December 6

Hello blog, I haven't written in a while. It was great to be in Calgary, and spend time with Catherine and Paul and wonderful AVA! I also helped Andrew move. When I got back though, things got bad. We went out to the parade and sailpast on Saturday night the 24th, not having heard from Alex all day which was a worry. We got a message from him later on that night admitting that he had got in trouble - car impounded for 30 days and a 90 day driving suspension. It's been a hard month for him and for us too. I am sorry for him but also frustrated that he hasn't got a job. I know we will get through this. Thank goodness for the rest of our family! Heather visited last night and today. She and Alex helped decorate the tree. It was fun.

Cabin close-up; Jackson and Sheralyn are coming

We had two lovely days at the cabin. Everything was working. It was sunny, and not too cold for the time of year. I enjoyed our kayak ride to Duck Bay to bring the kayaks up to the cabin. We saw lots of harlequin ducks - beautiful! We closed up yesterday morning. I closed all of the windows and put the bedding upstairs. I put Calcium Chloride around to sop up some of the dampness. Both doors and windows were locked. We had to get an earlier water taxi so we went for coffee at Nancy's, then in to Powell River for a quick browse at the Goodwill (I found my Hearts&Flowers there, but it was a whole set so I decided not to buy it - a good deal at $35!) I was reading "A Good Man" - a bit of a slog but a very good book. I also started on Alex's socks. We brought two DVD's up to watch but the second didn't work, giving us a bit of cabin fever on the last night. It gets dark so early. John got oysters and we had them for dinner when we got home. Catherine called on Friday, in the midst of a panic attack. Poor thing, she can't sleep sometimes. It is so hard for her right now. She phoned again yesterday and talked to John as he was walking to the dock to leave and she sounded much better. I hope that lasts. We got home to find that Alex has had his license suspended and can't drive, apparently because of the accident of a couple of weeks ago. He hasn't found a job yet and it is galling that he has bought pizza gone to parties using the money I have given him. I am going to give it another few days before I go to a counselor with him. I have to remember he has broken up with Sharah and it's a hard time for him. Remembrance Day today. The sun has gone, which is appropriate. We will probably go and visit Margaret. Jackson and Sheralyn arrive tonight!

Nov. 7, 2012

I got tickets to Calgary! I leave Saturday night, the 17th. Catherine had another hard night last night, and I am worried. I am so glad I am going. Holly had her operation today and she thinks it was a success. I subbed for a Grade Four class today. Fun! A highlight was the owls they drew. It was a good day. They also did a crossword about Remembrance Day. I biked to work, since it was a nice day, and I had choir afterward so it was good to get my exercise in. We go to the cabin tomorrow.

Nov. 6

It's been and up and down week! Catherine phoned in tears yesterday, and I felt I should go back, especially when I spoke to her again yesterday afternoon and she was still crying. I would have to miss Sheralyn and Jack coming and several teaching gigs but I was ready to go. Then she called early this morning to say that she slept last night and she is much better - no need for me to go. However, I will go to her shower on the 18th, or at least that is the hope. I will order tonight. Heather's birthday today and at least we got a couple of Facebook messages from her. I sent her good wishes and her birthday money. She is in Nelson tonight and says she will be closer to home next week and will see us then. Alex put out some feelers today. We had a long talk about how to work out this situation of him being home. Expectations, etc. I think we needed to clear the air. I'm glad he got out there and really hope he gets something soon! I know he wants to move out and we are so ready for him to do that. It's election day and we are watching the votes come in. It is very close! We hope Obama gets in, of course, but it is so close that there will be problems running the country. We are going to the cabin on Thursday, and since I work tomorrow, I got busy today and made tuna casserole and sweet&sour chicken so that there won't be a lot of cooking to do. I also made a pizza (very good) and some sausage rolls with the extra dough/sausages. Little Ava's stocking is looking good. It's important to do a good job because she will probably use it for her whole life, at least I hope she will. Maybe she will just decide to get her own stocking when she's bigger. I still have mine! Anyway, I am missing Heather and wishing we could be together. Have a great birthday and a wonderful 29th year!

