Christmas 2008

On Christmas Eve, Ben and Josée invited Tim , Andi, the children, Cynthia and myself out to the farm to have dinner with them. They had prepared a lovely dinner for us in the form of a fondue. We began the meal with snacks which Josée had prepared. First part of the meal was a cheese fondue into which we dipped our chunks of crusty French bread. Next game the main course, made up of chicken and pork with a variety of veggies for dunking. Finally we ended the meal with a platter of mixed fruits, all to be dipped in a hot chocolate fondue. Tim, Andi and the children left after the meal but Cynthia and I stayed on for a little while. We sat around with Ben and Josée and chatted. It was all very relaxed and comfortable.
Quite early on Christmas morning, after Cynthia had finished stuffing the turkey, we headed down to Tim and Andi's home to take presents for the children and to wish all of them a merry Christmas. We found Oliver playing in a tent full of plastic balls and having the time of his life.
Charlotte was there too, playing with her Webkins. Of course, she showed us the new books that she had been given along with some of the other gifts. We had some tea and then Charlotte unwrapped the gift we'd given her which was an electronic learning/games device which could be hooked up to a computer.
Oliver liked the ride-on truck which we had bought him. He pushed all the right buttons on it and, of course, got the resulting tunes, noises, whistles which were built in. I'm sure his Mum and Dad will love us for that...not!
In the evening, Ben, Josée, Ron and Jean came to have Christmas dinner with us. As always, Cynthia had prepped a beautiful meal which we greatly enjoyed. Conversation was good over the meal. We moved to the living room for our tea and/or coffee than played some games of pictionary and 20 questions. these were separated by some carol singing when Jean took to the piano. Later on, after the Husseys had left, Ben and Josée, Cynthia and I opened our stockings together before they went home and we headed off to bed.
Boxing day, Cynthia and I watched a delightful movie called August Rush, which had been loaned to us by Tim and Andi. We had lunch then Ben and Josée came over to watch the first game of the World Junior Hockey Tournament from Ottawa. Canada was playing Sweden. We had a meal together then they went home and we ended up the evening watching some more shows before going to bed. It had been a good three days.

Merry Christmas To All

2.008 is almost gone and what a strange year it has been especially the last few months with the economic craziness. We are thankful that we are relatively unscathed by it all. Teaching wasn't a picnic and wasn't that well paid but having a secure pension at this point in time is definitely a bonus.
We began the year with a trip to Mexico which was a real treat. We were both tired after Martin's Mum's death and the subsequent rush to clear the house so we decided to just book an All-inclusive type holiday and just collapse in the proverbial small heap! The resort we found was one frequented by a lot of Mexican families. There were only about 20 or so North Americans in the whole resort which was quite extensive though small by tourist standards.
We flew out on Vancouver directly to Manzanillo and then were transferred by min-van to our hotel. We had a basic room with a T.V. and en-suite bathroom. The T.V. had one English channel which seemed to be totally preoccupied with soccer games so we didn't have to bother with it at all. The resort had two restaurants and the basic dining room buffet for breakfast and lunch. The food was plentiful and very good. The evening meal was served buffet style in a large outdoor area facing a stage where nightly entertainment followed the meal. The entertainment was mostly dancing and some audience participation games and comedy in Spanish but with an English translation if necessary. The resort had two children's pools and one large adult pool, several tennis courts, a games room and several bars! One of the things we enjoyed regularly was an after dinner Spanish coffee prepared at our table by one of the waiters complete with flames and local liquers.
The beach was across the road and miles long so we walked there quite often and spent time just lounging in the deckchairs provided. It was just what we needed!
We were blessed to have Tony and Marie from Wales visit in April for a few days though the weather wasn't great. I gather it was better than the U.K. weather had been so there were no grumbles. Our time together was, as always, too short but it was good to catch up on the news from their part of the world.

