a tip

There was a neat tip on one of my quilting lists today. Wind eight bobbins and when they are all used up it is time to oil your machine and change your needle.  What a practical  way to remember to do those jobs.
My son Peter is finally back in the country for 2 weeks and is coming for a visit on Wednesday. that will be very nice.
Ricky , my grandson called today and is hoping his dad will drive him here to watch the hockey Tuesday night.  I too hope Rick will agree to the visit. Ricky likes to watch the game with Grandpa Ray. We like it too. Since Ricky totalled his car he needs to depend on someone else to get him places.
We had to go back to the Medical Supply store today to return  a few things for an exchange. Every time I go there it costs me :))
Then we went back to the Crossings  as yesterday I had bought a paperback and a magazine on my grocery bill. When we got home neither were in the bags or the car. So I went to the store to see if they had the books there. I thought they may have been turned into the return counter. They weren't there but the lady in charge replaced them anyway. That was very good of her. She said I have decided tot take your word for it. That kind of shocked me as I am not in the habit of telling lies to get something. But then how would she know, just because you are a senior does not necessarily make you honest.

I saw some good dogs today. Good dogs do not bark and charge. LOL.
Here are two real cuties out for a walk.

This  man was walking these two little guys  for his neighbour. He kindly allowed us to take a photo of them. They are so adorable, I'd love to have one of these small dogs.

Outside the grocery store patiently waiting for his owner.  What a gorgoeus golden retriever. Our son in Quebec had two of these lovely dogs but Daisy passed away. Charlie is still with them.

I have wanted to find pictures of daffodils . They are so fabulous!

To quote Wordsworth's sonnet,

 " I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host of golden daffodils."

And here they are a host of daffodils.

Glorious!!

The dogs and the daffodils were the highlight of my day. Well after a phone call from my grandson Ricky my son Peter and my son Matthew.

Ricky wants his dad Richard to come for the hockey game on Tuesday. I hope he can convince him but it is a long drive in awful traffic.

Still it would be nice. I must call and ask Rick if he is okay with that because if he isn't then I hope to go to an embroidery class at Tom's tomorrow night .

So that is my day and a good one it was.

Have a great evening folks.

Bien sur.

rules for an unruly machine

Is your machine misbehaving?  Sometimes my machines just won't do what I want it to, so here is what I do.
1.  clean the bobbin area
2. oil the bobbin area, just one drop in the centre where the wooly looking piece is
3. change the needle to a top stitch or jeans needle
4. rethread the machine
Begin again....
Another puzzle....
http://www.jigzone.com/puzzles/2011-04-17-94303519F

Another beautiful day and no photos. I am going to ask Ray to take me out just for photography. He doesn't like to stop the car but there are some neat places where it would not cause any traffic issues to stop for a bit.
We did our grocery shopping at the Crossings. We seem to carry on the tradition fo shopping on the weekend but really it is time to change. The grocery stores are always packed Saturday and Sunday.
Time to change!!
We are watching the hockey playoffs , this time the game is in Chicago. This is the 3rd period and the score is 3-2 for Canucks. We are hoping for a third winning game. Hurrah!!
Last night I did some more knitting on my sock . This yarn is kind of heavy so I suspect that the yardage is not good enough to make one whole sock. However I have some other yarn of the same type but different colour so I'll do the heel in another colour.
I think tomorrow I'll make two more bookmarks.
I won the Bingo game this time, Red Hat fat quarters, so this time I call the game. The theme is movie/TV shows, so I'll need to go shopping. AWWWW...............
Aha!!! We won 3 to 2! Hurrah!!! Go Canucks Go!!
No pictures and time to go.
Have a lovely evening.  

forgetting

Sitting here with my laptop and thinking " there is something I should be doing " LOL. Yes I should be writing my blog. What is up with that? Is my memory fading or failing? Not completely as I finally got it :))
Jim just called to say he would be in next week for overnight . He and Larry are on their way to Hawaii. They are flying there and cruising back. How nice!!!
Then Adam called yesterday and said he and Lisa would be up from Louisiana early in May.
It is going to be lovely to see them .
We waited this morning for the nurse to come. She was late as she had a hard time getting through Main Street . There was a Sikh festival happening and the streets were blocked. She said the people on the street would not move over to allow traffic to get through.
Margaret said her vet had the same problem. She had to take her cat to the vet for a bladder infection. Boy could I relate to that poor kitty LOL.
It was too late to go grocery shopping according to Ray so we trooped down to the mall and had a bite of late lunch at Manchu Wok. Then we went to Sears as Ray wanted to look at a jig saw. They had a big sale today and I bought 2 new tops.

