Christmas Day 2006

This morning Tim, Andi and Charlotte came to visit us first. Charlotte brought her kitty with her. Kitty had come from Santa. Kitty was not a real cat as Charlotte's Mum and Dad had told her that she wasn't able to have a real kitty as it would make Daddy sneeze all the time. She told them, then maybe Santa could bring her a parrot! Finally Charlotte agreed that a toy kitty would be fine, so here she is displaying kitty in all its glory.

We played and talked for a while until Ben and Josée came withTegan to visit us. We shared stocking stuffer time, unwrapping one gift at a time to appreciate what the others had. Cynthia and I did well getting a toy water cooler from Ben and Josée along with a Sudoku machine which has 2 000 000 Sudoku games programmed into it. I think I will be dead or blind before I ever get anywhere near solving those!

Later in the day, and after lunch, Ben, Josée, Tegan and we went to Kye Bay for a walk. The wind was at our backs as we set out. Coming back it made our eyes tear up and brought roses to our cheeks. We enjoyed it but were glad to get home to the warmth of our wood stove.

Later in the evening, Jean and Ron Joined us for Christmas Dinner. Ben and Josée also came back for the meal too. We ate like kings and queens at the table Cynthia had prepared for us. The meal was beautiful. After dinner we played different games for a few hours, then the guests went home. It had been a wonderful day packed with heartwarming experiences. Thank You Lord for Your goodness to us and the blessings You pour out upon us.

Christmas Eve 2006

We spent a very enjoyable Christmas Eve with Ben and Josée at their home. They invited us to share a meal with them and one of their friends called Ross. We had a good time over the meal and then played games for a while after dinner.
At 10:30 p.m. we left to go to the midnight mass at Living Word church on Mission Hill. The service was celebrated by David, our priest at C.O.O.L. and Bill the priest who runs Living Word church. David celebrated the mass and Bill delivered the sermon. it was a good time remembering Jesus and His birth, the reason for the season. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all who read this. May the love of Jesus fill your hearts with love, now, and in the years to come.

Winter Pics: Dec. 2006

On Friday Dec. 01/06 Charlotte spent the day with us. She was not well. In order that she not infect other children in Andi's daycare, Tim brought Charlotte to us on his way to school and picked her up again on his way home from school. During the day, we read stories, made Christmas cards and did a little cooking. We played games when Charlotte felt up to it. She also had a small snooze after lunch in Grandma's big bed. In the first picture here you can see Cynthia and Charlotte really getting into a Winnie-the Pooh story.
After school, Tim called to get Charlotte. In the other pictures, you see him standing on "Mt. Canuck" which was the name I gave to the huge pile of snow which had accumulated at the front of the carport. Most of the snow was from the upper roof and carport roof. Some of it was from snow which I had thrown on the pile while clearing a path around the house. Anyway, at its maximum height, Mt. Canuck 's peak reached the height of the carport gutters. The snow will be with us for a long time I fear, but it's an ill wind which blows no one good luck. Mt. Washington, our local ski hill was able to open earlier than usual and is looking forward to a bumper season.

Charlotte's Second Birthday: Nov..04/06

Well, November 04/06 proved to be quite a day for Charlotte. Andi and Tim had arranged for her party to take place at the local recreation centre where young friends and their families could enjoy the day with Charlotte. They had a party there and food, which included a marvellous Barn Cake which was made by GJo. All the kids had some and the remainder was taken home for the afternoon when adult members of the family gathered at Tim and Andi's to celebrate the birthday with Charlotte. We gathered there at 4:30 and had a good time with her and her parents for about 90 minutes. Charlotte coped very well with that, in spite of the fact the time was nearing her bed-time. It was a marvellous day for her, one which we all enjoyed. You can see more pictures at http://picasaweb.google.com/mdaviesret

Hallowe'en 2006

This Hallowe'en we had a special visitor flutter in to see us. Tim and Andi had taken Charlotte to a children's party at the Recreation Centre and then came on out to the house to see us. We had a great time together and really enjoyed seeing Charlotte in her butterfly costume which her Auntie Pattie got for her quite a while back.
In these pictures you can see Charlotte with some of her friends at the party. A good time was had by all.

Wales: Oct: 2006

On Saturday, Oct. 28th we returned from our trip to Wales. We'd been gone since Oct. 02/2006 and had a good time. The prime reason for going was to see family and friends. The second reason was to show Ben around N. Wales, for he had seen little or none of of the country. We stayed with Grandma who is now 94 years old and still able to live in her own home because of the great care she receives from professionals, family and friends.
Cynthia Ben and I took a few days out to go to N. Wales at the beginning of the holiday. In the second picture of this post you see Ben in Aberystwyth on the west coast of Wales. In the background are some of the university buildings and the seafront too. This picture was taken from the site of the castle.
In the following picture, you see one shot of the fabulous castle at Caernarvon. Ben and I spent a wonderful couple of hours browsing around the site and really enjoyed all the displays on show there. During the mini-trip around Wales, the three of us stayed in bed and breakfast places. Picture four shows one such place. It was called Plas Derwen and was located in the village of Corwen, just south of Llangollen where the national music and poetry festival of Wales is held each year. The house was over 200 years old and had been the rectory of the parish priest.
The trip was a good time of seeing family and friends again. We were also able to get a lot of help in place for my mother in order that she would be able to stay in her home. Though it was great to be there and to see loved ones, we were glad to be home on the 28th.

