My favourite holiday is on the way - Halloween. I just love love love it, maybe it's because it brings out the witch in me!! Let's forget about the glutton part. Leaving it as late as possible, I went to the shops this evening and got all the junk food in preparation for the mass destruction ahead. I almost needed a wheel barrow to get the stuff all into the house. Kids had to be dragged out of bed to help me. We managed to get all the stuff in. It was late because a very nice girl and boy down in Zellars spent a half an hour trying to get a halloween toy to work for me, despite the fact there were lines of cross people behind me with their wheelies full of junk food like me.
The Halloween toy they tried to get working for me was
some zombie eating a rat and the rat went in and out his mouth, or at least it was supposed to, except he wouldn't co-operate. The girl assistant took great pleasure stroking the rat's tail, thinking it might get him to move, totally ignoring the irate customers behind us. She was a lovely girl. I think she fancied the boy assistant also trying to help us get the rat moving. Love stories begin in Zellars...
Unfortunately, despite changing batteries the damn thing wouldn't work - dang!! I think it was not meant to be, besides I did promise Kevin NO MORE HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS. It takes two days to put them all up and a week to take them down, as I'm laden down with sweets and lethargic. I usually wait until it's time to put up the Christmas decorations...
Anyway Halloween is on its merry wonderful way. I just hope the candies and crisps will last... We've already made a considerable dent in the boxes of miniature chocolate bars and lays crisps!!
Help!! Halloween come quickly...!!!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALL YOU WONDERFUL VIRGOS!
Today is a very special day - worthy of acknowledging - it is the birthday of my dear momma who turns 87 and if you saw her you'd swear she was only 60! No kidding! She has skin like porcelain and a brain as sharp as lightening, which we attribute to the fact she is a voracious reader and keeps up-to-date on current affairs and is still in love! Mother reckons that love is the secret of her youthful vigour (she used to attribute chocolate to her happiness as well until she gave it up for a special intention some years ago). She is still in love with papa bear, even after all these years - they celebrated 55 years together last February T.G. Even our kids say "they don't look like old people at all". Dad's favourite song is 'love it is a funny thing--it makes a man a fool!' He sings it when mother nags or gets him to hold her handbag...a thing my dear hubby promises he will never in a million years do! And I believe him! Maybe it's because I carry everything but the kitchen sink in my bag.
Another special birthday today is Tessa our cat. She was called after mother because they share the same birthday. When I told mother that we had called our cat after her and that they shared the same birthday - her reaction was: "Great at least you'll have one tidy animal in the house!" Virgos for the most part are 'neat freaks' mother being a classic example. It has to be said she was correct about dear Tessa. She is a pleasure to deal with. She never soils in the house - politely goes outside and if it's raining, she will ever so politely use her litter box. As for our two little chihuahuas...!! They may be small but they sure pack a BIG punch when it comes to maintenance. Against that they DO work for their supper and reward us for our efforts with lots of licks and cuddling and are loving and lovable little beasts. Tessa on the other hand is very cool and detached. "Just feed me missus!" and she's gone off again outside to chase the birds.
As well as being orderly and focused, Virgos have very high standards...as we discovered when we began feeding our Tessa deluxe cat food. She took to it immediately and will not eat anything else! Tessa's favourite room in the house is Victoria's bedroom. Could it be because she knows Victoria is a Virgo too? Yes, Victoria and Tess's birthdays are only two days apart. Victoria turns 17 on Saturday - More celebrations!!
I love Virgos because they are kind, considerate, calm, loving, hard working and YES - Purrfect Specimens!! So if you're reading this Victoria and you want to know 'what does she want now? - the answer is Nothing - Just be yourself...
Love all you Virgos and Have a great birthday month. Do something nice for yourself today...
Lotsa Love,
Patricia xxx
Another special birthday today is Tessa our cat. She was called after mother because they share the same birthday. When I told mother that we had called our cat after her and that they shared the same birthday - her reaction was: "Great at least you'll have one tidy animal in the house!" Virgos for the most part are 'neat freaks' mother being a classic example. It has to be said she was correct about dear Tessa. She is a pleasure to deal with. She never soils in the house - politely goes outside and if it's raining, she will ever so politely use her litter box. As for our two little chihuahuas...!! They may be small but they sure pack a BIG punch when it comes to maintenance. Against that they DO work for their supper and reward us for our efforts with lots of licks and cuddling and are loving and lovable little beasts. Tessa on the other hand is very cool and detached. "Just feed me missus!" and she's gone off again outside to chase the birds.
As well as being orderly and focused, Virgos have very high standards...as we discovered when we began feeding our Tessa deluxe cat food. She took to it immediately and will not eat anything else! Tessa's favourite room in the house is Victoria's bedroom. Could it be because she knows Victoria is a Virgo too? Yes, Victoria and Tess's birthdays are only two days apart. Victoria turns 17 on Saturday - More celebrations!!
I love Virgos because they are kind, considerate, calm, loving, hard working and YES - Purrfect Specimens!! So if you're reading this Victoria and you want to know 'what does she want now? - the answer is Nothing - Just be yourself...
Love all you Virgos and Have a great birthday month. Do something nice for yourself today...
Lotsa Love,
Patricia xxx
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
IT'S NOT Y0U! BLAME IT ON MERCURY...
hi friends,
Before we get to discuss mischievous mercury, let me tell you about the sweet surprise. I had just written my status about life being wonderful and full of nice surprises when lo and behold - a patient walked into my office carrying a magnificent rose from her garden for me in a little glass vase. Synchronicity or maybe it's true what they say, if you think positive thoughts, good things will happen. It brings me to my favourite saying:
'Optimism is a magnet that draws good unto itself"
Which leads me to the next thought...we're going to need all the optimism between now and the end of September. The planet Mercury is going retro or backwards in the sky. It only happens three times in the year - three times too often!! Because mercury is the planet of communication and the fact it is in an air/earth combo, we can expect communications between folk to be a little chaotic on occasion to say the least. This is how mercury retro works - you lose things, you forget appointments, people forget appointments, (I notice that happens a lot in our office around mercury retro phases) misunderstandings happen between people, you get irksome, irritable, feel misunderstood, bla bla. So that's why I wanted you to know 'It's not you--blame it on Mecury! It begins the new retro phase on Sept. 6th so try to avoid signing important contracts and if so pay attention to the small print! Don't make major purchases (darn I was going to buy a dishwasher...maybe get extended warranty).
Trust me when I say PAY ATTENTION try and elminiate carelessness, keep communication as direct and up front as possible, e.g. meet in person instead of using the phone, etc.
So just in case any of you folk out there feel a bit muddled and confused or things go missing, or that phone call or letter you are awaiting seems never to come - by the end of September when Mercury goes direct again, you will notice a big difference.
Does what I am saying make sense to any of you out there? Take note and diary each day. It would be interesting to hear if you experience any of the aforementioned between 6th and 30th September.
Optimism and paying attention to detail and not being careless will be sufficient armour to protect you.
Cheers and lotsa love,
Patricia xxx
Before we get to discuss mischievous mercury, let me tell you about the sweet surprise. I had just written my status about life being wonderful and full of nice surprises when lo and behold - a patient walked into my office carrying a magnificent rose from her garden for me in a little glass vase. Synchronicity or maybe it's true what they say, if you think positive thoughts, good things will happen. It brings me to my favourite saying:
'Optimism is a magnet that draws good unto itself"
Which leads me to the next thought...we're going to need all the optimism between now and the end of September. The planet Mercury is going retro or backwards in the sky. It only happens three times in the year - three times too often!! Because mercury is the planet of communication and the fact it is in an air/earth combo, we can expect communications between folk to be a little chaotic on occasion to say the least. This is how mercury retro works - you lose things, you forget appointments, people forget appointments, (I notice that happens a lot in our office around mercury retro phases) misunderstandings happen between people, you get irksome, irritable, feel misunderstood, bla bla. So that's why I wanted you to know 'It's not you--blame it on Mecury! It begins the new retro phase on Sept. 6th so try to avoid signing important contracts and if so pay attention to the small print! Don't make major purchases (darn I was going to buy a dishwasher...maybe get extended warranty).
Trust me when I say PAY ATTENTION try and elminiate carelessness, keep communication as direct and up front as possible, e.g. meet in person instead of using the phone, etc.
So just in case any of you folk out there feel a bit muddled and confused or things go missing, or that phone call or letter you are awaiting seems never to come - by the end of September when Mercury goes direct again, you will notice a big difference.
Does what I am saying make sense to any of you out there? Take note and diary each day. It would be interesting to hear if you experience any of the aforementioned between 6th and 30th September.
Optimism and paying attention to detail and not being careless will be sufficient armour to protect you.
Cheers and lotsa love,
Patricia xxx
Sunday, August 30, 2009
SLEEPLESS IN SIZZLING SEATTLE!
Hi y'all!
We`re all back in one piece t.g. - actually make that 4 big suitcases! From all the shopping we had to buy another case which is not surprising considering our shameful history...In any case (xcuse the pun) on our outgoing journey to Seattle, we were not deterred by a sobering message on a church bulletin board which said`Things do not make you happy```Says who!`Kevin joked ``he that dies with the most stuff wins...``It sparked a big discussion. Though on our way to Seattle to do some shopping, the timing wasn`t the best! Just as well Kevin has a good sense of humour.
Seattle is where Starbucks began as well as Jimi Hendrix and Bill Gates. You can spock it and rock it at the science and music museums and view the clothes worn by the Star Trekkers and Jimi Hendrix. Real boytown energy...gadgets and gizmos, rock `n roll, guns and science fiction.
Microsoft money is very much in evidence around Seattle`s cultural hot spots, though there is nothing micro or soft about the millions that their famous son, Bill Gates, has poured into his native town. The Seattle Art Museum was definitely worth a visit and one of the best I`d seen in a long time, because of the variety of exhibits, from ancient religious artefacts dating back to the 1400`s to magnificent silverware, porcelain, native art, Dutch and French artists, modern art - the whole gamut. Not a boring second and I was kept constantly in surprise. A treat for busy minds.
