Time to Relax

We just spent two lovely, peaceful days on Pitt Lake (one of the world's largest tidal lakes) with friends, Erin and Greg. They came to pick us up in their boat and took us to their sweet cottage on the shore.

Big Bear worked on his water skiing.
We ate well, looking over the water.
Greg and Big Bear fixed the dock.
And we made good use of the comfortable chairs.
It was extreme relaxation. This is what summer is all about.

Aahhhhhh!

Morbid Thoughts

My friend, Kristal is developing an interesting habit: she calls me whenever someone dies.

Kristal is not just calling for sympathy and a hug. Oh no, she has a very particular agenda.

Kristal lost her mum last year, and now her mother-in-law, Ellen, has passed away. Kristal looked after her until the last little bit, when she went into a hospice. She was so aware of giving Ellen her dignity, even at the end, when she had to change the bed multiple times each day. Finally, Kristal had to call an ambulance to have Ellen moved to the hospice. Firefighters showed up, too, and helped to carry her out (she was quite heavy). It was a sad time; everyone knew that Ellen was leaving for good, and would be dying very soon. But even then, Kristal was thinking about dignity and infused humour into the situation by asking the firefighters to take off their shirts so Ellen could admire their physique! And Ellen actually had a good laugh, despite the difficulty she was experiencing.

Within 24 hours, she had passed away.

(Ellen in her younger days)

So, the reason why Kristal calls me at such times is that I seem to be the slideshow maker. I did a slideshow for her mum's funeral, and have just finished Ellen's. I never met her, but after all the hours I've spent with her, I feel that I'd know her anywhere. From little girl to young woman to elderly lady, I've seen all the photos.

When I pass away (such a morbid thing to ponder...), who will make my funeral slideshow? How will they find all the important photos? Who will scan the old prints? Will they know that the good ones from my childhood are all in a box? And that others are mixed together somewhere else? (Oh dear, I really need to organize my cluttered life!) What songs will they use? What kinds of captions will they put on the photos?

Sigh. It's not too fun to think about, but there's one really important thing to know. I do not want to be buried in a huge enormous cemetery with manicured lawns; a quiet little country graveyard is just perfect for me. And I've always thought that a beautiful coffin is a waste of money. A basic plywood box will work just fine. But by then, I don't think I'll really care.

I don't make a habit of obsessing like this, but I'm sure you can understand...

Like a broken record

I'm back! But this is not a post about our trip away.....not yet!

Life has a way of interrupting my thoughts...

Teachers, Parents, Adults are forever telling kids not to run on concrete.

Cos they KNOW that (amongst other things) a smile like this one -

Can quickly turn into one like this -

Requiring modern medicine, hours of expert dentistry, and plenty of disposable income.

The good news however, is that the unsightly consequence of a moment’s indiscretion with concrete can be partially fixed…….

Supaglue and #8 wire…no chewing for 6 weeks….and many prayers!

Amazing!

Call Me a Fan

"How about you going to buy milk? And a coffee for me?"

Big Bear's request this morning was accompanied by pleading eyes , which, along with his constant hard work at home over the past three weeks, softened my normally stony heart. So I popped off in my one-year-old car (Happy Birthday, sweet Rogue!) to Safeway.

The milk quickly became a little more. I couldn't resist the large container of local blueberries. They would definitely require cream. If I wanted to bake a pie-type thing with those blueberries, I'd be needing more butter. And that to-die-for potato salad with green olives that I had last night came from the Fine Cooking magazine - got to get that. Oh, speaking of potato salad, we're out of mayo...

After buying my "milk", I lugged the three bags over to the conveniently located in-house Starbucks. One grande decaf americano misto for the Bear, and a chai tea (hold the milk) for me. No thanks, no tray; I can carry it all.

I was fine across the parking lot, unlocked the car without a problem, and even started to open the door. But it was then that disaster struck.

The grande decaf americano misto tottered, then did a delicate swan dive onto the pavement, splattering my car door and even my shirt in the process.

