Musings on a Small Life

I had a lunch time errand downtown today, and walked back afterward, taking a meandering route through the side streets. There are a number of lovely old Victorian bed and breakfasts in the area close to campus, one of which is The Secret Garden. So this is what I glimpsed through their wrought iron fence. I wish I could have gone in, to have gotten better, unobstructed snapshots! I'd like to while away a few hours in their garden, reading and daydreaming.  :-) It's been a hell of a week at work (just busy, a lot of projects due this summer), and I'm looking forward to our Canada Day holiday tomorrow. Our country is turning 144 -- still young. Happy birthday, Canada! I hope everyone has a terrific Friday and weekend. Universal Blessings and Light to All Beings.

It was my first day back at the office today. Good thing it's a short week (Canada Day is Friday the 1st). So, along about 2PM the regional rep for our current copier lease agreement showed up. I hadn't seen him in a few years, not since we moved into our current building. Recently our organization has switched preferred office equipment dealers. And recently I also made the switch (with my boss's approval, of course) to the new supplier, and to a new multi-function device (recommended by our procurement services department). It wasn't any big deal to break the news to the soon-to-be former rep. He's a nice man, 60-something but looks at least a decade younger, very fit, will talk your ear off. What was awkward was the young (early 20s) rep for the new supplier showing up in front of cubicle to let me know our new machine will be delivered tomorrow. The two had never met and I found it a tad awkward to be caught in-between. I told them, jokingly of course, that if...

"All things come to pass, nothing comes to stay." -- Matthew Flickstein, Journey to the Center Dad's visit has come to an end, he left around 2:30PM. I always look forward to his visits, though it's exhausting having someone in your house 24/7, even an easy-going family member. Especially when you live alone and aren't accustomed to having to make conversation. Plus there's always more work--more laundry, dishes, cleaning--more eating, too. LOL. Breakfast at the Smiling Wilderness restaurant in Napanee on Friday We actually didn't eat out as much this year, in spite of what it looks like, and that definitely was better for Dad's pocket book. We didn't get to the Toronto Zoo, either, which I really had wanted to do. But it's a three-hour drive each way, and several hours there, so it would have made for a very, very long day. One long day (Upper Canada Village) on the road was enough. I like living where I do, really don't want to move...

I always remember Snoopy typing that.  :-) And actually, it was a dark and stormy night. LOL. So much for good weather for the rest of Dad's visit. There's nothing exciting to recount, we've not made any other day trips, just done a number of errands and lots of shopping (to stock up on household items, I mean). Dad had never been in to the nearby cemetery, so we went there yesterday afternoon, and he took a few pics of Sir John A. MacDonald's grave site (first prime minister of Canada). And I found the grave of the headmaster (during Dad's time) of Lower Canada College. I had seen it in April, when I was last in the cemetery, and had snapped a pic for both Dad and his brother. I also found this child's grave again:   Her grave had had the fully decorated Christmas tree, which I had seen when I was last walking through the cemetery in April. I assume that her parent(s) must decorate her grave each season. Very bittersweet, as all life seems to be. As for...

Most of these are really poor snapshots, but it was hard to get decent snaps when in a crowded room facing the windows. LOL. If you can't view it, and really feel a need to see the pics (you're not missing anything--seriously), let me know. As for yesterday's snapshots--I didn't take many. Promised myself I wouldn't take a lot of pics heading to the County, since I have so many of the same thing, over so many years. So just a few: Waiting for the ferry, it's on half-hour service. Used to be 15-minute service.   Dad and I split an appetizer; awesome hummus.   We also split a pizza. They make them in their outdoor oven. Yummy.  A view from outside the cider company. Usually we're there in the fall, when the grapes are on the vines.   A glimpse of the oven. The menu is limited, but very tasty! After lunch we went into Picton, me for a latté and Dad for some gelato. A couple came with this dog, Luna. She was fixated on the bagels on a plate. Nothing els...

I was out at 5AM today with the camera, waiting for the Solstice sunrise. Thirty-five minutes later, I had a slew of shots, most of which I deleted. These four snaps are the only ones I kept: We did go to Upper Canada Village yesterday, but I'm still working on editing the pics for size, contrast, etc. I took 373 or so, kept about 250 to 270-ish, can't recall off the top of my head. Have edited only 118, so still have many more to go. I won't be posting them, I promise. But I might end up putting them in a separate album and putting a slideshow in. In any case, an 1860s Canadian village isn't quite as a exciting at the pics my uncle (who lives in Bergamo, Italy) just sent me of the latest tour he and his wife took.  Today Dad and I did go back to Prince Edward County (I've been every year for so many years that frankly I've lost my enthusiasm for it). However, it was nicer than I had anticipated, and we had a lovely lunch at the Waupoos Cider Company , the ...

Father's Day brunch was lovely, way too much food of course. And even though we both took only small spoonfuls to try most dishes, we still were full to bursting. Has to be the combination of oh-so rich foods rolling around in the tummy...If we eat like that again while Dad's here someone will have to roll me around! Then it was a stroll along the water and a look at the antiques market in the square behind City Hall. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays it's a farmers market, Sundays it's an antique (and a few arts/crafts) market.I got two little pairs of silver earrings, one a "tree of life" and the other dragonflies. Later in the evening we took a much-needed stroll around my neighbourhood. Of course I stopped to take snapshots of the flowers, but the light was getting low, so many didn't turn out well. So we're off to Upper Canada Village today. Turns out the item I had in mind to purchase from Ikea isn't even available at the Ottawa store, so we...