Going, going...gone!

So, Dan is in the air...the plane left a few minutes late.....about 11 minutes actually....Laurie and I think we even heard his plane fly over our house as we were leaving for our run around that time! It was too cloudy to see the plane though.....

Dan had problems with his luggage...his case was waaaaay over weight. He could only take one case because he had his guitar with him...so we kept taking things out of his case (well, actually it was our case as his case was too small...) but even after taking out all the gifts and magazines etc it was still overweight.

So he had a choice...leave the guitar behind and take two cases....or leave behind a LOT of 'stuff'. This was obviously a very difficult choice for him, but he decided to leave the guitar and take all the things he had bought/ gifts/ clothes etc.....

He eill either find out how much it is to ship his guitar...or hope that his brother will take it back in July or we will aask Lloyds friend very nicely if he will take it back and drop it to Daniel in August.....(Lloyds friend drives via Yeovil weekly for work)

We ALL took Dan to the airport......it was sad but good fun....Dan and I checked the suitcases (Dan impressed me with how he appeared like an experienced traveller!!) The lady at Air Canada asked him if he had had a good visit and he said yes, very good and that he would be back!!

Lloyd parked the car and then brought all the children in to say goodbye...we went up to watch the airplanes for a while and then we had fun watching the security checks...there are big glass windows overlooking where passengers get security checked.....you can't film it but you can watch.....it was funny deciding which should be checked further and Susie was enlightened as to what 'the rubber glove treatment' was (lol).......so we went back downstairs to hug Dan goodbye and then raced back upstairs to watch him go through security...but TYPICAL..he got sent over tot he channel underneath us so we couldn't see...so then we stood and watched him come out the other end by the stores and gates.....he took ages in security - Dan what happened?????? Did YOU get the rubber glove treatment????????? roflmao!! We watched him walk into INdigo's (bookstore) and he disappeared into the back of the store, so we left.......

Took the kids to McDonalds.....I ordered a fruit and yoghurt parfait.....waited and waited...they said they had run out so they'd make me one........waited more....sent Chris to get it....he comes back and says oh they have none so they will make you one....uh yes thats what they said AGES ago.......

Finally my parfait comes out.....and the fruit is FROZEN SOLID!!!!!! I am so pissed now!

Anyway, everyone else happily ate.

So Dan has gone...we shouted goodbye as we drove back up Calgary Trail to Airport Road.

I will really miss Dan.....girly, camp Dan (sorry personal joke lol...its just he likes bags and shoes lol! He's such a metrosexual!!!!)

BUT I don't have to share my Mac computer anymore!!!!!

See - I told you so!!

I bought some seeds in town....come home and am on the phone to my sister and I spy my ziploc full of seeds down on the floor behind the computer desk!


I told you! As soon as I bought some more I'd find them!

Lost seeds........

So I still can't find my ziploc filled with seed packets......I have so many packets of seeds...vegetables and flowers.....but I can't find them anywhere........I had them outside last weekend and now they are GONE :(

What are the chances that if I go out today and buy more seeds, tomorrow I find my others????????

Sigh.........

can't..............wake.................up!!!

I am not a morning person......soooooo not a morning person!!! But today I had to be up and dressed for 8am as the water guy is coming to fit a new filter on the water tank.......the tablets I take for my migraines leave me so groggy in the mornings it is very difficult to wake up.......best to leave me alone for a while until I am more awake!!!

Anyway, the guy is here to do the water filter.......it's Dans last day here - he has to be at the airport this evening.....so we are headed into town to do some last minute shopping and go out for lunch.....

I had a 'nightmare' this morning in one f my groggy dozes before I finally woke up......the school called and told me that I had to host the big dinner tonight at my house...so on top of everything else like the water filter and Dan leaving, I also had to clean and tidy and decorate the house for a dinner party for 100 people!!!!!

Thankfully THAT was just a bad dream, BUT Lloyd called a while ago to say the drilling company are coming TODAY to start drilling our new well......I wasn't expecting them for another couple of weeks.....sigh......but they will arrive before 10am and I just have to show them where we want the well.....

We've decided to have the new well at the back of the house.....close to the vegetable garden - and we can have a tap attached to the top of the well so we can water the vegetable garden easily...

I still have to go out today, but Chris is home so he will be taking pictures for me to blog....I can't guarantee they will be very good as he doesn't use my camera often, but there will be pictures of the new well being drilled.....

Our old well at the front of the house is fine...but its the old style with the well shaft which are not allowed any more, so it has to be filled in...and we figured we may as well dig a new one closer to the house NOW rather than worry about that if something happens mid winter......

So that is my day.....new filters on the water tanks......new well being drilled.....last minute shopping with Dan, lunch at Joey Tomatoes......and then a trip to the airport tonight to say goodbye to Dan....then hopefully home in time to go for a run!!

Have a good one everyone!

Cemetery discoveries.......

Our walk around the local graveyard was really interesting...it's a small rural community graveyard, filled with the headstones and graves of Pioneers of the area and their families.........

