Just a quick post as its 6.22am (way too early for daylight!) but its an exciting day...yep, we are now (permanent) home-less!
Our little cottage in lovely Lyndhurst was sold today (bargain price....grrrr!) and we are cash rich (yay!)...well for about 12 days until it all flies out of the bank account again....boo!
...now waiting to see what the exchange rate is, damn that strong canadian dollar with their secure banking system, massive oil fields and commodity rich economy! We are hoping for a 24hour plunge in consumer confidence, only 24hrs mind as we both want to keep our jobs....!
...OUR jobs? Oh yes, I'm back in the world of work....will tell more soon but a cup of peppermint tea and the duvet are singing their siren song....so will leave you on that cliff hanger.....!
Hugs to all....
Friday, 29 May 2009
Thursday, 21 May 2009
Yeeeha!
Howdy Folks! On Monday 18th (Bank Holiday over here) we travelled just north of Vernon to the little village of Falkland (one street, that was it, honest!) where they had there 91st Annual Rodeo.
Wasn't sure what to expect but had a great time! Beer tents (Mr R), cowboys (me!) and cowgirl stunt riders (Mr R ...again!).
Very conscientious arena cleaning.....by tractor....
The bareback riding...they had to stay on for 8 secs and not many managed that! The horse gets him off and then 2 outriders quickly release the strap and he trots out of the arena...Apparently these horses can cost up to $50k and basically eat, sleep and make little horses between the weekends....Mr R thinking of reincarnating as one....
Wasn't sure what to expect but had a great time! Beer tents (Mr R), cowboys (me!) and cowgirl stunt riders (Mr R ...again!).
Very conscientious arena cleaning.....by tractor....
The bareback riding...they had to stay on for 8 secs and not many managed that! The horse gets him off and then 2 outriders quickly release the strap and he trots out of the arena...Apparently these horses can cost up to $50k and basically eat, sleep and make little horses between the weekends....Mr R thinking of reincarnating as one....
Cowboys! Real cowboys....with hats...and chaps....leather chaps....girls, who wants to come and visit....?!
And then we discovered the video function on the camera....
.....and sometimes the cow wins!....
....saddle bronc...extra help for the riders and boy do they need it!...
....intermisson...so what better way (?) to entertain the crowd than to get a bunch of small children and get them to chase some small cows with ribbons on their tails....the small cows must have been used to this as remarkably unfazed by the charge of the toddlers....oh, and the tantrums afterwards! .... from the children...not the cows....
...the best bit (for me) was the ladies barrel racing (I think Mr R enjoyed it too!) the rider we videoed was a bit on the slow side (?!) the winning time was 17.2 secs!
Now off to get Mr R a cowboy hat, chaps (leather) and some chewin' tobacco!!
Plants...some new some old...
Anthea gave me a tour last week of our soon to be new garden. It was a bit rainy so hence the lack of photos but managed to get the apple blossom from the tree in the front garden, next to the peach (!) tree and some cool and groovy pinecones (thought of Auntie I!)
So...quick rundown...mostly so Mum can get her gardening plans ready for July's visit!
Front garden: Pea
ch & apple tree, Japanese quince, rose bushes (lots) include semi-wild rugosa, honeysuckle, clematis and Virginia creeper, small rodendrons.
ch & apple tree, Japanese quince, rose bushes (lots) include semi-wild rugosa, honeysuckle, clematis and Virginia creeper, small rodendrons.Back garden: irises (lots), flowering plum, more roses, ox-eye daises (yay!), small herb garden, raspberry canes, redcurrents, grape vine (with proper grapes!) strawberries, mock orange, wigelia, lilac, delphinums, aquilegia, mahonia, more roses, more clematis...
Oh and they don't have slugs here!!!
Shaun did make it back...
Sorry folks, didn't realise i left the last post on such a cliffhanger...did he return, was there beer? Well, yes and yes....
And just in case you were worried about the accommodation, there was I thinking Travelodge...no, the Fairmont Royal York....just to show how far from the travelodge that is I have included some photos...
Oh and they have bars...with Guinness....there was a lot of work done too...honest!
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
Apart...
Mr R flew to Toronto, Ontario today with his new job - fruit growers trade fair for the next 4 days. Nice hotel in the downtown area so hopefully will get out to see the sites although the agenda sounds pretty packed so might just get a few pictures on the inside of a convention centre.....
Sure he will have fun with the Torontians/Torontinnies/Torontonites - they have beer... so all should be well!
Sure he will have fun with the Torontians/Torontinnies/Torontonites - they have beer... so all should be well!
Wahey! First sunburn of the summer! Soon to be a nice blotchy red all over, I feel. Achieved whilst painting a nice blue stripe down Matilda -very smart!
18C-23C over the past few days with bright blue skies, a bit of rain at the moment but still warm and sunny again for the weekend...yippee!
18C-23C over the past few days with bright blue skies, a bit of rain at the moment but still warm and sunny again for the weekend...yippee!
Critter count hits new high...
After flora, some fauna (this isn't just thrown together you know!)
It is the land of the small furry things at the moment and poor Otter doesn't know which way to turn.