Ditto the Seattle Symphony Hall which seats 2,500 people and cost $118 million dollars to build. Apparently it is regarded as one of the top 3 in the world, from an acoustic point of view. There was a hall dedicated to Bill and Melinda Gates. I guess at that rate, they wouldn`t want to divorce now because so many things around Seattle are in their honour!!
Huge money was also in evidence at the Aquarium which has to be the best in the world - Unreal! To be honest I wasn`t particularly excited at the thought of an Aquarium...it always puts me off eating my favourite food--fish! This time it was different. I befriended an amazing octopus named `Buster`. She was absolutely fascinating. People joked that she really liked me because she had hidden in a sulk under a rock for two months and then the two of us started smiling at each other and she began to do all sorts of tricks and changed her colour and pretended to devour a 3 ft eel and winked at me and turned on her many toes and I just couldn`t get enough of Buster. The others had to pull me away from her--literally! I suppose it is the piscean in me...
Apparently King Bill lives in a 66,000 sq. foot palace in Seattle and has a 40 car capacity garage--and I thought he lived modestly! He still cowers to his father, Bill Snr. an Attorney, who is 6 ft. 6 inches in height and works in the company with him. Bill jnr. was an only son and at the age of 12 he objected to his parent`s obsessive control so they brought him for some counselling. Now they all live happily together, Bill, his widowed dad Bill Snr. Melinda and his 3 children. Their enormous house is all computer operated--naturally! The things you learn in Seattle.
Other things I discovered - Seattle has 416 Starbucks outlets. Every second place is a coffee shop. The city began with the gold rush around 1807 (if I remember what the tour guide said!) and was just a few lads panning for gold, a pub and a brothel...You can really feel that male energy around Pioneer Square the oldest part of the city.
The best value in town is the city pass - it just costs $54 per person and well worth every penny. For that we had free entrance into the Seattle art museum, the aquarium, a cruise, the space needle, the science museum and the music museum - all terrific places to visit.
We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel on 6th Ave. bang in the middle of the action. A fantastic location but expensive for dining and not really that great. We had breakfast there one morning and it was rather tasteless and the orange juice did not taste freshly squeezed. I know `size matters`but Gawd! when they brought me out an omelette the size of an elephant`s trunk, it really put me off, even more so when it tasted of nothing. If you want food - take a trip to the Pike Market. Great fresh fruit and food on the go. Flowers at $5 a bunch which would easily be $30 here in Victoria. All the locals shop at the Pike Market, which is surely one of the MUST SEES in Seattle.
Family fun is all thrown together with adult fun, in a rather `couldn`t care less`manner around the market. As I waited for my DELICIOUS felafel at the Felafel King take-out, I was entertained by the bunting across the street `Showgirls with nothing on but a smile` and sex toys for sale only a few doors down from the toy shops selling proper toys in the original sense of the word - you know Curious George, etc.
So if you`re thinking of planning a trip to Seattle, I`ll throw in my penny`s worth...
MUST DO: City Pass
MUST GET: Hotel that is in a central location - they are all offering killer deals now as business is down due to the recession
BEST SHOP: Nordstrom Rack which sells designer stuff at a fraction of the cost elsewhere.
MOST FUN ACTIVITY:
Ride the ducks...This is a 90 mins. tour of Seattle by land and sea. The ducks are fully restored WW11 amphibious landing craft. They are driven by coast-guard certified Captains and they do as they promise which is to Quack-you-up with local folklore, historical information, funky music and it really is a lot of fun. We had a great Captain - Captain Hugo and it was really a travelling party as we sang party songs - 70`s disco music, Frank Sinatra and it was one of my most memorable experiences. I bought a plactic duck noisemaker and drove Kevin and the girls nuts blowing it all the time. I got great mileage out of it so every time I got lost, I blew it and they knew where to find me!!
That`s all the news about our Seattle Adventure...Definitely worth a visit!
Lotsa love for now...
Patricia Delisha
P.S. Somebody asked me ``so whatever happened to your resolution to live simply...I`m actually wondering the same thing myself!!
We`re all back in one piece t.g. - actually make that 4 big suitcases! From all the shopping we had to buy another case which is not surprising considering our shameful history...In any case (xcuse the pun) on our outgoing journey to Seattle, we were not deterred by a sobering message on a church bulletin board which said`Things do not make you happy```Says who!`Kevin joked ``he that dies with the most stuff wins...``It sparked a big discussion. Though on our way to Seattle to do some shopping, the timing wasn`t the best! Just as well Kevin has a good sense of humour.
Seattle is where Starbucks began as well as Jimi Hendrix and Bill Gates. You can spock it and rock it at the science and music museums and view the clothes worn by the Star Trekkers and Jimi Hendrix. Real boytown energy...gadgets and gizmos, rock `n roll, guns and science fiction.
Microsoft money is very much in evidence around Seattle`s cultural hot spots, though there is nothing micro or soft about the millions that their famous son, Bill Gates, has poured into his native town. The Seattle Art Museum was definitely worth a visit and one of the best I`d seen in a long time, because of the variety of exhibits, from ancient religious artefacts dating back to the 1400`s to magnificent silverware, porcelain, native art, Dutch and French artists, modern art - the whole gamut. Not a boring second and I was kept constantly in surprise. A treat for busy minds.
Ditto the Seattle Symphony Hall which seats 2,500 people and cost $118 million dollars to build. Apparently it is regarded as one of the top 3 in the world, from an acoustic point of view. There was a hall dedicated to Bill and Melinda Gates. I guess at that rate, they wouldn`t want to divorce now because so many things around Seattle are in their honour!!
Huge money was also in evidence at the Aquarium which has to be the best in the world - Unreal! To be honest I wasn`t particularly excited at the thought of an Aquarium...it always puts me off eating my favourite food--fish! This time it was different. I befriended an amazing octopus named `Buster`. She was absolutely fascinating. People joked that she really liked me because she had hidden in a sulk under a rock for two months and then the two of us started smiling at each other and she began to do all sorts of tricks and changed her colour and pretended to devour a 3 ft eel and winked at me and turned on her many toes and I just couldn`t get enough of Buster. The others had to pull me away from her--literally! I suppose it is the piscean in me...
Apparently King Bill lives in a 66,000 sq. foot palace in Seattle and has a 40 car capacity garage--and I thought he lived modestly! He still cowers to his father, Bill Snr. an Attorney, who is 6 ft. 6 inches in height and works in the company with him. Bill jnr. was an only son and at the age of 12 he objected to his parent`s obsessive control so they brought him for some counselling. Now they all live happily together, Bill, his widowed dad Bill Snr. Melinda and his 3 children. Their enormous house is all computer operated--naturally! The things you learn in Seattle.
Other things I discovered - Seattle has 416 Starbucks outlets. Every second place is a coffee shop. The city began with the gold rush around 1807 (if I remember what the tour guide said!) and was just a few lads panning for gold, a pub and a brothel...You can really feel that male energy around Pioneer Square the oldest part of the city.
The best value in town is the city pass - it just costs $54 per person and well worth every penny. For that we had free entrance into the Seattle art museum, the aquarium, a cruise, the space needle, the science museum and the music museum - all terrific places to visit.
We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel on 6th Ave. bang in the middle of the action. A fantastic location but expensive for dining and not really that great. We had breakfast there one morning and it was rather tasteless and the orange juice did not taste freshly squeezed. I know `size matters`but Gawd! when they brought me out an omelette the size of an elephant`s trunk, it really put me off, even more so when it tasted of nothing. If you want food - take a trip to the Pike Market. Great fresh fruit and food on the go. Flowers at $5 a bunch which would easily be $30 here in Victoria. All the locals shop at the Pike Market, which is surely one of the MUST SEES in Seattle.
Family fun is all thrown together with adult fun, in a rather `couldn`t care less`manner around the market. As I waited for my DELICIOUS felafel at the Felafel King take-out, I was entertained by the bunting across the street `Showgirls with nothing on but a smile` and sex toys for sale only a few doors down from the toy shops selling proper toys in the original sense of the word - you know Curious George, etc.
So if you`re thinking of planning a trip to Seattle, I`ll throw in my penny`s worth...
MUST DO: City Pass
MUST GET: Hotel that is in a central location - they are all offering killer deals now as business is down due to the recession
BEST SHOP: Nordstrom Rack which sells designer stuff at a fraction of the cost elsewhere.
MOST FUN ACTIVITY:
Ride the ducks...This is a 90 mins. tour of Seattle by land and sea. The ducks are fully restored WW11 amphibious landing craft. They are driven by coast-guard certified Captains and they do as they promise which is to Quack-you-up with local folklore, historical information, funky music and it really is a lot of fun. We had a great Captain - Captain Hugo and it was really a travelling party as we sang party songs - 70`s disco music, Frank Sinatra and it was one of my most memorable experiences. I bought a plactic duck noisemaker and drove Kevin and the girls nuts blowing it all the time. I got great mileage out of it so every time I got lost, I blew it and they knew where to find me!!
That`s all the news about our Seattle Adventure...Definitely worth a visit!
Lotsa love for now...
Patricia Delisha
P.S. Somebody asked me ``so whatever happened to your resolution to live simply...I`m actually wondering the same thing myself!!
Friday, April 17, 2009
It's either a feast or a famine...
Hi Darlings,
How're y'all doin' out there in the world...in Ireland, San Francisco, Australia, Canada, Luxembourg, Dublin, Co. Kildare, Co. Galway - Heck! that sure sounds impressive - doesn't it?
I am in total heaven since I got my new home computer last night. I was without one for several weeks and it was AWFUL. I missed it so much. In the beginning I was like a drug addict missing my fix - hands shaking, etc. etc. I missed the connection despite the fact there are 5 home computers in this house of mine - I just don't like using other people's computers - besides they are always stuck to them like clams - two's company - three is a crowd!
Now I have my own magnificent baby - a Dell and I'm just loving it. Don my computer man ordered it for me and saved me $150 in the process. In addition he spent hours in his home transferring all the old files onto the new computer and then he came to the house last night and spent a further 3 hours going over everything with me. Such a gentleman and only wanted to charge me $90 for I am sure at least 15 hours work if not more. He had to remove the old computer, order the new one, collect the new one and then bring it to his home and then return again with it loaded and all of that work for only $90!! He is an incredibly decent human being but I always give him a bit more than he asks for.
