"A Christmas Carol - the Musical"

We went to the theatre, the Neptune Theatre in Halifax. It was our big Christmas outing: two grandchildren and their aunt, my sister. It was a great show. We had a wonderful time. The music was good, the ghosts were terrific, and I really loved the set design. Scrooge was suitably despicable in the beginning and suitably lovable at the end. And, of course, under it all, an excellent piece of social commentary. There were few children in the audience, and it seemed to be sold out. But then it is not really a children's story, although they loved it.

my day so far ....

Morning found Hugh ailing.
And that left Eileen, so hairbrushing, and we are out the door for art class:

And then I waited in the recreation corridor. This was the view from my chair.

After this interlude Eileen and I went to get the groceries, and then she crashed with the plague. So two down, which means my grandchildren taxiing task is over. Is this the dreaded swine flu? They're not very sick, yet. We'll see.

On to Halifax

I went home over night to check up on the basement swimming pool and the non-functioning sump pump, and then today came through rain and snow to the big city. I am on a borrowed computer and had difficulties uploading today's picture. This evening and tomorrow I am being ferrying grandchildren around to art claess and soccer practice. Their Dad is in the big, big city (Montreal) at a conference. This was our hometown, so he is combining business with family and friends.

Partridge Island

On our jaunt we went to Partridge Island to hike and to look for rocks. The fog came in from the Bay - all swirling and mysterious. For a brief moment it lifted and Blomidon appeared across the water, and then it disappeared.

practice

Before and after the practice. I sat on the bleachers and knitted. There were actually two practices. Eileen was at the Naval Base, HMCS Stradacona, and Hugh was at Dalhousie University. This was Hugh's practice.

mountain

It's Mother's Day and my sons and a daughter-in-law boarded planes to begin their adventure. They will meet in London and then travel to Nepal to climb Everest. they have promised me that they will not go to the peak. I have given them my usual motherly advice, this being Mother's Day: "Dress for the weather and don't slip. Above all, be careful." What else can I do?

pho

Vietnamese comfort food for the middle of winter - noodle soup. Underneath the meat, the vegies, the shrimp, the cuttlefish and whatever else are the noodles. I spent last night in Halifax. My daughter-in-law is a fantastic cook, and this is her idea of exactly what we need in the cold damp of a northern maritime city. She's right.

money bag

Eileen sifts through the money bag.

sisters in Halifax

These are the pictures that you (well, some of you, maybe) waiting for - or for which you have been waiting. I am heading into Halifax later today for a seminar tomorrow. So it being early in the morning I rummaged in my files and found two pictures left over from an earlier visit to the old dowager queen of a city. These are my sisters. We were all at a coffee shop. One is in full view - and the other - well, those are the eyes looking at you through the display stand. Isn't it amazing how we pin personalities onto pictures? We are three sisters - three "J"s. and three of the best of friends.

on the peak

This is my number one son on the peak of Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas. He came back just before Christmas, but didn't get his pictures out until this weekend.

I taught him everything I know: be careful, don't slip and dress warmly. I'm taking full credit.

crapette

My grandmother's legacy to us was an obscure French card game, which we all play. This Christmas holiday I began to teach the seven year old. We keep up the tradition. It's a two person game played with the coin of the realm. This means that I have played for pennies, Canadian and American, for colones, for pesos, for pesetas, for francs, etc.. But we have reformed and put our gambling past behind us. So this year we put our winnings (or loses, depending) into the pot. In the end there was just under $2.00 in small change. I was charged, perhaps because I had lost the most often, to deposit the ill gotten gains, which I did, today, into the box at the coffee shop. They collect to send children to summer camp.

Now the other day I saw a bald headed eagle soaring over this same coffee shop. Perhaps this is an omen.

Happy New Year

From us to you - keep warm!

game

Two and a half hours and the game is still not finished. Only a grannie and an auntie would have this much patience. It is only a matter of time until the nine year old wheeler dealer bankrupts us all.

climbing mountains

My elder son has left his blackberry at home and gone to South America. He emailed me from Argentina just before he began his ascent of Aconcagua, which is the highest summit in the southern hemisphere. Yesterday, however, he was touring vineyards. He wants me to put it on the blog, so here goes: http://www.makeawish.ca/news_and_media/news/read/561
I shall let you all know when I hear anything else. Is no news, good news?

wars

This was Remembrance Sunday. It got me thinking about how I would not be here if it had not been for a war, and then I began to go back and I wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for a series of wars: wars that shift the population. I know that I had an ancestor that died in Palestine during the First Crusade. Fortunately for me he had offspring before he left. But then there was the Battle of Agincourt - one was there too. Fortunately again for me a sailor who was shipwrecked in the Battle of Trafalgar walked home to Scotland to produce a family. And then my grandparents met because of the Great War and my parents met during the Second - So all in all I am a product of war - and so are the majority of us. Still it is past time we stopped all this conflict. But then as I write this I am listening to the news report of Armenian Orthodox monks and Greek Orthodox monks fighting in Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There were injuries, and arrests have been made.

This was taken after church today. The police were not called.

early morning

Early Tuesday morning I left Halifax to return to New Brunswick to vote (A lot of good that did!} and then to work. This was the sleepy grandaughter who had to get up and go back to school.

Thanksgiving

I cooked the turkey. My son baked the bread. The grandchildren made the centrepiece. It was great.
Here's a close up of the centrepiece. After the turkey was tucked in the oven we went for a walk to collect the leaves to put around the paper turkey.

happy birthday, Joanie

This is the "Curves" alarm clock. The alarm is a woman's voice telling you that it's time for "Curves". If you don't turn it off the voice gets louder and louder."Curves" is a chain of gyms for women. I actually hate boring sweaty exercises, but apparently my body does not. It's three times a week. And they phone you if you miss a session. So happy birthday, little sister, I wanted you to have a clock just like our littlest sister. Now if Iwork out at the gym, maybe I can get little, too.

Halifax adventure

I was in the city for the weekend. Sunday morning we went geocaching. Eileen found the treasure. This is my son and his two children. I am back in the country now borrowing computers, but I begin work in New Brunswick in a few days and should have a computer shortly thereafter.

Rogues' gallery

I am leaving the congregation, so they need my photo to put up with all the former ministers. I picked it up today. It came in a package with some in different sizes. Then the store tried to sell me more "for my friends and relatives". I have enough here for gifts for every member of the family. I told the saleswoman that I thought that they might get a bit tired of seeing me. Well, family, now you know what's coming for Christmas!