(the remains of the coffee)

I said a bad word, loaded the rest of my treasures into the car, and went back to Starbucks. After all, this coffee was the real reason I'd been asked to go out (the milk was obviously a smokescreen).

And those lovely baristas in Starbucks no only commiserated with me and made a new cup, they didn't charge me for it!

Now I have never been a real live coffee drinker; I just dabble in lattes and frappucinos. But there's something about Starbucks. The atmosphere, the clean and creative graphics (I always look forward to their Christmas designs), the upbeat employees, the fact that you can sit for hours in comfie chairs with one cheap cup of tea, the free drinks, it all comes together for me. They've really got a good thing going, and I'm an unashamed sucker for it!

A Mystery Partially Solved

Give a boy a shovel and a mysterious buried object, and guess what will happen?

He will dig!

Several years ago, I discovered something strange buried in a garden bed. What was it? First I thought it might be an old oil tank, but the neighbours told me the house was never heated with oil. Then I wondered if it was some old hazardous waste.

As I have been in a ruthless state of mind recently and ripping apart all kinds of beds (garden), I decided it was time for this one to go.

My nephew, Liam, came over today with his friend, James. And I handed them each a shovel. What a loving auntie I am!

The boys set to work with excitement and ripped apart the wooden sides. As they began to dig, they quickly decided that the mysterious object was a hot tub.
And they were right! It even has a little light in it! But can you imagine wanting a hot tub this small?? And why was it buried in my garden?
When Big Bear and his bro came to see it, they immediately knew that it was a demo.

Know-it-alls.

But it still doesn't explain why it was in my garden.
I listened to Liam and James as they dug; they were telling each other how fun this was. Next time I ask my boys to dig, maybe I should tell them there's something buried.

And now, I am taking my little garden elves out to lunch!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I had a lovely, low-key birthday yesterday.

I took a stack of books out of the library, bought a sweet cake at the bakery, had dim sum with Big Bear, went shopping for a birthday present (the leather Pandora necklace with two beads), had my parents over for dinner, and was generally pleased with the day.

The only thing I didn't do was to meet Tim 'n' Lea at the beach for fireworks. So sad... but in the end, the weather clouded over and wasn't nearly so nice.

And the last thing I did before turning out my light was to have a delightful phone conversation.

Thanks for topping off a lovely day!

Five Things

Yay, summer has arrived! Everyone is very

happy, especially as the summer weather really took its sweet time to get here. Nevertheless, here we are. And I can't seem to figure out the formatting of these photos. They're supposed to be beside each other...

Anyway. Here are five things that I have enjoyed so far.

1. Little Bear and I went to see Charlie Winston in concert. It was his first time in Vancouver, and we thoroughly enjoyed him! I am still a little amazed, though, that a young man would be willing to go to a concert with his mother! I'm sure that people thought I was a cougar. Hee hee!

2. I spent the day with a group of teachers at a leadership course, telling my "leadership story" and giving my meager input. Later, we all drove up to Mount Baker (this was across the border, in the US) and had some fun in the snow. It was spectacular, as you can see!

3. My dad had his last chemo treatment and we decided to have a party to celebrate life! We hired a jazz trio, who performed on Tim 'n' Lea's deck overlooking the ocean, and surprised him with dinner, friends, and music. It was one of those magical evenings that we won't forget.

4. My lovely colleague, Hannah got married last weekend. She's one of those people who thinks of the details that wouldn't ever occur to me, and it was very evident in her wedding. It was a lovely wedding, but honestly, I have no idea how she was able to plan so much, so soon after school ended! I really hope they will have a restful honeymoon, as I think they spent the past week at family dinners and gatherings.