He is just such a non-materialist and not in the least bit greedy. I guess if he was married with children, the story would be different!!
We had a fellow come in and clean the windows not so long ago. He did an o.k. job but felt he would have to make a '2 day job out of it'. Anyway Dave the window cleaner 'fleeced me' - charged GST plus PST and every other bloody tax he could conjure up and get away with!! For his few hours cleaning the windows he charged a whooping $320!! Compare that to Don the computer guy!! However, Dave informed me that he has a new woman "and she does all the books now!!" - easily known because after he had fleeced me, he produced this really fancy fridge magnet to remind me to book another window session. The moral of the story is 'don't book a window cleaner who has a woman at home 'doin' the books!'.
My golden wonder car is driving like an absolute gem. I love love love it. Don't know how I ever existed without it. Imagine my surprise the other day when a knock came on the door - a fellow was standing outside with a HUGE floral arrangement "Happy Easter Mrs. O'Neill from all at Three Point Motors" What a nice surprise!! It was the most magnificent floral arrangement I had ever in my life seen - wild and exotic with bird of paradise flowers and exotic palm tree foliage and yellow exotic flowers - honestly it took my breath away. I had given a thank-you card and bunch of flowers to Alexia the girl in the Mercedes Benz showroom who had been so helpful to us. I think she did that as a thank-you. Maybe they do that for everybody. And we're only in the 'B Series' - the lowest of the low!!
As I said - Stuff happens when you least expect it!!
Love y'all. Be good to yourselves and Enjoy every precious moment. I'll finish with a poem...
Little drops of water
Little grains of sand
Make the mighty ocean
And the beauteous land
Little deeds of kindness
Little words of love
Make our earth an Eden
Like the heaven above
Cheers and BFN
Patricia Delisha xxx
How're y'all doin' out there in the world...in Ireland, San Francisco, Australia, Canada, Luxembourg, Dublin, Co. Kildare, Co. Galway - Heck! that sure sounds impressive - doesn't it?
I am in total heaven since I got my new home computer last night. I was without one for several weeks and it was AWFUL. I missed it so much. In the beginning I was like a drug addict missing my fix - hands shaking, etc. etc. I missed the connection despite the fact there are 5 home computers in this house of mine - I just don't like using other people's computers - besides they are always stuck to them like clams - two's company - three is a crowd!
Now I have my own magnificent baby - a Dell and I'm just loving it. Don my computer man ordered it for me and saved me $150 in the process. In addition he spent hours in his home transferring all the old files onto the new computer and then he came to the house last night and spent a further 3 hours going over everything with me. Such a gentleman and only wanted to charge me $90 for I am sure at least 15 hours work if not more. He had to remove the old computer, order the new one, collect the new one and then bring it to his home and then return again with it loaded and all of that work for only $90!! He is an incredibly decent human being but I always give him a bit more than he asks for.
He is just such a non-materialist and not in the least bit greedy. I guess if he was married with children, the story would be different!!
We had a fellow come in and clean the windows not so long ago. He did an o.k. job but felt he would have to make a '2 day job out of it'. Anyway Dave the window cleaner 'fleeced me' - charged GST plus PST and every other bloody tax he could conjure up and get away with!! For his few hours cleaning the windows he charged a whooping $320!! Compare that to Don the computer guy!! However, Dave informed me that he has a new woman "and she does all the books now!!" - easily known because after he had fleeced me, he produced this really fancy fridge magnet to remind me to book another window session. The moral of the story is 'don't book a window cleaner who has a woman at home 'doin' the books!'.
My golden wonder car is driving like an absolute gem. I love love love it. Don't know how I ever existed without it. Imagine my surprise the other day when a knock came on the door - a fellow was standing outside with a HUGE floral arrangement "Happy Easter Mrs. O'Neill from all at Three Point Motors" What a nice surprise!! It was the most magnificent floral arrangement I had ever in my life seen - wild and exotic with bird of paradise flowers and exotic palm tree foliage and yellow exotic flowers - honestly it took my breath away. I had given a thank-you card and bunch of flowers to Alexia the girl in the Mercedes Benz showroom who had been so helpful to us. I think she did that as a thank-you. Maybe they do that for everybody. And we're only in the 'B Series' - the lowest of the low!!
As I said - Stuff happens when you least expect it!!
Love y'all. Be good to yourselves and Enjoy every precious moment. I'll finish with a poem...
Little drops of water
Little grains of sand
Make the mighty ocean
And the beauteous land
Little deeds of kindness
Little words of love
Make our earth an Eden
Like the heaven above
Cheers and BFN
Patricia Delisha xxx
Stuff happens when you least expect it!!
Picture the scene...Friday afternoon I'm rushing down that lunatic highway I was telling you about before, surrounded by hundreds of cars on both sides of me - all in the same hurry as me. I had a 4 p.m. appointment in Langford (about 20 mins. outside of Victoria) to meet with a graphic designer re. my book. Suddenly the car has a fit - not me the car! I was driving Kevin's car at the time. The quicker I drove, the noisier the car became. It felt like as if I had a puncture but because there was no place to stop I had to keep going until I got to Langford and off the motorway. When I got to Langford, I checked the car - surprisingly no flat tyre - what the hell was that noise? Fortunately and by some instinct, I had blessed myself with holy water before leaving the office. I had actually returned to the office to do that (don't normally do that).
After my appointment was finished, I decided to head for home and get Kevin to check out what was causing all that noise. So off I went again back on the dreaded lunatic motorway. This time the car was really really getting to sound more and more desperate and then the steering wheel began to shake so much I could barely handle it. Even though I felt really nervous, at the same time I had the strange calming sensation that an angel was steering the car. This one is definitely an 'Angel Story'. I progressed on my journey with Angelica steering the car. We barely made it off the motorway onto a quieter road when there was a loud CRASH!! The car came to a standstill and I watched in horror as I saw my front tyre jumping up in front of my eyes and across the road about to hit some fellow in his brand new red Audi car. I put my hands over my eyes and begged "sweet Jesus don't let that tyre hit that man's car". It didn't - I missed it by a split second!!
As I watched my left front tyre hop and skip across the road almost hitting this poor unfortunate, I thought of my friend Rose Delay in Calgary who was killed stone dead with her three kids behind her in the car from a similar incident. A tyre fell off a lorry and hit her window and that was the end of Rose at age 37!! Phew! I can tell you those fellows who had put a new and espensive set of tyres on Kevin's car the previous Monday had a lot to answer for!! They had not put the tyre on properly. I was bucking and cursing and swearing like a drunken tinker to myself as I got out of the car - once the shock of what 'might have been' had passed. Imagine if that tyre had come off on the motorway and me going at nearly 110 kms!! There would have been not one but SEVERAL fatalities - a big pile-up for sure!
The moral of the story is - PRAY - bless your car. I ALWAYS say a prayer before I even start the ignition for a safe journey. I can tell you - I have had a few hit and misses like that and I always end up saying a Hail Mary in thanks. Elderly folk driving not watching where they are going and stopping dead, indicating right and going left, driving through four way stops, etc. etc. All I can say about the whole incident is that it was MIRACLE and I always thank God for my angel friends...
OH! I nearly forgot the good part - Just as my car came to a dead stop - the fellow directly behind me came out of his car - obviously! He was easy on the eye which was a nice bonus but an even BIGGER BONUS - he was an off-duty cop! Talk about luck!! The easy-on-the-eye off-duty cop took control of all the mess and asked me to step off the road so as not to get knocked down - thank you handsome cop!! What a gent and how GLAD I was that I had washed my hair and dressed up nicely - trust me it always helps to act the damsel in distress in such cases!! Not that I would wish a similar incident on anybody!
To ease my distress the fellow in the red audi (who was equally easy on the eye) was extremely pleasant about the whole 'unfortunate' incident. "My car is fine" he smiled "No problem".
Phew!! Thank you world. I didn't have to lift a pretty manicured nail. De boys did all the dirty work - removing offensive wheel, phoning for tow truck, etc. The off-duty cop phoned his on-duty cop to come and report the incident. Mind you it was best for last because the on-duty cop was a Robert Redford lookalike (RR in his hey day).
So all's well that ends well...
I needed some chocolate at Easter to help ease my post-traumatic-stress-disorder!!
Cheery Billy Bye and Love y'all.
Patricia Delisha xxx
After my appointment was finished, I decided to head for home and get Kevin to check out what was causing all that noise. So off I went again back on the dreaded lunatic motorway. This time the car was really really getting to sound more and more desperate and then the steering wheel began to shake so much I could barely handle it. Even though I felt really nervous, at the same time I had the strange calming sensation that an angel was steering the car. This one is definitely an 'Angel Story'. I progressed on my journey with Angelica steering the car. We barely made it off the motorway onto a quieter road when there was a loud CRASH!! The car came to a standstill and I watched in horror as I saw my front tyre jumping up in front of my eyes and across the road about to hit some fellow in his brand new red Audi car. I put my hands over my eyes and begged "sweet Jesus don't let that tyre hit that man's car". It didn't - I missed it by a split second!!
As I watched my left front tyre hop and skip across the road almost hitting this poor unfortunate, I thought of my friend Rose Delay in Calgary who was killed stone dead with her three kids behind her in the car from a similar incident. A tyre fell off a lorry and hit her window and that was the end of Rose at age 37!! Phew! I can tell you those fellows who had put a new and espensive set of tyres on Kevin's car the previous Monday had a lot to answer for!! They had not put the tyre on properly. I was bucking and cursing and swearing like a drunken tinker to myself as I got out of the car - once the shock of what 'might have been' had passed. Imagine if that tyre had come off on the motorway and me going at nearly 110 kms!! There would have been not one but SEVERAL fatalities - a big pile-up for sure!
The moral of the story is - PRAY - bless your car. I ALWAYS say a prayer before I even start the ignition for a safe journey. I can tell you - I have had a few hit and misses like that and I always end up saying a Hail Mary in thanks. Elderly folk driving not watching where they are going and stopping dead, indicating right and going left, driving through four way stops, etc. etc. All I can say about the whole incident is that it was MIRACLE and I always thank God for my angel friends...
