Monday, November 10th - ooops - I really need to learn how to read a calander.

Conditions at 5:30 am: 2' that feels more like -1' - especially with the heavy frost on the vehicles this morning. But the moon and stars are brilliant this morning
Expected later: 8' and sunny - not a bad day at all

Well, apparently I was a little premature with my anniversary wishes on Friday and totally messed with the heads of those involved. Our friends anniversary isn't until THIS Thursday, not last Thursday. So while I thought I was sending late wishes, I was a week early. I had poor Brenda second guessing herself about the date. She was pretty sure it wasn't till this week but then she had to really think about it. Sorry about that guys, and all the best this week!

What a crazy few days of weather we had. Lloyd left on Friday morning, and was fortunate to make all his planned flights. You just never know when you fly standby. But all went well and he arrived on time.  By the time I got home on Friday evening, it was raining a little but extremely windy. We had winds in the 80 km range and it was a challenge.  All night long you could hear the wind howling and things banging around outside. We lost several large chunks of branches off the trees in the front yard, but that's typical when we get those high winds. 

It continued into Saturday morning. I was up early and headed into town to drop off some recycling and get to Canadian Tire when they opened. I picked up Lloyd's new toys. All he needs now is some snow. He also had a rain check for a new bench sander and they also had that in stock so now he has two new things to play with when he gets home.We're very fortunate to have a neighbour who comes by with his big tractor and snowblower but that doesn't help with the snow around the house, and now that we have the garage, we need to keep the snow clear between there and the wood shed. This will make his life a whole lot easier. If we have any winter guests who insist on sleeping in the bunky, they won't have to crawl on their hands and knees on top of the deep snow banks to get to their bed this year!

The winds continued throughout the day and only subsided by late evening. There was a function at the Rec Centre on Saturday evening and it was much calmer when we left there around 9:30.  It had been very cold on Saturday but Sunday was promising to be much improved. And it was. I was outside in the morning and it was pleasant to be out there with much milder temperatures and the wind finally gone. I filled up my wood supply for the week and brought some things out to the craft room.   I even managed to bake some fruit cake while I puttered about. Now I can say I've at least started some Christmas baking!

Brenda and I had made plans to go into town to the Craft Fair at the Confed Centre on Sunday afternoon. She picked me up after lunch and we headed into town, stopping first to pick up my car. Then we made our way downtown to the  craft show. All that shopping worked up an appetite so our next stop was  the Old Triangle for  some nachos and a beer. This left us with just enough time to head over to the liquor store to bottle some wine, as we were both running low. With our cases of wine in tow, we parted company and headed home. Now all the vehicles are in the right places and all is good.

It's going to be a strange week, with a day off on Tuesday. But we'll work with it. Lloyd will be home sometime Thursday afternoon, if all goes well. I have a few more little jobs I hope to get done while he's away. 

Friday, November 7th - Happy Rainy Friday

Conditions at 5:30 am: a wet and rainy 8' that feels slightly more like 5'
Expected later: more rain and a high of 13'



First,  belated Anniversary wishes to our good friends Brenda and Bernie. I knew it was coming up but 
didn't check the calendar until this morning, when I realized I missed it! Sorry about that guys. Hope you did something interesting.  I should have at least called last night to give you my best wishes.

Hooray, it's Friday! I can say that because I have the weekend off. Then we work Monday and have Tuesday off. Not a bad week. Lloyd is off this morning to Newfoundland. Hopefully his flights will go as we hope they will. With any luck he'll be having lunch on the rock.  As for me, I have a long list of things I hope to accomplish while he's away. Some will be preparations for our little party we're hosting when he gets back and some will be Christmas stuff. It will be here before you know it. We also have a catering job at the beginning of December so we also have to do some planning for that as well. 

I was contacted by the wife of one of the fellows at work to see if I might do some Christmas baking for her. I might try and get some of that stuff done while he's away as well. Then I can hide it all before he gets back, so there will still be some when the holidays get here!

He has the balcony on the garage all closed in now. The wall is up and the openings are ready for the windows to be installed.  He's got them filled in with plastic at the moment until he gets back. There are two very large windows and when I went upstairs last night, to look out, they will work very nicely. It's not as open but now it's a really cozy space. The best part is now I don't have to find somewhere to store my chairs and huge cushions for the winter. They can just stay put. I have the infrared heater up there that I used to heat last year. I can put that out there to turn on if we want to sit out there and we can actually use it all year long now. Sitting up there with a hot chocolate infused with some Bailey's and watching the snow flakes gently fall sounds like another great way to pass the winter.

Wednesday, November 4th - Yes, people, winter is really going to come again this year!

