What's happening in your neck of the woods - Feb 14

Heading to Vancouver tomorrow with the grandtwins. Will kill 3 hours in Winnipeg while en route. (we're using points). A short visit - we return as far as Toronto on Thursday evening and on to Ottawa on Friday morning.

Safe travels Ann..weather should be warmer for you in Vancouver?

Love that you can visit with grandkids.

My girlfriend Ann is leaving Tuesday for Vancouver as well..must be an in place to go

I think, no snow in Vancouver. :-) At least I'm not taking boots.

good for you Ann, think positive

if only the snow would be gone for your return..

Well hello All
Weather is stellar and melting is happening at a zooming rate. They are supposed to start blading the residential roads today but really it will be a waste as they are puddles. It is the ally ways that are a nasty sloppy mess. It is supposed to snow here too but I don't mind this weather at all. Just need lots of wiper stuff to combat the dirty windows.

The geraniums aren't looking to promising but the cannas are starting to pop up. Have three starting from the Cleopatra and a couple from Wyoming. Eucalyptus seeds have had 22 germinate of 24 seeds and are at the two leaf ( cy.....) state so will be moving to their own pots soon. A few of ViAnn's Hosta's have germinated but not sprouted yet.
Tomatoes are ready to start in two weeks and then the mini cukecumbers ( Katrina) will be going then too.
Not too many seeds this year as I will get Petunia and dicondra cuttings in April.
Spent a couple of hours in the G house on Sunday and it was 76 in there. Was like a mini holiday.
Susan are you there?
Ann

Hiya ^_^

Safe travels ViAnn .. have fun with the twins !
Don't exactly know what I'd do with a 3 hour lay over in Wpg .. I know the aircraft museum is not too far away, am sure the kids would love it ..

Wow AbAnn .. things are moving right along for you in the flowering dept !!
GREAT news that .. gives me hope ..
We took a clean vehicle into the city today, and, it is now filthy !! HUGE puddles everywhere .. saw a couple of fellows in shirt sleeves going from their vehicles into stores .. brave souls!

Kinda getting a bit concerned about Susan .. I'm almost fer sure, sure, if something had happened to her Mom she would have posted ?

Take care everyone

~M~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUSAN !!!!

Hope all is well with you ..

~M~

Singing the Happy Birthday song as well..

where are you???

please let us know you are ok as is your family!

OMG Ann, envy you playing with plants, was thinking the other day I should go to the garden center to just look around, always makes me feel 'spring'ish'

Don't think I know of anyone who grows eucalyptis, is this the first year, do you use them for floral arrangements? interesting.

No snow in Vancouver and while I have mitts in my pocket, I've not used them. :-)

The layover in Winnipeg wasn't as long as expected after de-icing delayed our departure from Ottawa/ Time for lunch and DH has lounge privileges so we spent some time there. Walked the new terminal from end to end, stopped at Rocky Mountain Chocolate shop and then boarded the plane for Vancouver. Today, Capilano Suspension Bridge and the aqauarium.

Hi - I'm here - family is fine, as is my Mom. She's moved into a care home and is happy to be out of the hospital (2 months stay, and she was tired of it)

I'm sorry I've been "away"...... just been awfully depressed and reaching my 60th birthday without prospects of a job hasn't been easy.......

Hurrah! Susan, it's so wonderful to see you posting.
Happy birthday hun!
Can understand your disappointment with no job as of yet .. I could say 'don't let it get you down', but, I know for a fact it's a constant 'monkey on your back'.
Just know we're all here for you.

Glad to hear your Mom is out of the hospital ^_^

Hugs

~M~

Ann, your day out and about sounds wonderful..especially the aquarium. I'd love to go to the new one here in Toronto..

Better days ahead Susan..happy birthday!

Thank you :-)

Happy B day too you
Happy B day too you
Happy B day dear Susan
Happy B day tooooooooo Youuuuuuuuu.
Can you hear me singing that one?
Spring is coming and so will some good things for you Susan. I just know it. Having your Mom comfortable is number 1.

Eucalyptus ..... I have been growing for a few years since I can 't find it in the greenhouses. It takes a while to get going so have to start early.
Vi Ann enjoy those babies, they are not quite babies are they but anyway what a super spot to visit this time of year.

Susan - belated happy birthday greetings. Good news about your mother and here's hoping something comes along in the job department.

We had an absolutely glorious day in Vancouver. Warm sun - wore just my sweater for much of the day - no jacket.

Tomorrow, we'll take Amy & Nolan and Leila, the eldest Vancouver grandchild will play hookey from kindergarten and we'll all meet DH's cousin and go to Science World and then the Planetarium. We all wore ourselves out with all the nature walks at the Bridge park this morning.

Thank you, AbAnn!
VAnn - it's not belated, cuz it's still March 11th :-)

Sounds like a wonderful day with family!

Lucky you, hope you are taking photo's..