This one has pretty ruffles all over it, not that you can see them in this photo.

And this one has silvery dots on it. Very pretty.

Ray found a black shirt with short sleeves that he had been looking for for a long time. He was really happy to find one.
It was a good walk for me, not much for anybody else but I am still getting my legs back so I was pleased with my effort. It is an indication that I am on the way back to good health and to my activities.   And I am not using the walker, I did not like it so I am happy about that.
I am reading a good book, just started it. It is by Audrey Howard and is about life at the end of the 1800. Interesting to see the way of life then as my dad was born today in 1891. Happy 110th birthday dad  :))

I enjoy reading these period novels as differentiated from historical novels which I also enjoy. This seems like a nice gentle read exploring the idiosyncracies of the age and the manners of the day.

Margaret came over for a short visit to pick up a library book she had given me to read. It's nice that we like the same books because I have not been able to get to the library recently. It seems to me that my time is fully taken care of.

Tonight we are watching Seven, a movie with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. I am not really a fan of Brad Pitt but do like Morgan Freeman.

That's my tale for tonight folks.

Have a lovely evening!

Guten Abend.

more hospitals

This time it was St. Paul's for the kidney clinic that Ray attends. The doctor there was very happy with his progress and his kidney numbers were up. That was good!!
We left home at 9:00 and traffic was really good all the way.
This was the view going to the hospital. Fantastic.

The snow is low on the mountains today as it has been cold and snowed up there. It always looks  so beautiful in the sunlight!!

Snow in Abbotsford yesterday  April ??????

 After being at the clinic for an hour and a half, we went to Denny's for brunch. Both of us had a waffle with bacon, egg and sausage. As it was a senior's plate  there wasn't a lot of food on the plate, enough for us though. We watched the  dishes that other diners had and were amazed by the amount of food on their plates. It all looked good though, maybe next time we'll order one of those dishes and share it. Of course that will be  6 months from now LOL. So no danger of eating too much haha.
We had to go to the medical supply shop on the way home to buy some more supplies. When we left I waited for Ray for bring the car down the ramp. I was standing behind a car that was parked in front of the store. Suddenly I felt the car move and Ray was honking the horn . The woman had got into her car , put it in reverse and started to drive. Of course she  bumped her car into me. She had not looked in her rear view mirror when she started up her car. Fortunately she realized what was happening and stopped the car. I just got a little bump but no damage. Could have been a lot worse! :))
I just finished my dinner, cherrios and milk LOL. Also sourdough toast with tomato and mayonaisse. Weird meal but so tasty Haha....
Usually we cook but tonight we just wanted to eat, not cook.

Little Adam built a birdhouse ,good for him.
Big Adam and Lisa are home for Spain where they had a lovely time in both Madrid and Toledo. I am envious. I went to Spain in the late 60s and loved it. My cousin and my friend and I took a trip to Granada which was thrilling. We visited the  caves where the gypsies  live. Most interesting, they have electricity and whitewashed walls to reflect the light. Amazing! We saw a show of flamenco dancing which was spectacular and of course the amazing palace Alhambra where the Moors/Sultan had built their harem  and family living quarters. The harem was most interesting to see.
Enough of my travelogue for tonight.
Have a great evening. We are watching the Canuck game against Chicago. Pray for our team!! Which is the Canucks for those of you who did not know.
Buenos Noches....

dinner time

Dinner time at the Keg with Sam treating us for my birthday dinner. We had such a great time. I did not have any meat but ate up stuffed mushrooms , then warm goat cheese with toasts and tomato salsa. Oh so good. I had a Caesar salad for dinner. I really enjoyed my dinner and was full  at the end of the meal. The waitress Melissa was lots of fun too. She and I had our picture taken together.
Adam called while we were in the restaurant but it was too noisy to hear what he was saying so he said he would call back  tomorrow.
While we were out Matthew called to talk about a date to celebrate his , my and Ryan's birthdays as well as Chelsea's homecoming from Toronto. We did not lock down any specific day but determined that it should be around Mother's Day.

whoops a little out of place but this is Melissa...

My official 79th birthday photo. Do I look happy, you be I am. And I had a Baileys over ice to celebrate.

Sam and me we are both happy LOL

Sam and Grandpa drinking water while I enjoy my Baileys Haha.

Trying to watch the Mentalist right now so I'll write in between segments. I haven't seen it for weeks, maybe even months, who knows. Certainly not I....