We had no spring but our summer arrived one weekend and stayed for a few months so we were happy with that. Ben and Josee moved out to their property in the early summer and are very much enjoying that. Her Mum was here for some time and helped with lots of the settling in chores. The first few weeks of the school holidays they worked very hard.
We also decided to renovate the basement after their departure so spent time working downstairs with painting and new floors. We then moved upstairs and continued with redecorating, replacing carpet and painting everything in sight. We also replaced the electrical plugs everywhere so Martin has added electrician to his resume. It was a lot of work but it is finished and looks good. I've threatened to move before it needs doing again!!
At the end of the summer Janet and Michael from Oxford came for a few days and the weather held good until their last day. The highlight of their visit to us was an all day Zodiac trip to see the grizzlies.

We did see one but at a distance. National Geographic has spoiled us I'm afraid - we expect to see animals up close and personal. I was struck again at the sheer enormity of the province and realized as we motored North east on the water that it would be nothing short of miraculous if we saw anything! We did see dolphins and a large group of sea lions sunning themselves on the rocks of a little island and our one bear fishing in the river made the trip worthwhile.

In July we headed over to Vancouver for the funeral of a Welsh friend who had shepherded us through the first few months of our time in Canada. He had been failing for s few years so his death did not come as a shock but nevertheless it was a sad occasion. We drove on from there to visit John and Rosaleen, our cousins in Seattle. They were well and we managed to fit in a lunch with their daughter and her family and supper with their son and family so we caught up on their news and saw how much the children had grown. You turn your back and they are young adults it seems!!
Martin continues his work with the Soup Kitchen in town and plays golf as often as the weather permits. We both do Meals on Wheels delivery still and I am busy with ACTS Board meetings and Hospital Board meetings. The Hospital work has increased since one of our members who did a lot has resigned and I seem to have ended up with two of her committees to run.
Tim and Andi are both well. Tim's last check-up was good though he has been fighting strep.throat and a painful foot perhaps gout. Both things seem to be on the way out now. Oliver and Charlotte are now 1 and 4 respectively and are the light of our lives. We are able to see them often and really appreciate the fact that they are near enough for us to be an integral part of their lives. Oliver is almost walking and is a cuddly bundle who laughs a lot. Charlotte goes to pre-school twice a week and talks a mile a minute whenever we are together.

Martin celebrated his 65th birthday in Nov. and we had an open house for cake and coffee and managed to touch base with lots of friends we hadn't seen for a while.

His Gold card(Old aged pension) arrived safely and we are planning a road trip when I get mine. We get to travel for free on the many ferries in the area and plan to visit some of the littler islands next summer.
Church continues to occupy our time and our thoughts and prayers as we try to understand where and what God would have us do. Our house church remains small though at our services in the retirement home we are seeing an increase in attendance. With the help of a few retired priests we are now doing weekly services there which people are enjoying. It's easier than trying to remember if Church is this Sun or next!!

Next Tuesday evening we will have a Carol sing for all the residents. Last year around 75 attended so hopefully even more will come this year though space will be an issue if too many more come. It's a nice problem to have!
That's our year in a nutshell!! We hope and pray you are well and enjoying life to the fullest.
Love and God's Blessings for 2009.

November Birthdays

November was a big month in the family for birthdays. We celebrated four. Charlotte's was first on the 4th, followed by mine on the 6th. Tim's came next on the 26th and finally Joseé's was on the 28th. We wound up the month with a celebratory dinner for the last two held at our home on the 27th. It was good, for everyone was able to come and eat a hearty meal prepared by Cynthia. Tim and Andi had to leave fairly early as the children had to be put to bed, but all in all we had a fine time around the table.

My 65th Birthday

Last week my 65th birthday happened. Cynthia made the mistake of asking me what I would like to do to celebrate, so I told her.
1. I would like to see all the immediate family and share a meal with them.
2. I would like to have some long-time friends to the house to see them and have some cake and coffee with them. On Thursday afternoon, Jean and Ron took us out for lunch to celebrate, so that was a fine start.
On Thursday evening, Ben, Josée, Tim, Andi Charlotte and Oliver came to dinner. The adults had pizza and beer! Lovely!
On Sunday afternoon, from 2-4PM the friends, about 51 of them, came to have cake, coffee and a chat.
 

