The last day of the year!

Keith and I have returned home to the coast following a week of visits with family and friends that warmed our hearts despite the snow and cold in Edmonton.

In the lull between Christmas festivities and gearing up to return to work in the new year we have time to ponder the gifts we receive.

All the children together for Xmas Dinner 

Keith and Cynthia's girls and partners 

Our gifts include our family and their health and happiness.

Keith's Mom, Dad and Great Granddaughter 

And living among plants that bloom during this dark and cool season and tiny, sweet hummingbirds flitting around our garden and pausing for a few seconds at our feeder.

Pyracantha

Flowering Rosemary 

Our first Rhododendron bud

Male Rufus Hummingbird with its ruby jeweled head

   That's all we need!  Happy New Year! 

Reflections on 2014!

It is the end of another year and time to count my blessings and take stock of what 2014 has brought to me, to Keith, our family and those around us.

It was another year filled with many blessings for which I am grateful and humbled.
When Keith got a job in Victoria this summer I felt guilty as there has been so much suffering in the world at that time. We felt like we had hit the jackpot!

Sadly so much pain and loss continues to be in the news.

My personal accomplishment this year was finishing my doctorate. So many people helped me along the way, not least of all my family who supported me to go to Australia in 2012 and put up with me as I focused on my writing on my return.
As a graduation gift Keith bought me my Flinders University graduation robe and bonnet.  Very festive with a tinge of Harry Potter!

Of course we never know what the next year brings, but I go into the new year hopeful and optimistic and finding ways to make a difference in this sometimes troubled planet we all call home.

And our tiny granddaughter gives us hope for a better world for her to grow up in!

Exploring our town

I've been living in Victoria 16 months and Keith has been here almost four.
For one reason or another (check the blog!) we haven't done much exploring.
But lately we're getting out to discover all our town and environs have to offer.
This weekend we went Christmas shopping.
Victoria has an abundance of craft fairs and I just couldn't miss the Owl Designer Craft Fair.

All varieties of jewelry, knitting, felting, woodwork, even cigar box guitars were crammed into a community centre with live music, food trucks and a coffee bar outside the door.  Fun!

Today we went downtown to wander around and found a variety of shops that are either green, funky, organic, ethical or all of the above full of lots of unique things.  

We had a Chinese meal in a restaurant off Fan Tan Alley - which is about 4 feet wide!

We walked to the Inner Harbour and saw boats decorated for a Xmas sailing parade.

There was a night market with lots of stuff from China, not that different from the ones Stef and I experienced in Thailand.

In front of the grand old Empress Hotel was a tent covered ice rink full of people skating -  even though it was ten degrees celsius outside!

Milling around the downtown were people dressed up in various styles, some a little risque, of Santa and Mrs. Claus. Not the Clauses we know!

And there was a Ferris Wheel!?!

Victoria you're not old, sedate and Victorian!

Doctor Heel Thyself!

This weekend we visited my daughter Stefanie in Portland, Oregon. She's studying to become a Chiropractor at the University of Western States.

Thursday night Keith slipped on some wet leaves and bruised his leg… and his ego.

Friday morning I jogged to work and injured my heel.

Sore and hurting, we were looking forward to Dr. Stef fixing us up. But alas, she sprained her ankle playing soccer!

So our original plans to hike got sidelined but we still had fun. As Stef says, the best thing is to gently exercise the injured parts, so we did...  

while touring, shopping and eating in and around Portland!

Stef and I at the Women's Forum overlooking the Columbia River

Keith and I at Vista House in the Columbia River Gorge

Enjoying food truck grub

Downtown Portland from Mount Tabor 

Flat Iron Building in a funky part of town

The Olympic Mountains behind us on the Coho ferry home

On a sad note the weekend is over but on a positive note we're all healed! 

Our sweet grandaughter

A new little person has come into the world and our lives.

Proud Keith with Mary

Her name is Mary and she is Keith’s daughter's baby.
We visited with her and her parents, Kristine and Jeremy, this weekend in Edmonton.

Mary telling me a story
 

She slept and cooed and sucked her fingers and yawned and did all the things newborns do but in her own special way and to the delight of everyone.

 

I'm a Dr.

Okay not that kind.
I'm a Doctor of Public Health

My bound dissertation in 'Indian Ocean' Blue

I didn't walk across the stage in Adelaide
but was on the stage at Camosun's grad in June








My fellow colleagues at Camosun College celebrated



and celebrated!
 



And my family feted me. Two people who have been with me right from the start - Aunt Jude and my Mum

Just awaiting the parchment!

Nanny

In the early 70's we left Montreal and my grandparents followed their daughter, my Mother, and our family to Winnipeg. But after a couple of years they decided it was too cold. So they moved to Victoria to be closer to their other daughter.


Nanny with my Mum and Step Dad Allen

My grandmother had lied about her age to work at the Sunlife Assurance Company in Montreal in her teens.
After getting married she spent her life raising a family, cooking, knitting, sewing and volunteering. 

Nanny and Grandad decided to buy their own home, after living in an apartment in Victoria for a couple of years. It was one of the earliest apartment condominiums.

My grandfather was already retired. So Nanny, who had energy to spare, went out to work to pay for it. Once again she lied about her age as she was in her early 60's.

She found a job working in accounts at Standard Furniture.
She socked away her money and had the condo paid for in a decade. And she acquired some nice furniture to boot!


Here's the truck delivering a chest bed we bought from Standard Furniture.

Nanny's gone but I have lots of good memories.

Portland

My daughter Stefanie will be living in Portland, Oregon for the next three years while she studies to become a Chiropractor (more to come about this topic).

She and I travelled down the west coast in August to find her an apartment in a city with few vacancies.

She got lucky so we had some time to explore.

Portland, as per the show Portlandia, is proud to be weird and has become well known for its food trucks.

We had several adventures and visited and ate at many weird and wonderful places.

Yum - food truck dinner!

Lunch at Mcmenamins Edgefield

.

Passion Flower at McMenamins Edgefield



The line-up never ends at Voodoo donuts



Stef at Multnomah Falls

St. John's Bridge

Overlooking the Columbia River

 Powell's Books


Looking forward to going back soon!

 

My wonderful husband!

Keith and I have been together 9 years. For a year of that time I lived in Adelaide.  While I was there we decided we would get married on my return, in March of 2013. At that time I was being interviewed for my current position in Victoria.

Before I applied for the job we discussed the possibility of moving to Victoria. Although we both knew it would mean sacrifices including leaving those we loved most, we decided it was a good way to ease into retirement. The weather here is mild and the long Prairie winters were getting tedious. 

The job market is limited on Vancouver Island due to size.  It took Keith a year to find a position that he felt would be a good fit for his skills and career stage.  In July he accepted the role of Director, Information Technology at BC Pension Corporation.  When the deal was final I felt like we’d hit the jackpot!

Life quickly came together. His house sold and we packed up to drive west. But before we did he had to leave his current position, a job he said was the best he’d ever had!  

I was invited to the Farewell Party at the University of Alberta. Over 125 people attended.

 

Keith’s boss heaped praise on Keith for all he’d done as a leader in the organization. He then invited people to come up to the mic. People lined up to thank Keith and share with the audience how he’d not only contributed to the work but also to their lives.  

 

Speeches



Keith and his boss Trevor





 

 

 

 

Once the speeches were over people lined up to shake his hand and thank him one last time. Tears were shed, laughs and hugs ensued.

Everyone wished us both well. It was a wonderful event but I felt a little guilty taking him away from such great people.

Keith and his assistant Amanda

Neptunia

Stefanie and I went to Portland Oregon for the long weekend to find her an apartment before she starts Chiropractic College in the fall.
As usual, travelling with Stefanie is an adventure.
This time it was my car.
I bought my Nissan Altima when the new model came out in 2002.  I loved the colour, it was called Neptunia and was an ocean blue. In fact on part of the drive through Washington the sea was right beside the road and I commented to Stefanie that it matched my car.
It travelled back and forth from Edmonton to Victoria and Pender Island many times, moved me here last summer and more recently hauled boxes and stuff to this house.
Until I moved to Victoria it hadn't cost me much. An oil change when needed and the odd tune up.

Packed and ready to go

But in the past few months it had been unhappy and making a noise.
So we were about an hour north of Portland when the oil light came on then the car started to slow down. I drove off the highway and made it to a station hoping it was something minor. The gas station attendant directed us to a Fleet Service down the road.

The owner graciously had his mechanics look at it. They determined that it was burning oil so added some into the tank. After some consultation they confirmed that the engine was on its last legs and would not get us to Portland.
The owner recommended a rental car and phoned and booked us one then hooked up his GPS to the car so we could go get it.
A customer, hearing this and worried we wouldn't make it, offered to drive us out of his way to get the rental car. Enroute he problem solved any obstacle, gave us his card and offered Stef help when she moved to Portland.
We were able to get a rental car that we could return back at our point of entry to the US, the ferry terminal at Port Angeles, on our departure. A couple of women ahead of us were renting a car because their vehicle had also broke down.
We drove back to the Fleet Service and the owner had checked and a new engine would cost as much as the car was worth. After conferring on what to do he offered to take my car off my hands.
So we removed the plates and fortunately what little we had in the car. We loaded up our rental car and still made it to Portland for Stefanie to see her first apartment on time!

The rental car

Neptunia was a good car and we have many happy memories. I think she decided to retire to the warmer climate of the south. I hope she'll be happy.

Neptunia

Despite the smile I'll miss my car

I rarely needed to drive it as I walk to work and have many amenities nearby.  Now I really have to ride or walk everywhere!
Keith will be here in a couple of weeks with his SUV so we may be a one car family.

The final resting place?!

We've moved again!
With the help of my cousin Angela, her husband Graham and strapping son Matthew we moved out of the apartment. In addition, the rest of my house contents that didn't fit in the apartment and were in storage were delivered.

Packing

Angela and the UHaul

Graham and Matt

Keith and the almost empty truck

And, to top it all off, Keith landed a good position in Victoria and will be moving here permanently in a couple of weeks!
So hopefully this is the last moving blog for awhile... Well almost, Keith needs to move the rest of his house to Victoria.
Regardless we feel like we've won the lottery!
Note the smile on Keith's face!