OH! I nearly forgot the good part - Just as my car came to a dead stop - the fellow directly behind me came out of his car - obviously! He was easy on the eye which was a nice bonus but an even BIGGER BONUS - he was an off-duty cop! Talk about luck!! The easy-on-the-eye off-duty cop took control of all the mess and asked me to step off the road so as not to get knocked down - thank you handsome cop!! What a gent and how GLAD I was that I had washed my hair and dressed up nicely - trust me it always helps to act the damsel in distress in such cases!! Not that I would wish a similar incident on anybody!
To ease my distress the fellow in the red audi (who was equally easy on the eye) was extremely pleasant about the whole 'unfortunate' incident. "My car is fine" he smiled "No problem".
Phew!! Thank you world. I didn't have to lift a pretty manicured nail. De boys did all the dirty work - removing offensive wheel, phoning for tow truck, etc. The off-duty cop phoned his on-duty cop to come and report the incident. Mind you it was best for last because the on-duty cop was a Robert Redford lookalike (RR in his hey day).
So all's well that ends well...
I needed some chocolate at Easter to help ease my post-traumatic-stress-disorder!!
Cheery Billy Bye and Love y'all.
Patricia Delisha xxx
We're back in business again...
Hi Friends,
Hope you all enjoyed your Easter break and got out and enjoyed the sun... oops I meant rain!! What's to enjoy about rain - nothing!! We headed over to Vancouver, and being the eternal optimist, I only packed light bright cheery clothing in anticipation of some lovely spring sunshine. Good Friday was lovely t.g. and at least I got one wear out of my white pants and yellow top. We walked along the beach and down Robson Street ending up in the best fish and chipper in town (we had it planned). It was totally scrummy and the place was packed because being Good Friday, everybody was off meat for the day - or so it would appear. Late Saturday and all of Sunday it was rain, rain and more rain!! We went to see a movie and I fell asleep in the cinema - Julia Roberts in her latest movie (the name of which I have forgotten) it was that exciting!! However the locations were fabulous - Dhubai, Rome and London - that was the best part.
I am deeply ashamed to say I cracked up in Vancouver and broke into an easter egg on Easter Saturday! Unfortunately, it wasn't guilt I felt afterwards, but frustration because the chocolate tasted DEsgusting...It really wasn't worth breaking my 'off-chocolate' promise. However, I must explain why...Every Easter we have a family tradition to go visit 'the olde English Candy Store' and choose our easter eggs. It is such a pretty shop and has been in existence for decades to give pleasure to chocaholic ex-pats. In the summer they sell the naughty sea-side post cards which I love and you can buy 'normal' cheese and onion crisps there at 'abnormal' prices - but it's worth it every now and then!! We make a ritual of visiting the shop every Easter. The girls begged me to "Just for Easter" eat some chocolate. I knew it was important to them. Ali said it would ruin the Easter if I wasn't eating chocolate so that's why I gave in.
I'm a sucker...and in this case I DID put up quite a fight. I think once the sluice gates of deprivation were opened, I went in search of tastier chocolate to discover that the Godiva shop on Robson had closed down!! Closed Down - how could that be? Obviously the universe was consipiring to make me keep my no-chocolate promise!!
We enjoyed our long weekend in Vancouver - dining out and shopping and eating chocolate and really letting it all hang out...In prep. for the 10k coming up on the 26th of April, Kevin and I did a massive walk starting on Sunset Beach and we walked all around the seafront until we reached Coal Harbour. It took us in all two and a half hours and not exaggerating - I'd say we walked ten miles!! Obviously - the girls did not join us!! We were starving afterwards and I was quite exhausted - though not as bad as I felt two Sundays ago when I did my first proper 10k walk. I hadn't been doing any walks so imagine my delight when I did the 10k in 1 hour and 36 mins!! With all that walking my appetite is huge!! Never mind - it's all in a good cause - or is it???
I am SO GLAD to be alive - maybe at the back of my mind was the thought - Heck life is short - you have to enjoy it...Tune in to the next blog to hear about my close brush with death...Yeah! sounds dramatic...and is dramatic!!
Cheers and Remember do at least ONE good thing for yourselves today and TWO good things for others and if they tell you to MYOB - turn the other cheek - the BUTTOCK one!!
In the next blog you will really learn that MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!!
Cheery Billy Bye...
Love y'all
Patricia Delisha
P.S. I'm back on track and OFF chocolate forever now and as for YOSA ...I dunno what way the Universe is working these days...
Hope you all enjoyed your Easter break and got out and enjoyed the sun... oops I meant rain!! What's to enjoy about rain - nothing!! We headed over to Vancouver, and being the eternal optimist, I only packed light bright cheery clothing in anticipation of some lovely spring sunshine. Good Friday was lovely t.g. and at least I got one wear out of my white pants and yellow top. We walked along the beach and down Robson Street ending up in the best fish and chipper in town (we had it planned). It was totally scrummy and the place was packed because being Good Friday, everybody was off meat for the day - or so it would appear. Late Saturday and all of Sunday it was rain, rain and more rain!! We went to see a movie and I fell asleep in the cinema - Julia Roberts in her latest movie (the name of which I have forgotten) it was that exciting!! However the locations were fabulous - Dhubai, Rome and London - that was the best part.
I am deeply ashamed to say I cracked up in Vancouver and broke into an easter egg on Easter Saturday! Unfortunately, it wasn't guilt I felt afterwards, but frustration because the chocolate tasted DEsgusting...It really wasn't worth breaking my 'off-chocolate' promise. However, I must explain why...Every Easter we have a family tradition to go visit 'the olde English Candy Store' and choose our easter eggs. It is such a pretty shop and has been in existence for decades to give pleasure to chocaholic ex-pats. In the summer they sell the naughty sea-side post cards which I love and you can buy 'normal' cheese and onion crisps there at 'abnormal' prices - but it's worth it every now and then!! We make a ritual of visiting the shop every Easter. The girls begged me to "Just for Easter" eat some chocolate. I knew it was important to them. Ali said it would ruin the Easter if I wasn't eating chocolate so that's why I gave in.
I'm a sucker...and in this case I DID put up quite a fight. I think once the sluice gates of deprivation were opened, I went in search of tastier chocolate to discover that the Godiva shop on Robson had closed down!! Closed Down - how could that be? Obviously the universe was consipiring to make me keep my no-chocolate promise!!
We enjoyed our long weekend in Vancouver - dining out and shopping and eating chocolate and really letting it all hang out...In prep. for the 10k coming up on the 26th of April, Kevin and I did a massive walk starting on Sunset Beach and we walked all around the seafront until we reached Coal Harbour. It took us in all two and a half hours and not exaggerating - I'd say we walked ten miles!! Obviously - the girls did not join us!! We were starving afterwards and I was quite exhausted - though not as bad as I felt two Sundays ago when I did my first proper 10k walk. I hadn't been doing any walks so imagine my delight when I did the 10k in 1 hour and 36 mins!! With all that walking my appetite is huge!! Never mind - it's all in a good cause - or is it???
I am SO GLAD to be alive - maybe at the back of my mind was the thought - Heck life is short - you have to enjoy it...Tune in to the next blog to hear about my close brush with death...Yeah! sounds dramatic...and is dramatic!!
Cheers and Remember do at least ONE good thing for yourselves today and TWO good things for others and if they tell you to MYOB - turn the other cheek - the BUTTOCK one!!
In the next blog you will really learn that MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!!
Cheery Billy Bye...
Love y'all
Patricia Delisha
P.S. I'm back on track and OFF chocolate forever now and as for YOSA ...I dunno what way the Universe is working these days...
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Simple Abundance of driving a Mercedes Benz...ahem...I have some explaining to do...
Dear Friends,
BEFORE you accuse me of being an arch MATERIALIST...let me do some explaining.
Firstly, the merc cost the same as our Mazda did 12 years ago - I know! hard to believe so really there was no argument. If we get 12 years of trouble free driving out of this new baby, well then I shall not complain. BUT it is not just an ordinary car - NO this car makes me feel like a SEX KITTEN. Seriously, the metallic bronze and golden colour so suits my hair colour, it is such a SEXY car!! I now have to dress accordingly. Everything about this car spells EMANCIPATION. It is a girl who wants adventure type of car - if you get my drift. No it is not a big huge Moma Bear SUV like the Mazda MPV gas guzzler was. I am going from an 8 seater with child vomit and doggie destruction engrained into the seats, to a slick 5 seater with a smooth golden interior and tinted windows - a real Thelma and Louise vehicle - YEE HAW - anchors away...Goodbye Moma Bear lifestyle - Hello Glamour Puss!! It was meant to be!!
So yes - I shall be saving on motor repairs and fuel bills - I think that warrants the sainthood status of simple abundance? It makes sense from an economical point of view...right?
Oh by the way...just as I was complaining about the lack of daffodils in my garden, guess what happened this morning? I went for an early morning walk around the garden and found several daffodils hiding behind trees and in little warm shady spots. I got a lovely little bunch and now am enjoying looking at them on my office desk as I write. They brought a big smile to the faces of all the patients coming in. They were truly worth the wait and are so much nicer than the runt daffodils they were selling at safeway. These ones are voluptuous and one of them has an orange interior. I picked them at random so what a lovely surprise to find the one with the little orange face. Yes, nature is awesome.
Tonight Kevin and I hand over our old Mazda and I am very lonely having to kiss it goodbye. It is truly the end of an era...We collect the new vehicle and if our experience with the Mercedes family is anything like it was on Saturday, I shall look forward to meeting them again. Picture the scene last Saturday - Kevin in track suit bottoms and unshaven looking like a druggie and me with no face made up and I don't even know if I had brushed my hair - no showers yet and wearing the first thing that came to hand. We had just literally raced out the door on Saturday morning to get Claudia to the airport on time. Everything about the venture was impulsive.
