled out of bed at 11:00.
After lunch (cause she missed breakfast!) Brenda called and invited us to join them at the Dutch Inn in Cornwall to watch the final match of the World Cup with Holland vs. Spain. On our way to town, we passed the VanGaals mailbox and it was loaded with orange balloons so Meghan got out and took some pictures.
After a stop at the Superstore to get her concert photos printed, we headed over to the Dutch Inn. It was 0-0 for the entire game until Spain scored a goal in overtime. It was quite the event. Lots of people dressed in orange with some very interesting head gear. When we got there I asked Brenda where Bernie was and she said he stayed home. Wait a minute? He's the dutchman in the group! But we managed to have fun without him - afterall there was beer and food so how can you go wrong with that?

When it was over Brenda invited Meghan and I to join them for Chinese food for supper. After supper ( capped off with delicious shortcake with Brenda's biscuits, and Coffins berries) we went home where Meghan worked on her Taylor Swift concert scrapbook. There are a few spelling errors but I didn't correct them. I want it to be authentically hers, something she will appreciate when she gets older. She's really enjoying do it and has brought it with her this morning to work on while I do the blog.

Tonight I have some laundry to do, a bit of tidying and Raymond is coming over to look at the pressure pump and see what the job will entail. With any luck, it won't take long and maybe he can get it done this week. While I'm finishing up around the house Meghan is going to begin working on her second scrapbook. She has a few pictures she can work with and I told her that her mom will likely take photos when she's here as well, so she can add to it later. She's been very busy taking photos with my camera. She had great fun taking pictures at the Dutch Inn yesterday and lots of pictures of Cooper in the mornings.

It's amazing how entertaining a bag of stickers, some paper and glue and a pair of scissors can be!

What a night!

Conditions at 10:00 am - pouring rain and 21* (although the weather network states we're having light rain showers at the moment!)

Expected later: 22* and more of the same

Well, Meghan has just survived her first music concert, and was she a happy camper!
I was very proud of her and how well she handled the many long waiting times.

Yesterday we just kind of hung around the house until about 3:00. I cut the lawn in the morning while she did arts and crafts (Meghan's favorite thing to do), then we just sort of did not much, while waiting for time to go. We didn't want to leave too early as it would have made for a long wait in Cavendish as well as a very long day for the dog.

It looked like it was threatening to rain and sure enough, on our way to Charlottetown, the skies opened up and it POURED. Not to worry, we were on our way to the dollar store anyway to pick up some disposable rain ponchos. Unfortunately everyone else had the same idea, and they were sold out. They were also able to help us out by letting us know that all the other dollars stores in town were also out. So, we picked up some emergency blankets (essentially just a big piece of crinkly foil but large enough to cover you if needed, and they do a wonderful job of keeping in the heat if it's cold) and some large garbage bags. We were prepared for anything.

When we got to the Cavendish area, it was bumper to bumper traffic crawling up Route 13. Not being really familiar with the area, when we got to Route 6, there were no signs directing you to any parking lots so we followed the entire line and turned left. This eventually brought us to the concert sight, and we realized we should have turned right on Route 6. So we turned around and headed back. All in all, by the time we got to the parking lot and took the shuttle bus to the drop off point, and walked to the concert site, it was about 7:15, so not too long of a wait. We only took one chair with us, and in the end, that turned out to be a great decision. We found a spot to park the chair then took a walk down to the front area, where everyone was standing. There was a young woman singing but Meghan was too short to see anything, not even the screens and she's way too heavy to lift up for any length of time. She was the one who stated she wanted to go back and sit in the chair.

Of course our first stop was to buy a cowboy hat. Unfortunately they were all out of Taylor Swift T-shirts, so we had to make do with a face painting in honour of her favorite artist. (Too bad neither of us thought of the face painting later in the evening when she was applying bug spray. She wanted to do it herself so after she sprayed her hands, and rubbed it all over her face, she ended up with paint smeared ALL over her face and hands!)

After a gourmet dinner of - are you ready for it ??? --- Poutine (which I've never had before, but Meghan assured me was great) we settled in for the evening. The wait by that time wasn't long and as it got dark the excitement was mounting.

Of course once the show started everyone stood up for the entire thing, so sitting on a chair didn't work for a short person, as she couldn't see the screens. We were pretty far back but the screens provided a good view of the show.

I know she's been truly indoctrinated when Taylor suggested everyone take out their glow sticks or cell phones to wave during one song. So there's Meghan, standing on the chair (with me behind it to hold it) and swaying to the music and waving my cell phone. Only trouble with cell phones is they don't stay on, so she had to stop every so often and push the button to turn it back on. But there was sufficient woooo-hooooing going on, so I know this one will be fine - I think she's got it!

When the show was over, we slowly filed out of the area. The entrance gate was fairly small and everyone had to leave the same way, creating quite a bottle neck. But eventually we got out and walked back down to the shuttle pick up area. The show finished at 10:45 and I jokingly said to Meghan that it would be 1:00 before we got out of the pick up area when I saw the number of people waiting for buses. Turns out I was right - it was 12:55 when we got onto the bus. By the time we got to the parking lot, walked to the back of the parking lot, waited to get out of the lot onto the road, and drove home, it was 2:45 when we pulled into the driveway. It was indeed a long night but I think she'll remember it for a long time.


