Happy New Year

Roses are red, violets are blue,
I've PMS and a touch of the flu

Violets are blue, roses are red,
It's 8pm and I'm off to bed.

Happy New Year, Everyone!
... xx

Christmas Cloud

The other day I was driving along Dallas Road (a stretch of road that follows the ocean shoreline) and I saw this UFO cloud. Oooooo! And I had my camera. So I pulled over, parked, got out and snapped a few photos.




As I stood there admiring the view and inhaling the fresh sea air, I got this sensation... like I was being watched... eyes burning into the back of my head. I turned a 180 and ah-huh!





Merry Christmas and Happy Doodads, Everyone!

:-)

Iconic Winter Canadiana

My uncle (my Dad's brother) died a few weeks ago and my Mom was given some old photos, photocopies of old photos, newspaper clippings, etc by my uncle's wife. I was at my Mom's the other day and she was showing me a few old photos I had never seen before.

This one just leaped right up at me, 'Wow! I love this! What a great photo!"

Click to enlarge.

And it is, dontcha think? I just love it; happy looking kids, the old hockey equipment, the old woolen sweaters all jumbled together on a frozen pond. Too bad the photo was not in better shape... I'm not sure what that spotted blob is in the sky!

My Dad's the dark fella in the middle of the top row, pulling a funny face. He was about 15 there, so I guess the photo was taken in 1943ish. Cool, eh?

Rithet's Bog

Today I went to Rithet's Bog which is a real wetland bog and not Mr Rithet's loo. I know you were thinking it. ;-)



"Rithet's Bog is the last of seven large bogs on the Saanich Peninsula. Many generations of the Tsawout people of Saanich traveled yearly to the bog to harvest bog cranberries, Labrador tea and Sphagnum moss, and to hunt ducks and game.

The 42-hectare Nature Sanctuary, named for R. P. Rithet who farmed this area, was donated to the people of Saanich by the Guinness family in 1994. It was previously drained for agricultural use, but is now being conserved and restored to optimize its biodiversity and recognize its heritage value for the benefit of present and future generations." (from here)

Yes, that Guinness family.

It's just north of Victoria, in Saanich, which is in 'Greater Victoria' ... make sense? Anyways... it's not that far away but I have avoided the area because Shithead Psychologist's office is right across the road. I had a terrible experience with Shithead Psychologist in the summer of '09 and just didn't want to be reminded. I guess I got over it cos here are some piccies of Rithet's Bog!

Looking very bog-like, with a nice cloud.




Bullrushes taller than me.




Icy bog.




Like usual, whenever I go to conservation areas, I never see one wiggle of wildlife. Here's the only beast I saw...




Oooooo, one of those really rare Mallards.... and he lands outside of the park, in a ditch, along the road. lol! :-)




Some lingering snow.

Bog-woman feet.

Oh... and while I was leaving the area, I drove by the Shithead Psychologist's office and flipped 'em the bird and yelled many bad words. :D

I love my popcorn ceiling!

It's the most beautiful ceiling in the world! It's like my own personal Sistine Chapel! I love, love, love it!

Ha! No I don't! I fecking HATE it but I'm trying to learn to love it or at least come to accept it because it's not going anywhere soon.

"We hate it too!"

Most people in North America will know what I mean about a popcorn ceiling and most will share their non-love for it. It's just so... not sure of the right word... yuck.

A few weeks ago, I was laying in bed one morning staring up at it and wondering if I should get rid of it and if so, how. After some research... nope, it's staying (asbestos). But during my Googling I found a great little vid about how to get rid of them (spray the ceiling with a water/vinegar mixture). Be sure to watch all the way... the 'exciting' bit happens at about 2mins.

Cool, eh?

Sweaty Sunday: Snowy Monday

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

It's snowing today in usually snow-free Victoria, BC! I love it! I love it! I love it! Everything is so quiet and pretty. Lovely.

It's also my 'running' day but no way in hell was I running it that! But I did go out for a nice wander with my wee point and shoot. Some piccies:

Here's Moss Street, not looking very mossy, but very pretty.




I thought the old heritage houses looked especially lovely.






The local solar powered parking metres... Looking at the mound of snow on the panel, I'm guessing parking is free today!