We arrived in the highly sophisticated and glossy Mercedes Benz Showroom - looking like hillbillies - yet they treated us like royalty. Daniel our salesman was a charming Chinese guy, sleek as the cars he was selling - a Libra - what else could you expect with such charisma! D was put together as beautifully as the cars - clad in black designer gear with bright orange tie and hair all gelled, a gentle whiff of RL cologne followed him around - he was the bees knees! We did the business with Daniel and he made us a delicious cup of coffee served in Starbucks european white porcelain cups - Delish!! smooth as velvet.
After coffee, D brings us in to visit with 'Lexia', their ultra sophisticated finance lady - WOW! that's all I can say. If you ever watch the housewives of Orange County - Lexia would fit in. Gorgeous, blonde shoulder length hair, slim, tanned, almond shaped hazel eyes, french manicured nails, designer clothing, designer leather bag on the shelf behind her, banana lunch sitting beside it and a bottle of hand sanitizer completed the picture of perfection. On Lexia's desk there was a little miniature Mercedes Benz business card holder. We discussed at length what we could do with our crock of a car (not the mercedes - the Mazda!) would we like to donate it to charity? or what about having it towed by the city? - you must be joking!! Come down to earth Lexia - it's not THAT bad!! In the end we did a deal. I had thought of donating it to Kiwanis House, the charity for single mothers but then again they would need to do a lot of repairs and if anything happened to them driving it, I would feel really guilty!! the brakes were getting old like myself - slow to get motivated some mornings...
Lexia offered us more of their designer coffee while we hummed over figures and boring stuff like that - Just get the job done Lex...We did and in the end after all the finance stuff was worked out Lexia invites D back into the room and together they shook our hands and said "Welcome to the Mercedes Benz family Kevin and Patricia". On the way home Kevin jokes, "now that they are part of the family, should we invite Daniel and Lexia for supper!!".
You must admit - LIFE IS FUNNY!!!
Better go and get the old Mazda cleaned out and have a farewell supper tonight. We meet with Lex and D tonight for the handover...
I send you all out loads and loads of hugs and kisses from Victoria...
God Bless and be good to yourselves...
Cheers,
Patricia xxx
BEFORE you accuse me of being an arch MATERIALIST...let me do some explaining.
Firstly, the merc cost the same as our Mazda did 12 years ago - I know! hard to believe so really there was no argument. If we get 12 years of trouble free driving out of this new baby, well then I shall not complain. BUT it is not just an ordinary car - NO this car makes me feel like a SEX KITTEN. Seriously, the metallic bronze and golden colour so suits my hair colour, it is such a SEXY car!! I now have to dress accordingly. Everything about this car spells EMANCIPATION. It is a girl who wants adventure type of car - if you get my drift. No it is not a big huge Moma Bear SUV like the Mazda MPV gas guzzler was. I am going from an 8 seater with child vomit and doggie destruction engrained into the seats, to a slick 5 seater with a smooth golden interior and tinted windows - a real Thelma and Louise vehicle - YEE HAW - anchors away...Goodbye Moma Bear lifestyle - Hello Glamour Puss!! It was meant to be!!
So yes - I shall be saving on motor repairs and fuel bills - I think that warrants the sainthood status of simple abundance? It makes sense from an economical point of view...right?
Oh by the way...just as I was complaining about the lack of daffodils in my garden, guess what happened this morning? I went for an early morning walk around the garden and found several daffodils hiding behind trees and in little warm shady spots. I got a lovely little bunch and now am enjoying looking at them on my office desk as I write. They brought a big smile to the faces of all the patients coming in. They were truly worth the wait and are so much nicer than the runt daffodils they were selling at safeway. These ones are voluptuous and one of them has an orange interior. I picked them at random so what a lovely surprise to find the one with the little orange face. Yes, nature is awesome.
Tonight Kevin and I hand over our old Mazda and I am very lonely having to kiss it goodbye. It is truly the end of an era...We collect the new vehicle and if our experience with the Mercedes family is anything like it was on Saturday, I shall look forward to meeting them again. Picture the scene last Saturday - Kevin in track suit bottoms and unshaven looking like a druggie and me with no face made up and I don't even know if I had brushed my hair - no showers yet and wearing the first thing that came to hand. We had just literally raced out the door on Saturday morning to get Claudia to the airport on time. Everything about the venture was impulsive.
We arrived in the highly sophisticated and glossy Mercedes Benz Showroom - looking like hillbillies - yet they treated us like royalty. Daniel our salesman was a charming Chinese guy, sleek as the cars he was selling - a Libra - what else could you expect with such charisma! D was put together as beautifully as the cars - clad in black designer gear with bright orange tie and hair all gelled, a gentle whiff of RL cologne followed him around - he was the bees knees! We did the business with Daniel and he made us a delicious cup of coffee served in Starbucks european white porcelain cups - Delish!! smooth as velvet.
After coffee, D brings us in to visit with 'Lexia', their ultra sophisticated finance lady - WOW! that's all I can say. If you ever watch the housewives of Orange County - Lexia would fit in. Gorgeous, blonde shoulder length hair, slim, tanned, almond shaped hazel eyes, french manicured nails, designer clothing, designer leather bag on the shelf behind her, banana lunch sitting beside it and a bottle of hand sanitizer completed the picture of perfection. On Lexia's desk there was a little miniature Mercedes Benz business card holder. We discussed at length what we could do with our crock of a car (not the mercedes - the Mazda!) would we like to donate it to charity? or what about having it towed by the city? - you must be joking!! Come down to earth Lexia - it's not THAT bad!! In the end we did a deal. I had thought of donating it to Kiwanis House, the charity for single mothers but then again they would need to do a lot of repairs and if anything happened to them driving it, I would feel really guilty!! the brakes were getting old like myself - slow to get motivated some mornings...
Lexia offered us more of their designer coffee while we hummed over figures and boring stuff like that - Just get the job done Lex...We did and in the end after all the finance stuff was worked out Lexia invites D back into the room and together they shook our hands and said "Welcome to the Mercedes Benz family Kevin and Patricia". On the way home Kevin jokes, "now that they are part of the family, should we invite Daniel and Lexia for supper!!".
You must admit - LIFE IS FUNNY!!!
Better go and get the old Mazda cleaned out and have a farewell supper tonight. We meet with Lex and D tonight for the handover...
I send you all out loads and loads of hugs and kisses from Victoria...
God Bless and be good to yourselves...
Cheers,
Patricia xxx
Monday, March 23, 2009
Hello Universe...what message are you trying to give me?
Right Fellas!
Two months ago precisely - I started off on a new and awe-inspiring journey. It was to be a year of Simple Abundance...In my heart of hearts I was looking for a simple life, what was I thinking? I was destined for sainthood and even if I say so myself - was beginning to get a tad bored being so abstemious - putting it bluntly - it's not in my nature to be penurious so I was fighting against the tide - going against the wind of change. By the way I'm still waiting on the bloody daffodils to appear!! What I thought were daffodils back in January turned out to be snow flakes!! The daffodils have been teasing the hell out of me - now you see me - now you don't - If you really want me, you can buy me in Safeway for $1.99 a bunch, or I could stop off the next time I'm in the Mayfair Mall and pick up a bunch in the shop after I've had my nice Italian coffee...hmm
You know all this depressing recession stuff is making me go gaga!! I heard the other day on the radio that Paris Hilton was doing her bit to help the world and is buying all around her with gusto. I can see the economic logic of that and I take my hat off to Paris...always liked the girl despite the mean things people said about her. She had a reality show on t.v. recently to help her choose a new BF (best friend). I so wanted to take part but I guess I was on the wrong side of 40!!
To cut to the chase, the Universe didn't like the 'new me' either. After the Cleopatra bed for Claudia, the latest acquisition to force its way into my life - DESPITE putting up a good fight (well not really...I must be honest!!) - was this gorgeous metallic golden/bronze beauty of a car. Did I need to get a Mercedes Benz? No, probably not, but the car came into our life rather than the other way around. The extraordinary thing about the motor industry is that prices have dropped considerably and new incentive packages make it most attractive for people to purchase new cars.
We were at the airport on Saturday morning dropping Claudia off on her way to Calgary for the Spring break, when Lo and behold - a vision in white appeared - No, not an angel but not too far off. It was a new mercedes benz model but we could not believe how fuel economic it was as well as incredibly low interest rates and to cut a long story short - they made it very easy for this new baby to enter the family. So two months after YOSA began - we've adopted two new kids in the 3rd world, a new bed and now a new car - HOLY SMOKES - that's after only two months...I think somebody somewhere is trying to tell me something...I swear to God it's not me. I really have tried very hard to be very good, even though I must admit feeling that if nobody is spending, the economy everywhere is going to KRASH - and a loud noisy one too.
The truth of the matter is we needed a new car since my current van has been in the family since Claudia was 2 - so it's not like we are impulsive with cars and seeing as I spend a lot of time on the road - the inevitable had to happen!! It was a gas-guzzler and was just about entering the danger zone of very expensive repair jobs. The new model has a 7 year warranty - no repair bills for 7 years and cheaper fuel costs - no argument on that.
We collect the new baby tomorrow D.V. I just love the thought of out with the old in with the new. I did another major clean-out at home and 3 more black sacks made their way to Value Village on their way to charities in Africa. So that's the end of that!!
Haven't been blogging for a while due to the pressures of getting this baby book out. I did not like the art work for the cover so have a new Dutch artist now whose work I absolutely LOVE. By the time the book comes out, it will have had quite an International body of people working on it - Irish, Dutch, Canadian and Polish!! A labour of love - even if I say so myself.
That's all the news thus far - Hope y'all had a great St. Patrick's Day. Yes, I did go mad on St. Patrick's Day - I always do. Got dressed up in 40 shades of green and saw a rainbow on my way into work. I stopped off and bought some golden coin chocolates in Save-on-foods and some miniature green and white cupcakes. When I got into work I put out some sweets for the patients and dropped some around the offices to spread De Love. A little girl going up on the elevator with her mum and granny was thrilled when I opened up my green bag and offered her a fist full of dollars! Her mum by way of thanks laughed "I see you are wearing enough green for all of us!!". Twas a grand day by all accounts.