Woo Hoo .. my dental appt was a BREEZE!
Freezing is coming out, and I have a wonderful repair job to gawk at LoL

ViAnn .. our trips to BC have been SUPER NATURAL .. loved each one, but, always liked coming home to Ontario .. Gord had a job offer in Nanimo .. it was a wonderful offer with their fire Dept/paramedics, but, at that time, he was 45, we felt he had more vested in Thunder Bay .. NOW we hear from DS Murray, that CPR may be promoting, and MOVING him :-(
All conjecture now ..

So glad you're feeling better Betty (re BP)

NEW recipe for cabbage tonight, done in the oven !
Will letcha know how it turns out ..

~M~

Bet you are thrilled dental appt is behind you "M" did ou cry ouch when you saw the bill? Lol

Ohh you'll be worrying now about Murray and the family moving..hard when the kids are at that age to uproot them.

Storm was all around Barrie, drove 5 miles and clear as can be.

Have spent a lot of time outside today trying to break uo the snow buil up on the patio ... looked over to the far side of the yard, and voila, the Forsythia, is uncovered, at least the top of it is ^_^
Trying yo keep busy not thinking about Murray being transferred from here ... my nephew is going to be leaving Ottawa for Brussels Belgium again, he has a position with NATO through the Canadian Military .. the family lived there for 7 years, was transferred back to Canada, now back again .. Rob and Judy will go, but, their 2 children (both in univ.), will stay behind .. they'll sell their beautiful home in Ottawa and buy a Condo for the kids, well not kids Lauren is 19 and Rob is 17 ..

Think I'll go and play Scrabble, always cheers me up a bit ..

Take care everyone

~M~

"M" if he does get transferred how long do you think it would be deforest he would have to move.

Rita is from Brussels/Belgium

You are going to be sore tomorrow..off for a ot bath.

I did almost nothing today...lazy today, sat on chesterfield most of the day

Talked myself into doing finishing touches on a Christmas throw and just finished repairing Sharon's stained glass so in the end I've accomplished something.

Nice looking ut and seeing some melting going on, best not count my chickens before they are hatched..

A week today I should be sitting on a beach...

Kind of in shock here as DS and family are likely being promoted and will be moving to Brandon MB with CPRail.
HUGE lump in my throat..

A bit early, but, sent from the heart !!



May there always be work for your hands to do;

May your purse always hold a coin or two;


May the sun always shine on your windowpane;

May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;

May the hand of a friend always be near you;

May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.

HUGS

~M~

Marilyn - it gives you a new place to visit. Congrats on the promotion.

We got home yesterday. Spent Thursday night in Toronto at a Holiday Inn as we arrived there after midnight -too late to continue on to Ottawa. I put up an album of photos on Facebook that you are supposed to be able to access even if you don't have a FB account - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151928193265706.1073741843.581705705&type=1&l=e7d591fed0

Great pics Ann, I especially like the ones taken at the Space Centre.
My goodness, has Leila ever grown and Heidi has such beautiful red hair .. and .. NO SNOW !!!!

Trying to remain positive re the promotion, but, it's difficult.


~M~

Beautiful photo's Ann

Lordy your grandchildren have grown!

Yikes, I'd be up for all of it but not likely the swing bridge.

Thanks for sharing

Yes, no snow in Vancouver. :-) A bit of a shock to come home.

Ann Lovely photos! I can't believe how big those grandbabies are. It feels like yesterday you were just anouncing their arrivals! So nice that you can pop out for visits.
Did you bring anything back for planting?
"M" Super to hear the dental work was a breeze. Family moving is always tough. My Mom has started talking now of how hard it must have been on her Dad and Dads folks when we moved to Canada. Thanks now to Skype she can talk to her sister on a regular basis and see her great grand baby who is in California. The world is much smaller these days even with great distance.
A lot of our S... is gone and more leaves every day, boy am I ever glad spring is almost here!
Alberta Ann

Happy St. Patricks Day everyone.
Didn't find something green amongst my winter clothing, guess it's not my favorite color although I do have summer wear in green sooo will just think green.

Ann (Alberta) Skype must ease the pain of family living away from each other, world is now much smaller..

how are your plantings doing

Hey there Betty
Transplanted into 2 inch pots my starteded Eucalyptus plants.
Moved the started Begonia's too as some have leaves, these were the overwintered ones. Canna's were transplanted into containers as I had them bulk started in a tray and they are just getting going so have 7 of them that are looking very promising. Tomatoe and Cukes are still to come. Will get the tomatoes going at the end of this month and the Cukes a couple of weeks after them.
Was nice to stand in the G house with a daytime temp of 78 degrees. With the smell of the soil it felt like a holiday albeit a mini one. Took everything out there yesterday and then brought it all back in as it's still too early to leave anything out there.
Anyone else have things going?