Rained and snowed today- funny weather for April.

I had to see my own doctor today but just for a visit to tell her all about my last episode in the hospital.  She knew I was there but not the details.

By the time we got home and had lunch it was 2:00 PM  and we had to meet Sam at 4:00. It was a full day , no sewing. I wonder if I will ever sew again. However I hope to go to my Tuesday groups next week if I can stay away for the whole day.

So that`s my day , I am finished :))

Have a wonderful evening folks . Bon Soir!!

Some weather rules

The rules of weather are easy to learn. Rain -stay in, Sun- go out, Snow-sit by the window and watch, all other weather it is your option. HA!!
Today it was dull and gray with some rain. We stayed in most of the day but did run to Safeway for something to eat for dinner. We bought hot chicken legs and breasts, macaroni and cheese and  nice deli meat . We ate the chicken, which was delicious and we were full so the rest of the food is waiting in the fridge for another hunger attack. LOL.
Tonight is guild night and I am sad to miss it, but not really ready for a night out. By next month I'll be raring to go. I hope Kathy will fill me in on the details tomorrow.
Brr it is cold in here tonight , I think we'll turn up the heat and cover up with a quilt so we can be warm and toasty while we watch the hockey game between the Canucks and the Black Hawks. We need to win this one , it will give us a phsychological advantage. And we forgot to buy potato chips to nibble on. We will have to settle for popcorn instead.   
I'll keep busy by knitting some more socks, pink ones, during the game. So eating, watching and knitting  takes care of the evening.

Such a pretty pink don't you think?

We watched the English debate by the party leaders last night. Two leaders stood out for me, one was the Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the other the NDP leader Jack Layton.  I think Layton will get a lot of the vote but not enough to carry the day.  My prediction is Stephen Harper with a larger number of seats that he has at present. Don't hold me to that though LOL.
Catherine's and Emilie celebrating Catherine's 3rd birthday.


Today is my grandson Ryan's17th birthday which we will celebrate later in the month when Matthew gets home. Then we celebrate Ryan's Matthew's and my birthday. Happy Birthday Ryan.
That's all for tonight folks.
Have a lovely evening .
God Kvall.

great stuff

Wow there are so many sewing ideas here. Takes a while to go through them. Handy for Christmas projects.
http://yarn-or-fabric.weebly.com/craft-room-sewing-links.html

When I first began quilting and internetting a long time ago, I was on a list that had an Australian quilter who was very knowledgeable and who worked with a group of quilters out of what she called the shack
, the shack had wandering chooks in and out of the shed. Her first name was Pam and in the back of my mind I think her last name was Holland. She became quite prominent in the quilting world ,coming to the USA to give workshops. I have lost track of her and often wonder what she is doing now. Remember I am not sure of her last name so don't go by what I said. So when I saw this site (below) I thought of Pam but although it is interesting there was no Pam.
http://www.collectionsaustralia.net/nqr/about.php

Another puzzle, hope it works!! Good luck, good fun:))
http://www.jigzone.com/puzzles/2011-04-11-94303519F

Juliet visited today and brought  loaf of banana bread. We had a nice visit , talked about the state of our guild, no solutions of course. Do we ever have solutions ? Juliet belongs to another guild too, out in the valley. She really enjoys this guild. I am almost convinced to join with her. She picked up my guild library books which have been due since January. Of course I have been in the hospital so much I did not get them back. I will have a big bill in fines when I get back.  Tomorrow is guild night but I won't be attending this month.
Sam and Scott came over this morning and out up a railing along the wall to the bathroom. Ray wanted that rail because he was tired of watching me stagger down that hall bouncing from side to side. As you can see my balance is not too good. So now I have a railing thanks to Sam and Scott.

Scott setting up the railing, Ray watching Scott work and below Sam resting after supervising from the chair.

My new railing.

Margaret just called amd she is coming over with a book for me to read.

So on that note I'll close off this blog.