As well as overly aggressive tree-living squirrels to deal with, he now has ground squirrels and marmots!
One of many local ground squirrels (need to x 500+ for the local population!)
A marmot, surprising not in the majestic mountains and hills which surround us...but on a patch of grass, in the middle of town, next to the highway (uh oh!) and beside the petrol station!
The problem with the ground squirrels are a) there are loads of them and b) they look out for eachother and c) they live under ground. So poor Otter's tripping along on his afternoon walk and they are all basking in the sun on top of their little mounds (in gardens/orchards/banks etc).
Being fairly well camoflaged and faced with not the sharpest tool in the doggy toolbox Otter doesn't spot them until they see him. Then the pesky little critters all bond together like some communist utopia and warn eachother with little sharp squeaks. Now, there IS a reason for those ears and at this they prick up but hearing and direction are two different things in the brain of a cocker spainel and it takes a while for the two brain cell to collide and go 'they're over there, doofus!'.
So then we have a incredibly excited puppy bounding recklessly across the road/bushes/neighbours gardens to get to the wriggly little furry-squirrel-rabbit-I haven't seen these in the New Forest-type things, who, by now, have dived into their burrows and are splitting their sides with squirrel-giggles!
On the neighbours gardens front - no fences - very N. American but particularly confusing for a dog who has been brought up in the New Forest - again no fences but also no incessant hissing of 'Otter, come' 'Otter, you little darling, come here' 'Otter, you ******* little bugger, I can't believe we paid $1000 to get you over here, you little *******, don't you poo as well' - I say hissing, rather than yelling as would be more customary, as these are very expensive houses and sneaking away before anyone notices is the order of the day and plus they probably have a licence from the RMCP too!
Slightly bigger than a ground squirrel or a marmot, the quite fresh track of a black bear when we were hiking in the hills above Oyama....fortunately its owner is not featuring on the critter count just yet...and long may it stay that way....unless I am on the chairlift at Silver Star and he is nice and far below me....!
It is the land of the small furry things at the moment and poor Otter doesn't know which way to turn.
As well as overly aggressive tree-living squirrels to deal with, he now has ground squirrels and marmots!
One of many local ground squirrels (need to x 500+ for the local population!)
A marmot, surprising not in the majestic mountains and hills which surround us...but on a patch of grass, in the middle of town, next to the highway (uh oh!) and beside the petrol station!
The problem with the ground squirrels are a) there are loads of them and b) they look out for eachother and c) they live under ground. So poor Otter's tripping along on his afternoon walk and they are all basking in the sun on top of their little mounds (in gardens/orchards/banks etc).
Being fairly well camoflaged and faced with not the sharpest tool in the doggy toolbox Otter doesn't spot them until they see him. Then the pesky little critters all bond together like some communist utopia and warn eachother with little sharp squeaks. Now, there IS a reason for those ears and at this they prick up but hearing and direction are two different things in the brain of a cocker spainel and it takes a while for the two brain cell to collide and go 'they're over there, doofus!'.
So then we have a incredibly excited puppy bounding recklessly across the road/bushes/neighbours gardens to get to the wriggly little furry-squirrel-rabbit-I haven't seen these in the New Forest-type things, who, by now, have dived into their burrows and are splitting their sides with squirrel-giggles!
On the neighbours gardens front - no fences - very N. American but particularly confusing for a dog who has been brought up in the New Forest - again no fences but also no incessant hissing of 'Otter, come' 'Otter, you little darling, come here' 'Otter, you ******* little bugger, I can't believe we paid $1000 to get you over here, you little *******, don't you poo as well' - I say hissing, rather than yelling as would be more customary, as these are very expensive houses and sneaking away before anyone notices is the order of the day and plus they probably have a licence from the RMCP too!
Slightly bigger than a ground squirrel or a marmot, the quite fresh track of a black bear when we were hiking in the hills above Oyama....fortunately its owner is not featuring on the critter count just yet...and long may it stay that way....unless I am on the chairlift at Silver Star and he is nice and far below me....!
Pretty flowers...
Now that spring is firmly underway, for the herbaceous inclined, some pictures of the local flora....
The big daisy/gerbera like flowers are Arrowleaf , also known as Okanagan sunflowers and are currently covering every hillside in the area. One of the wineries down the road is named after them and apparently they have medicinal uses...but I prefer the output of their namesake...especially a rather tasty ice-wine....!
Then we have the local buttercup (although looks like a yellow snowdrop) which are on the high pastures and meadows.
There is also loads of mock orange everywhere and the cherry orchards are just starting to blossom......!
Its a bit nice here at the moment!
007 - Armed and Dangerous....
....well almost...The licence arrived this week from the RMCP (the tiny little card in the right of the picture...which has only taken 5 months!) so we have a very pleased Mr R! And thanks to the boys in the UK (you know who you are!)
At last, all the research on the internet can now be put to good use (I think the credit card is going to take a bit of a battering...lets just hope I can get a few cans of paint on it before it maxes out due to excessive purchasing of toys with lots of letters and numbers after them!).
A very very happy bunny....
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