Cards and cookies and bows, oh my!

So Bruce wandered off to the mailbox up the street the other day because I'd mentioned that the only cards we'd received had been from our paper girl, the vet clinic and some other business we frequent.  I'd missed the letters and cheery little hellos from family and friends.  And Bruce didn't exactly wander off.  It's been pouring rain for a while here .. the kind that a folded newspaper held atop your head as you dash across the street just won't keep you dry.  The kind that you need rubber boots and an umbrella to go to the car in the driveway .. that kind of rain.  So Bruce hasn't exactly been wandering in the rain much.  As a matter of fact, he drove to that mailbox 100 yards up our street.  Kelly, you'd have been so proud of him .. turns out that Bruce is still an Albertan at heart.  Although in his defense, I'm pretty sure he didn't leave the diesel running for an hour so he could do that .. not that we have a diesel.  Or a truck.  But then, we have to make allowances for BC, right?

The most wonderful thing is he brought back a table full of cards and hellos!  Sandy and John, I loved your letter; Reg and Brenda, yours was very touching.  Trina Beena, perhaps the cheeriest message of all was in your wee card.  Sandy and Mel .. I always look forward to your creation and to feeling like we're standing shoulder to shoulder mumbling the words to Auld Lang Syne.  We look forward to your 3:00 am drunken singing call once again.  Liz and Ian ... we're touched that our tiny raspberry patch lead to your acres and acres of horticultural experimentation and your quest for an ongoing degree, Liz.  We both miss having over the fence chats.  Paula, I got your e-card and the year in pictures was a wonderful idea.  I had no idea you'd been in Peru.  Jim and Ste. Dorothy sent a card again and made us grin (Jim used to be a colleague of Bruce's and his ever so patient wife was nicknamed  Saint Dorothy).  New this year was a card from Kevin and Jenna, Bruce's nephew and  his girlfriend, and was a wonderful surprise.  And DeeWynn and Sam .. if you can believe this .. asked for more wedding ideas.  *grin* Say no more, my niece!  Auntie is here for you.  I'll bring taffeta.  Yards of it.  Peach colored. Or ... ooo I remember seeing some nice lime colored stuff.  I'll go rummaging.

My weblog has been kinda dull lately because ... life has been wet and dull here.  Not only that, but World of Warcraft released their new expansion, Cataclysm, on December 7th and I've been managing the needs of a suddenly very busy guild.  My guild forums have been very active, requiring constant attention.  Our active player base has tripled with a lot of older members resurfacing and their friends joining.  I interview each one and organize guild activities, making sure that everyone has what they need to have a good gaming experience.  With so many new people and older ones trying to remember what their spells do and how Blizzard has changed the game since they left .. well, I've been busy.  Just not productive in a normal fashion.

Now I'm off to move the laundry over and get about the mundane things that require attention.  Before I go though, I leave you with a few pictures from around the house and a shot of the mug that was the inspiration for this month's weblog theme.  Also, I hope your Christmas is spent with loved ones and wonderful things that come from the oven.   I'll be watching "A Christmas Carol" with Bruce this Christmas eve .. it's a tradition here.  And before you ask, it's the one with Alastair Sims .. cause no one does crazy like him.
 

So from the Neumans of Namaimo ... wherever you are ... Merry Christmas!

A cherry-flavoured December

Way back on December 6th, I was a bit premature that the end of the cold was in sight.  I've never before had something hang on this long. I've emerged from the cherry-flavoured haze that colored my days and nights and just last evening had my first night not strung out on some sort of something that would make it possible for me to sleep without coughing. I'm sorry I haven't had much to post during this time.  Creative juices were amazingly low.  

So now it's December 16th and I have done no Christmas decorating, no shopping, no Christmas cards, no baking or planning.  I have a plan for Bruce's gift at least and there's only my dad to fret about as Bruce sent some flowers to Ferdi.  I think a phone call to my niece Myranda might be in order to figure out what to do there.

Coming up this weekend is the annual Orphans' Dinner hosted by a former Bastion Dragons member, Jessalyn.  This has become a bit of a big do that all of us look forward to each year.  Jessalyn cooks a turkey, Kelly makes brussel sprouts, Jennifer is on gravy duty and everyone else brings something to round out a festive meal.  Bruce and  Cecile are putting their heads together on Friday to concoct something for us to take over.  I'll be sure to take pictures!