Nov. 4

We "fell back" last night and I am sort of out of it. I woke up at 6:00 as usual, but it was only 5:00 because of the time change. I worked on Ava's stocking, which is coming along nicely. Then I went downtown and started Christmas shopping, always a good picker-upper. To top it off we went for dinner at the White Spot to celebrate Alex's finishing his welding. I think things are healing- but he couldn't wait to get out of there to go and see his friends, and he was texting most of the time! We watched "The Avengers" last night and I barely made it through without going to sleep. Wish me luck tonight as I try to watch "The Mentalist" and "Call the Midwife!"

November 3

A rainy Saturday - not my favourite day ever, but lots to be thankful for. Catherine phoned last night and she is doing much better. She slept last night. I think little Ava is turning a corner. Also, Alex phoned to say he has got his welding ticket. He seems to be feeling pretty good about himself right now. I started Catherine's stocking, with the idea of a bird design. I visited John's mom earlier. She was quite confused but liked the sweater I got her. I haven't heard from Heather in over a month:{

All systems go

Catherine is still having a struggle with little Ava. Poor thing. The good news is that John's colonoscopy was clean. Yay! Alex is home.

October is almost over - and I'm glad

It has been a month of huge change, ups an downs. Catherine has had her little baby girl, and she is beautiful. Ava is a very healthy little girl, and I was lucky to be there to meet her just about an hour after she was born. I spent ten days with her, and John came for the last six days. It was a very intense time, full of changes, especially for Catherine and Paul. Catherine ended up having a hard time with breastfeeding, and with all the lack of sleep and hormonal changes, she went a little over the edge at times. It is hard to see that happen, and even though I know it will pass, I am sometimes worried about Catherine, who feels things to intensely. She has been so inside herself and it's hard for her to get out of the house. Paul is back to work today, so this will be the "real world" as she says. Paul's family left yesterday, so it will be her first time alone during the day. She may find that she can get in to the rhythm of life with a baby now. Once we get used to it, us moms tend to manage well. I hope Catherine will find this out too. We saw Jackson and his parents a few times too. Jackson is so cute and funny. We are looking forward to seeing him soon so that his parents can go down to Berkeley to find a place for them to live. This weekend was horrible. Alex ended up putting his car into a ditch. He had had a couple of beers a few hours earlier and even though he was not over the limit, the car was impounded. What a perfect storm of unhappiness! The reason he sped off late Friday night is because Sharah was not speaking to him and he wanted to see her. He told his dad this, and then went out. When John got the call to help Alex out, he went right down, and Sharah was there too. I wasn't there but it seems like the two of them really had it out. Both have very quick tempers. Alex is so upset with his dad that he has temporarily moved out. He came home yesterday to tell us that he loves us but still can't come home. He and Sharah had just ended things about half an hour earlier. There were lots of tears on Friday and I am worried about Alex's state of mind. I am going to try to find a counselor for all of us. Added to that, we didn't hear from Catherine all weekend. She had phoned on Friday, and there were tears and she was mad at her dad for giving Ava a cold - not a good way to end a conversation but I had to go to work. We heard that Heather had visited Catherine and Ava too - but she hasn't been in touch either. I feel isolated and right now I don't seem to have a lot of enthusiasm for anything. I guess that is understandable. To end this up and down month, John is going in for a colonoscopy tomorrow. He has to stop eating at noon and then take horrible stuff that will make him clear out his bowels in a very dramatic way. In a couple of days we should have a resolution to all of this. I hope and pray that the doctor will find nothing. I am going to work this morning. That is one thing I think I can still do, and I like being with the people at Deep Cove, staff and kids. It's raining again!!

baby!