5. Big Bear and I went camping for three days at my very favourite place, Point Roberts. It's a tiny little bit of the USA that is only accessible through Canada. Best of all, it's on the ocean!
After two stormy nights, the weather brightened up and I drank in the sunshine. This is what I love; everything is blue! I really do think that I was meant to live on the beach. The sound, the smell, the feel of the breeze (and the sun!), the colours... it's all part of the ocean package.
And now it is finally time for my garden to get straightened out. The resident weeds must think that they have free rein to grow as much as they want. Now that school is out, though, it's reckoning time.

Life is good.

Musical Talent

Southern Ange, I am always so impressed by the musical talents of your amazing boys. So focused, so skilled, so... civilized! And the beautiful music that just flows from their fingers...

I have wished and wished that I, too, had an impressive video to post that would show my sons' amazing talents. And now I do!

Little Bear, as part of an application for a TV show called Wipeout Canada (can't you just picture it...?), created a music video with Little Joe and a couple of friends. And just for you, here it is!

(I sure hope there aren't more of those difficulties with accessing Youtube from Down Under.)

("It's ripping time" is the phrase he chose to be his signature motto for the show. Should he be chosen. And for some reason, they asked if he believed in life on other planets. Hmmm...)

I'm so proud!

Sigh.

(The side of the video is partly cut off on the blog, but if you double click on it, you'll see the whole thing. More quality viewing pleasure for you!)

A Tribute

It is the last day of school. For the students, that is... I will be held prisoner for some time yet.

I thought I'd share with you some treasured memories from my class this year.

Sigh.

1. The conversation:

Me: Is there anything you need to tell me about?

J: Ummm.... I told someone to be quiet.

Me: Anything else?

J: I kicked J's foot.

Me. Anything else?

J: Ummm... I threw rocks.

I think I will use this strategy more often; it seems to be quite illuminating!

2. The illustration

3. The apology
4. The confession - what I heard from Little C was: "I was practicing my pitching by throwing rocks and one of them accidentally hit B when he walked in front of it."

5. The scene: I walk in the room in the middle of recess. Shocked, guilty faces stare at me. These boys should be outside, but they've been in the classroom throwing scissors!

Poor old J had to spend the rest of recess holding my hand outside.
This was just a taste of the lovely souvenir letters I have from this year. I will treasure them forever.

I think that I will even miss these boys!

PS. to Joshua Bell - Violin Virtuoso Extraordinaire

To those who picked up on it, yes, this is THE Joshua Bell who performed at the underground station in NY. Having just played a few nights earlier to a sellout ticket paying audience, JB swops venues and attire, to play as an unknown entity in the Metro. It is a fascinating experiment and comment, on the contextual recognition of beauty (amongst other things) - and well worth a read. Here's the link. Thanks for the reminder, Karen!

Joshua Bell - Violin Virtuoso Extraordinaire!

I mentioned Joshua Bell in my last post. My son LOVES Joshua Bell’s violin playing. He loves the way JB FEELS the music. If you go to Joshua Bell’s website you can read all about the phenomenal accolades this amazing violinist has received. All for good reason. NOBODY plays that violin like he does. Absolutely gorgeous music!

So it was incredible to discover that Joshua Bell was going to be in town around E’s birthday. Naturally, we bought tickets - a special surprise 13^th birthday present for E. In the weeks preceding E’s actual birthday, he would try to guess what presents he was going to get…..ipod?... technological gizmos?....ipod?.... and more technological gizmos? But never once did he even come close to expecting that he’d be able to see Joshua Bell live in concert! And get to shake his hand AND have a photo with Joshua Bell AND have Joshua scrawl all over E’s programme and CD! Unbelievable!

Despite arriving home only hours after a 3 day gruelling boot camp (where he and his group hauled a 4.5ton truck about 800m, crawled through thick black freezing chest-high mud, and didn’t get much sleep at all), E still had the energy to see Joshua Bell in concert later that night. I wondered if he’d fall asleep like the snorer a few seats down from us, but he sat absolutely mesmerised throughout Joshua’s amazingly beautiful, clear renditions of Mozart and Beethoven. It really was the most beautiful violin playing I have ever come across. You can read all about it here from someone else who thought the same!