Speaking of nieces, Trina sent me a shot she'd taken on our ramblings when she visited.  As we were first getting to know the city, we'd have to take trips to various locations to conduct business ... the habit they have here of naming a street one thing on this side of a particular road and yet another on the other side had us constantly referring to maps, alternating with driving around aimlessly.  Bruce told me during one such excursion, he figured he was well and truly lost when he happened upon the corner of Jingle Pot and Jingle Pot.

Code Medicine

As I write this, I have a box of tissues at the standby and Bruce is off updating our stash of cold medicines.  The expiry date on one of them read 2005.  Yikes!!

Came home from Vancouver last week knowing that, after spending two ferry rides with hacking and coughing strangers, one of us would come down with something.  It was me (much better than Bruce) and most of last week was a bit sniffly, but I was managing well.  This week, not quite so much. 

I've been careful about handling items so I don't pass along this wicked little cough and cold, so cross your fingers that I am the end of the chain. 

One of the things about working from home is that you begin to be isolated from the seasonal rounds of colds and flu.   When you do go out, its almost a sure bet you'll be bringing home a new wee beastie to incubate.

Anyway .. not much new here.  The last couple of weeks, Bruce has been battling some dental issues over a root canal and crown, poor guy.  The last of the swelling has gone down and he's back to paddling and being his usual chipper self.

I'm planning to decorate the front of entry again this year once I start to feel better and can find a non-rainy day.  Will take pictures for you then.

Take care.

Hmmm ... not quite there

Forgive the untidy state of my webpage today ... I promise I'll work on it a bit more tomorrow once the creative juices have quit sloshing around and around in my brain, spiraling downward into the toilet.  Too much stimulus seems to be the issue of the moment. I have a great piece of inspiration .. a mug I purchased from Starbucks ... but everything is turning out a bit too busy.  Hold on for another day while I get it worked out.  [Edit:  Fixed!]

Normally this process is all done behind the scenes and I take a few days to work out changes, try this, move  that or simply remove items.  However, I've been fighting with Blogger for the past few days, which had inexplicably quit showing me the engine behind this site.  Turned out I simply needed to update Firefox, but getting to the point where I learned that handy bit of information took some doing.  All I can say is 'thank god for Google.'

Bruce and I spent a rainy Monday in Vancouver visiting with Ilana and Elsa who has become a fan of "a snow."  She was a bit shy around us, but did eventually get to show us how well her new winter hat, sparkly wand and princess shoes all matched.  Ilana had said that getting Elsa to adapt sleeping patterns was quite difficult and during our visit, she nodded off within the space of a moment ... I couldn't resist taking a picture.

The day was soaking wet .. it came down in buckets all day long and made for an interesting ferry ride back home as the downpour increased and winds howled.  I tried grabbing a picture from the car on the way across the Lion's Gate Bridge.  Even with the reflection, I love this picture. :)

A Tale of Footprints

The snow fell, fat and sloppy on dimpled sidewalks, piling slush near the edges as occasional passersby splashed in their haste to get home for the evening, chins tucked into their collars and hands pushed deep into pockets.  I'd stood at the window, drink in hand, watching the sprites play an extreme game of team tag, zipping in between the six pointed stars and dodging the larger, dangerous flakes.  They'd flit over to the glowball hanging under the eaves by my door and warm their hands, trash-talking their competition all the while.

The city slept late and woke muzzily, drawing apart bedroom curtains to blink in the whiteness of a snow hushed morning.  Opening my door for the morning paper, I was dismayed to find it gone again.  For weeks now, it had intermittently gone missing, supposedly to a neighbour who rose earlier than I.   From the huge pine beside the house, Old Crow laughed raucously down at me.  She absolutely knew the culprit .. she never missed knowing where treasure was, even if it wasn't her idea of treasure.  This time, however, the weather worked with me, leaving evidence that lead through my back gardens and out to the cedar hedging.  I had to admire the intrepid nature of my paper thief, venturing out into a world that few in this area had experienced.

-------------------------------

All of which is a long way of saying ... I wonder who walked through my garden early this morning.  I suppose it was the neighbour's cat, but could have been anything.