Miguel and Aby

Earlier this week we had the pleasure of meeting Aby and Miguel who hail from Guayabitos, on Mexico's Pacific coast. They are friends of Glen and Risa Norton. Glen and I play golf together.
Aby and Miguel were guests of Glen and Risa. I had mentioned that we would like to visit Guayabitos one day, so when he knew Aby and Miguel were coming to visit him and Risa in Comox, he arranged for us to meet at our home. We really enjoyed hearing about Guayabitos, learning about Miguel and Aby, but best of all we made two new friends.
Aby and Miguel own a restaurant, La Terraza, in Guayabitos, and it was there that Glen and Risa first met them. In fact, the Nortons were the first 'gringo' guests in La Terraza. Their friendship has been a long and good one since.
In La Terraza, Aby has completed a very complex piece of beadwork design based on an Aztec calendar. It is very large and is being evaluated by the people of the Guiness Book of World Records. It is composed of over 700 000 beads, each of which was glued on by Aby using a set of tweezers.
Miguel is also the editor of a local tourism paper so you can imagine they are both high energy people.
We thank Glen and Risa for introducing us, and we hope it will not be too long before we meet Miguel and Aby again. 

Story Time With Grandma

Charlotte and Tim came over this evening. Andi dropped them off at the house and went on to an activity class. Tim and Charlotte stayed for dinner and then went in the hot tub following the meal. After playing in the tub it was time for them to leave, but before they went, Cynthia got Charlotte into her p.j.s and read her a story. This was a magical time for all of us as we sat and watched the interaction between the two of them. Charlotte loves her stories and Cynthia loves Charlotte.
 

Dinner at Ben and Josée's Place

Yesterday evening I had the pleasure of going to dinner at Ben and Josée's home. What made it extra special was that Tim, Andi and Charlotte were there too. Unfortunately, Cynthia couldn't be there as she was attending a meeting in Vancouver. Chef Ben cooked up some lovely Mexican food for us, we had a glass of wine together and Tegan and Charlotte loved playing in the garden. Thanks Ben and Josée for having us over.


 

Aug. 2007. Camping at Miracle Beach

This past weekend Charlotte went camping at Miracle Beach with her good friend Brady, and both sets of parents. Miracle Beach is a gorgeous beach just north of where we live on Vancouver Island and there is a wonderful Provincial camping site there too. According to her Dad, Charlotte had a great time as did they all. In the first picture you can see Charlotte and her good buddy Brady as they enjoy some snacks at the picnic table. Picture two on the beach tells us that they have discovered the joys of playing in the sand and learned what fun rolling in the san can be. Picture three shows Charlotte doing the rounds of the equipment, checking it all out, making sure that the four adults have set things up securely...not bad for 21 months huh?

Charlotte Stays Overnight...A first!

On the weekend Charlotte came to stay overnight. It was the first time for her to do this at our home. Andi and Tim had prepped her very well for it by talking about the stay many times well in advance. The overnight stay meant that Tim and Andi could have a nice night out to celebrate their third wedding anniversary. Tim had been in hospital earlier in the week which was on their actual wedding date. He had also missed Mother's Day this year and last year because he was also in the hospital on those occasions.
Charlotte arrived on Saturday evening with her Mum and Dad and then they took off for a meal and a visit to the theatre to see the local performance of Cats. We had dinner together at the house then took Charlotte to the beach to play and to visit the park. Cynthia got Charlotte ready for bed when we came home. Charlotte had a bath first then some stories, but it was quite obvious she was not ready to sleep, particularly as she had slept for a long while in the afternoon. At one stage, as I sat in the living room, I heard shrieks of laughter coming from upstairs and crept up to see what was going on. I found the two of them bouncing on the bed in the back bedroom and having a rare old time.
Eventually Charlotte was ready for sleep and she went out like a light. Early next morning at 5:45 Am, she awoke in a daze. Cynthia picked her up and took her into our bed where she slept until 8:00 Am. We had breakfast together and later on, about mid-morning, Tim and Andi came to get her. It had been a fine time, one which we hope to repeat many times in the future.
 

Tegan the Tank arrives

About a week or so ago, Ben and Josée went to Vancouver to the S.P.C.A. shelter there. For many weeks they had been looking for a puppy. They wanted a big dog. Josée had looked at several, then saw this one at the shelter in Vancouver via the web. They made an application and their application was accepted. They still had to be screened so they had to make the trip to Vancouver, to see if they were acceptable 'parents' to the shelter, and if they were, then to bring the dog home. All went well and they brought the pup home on the Saturday night. Ben and Josée searched around for a fitting name for the pup which is a mostly Neapolitan with part Cane-Corso Mastiff. Eventually they found one which they liked...Tegan...Welsh for beautiful...and she is too. Now they plan to take her to puppy obedience when Josée returns from Quebec where she has been on holiday with her family for two weeks. CurrentlyTegan is 30 pounds but she will grow to be the big dog they wished for...125 pounds of dog to be exact!

Gathering the rhubarb

Yesterday we had a surprise visitor. Charlotte came to visit with us when her Dad and Mum dropped her off while they went to an aquacise session. During the time she was with us, Charlotte helped Grandma to pick the rhubard. As you can see from the pictures, she did a good job of collecting the stems and discarding those nasty leaves. She seemed to enjoy it too, judging from the smile on her face. Later on, Tim and Andi came to join us and we all had dinner together, along with Tom Morgan who is a regular visitor for dinner each Wednesday evening.
 

Charlotte Rides the Log on Hornby Island

Just a week or two ago, Tim, Andi and Charlotte went to Hornby Island with Andi's parents Bill and Jo and Granny Liz. They stayed in a lovely cabin on Whaling Station Bay, one of the lovely bays with glorious beaches on Hornby. This picture of Charlotte was one of many fine pictures they took on the trip. A good time was had by all.