P is for PRETTY PLANTS

Hi everyone and welcome to P week...p as in pansy, pretty, paper, panda, pacifier (that one of my kids ate at 18 months thereby stopping that habit), paleontology (that I studied at university for a year), pelvis, pedometer, peignoir, photography (which you all know I love!), and let me think...one more word - aha! plagiarism (which I'm always reminding my students NOT to do.)

So, as my regular readers will remember, I've recently moved to a new condo where there is the most phantasmagoric garden at the back where all the dogs can play off leash PLUS the prettiest courtyard where plants abound and people can perch on garden chairs while prattling on with their friends and neighbours and partake of some sort of punch, port or peppermint schnapps.

The variety of plants is prodigious with flowering ones so far providing a great deal of attraction to me and my camera.  I seem to have become the resident photographer, so far recording for posterity the spring flowers and plants.  I may have recently put one or two on here since moving in, but there is so much more that I want to parade. So enjoy the production I've put together - haven't done this in quite a while - and make sure your speakers are on so you get the full effect.

With the greatest of thanks to the popular Denise Nesbitt, the producer of ABC Wednesday, and to the passionate Roger, our administrator.  Also, thanks go out to the productive team of assistants who, like Roger, are passionate about ABCW and put forth great effort to visit everyone's weekly contribution and leave polite comments. Oh by the way, you can watch the video full screen by clicking on the icon.

On My Own

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the week of O here at ABC Wednesday. Today, I'd like to tell you a bit about what it's like to be on my own again. 

At first, it was very hard with feelings of sorrow, guilt, loneliness, emptiness and regret.  Although I knew it was the right thing to do, it took a long time to get over those feelings plus the obscene rage I felt at being so outrageously betrayed.  The marriage, if you can call it that, lasted less than a year, and in fact, was over within a few days of the wedding.  Even after all those years of being together, it was a shock to discover that it had all been a lie.

So I moved on.

Last summer I had a carport sale and got rid of stuff I didn't need anymore.  But then I wrecked my ankle again!  So I spent many a day sitting outside in the shade reading lots and lots of books and chatting with neighbours as they'd go by and check on how I was doing.  At times, I felt a bit lonely as I couldn't just up and do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted.  But I healed up quite well and in my mind started making my decisions on what to do next.

First, I decided it was high time I had a holiday.  So I made my arrangements to travel to England and Wales in June and July of this year to visit some friends.  Then, it was time to sell my house and move to a condo where there were no memories of anyone there. 

This is what greeted me at the library one day - a beautiful symbol of the cycle of growth and the return of warmth and abundance after the long winter.  Talk about a metaphor for my life!

Now I am firmly ensconced in my new home with my beloved Tegan, 3-year-old English yellow Labrador.  It's because of her that I have to get up in the morning and get dressed, take her out, get her breakfast and tidy up.  I know in my heart that if it weren't for her, I would probably sleep until noon before going out to the library to meet my students.  Then I would veg in front of the TV until bedtime.  But with all her balls, she kisses me awake and off we go!

 Here, she's asking if it's supper time yet.

Since there is a lovely and huge garden almost outside my door, Tegan and I spend a lot of time there.  We've met so many wonderful residents, some with dogs and some without.  The gardens are beautiful and I've taken many photos as the spring blossoms have appeared.  I throw a ball for Tegan and when we tire out, we sit in the shade - I sit in one of the nice lawn chairs that are provided for those who use the area.  Sometimes Tegan and I go to a neighbourhood park where we play Frisbee.  Although there is enough room in the garden here, Tegan gets too excited with the Frisbee and can start barking...I don't want anyone complaining about that.  I've actually had compliments on the fact that she doesn't bark at everyone who goes by the gate - like the smaller yappy dogs here.  Here she is playing with her new boyfriend, part Bernese/part Labrador TITAN - handsome devil, isn't he?

So, I'm nicely settled in a new home, I'm anxiously anticipating my trip in 2 months, my older daughter and her family are now living in the area and my younger daughter and her husband are moving back here, too.  We will all be together - but separate - the best of all worlds for us. Finally, here's a shot of the cherry blossoms in full bloom where we play. The grass is now green with pink dots as the blooms are shedding and the trees are filling in with leaves.