A taste of home

Okay, so I said I'd been feeling nostalgic for Alberta. (That was before the big snow storms there, and our bit of snow shovelling adventures here)  Both Bruce and I have had our feet swept out from under us by a huge wave of missing people like Margie, Mel and  Sandy, and family.  But that's not all ... even our grocery shopping sometimes brings home little reminders of Alberta and the things we miss. 

Biting into this was a little bit of heaven.  Fireblossom honey just doesn't compare to clover honey.

A street of my own

Eat your heart out!

Welcome to Canada!

A far cry from sunny Singapore, Ilana and Elsa touched down in Vancouver this week and were met with a frigid snowfall.  This is Elsa's first experience with the snow.  Bruce and I are headed to Vancouver sometime this week in order to see them before they leave and will likely have pictures to share .. she's so adorable.

Huge congrats to Kent and Ilana on the impending May birth of a sister or brother for Elsa.  Their combined genes are doing wonders to beautify our planet!

Of birthdays

November is chock full on most people's birthday watch lists, perhaps due to February being chilly,partial to crackling fireplaces and being snowed in for days on end.  I'm attending a party this evening to celebrate some Bastion Dragons' birthdays .. Bev, Cheryl, Kelly, and Toni, in addition to myself and Karen.  Perhaps I'll be able to share some pictures tomorrow.   In return for Cheryl's masterful chef skills, we've been asked only to bring homemade birthday cards.  Ours are post-it notes.  Bruce has full intentions of bringing along another small pad to make up things as he goes along, so I expect at some point to find a 'kick me' sign on someone.

My day started yesterday with a glass of orange juice and champage, a combination that never ceases to delight and always tempts me back for a few more. It rounded off into bacon and French toast ... something we haven't had in probably a decade.  Cecile dropped by to share some strawberry shortcake that Bruce made from scratch, leaving behind some wonderful organic chocolate and Dutch licorice that Richard picked up on a recent trip there.  The evening meal was roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy, along with broccoli and a lemony sauce.  All in all, a very fine day, food wise.  Bruce really knows how to treat me well :)

As for gifts, I was the recipient of two phone calls ... one from Dad who told me that he'd be visiting at some point during his off season :D :D :D, the other from Ralph who shared quite a few laughs over this blog.  I'm glad you're enjoying it Ralph .. I am having a great deal of fun with it.  [Edit:  Calls from Jamie, Ian, Mel and Sandy, Aunt Sandy, and an email from Larry too :D] Also on the gift list, not just one, but two different types of gaming mice ... one made by Razer (and much coveted by myself) ... and the other contributed by Mr. Tippy and Murray ...

This one has a place of honor on my desk

The evening ended with 4" of snow and a call from Toni asking if I ordered up the weather, perhaps missing Alberta.  Umm .. I was waxing nostalgic about Alberta earlier this week, but I'm over it now.  Dad told me it was -28° in Beaverlodge yesterday morning.  Yup, I'm over it.

This morning ... Christmas card outside my window!  So I shovelled snow on Bev and Toni's birthday .. I hope you two appreciate all that I do for you. :)

Lois Lane

It's a teeny tiny back alley in downtown Nanaimo ... does it live up to its name?  You decide.   :)

Here's a view of the alley, complete with a gent heading somewhere on an errand.

Hello, my name is Maureen and I'm a procrastinator.  It's been a week since my last post.  I'd like to tell you that my week has been chock full of interesting stuff, that I've jetted off to do this fabulous thing, to meet up with fascinating people, or even managed to make it out of the house for groceries.

Sadly, the week has been filled with none of those things.  I did, however, manage to completely rework my gaming user interface .. most of you would find that an eye-glazing topic.   But for a rainy week in November, it was perfect.  I caught up on some movies with Bruce and made some meals that were less than memorable - not that they were bad, just run of the mill and nothing stellar.

I guess the highlight of the week was purchasing a new casserole dish and then having the inevitable husband/wife discussion about where in the cupboards it should be located so that I can also reach it.  Did I tell you I dislike my cupboards?  No? Consider it done.  I intensely dislike them.  Anything on the second shelf has to be right at the front or I can't reach it.  What good are cupboards if you only reach one shelf?  Exxxxactly!  I think cupboards are mostly built by tall young men who really don't have a clue about setting them up properly. There's the lazy susan in the corner by the stove that threatens to light your hair on fire if you need something from it while you're cooking, which incidentally, is the new home for the casserole dish.  There's also the deep, narrow pantry design that really leaves one shelf useable for me .. and one for Bruce.  In all my years, I've never seen such a poorly designed cupboard system .. and yet, I see these same damn cupboards all over.  The good news is that I love the kitchen island. 