One thing I can't believe is we had rain on our way to town, but then it stopped and I don't think they'd had any out in Cavendish as everything was still nice and dry. Just as Taylor was coming on stage we had huge black clouds come rolling in, and gusts of wind and we all scrambled for whatever we had to keep out the rain, which never materialized! We had a beautiful night and by the time we got to the car, as we were waiting to get out of the parking lot, it started to rain, and it continued half way home. It could not have been timed any better.

This morning I woke up about 8:45 and it's now almost 10:00 and Meghan is still sleeping. She might as well, it's pouring rain, the kind of rain that's just settled right in and looks like it just might last all day. Sure glad we're not going to Cavendish tonight!

There's a joker in every crowd!

Current conditions at 7:00 - 20* and sunny
Later - 28* and mix of sun and cloud

Yesterday afternoon I went to the airport to pick up Patti, Meghan and Tristen. When the flight came in Patti and Meghan got off the plane. I asked where Tristen was and Patti said he didn't come as he was at Karate camp. So the three of us girls headed off to get into the car. Just as we were going out the door a voice came up behind me and called my name and said "Sandy, funny running into you here". I turned around and there was James! I wasn't expecting to see him and he quite enjoyed playing a trick on me.

We drove back to the University and Patti and the kids went to the pool to swim till I was finished at 4:00. On our way home we stopped and picked up some mussels, strawberries, pop, and whatever else we needed. When we got home we had dinner, then cleaned up.

After supper Meghan and James took the bicycles out of the tent. They did very well until Meghan wiped out at the end of the driveway. Then James conducted an investigation to find out exactly what happened. The unfortunate victim kept saying, "James, I can just tell you what happened!" It appears that a lack of experience using hand brakes combined with a slight hill and loose gravel all conspired to throw Meghan on the ground, where she sustained multiple injuries, including a scape on her cheek, elbow, back, and shoulder. Further investigation uncovered bicycle tread marks across her butt. What we can't figure out is, how did she run over herself? Now that takes real talent.

But this morning she seems much better. Her cheek (the one on her face) is the only part that still hurts. While she was receiving expert medical attention from her mom, James and I took a drive down to the Spirit Spring where he tossed a small stone into the water and it was quickly swallowed by the bubbling sand.

This morning we all got up early and drove into the airport to drop off James and Patti. When Meghan and I were on our way to Timothy's we saw four foxes beside the road. We stopped and they didn't even run away. One was very brave and when we were opening the car window to take a picture it came right up to the car. I even got out and took a picture and it wasn't scared at all. We know that James will be disappointed to hear that he missed them. Hopefully they'll see more when they come back next week.

And now we are at Timothy's where I'm writing this blog and Meghan is reading it over my shoulder, having just about finished her bagel and chocolate milk. She will be going to the summer camp at UPEI today.

Sorry for the delay this morning...

Conditions at 9:00 am - 20* and mix of sun and cloud (mostly sun)

Later - 28* and sunny

This morning I was making potato salad, and doing a few last minute things around the house so I was a bit late leaving. When I got to town there wasn't really enough time to go and have coffee and post my blog so I decided instead to head over to Kent and pick up the new pressure tank, especially since I had enough time to do it and I also had the truck. Besides,

I'm picking Patti and the two kids (Meghan and Tristen) at the airport at 1:10 this afternoon. Then they are picking me up at 4:00.

Yesterday afternoon I had my first doctors appointment with my new doctor. He has quite a unique approach and philosophy and it's getting mixed reviews here on the island. There are several negative comments from people on his web site and the receptionist in the dermatologist's office last week said she had heard good things and not so good things, but I like to form my own opinion.

I was seen first by a man who took all kinds of information and input it into the computer. He then left and a little while later Dr. Coull came in. All I can say is I really like him. He sat right beside me, examined my knee, asked me some questions, told me he was changing the anti-inflammatory I was taking and explained why. He questioned me about some other things and I felt very well taken care of. I know it was only my first visit, but the first impression was a very favorable one. I didn't feel rushed or pushed out the door as is so often the case. I have two follow up appointments with other people later in the summer. I like the fact that routine things are being handled by other staff. It only makes sense to have nurses handle procedures that don't really require a doctor. That just frees up time for him to see more people. All in all, I'm happy with his practice and way of doing things so far, but I can see where it might be difficult for people to get past the idea that the doctor has to see you for every little thing.

I got a phone call yesterday afternoon from Meghan (2) to tell me about her horse show. It seems the stable she rides at is participating in bigger show in Campbellville this summer. Every second Wednesday they go to the stable in the morning, get their horses ready, load them into trailers and then they follow them to the show. Patti did suggest to her that this IS a bigger event with lots more kids so don't be expecting to win something every time. Well, apparently she won a 4th prize for grooming, then in the riding classes she won a first prize for walking and another first prize for trotting!