Alberta Ann

Won't the plants get leggy Ann, know I did very well starting seeds early one year but by the time it was time to plant all there was was stems, so tall they fell over. Calling for snow here Wednesday, likely won't be till June before anything can be planted. Will be interesting to see how everything survived this long harsh winter.

I envy you playing in the greenhouse even for but a bit..sun was strong here today..hit a high of -8

ViAnn .. love your wee Viola protector .. ^_^
Too sweet, I take it you are pretty much fed up with WINTER too !!

AbAnn .. wow .. enjoy your GHouse .. it sure is paying off with your early starts .. the ONLY thing that WAS looking visible was the Forsythia, and, we had 5cm of snow today and it's covered .. again !!!
More expected tonight .. sigh ..............

Lorna had her meeting re her leg (prosthesis) all involved agree she is THE perfect candidate for the top of the line product, but, just how it'll be funded is another story :-(
I was thinking of writing Otto Bock myself and sending them a ;stick' with all her pics on it, from 4 years ago til now .. may still do it ..

HAPPY ST PADDY'S DAY ^_^

~M~

Actually, Marilynne, I met with Thomas Georgi, a member of Tafelmusik when they were in Ottawa and he told my my viola d'amore needed a hat. So she got a hat!

She looks very fashionable with her new cap!

Another cold bitter day with wind up..

15 cm of that WHITE STUFF headed our way, and, we have appts ... sheesh .. good thing there are 4x4 trucks in the family .. course, the weather liars as Dianne calls them, may just be incorrect .. hope so !

MILD temps though -6C right now ..

Take care

~M~

morning

was -11 this morning..say it will be sunny today, can't see that the sun will come out today as they say, would be welcomed if it did.

Same system working it's way here "M", we'll either get freezing rain or snow, I'd take the snow.

Keep counting sleeps, 3 more and I'm in sunny Florida..

Weather system is on course to hit me as well. Like Betty I will take the snow over freezing rain. Hoping the Weather Liars will live up to their name and the storm will pass me by.The lane is an icy mess - this is the worst it has ever been. Going to be lots of grumbling at the Spring meeting. I wish those who are complaining about the lane would email the other 2 guys on the committee as well as me with their worries. Apparently they think the other 2 guys just erase the emails without reading them. Ya know what??? They are right.

Love the hat VAnn. Very stylish!

I'm grumpy today and I have no idea why. Think I have had enough of winter but who hasn't.

Stay safe and warm!
Dianne

Oh boy feel sorry for all of you. Cute hat VAnn! We have sun and Calgary got a dump of S....

Plants don't get leggy if the lights are close enough and a fan blows around. It is a fine balance and I am usualy able to manage if I don't start too many.

Will post a photo of the plants when I get back to work on Thursday!. Tomorrow is Wednesday so I'm off and it's too hard to get onto here from home for some silly reason.
Bye for now.
Alberta Ann

Pokin my head in to say HELLO ^_^
Emotional days for me, will culminate today ..
DS Murray is off to Brandon MB for 2 weeks of orientation with his new position.
Alison and the kids don't leave for a bit, the house is for sale (by word of mouth right now) once CP gets into it, the signs will go up ..
A lot to take in, and, I have NO shame saying my heart is breaking, I don't care if it IS only a 9 hour drive away ! Winter driving is horrid, and, we have the dogs to consider ...sigh ....sounds like I'm having a full blown 'pity party for one' ..

Betty is in the sand and the sun in Florida .. it was 91F there yesterday .. it's -15C here this morning with a windchill !!

Best get ready to head for the airport with DH to send Murray off ..

Take care everyone

~M~

"M" it's ok torch, it's ok to be overwhelmed..this promotion moved very quicklyand you didn't havemuchtime to adjust. You can visit in seasons other then winter and I'm sure Lorna would be more than pleased to look after the furries. Give yourself time to adjust..you've had so much thrown at you this past year, it's not a wonder you are so upset. Guess like a man, Gord is sowing no signs of distraught and yethe's hurting inside..

I've been sitting in the sunshine since 7:30am, sun is strong so just pulled my chair into the shade..time for breakfast then decide what I shall do with my day.

Darlene has a bad headache, likely it will do her in..doesn't matter, just sitting and feeling the breeze is ok with me..no shovelling here.

Thanks Betty .. trying my best to be 'HAPPY' .. but, today at the airport, poor Brooklyn and Austin LOST IT .. and, ME with them .. felt bad for Murray
AND, he told me, he mayb be away for THREE MONTHS before he comes home !!
Alsion is so sad, but, she'll be busy with the house, and, between her parents and us it should be OK.
Gord's brother Percy and his wife Sonja were on the WestJet flight with Murray to WPG .. they leave for Mexico tomorrow .. so .. in the pic I am attaching, there is me, Murray, Austin, Alison, Brooklyn, Gordon and, standing Sonja and Percy ..

HUGE SIGH ...

~M~