And rather than continuing on that sad sort of line, I'll share a beautiful weather picture with you.  Not everything that has to do with rain is ugly.   When Bruce went off to paddle on Sunday morning, I came downstairs with a cup of tea intending to watch a little TV ... I glanced outside and was really quite inspired by the Japanese maple I can see from the big comfy chair that I get to use only when Bruce is not home. Okay, that was bad of me.  He'll most happily let me use it .. but we all know that the chair really belongs to Bruce and Murray.

Say Yes to the Dress (Part One)

Samantha .. it's that time.  I know, I know .. you've been hiding, thinking I might have let this wedding craziness just go away.  Ummmm .. no.  Way too much fun.

I'm thinking that a non-traditional bride ... and you're very much a non-traditional kind of woman ... should go for something that really sets the tone for the marriage ... lets him know that you're you're own woman, damnit, and you will not conform to societal expectations .. and he should be so lucky to be seen with you no matter what you're wearing.  Okay, with this in mind, I present to you some ideas for dressing up your big day.  Hang on!

This first one is somewhat in line with your love of racing ... what could be better than flames?  Which also works with that whole "you're my flame" mushy cornball thing in which lovers like to particpate.  Maybe instead of rings, you could exchange pink slips.  Just a thought ...

This second dress is all about the bouquet.  Hmm ... better make that plural.  Those pockets would be completely convenient for hiding other stuff as well like, say, a cellphone .. that can conveniently go off when you've had to stand and smile at Aunt Milred's hour long stories about her pet Schnauzer.

By now, you're probably thinking that this is all kinda tame, right?  My thoughts too!!  Here's a novel idea that involves the man of your dreams ... body paint!

Hmm ... Dad's not having convulsions yet, is he?  Let's see if we can kick-start his heart, shall we?  This next dress is also all about the flowers.  Not much else either.

And lastly for today .. how about something that's sure to make a dramatic statement?

How's your heart, Ralph?

I want this address

I like to imagine that the people who live out here rather imagine themselves somewhat caught up in Beatrix Potter's world.  I'm fairly certain that I would be unable to resist a great number of flights of fancy with an address on this street.  To do something crazily creative would be almost fore-ordained, were you to have grown up on Twiggly Wiggly Road, doncha think?

Yesterday's Glory

Every once in a while, I succumb to the temptation to write a bit of haiku.  As a poetry form, I love its simplicity. Today's rather contemplative study in rain got me a bit creative, which is one way to combat those rainy day blues. 

Rainy Day

I had meant to include a shot of sleeping cats in my collage because they epitomize rainy days, but they were all "Hey Mom, what's up with the camera?"  Maybe another day, Kristen :)

Froot Loops

"Froot Loops!  Your soap smells like Froot Loops," declared my niece Trina.   Hmm .. well, okay ... I'd kinda been thinking that the Bergamot and Grapefruit soap that sits in our hall bathroom was reminiscent of lazy Sunday mornings that start with fruit, a steaming hot cup of tea and the weekend crossword.

A good book, a few large mugs of steaming tea, my favorite reading chair and feet up on a cushion .. that's how I'd kinda planned to spend my day Tuesday.   Instead, I spent it being charmed by Kelly's daughter who called out of the blue.  Not only was Trina good company, she was game for hunting down some of those signposts I've been talking to you about here, and since she brought along her GPS, we traipsed all over the city.

Alberta, you may have to give her to BC.  You know she's a vegetarian??  In addition to being charming.  Oh, and beautiful.  Let's not forget that.  Note the dimple in the chin!  

 

We took a ride out to Eyelash Drive and shot some pictures.  Besides having a funny name, the strret itself is short and ends rather oddly ... have a look.

This is the entire length of Eyelash Drive leading directly into Diver's Lake. 
Good thing there's a road to show you how to do that safely.

So Kelly .. you can lend us your daughter anytime you want.  Did I mention she was charming?   Oh, and I double-checked.  That soap does smell like Froot Loops.

