Pocketful of Memory Cards

I'm grateful so many wineries on  Bottleneck Drive  were open this Sunday so we could do our traditional wine tour with Reg. I'm grateful that many of the Bottleneck wineries will be having live music on their patios this summer, particularly Dirty Laundry and Thornhaven Estate . I'm grateful that the precipitation we've had since Thursday is rain and not snow. I'm grateful we had beautiful weather for the first half of Reg's visit. I'm grateful that April showers will bring May flowers. I'm grateful for time spent with Reg working on the memoir. I'm grateful my husband's company packed for their office relocation on Friday and not on the weekend. I'm grateful we could all attend the Under 8 art show at SOPA and see our daughter's lovely artwork along with the works of so many other talented artists.  

This is what I saw this morning from my side deck. Out in minus 5 degrees in my jammies, I felt the cold prickle my skin; damp and frosty, as though invisible snowflakes hung in the air.  I was certain it would snow before the day was out.  Then, less than an hour later the sun came over the eastern hills creating that stunning contrast of dark and light that I so enjoy. Another hour later I was ready to take the dogs up to Mission Ridge and the clouds had pressed in again.  I donned my fleece jacket, wool gloves and a hat. By the time we reached the top of the ridge, my gloves were tucked into my pocket and I was considering wrapping the fleece around my waist. I'm very grateful for the simple things today, the first of which is gratitude for being wrong about the weather! I'm also grateful for: My sister and her family's visit this past weekend. My wise and witty seven year old niece who practices gratitude easily.  When the adults were di...

Today I'm feeling very stressed and very blessed.  The things that are stressing me these days are things that will change and get better and I'm very thankful for that.  The blessings I have received are numerous.  There are so many things we have to be thankful for if we just stop and think about it - friends, family, health, beautiful surroundings, love, music, art, food, shelter, the list really is endless.   Today I'm grateful: ..for sunflowers.  They are just so beautiful and cheerful.  We planted one in our back garden a few years ago.  This year we have four - which doesn't sound like much but they are extremely prolific in their flower production.  ...for the rain.   It's been raining for a few hours now and I'd be happy if it lasted all day. Late yesterday afternoon a fire started near Peachland not far from the highway.  It's now over 200 hectares in size (almost 500 acres), 4 homes have and 1500 peopl...

Thunderclouds roll in over us at Cedar Creek Beach this morning. Though it threatened most of the day, now at 5:20, the sun is shining and the dogs are sunbathing on the back deck.

Today I'm saying thank you for: the chance to enjoy the sunshine for the past two days, after a week of rain. the fact that we have no flooding or water damage in our neighbourhood. the new endocrinologist at the hospital.  I really like and trust him. the loss of a few pounds.  Hopefully no one else finds them. the fact that our daughter joins us for dinner Sunday nights and we talk daily. the opportunity to capture the shot along Benvoulin Road that has eluded me for the past two weeks.

When I started this blog on May 1st, 2011, I committed to posting a photo a day for one year.  Somehow it turned into something more and I've really enjoyed the time I've spent taking photos and writing about things that strike my fancy.  The key word in that sentence is time .  Posting daily can be incredibly time consuming and when I have other commitments it's frustrating not to be able to share more.  Though it's been a pleasure, there are days when it's taken hours to complete a post; taking and selecting a photo, cropping or trying to fix my favourite that's not quite right, then giving up and picking a different one.  Then there's the time spent writing the accompanying text, re-reading and re-writing, and re-writing and still missing typos that aren't noticed until the next day or later.  Since tomorrow is my "bloggiversary", today will be my last official daily posts.  Recently, my mind and energy have been elsewhere and I haven...

It rained all day today giving me the perfect opportunity to catch up on my housework and finish my book club book. Through my kitchen window I watched the rain paint my entire backyard in glistening shades of green. Inside I marvelled at the subtle green and purple hues in the white tulips I purchased at Sunshine Market yesterday.   

Today was a true illustration of the saying "If you don't like the weather, just wait fifteen minutes."'  We had a little bit of everything today. My morning started with a lovely rainbow.  It was a double one in fact but the second arc had faded before I was able to take a photo. Not long after that,  Mrs. Peartree posted on FB that there was hail falling on the east side of town and soon after her report we received a deluge of rain and sleet at our house. Then later this afternoon the beautiful sunshine arrived.   And I would love to show you the photo I took, but my USB ports seem to be out of order. I can't upload any of the photos I took this afternoon.  I think it's time to give up on this MacBook Pro that has been a real lemon.   Hope to figure something else for tomorrow.