I felt so overwhelmed for such a long time, but now I've come full circle and know that I'm a winner, a survivor, and an optimist.  And, as Helen Reddy sang, "I am woman, hear me roar!"  With optimum thanks to the gang at ABC Wednesday - the obliging Denise Nesbitt, creator of ABCW, the organized Roger, our administrator, and the outstanding group of bloggers who visit everyone who contributes here.  And thanks to YOU ALL for all your support as I've travelled this objectionable path.

N is for NOAH

Welcome to N week at ABC Wednesday, the brainchild of the "naughty but nice" Mrs. Nesbitt who hails from North Yorkshire in the UK. Our administrator these days is the "naughty but natty" Roger, assisted by the "nefarious" group of participants who navigate over to everyone's blog to notify you that we notice your contribution with great appreciation.

This week I'd like to tell you a bit about my grandson NOAH who is the light of my life!  He is 12 years old already but I can tell you that we have a very special and close relationship.  He is the first great grandson of anyone living in the family...my Dad was still alive when he was born and he loved him more than life itself!  There are 3 daughters on my side and I had 2 daughters and it was my elder daughter who gave us all this precious gift.  And my son-in-law's "Nan" is still alive to this day!

Noah had the curliest hair I've ever seen - no, I seem to remember that my younger daughter had curly hair like that!  His mother let him grow it long, not too long, as we still wanted him to look like a boy.  Here he is at age 7 (Christmas 2011) giving an apple to the teacher!  And so proud of his new Welsh rugby shirt that I brought him back for Christmas 2012.

But the girls sure like him!  Nowadays, though, he seems to have had his fill of girls.  At his old school, he had a different girlfriend each grade, and when he moved to my village with his parents and sister, the girls at his new school went crazy!  He loved the attention at first, but now he's tired of "those silly girls."

Here he is on January 1, 2016, his 12th birthday.

I love to spend time with him and I showed him how to make muffins, which to this day, if you say, "Let's bake muffins!" he's right there!  I took him out on a photo shoot once and he took an amazing photo of a cow grazing in front of a red barn.  He shows talent and, since his Dad is an amateur photographer, he may decide to take it up himself some day.  Here is the photo.

Right now, he's busy trying to improve his Math skills (his old school was so full of ESL students that he didn't get the support he needed for school.)  And he's trying to find an appropriate group of boys with whom to hang.  He loves his skateboard and going to Starbucks with his pals. He also plays roller hockey and is the goalie on a team.

I would do anything for this boy.  I never had any brothers and I never had any sons, so he is an enigma to me - a challenge and a bright star in my life.  He always hugs me when he sees me - even in front of his friends - and I can tell he loves me very much.  We text back and forth and we're "friends" on Facebook and Instagram!  Here are a few shots of my sometimes naughty, sometimes noisy, sometimes nosy, sometimes a nitwit, but always a necessity in my life grandson NOAH.

 He thought this "pumpkin" was gross and nasty! 

 Here he's being a daredevil....I guess typical boy.

And one of his favourite activities is snuggling with Tegan as they watch TV together.

But this photo is my all-time favourite of the two of us.  It was the night his parents dropped him off to spend a few days while  his mother went into the hospital for a Caesarean section delivering Noah's baby sister Eden, March 2, 2008.  I remember telling him the story of "The Three Little Pigs" and making all the appropriate voices.  He was bouncing on the bed with delight that night.  This photo has a special place on my fireplace mantelpiece and I love to look at it every day.

M is for MOVED IN

Welcome to Week M where M is for music, movies, monsters, mud, myopia, mothers, manners, malls, and messes.  I have decided to show you a bit of my new home since I finally got most of the artwork on the walls.  I still need to have my mirror installed over the fireplace because it's quite ornate and heavy, needing two strong men with excellent skills.  I would not want it to fall off the wall crashing into the marble fireplace surround!

Welcome to my foyer (or entry hall).  The door on the far right is the coat closet and the one on the left is the storage closet (actually a small room complete with shelves and hooks for things).  Adjacent to that is the front door. 