Catherine is in the hospital! She is going to be induced, and I am quite a mess. I missed my teaching job today because I got mixed up and thought I was booked for the p.m. It is horrible but I am putting it down to sympathetic pre-labour brain! I am booked for the 7:00 flight tomorrow. We are going out for dinner tonight at the Bengal Room. Isn't that weird?

October 8 2012

It's a lovely Thanksgiving Monday morning. The weather continues to be spectacular, with 20 degrees yesterday! I went for a run yesterday morning, got some pumpkin soup made (there are still about 12 bags of frozen pumpkin from last year in the freezer!) then went in to Victoria to see "Red" at the Belfry. It was excellent, as most plays there are. I don't know why I nodded off for a few minutes. I guess it was dark and comfy. I saw Lloy from book club, who I haven't seen in years. I didn't recognize her at first since she has had a nose job! I think she had a lift too. She does look good. Her nose was just too long! We had errands to run of course, before and after, then came home and had a steak dinner. Not too Thanksgiving-y but we will have the dinner tonight, with Alex, Sharah and Margaret. I am missing the other kids and their spouses and Jackson like crazy but we just have to roll with it.Catherine will probably be phoning soon and I will be off to Calgary! I want to get a good bike ride in today, and other than that, it will just be relaxing and cooking!

October 3, 2012

Welcome Reid Alexander! Kelly was induced this morning and gave birth to a little boy just tonight. He weighed 9lbs.12oz. and all is well. I worked at Deep Cove in the Grade 5 class (English) this afternoon. It was fun and pretty cushy since there was early dismissal. I am there tomorrow too. I went to see Mary Anne in the fashion show at Resthaven Lodge. It was great! Another sunny day. I went for a bike ride down W. Saanich Road via Brentwood and Mt. Newton X Road. It was nice.

October is here

It's October 3 already! There is a cool feel to the air but it is dry and sunny. I should go to the gym for a change but I love being outside on days like these. I have ten passes to use up in two months, so I am waiting for the rain! We had Heather visit on Monday and then again on Tuesday. She is on her way to Kimberley, but not for too long, which makes me feel better. I think she is doing well and seems happy. Alex continues to work away at welding. There was drama with his cell phone bill yesterday. It turned out there was not a problem but there was a lot of tension at home. The good thing was that it totally took my appetite away! I still haven't lost any of my summer weight though, but I feel good. I just don't want to gain any more. I worked a half day yesterday and will work this afternoon too, and maybe tomorrow. Friday will be a morning in Martine's class, unless there is a call from Calgary! I am thinking it will be next week sometime. There has been a lot of waiting for things to happen the last few weeks!

Good end to September

After a worrying weekend, we heard from Andrew that he has been offered a position at Berkeley! Everyone is happy! Details will follow. We had a turkey dinner tonight. It was nice. Heather didn't come after all but says she is coming tomorrow. It was a beautiful day!

Week of September 24

Hi there, It was a busy week with teaching/recovering from teaching! The weather has cooled, and it rained yesterday for the first time in months! It was nice - at first - to hear the rain coming. I was in Dean Park walking when I heard it coming. It was a bit of a bummer for Alex, who is camping at Port Renfrew with Sharah. Last time he camped it poured rain - he seems unlucky at finding good times for camping. Still some worries with him, but it's good that he did that, and the skies had cleared today. Heather is coming tomorrow, Sunday. We will hear all about her move to Kimberley. I am sad about that but maybe it will be good for her. We are going to cook a turkey, but maybe not a Thanksgiving dinner. I finished Kelly's socks and mailed them express on Thursday night. I hope they make it before she goes into labour. She is already four days over. It's an exciting time for her and of course for Catherine. Today we are getting the i's dotted and t's crossed for our renters, Cole and Mikaela Bartels, who are moving in to the condo October 3. Catherine and Sheralyn are going to help with that.