Our little Meghan is turning into quite the equestrian!

CONGRATULATIONS MEG!

Here comes the sun!

Conditions at 7:00 - 18* and foggy

Later- 28* and mix of sun and cloud

It appears that southern Ontario is sending us their weather - again!
Yesterday I was listening to CJOY (a Guelph radio station) and they were talking about the fact that it was 33* with a humidex reading of 39* - that's just nuts! It wasn't a great day here yesterday, rainy off and on all day, with a high of 18* but I'd much prefer that. Today is meant to be very hot and we're just not used to those kinds of temperatures here.

I was talking to Patti yesterday and the kids had a lemonade stand outside their house.
Apparently there were some construction workers down the road and some came and bought lemonade and someone even bought a bottle of water for their dog. Quite the little group of entrepreneurs on our hands.

Yesterday I received an interesting article in the email. Being as our department is all about fund raising, this one was actually one that I really thought was a great idea. I think it's something I might like to start with the kids when they each reach a certain age. I think 10 years old might be a good time.

Wonderful gift for youth in your life

Try this with your nieces, nephews, and grandkids

This is so amazing...from Uncle Bill and Aunt Beth in Gloucester MA to their nieces and nephews. Sharing and teaching and learning all in one. Nurturing young donors. Obligation and reciprocity. Please read the whole thing. Maybe you want to copy this gift and letter from Beth and Bill. Here's the letter:
Enclosed is a holiday gift for you from the both of us...By now you are old enough to know that no matter how much money you have, there are others who a lot less. By now, you are old enough to know that there is a lot in this world that needs fixing. By now, you are old enough to know how good it can feel to actually help someone else by giving them something - like your time or your skills or your money. By now, your parents have tried to teach you how important it is to share what we have in this world.
So the $100 gift enclosed comes with this deal.....
-- You need to give 1/4 of it - or $25 - back to the world. It is up to you whether to donate it to some organization, or to use it in some other way to help make this planet a better place.
-- In order to receive any birthday money next year, you need to tell us how you used the $25 well before your birthday.
-- And, if you do that, for your next birthday, you'll receive $125 from us. In other words, we'll give you more money next time if you follow the deal. (But we'll also ask you to give away 1/4 of that, too.)
So in the spirit of sharing this holiday season, here's a gift from us. We love you lots. And we look forward to hearing back from you.

I like this idea but I would like to take it one step further and stipulate that they must give away 1/4, save 1/4 and then they can do what they want with the rest.

The kids all have so much 'stuff' that they really don't need more toys, and they get lots of those kinds of things anyway. Of course it's totally selfish on my part - how easy would Christmas shopping be for me! And besides, not living in the same place, it's hard to know what to buy for them and we may not always spend Christmas together so this way I can just mail their gifts. Once they know they are getting the same thing each year, instead of dreaming of what they might get for gifts, they can start dreaming about where they are going to donate their money to each year, as well as what they can save up for.

We just might be on to something here. I know that James is already that way inclined as his birthday is December 22. Several years now on his birthday he has asked his friends who come to his party to bring money instead of gifts for him and he donates it to something he's learned about. It's usually something animal related and that's okay. It's still doing something to make the world a better place.

I'll talk to Patti about it when she's here and see what she thinks.

It's raining again ...but it's going to be a great weekend!

I can't believe I left the house this morning without my laptop, so I'm using the computer at Timothy's. Only trouble is it's a Mac and I know nothing about them so it's a bit of a challenge. But I'm here.

Yesterday I was totally wiped out. I slept in till 7:00 but I still dragged my way through the day. I suppose part of the problem is I wasn't extremely busy, so I tended to lose steam. Not that I didn't have things to do, but most of them were 'filler' jobs, you know the ones, the things you don't particularly enjoy doing and they can be put off till you have absolutely nothing to do. Filing seems to come to mind! But I'm even all caught up on that as well.

I did, however, get a pleasant surprise when I got home. There was an envelope in my mailbox with a return address of ABC Productions - YES, I got tickets for Regis and Kelly. I thought for sure they were already sent out and I didn't get any. I can't wait to see if anyone else at the office got them as well. They are for the show on Tuesday.

Last night I got a few things done around the house and I'm just about ready for company. I was trying to decide what to have for supper on Thursday night when Patti's here and then it struck me, like a thunderbolt! Of course, we'll have lobster. I'll make a potato salad on Wednesday night, pick up some mussels on our way home from town on Thursday, and call it dinner. I know Patti will enjoy it and the kids both like lobster and Meghan(2) particularly likes mussels so it's a win/win for everyone. A real treat for them and no fuss for me!


Since we had that conversation about teaching cooking at community school, it's been rolling around in my brain and I've been thinking about simple things we can so from start to finish in two hours. I'll have to draw up a plan and talk to Brenda to see who I should speak to in order to see if it's even possible.

One more tiny bit of good news ( I hope). I've recently applied for a who pile of jobs online and yesterday when I got home there's a message from one of them for me to call, so let's keep our fingers crossed that I at least get an interview.