Monty Arrives, Friday April 16th

Last Friday Josée drove Cynthia to Victoria.  Their mission, should they accept it, was to pick up Monty the mini-pig.  Monty is five months old and quite lovable.  He was being offered free to anyone who would provide him with a good home, as his present owners had to move and could not take him with them.  Of course, Josée being the animal lover she is, and a person looking for a mini-pig, spotted the ad and away they went.  Well, the mission was completed and last Friday was added to the animals at Knight Rd. farm.  Cynthia went along to keep Josée company on the ride, but was immediately smitten by Monty's good looks.  He is definitely cute.

Shortly after they arrived back in Comox, Tim and Andi came out to see Monty bringing Charlotte and Oliver with them.  Charlotte immediately loved the pig and wanted to pet him, but for Oliver, there was no contest where his desires lay.  As long as the tractor is available for a ride, that's where his heart is.  After a quick hello, he was off with Ben to drive the machine and practice his skills in that area.  As for the rest of us, we sat around on the front steps, watching Monty grunt with pleasure as he nibbled the grass, our fingers, or anything else which might be in the area and available for eating.  His little tail (not curly by the way) continued to thrash the air like a wind-shield wiper as he absorbed the love and care which surrounded him.  He is going to be a very happy pig at Knight Rd, of that I have no doubts.                                                              

Easter 2010

Our family's Easter get-together happened yesterday, Easter Monday, at our home. Ben, Josée, Tim, Andi, Charlotte, Oliver, Jean and Ron came for dinner. Cynthia spent most of the day getting a delicious meal ready for us which even included home-made sausage rolls before-hand. We all enjoyed the food and the wine too. After the meal, some of us went out to the drive and the road to watch Charlotte and Oliver ride their bicycles. Charlotte got hers for Christmas and is now very proficient at riding the bike. Oliver's little two wheeler is called a Strider I believe. It has no pedals so he propels the bike with his legs as we used to do on scooters years ago. The result is great to watch as he has learned to balance the bike really well. (See video clip below)  Not bad riding for 2 years 6 months eh? Tim and Andi bought the bike on a shared basis, with them paying half and friends paying half. When Oliver outgrows the bike, it will go to the son of the friends who is a year younger than Oliver I believe. Smart thinking to be sure! We had a really good time before Tim, Andi and the youngsters left, followed by Ben and Josée afterwards. Jean and Ron stayed on for a while longer and we four oldies but goodies had an enjoyable chat together after the dust had settled. Thanks to all who came. We are so fortunate to have you living so close. Best wishes to all who read this. Thanks for taking the time to do so. The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed!

Ben's Birthday

Yesterday was a beautiful day here in more ways than one. Oh, as usual I went off to the Sonshine Lunch Club (our local soup kitchen) and worked from 08.30-13.30. As usual I met the same wonderful group of people who volunteer there and we had a good time serving the clients and spending time with each other and them.
The day was gorgeous with sunshine and a light breeze.
However, the day came to a marvellous end when we celebrated Ben's birthday with him, his 38th. He and Josée, along with Tim, Charlotte and Oliver and another friend of the family came for dinner at our home. It was Ben's choice that we eat a Japanese meal for his birthday. Though Cynthia is a brilliant cook, and I quite like to dabble in the culinary arts, we brought the food in. It was delicious. We shared a bottle of wine and the conversation was good.
What rounded the evening and the whole day off perfectly was we were all able to watch a solid win by our Vancouver Canucks as they beat the Anaheim Ducks by 4-1! Way to go Ben and way to go Canucks!

Oliver's Strider

We had Oliver to stay with us over the weekend . He brought his "strider" with him. It's the neatest little bike without pedals. It's sturdily built, heavy to lift but easy to propel. He simply sits astride it, has his feet on the ground and walks it along. As he gains his balance, so he moves himself faster and faster until he can lift his feet and freewheel. When he slows, he simply adds more leg power as one would if using a scooter, except he uses legs alternately. We took Oliver and Charlotte (now aged 2yrs 5ths and 5yrs 4mths respectively) to the local air park walkway where they could free-wheel to their hearts' content. Of course Charlotte has pedals on her regular two-wheeler and scoots along nicely. The good thing about the Strider is that it has been purchased cooperatively between Oliver's parents and another set of their friends who have a son younger than Oliver. Oliver will use the bike 'til he outgrows it and then it will go to Gavin, who will be the perfect age to ride it. Smart cookies eh? Stay well folks and all the best from us.

