W is for WEEPING

Oh, I am very weary,

Though tears no longer flow;

My eyes are tired of weeping,

My heart is sick of woe.

Anne Bronte

I had a shock yesterday! 

My sister was over and after going out for lunch, she came in and we were talking about some of the old times, old jobs, old boyfriends...

I told her about having seen my very first "real" boyfriend (from university days) about 20 years ago when I went and taught for a year in the area where he lived.  I saw him and talked to him a few times while there, and there was still a bit of a pitty-pat in my heart for him even though I knew it was never to be.

Yesterday, I found out that he is dead!  And it happened 2 1/2 years ago! 

I had seen something online the other day about an event he had been involved in and was looking to see if there were any more photos of him.  

Up popped his obituary!  

My heart broke and I wept for him.

It didn't say how he died, just that he was with his brother and sister-in-law in a different town from where he'd lived most of his life and where I had last seen him.  Apparently, they took him "home" and he was buried beside his father there.

I have always had good thoughts of him and the good times we had - the fraternity parties he took me to, the time we went to a formal dinner/dance and he was speechless when he saw me in my gown and my hair all done up,  the time we got dressed up sort of like "Little House on the Prairie" days for another party, the movies we saw and the walks and drives we took, our overnight ski trip to Mount Baker when during the drive he turned to me and said "You look like an angel with the moonlight shining on your face", the night he took me to a well-known nightclub in Vancouver for dinner and dancing and had our photo taken by a wandering photographer (anyone else remember those days?), our middle-of-the-night "magical mystery tour" to the back entrance to the Capilano Suspension Bridge property with a car load of his buddies and him jumping out from behind a tree in the dark to scare me and me screaming until we started laughing and laughing, how he travelled 500 miles to spend Christmas with me and my family one year and how much my parents liked him, and the kissing....oh the kissing.....and my Dad yelling down the stairs that it was "awful quiet down there" while I was supposed to be ironing his shirt for him.

I've never known someone of my generation to pass away, except for my husband 24 years ago, but that was different. 

 Yet this news is heartbreaking. 

I wish now that I had photographs of him and of us together, but in those days who could afford a camera?  Yet the images are in my mind and will forever be in my mind.  I think I always loved him for being my first true love.

Maybe one day we will meet again.

In the meantime, may he rest in peace here in the meadows beneath the mountains near
Bella Coola, BC, Canada.

V is for VOYAGE to VISIT

Welcome to our week honouring the letter V as in vitality, vitamins, vigil, van, visa, vine, vigor, vacuums, visit and voyage.

In about 10 days, I'll be departing YVR (Vancouver International Airport) and heading to England and Wales.  This voyage is something I've been anticipating for a very long time.  I'll try to post something next week, but after that I'll be gone for at least 4 weeks.  I will be visiting friends in Newport and Swansea (Wales) plus in Hampshire, Liverpool, and North Yorkshire (England).

About half the time will be to areas that will be new to me.  For example, I'll be seeing more of the south western coast of Wales (courtesy of Liz and her hubby) plus northern Wales with Liz and my good friend Jane.  Below, Liz and I enjoy lunch overlooking the beach at Rhossili back in 2012. Jane will pick us up at her place and the three of us will tour Northern Wales.  I hope to visit the seaside town where my paternal grandmother was born and brought up - Llandudno - as well as some other areas around there. 

Also, on my own, I'll spend a bit longer than last time in Liverpool, where my paternal grandfather was raised.  At the same time, I hope to visit with Di (from here on ABCW) and her husband for at least a dinner after I have completed the hop on/hop off bus tour of the city.  Here's a photo from 2012 when my friend Cathy and I met them for dinner at "Gusto's" on Albert Dock.

Then it's on the train to head east to North Yorkshire to visit my friend Jill and her family.  We plan on doing a lot of touring around the Yorkshire area plus spend a day and a night in York - just the two of us - a nice girly outing!  Here are Jill and me one day when we went touring around in 2012 and stopped here for lunch.

After a week with her, I'll hop on the train again and head back to southern Wales to stay with my good friend Jane, whom I met 10 years ago when ... well, that's another story for another time.  We plan on celebrating our 10 years of friendship both there and here when (hopefully) she comes over to visit me again.  This time, it'll be in a different home, but the same village. Our birthdays are 2 days apart and she's celebrating a "biggie" this year so we're going all out to party - maybe go to Whistler for a few nights and/or to the Okanagan wine region to tour and taste some wines!  Here we are 4 years ago!

The letter V came up at just the right time so I could announce all about my voyage to visit my good UK friends.  If anyone thinks they might like to "break into" my place, forget it.  It's like Fort Knox with all the locks and CCTV cameras, etc.  Plus my daughter will be living at my place to take care of Tegan while I'm away.  So if you miss me, never fear, I will return with more and more photos and tales to tell.

With vigorous thanks to that vixen Denise Nesbitt, creator of ABCW, and to the valiant Roger, our administrator who is vital to the ongoing success of this meme. Also thanks to the valuable team of helpers who faithfully visit all the contributors to leave validating comments.