Breakfast with Val...

This morning I dropped Abby at preschool and then went to the Esso garage to meet Val for breakfast....Christie didn't join us today. It was such a nice morning :)

Val was telling me all about a special blessing/ naming ceremony that the Blackfoot Band (native community) hold for the children.....it is when they are all given their Blackfoot names by the Elders.......Val was named 'Many Offerings' which I think is just perfect for her - what a lovely name!

Grace as always spoiled Sam with suckers (lollipops) and even came to find us afterwards with one of Sams soothers he had left behind.

It was a great morning and I am so glad that I had the morning away from all this chaos here at least.

I picked Abigail up from preschool at 12pm and stood chatting to Darlene the preschool teacher there.....she is definitely not staying on as the teacher next year and she was talking as if I was already the new preschool teacher for sure! So I guess its assumed by all that I will be taking over....I guess I should start looking into the first aid course......

There is a multi family garage sale close to us this afternoon, so we are going to head there when the kids get home from school.

The weather is nice again - yesterday must have just been a blip! On the news this morning they were saying how they expect it to be hotter and drier than normal this summer.......and that they are worrying about the risk of forest fires....

I worry about grass fires here.....especially as we are far from city water so its more difficult for them to put fires out here....hotter is good (now we have air conditioning lol) but dry is not good!

Day 2......

I have a large JCB right outside of my kitchen window digging a massive trench.....I have a well that is spurting water all over what WAS a beautiful lawn but is now a muddy lake.........I have NO water in the house because they have switched it off....I have a DEAFENING noise coming from my basement which sounds as though they are drilling in my basement...no idea what they are doing...all I know is it is messy and noisy and I cna't get anything done because the jobs I planned for today (washing floors, laundry, cleaning fridge etc) all need water......

Sam is miserable this afternoon so I can't even go out anywhere.........can it really be only 1:30pm?????????

My big comfy chair......

A picture of Abigail this morning after she came downstairs...we were all very bleary eyed and groggy and Abigail is like me and NOT a morning person either!

Also a picture of Susie reading to Sam this afternoon!!!

Last picture

One last picture of Dan as we carried out his cases to the car to head off for the airport!

Have a safe trip Dan!

Drilling for...........water!!

Here are some pictures of the trucks arriving this morning ready to drill our new well......Sam was so thrilled to see these big trucks coming up the driveway...especially the big red one that looks like a fire truck!

The other pictures so the trucks in place and from the front of the house you can see the drill above the roof......its amazing to think that dug down 300ft and then they ahd to go back and get more pipe to dig down further!!! Very cool!

Todays run

After all the gorgeous weather we have had lately, today Dan and I were shocked to look outside and see SNOW!!!! Yes, it was SNOWING this afternoon!!!! Then it turned to rain and was just miserable but sunny round the edges...so it snowed when Dan arrived and snowed when he left.....lol!

I was so not motivated to run in that weather.....I WAS before it started but as soon as I saw that snow I just wanted to curl up by the fire.....

My book suggests that when you don't feel like running, you should put your running shoes on anyway...so I put them on to see if it helped...and because they were on I figured I may as well go! So Laurie came with me and we went 2.2km.......I didn't run ALL of it but a large part of it I did! And when I told Laurie that I could only go to the next electric pole, he told me to go TWO...so I said I'd try and he kept saying stick with it and you can do it....and I did!!! :)

Laurie is really enthusiastic about running....he did so well on track and filed day - I will take pictures of his ribbons tomorrow!!! His teacher coaches him in sprinting and he knows all about breathing techniques etc...he's a great coach for a 12 year old - very motivating :)

So despite not being in the mood, I went for a run and I'm proud of myself for going in such crappy weather :)

The rest of Wednesday...

Dan and I ran into town this morning....got a few things at the mall, went to Costco....ran into Tims for a few things (oh and had coffee first thing there...Dan tried one of their breakfast sandwiches which he LOVED! He had to fight the temptation to have another!!!

We also went to Joey Tomatoes for lunch......it was fun...spent most of the meal laughing ...and I did a little 'interesting' people watching......hhhmmmmm

I had sweet chilli chicken and a slice of garlic toast....Dan had sweet chilli chicken followed by a Hi-Rise bacon double cheeseburger and fries......with their amazing side of sundried tomato gravy.

The rest of the afternoon was spent chatting to my sister Clare (Dans Mom) on the phone and packing Dans cases......

Oh and it was VERY noisy here today as they were drilling the well until 7pm!!!! They had drilled to 300ft and still not hit the amount of water needed.....so they are back tomorrow.....fun fun fun.....and they tell me my lovely lawn at the back which was looking so tidy and neat is going to be a MESS as they have to dig 8ft down all the way from the well to the house. Their truck is parked here tonight and I have a small LAKE in front of the chicken coop.....

Tomorrow - Abby has preschool and I have BREAKFAST WITH VAL!!!!!! Yay!!! And Christie too :) It will be so great to see them again - its been weeks since we had one of our breakfasts together...I sooooo need it!

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 ;)