From inside, this is the front door with a nice mirror for me to check my lipstick before setting out and a little piece of art as you turn the corner.

Here is my custom kitchen with cupboards that have shelves above and drawers below, including spice rack pull-outs on the very right.  Below left, you can just see Tegan's eating area.  Note the flooring is slate tile.

From the front door, upon entering, this is what greets you - my artwork of Tuscany!  Also, a very special plaque (a gift from younger daughter) that reads "Learn to pause...or nothing worthwhile will catch up to you."

And to the right is the living room. Immediately on the left I've placed my nest of tables that used to be my grandmother's, then my mother's, and now mine.  The blown glass "gift" was a Christmas present from my sister a few years ago (a great conversation piece) and I bought the Tiffany lamp at a local fine furniture shop here in Ladner.

Then, continuing to the left is my leather sofa enhanced by my piece of art of an area in the Italian Riviera where I stayed for several days, visiting the Cinque Terre across the water.  The wing chair was one my late husband and I chose together back in 1986 but I had it reupholstered in 2006 when I retired from teaching.

Then we have the bay windows where I'm thinking of having a window seat installed where I can lounge, read, or simply admire with all the colourful cushions I'd buy. And then you can see where the mirror is going to be installed above the gas fireplace.

Here is the view across from the sofa and wing chair where I prefer to sit to watch TV.  And as you can see, I am still shopping for a dining table with a couple of chairs.  But the artwork is up!

Now we will go back through the foyer to the guest bedroom where there is no artwork on the walls, but the bed is made and has been used twice - once by my daughter and once by a good friend who helped me with the positioning of the art. A big room for a double bed and lazy-boy chair for reading.

And now we come to the master bedroom, which is all MINE!  Beautiful queen sized solid oak bed covered in a pale silver and cream comforter with matching shams, complemented by pale blue silk cushions embroidered with cream thread, and a one-of-a-kind musical china teddy bear. (It plays "Somewhere Out There, Beneath the Pale Blue Sky".)  The lamps are ones that my late husband and I chose back in the mid-80s and which have had three sets of shades.

Another angle of the bed with the door that leads into the double-sided walk-in closet and past that the ensuite.  The artwork, you may notice, (both above the bed and beside this door) are two that I purchased while on an Alaskan cruise with my younger daughter and are by the artist by the name of Iztchak Tarkay.  From online, here is what it says about him:  Tarkay was born in 1935 in Subotica on the Yugoslav-Hungarian border. In 1944, Tarkay and his family were sent to the Mauthausen Concentration Camp, until Allied liberation freed them a year later. In 1949 his family emigrated to Israel, living in a kibbutz for several years. Tarkay attended the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design from 1951, and graduated from the Avni Institute of Art and Design in 1956.

If you look closely, you will see that this bay window area is an extension of the bedroom.  There is room for a lazy-boy chair where I can sit and read or watch the TV on top of my dresser across from the bed, a lamp, my executive-sized oak desk and chair (bequeathal from my mother) and to the right, my printer stand on a book case.   So the entire room is bedroom/office.

I consider myself very lucky to have found this condo so close to my price range.  It's been almost completely updated with solid wood floors, that slate tile in the kitchen, paint, and the custom kitchen with all new appliances.  There is a fairly large outdoor deck/patio but although I don't really have a view, it is completely private.  All I have to do, though, is walk out the gate from the deck, walk 10 seconds down to the right to the gigantic courtyard where the gazebo and gardens are. (See last week's post.)

So now you've had the tour of my new home that really does feel like home, now that I've been here a month.  Hope you enjoyed it, but you can't leave yet, because I know you want to see where Tegan sleeps.  Well, during the night, it's on the bed with me, but during the day, it's here:

Thanks to the magnificent Denise Nesbitt, creator of ABC Wednesday and the majestic Roger, our administrator for all his many hours keeping us all on track each week.  Also, don't forget about the many multi-tasking and -talented team of bloggers who visit each and every contributor each week to express mighty words of gratitude for taking part in this wonderful meme.