Toms Turnabout

Toms Turnabout .. no apostrophe.   Is this the story of a boat belonging to Tom, or an area to turn your vehicle around in front of Tom's place on a small jut of a street off of Hammand Bay Road?  (there is a largish area for a turnabout which is not at the end of the the street).  Not sure of any of these, and again, I'll toss this out to you who may be 'in the know' to provide some clarification.

Totally beside the point, but this is what our cedar hedging will look like when it matures.

Happy Halloween

While I'm waiting for kids to show up at our door (there was a cute family all dressed up as members of Toy Story about 4:00 pm), I thought I'd get a head start on November changes for the site.  This time, the background design is all my work.  Doodads and fripperies are yet to come :)

As are, hopefully, pictures of Toni and Tom's bonfire fun.  We're bringing the marshmallows. Catch you later!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

11:00 pm

As we arrived tonight, Tom was setting off fireworks .. I gotta tell you .. I love BC for this.   When we first settled here, you could purchase fireworks anytime of year and shoot them off .. a bit unnerving for Albertans who've never even seen a place to purchase them.  Nanaimo now has a ban - except for a week around Halloweeen and on July 1st - at least I think it's Canada Day .. a law that was met with much harumphing from our friends and neighbours.  

I managed to get a couple of shots of the bonfire tonight, but no costumes as those were kept pretty well hidden under rain gear.  The bonfire was pretty damned impressive though.   After all, with a former fireman planning the blaze, it can be nothing less than spectacular, right?

Terrific detail of the fire ... hot dog, anyone?

Frank Ney

The mayor of Nanaimo for a great many years, Frank Ney cut a colorful figure.  Apparently, he was known for showing up at community events dressed in one of many costumes, including the pirate outfit in which he became immortalized at Swy-A-Lana Park.  He was responsible for the many, many street names that make Nanaimo unique, for ensuring that Protection Island streets are all named after pirates, and for unabashedly immortalizing his boat with a street name. 

The plaque that goes with this statue reads:

ADMIRAL OF THE FLEET

In 1967, Black Frank helped launch the now famous

Loyal Nanaimo Bathtub Race

The colourful pirate costume was worn to promote Nanaimo as

The Sunporch of Canada

Jewel of the West

Bathtub Capital of the World

A LIFETIME OF SERVICE

Mayor of Nanaimo 1967 - 1984 and 1986 - 1990

Member of Legislative Assembly, 1967 - 1972

Freeman of the City of Nanaimo

BC Tourism Ambassador

Honourary Chief First Nations in Nanaimo

Killer Whale - Q-un Lhanumutsun

Active member of many organizations

Notary Public and President of Nanaimo Realty

I'm guessing that he had no hangups with self-promotion ... Black Frank Drive is on my list of streets to check out for you.

Bergen-Op-Zoom

Bergen-Op-Zoom is the name of a town in the Netherlands and I know there is a Canadian cemetery there, but I've been unable to find any specific connection to Nanaimo.  If anyone knows the reason behind this fun little street name, I'd be interested in hearing it.

----------------------------------------------------------
October 30, 2010

Kristen dig a bit of digging and came up with this explanation -  found here.  You'll catch some of the signpost names I'll be posting, so I'll warn you, it's a bit of a spoiler.

• Frank Ney gave Dutch-origin street names to an area was called "Dutch Acres." Bergen-Op-Zoom is in a subdivision with names such as Amsterdam, Tulip and Arnhem Terrace.
  
  Frank Ney served in the RAF and RCAF as a pilot during World War II. The naming of those streets was in memory of the Canadian involvement in Holland during the war.
  
  Located north of the Scheldt River near the Belgian border, Bergen-op-Zoom Canadian War Cemetery contains 968 Canadian graves, including 64 from the RCAF. Most of the soldiers buried here lost their lives in the fighting north of Antwerp during the Battle of the Scheldt, as the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, with support from the 4th Canadian Armoured Division, worked to clear the north bank of the Scheldt estuary of German forces.

Thanks Kristen. The "Aunt Maureen" thing still has me giggling.  Does that make you my niece-in-law?

The inner child

When I was taking a shot of this fun bike rack at  Swy-A-Lana Park, Bruce ran over, laid down and shouted, "Help!  I've been eaten by a whale!!"