Bon Soir.

good report

Up early, 6:00 AM to get ready for an appointment with Ray's new rheumatologist at 9:00 AM. Why so early? getting down town to St.Paul's and trying to find parking is always a challenge. What a huge rip off the parking is. It cost us $27.
The visit was wonderful. We were predisposed to think so anyway as this Doctor is the brother to the previous rheumatologist he had and it is almost impossible to get an appointment with him. I think the family dynamics entered into the picture when the first doctor brother moved to Kelowna. It was unexpected. We got the call to confirm his appointment on Friday and we didn't know he had one as the interim doctor forgot to inform us. But all was well.We were lucky!!
After the appointment was over we went to Denny's for a brunch. Bacon and eggs, hash browns and sourdough toast. Coffee. Delicious!
On the way home we had some mail to take care of and bought the box to pack up the quilt for Emilie.
When we got home the nurse called to say she would be up in an hour. She was pleased with my progress and so am I.
Margaret called, she was going to come over but the nurse was here so she stayed home.  Later I called her and we talked.
Then Rick called and asked if he could bring some pizza. What a nice surprise. Of course we said yes LOL. So for dinner we had ham and pineapple pizza and sausage pizza. Nice... as we seldom have a pizza. Thanks Rick!
We had a nice visit , talked about Charlotte and Mary's upcomng wedding. All good things.
I took some pretty pictures today but take me for a fool I left the camera in the car. As the car is three floors down the camera will spend the night in the car :))
Maybe I can find some photos on the laptop. Let's see......

Another entrance to Central Park. We like to visit the park as it is close to us . There is a lot of tame wildlife in the park and ponds.

Now it's just Ray and me in front of the TV blitzing out.

Have a lovely evening.

Buenos Noches.

April girl

A little late but still April. Sunbonnet Sue is out for a walk in the rain.....

I finished my quilt label today-got it sewn on to the quilt. So now the quilt is ready to go to Quebec.

Here it is...Another job done!!

Beautiful flower arrangement .Kathy bought it to the hospital and I really enjoyed loooking at it. Thanks Kathy.

This lovely bouquet was from Sam, all the various flowers are  spectacular. I know Sam doesn't read this blog but thank you anyway.

I did receive other beautiful arrangements but they are on their last legs now, too bad.

The day was grey outside the window but still bright inside. I like a dull day so no difficulties here.

Lisa and Adam are sitting out in the sun in Madrid Spain. I remember when I was in Madrid many years ago, it was gorgeous. Sun, cervesa, paella, gazpazo, the Prado. Warm memories Of Madrid and of Toledo. Toledo was the home of El Greco, the Greek, who painted many fabulous scenes of Spain. To me the most famous was Toledo shown below.

The mood of this painting is so dynamic- oppressive in its scope.

Once again I stayed home all day and had a good afternoon nap.

We had ribs and sauerkraut for dinner. I love this meal and could have really eaten more if there was more. Too bad , it was not to be.

For some reason I want to eat all the time, Too bad there is not enough food in the house for that, or maybe it is good LOL.

Tonight I am going to knit a bit, just dishcloths. I want to grow my pile :)) 

Time's up folks.

Have a good evening.

Boa Noite

slow day

Did it rain today? I don't know.  How can you stay in all day and not know if it rained. I do know there wasn't much sun though.elped
The home care nurse came today and I think she helped me .  Good service here.
Ray did the grocery shopping all by himself, I was not walking well even with the walker, so did not want to take the chance. But I did practice walking by my self in the apartment for little bits. I need to get back to my normal way of life. Later Ray and I can walk down the hallway. It is quite a long hallway to the elevator. Betty complaned about it yesterday.
I played around with my e mail today, lots of it there so it needs weeding.
Matthew, Jim and Rick called today. It was so nice to hear from them.
After all my business was taken care of I just had to nap. My those naps are so delightful-does that mean I am finally an old codger LOL?
Hockey Night in Canada. Canucks against Calgary. Good luck boys.
Ray took some pictures while I was in hospital , he loves the trees when they are flowering, so here is the sample of his photographic talents :))

Some streets are a bower of pink blossoms. It is so beautiful and makes the heart sing !!

A large sample of the cherry

blossom , it has been around for a long time. I remember when the city was planting all these trees. Over the years many  of the trees.of these trees have been gifted by the cities of Kobe and Yokohama to the city of Vancouver. We now have a cherry blossom festival for the blooming

The photographer visiting me in the hospital so I took his picture :))

So napping, reading and e mail have filled my day. Maybe tomorrow I can go out for coffee LOL. I just have to get down that hall.

Time's up , no more news.

Have a good evening folks.

Guten Abend.

my return

I made it home to day after another 12 days in hospital. Same problem but I manages to see a specialist this time and he told me that I was not emptying my bladder and so the infection just remained there and flared up over and over. Self catheritization is the prescription, twice a day. Not a lot of fun but if it makes the difference between good and bad that's fine by me.
I am really tired tonight so will leave the blog as it is and try again for a lengthier one tomorrow.
Have a good evening.