Some of the visitors even sloped off to watch the big football game on the T.V. downstairs, so it was a very relaxed time. We all had a fine time together for a couple of hours.

Thanks to Cynthia who organized everything and to all you friends who made the effort to come. For all the pics from this occasion, look at the slide-show below.

Charlotte's Gym Party

On Sunday afternoon, the 09th of November, we all went along to the gymnasium at the Comox Recreation Centre to attend Charlotte's gym party. Her birthday had actually been on the 4th of November, but Tim and Andi had decided to invite all her friends, about 9 in number, to the REC. Centre and the gym party. The children all played games with the gym instructors. They spent a lot of time doing parachute related games, then moved on to the equipment which had all been arranged to form a huge obstacle course. The got to swing on ropes, jump into foam pits and leap off the vaulting horse into another deep foamy pit. The party ended with cake and present giving in another room belonging to the Rec. Centre. The kids were then given 'goodie' bags which Andi had made up for them and we all went home. It was a great time together and a chance for a lot of little 'uns to run off a whole pile of energy. I'm sure they all slept well that night.

 

Check out all the pictures below

Jack Arrives On the Scene ,Thanksgiving, Monday Oct.13-2008

ON Monday, which was the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday, Ben and Josée took their dog Tegan with them in the truck to
View Larger Map">Bellingham, Washington State, just over the Canadian-U.S. border. The purpose of the trip was to allow Tegan to meet Jack, the four year old Great Dane. For quite some time, Josée had been in negotiation with someone in Bellingham regarding Jack. This person rescues Great Danes from difficult or even desperate situations where the dogs are no longer wanted. Jack had been to three previous homes (I believe) before the rescue person in Bellingham got him. When Ben, Josée and Tegan got to the place, there was a touchy introduction period when the dogs first met. However, once the dogs were taken off their leashes and allowed to roam freely, they quickly adapted and became good buddies, playing together on the property. Eventually, Ben and Josée did all they needed to do to acquire ownership of the Dane, and brought him home to their place in Comox. Jack and Tegan seemed very content with each other, particularly after Jack had spent some time exploring his new home with its seven acres of space in which he and Tegan can roam freely. Josée took him to their vet who pronounced him basically in very good health. The two dogs will be great company for each other and another big dog has been rescued from what might have been an unfortunate end. A good friend of mine in Wales who is a dog lover has a good bumper sticker on his car. It says, " Puppies are not just for Christmas, they are for life". Best wishes to all who read this post.

Oliver's First Birthday (Oct.12-2008)

These pictures were taken on October 11th a day before Oliver's first birthday on the 12th. Tim and Andi had asked Jean and Ron, Ben and Josée and ourselves to come and have lunch on that day as they had promised to go to Andi's parents' place on Oliver's actual birthday. Ron was feeling not too well so he didn't make it. You can see from the following picture Oliver was up for it.

Charlotte did a great job of presenting Oliver with the few gifts he had. He really doesn't understand gifts, birthdays as you can well imagine, but Charlotte helped him take off the wrapping paper as she was actually more excited than him.

Of course, the cake came last of all after lunch and the gifts. At first Oliver didn't know what it was, but once Andi gave him a little to taste, he began to enjoy it wholeheartedly.

The crowning glory came when he dived into the cake with both hands. Ben took this picture as evidence. It was a great time and we all enjoyed it.

To see more pictures check out the slideshow below.

