Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Wednesday 30th May 2012…………………..two more sleeps!!!

I drove down to Duncan this morning to visit with Sara and

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get rid of these curls!!!!

20 minutes later…

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Look where my lovely curls are now!!!

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A good haircut and will be easy to manage whilst I am on the road!!!

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Sara then treated for for a belated Birthday lunch and I also received some nice presents and then I dropped Sara off at the ferry terminal…….thanks for everything.

I just got home in time to shower and change and then go to Karen’s for a farewell dinner and watch the hockey game and my Kings did it they won the first game of the final away from home as well!!!

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Karen cooked a lovely meal and then we watched a good movie…thank you Karen for being such a great friend to me for over 20 years!!

Back home to the Bank and ready to hit the hay….2 more sleeps are we excited yet??????

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Tuesday 29th May 2012…………..almost ready!!!

This morning it was more laundry and getting things ready…..then I got cleaned up…again I had some complaints about not enough photos of me!!!!!  It is true!!!!

So ladies what do you think????????

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picked up Annie and did some chores with her and then she treated me to a Birthday lunch…thanks.

At one of the places we went to this sign was outside!!

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Next was to Karen’s place where we walked the sea wall..

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A long time ago Mayor of Nanaimo Frank Ney…

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It was a great walk home in time for supper and then to watch Zach again on TV with another Station!!!

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So to my trip details…I fly out of Nanaimo on the float plane at 2pm it is a 25 minutes flight..then a free shuttle to the International airport in time for my 6pm flight to Manchester…the time difference is 8 hours and I arrive in Manchester at 11am and my Brother better be there waiting!!!!!

Are we excited yet????

Monday, May 28, 2012

Monday 28th May 2012….. a day to remember!!!

Memorial Day in United States

 
Memorial Day commemorates all Americans, who have died in military service for the United States. 

Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May. It was formally known as Decoration Day and commemorates all men and women, who have died in military service for the United States. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials on Memorial Day and it is traditionally seen as the start of the summer season.

USA memorial day

Memorial Day remembers those who died serving the United States military. ©iStockphoto.com/ Alan Crosthwaite

What do people do?

It is traditional to fly the flag of the United States at half mast from dawn until noon. Many people visit cemeteries and memorials, particularly to honor those who have died in military service. Many volunteers place an American flag on each grave in national cemeteries. Memorial Day is combined with Jefferson Davis' Birthday in Mississippi.

Memorial Day has become less of an occasion of remembrance. Many people choose to hold picnics, sports events and family gatherings on this weekend. This day is traditionally seen as the start of the summer season for cultural events. For the fashion conscious, it is seen as acceptable to wear white clothing, particularly shoes from Memorial Day until Labor Day. However, fewer and fewer people follow this rule and many wear white clothing throughout the year.

Public life

Memorial Day is a federal holiday. All non-essential Government offices are closed, as are schools, businesses and other organizations. Most public transit systems do not run on their regular schedule. Many people see Memorial Day weekend as an opportunity to go on a short vacation or visit family or friends. This can cause some congestion on highways and at airports.

Background

Memorial Day started as an event to honor Union soldiers, who had died during the American Civil War. It was inspired by the way people in the Southern states honored their dead. After World War I, it was extended to include all men and women, who died in any war or military action.

Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. The current name for this day did not come into use until after World War II. Decoration Day and then Memorial Day used to be held on May 30, regardless of the day of the week, on which it fell. In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed as part of a move to use federal holidays to create three-day weekends. This meant that that, from 1971, Memorial Day holiday has been officially observed on the last Monday in May. However, it took a longer period for all American states to recognize the new date.

 

Today was filled with little bits of everything….driving Heather down town and then picking her up again.  Getting Ramona and cleaning out the tanks and getting her ready to be stored for 3 months…..

starting to pack my bags…..returning all my travel books.

Today the local news station did an interview with Zach and his stolen clubs and it aired on the local TV station tonight.  He did a great interview!!!

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So another day closer to the big flight on Friday evening...Yashi Kochi!!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Sunday 27th May 2012…..a lazy, lazy day!!!!

Woke up to grey skies and cooler temps..it was a morning to stay home and I spent the morning doing research on the countries I shall be visiting over the next three months!!

countries_europe_mapFrance….Belgium…Holland……Germany…Switzerland…Italy…..Slovenia…Croatia…..Montenegro…Greece and Turkey!!!!

In the afternoon I started getting things out for my trip!!!

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In the late afternoon went and did some shopping then after supper more research and there you have it one lazy day.

 

I did go through some old photo albums this evening..here is this punk rocker from about 10 years ago!!!!

DSCF9547Check out the nose and lip rings!!!!!

Zach had another great round of golf again with borrowed clubs he finished second and has now qualified for the Men’s BC open championship…at 15 years of age..Way to go Zach!!

 

5 more sleeps!!!!

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Saturday 26th May 2012…….a life on the ocean waves!!!!!

This morning Michael left to go back to Alberta it was really nice to see him again and he is a great guy!!!!!

I did not mention it last night but Zach the 15 year old golf phenom had a terrible incident last night at the local golf course where he plays after he finished his round he left his clubs outside the club house whilst he went inside to phone for a ride home when he came out 2 minutes later his clubs, bag everything was gone.  Zach was devastated and his Dad went down and it turns out that these are the third set of clubs stolen in the last few weeks, they have the culprit on camera but it still means that Zach who is playing in a huge tournament today without his own fitted clubs worth well over 3000 dollars.  The golf club lent him a spare set of clubs and of course Zach was so upset but he said he wanted to compete today in the Men's open championship qualifier and to his great composure, attitude and skill after the first day he sits in second place way to go Zach!!!!

Sunny and hot this morning!!!!

So it was the day of the kayak adventure…Ben dropped me off at 9.30am and here I go to the Winchelsea Islands!!!

Map picture

 

 

 

DSCF9500Like everything else in my life my kayak has a name…say hello to The Great One!!!!

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The weather was perfect and the waves calm, a great day for a paddle!!!

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DSCF9505X is my destination!!

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Some of the wild life!!!

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I pulled up on the island and spent about 5 hours in the sun, reading, walking, eating and perhaps there may have been a snooze!!!

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On the way home

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It was a great paddle and thanks to Ross who came and picked me up and home by 6.30pm and a wonderful day it was!!!!!

After supper I got cleaned up and settled down to watch the Vancouver Whitecaps  against Portland in soccer!!

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These are the TV commentators the gentleman on the left is Luke Wileman the son of my school hood chum…this one is for you Margaret and Ian!!!!

Anyone miss seeing these girls on my blog???

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Yashi kochi!!

Friday, May 25, 2012

Friday 25th May 2012…..7 more sleeps!!!!!

Woke up to a lovely sunny and warm morning and after a nice breakfast made by Heather…our friend Rita came over in her 1967 Mustang to give Michael a ride!!!

The car is real sporty…

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So shall I sell Ramona and buy this??

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We all enjoyed the ride and Rita dropped be off at my bank and I walked the 10km home……

This afternoon I went and met a friend of Paula and Jerry’s, her name is Karen and she wanted to talk to me about SMA and it was good to meet her and we had a nice chat!!!

Came home in time for yes yet another hockey game this time the New Jersey devils won and now advance to the Stanley cup finals against my Kings on Wednesday…yes you read that right no game till Wednesday what am I going to do????

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A night at home and a couple more photos of the places on my journey next month!!!!

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Yashi Kochi!!!

Thursday 5 th January 2023…it was a great run!!!

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