With the bees.....

We have had our bees installed for just over a week now and A spends a lot of time down with the hives. She is really enjoying watching them and learning all about them. She was involved when we installed them and was right up looking in the hive. You can read more about our beekeeping experiences on our bee blog at:
bee-tales.blogspot.com/

more flowers from our garden....

Scarlet honeysuckle that we planted last year, bearded Iris, Buddleia (not quite flowering yet), elephant ear (Bergenia),

True love is......

Letting your wife tattoo your arm with a butterfly in pen and not washing it off :)

Jasper and Charlie:

Do you think Jasper knows Charlie is behind him?



Urgh someone open a window, it smells like a pig sty in here:

Alberta Wildfires...

www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2008/05/16/edm-fire-bruderheim.html?ref=rss

I think they said there are 17 fires burning across Alberta at the moment. Its so early i the season for there to be this many fires burning! And the two burning this close to Edmonton are bad - The Bruderheim one is so very close!

It's one of the things that does worry you as an acreage owner. Every Summer especially, when the land is so dry, when thunder storms rattle through - lightning often sparks them...as do camp fires...even quadbikes can start grass fires. And the grass is always so dry that once they start they take a hold so quickly.

When we have a fire in the fire pit we have the hose going almost the whole time - we wet the grass around the whole area and we're always soaking it down and we always carefully put the fire out before we leave it for the night. I still worry.

We're not on city water and if there was a fire around here we have to rely on them trucking water in or helicoptering it in - the fire trucks can't attach a hose to a hydrant the way they can in the city.

I would NEVER swap my wonderful acreage life - even if we move it will always be to spacious acreage living - I never want to live in the city again - you couldn't pay me enough. But there are risks and sacrifices you make for this lifestyle, and one of those risks is the wildfires.

The people in those areas are in my thoughts. Tamie - I know you have family in Newbrook and they are in my thoughts. I know many of them are not even on acreages probably - just small town living. I hope their homes and things they care about stay safe.

Susie the Elf

Abby Banana

Slip and slide fun

Laurie enjoying the slip and slide.

Garden colour....

Happy 21st Wedding Anniversary

Happy Anniversary to my Sister Clare and her Husband Jack for yesterday.....yes they are Dans Mom and Dad.....

Dan was conceived on their Wedding night...he was just born 9 months early......

;)


I phoned my Sister to say Happy Anniversary yesterday and ended up being on the phone a LONG time :) Had a nice long chat with Oliver and Isaac too....omg Isaac can TALK!!!! I didn't realise you could have quite THAT long a conversation about water guns :) I really wish Clare would bring him over to stay because I just know he and Abby would have soooooo much fun!!!! Isaac is almost 7.

Dad please can you email me the photos of Oliver from his prom - I can't find them on the Western Gazette website - just the pic of the girls....

Happy 21st Birthday Daniel!!

Today is my Nephew Daniels 21st birthday. A year ago today he was here celebrating his 20th birthday with us all! We took him to the zoo for the day (his choice lol) and it was a great day! He chose a 6 layer chocolate cake for birthday cake and wanted a cheese platter for one of his gifts (something he'd always wanted hahahaha! weird kid!!)

Today he is on holiday for the weekend in Brighton on the south coast of England with his girlfriend...for a music festival I believe - and no doubt as with all great music festivals in Britain, its probably raining lol!!!

I hope whatever you are up to Dan, you are having a great birthday! We all really enjoyed celebrating your birthday with you last year!!! Of course your birthday this year won't compare at all (lol ) but we hope you have a great weekend anyway :)

Thinking of you!

X



The folowing was published in the local paper back home (My sisters had a picture of Dan when he was little and cute lol):



DANNY
DANNY HAMMOND Happy 21st 16-05-2008 Love Grandma, Grandad, Karen, Sean, Jane and Lloyd
Published: 16/05/2008

HAMMOND
DANNY HAMMOND Happy 21st Birthday 16th May All our Love Mum, Dad, Olly and Isaac xxxx

Feelin hot hot HOT

I am LOVING this weather :)

27c yesterday.......26c today and 30c tomorrow :) It's a long weekend here in Canada. The children have today off of school and Lloyd is off on Monday for Victoria Day. The weather is pretty damn PERFECT. It has been sooooooo windy but that is set to die down and then it will be GORGEOUS!

What do you all have planned for this LOVELY weekend?

Louise in England is going to be walking in the Moon Walk to raise money for Cancer research:

Hi all,

I am doing the Moonwalk in aid of Cancer Research with Sarah this year in memory of Beth (my mum-in law) It is half a marathon (13.1 miles) and starts at midnight.

If you are able to sponsor me please follow the link below:


http://www.justgiving.com/sarahdavidson-louiselee

Thank you!

Louise
x

Hung over

blegh.

Datenight last night. We went to Milestones. It was ok. Their Bellini's are the BEST - they even put little plastic animals in the top :) I have this LOVE of getting tacky things in my drinks and desserts - like butterflies on sticks or umbrellas - sad I know lol - and in my drinks last night I got little plastic toys - like a camel upside down :) a hairy coo lol :)

But I wasn't that impressed with Milestones. It's a lot more casual than Joeys Global. Food wasn't as good. Service was ok but not as good. I'm sorry but you just can't beat Joeys and THAT is why you have to wat up to an hour for a table at Joeys.....

But Milestones was ok and I would go there again and while you DO have to wait for a table at Joeys, Milestones is an ok alternative.

Had a lovely evening with Lloyd. We shared dessert - a butterscotch kind of cup desserty thing - bit like Angel Delight with a chocolatey topping and crushed Dime bars on the top. We couldn't finish it as it was too rich, but I finished my bellini's - which is why my head is a little sore this morning!

Moths

We found two moth caterpillars outside in our yard and we added those to our tank with our chrysalises.....well, this morning one of them is starting to change into a chrysalis! If you look closely you can see that it is shedding its outer furry skin and you can see through the furriness! It's body is now much slimmer inside this.

Tuesdays sunset for you