About Me

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Delta, British Columbia, Canada
I took very early retirement from teaching in '06 and did some traveling in Europe and the UK before settling down to do some private tutoring. As a voracious reader, I have many books waiting in line for me to read. Tell me I shouldn't read something, and I will. I'm a happy, optimistic person and I love to travel and through that believe that life can be a continuous learning experience. I'm looking forward to traveling more some day. I enjoy walking, cycling, water aerobics & and sports like tennis, volleyball, and fastpitch/baseball. I'm just getting into photography as a hobby and I'm enjoying learning all the bits and bobs of my digital camera. My family is everything to me and I'm delighted to be the mother of two girls and the Gramma of a boy and a girl. I may be a Gramma, but I'm at heart just a girl who wants to have fun.

Monday, January 04, 2016

Z is for ZIGZAG

Welcome to the final week of ABC Wednesday, Round 17.  My word this week is ZIGZAG so bear with me as I zig and zag all over the place. 

For the last - oh, let's say 9 or 10 years - I've been zigging and zagging a lot.  In 2006, I zoomed over to Europe to spend a month in Italy and then zipped for another 2 1/2 weeks over to England and Wales. (lovely zig)  In 2007, my daughter ended up in the hospital and then a halfway house due to a breakdown with her Bipolar 2.  (big zag) At the same time, my father was suffering from a form of dementia caused by two severe strokes, so I had to keep that news from him. (another big zag) He passed away that September (sad zag), the same month my daughter was able to begin living on her own again.  Happily, a big zig

For one wonderful year, I had a long zig of personal calm in my life.  Towards the end of 2008, I reconnected with my first love and, well, most of my regular readers will recall that, in the end (last year), it all came to naught.  A huge zag after having waited until 2014 to getting married and supporting him through cancer and other illnesses.  He certainly felt a huge zag when I showed him the door!

Now 2016 has arrived and I am beginning to zig again! I've moved on with my life, reconnected with old friends and treasure those who stayed by my side throughout all the zags!  A few of the highlights in the first few days of a new year and new life for me:

1.  New Year's Eve was spent with friends and while awaiting the big moment, we played a bunch of silly games and laughed ourselves hoarse!
2. New Year's Day was my grandson Noah's 12th birthday and we all went out for dinner, coming home for homemade chocolate cake and icing!
3. On Sunday the 3rd, Noah and I went out eagle spotting! We drove all around our area taking photos, ending up at the local Ladner Harbour Park where he enjoyed himself zigging and zagging on the ice on the wharf.  Of course, I was terrified that he'd end up in the icy drink! 
4. Today (the 4th) the kids are back at school and the house is quiet again. 
I'm still recovering from a massive head cold that came on a week before Christmas, but now it's just the nagging cough that keeps me hacking.  I will have a quiet week to get totally back to form and then I will, once again, begin making plans for the year.  I am hoping to return to England and Wales to visit friends there after finding a new home.  I am zigging forward now and I absolutely refuse to do anymore zagging

Must show you a few shots from yesterday! 
 
It's no wonder I love where I live!
 
Finally, I must zend zome zpecial thankz to our zany creator, Denise Nesbitt, and to our zealous administrator, Roger.  Alzo, let'z not forget the ziggy team of helperz who zigzag around to everyone every week to leave commentz.   Try to advertsize ABC Wednesday on your blog sitez, Facebook, Twitter, and Inztagram!  We ztill have a great following with more and more newbiez ztarting up.  Az long as there is a dezire, we'll probably continue.  

21 comments:

Liz Hinds said...

I turn my back a minute - okay, a couple of months - and come back and find you've returned to blogging! For ages your page was on Q I think and that was probably in the last round of ABC.

I've down very little blogging or visiting for months but hope to get back to it now. xx

P.S. Gorgeous grandson!

Unknown said...

Oh my... what a lots of both z's.

Being bipolar myself, i truly hope your daughter is allright!

And you, i compliment you for your pursistance! Keep that up, life is difficult, sometimes even maybe impossible, but in the long run its always worth the effort!


Have a nice abc-day / -week
♫ M e l ☺ d y ♫ <abc-e-team)

photowannabe said...

Life certainly has it's Zigs and Zags along the way.
I would say that you have come out beautifully.
This year will definitely be better...keep it up.

Rajesh said...

Very cleverly used word. I like the images.

Roger Owen Green said...

Leslie - your ZEAL in this endeavor has always been wonderful. Hope you have mostly zigs!

ROG, ABCW

Pat-Mather Brown Gordon-ceton said...

incredible.

Arnoldo L. Romero, MLA said...

I believe the zags in our lives give us a better appreciation of our zigs. However, your zeal for life appears to help you get through those zags. May you have a blessed new year filled with a plethora of zigs, my friend!

carol l mckenna said...

What a wonderful post and so glad you are settled and with loving friends and family ~ Your photography is divine! Happy New Year to you.

Happy Week to you, ^_^

Hildred said...

I wish you a wonderful zigging year (no zags) and envy your plans to visit in the UK. A lovely trip to anticipate....

Beverley Baird said...

So glad that you had a wonderful New Year's - hopefully the zags are gone. Glad too you're back to blogging.

Chrissy Brand said...

What a great use of zig-zag and very revealing. What a journey yo have weaved recently- it's inspiring me to wrote some posts of a more personal nature myself- Have a great year Lesley - Would love to meet up if you get to the UK!

Reader Wil said...

Great to see that in spite of all the zagging you're back to zigging!
On 20 December I zagged into a fall which caused a broken wrist and a nasty L-shaped wound, which refuses to heal so far. So I have been in hospital for a cole of days now and I am being looked after well.

Wishing you a great week,
Wil, ABCW Team

Reader Wil said...

I have been in hospital for a couple of days......

Lea said...

I think all our lives have zig-zags.
I love the photo of the red berries!

Gattina said...

That's like my year ! also a zig zag !

Anonymous said...

Wow, am happy for you the zig is back in your life! Certainly a good time to say Happy New Year - that the zig may continue!!

Ann said...

Perfect post for zig and zag. Your grandson is such a cute guy. Your photos are beautiful and I can see why you want to live there. Hopefully you many zigs left.
Ann

ellen b said...

You truly have zig and zagged and I'm happy for you that you are zigging again and moving forward. Those photos of your outings are so beautiful. That frost shot is amazing. I didn't realize you had a 12 year old grandson. Looks like he enjoys spending time with you!

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

May your this year be just zig and a smooth straight line.

I really like this icicles on the branches.

EG CameraGirl said...

Hooray for the zigs! I'm sorry there have been so many zags, though. I'm glad to be back ABCing with ABCW so I'm pleased it will be continuing on - I'm thinking that's a ZIG!

Su-sieee! Mac said...

Here's to grand zigging in 2016!!! Awesome photos. I see why you love your area, too.
The View from the Top of the Ladder