work, play and what's next

1 We worked and played together today. First it was the work part, washing floors and mirrors, polishing tables and chairs, ironing the little jackets for the chairs, finishing baseboards and bringing in some pieces of furniture, opening the boxes and filling the hutch and, and and...
2 And then the play part started. Mr P connected and mounted outside deck speakers so we had a little dance party! Just the two of us, just for fun!
3 I really like the mirror over the fireplace mantle. Now to decide what extras to put up there or to just leave it be.

I love how both hummingbird feeders are reflected
in the glass doors on the hutch.

alternatives, fresh pickin's, and panorama

1 Fridays are supposed to be the day/night to let loose but a major headache means I get to sleep and rest instead.
2 Mr P brings me a small bowl of husked and washed freshly picked strawberries from the farmer who has a small stand up at the top of the mountain. He also brings home a small bag of freshly picked greens for a salad.Delightful is the word I used to describe the salad he created for us for dinner.
3 He went for a motorbike ride up in the hills and came home with an ear to ear grin. He tells me about his explorations and shares a beautiful panorama shot from the top of a proposed golf course that was started but never completed. It would have been a rather spectacular place for golf. I wonder if it will ever get built.

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two to go, happy anniversary, and zzzz

1 Last day of training for day shift at switchboard. It's busy and she says, I'll just read a book and watch you. At first I'm nervous but as time goes on it's much much easier and soon it almost feels natural again. By the end of the shift my brain is too tired to think and she fills in for me. She laughing says, your brain is full! Two afternoon shifts next week.
2 It's Chris and Michie's fifth anniversary and time to celebrate. The gran-kidlets come to our place so they can have some 'grow up' time <Izzy calls it that!> We play in water and then sand, feed the birds, eat tortellini, have a dance party and while I clean up they watch a movie with Grampa downstairs.
3 I'm so tired I can barely speak. Bed calls, I answer.

work work work, love where you live, book club news

1 Switchboard was great today. Lots of hands on training and even a code to call. I didn't call it because there was a mix up on rooms/location but I'm sure I'll be thrown into it full on today! My trainer said she's bringing a book to read...ha ha Oh I hope not!
2 Erin's home is up on the hill near the winery. It's got a stunning view of a couple of bays and Rattlesnake Island. Their backyard is serene and green with large sized tables and spaces and pergolas, ivy plants climbing posts and huge hanging baskets! And inside her home it's just as spacious and decorated with such love and care that I leave inspired to create that sort of atmosphere in our home.
3 Book club as always is entertaining and lively. Our group has chose a genre for the coming year and chose Short lists. As long as the book makes the top five in any award list it's fair game for choosing for the group to read. I'm hosting in November. Any good book suggestions are most welcome! I must read it first so I guess considering my track record for reading lately, I'd better get on it.

train me, stormy weather, my chef, and drink of the gods

1 It's a work day. I feel so lucky to be able to say that! Gotta love your work and today it was switchboard training, just what I love.
2 There's a storm out there. My drive home is along the lake shore and this means that the weather systems are often different every few kilometers. The storm comes up the middle of the lake but is sporadic. Parts rain, some is just cloud and the best part was where the clouds were so dark and the lightning came screaming straight down on either side of the road.
3 Mr P makes a yummy dinner of BBQ hamburgers and stuffed potatoes. It's much to much food for me so I've packed the other half of my burger for tomorrow's lunch.
4 I find some sugared lavender and will make Lavender Lemonade tomorrow for Book club. It smells divine.

dance party!, exercise, and eat this!

1 One more from yesterday. We had a dance party! Isabelle was a bit sad/grumpy because she had to go home so once the music started playing in the family room I started dancing. She pulled a pouty face then all of a sudden she's jumping about and dancing her heart out. Everyone else joined in and we rocked it to Dire Straits, "The Sultans of Swing!"
2 Our walk/run takes us to Beach Avenue and it lives up to it's status. The walkway is smooth and clean and the view of the lake inspires us to kick it up a notch.
3 A late lunch of leftover ham, rice, ribs and veggies with dip. The clouds have rolled in so it's the perfect temperature for eating out on the deck.Oh, I almost forgot, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

in the heat, Sundays, and red and white

1 We spend so long lingering on our deck over coffee and breakfast that it's pretty warm out by the time we are ready for some of our talked about tasks. We decide to plant the dogwood but once we're outside Mr P gets distracted and ends up on the hillside in the front cleaning up some dead branches . We try to pace ourselves but the heat is a little more than I expected and I quickly head for shade and cold water. I think we're still acclimatizing.
2 It's Sunday which means family dinner! Our lovies come earlier today so our meal is earlier than usual which is nice in the heat.  Mr P marinated some pork ribs last night and grilled them this afternoon. Ithey were done to perfection with the bits of bbq sauce crunchy and caramelized.
2a Izzy and Kes play out on the deck in the water with hoses and buckets, shovels, cars and best of all bubbles! I love how eager they are to water plants and dump water on themselves not caring that it's cold and that their clothes are wet.
3 We planted a dogwood shrub that the kids gave me for mother's day in a spot by the front door. It was a thoughtful gift and we're looking forward to seeing it grow through the seasons. It has variegated leaves in the summer and once the leaves are gone in the fall it will display its dark red branches and that should be especially lovely in winter. Red and white...how Canadian is that?