And the next day, inspired by hearing and meeting Joshua Bell, E produced his own wonderful violin playing for a soiree he performed at. We tried to put an audiolink here, but the system aint playing ball for us tonight....will try again another day, sorry!

It made me think about all those who excel in their field of enterprise (sport, arts, music, whatever) and the hugely important role they play in inspiring the young people of today. It only takes a moment to smile, chat a bit, and shake someone’s hand, and to do what you do well, but it can inspire a young ‘un to rise above the ordinary and to reach for the stars.

Way to go, Joshua Bell!

Sweet Teens

Ange Of The North, that was a GREAT idea to procure a set of those banners! Well done. And I guess you’ve hit on a lucrative fundraising puller too (for future fundraising ventures!)….BTW I still couldn’t open those music links, though I did find them via other channels. They were great. Poignant words.

We are winding down to the last week of school before the 2^nd term holidays. E has just taken part in a Business venture for school. The various business groups quickly realized that FOOD was just about the only realistic income-producing item of sale at a Secondary School Business Market Day, with candy being very high up the list of saleable items !! So true.

Sherbet for sale at the Business Market, packaging designed by E

Speaking of candy, we were amazed the other day to discover a HUGE package of chocolate had been posted to us from a very generous and kind friend. All nut free for my nut –allergic lads! We have trouble getting nut free choc Down Under, so my boys don’t usually get to eat a lot of this essential food group! Do you remember that box of about 40 Mars bars we purchased the last time we were in Canada? Well, we only just finished the last bar a few months ago. It had lasted us nearly 3 years with careful management. So the boys’ eyes boggled as they surveyed the ‘almost lifetime supply’ of chocolate, that they could imagine sitting very nicely down in their welcoming tummies.

However, not a single bar has been eaten yet, because the males of this household have been more intrigued by working out such things as how much surface area the chocolate would cover, and how much it all weighed, and what towering configurations they could build with so many chocolate bars! What a thoughtful and generous friend to remember the boys. And my wonderful mother-in-law (who just happened to have been attending a scrapbooking and craft conference here that day) whipped up a plate with the appropriate stenciling! I had to take a photo for you….

And I should alert you to the fact that I am now a mother of a teenager. Yep. Growing those white hairs so that I can look the part. My teen, E, is presently at camp, but will return in time to attend a concert of his violin hero – Joshua Bell! The concert tickets were a present for turning the big 13! E also has a jazz soiree to perform at on Monday so I’m hoping that the former event will inspire and rub off on the latter….though Joshua Bell is more classical than jazz. Beautiful violinist though if you’re into that sort of thing.

I have been musing about kids growing up. The transition to ‘mom of teen’ has likely triggered some sort of chemical catalyst in my brain. Anyway, one thing led to another, and the conversation in the car yesterday morning, turned to ‘laziness’ and what one should do about it. In a moment of profound insight, lil L (who is 4 years away from the teen thing) proclaimed, “You can chuck it in the bin or you can put it on the mantelpiece!” E and I observed a moment’s preponderance before making our highly intelligent response…”Eh what???!”. “Well…,” said lil L, “laziness is like a candle. You can either put it out….or you can keep it going!” and then a moment later, “Mum, can you please teach me about time management? I want to learn all about how to do it well early on, so that I don’t have to get stressed about it when I need to know about it!” Blow me away. Now all I need is for my little Philosopher to put all his deep insights into practice…..and those teen years should be fun!.....right?

A Glorious Vision

Way back in February, back when Vancouver was gripped by Olympic euphoria and happy, anthem-singing crowds roamed the streets, I had a vision. A noble, grand vision which was finally fulfilled today!

I was completely taken by the Olympic graphics that filled the city. On the main routes, each light post had street banners that echoed the cool blue and green design that was everywhere. Oh, how I loved those graphics! And then, the idea came to me: our school needed to get our hands on a pair of those street banners!

But how?