His inner child still loves to play.  I adore that man.

Battle of the Bay 2010

Tumultuous in the west, summer blues in the east .. these were the skies as I head down to Swy-A-Lana Lagoon for Bruce's second outrigger race of the season.

To the east

 from the west

I arrived just as the Huliguns were headed off for their second race of the day and managed to catch a couple of shots of the race.

Full steam ahead!  We're cheering for the team on the right.

Just crossed the finish line

Marcus, Bruce, Chris
Toni, Cecile, Bev
Battle of the Bay 2010 - Best Hair Under Duress Award

Since I was already there and wanted to share some more of my city with you, I pointed my camera in other directions as well.

Left to right, Protection and Galliano Islands and Jack Point viewed from Nanaimo Harbour

Swy-A-Lana Lagoon

This is the brickwork on the stairs leading down to the water from the Lighthouse Pub where, every Sunday at noon, you can find the Huliguns after practice -- drying off, wetting their whistle over brunch and telling tales of glory on the water. Or wondering if Bruce remembers the time he had difficulty finding the correct turn buoy. *cough*

Updates

I have to admit to feeling a bit listless lately ... can't seem to settle down into one thing and am needing to nap at the drop of a pin.  I've started a post here a dozen times and just had to abandon it .. lack of interesting things to say -- not that that usually stops me, but feeling it more consciously, I guess.  I have to remember that this is my way to stay in touch with family and friends and that just getting started writing will spark the creativity again.  Who knows, I may even get better at this!

I know that energy goes down in the fall when the grey starts to settle into Nanaimo days on a frequent basis, so I've got to fight it.  I'm taking up a boot camp exercise class starting tomorrow, so I imagine I'll be in quite a bit of pain on Saturday.  Hey, if it doesn't kill me, it will make me stronger, right? 

Blizzard is on the cusp of releasing a bright new game module and I'm preparing for it with my guild.  And getting my own characters ready as well.  It's too bad I can't use game guild management on a resumé.  There are about 130 active accounts in my guild ... 400 total characters ... and I oversee their day to day gaming experiences like any manager.

Here are some articles on precisely that subject that are interesting to read.

Wired
Tankspot
Blacksend's End

Bruce in Blue

He was trying to tell me a story and didn't want to sit still for my camera .. but the story got the better of him.  This shot is one of my very favorites of him .. all that denim blue is just soooo Bruce.

Autumn Fog

A shrill and insisting blaring shot me bolt upright at 9:00 am this morning ... turns out that Mr. Neuman needs to retake the Toast 10 class and do remedial work on basic browning techniques.  So I drifted back to sleep and woke up to something other than my normal fog - which can be quite extensive until the morning cup of tea is on the way and my eyes start functioning again.  Tell me, Larry, does that get any better as you get older?  *grin* (gonna pay for that one, I'm sure)

Anyway .. I love fog.  Always have.  Maybe because fog is so rare in Alberta.  I remember walking up the hill to the fields with Laddie on the occasional heavily fog saturated autumn afternoon to bring in the cows for the evening milking - the wet smulch of leaves underfoot, the crisp smell of brightly colored wet woods all around, the hush of the world, like it was holding its breath waiting for that first blazing spear of sunlight to pierce the bubble and return to reality.  The stalwart friendliness of my sable and white collie was important to this scene as he provided safety against the damp boogey men lingering twixt the trees.  He was so brave, he'd take on anything ... and man, he loved bringing in the cows - it was his chance to really shine. 

From my back deck taken around noon

During our first October here, we had five solid days of heavy, heavy fog .. the locals were dismayed, but I loved it.

A close up of the same shot ... I may have to use this for a website header one month. 

Same vantage point, different direction.  Note all the wires.  Took me a bit to get used to seeing them here
... in Alberta, wires are all buried.  Here, it often takes blasting to dig out a construction site.
I'll try to grab a picture of that for you construction readers.

I'll have to admit the Autumn colors here are magnificent. There's a view or two of Rutherford Road I want to share with you ... I'm waiting for the right day to take pictures.  Both of these areas have year round interest and color and I'm simply amazed at how well the developers did their jobs 'back in the day.'

These next couple of shots are the back of The Longwood Brew Pub ... its what we see everytime we go for mail or groceries.