L is for LOVELY

This week ABC Wednesday is brought to you by the Letter L - not only as for MOI (Leslie) but also for LOVELY as in the lovely weather we've had since the drought ended.  It had to be one of the worst summers I've spent here at home.  There was absolutely no respite, not even a drop of rain or drizzle and the heat was unbearable.  I don't know how people live in hot and humid climates! 

Anyway, I thought I'd bring you a few photos of my little corner of the world to show you how lovely it is right now.  My favourite place to be is near the water.

First up, here's a lovely little home-made sailboat that was docked at Wellington Point the other day.

And here's another little outboard motor boat that was hiding in the grasses and reeds down by Sharkey's Restaurant at their wharf.

Here's a shot of part of the river that runs through Ladner (OH! Another L word!)

Here is a shot across the water to the marina where lovely fishing boats are moored.

And finally, I just can't resist including a picture of my "granddog" Lucy and Tegan waiting patiently while I do my thing.

Thanks to the lovely Lady Nesbitt, the creator of ABCW, and to the likeable Lord Roger, our administrator.  Don't forget about the loyal team of ABCW'ers who leap from blog to blog to leave lovely comments for everyone.

K is for British slang words

 

No story, no moral, no point today except to bring you a few odd British words that we also use in Canada that begin with the letter K.  Just for fun.

 

KERFUFFLE (a big fuss)

 

 

KNACKERED  (tired, exhausted)

 

 

KNICKERS (underwear)

 

 

KNOCK UP  (wake up)

 

KNICK (to steal)

 KNEES UP (to party hardy)

 

So there you have it - some strange vocabulary for some but if anyone has any British heritage at all, I'm sure you've heard at least some of these.  Thanks to the adorably kitschy Mrs. Nesbitt, the creator of ABC Wednesday and to our keen administrator Roger.  Also many thanks to each member of the team who leaves knockout comments so everyone feels welcome.

J is for JEALOUSY

With my mind turning towards my students as they return to school this month, I started thinking about some of my favourite Shakespearean plays that I will have to help them understand. 

Othello stands out as one of my favourites when Iago says to Othello, "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;  It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss  Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger;  But, O, what damned minutes tells he o'er  Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!"  What he's actually saying (in modern parlance) is "I hope you get jealous and kill your wife because that would fit in perfectly with my plans."  Iago is nasty, malicious and evil just for the pure fun of it! 

Jealousy can turn people into monsters just like Iago.  It can cause insane rage and play on one's selfishness and fears.  This is not going to be a missive on how to overcome it.  I thought I'd just share my thoughts on the emotion through a poem I wrote a few years ago when I was teaching my class about nouns that depicted emotions.

JEALOUSY

Jealousy is a green that’s hard to define.

It looks like terribly tangled vines.

It sounds like wallowing and whimpering whines.

It smells like a strange scent on his neckline.

It tastes like muddy paranoid pies.

It feels like razor blades when he tells his lies.

Jealousy is sin in others’ eyes.
 

However, jealousy can also be a positive emotion.  Really?  How could that possibly be true?  Well, it could be an indicator of where you want to be in your life.  It could cause some curiosity about how someone else attained their goal, which could be a precipitator to reaching your own goal.  Jealousy can also cause you to look inside yourself so you can see and become more grateful for what you have been able to do so far in your life.  This is the best quote I've seen recently on the topic of jealousy:

With thanks to the jolly Mrs. Nesbitt, creator of ABC Wednesday, and to the jovial Roger, our administrator.  Also, don't forget to throw out a big "Thanks" to the joyful team members who like to join in the fun by jumping over to many blogs to read your jottings or about your latest journey or your favourite jam or jelly recipe.  See y'all next week for the letter K.



I is for ICE

This is an updated version of I is for ICE that I posted in September, 2009.  Sometimes the creative juices fail, so in this case, I went back to reread some of my old posts and thought this would work.  Hope you enjoy it.

Living in Canada as I do, ice is an expected form of precipitation. However, in this little corner of the country, known locally as Lotusland, we don't get as much of it as in the rest of Canada. Here, one would usually find ice in a cold drink in the form of cubes in any season throughout the year.

It does occasionally get cold enough for ice to form on top of the puddles in the fields. And when we were kids, there were ditches in front of the residential area where I grew up so we'd put on our ice skates and go bumping along, trying to avoid the overhanging bushes or tree branches that got in our way. Also, every Saturday afternoon we would get on the bus to travel into the city of Vancouver to go ice skating at Kerrisdale Arena. Until we got our very own figure skates for Christmas one year, we would rent dirty old ones at the rink. I remember one c-c-c-cold January weekend, we gathered up a bunch of friends and drove out to Fry's Corner (the "real" country) and skated and played a sort of hockey on the farmer's field. (That's me in the middle with my late husband on the right and his best friend on the left.)

Of course, ice hockey is almost our national sport! I say "almost" as it isn't officially our national sport because lacrosse takes that honour. But if you think of Canada, you'll usually think HOCKEY. (Did you happen to notice we all have hockey sticks in the photo above?) My Dad was a great hockey fan and every Saturday at 5:00 pm, we'd hear the familiar tune of "Hockey Night in Canada" playing just before the national anthem(s) were sung and the game began.

When my daughters were young, they were involved in figure skating with my older daughter competing at provincial and national levels for her age category. We have an entire photo album of her skating "career," starting with when she learned how to ice skate at the age of 3 and her Daddy would push her around the ice rink as she held onto a sliding frame. Then as she got older, we'd proudly watch her as she pirouetted, spun, and glided herself to many medals and cups.

My younger daughter was on a precision team both here in BC and when we lived temporarily in Ontario. Again, our hearts burst with pride as we watched her participate in many ice competitions. Her ice skating album is right beside her sister's. By the way, I actually made that red and grey polka-dot skating outfit for her when she was about 3 years old.

Did you hear that southern Alberta got snow already this month and the mountains at Whistler, BC, already have snow on their peaks?  Both these bits of news have never been heard of before! I don't mind the cold weather sometimes, but no one around here (except the skiers) like snow because it's so unusual that the city practically grinds to a halt.

So you see, ice is an important item in my world. When it's hot, we put ice in our drinks and if it's cold enough, some of us will venture out to ice skate or play ice hockey.

Thanks to the imaginative Denise Nesbitt who created ABC Wednesday ice ages ago and to the inimitable Roger, our illustrious administrator.