The local tattoo studio looks very quaint and jolly in the snow! lol...




There's always one, isn't there.




I just love how the snow brings out textures and shapes.




And colours.




The requisite shoe view:




And me, feeling happy in the snow:

High on Music

I'm not sure that The Lawrence Welk Show ever went beyond Canada and the US, but it was a very popular musical variety show on TV in the 50s through to the early 80s. It was a show that your grandparents watched; very corny, very wholesome. Yet, with the passage of time, pretty much everyone now feels it's safe enough to admit that they watched it too. ;-)

I remember watching it, every Saturday night. My parents liked it and, well, we only had one TV channel, so...

Many years later, it now has a bit of a cult following and is repeated now and then on PBS (public broadcasting service) as there are some real gems. Like this modern spiritual about Sweet Mary and Jeebus:

=:-o

Advice from a Tree

Some trees in Beacon Hill Park

Advice from a Tree

Dear Friend,
Stand Tall and Proud
Sink your roots deeply into the Earth
Reflect the light of a greater source
Think long term
Go out on a limb

Remember your place among all living beings
Embrace with joy the changing seasons
For each yields its own abundance
The Energy and Birth of Spring
The Growth and Contentment of Summer
The Wisdom to let go of leaves in the Fall
The Rest and Quiet Renewal of Winter

Feel the wind and the sun
And delight in their presence
Look up at the moon that shines down upon you
And the mystery of the stars at night.
Seek nourishment from the good things in life
Simple pleasures
Earth, fresh air, light

Be content with your natural beauty
Drink plenty of water
Let your limbs sway and dance in the breezes
Be flexible
Remember your roots

Enjoy the view!

- Ilan Shamir

November 11th

Desert Island Discs

Ok, a bit embarrassing but I've just, yes just, found out about the BBC Radio 4 program 'Desert Island Discs' during which a guest chooses eight records they would take with them to a desert island.

I had heard of the concept eons ago but it wasn't until I was talking with my friend Simon that it really registered that is was a radio program... on a popular station in a country I lived in for five years. :-/ Simon has the patience of a saint.

Anyways... I've decided to make my own desert island selections. I practically live on one already.

Difficult, ain't it? I've done it with albums... but with just pieces of music, that's very difficult. But here's my list (for now) (subject to change) (many times).




Sooooooooooooooooo....

What are YOUR desert island discs?

BTW - if you haven't already found Grooveshark, it's great.

Happy Halloween

Scary, eh? What's scarier is that I look better as a zombie. =:-o

Hey! Crank the volume, click 'play,' and get up and shake your groovy goolies!




I love the dancing pot lid. :-)

Clouding over.

Pumpkin Post

Last week, when I went to Island View Beach, I drove through an area where there are a lot of farms. That large building in the centre of the photo is a country market, selling all sorts of local produce, bales of hay, fresh eggs and, of course, pumpkins!

At this time of year, pumpkin patches are very eye-catching and are visited by families so that the kids can select pumpkins to take home and carve into jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. Brings back a lot of fond memories!




The customary blog drive-by shot:




Other people just go the grocery stores to get their pumpkins. Along the way I passed a tractor hauling a load from the field to the barn. I suspect from there they are trucked to local shops.




And yesterday, I was at a local grocery store and the pumpkin bins were out and full up! I just love that (small things, small minds...). Aren't they gorgeous?




This hefty pumpkin is the subject of a contest:




'Guess the weight and win!' said the contest dude.

'Win what?' I asked.

'Why, you win the pumpkin!'

'Ha! What would I do with a 300lb pumpkin!?'

But really, I already knew... I'd do this:

;-)

What would you do with a 300lb pumpkin?

Religion - is a smile on a dog.

Shoes, Views and Lepers

The other day, I had to take Rusty to his doctor. His 'engine fault' light was lit up and he was due for an oil change, some brake fluid check and a prostate exam... so, off to the clinic. After I picked him up, I decided to go for a buzz up the highway. Weee...! And ended up at Island View Beach.