I cooked up the traditional Green cabbage, white potatoes, orange carrots and Pink Bacon for hubby. Later we went out to an evening of Irish music which would have been fantastic if the lead singer could sing - everything about her was perfect, except her voice. It sounded like sour mild for want of a better description but I loved her dress - green velvet to the ground with long red hair. She was about 90 but great energy trying to get us to buy her cds. The dancers were fantastic and I see they have new Irish dancing costumes now. The big fancy $2,000 dresses are 'so yesterday'. The new ones are sleek, much cheaper and easier to wear I'm sure. Black with colourful skirts - 2 blondes with red skirts (the prettiest and best dancers) two dark haired girls with purple skirts, and two reddish haired girls with green skirts - so on stage they looked quite sophisticated. They all wore the funny curly wigs which bounced up and down and looked like a hundred little piggy tails bundled together. Diamonds shone from their hair and they smiled throughout their dances. I am sure they found it much easier to dance without the big stiff heavy dresses of yesteryear.
We did not wait for the finish as Kevin and Ali found the lady with the sour milk voice too hard to bear. Even in church, Kevin has a very sensitive ear for music. I could listen to anything, as long as I don't have to do dishes!! Outside in the streets young guys were going around sloshed wearing the green t-shirts and disgracing us Irish folk in front of all the lovely polite folk. I'm sure people realised that they weren't Irish just wearing green t-shirts bearing the usual "Kiss Me I'm Irish". Ali hates the fact people associate the Irish with drink and behaving like clowns. Poor St. Patrick has a lot to answer for and I'm sure he never in his life put a drink to his mouth.
I forgot to mention I also got jelly snakes for the girls to share with their friends. I told Claudia to tell her pals that St. Patrick was famous for driving the jelly belly snakes from Ireland.
That's all the news this end.
Hope you are all well and thriving and Thanks be to God - Ireland won the Triple Crown and the Grand Slam for the 1st time in 61 years - YEE HAW!! - On the strength of it we're going out to dinner tonight for Ali's birthday... we were going to go out anyway.
Be good to yourselves...realise life is short...Poor Natasha Richardson being a case in point...I so so sympathise with her family - I fell and broke my ankle on a beginners ski slope - I HATE HATE HATE Skiing - Seriously what is the point? I mean you're racing down a ski slope but yet you've no bus or train to catch? Can anybody persuade me otherwise that Skiing is not for the faint-hearted or the level-headed!! If you love skiing - we can agree to differ.
Love Y'all
Patricia Delisha xxx
Two months ago precisely - I started off on a new and awe-inspiring journey. It was to be a year of Simple Abundance...In my heart of hearts I was looking for a simple life, what was I thinking? I was destined for sainthood and even if I say so myself - was beginning to get a tad bored being so abstemious - putting it bluntly - it's not in my nature to be penurious so I was fighting against the tide - going against the wind of change. By the way I'm still waiting on the bloody daffodils to appear!! What I thought were daffodils back in January turned out to be snow flakes!! The daffodils have been teasing the hell out of me - now you see me - now you don't - If you really want me, you can buy me in Safeway for $1.99 a bunch, or I could stop off the next time I'm in the Mayfair Mall and pick up a bunch in the shop after I've had my nice Italian coffee...hmm
You know all this depressing recession stuff is making me go gaga!! I heard the other day on the radio that Paris Hilton was doing her bit to help the world and is buying all around her with gusto. I can see the economic logic of that and I take my hat off to Paris...always liked the girl despite the mean things people said about her. She had a reality show on t.v. recently to help her choose a new BF (best friend). I so wanted to take part but I guess I was on the wrong side of 40!!
To cut to the chase, the Universe didn't like the 'new me' either. After the Cleopatra bed for Claudia, the latest acquisition to force its way into my life - DESPITE putting up a good fight (well not really...I must be honest!!) - was this gorgeous metallic golden/bronze beauty of a car. Did I need to get a Mercedes Benz? No, probably not, but the car came into our life rather than the other way around. The extraordinary thing about the motor industry is that prices have dropped considerably and new incentive packages make it most attractive for people to purchase new cars.
We were at the airport on Saturday morning dropping Claudia off on her way to Calgary for the Spring break, when Lo and behold - a vision in white appeared - No, not an angel but not too far off. It was a new mercedes benz model but we could not believe how fuel economic it was as well as incredibly low interest rates and to cut a long story short - they made it very easy for this new baby to enter the family. So two months after YOSA began - we've adopted two new kids in the 3rd world, a new bed and now a new car - HOLY SMOKES - that's after only two months...I think somebody somewhere is trying to tell me something...I swear to God it's not me. I really have tried very hard to be very good, even though I must admit feeling that if nobody is spending, the economy everywhere is going to KRASH - and a loud noisy one too.
The truth of the matter is we needed a new car since my current van has been in the family since Claudia was 2 - so it's not like we are impulsive with cars and seeing as I spend a lot of time on the road - the inevitable had to happen!! It was a gas-guzzler and was just about entering the danger zone of very expensive repair jobs. The new model has a 7 year warranty - no repair bills for 7 years and cheaper fuel costs - no argument on that.
We collect the new baby tomorrow D.V. I just love the thought of out with the old in with the new. I did another major clean-out at home and 3 more black sacks made their way to Value Village on their way to charities in Africa. So that's the end of that!!
Haven't been blogging for a while due to the pressures of getting this baby book out. I did not like the art work for the cover so have a new Dutch artist now whose work I absolutely LOVE. By the time the book comes out, it will have had quite an International body of people working on it - Irish, Dutch, Canadian and Polish!! A labour of love - even if I say so myself.
That's all the news thus far - Hope y'all had a great St. Patrick's Day. Yes, I did go mad on St. Patrick's Day - I always do. Got dressed up in 40 shades of green and saw a rainbow on my way into work. I stopped off and bought some golden coin chocolates in Save-on-foods and some miniature green and white cupcakes. When I got into work I put out some sweets for the patients and dropped some around the offices to spread De Love. A little girl going up on the elevator with her mum and granny was thrilled when I opened up my green bag and offered her a fist full of dollars! Her mum by way of thanks laughed "I see you are wearing enough green for all of us!!". Twas a grand day by all accounts.
I cooked up the traditional Green cabbage, white potatoes, orange carrots and Pink Bacon for hubby. Later we went out to an evening of Irish music which would have been fantastic if the lead singer could sing - everything about her was perfect, except her voice. It sounded like sour mild for want of a better description but I loved her dress - green velvet to the ground with long red hair. She was about 90 but great energy trying to get us to buy her cds. The dancers were fantastic and I see they have new Irish dancing costumes now. The big fancy $2,000 dresses are 'so yesterday'. The new ones are sleek, much cheaper and easier to wear I'm sure. Black with colourful skirts - 2 blondes with red skirts (the prettiest and best dancers) two dark haired girls with purple skirts, and two reddish haired girls with green skirts - so on stage they looked quite sophisticated. They all wore the funny curly wigs which bounced up and down and looked like a hundred little piggy tails bundled together. Diamonds shone from their hair and they smiled throughout their dances. I am sure they found it much easier to dance without the big stiff heavy dresses of yesteryear.
We did not wait for the finish as Kevin and Ali found the lady with the sour milk voice too hard to bear. Even in church, Kevin has a very sensitive ear for music. I could listen to anything, as long as I don't have to do dishes!! Outside in the streets young guys were going around sloshed wearing the green t-shirts and disgracing us Irish folk in front of all the lovely polite folk. I'm sure people realised that they weren't Irish just wearing green t-shirts bearing the usual "Kiss Me I'm Irish". Ali hates the fact people associate the Irish with drink and behaving like clowns. Poor St. Patrick has a lot to answer for and I'm sure he never in his life put a drink to his mouth.
I forgot to mention I also got jelly snakes for the girls to share with their friends. I told Claudia to tell her pals that St. Patrick was famous for driving the jelly belly snakes from Ireland.
That's all the news this end.
Hope you are all well and thriving and Thanks be to God - Ireland won the Triple Crown and the Grand Slam for the 1st time in 61 years - YEE HAW!! - On the strength of it we're going out to dinner tonight for Ali's birthday... we were going to go out anyway.
Be good to yourselves...realise life is short...Poor Natasha Richardson being a case in point...I so so sympathise with her family - I fell and broke my ankle on a beginners ski slope - I HATE HATE HATE Skiing - Seriously what is the point? I mean you're racing down a ski slope but yet you've no bus or train to catch? Can anybody persuade me otherwise that Skiing is not for the faint-hearted or the level-headed!! If you love skiing - we can agree to differ.
Love Y'all
Patricia Delisha xxx
Friday, March 6, 2009
Is the world really becoming very mean...??
Just wondering...everybody keeps talking about the world becoming such a mean place, with no manners and an 'every man for himself' mentality.
Certainly at the Confirmation class last Wednesday we all had to sit through a gruelling 45 mins. movie about a selfish King. I glanced over at Claudia a few times as she tried to contain herself. "It was for 4 year olds mum - seriously!" She didn't have to tell me. It was a story about a selfish King who liked nothing more than to sit in his bubble bath all day long playing with his duckie. He loved his duckies and had a kingdom full of plastic duckies. One day a servant asked him for one and he said "No, I like my duckies". After the movie, the children had to discuss the movie and see if there was anything about it that pertained to the season of Lent which is upon us. They were speechless - Claudia later told me they were bored to death and that one kid nearly fell asleep during the movie. They had not one single word to say about the movie so that was the end of that!
We discussed lent some time ago and when one child was asked "what is Lent?" his response was very amusing "It's when you put a black thing on your forehead". This class is SO much fun - almost as funny as the belly dancing. I suggested that maybe the moral of the movie was that we must not be selfish Yeah - whatever! Kids nowadays are so tired all the time. Claudia explained that after a long hard day in the classroom another series of quizzes was the last thing people wanted. Certainly the way the class is constructed, it's all very fact orientated - all head and very little heart. Could that be why the world is becoming a meaner place? I dunno...
Sitting behind a desk in a psychiatrist's office, the harshness of the world comes pouring in day after day and I keep asking myself 'Why?' and 'Is the world really becoming meaner and less friendly and less caring? Kevin maintains it's due to a lack of spirituality and that all the chaos and financial crisis in the world today is going to force people to look within and to return to kinder, less material ways. Stuff is so transient - one day your shares are up - another day they are down. You have no control over anything except your spiritual journey because in the end, it's all you need...