The Raynors' Visit (September 19-25 2008)

On September 19th, Janet and Michael Raynor, our long time friends from Oxford in the U.K. came to visit us. They had actually been in N. America since September 6th when they flew into San Francisco, rented a car and spent three nights in that city. They then motored up the west coast of California, Oregon and Washington, exploring places off the beaten track on the way. Finally they arrived in Seattle and left the car there. They boarded the Victoria Clipper which is a high speed catamaran service between Seattle and Victoria in B.C. We met them on Friday the 19th in Victoria as they disembarked from the Clipper.
On the Saturday we did a quick tour of two of the three floors of the provincial museum before our legs gave out. We had lunch in the Spaghetti Factory (pictured above) then headed up island to Comox.
Sunday we had booked a tour for them, us, Ben, Tim and Josée. We struggled with survival suits (See Michael below)

but eventually the seven of us boarded a zodiac boat and along with two ladies from Texas and a young woman from Germany, we zoomed off to see if we could spot some grizzly bears feeding on migrating salmon.

The company we used was Eagle Eye Adventures out of Campbell River, some 40 Km north of us. We saw one bear fishing in the river, but only for a fleeting moment as he took off into the bush on an island in mid-river and that was the last we saw of him or any other bear. On our way home we saw a Minke whale, Dall porpoises and a colony of Stellar sea-lions.

Soon we were heading home in Tim's van. Andi, Charlotte and Oliver joined us for dinner in our home, so the ten of us had a fine time together.

In the last couple of days of Janet and MIchael's all too short stay, we walked on the beach, picked apples at Ben and Josée's place and went out for a lovely meal at Martine's Bistro, a cozy restaurant in Comox. We also walked at the local marina and took time gazing at the boats moored there.

On Wednesday the 24th of September, Michael and Janet's stay with us came to an end when we took them to check-in at Comox Airport
It had been a great time together. We'd picked up our friendship with them as if we'd not been apart. We look forward to seeing them again in the not too distant future. Michael and Janet, if you read this sometime, thanks so much for coming to see us again.
Anyone wishing to see a slide-show of all the pics we took can check it here. There is also a map of our trip below.


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Swimming lessons: Monday August 11-2008

On Monday August 11th 2008,

Charlotte began her first set of swimming lessons. Grandma Davies took her to the pool at first as Andi couldn't leave the day-care right at that time. Later on, they all went to join her at the local outdoor pool in glorious weather. While Charlotte was having her lessons with some of her friends, Tim and Andi took Oliver into the paddling pool so he could have a splash around too.
Charlotte loved being in the water, on the float mat with her buddies and generally having a good time. She doesn't like the water to come over her face at present, but is slowly getting comfortable. She tried blowing bubbles with Erica her pal. Meanwhile, out in the babies' pool, Tim was giving Oliver a ride on one of the water seats. He loved that and being in the water too. When one of Charlotte's friends accidentally splashed him, he didn't complain, just splashed his own hands in the water and enjoyed the occasion. I think they'll both be fine in the water. Below is a slide show of all the pics associated with that day.
Best wishes to all who read this.

Trip to Gig Harbour

On Tuesday July 15th we set off to a memorial service in New Westminster, Vancouver. A dear friend of ours, Wyn Davies suffered a heart attack and died. His service was to be held the afternoon we left home. On arrival we met various members of his family and said our hellos and shared our condolences. The service went well and did Wyn proud. From New Westminster, we traveled on down highway 99 and crossed the U.S. border at the Peace Arch crossing near Blaine. Traffic at the border was very light. We only had one car ahead of us. We motored on down Interstate highway #5, stopping for an evening meal in Seattle. We arrived at Gig Harbour about 20.30, at the home of our cousins John and Rosaleen. Gig Harbour is south of Seattle and west of Tacoma. We had three nights with them and during the time there managed to see other family members and play a round of golf. We returned home on Friday 18th but this time caught the Port Angeles to Victoria ferry by way of a change. It was good to see the rellies again and catch up on all their news as well as sharing ours. Following is a link to a map showing the route we took on our trip. To view the interactive map as a whole click on "View Larger map " at the bottom of the post. When it opens up, the place-markers can be clicked on to reveal small notes pads which I have inserted for your info. Good luck!

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Return from the Cruise

We had a great time on the mini-cruise with Jean and Ron. However, the day after we returned, Sunday May 04 Tim and Andi brought the children up to see us and I was able to take these lovely pictures of Cynthia with the kids on her lap. They love their Grandma and I know it made her day when she was able to cuddle the two of them like this. Just thought you might like to see the pics.