Conditions at 6:35 am: 6' and overcast
Expected later:  mainly cloudy and 13' with a slight chance of showers

Well, what a day we had on Monday. There was some snow in New Brunswick over the weekend, which spurred a lot of islanders into action.  Our phone started ringing at 7:30 and litterally rang non-stop all day long. It was insane. I really didn't get any other work done throughout the course of the day. It was a huge wake up I suppose for some folks to discover that there was snow in the region. Everyone wanted to get their winter tires put on right away.  I didn't tell them that the temperature is supposed to go back up to 13' or better later in the week.. It was an exhausting day by the time it was over. I suppose I can only look at the bright side of things and view it as job security! 
Tuesday was much better, but the sun came out and it didn't seem quite so bleak, although the clouds were in and out all day. The panic had subsided somewhat.   Oh well, we need those crazy days every now and again to really make us appreciate the slow ones.

One of the business managers came to me yesterday and advised that today was take your kid to school day. So his 14 year old daughter is coming in today and he wondered if I had any filing she might be able to do. Do I have filing!  But I feel bad making the poor girl tackle that huge job for the day.  That seems more like some kind of punishment. Of course most of the files are her dad's, but I'm sure we'll be able to find some other jobs for her to do besides that miserable task - tempting as it is to have someone do all of it for me.  But that's just not right. 

Not a lot going on this week.  Lloyd is trying to get as much done as he can before he leaves for Newfoundland on Friday morning.  We've planned a little get together in the garage shortly after he gets back. I thought he was back sooner than he actually will be, so it will be quite tight, as there won't be a lot of time when he returns.  We've invited all those folks who had a hand in the planning and/or construction of the garage.  Just a little "Thanks for your help".  We know one fellow will be away, but I think most everyone else should be around.   Hopefully we don't have a snow storm that day.  It could happen. It's going to be on the 16th of November - Patti's birthday. I'd invite her  to join us but she's off to London England that weekend.  Poor baby!

Hard to believe it's finally come from this:

To this:

There's still work to be done but it will eventually get done. At least now we both have a great space to work in. Not bad for a bunch of amateurs!

Monday, November 3rd - no snow yet for this part of the Maritimes!

Conditions at 5:35 am: 3' but the strong winds are making it feel more like -3'
Expected later: pretty much exactly what we have right now, with no change in temperature

On viewing the weather this morning, it's looking like large parts of New Brunswick have gotten a fair bit of the white stuff, but so far, none in our forecast as yet.

What strange weather yesterday. I picked Brenda up yesterday afternoon around 2:00 and it was 7' and quite windy. When I took her home a little before 7:00, the temperature was 15' and there was only a slight breeze. Now this morning the temperature has plummeted. It was a strange night, and at one point I was awakened by a bright flash of lightening and a loud clap of thunder. No worries - we'll take a thunderstorm over snow for as long as we can for now.

It was a pretty quiet weekend.  Lloyd was working 4 to 12 on Friday so I picked up a pizza and took it over to him at work. He didn't have any clients in yet, so I joined him. It was really the first time all week we'd seen each other, save for a few minutes here and there.

I worked on Saturday morning and was planning to pick up a couple of things at the grocery store on my way home but the power had gone out in most of Charlottetown and at least as far out as our place.  Not much to do on a cold, rainy Saturday with no power, but throw another log or two in the wood stove, sit down with a cup of tea (thank goodness for the gas stove), and a good book. Lloyd had been working outside all morning so he was ready for a nap. Another great way to pass the time.  Fortunately it was only off for a couple of hours, so it really wasn't much of an inconvenience. 

Sunday morning we had some breakfast and then sat and watched a PBS documentary on the Tower of London while we had out tea. I know one young man in Ontario who will find it interesting.  Then Lloyd headed out to the garage and I accomplished a few tasks inside.

We had the annual fund raising spaghetti supper at the Rec Centre on Saturday afternoon.  I picked Brenda up at 2:00, as I mentioned before, as we have traditionally become the spaghetti and sauce cooks. She looks after the sauce and I cook the pasta. I think this is the third year so we have it pretty much figured out now. Our numbers were down this year, but the weather was pretty crumbly and I suspect that played a big part.

But those who were there seemed to enjoy and lots of compliments, especially to the sauce maker! Well done Brenda.  After dropping her off, I came home and unpacked the car of all the bits and pieces I'd taken with me. Lloyd was sitting on the couch, reading the first of the Louise Penny books that we have. So I made us a cup of tea and sat with him as I was reading the latest in the series. As of very early this morning, I've finished all of them, so maybe now I can actually get something done around here! It seems lately all I've been doing it reading, but when a good book grabs hold, you just have to persevere until it's finished. Everything else can wait - and it usually does.

Friday, October 31st - Happy Halloween!!!

Conditions at 5:10 am:  a calm and clear 3' that only feels like 1'
Expected later:  a sunny 9' that may only feel like 7' but we'll take it!


How fortunate for the kids that Halloween is falling on a Friday this year.  Actually it's probably more of a blessing for the teachers! No overtired, oversugared kids arriving at school the next day.
I was talking to the kids the other night but in our discussion of the trip to London,  I totally forgot to ask what they were dressing as for Halloween. I'm sure pictures of the big night will be coming soon.