Post Olympics post

Well folks, the 2010 Olympics are now almost a week into history. The stuffing inside my chair in the TV room is gradually returning to its pre-Olympic size as it de-compresses. Must admit, I spent a lot of time in that chair over the previous two weeks the games were on, and loved every moment of it. Come on now, don't be too hard on me. How often does an event of that importance happen right in your own backyard?
It will be a long time before I forgot (if I ever do) seeing the tragedy of 21 year old Nodar Kumaritashvili dying on the luge track, Alex Bilodeau win that first gold medal, the first ever won on Canadian soil, and of course, the icing on the cake when the Canadian men and women won gold in ice-hockey.
There were a few negative comments about the games, mostly from the Brit tabloids, but then, we just have to look at the source and ignore it. Congrats to their Amy Williams who won the lone British medal, a gold in skeleton.
People from around the world really enjoyed themselves here in the two weeks. Most of the comments from them were very positive. Locals came out in force to celebrate the games and everything that came with them. Parties erupted all over the land and Canadians came together in ways not seen here for a long time.
As for me, I'm so glad to be living here in this gorgeous place. For those of you who still haven't been to visit us, take a peek at this...you gotta come! Hope to see you soon.

Parting With An Old "Friend'

On Monday the first of February, Cynthia and I said goodbye to an old and faithful "friend". We sold her 1991 Honda Civic hatchback (like the one pictured above)to a friend of ours who wanted it as a beginner car for his daughter. She was just beginning lessons with him and they wanted the car so she could grow into it. Cynthia had owned the car for almost its entire existence. She had used it extensively in the valley for shopping and running around to various functions and meetings. She loved the old car and it had done her proud. However, the time had come for us to move on to a new car or try to be a one car team.
Our friend loved the car as soon as he saw it. He knew his daughter would too. We outlined all we'd had done to the Civic over the years, and what needed to be done now. They were satisfied and we settled on a price. All the paperwork was completed on that Monday and they took it away.
On Tuesday they had booked a time at Honda for the repairs to be done. We didn't hear any more from our friend until we received an email from him on Friday the fifth. He told us the very sad news that he and his daughter, along with another one of her friends who was observing the lesson, had been rear-ended while sitting in the little Civic at some traffic lights, waiting for the green. The rear window had been blown out, both girls taken to hospital and he had been badly shaken up. However, he was able to drive the car to the insurance company's site after the police and ambulance crews had left the scene. We also learned that the girls were later released, badly shaken up but unharmed. Thank God!
Now they have to wait to see if the Civic is able to be repaired or if the frame is too badly bent out of shape.
We give thanks that they are all Ok. Cars can be replaced, even old and loved ones. Cheers everyone.

La Cruz de Juanacaxtle, Mexico. Dec/Jan-2010

Josée and Oliver cuddling.



Swimming with dolphins



On board the pirate Ship

From Dec 12-2009 to Jan. 09-2010 Cynthia and I were in La Cruz, Mexico. La Cruz is a small town about 40 minutes bus ride north of the Puerto Vallarta airport. We rented a house there. one which we found on the Vacation Rental By Owner (V.R.B.O.) website. If you wish to take a peek at the house, or if you think the site might be of use to you click here.
During the middle two weeks of our stay, we were joined by the rest of our Comox Family. Along with them also came Jo Ross, Andi's Mum. It was great to have her with us.
One of the beauties of using this area is that it is now within our reach direct from our home town of Comox, as Westjet, one of our national carriers started flying direct flights from Comox to Puerto Vallarta this December. As another point of interest, this same carrier is negotiating with K.L.M. to be able to provide flights out of Comox to Europe in the not too distant future.
Back to the Holiday! We had a great time. The weather was superb, with temperatures in the high twenties or low thirties for the whole time we were there. We mostly relaxed on the beach or near the pool, but on a couple of occasions, we took boat trips to snorkel or do other activities. We also made great use of the wonderful Mexican bus system to see neighbouring towns and villages.
We mostly cooked our own meals at home, with everyone taking turns to cook so we took a session once every third night. On a few occasions, we went out to dinner. The trip was great. For anyone who wants to see a few more of the pictures from the trip, please click here.