Mini Cruise with the Husseys Apr. 30th-May 03/2008

Last week we set off on a mini-cruise with Jean and Ron. The main idea for the trip was to provide a taste of cruising for the Husseys and for all of us to take a small break from the regular routines of life. We journeyed to Vancouver on Wednesday and boarded Holland America's Oosterdam, which is currently the largest ship in their fleet until the Eurodam is completed in the near future.
We left Vancouver for an overnight trip to Victoria. From Victoria we sailed to Astoria in Oregon and from there we made our way back to Seattle where we disembarked. We were bused back to Vancouver and made our own way home from there via the ferry and our car.
It was a great trip and I think Jean and Ron enjoyed it greatly. Below is a built in slide show of the trip.

Cavaciutis Here and Gone

We had the pleasure of having Tony and Marie Cavaciuti stay with us for three nights this past week. Tony and Marie (seen in the centre of the group picture) had been in Canada for almost three weeks before they came to us. They had been staying at the Intrawest Lodge in Whistler where they had been on a ski holiday. They arrived at our home on Thursday afternoon and spent the evening at our home. The next day we took them to see Cathedral Grove and its immense trees, then carried on to look around the west coast town of Port Alberni. Saturday we took them to see Cumberland, the historic former mining community in the valley. While in Cumberland, we popped into the local recreation hall where we were fortunate to see the display of Taiwanese lanterns. We also visited beautiful Comox Lake, which is located just outside Cumberland. After we'd had lunch that day, we drove up to see the ski resort at Mt. Washington. During the time we were there snow was falling and the place was buzzing with skiers from all parts of the island. Saturday night, Cynthia cooked us a lovely dinner which Cavaciutis shared with us and the rest of our family. On Sunday morning, Tony and Marie left us to return to Vancouver where they will spend the night. They had planned to see one or two shows at the I-Max Theatre at Canada Place. On Monday evening they fly home to Wales on Air Canada. They actually land at Heathrow Airport, pick up their car and motor on down to their home in Blackwood, nestled in the mining valleys of south-east Wales. It was a great pleasure to have them with us if only for a short time.

Fine Stable Established

Charlotte was taken to the therapeutic riding centre by her Mum, GJo (Granny Jo) and Great Granny Liz. She rode several horses and loved them all. As a result of this experience, she decided to call herself Black Beauty but she didn't stop there. She gave all the other members of her family names too. Andi her mum became Max, Tim was Snickers, Oliver-Mischief, GJo- Pinky Pie, Poppa is Lightning, Grandpa is Silver, Grandma is Red, Ben is Licorice, Josée is Lilylight and so on. Lots of our games at the house now revolve around horses. My roping skills are improving! Unfortunately, as you can see above, poor old Snickers ended up in the wrong stable and was upset, so Charlotte had to comfort him.

Visit to Manzanillo, Mexico, Feb.12-26th 2008

Cynthia and I just returned from a trip to the Vista resort on Playa de Oro Manzanillo Mexico on a vast expanse of beach . Manzanillo is situated on Mexico's Pacific coast about halfway between Puerta Vallarta to its north and Acapulco to the south. We had a marvelous time, relaxing in the shade of an umbrella on the beach, or under a palm tree at the pool. The resort was one frequented by many Mexican families who come to the coast from Guadalajara inland for weekend getaways with the kids. The pool area rang from early morning to late evening with the sounds of the families have a great time. Of course there was always music. Everywhere one goes in Mexico there is music. The food was great, the accommodation basic but more than adequate, and of course, the weather was glorious. Temperatures were around 28-30 C each day we were there. We had no rain and only on two days did the mornings begin with low cloud which rapidly burned off by noon. We rode the local buses into Manzanillo and back on one occasion, but mostly we spent our time relaxing , which was our prime reason for being in Mexico. If you wish to check out where we stayed click on the link for Vista, Playa de Oro