There, I saw lots of driftwood:




dried seaweed:




wet seaweed:




pretty seashells:




nice sand:




and a salmon that's seen better days:




I did look up at times! And here's the view to the right:




The view to the left:




And straight ahead:




Straight ahead but zoomed so that Mt. Baker can be seen better:




Grim historical fact: One of the islands seen out there is D'Arcy Island and it was once the Chinese leper colony for Victoria and Chinese lepers from the rest of Canada (ie; the railway workers). They were sent there to essentially die... while Joe Whitey lepers were sent to other leper colonies where they received care.

On the plus side D'Arcy Island is now a national park. Part of the Gulf Islands National Park Reserve of Canada.

Disappointed With My British Friends

You all know who you are!

For a whole month you've all known about it. It must have been on the news. It must have been in the papers. It must have been talked about. And you never, never, never told me!

You all knew that I'd love it. That I would howl with laughter.

Yet you held it back. You kept it from me. No URLs sent. Nothing... sniffles...

You thought you could keep it from me. You selfish, uncharitable, tightfisted meanies!

But I found it! Mwhahahahahaha!

;-)

Thanksgiving

This weekend is that annual harvest celebration in Canada; Thanksgiving. Giving thanks to the good earth for the food and taking stock of what one might be personally thankful for.

This video sums up the occasion perfectly:



(Although I will have some pumpkin pie, yum!)

Otters

A while back, while walking along the water, I saw the otter that I usually see. Then I saw him again and again and again - popping up here and then there and then back over there. WTF?! It wasn't the otter... it was him, his beloved and their sprogs! I was seeing a family of otters; six of the wee weasels!



There's been an otter living here for a few years but this is the first year I've seen a whole family. Sweet, eh?



Sorry about the crap photos. Not the right camera for the job. Here's a crap video of them (same crap camera!). The otters are on the big rocks:

A bit of light entertainment.

I'm not that much into dance and I don't really like the Kenny Loggins song 'Footloose' but together all edited up with clips from various films over the years... the end result is, imo, entertaining:

Hypnopompic Jesus.

That's what I woke up to this morning.

I opened my sleepy eyes and there's Jesus, yeah the Jesus Christ Jesus, propped up with a pillow, beside me, in my bed, reading a book. I immediately kicked out my feet towards his, 'Get your dirty sandals out of my bed, dude!' and then he evapourated.

I fell back to sleep.

For several months, I've been having hypnopompic hallucinations: vivid hallucinations that occur when I'm waking up.

The first one was waking up and seeing my late cat sitting on my bedside table. She was so real looking. I reached out my hand, 'hey there Buzz' but my hand went right through.

Since then, I've woken up many more times to Buzz and to other cats, a big beautiful chocolate lab, a goat, a tray of curries in little silver dishes and other mundane things. I've woken up, cuddled up to a mountain lion, a grizzly bear walking past my bed and a woman with silver hair looking down at me. Most excitingly, I awoke to a bull charging at me causing me to scuttle across my bed to avoid getting pwned!

These hallucinations also take the form of sensations. I've felt a hand on my shoulder, being covered by a blanket but the weirdest so far has been the feeling of my mattress moving as if someone had just sat on the edge of my bed. That one freaked me out a bit!

I can imagine how these hypnopompic hallucinations could be very disturbing to some people, or lead people to believe in ghosts, visitations from other worlds or the afterlife, or other paranormal weirdness and perhaps even convince people they have found God... after all, I woke up with his son in my bed. ;-)

From what I gather, not too much is known about hypnopompic hallucinations, except that about 12% of people have them and that they are more common in people who have sleep disorders (which I don't think I have). I suspect it's just a side effect of the citalopram (antidepressant/ssri) that I'm on.

Whatever the cause, I think this phenomenon is very interesting and I welcome it, ie, I don't suffer from hypnopompic hallucinations, I enjoy them.

Flowerballs

Or balls of flowers or balled flowers...?

Last night, out for a stroll, I saw these:




I used to garden a lot and got quite obsessed with it all but I have never come across these weird little doodads.




Whatever they are, they make a nifty silhouette planted amongst some birds of paradise:




Part of me likes the idea that they're actually 'real' daisy-like flowers and someone has come along and plucked and pocketed every single petal. :D




But, if you look real close (enlarge) you can see many tiny blooms on the right side of the ball.




Or I think they're blooms?

Does anyone know what these flowers are?