After asking, wondering and searching, I finally found the answer. The city was planning to donate the banners to a charitable organization to raise funds for the Haiti earthquake relief. Cool!

We ordered ours right away.

And time marched on...

Last Thursday, our banners finally arrived. They're exactly like the ones in the picture - hooray! And now that we had them, it was time to actually raise the money.

Today, we had an electronic lunch. For a $3.00 donation, students were allowed to use electronic devices at lunch time only. I have yet to count the money, but we more than reached our goal. And hanging in the foyer were our glorious banners!

I was tempted to pull out my own iPod and catch some Broken Bells at lunch time. But I had forgotten my $3.00.

Oh well.

Back in the Saddle

Well, the Prodigal Blogger has returned.

It has been quite a long time since I showed my face around here! (Not that you'll be seeing my face today...)

It's not that my heart wasn't yearning to tap away on the keyboard and share the latest with you. On the contrary, I was burning to be back.

Really, it's been all about school. And photos, of course. What I mean is that I was working on the school yearbook (once I finished Ellen's slide show - which should have been an ominous warning to me about the propensity of certain teachers to not pass on the photos I had repeatedly begged for...).

This is where I lived for weeks. Every waking moment.

Summer has been far, far away. The weather has been disappointingly chilly and damp - until yesterday. Yay! Home on a sunny, warm Saturday, and the yearbook was finished! I weeded my garden for the first time this season and as a result, have been hobbling around today, twinging in places I didn't think could twinge. It was quite interesting being on the worship team at church this morning and suddenly getting these intense nervy spasm things in muscles crucial for standing!

Today, we (figuratively) pulled out the old pool and the old rotten half of the deck. It's all ready to replace, now; I hope we get the new pool installed before summer really kicks in!
If you're anything like me, certain songs and albums are forever linked with times of my life. For example, I always think of you, Southern Ange, in relation to the Eagles. Just because we watched their live DVD together. Coldplay reminds me of the time I took a summer course and listened to nothing but them as I wrote papers. This late spring will always be flavoured by two CDs I bought last month and have greatly enjoyed; I'd like to share with you a song from each one. Or you can listen to all of them on their My Space pages!

Broken Bells just released their album in December and I am so taken with them. They have a slightly edgy sound, not top 40 teenybopper pop material. My favourite song on the disc is "The Ghost Inside". My other current flame is Owl City, a very different band - actually a guy who makes much of the music by himself and who has an upbeat, electronica/dance sound and fun, clever lyrics. I love "Meteor Shower" - so short, but says so much (it's not on the My Space page, but check out "Fireflies").

So, that's it in a nutshell. I have a very short window of time before I have to hibernate again and write report cards. We have just two more weeks with students, then another week of cleaning, reports, meetings, and other wonderful stuff. And then, freedom!

xox

SYDNEY

I love SYDNEY.

It holds many wonderful memories of visits from days gone by.

The thing that I love BEST about Sydney, is that there is always a bustle happening.

I wouldn't want to live here permanently, but as a visiting destination, it's TOPS!

Sydney is a veritable mixing pot in so many ways - a hodgepodge conglomeration of all sorts of things!

I really like the mix of old vs new;


traditional vs modern;

quaint...

vs glam;

conservative...

vs avant garde.

The people are a fascinating bunch to watch!

The standard of driving has to be experienced to be believed (suggest you don't venture near Sydney if you have neck problems.....or if you do, then fasten your seatbelt securely, close your eyes, block your ears, and hope for the best!).

This method of transportation however, looked much less frenetic and far more pleasant...

Naturally, gourmet experiences abound and the standard is topnotch.

I have now discovered a new 'fave' chocolatier -

My one real regret being, that I didn't make the most of the opportunity to load my suitcases up to the gunnels with this fabulous chocolate!

Instead, I kept outta trouble and busy, visitng some other iconic Sydney venues...

Paddy's Markets

The Sydney Opera House

The Rocks

And of course...the highlight of this trip

A fitting celebration to the preceding years of hard work

And a night to remember!