The day after Patti and James got back, I received an email from a friend in Ontario with some amazing photos of the Tower of London. I wish I'd known about it before the two of them went there last weekend. They weren't aware of it and missed it. But I emailed the tourist bureau there and it the display will be finished on November 11th but it will take them 7 to 14 days to completely dismantle it so it's hoped that Patti may get to see some of it when she goes back to London later in November. It's absolutely beautiful - a sea of 888,246  ceramic poppies spilling from the tower to the moat around it. They were for sale after it's over with the proceeds going to various charities. Unfortunately they've all been sold. But what a sight to see.

 

Volunteers have been  recruited to help install the flowers and the last one will be 'planted' on November 11th at a special Remembrance Day ceremony. What a moving experience that will be for a lot of people, as each poppy marks the death of a member of the British Forces during the first world war.

Wednesday, October 28th - looks like London survived Hurricane James!

Conditions at 6:30 am: 7' that feels more like 4'
Expected later: a mix of sun and cloud and a balmy 15'

Well, by all accounts our travelers had a great time in London. James had no trouble navigating his way through the airport and actually arrived at the crew bus stop BEFORE the crew!  I had no idea how things went but was mighty relieved when I got the text message that they were home once more.
I talked to James on Monday evening and he filled me in on all the details.  It sounds like they had a pretty amazing time, hitting all the high tourist spots like:

Silverman's Army Supplies and MORE:

The Imperial War Museum:

HMS Belfast:

And some bridge they came upon! 

I can say I've been to London several times and apparently a couple of these hot spots have avoided my radar. I can't imagine how that could have happened!

He was especially pleased that he got to experience the first class luxury of an international flight - at least on the way over. On the way back he was just like everyone else.  Before leaving Toronto, he did get to sit in the cockpit for a few minutes while they were loading the plane, so he was pretty excited about that. I can only imagine the conversation that took place in that tiny space in those few moments. The pilots were probably exhausted before they even took off!

They had a bit of a whirlwind tour and were only able to fit in a few things but all the more reason to go back - and I have not doubt he will be going back sooner rather than later.  It really is an amazing place for a history buff to visit.

But he learned first hand just how small the world really is - he was in Heathrow Airport and ran into a fellow student from his school! Turns out this other guys father is a pilot and the son was over visiting a cousin. Amazing!

Because he did such a great job of getting through the airport they didn't end up taking the train to Paddington Station, so no bear pictures this trip. Maybe next time!

Monday, October 27th - gosh, where did this month go??

Conditions at 5:30 am: very windy with heavy rain, and a temperature of 8' that's feeling more like 5'
Expected later: more wind and rain and a high of 8" that's only going to feel like 3'

But I suppose the up side is, it's not snowing, unlike other parts of the country.  It was a pretty quiet weekend at the Denny residence.  I was still feeling rather poorly on Saturday, which ticked me of no end. I hated to waste my Saturday off, by sleeping most of the day. But unfortunately that's what I did. In retrospect perhaps I should have stayed home on Friday and slept all day, then perhaps I would have felt better on Saturday. Oh well, you know what they say about hindsight being 20/20. 

Fortunately I felt considerably better on Sunday, maybe not 100% but much improved. I did actually manage to get a few things done around the house so at least the whole weekend wasn't a total loss.

Lloyd is working the afternoon shift all week so I plan to get busy and do some long overdo work around the house.  I'm sorely tempted to spend these evenings out in the craft room but that will have to wait. 

He spent a fair bit of the weekend out in the garage. He's currently building storage cabinets for tools etc. and they're coming along nicely. We plan to have a little get together out in the garage with some food and perhaps a beverage or two for those folks who so generously donated their time, expertise or equipment to help finish the project. We certainly couldn't have done it without their help. So yesterday we decided on a date because there's nothing like a deadline to push things along! Of course Lloyd will be away for the long weekend so that will make it slightly more difficult but no one will be expecting everything to be done. But it will be somewhat presentable by then (at least that's the plan!).  Invitations will be forthcoming very soon for those involved, and you all know who you are!

Statue at Paddington Station

 I talked to Patti on Saturday and she was off to jolly old London, England that evening. She planned to take
James with her. Now that he can fly by himself she can take him along. There are some war museums there that he'd love to visit. (I'll bet she'll wish she'd taken her mom along instead - I'm a much better shopper than James is likely to be!).  Only glitch in the plan is he would have to make his way through customs on his own as the crew are required to go through another area. But if anyone can find his way around an airport, it will be James.  Hopefully they're having a good time, although they will be heading back home today. Better to learn about a city in person than reading about it in a geography class.  This will be his second visit, as he and I accompanied Patti when he was five, I think. He was deeply into knights at that time so we took him to visit Windsor Castle.  He had his picture taken with the statue of Paddington Bear at Paddington Station. He thinks he needs an updated one, so I know that's on his list of things to do.