I am writing this blog during a lull moment at work. The girl next door came in with a letter addressed to us and delivered to her in error. Speak of the devil - it was a letter from a divorce company! aptly named 'Fairway - Divorce Solutions'. I wonder why they are sending it to our office? It was addressed to Kevin personally...Jeez NOW I'm beginning to get worried!!! JAAAAAAAAAA
Phew - I needed a cup of tea!
This Fairway company are offering to provide a fair system for people seeking divorce solutions. I guess they must have thought we would have a lot of people in that position. Staying with the 'mean theme' I must share the latest bit I just read about the new kind of speed-dating - it is called 'Hate-dating' or 'Hate-dates'. It started in London and apparently for a few seconds you get to vent your rage and frustration with the world and spit out all your hates...apparently it is very therapeutic and is the 'in-thing'. One fellow remarked he never knew women were SO angry!!
Have you heard of Hot Yoga? The first time I heard about it I thought in my innocence, that it was a place to pick up a 'hot date'. I had read of establishments in Vancouver where men (gay obviously!) all do yoga in the nip - so that is what I thought 'Hot Yoga' meant! LOL. I was wrong obviously - or maybe not! Well anyway the newest form of yoga is called 'Laughter Yoga' - the world has become too serious and depressing so now with whatever free pennies you have left from the recession you can go into a room and people will come over and make jokes and do everything in their power to make you laugh - AH............no tanks!! I think I would rather have my funny seaside holiday postcards. They make me laugh louder than any laughter yoga could do!!
On that funny and thought provoking note, I bid you all a cheery billy bye...
Do something nice for yourselves this weekend - how about Hot Yoga? or Laughter Yoga? or Speed Hate-dating? or ....
Delisha xxx
Certainly at the Confirmation class last Wednesday we all had to sit through a gruelling 45 mins. movie about a selfish King. I glanced over at Claudia a few times as she tried to contain herself. "It was for 4 year olds mum - seriously!" She didn't have to tell me. It was a story about a selfish King who liked nothing more than to sit in his bubble bath all day long playing with his duckie. He loved his duckies and had a kingdom full of plastic duckies. One day a servant asked him for one and he said "No, I like my duckies". After the movie, the children had to discuss the movie and see if there was anything about it that pertained to the season of Lent which is upon us. They were speechless - Claudia later told me they were bored to death and that one kid nearly fell asleep during the movie. They had not one single word to say about the movie so that was the end of that!
We discussed lent some time ago and when one child was asked "what is Lent?" his response was very amusing "It's when you put a black thing on your forehead". This class is SO much fun - almost as funny as the belly dancing. I suggested that maybe the moral of the movie was that we must not be selfish Yeah - whatever! Kids nowadays are so tired all the time. Claudia explained that after a long hard day in the classroom another series of quizzes was the last thing people wanted. Certainly the way the class is constructed, it's all very fact orientated - all head and very little heart. Could that be why the world is becoming a meaner place? I dunno...
Sitting behind a desk in a psychiatrist's office, the harshness of the world comes pouring in day after day and I keep asking myself 'Why?' and 'Is the world really becoming meaner and less friendly and less caring? Kevin maintains it's due to a lack of spirituality and that all the chaos and financial crisis in the world today is going to force people to look within and to return to kinder, less material ways. Stuff is so transient - one day your shares are up - another day they are down. You have no control over anything except your spiritual journey because in the end, it's all you need...
I am writing this blog during a lull moment at work. The girl next door came in with a letter addressed to us and delivered to her in error. Speak of the devil - it was a letter from a divorce company! aptly named 'Fairway - Divorce Solutions'. I wonder why they are sending it to our office? It was addressed to Kevin personally...Jeez NOW I'm beginning to get worried!!! JAAAAAAAAAA
Phew - I needed a cup of tea!
This Fairway company are offering to provide a fair system for people seeking divorce solutions. I guess they must have thought we would have a lot of people in that position. Staying with the 'mean theme' I must share the latest bit I just read about the new kind of speed-dating - it is called 'Hate-dating' or 'Hate-dates'. It started in London and apparently for a few seconds you get to vent your rage and frustration with the world and spit out all your hates...apparently it is very therapeutic and is the 'in-thing'. One fellow remarked he never knew women were SO angry!!
Have you heard of Hot Yoga? The first time I heard about it I thought in my innocence, that it was a place to pick up a 'hot date'. I had read of establishments in Vancouver where men (gay obviously!) all do yoga in the nip - so that is what I thought 'Hot Yoga' meant! LOL. I was wrong obviously - or maybe not! Well anyway the newest form of yoga is called 'Laughter Yoga' - the world has become too serious and depressing so now with whatever free pennies you have left from the recession you can go into a room and people will come over and make jokes and do everything in their power to make you laugh - AH............no tanks!! I think I would rather have my funny seaside holiday postcards. They make me laugh louder than any laughter yoga could do!!
On that funny and thought provoking note, I bid you all a cheery billy bye...
Do something nice for yourselves this weekend - how about Hot Yoga? or Laughter Yoga? or Speed Hate-dating? or ....
Delisha xxx
"Just Lights"
Dear Blogger Buddies,
I have to share this beautiful obituary I read in the newspaper the other day. It made my eyes misty to think that romance never dies...
"Just Lights"
When I worked on the trains, the lights in the windows of farmhouses against the blackness of night, held out the promise of such warmth and coziness within. From ships, the lights in the windows of homes dotting the coast stirred the imagination to thoughts of that same promise.
When I married you Arabella* the promise of those lights became mine. Since you died sweetheart, the lights I now see in the windows of farmhouses, and in the windows of seaside homes, don't seem so cozy anymore. And the lights where I now live without you have become - just lights.
Forever as one,
(Not her real name to protect privacy)
Beside the obituary section was - naturally - an ad for funeral homes. Their 'thought for the week' was "Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty...but everything else starts to wear out, fall out or spread out!".
How true the above!! That's how I feel now as I try to get the old engine fired up for the 10k only weeks away. I really don't know why I have decided to put such challenges in my path this year - but there you go! I'm doing so much walking these days it reminds me of what Ellen DeGeneres said about her mother 'my mother started walking 5 miles a day and now nobody knows where the hell she is!'. In addition to the daily walking I started belly dancing classes this past week. So much fun!! That was the third thing on my wish list - write book - walk 10k - do belly dancing classes. Now with the world in such a state of chassis - belly-dancing is the perfect antidote. I'm still nibbling away at the first two and still aching to my toes from all the exertion of the belly dancing.
I bought this gorgeous red thingamagigg with all the coins dangling from it some 3 years ago. I was going to wear it to a xmas party but changed my mind. It really is for belly dancing. Then another time I went to a flea market and picked up amazing jingly jangly belly dancing bracelets
including one for the ankle. I was really all dressed up now but nowhere to go until I discovered my editor also taught belly dancing classes. She is a lady of many talents. I never realised it was such a good work out. I got carried away when the music started and suddenly I was an exotic dancer. "Did you do this before" Carol asked in feigned admiration. "Yes-in my dreams!". We all had so much fun daring our hips to behave themselves for once as we danced around in a circle. Then we started making the weird tongue sounds that the ladies make at special events...it goes like this yeeeee yeeeee yeeeeeee. Considering there was a grandmother in our class (not as old as my friend at the gym) we did a pretty good job.
When I got home they were all glued to the box watching 'American Idol'. In between the ads I performed a special belly dance for the family. Even Lulu and Chi Chi were very impressed and raised their heads from the trough for a second to watch me.
'Tis indeed a beautiful world...
Hope you do something nice for yourselves today and TGIF.
Thank God It's Friday...
Cheery Billy Bye
Patricia Delisha xxx
I have to share this beautiful obituary I read in the newspaper the other day. It made my eyes misty to think that romance never dies...
"Just Lights"
When I worked on the trains, the lights in the windows of farmhouses against the blackness of night, held out the promise of such warmth and coziness within. From ships, the lights in the windows of homes dotting the coast stirred the imagination to thoughts of that same promise.
When I married you Arabella* the promise of those lights became mine. Since you died sweetheart, the lights I now see in the windows of farmhouses, and in the windows of seaside homes, don't seem so cozy anymore. And the lights where I now live without you have become - just lights.
Forever as one,
(Not her real name to protect privacy)
Beside the obituary section was - naturally - an ad for funeral homes. Their 'thought for the week' was "Maybe it's true that life begins at fifty...but everything else starts to wear out, fall out or spread out!".
How true the above!! That's how I feel now as I try to get the old engine fired up for the 10k only weeks away. I really don't know why I have decided to put such challenges in my path this year - but there you go! I'm doing so much walking these days it reminds me of what Ellen DeGeneres said about her mother 'my mother started walking 5 miles a day and now nobody knows where the hell she is!'. In addition to the daily walking I started belly dancing classes this past week. So much fun!! That was the third thing on my wish list - write book - walk 10k - do belly dancing classes. Now with the world in such a state of chassis - belly-dancing is the perfect antidote. I'm still nibbling away at the first two and still aching to my toes from all the exertion of the belly dancing.
I bought this gorgeous red thingamagigg with all the coins dangling from it some 3 years ago. I was going to wear it to a xmas party but changed my mind. It really is for belly dancing. Then another time I went to a flea market and picked up amazing jingly jangly belly dancing bracelets
including one for the ankle. I was really all dressed up now but nowhere to go until I discovered my editor also taught belly dancing classes. She is a lady of many talents. I never realised it was such a good work out. I got carried away when the music started and suddenly I was an exotic dancer. "Did you do this before" Carol asked in feigned admiration. "Yes-in my dreams!". We all had so much fun daring our hips to behave themselves for once as we danced around in a circle. Then we started making the weird tongue sounds that the ladies make at special events...it goes like this yeeeee yeeeee yeeeeeee. Considering there was a grandmother in our class (not as old as my friend at the gym) we did a pretty good job.
When I got home they were all glued to the box watching 'American Idol'. In between the ads I performed a special belly dance for the family. Even Lulu and Chi Chi were very impressed and raised their heads from the trough for a second to watch me.