Typical weekday evening in summer........

Scenes from home this evening........

On the porch....

Dan on the porch this afternoon....

Tuesday afternoon...........

I'm tired today......today is DEFINITELY a rest day....a walk with the dogs will be enough for me today.

We got up this morning and went to West Ed Mall for the day....Dans last day here and he wanted to get a few things there...the Mall was quiet....we strolled around....went to the British Import Store....said hi tt he Sea Lions....strolled around Galaxyland...had lunch in the food court and afternoon tea (lol) at Cinzeos (mmmmmm)

Spent a while in Chapters looking at the books while Sam and Abby played with the train.......I introduced Dan to 'The Four Agreements' and explained how the book comes into your life at a certain time.....just when you need it. I suggested he put it on a shelf and when he needs it, it will suddenly shout out to him.....

We got home around 2:30pm....not long before the children got home from school.

My run yesterday was wonderful...I can't believe how far I can run now compared to just a week ago.....I can outrun Laurie and Susie!!! Lloyd and Dan came up onto Marys land last night for a walk.....and Laurie and I ran while they walked.......Lloyd found the most beautiful butterfly up there - it had JUST come out of its chrysalis and was still waving its wings to dry them....stunning! Sam and Abigail each held it for a few seconds and then we put it back on the ground.....it was a Canadian Tiger Swallowtail...just so beautiful!

No other news really for today....Dan has been packing his case a bit....he's worried about fitting it all in.....he wants to get a few more things tomorrow too....Chris is taking the day off of school tomorrow to babysit for me (terrible mother that I am lol) so Dan and I can go out child free...have breakfast (or maybe lunch at Joey Tomatoes) and do some shopping :)

Dan tried a Purdys Hedgehog today.....he LOVED them lol....oh and he also tried one of those 7 layer things from Tacobell that they keep showing on the commercial......he loved that too lol!

Tonight I think we are going to drive down to the graveyard and have a look.....fun huh????? WEll not quite fun but interesting....graveyards are interesting.....

Nothing interesting to report today I'm afraid......i'll try harder tomorrow ;)

Ssshhhhhh!!!

Everyones busy in the garden...planting trees.....digging over the soil.....watering the plants.....I've come inside to look for my bag of seeds (which I can't find anywhere!!) but I'm sneaking off for a run while everyone is busy....

Today is a rest day......I'm not supposed to run....cross train maybe but not run....so don't tell anyone ok??????

Heather!

I owe you a reply and I wnat to write a long reply to you so it isn't ready to send off to you yet!!! But I have been thinking a lot about your email!!!! Thanks for feeling able to write to me :)

Running......

I am really enjoying my running.....today Dan and I went up on Marys land and did our run/ walk there instead of on the road......we ran more than we walked and I found it so much easier......I can run further and recover quicker already......

When we got back we stopped because Dan is having problems with his knee....but I really wanted to keep going, so I ran with Abigail.....she may be only 5 but she can run FAST......we ran laps of the driveway. Our driveway is approx 120 metres.....so its easier to calculate how far I run......

I bought Runners World magazine yesterday - its a great magazine...I thought it would be very sporty and for REAL runners....but its for everyone and this issue talks about how a Mom of 6 makes time to run and also how to get your family running with you!

The book I bought is also excellent!

Tomorrow should be a rest day but I may cross train by cycling...or just run anyway :)

I never thought I would ever be excited about my next run!!! I think the running journal really helps because I can see clearly how far I have come in just a week!

Removal of the training wheels...

Abigail asked t have her training wheels removed from her bike today.....so I helped her ride all down the driveway and she did great....then Lloyd helped..then Susie and then Laurie and she is doing great......more practice tomorrow...she is so proud of herself...she is determined to be good enough to come on cycle rides with us....I have no pictures of today so maybe I will get some tomorrow!

Summer pics of Dan....

Last time we took this set of pictures, we had snow on the ground....well summer is in full swing here now so we repeated the same shoot to show Dan in front of our house in a different season :)

Woody woodpecker....

I finally got some pictures of our Pileated Woodpecker today....we have a few of them that live around here.....their tapping sounds so different to the tapping of the Downy Woodpecker that we also have here.....the Downys tap is more irregular...

This woodpecker was tapping at the electric pole in our road...but wasn't bothered by us...it let me get right under the pole taking pictures.....it's a male Pileated because it has a red moustache.......

Dan ran back to the house to get my other lense but Charlie (who had followed us out into the road) started snorting under the pole...the woodpecker started chirping and then flew off......so I didn't get any close up pictures sadly....when I hear it again I will try again......I think its nesting in our wood by the road....

Our home...........

Lazy summery days spent at home are just so wonderful.....this time of year we are constantly saying to each other how much we love living here...its like the long winter is forgotten and we just spend all our time outside......its so beautiful here and so wonderful to see all the wildlife and how the seasons change everything....how fast summer arrives here.....

Home....our home...and we love it here :)