september 25

Subbed at Deep Cove for Johanne Chouinard,and will be in tomorrow too. I like the K's but I am tired after a day of being with them! I will be in Thursday for Matthew Makuch. I should be getting paid soon. Heather e-mailed to say she had given her notice and is moving to Kimberley for a while. I don't know what to think but I don't know exactly why she is doing it. She is coming over on Friday she says and then I'm sure she will be busy packing and moving. Catherine had another ultrasound today, and all is well with the baby, as we suspected. Just a couple of weeks to go now. Kelly is due any day! I have almost finished the socks for her.. I heard from Laurie, who had got the book I sent over via Holly. I felt bad that she didn't get into the choir. John made a nice dinner, pork chops on the BBQ with mushrooms and potatoes. We watched Downton Abbey, end of season one. We are anxiously awaiting the second season! Andrew hasn't heard yet from Berkeley but is still hopeful.

Thursday, Setpember 20

Subbing at Deep Cove School today. Yesterday at Keating for Douglas Fraser. Today was better than yesterday! The weather continues to be beautiful. John went fishing yesterday and caught two little fish, which we had for dinner tonight. Choir started yesterday. I wish we were better (especially some of the guys) and I wish we could sing some more modern numbers. I will hang in though. I went for a bike ride today, Mt. Newton X to W. Saanich Road. It was hard but nice and warm. Now to settle in for Jeopardy and Downton Abbey - one of my favourite things to do at night!

Tuesday September 18

I have let the journal lapse for almost a week! We have been a little busier now that school is in. I took cookies in to Deep Cove last Wednesday, and have been out a couple of afternoons already. One afternoon was FSL at Kelset (tiring!) and another afternoon at Deep Cove in kindergarten immersion (tiring but good). I will be out Thursday for Cindy Lister. I enjoy it but I like being home too, especially with the weather so good! I went for lunch on Friday with Carol and Deb at the Med Grill. It was nice. I rode down via the Lochside Trail and then John picked me up. We drove up to Nanaimo and caught the ferry to Horseshoe Bay. It all worked out well, and we got to Gary and Birgitte's place by 6:30. We had a busy weekend, hiking and biking, and the weather was great. We had a late night call from Alex - he had had a bad argument with Sharah and he was very upset. We almost left for home at 4:00 in the morning but finally Alex called back to say that he would be OK. It was good to finally talk to him on Monday and resolve some issues. We have been busy with renting out the condo and so far have four couples wanting to see it. Nick our tenant will show them through. We hope that will work out. I went for a long bike ride today, to Deep Cove School and stopped to eat blackberries along the way. The weather has been so warm, it's good to get out. John and I went golfing at The Ridge. I think I am getting better, although I'm still pretty bad. We watched the second DVD of Downton Abbey. It's nice that there's something we both enjoy watching together! Yesterday was the season premiere of Bones. Yay!

Wednesday September 12

Today I made a very good soup. I browned all the vegetables before putting them in the broth, and also made a bouquet garni to add to the broth - which was made from many chicken backs! I took my cookies around to Deep Cove and had a good visit with everyone. Then I went to Costco. I got some yoga pants among other things. I went to Jazzercize, and we watched a movie "Five Year Engagement", pretty funny. Jason Segal is my new secret crush!

September 11

It's eleven years since 9-11. I still remember it so well. Alex was only 10. Today was a beautiful day. I made two kinds of cookies, ginger snaps and cocoa white chocolate. I thought I'd take them in to Deep Cove tomorrow. Still 5 lbs up so I didn't taste too much! I also started soup. We got the yard waste taken away from 7681 and got a couple of people interested in seeing the condo, so that's good. I am reading "the Limpopo Detective Agency" so spent some of the afternoon reading that. John made steaks early and we went golfing at Ardmore. I got par on the second hole! Still a lot of bad shots though. It was good to get out.

Monday September 10

An uneventful day. Weather has got cool. Alex and I worked on his cell phone bill. It felt good to get that resolved. Alex has promised to come to us if he has a situation - he hasn't been altogether truthful with us. Lunch is planned with Carol and Deb! We are going to Whistler on Friday to have a hiking weekend with Gary and Birgitte. Several inquiries about the condo. Mark is coming to haul stuff away from 7681 Grieve tomorrow. I made a nice mushroom chicken with roast vegetables... very French! Jazzercize.