'Tis indeed a beautiful world...
Hope you do something nice for yourselves today and TGIF.
Thank God It's Friday...
Cheery Billy Bye
Patricia Delisha xxx
Thursday, February 26, 2009
You're never too old...!!
The other day I decided to return to my old gym. It's been so long since I visited them - a bit like my last confession in that regard. With the 10k walk coming up on the 26th April the pressure is now on to get fit. Besides I still have membership in the gym until the end of May. Foolishly I took out a 2 year membership with a friend and then as soon as we began to pound the treadmill together - Murphy intervened - she got a full time job and I began to work in the office with Kevin and that was the end of that! So essentially I've been paying for nothin' for the past two years - hate that! It takes a bit of the sting out of it when I remind myself that my friend who joined up with me is an accountant and very sensible with money - so we're in this frustration together.
What's even WORSE and further adds to my shame is the fact we have a fully equipped home gym out in the garage complete with treadmill, exercise machines, t.v. music sound system, mirror and loudspeakers! It's disgusting I know - I should be the fittest person in the world - there is absolutely NO EXCUSE. At least Kevin uses it - phew! that's takes the sting out - a bit at least. I even paid a personal trainer to come in and show me how to use the machines in our home gym and what happens? - nothin' - that's what happened.
It gets even more insane...here I am with membership in an excellent gym...a fully equipped home gym out in the garage and then what do I do? Yes - the insanity to get fit intensified - I took private weight training sessions with super fitness guru Sherry who has enticed me to do the 10 k walk. It was the best for last - that's for sure. The problem with the other two was I found it next to impossible to 'do it' unless somebody was expecting me - if you get the drift - life gets in the way! Then of course I started the YOSA year and questioned all my fiscal insanity - the exercise thing stood out as being a classic example of how I was messing around and making an ass of myself.
So the guilt about wasting all that money, and the thought of the 10k ahead was enough incentive to get me back to both the home gym and the paid gym - both at the same time. It was in the HG that I was listening to Pink the other day and it was in the PG that I encountered a remarkable woman last Saturday. I had just walked the chip trail and was feeling full of the joys of spring, so decided, on the spur of the moment to pay a visit to my long lost paid-for-gym. It was like I never left - I keyed in, and the cheery voice on the machine said "Enjoy your workout". I answered back to the invisible woman "I'll do my best" and in I went.
I tried not to LOL (laugh) when I found myself alone with two women - one lady was a Mennonite as you could tell from her dark clothing. She must have been sweating profusely (which is the object of the gym after all!) - as she rowed away to God's knows where on the rowing machine dressed in a long black heavy woolen dress with strange head gear and clunky walking brogues. In fairness to her she was doing better than me! The other lady was remarkable - an 85 year old by the name of Ruth (who was far fitter than me - that's the LOL part!).
The two of us got chatting and that was the end of that - I did no work out apart from one or two machines. Ruth had responded to my smile and began talking like as if we were best friends. She was so lonely and at the end of our little chat asked me if I would like to meet up for a coffee one day - so now I have a new friend! She told me in a nice motherly way that I was not using the machine properly - which is true I wasn't - and that if I went too fast, I could do myself an injury. Easily known she used to be a teacher! She suggested that I invest in some private lessons to really get to know the machines. I didn't tell her that I felt I had 'invested' enough money already on exercising! She would have been shocked.
Ruth is an artist in her spare time, volunteers in her church and attends the gym 3 times a week. She drives her own car and is not against falling in love again. She was widowed some years ago and was just about to marry her husband's good friend, when he died too some 3 years ago!
Ruth had lots of other amazing life lessons to teach me such as - persistence is the mother of miracles - the importance of putting a luggage tag on your walking cane - no matter what life throws at you, just keep on going - that exercise keeps you mentally alive - and best of all that 'You're never too old!' She had had a tough life, with many health problems and her youngest child was knocked down and killed when he was only 6 and stuff she did not want to 'burden me with'.
She left her home in Ontario when she was 15 because her father detested the snow and horrible climate. When they sold their home she single-handedly painted the inside and outside of their 8 roomed house before coming out to Victoria in 1939. They packed all their possessions into a little box and away they went just like the pioneers you read about in stories - except this one was real! They arrived to a little shed in the middle of nowhere on Vancouver Island with no running water, no electricity. Her mother bought a piano for herself and her sister. They were home-schooled, going into the nearest big town to sit exams. Ruth and her sister used to perform little piano recitals and entertained themselves with - need I say - Simple Abundance!! Hello! Sound familiar?
O.K. I do not want to live in a shed in the middle of nowhere with no electricity or running water. It's just the way her eyes misted over when recalling the happiness of her life back then when everything was so simple and unspoilt - close to nature and making your own music.
Sure I know I didn't use the gym the way it was intended to be used - but I've got a new friend and a brand new attitude now!!
Cheery Billy Bye and remember...You're never too old!
Do something nice for yourself today.
Patricia Delisha xxx
What's even WORSE and further adds to my shame is the fact we have a fully equipped home gym out in the garage complete with treadmill, exercise machines, t.v. music sound system, mirror and loudspeakers! It's disgusting I know - I should be the fittest person in the world - there is absolutely NO EXCUSE. At least Kevin uses it - phew! that's takes the sting out - a bit at least. I even paid a personal trainer to come in and show me how to use the machines in our home gym and what happens? - nothin' - that's what happened.
It gets even more insane...here I am with membership in an excellent gym...a fully equipped home gym out in the garage and then what do I do? Yes - the insanity to get fit intensified - I took private weight training sessions with super fitness guru Sherry who has enticed me to do the 10 k walk. It was the best for last - that's for sure. The problem with the other two was I found it next to impossible to 'do it' unless somebody was expecting me - if you get the drift - life gets in the way! Then of course I started the YOSA year and questioned all my fiscal insanity - the exercise thing stood out as being a classic example of how I was messing around and making an ass of myself.
So the guilt about wasting all that money, and the thought of the 10k ahead was enough incentive to get me back to both the home gym and the paid gym - both at the same time. It was in the HG that I was listening to Pink the other day and it was in the PG that I encountered a remarkable woman last Saturday. I had just walked the chip trail and was feeling full of the joys of spring, so decided, on the spur of the moment to pay a visit to my long lost paid-for-gym. It was like I never left - I keyed in, and the cheery voice on the machine said "Enjoy your workout". I answered back to the invisible woman "I'll do my best" and in I went.
I tried not to LOL (laugh) when I found myself alone with two women - one lady was a Mennonite as you could tell from her dark clothing. She must have been sweating profusely (which is the object of the gym after all!) - as she rowed away to God's knows where on the rowing machine dressed in a long black heavy woolen dress with strange head gear and clunky walking brogues. In fairness to her she was doing better than me! The other lady was remarkable - an 85 year old by the name of Ruth (who was far fitter than me - that's the LOL part!).
The two of us got chatting and that was the end of that - I did no work out apart from one or two machines. Ruth had responded to my smile and began talking like as if we were best friends. She was so lonely and at the end of our little chat asked me if I would like to meet up for a coffee one day - so now I have a new friend! She told me in a nice motherly way that I was not using the machine properly - which is true I wasn't - and that if I went too fast, I could do myself an injury. Easily known she used to be a teacher! She suggested that I invest in some private lessons to really get to know the machines. I didn't tell her that I felt I had 'invested' enough money already on exercising! She would have been shocked.
Ruth is an artist in her spare time, volunteers in her church and attends the gym 3 times a week. She drives her own car and is not against falling in love again. She was widowed some years ago and was just about to marry her husband's good friend, when he died too some 3 years ago!
Ruth had lots of other amazing life lessons to teach me such as - persistence is the mother of miracles - the importance of putting a luggage tag on your walking cane - no matter what life throws at you, just keep on going - that exercise keeps you mentally alive - and best of all that 'You're never too old!' She had had a tough life, with many health problems and her youngest child was knocked down and killed when he was only 6 and stuff she did not want to 'burden me with'.
She left her home in Ontario when she was 15 because her father detested the snow and horrible climate. When they sold their home she single-handedly painted the inside and outside of their 8 roomed house before coming out to Victoria in 1939. They packed all their possessions into a little box and away they went just like the pioneers you read about in stories - except this one was real! They arrived to a little shed in the middle of nowhere on Vancouver Island with no running water, no electricity. Her mother bought a piano for herself and her sister. They were home-schooled, going into the nearest big town to sit exams. Ruth and her sister used to perform little piano recitals and entertained themselves with - need I say - Simple Abundance!! Hello! Sound familiar?
O.K. I do not want to live in a shed in the middle of nowhere with no electricity or running water. It's just the way her eyes misted over when recalling the happiness of her life back then when everything was so simple and unspoilt - close to nature and making your own music.
Sure I know I didn't use the gym the way it was intended to be used - but I've got a new friend and a brand new attitude now!!
Cheery Billy Bye and remember...You're never too old!
Do something nice for yourself today.
Patricia Delisha xxx
Saturday, February 21, 2009
So What...!!
na na na na na na na na na na
na na na na na na na na na na
I guess I've just lost my husband
I don't know where he went
So I'm gonna drink my money
I'm not gonna pay his rent (nope)
I got a brand new attitude
And I'm gonna wear it tonight
I'm gonna get in trouble
I wanna start a fight
Na na na na na na na na na na na
I wanna start a fight
I wanna start a fight
The waiter just took my table
And gave it to Jessica Sim.....(shit)
I guessl'll go sit with drum boy
At least he knows how to hit (whoops)
What if this song's on the radio?
Somebody's goin' to die
I'm gonna get in trouble
My ex will start a fight
He's gonna start a fight
We're all gonna get in a fight..
Na na na na na na na na na na na
So picture the scene, I'm listening to Pink yelling out the above song - I'm playing it over and over again and by the time Pink and me have finished letting off steam, I've worked off 20 mins. on the treadmill at 5.2 speed. I could not have done it - seriously - without the help of my new songstress Pink. Yeah! So what if she's a little on the aggressive side - you need that you keep you motivated on the treadmill.
But - you'll agree it is a far cry from 'