Generations

We traveled to Hannover to visit our auntie, mom's sister.

Sisters

Then we talked a lot. After a few days we were joined by more family. My great uncle and my daughter from UK joined in the fun.

Four generations of Kuhn are together on aunties balcony.
Her uncle is three years younger. She looks amazing at 91.

Uncle,niece,great niece,great great niece?
Or daughter, aunt, great aunt, great great uncle?
Either way it was an awesome experirnce for us.

I imagine many of you have quite a history too. I know Patty does.

On a Search

Tonight I leave with my sister to head over to Hannover.

We are meeting up with our auntie to see what family history

we can discover while she 's still able to remember.

Niagara on the Lake

There is a romantic town just along the Canadian side of the Niagara River. It houses some lovely inns, the homestead of Laura Secord and the Shaw Festal Theatres.

It's a fun place to catch a theatre performance, do a bit of shopping and dine at a nice local eatery.

Each summer we head that way to be amused and are never disappointed. 

Even the fine foliage that surround this historical area is a feast for the garden lovers and photographers.  

Steaming Along

    Once the steam engine locomotive was the marvel as it pulled goods and passengers along many rails. This is engine Ugly 62 that runs along the Spa Valley line. That every engine created has a name and number is not surprising.
Each locomotive had its owner, UGLY's being Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd. and each had a log of activities that was kept by its operators, a partnership that once brought wealth. The above website link has details in the Engines and Carriages on their side bar.
    Of greater interest to me was a company's logo, S.& L. MINERALS Ltd. secured along with the number 62 on the side of UGLY. It has a historical significance that dates back to King George lll and Cape Breton County, Nova Scotia and the W.Sydney and Loiuburg Railway, once the finest in all the world.

 
P.S. There are various videos for any of you who are train buffs on You Tube.

Buddy's Celebrating

Buddy picked out the cap for me.

He stands proudly clutching his new phone ready to go out to celebrate.
He has a lot that he's very happy about. His face shows no red blotches.

He is truly excited to point out that his skin has improved enormously. The plaque caused by the psoriasis is nearly all gone. An herbal supplement that he takes twice daily has made this possible. His almost normal skin has him voicing his joy daily!!
"Look my skin is back. I can see it."
The Bell skin product he takes is Canadian but can be purchased on line. Since his severe(85% plaque over the body)skin is now truly and remarkably better after taking Bell skin for 10 months, we are able to recommend it to others. Buddy started off with a low dosage once a day because we weren't sure of side effects. Finding none we recently allowed him twice a day dosage. Recommended is three times but he is improving just fine on his personal routine. Since this photo was taken his arms are now also completely free of redness and flaking. Only a tiny bit remains on his upper thighs and on his butt. It is also diminishing.

No Photos

Sadly my iPhoto program was updated at an Apple store after things weren't okay and now nothing works. I wonder at the level of competency of some staff. I assured them my files had an issue and that I wanted a complete restore. They told me they had a better way. I watched as they downloaded a file from another client while she had gone for coffee. They they added it to my files! they really are arrogant and believe what they do is correct. Apple to Apple is okay! HAHA! 
Buddy and I had some great shots to share but until my not being able to access my files my photo blog will have no photos:(

Canada Day

May this July 1st weekend be fun as we celebrate 145 years of Confederation. The moose it already in flag attire. I used to be a collector of bears but the moose managed to change things up. The child in me just had me do it. Hope you have a lovely weekend. I know Buddy and I shall be busy trying to stay cool during the heat alert we are under and the Mr. is likely to make a grand BBQ for us at least once during this time.

Antherium

This plant was a gift and I failed to get it's name. It sits in our family room blooming all the time and still I don't know it's name. Why?
I forgot to ask.
Then I did and a kind person from a warmer climate gave me the answer. 
Glad I asked.

Ripe

They have ripened right in the planter on our deck. We are so delighted because these were bought by our daughter as a trial last year. Earlier this February we saw that the plant has survived this winter. 

                         Sweet strawberries welcome back!

Hever Castle

   We had the most delightful time at Hever Casle in the UK recently and this coming weekend it will be a place of pomp and ceremony to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee. 
   The original castle was created in 1270. It is the site of great changes in British history. Once home of the powerful Bullens and Tudors, Anne Boleyn lived here as a child. And here Catholicism was renounced creating the Church of England so that HenryVlll could wed Anne, his mistress, and make her his queen. Her reign lasted 1000 days. Later Anne of Cleves, another of Henry's wives, also took a place in it.

  742 years later Buddy and his sister stand around the draw bridge. They are now part of that history for they have spent time at this site.  

Pansies to Watch

These lovely pansies are sitting on our entry steps. They require daily watering and that will be our house sitters' job for a week.

Buddy is very excited. He's joining us on a week's adventure to London to visit with our newly wed daughter in her newest setting with her hubby.
Here's hoping we will enjoy this journey without any serious health issues.

A Gift

Here's the beautiful Mother's Day orchid that Buddy bought. He wrote his own card to go with it.

Welcomed

Here's what Buddy and I chose for little Abigail"s welcome shower that took place on Sunday.

• 

What fun to meet up with family, friends and to make new acquaintances. Of course Abigail was the star at this event.

PINK and BLUE

These pink blossoms caught my attention as they point upwards to the gorgeous blue sky. Such beauty seems to remind me that I am blessed with some eyesight and lucky to have a Rebel to capture the scene. 

Flowers of Joy

       May your time be special during this holiday weekend.

               Whatever your faith, may you feel blessed.
Chocolate and flowers allow us to feel pampered. We are lucky.
                                  We are greatful!  

Tiger Teeth?

Although it's merely +1C in the sun, our Ellie decided to sunbathe out on the deck. I couldn't resist the opportunity to catch this gal on her back just lapping up the UV rays so I grabbed my iPhone and clicked.

Can you imagine my surprise when I checked the shot? At the precise moment I snapped she yawned. What lovely sharp teeth she displays. I'm just glad she's a house cat and not a tiger!
P.S. I'm sorry that I have not been around lately but I shall be by this weekend to visit your posts. I have missed you all and can't wait to get back.

SURPRISE

The weather in our area has been surprisingly warm the last couple of weeks. Not since 1976 do I remember temperatures above 20C during the month of March. Of course this has triggered the plants to move ahead of their usual schedule. Imagine my joy when I discovered that the strawberries has survived our mind winter and are now ready for another summer of growth!

If it decides to get very cold I shall place the planter in a safer place.
Is anything usual weather/plant wise occurring in your area?

Hard Rock

  Isn't our world full of amazing sites? These photos depict gorgeous rock formations in the area of Devon, UK. Daughter will have to take me to see these when I visit her.
  I cannot imagine how many centuries those layers have captured people's attention. The way the rocks are stacked here give an impression of one giant mushroom.

  Below it looks as if the rocks were just tossed about by some amazing force as if to amuse.

   But is this land is really only suitable for grazing animals that can climb rocks? Goats?                          
                                        ROCK STARS

Images

Comfortably curled up on my tummy , Ellie is clearly not liking my movie selection. She prefers to watch her own drama in her dream state. If only I could watch hers. Science has yet to figure out how we can but I have a feeling that reading brain wave images may be possible in the future. But how will the audio part be interpreted?

SISTERS

Today is a special day. March 2. 1918 was Marianne's birthday. She is the lady in red. To her far left is her sister, Ursula who celebrated her 90th birthday last July. My sister and I (girls in middle) flew to be with her for that occasion.   
To day Marianne will be in our hearts. We shall celebrate the life she shared with us. Buddy and I are going for a late lunch date to make this a special occasion.
P.S. Buddy thinks my little sister resembles his little sister (RERREMEMBER 2011).

Cottage Cheese Cake

Recently I decided I needed to use up some cottage cheese. My visiting daughter had already planned to use the ricotta cheese in a lasagna. Since the oven would be on, a cheese cake seemed a good way to go.
It's been years since I made my mom's style of cheese cake. With no written recipe around, I had to depend on my recall skills. That was the real challenge. Soon the basic batter was ready and in the pan. Creating the cottage cheese mix to place into the centre of the batter was what I had to guess at.

Seems I did alright because this cake was eaten before it was even completely cooled and plated!

Bozos and Lego

   Buddy and I must take time for stimulating activities since both of us are now approaching the age of dementia faster than ever. The two of us went to see the movie 'Iron Lady' and discussed in detail how sad it is that Maggie can no longer rely on her memory to be accurate. We share that problem at times and we laugh as we call each other Bozos.
    Recently we completed a Harry Potter Lego project. It may look simple but let me assure you we had some real reconstruction issues when we learned that we had put some parts into an incorrect position and could not build the roof to complete the thing! But as you can see we were finally successful.

We purchased a new project involving a city harbour but have been hesitating to get started because once we do it's all we do. Yeah for Lego!

Flora for a Dragon Guy

These beauties are a part of the bouquet that was a gift for hubby. He has made it one more year and is now 72! Today older daughter will come by and we'll go out for dinner. Buddy loves Chinese food and has hinted he hopes we go to the Mandarin. He may just get lucky. It's the year of the Dragon and for hubby that's a good year according to that system. He was born in the year of the Dragon. Do you know the symbol for your birth year?

OUR HEARTS

Red roses and chocolate mousse

 celebrating a special day during this month of

HEARTS

February

                                   
               Heart by-pass op 9 weeks ago and hubby's fine
                               back at his work, his second love
                                 First love got beautiful roses, 
                                               Chocolates too!
                     Gifted him my smiles, some red wine, 
                                               pistachios ,
                                           chocolate mousse 
                                                   SWEET :) 
                         Moments  -sharing and caring- so special 
                                          Buddy grins and
                                                 chuckles
                                   Each warm hearted soul
                                                   LOVED
                                                      ;D

How would you like this kind of view from your retirement home? 

You are looking out over Lake Simcoe, part of the Trent-Servern Waterway of Ontario. It is mainly used in the summer by boaters who wish to explore many of the natural beauties of this province. 
Visible to the left is land known as Georgina Island, home of the Chippewas, part of the First Nation group of he Ojibaway. Ferry service connects it in the summer. In winter there is usually a time of solid ice. That's when cars may move about on the lake. But not yet this winter! 

Tree Squirrels

   See those huge nests?
   For years I thought they belonged to some big birds. Now at the age of 65 I learn that they are created by squirrels! I marvel at the fact that it's possible to learn such a common thing so let in life.

   Has this happened to you too?

Departures

  In June my youngest daughter got Ellie, a rescue cat (born January 19, '06) from a pet centre. We have all grow very fond of her and her funny ways. She is most social with our two daughters but tolerates us. However, in three weeks she will be leaving our home. She's moving out with my eldest daughter who has rented a place closer to her tattoo shop in the city. 

   Ellie's made a FEDEX box her latest place to occupy and we tease her about shipping her elsewhere in it. 

    I think she'll be missed most of all by our the one who adopted her before she was engaged in July and then married at the end of October. It all happened so fast. In a few weeks she'll be heading to the UK to be with her hubby because her  immigration papers have been approved. 
   Ellie and our daughters will be missed, though with modern technology we can easily stay in touch. Even Ellie can be visited 'in camera'.
   Now by the end of January only Buddy, hubby and me remain in our 4 bedroom rental, our home since the house fire. It's time for our departure too. We've talked about moving and hubby has asked me to seriously look to find us a new home. Living separated from his 'little' girls soon brings him to a sadness that he displays openly. We must change that. 
   Departing can be so hard.

Year End Celebration

A very happy New Year is our wish to all of you. Buddy has had his eye on Irish Cream for years and this year we thought it was time to give in and bought him a bottle. What a smile he had when he saw the gift!! May the bells toll at midnight and the stars shine too.

 

We also bought a new plant to ring in the new year. It's a tradition passed down from my family. Can you guess it's type? It's a cupressus goldcrest lemon cyprus tropical plant.

CHEERS!

Christmas Cactus

This beauty I found sitting on the floor of an entrance way. The lovely plant sits there greeting those who come and go. I wonder if many even noticed? Well I sure did and I took a snap.

May you all enjoy a Merry Christmas and have happy holidays. For us this year we are very blessed with all your good wishes. Thank you !

Kind of One

 On Saturday we drove downtown past the CN Tower to Exhibition Place. Our city is exploding with new buildings. It is currently the fastest growing metropolis in the world! Hope these structures are built soundly during this frenzy. The tower is almost lost is this snap!

 We parked and entered the Direct Energy Centre, a magnificent building designed for a variety of venues. Below is the interior of the hallway to display areas. The architecture and design is so fitting for this.

 Inside Hall B we were greeted by 800 artisans all displaying their talents and hoping for some sales. It is one of their most important annual shows and it allows us to purchase truly unique and beautifully handcrafted works. Included is just about anything you can imagine. Below is a peek of one of the aisles.

 Having attended this show in past years, this year's swept us away! It is so professionally organized, well laid out. All the items are very much one of a kind and of great quality too! There's even an app for this now. Below is  part of the cover from the pamphlet that lists all the participants and how they may be contacted.

 Speaking directly to some of the artists gave us a new insight into how some of their items were created. And of course we found a few 'must haves' for this year's seasonal gift giving. What an outstanding time we had!

Radiant

     Glamour and spectacular outfits appeared at our daughters wedding.

     First is the outfit she wore to the reception on Saturday , October 29.

     It was a bit like a Bollywood gala but there was a blend of many cultures.

The eve before the wedding we had a mendhi celebration, lots of dances and fun.

My German sister who is married to a Dutchman and my Italian sister in law  who remarried with a Dane after my brother was killed in an accident sit with her.

And here you have the proud parents with a very proud Buddy.

We all had an amazing time and wish the couple well. Buddy has gained some more sisters and a brother with whom he danced to Michael Jackson and brought the house down cheering!!

REMEMBER 2011

Ottawa is where our nation has it's annual event and we commemorate bilingually.Both English and French are official languages. And all religions are represented. That is what we do in Canada.

And we are proud of our daughter who took time to serve in Air Cadets. She marched in the band to honour those who gave their lives during past wars. This Remembrance was held right here in our local community.
We should all give back to our country what ever we can. It is our duty and we should be proud of the rights and freedoms we are blessed with.

Our American friends are also remembering their veterans on their Veterans Day today. They share the same blessing and honour their fallen for the same reasons.