Sept. 9 feels like fall

Today I went for a walk at 8:00 p.m. and it was dark! Also a little rainy. Fall is coming fast! This morning I went for a run, then we went down to see Chillis, who had asked for some help. She seems lost and lonely in her new apartment. We stayed for a couple of hours and took her for a bite to eat. After that we went to the museum. The dinosaur exhibit was on and we enjoyed it - I didn't stay as long as John. I went shopping and found a duvet cover. I think it will work. I have been looking for a new one for a long time. I made chili for dinner and Alex joined us. Still concerns about his finances. I hope we can work out his cell phone bill tomorrow. Not all days are great, and this one was not so bad, just not all good. Last night we posted an ad about the condo and we have had three replies.

Fishing and Saltspring

I have been trying to soak up every bit of summer I can, so when John asked if I wanted to go fishing last night, I said yes! It wasn't good for fishing (one little greenling which we just had for dinner and it was delicious) but it was such a warm beautiful night out there. Oh yes, I caught a starry flounder, but we threw it back because we don't like the taste very much. This morning I rode my bike to the ferry and over to Saltspring Island, to see Heather in the Gay Pride parade. Heather is not gay but the roller derby ladies wanted to show their support. I made it just in time to see them come down. Heather was busy but we had a quick lunch together. The bike ride was kind of brutal but I am glad I did it. Saltspring is a very hilly place and it took about 50 minues each way, even though it's only 14km from Fulford to Ganges. Getting to the ferry was another 30 minutes, going my fastest because I thought the ferry was 11:00 (turned out it was 11:30!). John kindly picked me up at the Thrifty's. It was about 3 hours return. Heather was surprised to see me. She looked great in her derby attire. She needs to made up her mind what she is going to do after September but we didn't talk about that.

Happy birthday Andrew John MacRae

32 years ago I was holding a red, bruised, most beautiful baby boy in the world in my arms. That was a wonderful morning. Now he is a dad himself, of course, and a very good one too. He phoned last night to say that they wouldn't be coming next week after all because he has an interview at Berkeley! Our fingers are crossed tight for that. Yesterday we missed Andrew's call because we were at Glen Meadows at the driving range. It was a warm, beautiful evening, and good to be taking advantage of this summery weather. Maybe we will get out in the boat before the cold dark nights arrive.

Sweet little baby girl is 5 pounds

Yesterday was a good day, though not too action-packed. We had our carpets cleaned and they look great - for now! We visited John's mom, who was looking good with new earrings and her hair done. We missed her ukulele concert this time but we now know about the next one. Catherine phoned to say that all was looking good for the baby. The ultrasound showed one very beautiful baby, just a little small - 5 pounds, which isn't too bad at all. She has been eating well and feels lots of movement. After Jazzercize I rented a movie - "Jeff, Who Lives at Home". It was short but sweet. We enjoyed it!

Mill Bay bike trip

Yesterday John and I rode our bikes to the Mill Bay ferry and rode up to Merridale Cidery. It was about two and a half hours of cycling, plus an hour on the ferry. It was a great day. The tasting and lunch at Merridale was spectacular. It was so warm and sunny, and I thought how great it was not to be working! For dinner we barbecued the salmon I caught Tuesday and shared a small crab. We had a very "locovore" dinner, having grown the arugula, caught the fish, and harvested the apples from Chillis's back yard. Today we got the carpets cleaned. I know this shouldn't be exciting but they are so clean! I don't want anyone to walk on them now. Catherine has her ultrasound today.

Monday, last day before school starts - we went fishing and I caught a little salmon. It's a chinook, and we will have it for dinner! It was a beautiful night, a little cool out there but I had my jacket and sweatpants so I was OK. Today we are going on the Mill Bay ferry with our bikes and riding to Merridale Cidery for lunch. I wanted to do something special on my un-teaching day!

Saanich Fair

Yesterday, Sunday, we went to the Saanich Fair. We go almost every year, and sometimes I dread it. It makes me think about when the kids were little and then I miss them so much! John wanted to go, so we went and had a really nice time. We spent time looking at the kids' exhibits (so many of my little students had entries!) animals, plants, sheep shearing demonstration, bingo, and good shows at the main stage. Our favourite was a band called Younger than Yesterday, a cover band who do songs from the 60's. They were worth the price of admission! It was cute to see the kids dancing. Weather has been really good all summer, making up for a soggy May and June.

Back to school - well not really

Today is the last day of summer really - since school is back in tomorrow. Even though I am retired, it still feels like summer is over. That means that it's my New Year's Eve, since the January 1st one means very little to me. Years are measured from September to September in my world. So I have decided to start my blog again. It's OK if no one reads it. I am going to try to keep a journal. John used to but he has stopped, and sometimes I wish we could check back and see what happened on a certain day, or how long ago that was. So I will try to start, and seeing as how my handwriting is getting worse and my typing is better, I will type it. I am also thinking of getting out of Facebook. If I do, people can send me news and photos on this site, and I can share my news too. Well, it has been a good summer. So much has happened. Jackson and Sheralyn spent almost two months in Victoria while Andrew went to Europe and also completed his Ph.D. It was great to have them here so much more. Now they are moving, probably to New York, very soon, and we are going to look after Jack while Andrew and Sheralyn look for a place to stay. I hope they will also have at least a couple of days to be tourists and see some of New York City. Catherine and Paul are getting closer to being parents. They are having a little girl, due in October! Right now Catherine is just a little over 34 weeks, and things are going well. We spent a few days at their lovely home in Calgary just last week. We drove, which was long and monotonous but do-able once a year. C&P have a great house. We were there for nephew Ryan's wedding to Amanda Hindmarsh, or should I say a reception, since they got married in Cuba. It was so nice to connect with family. A highlight was sitting on the swing with 3 sisters! and later to sit with Kelly and Catherine, the two very lovely and very pregnant ladies. Kelly is due in just three weeks! Catherine is still teaching and doing well, but feeling extremely tired. She is looking very fit, and has kept swimming almost every day. Alex has continued with his welding. It's been up and down. I know he is anxious to move out but has no money. Welding is taking a while, and he is still on the learning curve about how to make/spend money. He has a lovely girlfriend, Sharah, and I hope they stay together. It was her birthday on Friday, and on Saturday Alex organized a party boat for about 11 people. Good for him organizing it, but he had to borrow money from us to do it, which I was not pleased about. It's a tightrope we walk as parents and sometimes I am not sure we are balancing it right. We haven't seen or heard much from Heather (Lorill) but she came over on Father's Day, and then again a couple of weeks ago. She is still on Saltspring, happy at the daycare but needing more money - and she has no permanent place to live. She is seriously thinking of going to Calgary to look for work. We hope it works out for her, but I hope it doesn't mean that she has to go to northern Alberta or something. We had almost a month at Savary. It was wonderful in every way. We got out on the boat, we had Catherine and Paul for six nights, we met new friends, went to the Frolic, Paul was in the Triathlon (next year - recreational! - he didn't do great but he got a medal!) I think I have gained five pounds but I'm scared to weigh myself. Some things are tight and I will try to get them looser before I put myself on the scales. I guess that's what happens when you have fun and eat some good food, despite daily running. One of the highlights of my trip to Calgary was a shopping trip where I was turned loose at CrossIron Mills and had four hours of shopping. It was great. I got running shoes, dress shoes, boots, shirts and a great dress. We're back home now, and it's good to be back. It will be a busy September, and we will be back to Calgary in October (or earlier!) A goal is to get the room above the garage cleaned out and made into a kind of games room/extra bedroom. Wish us luck!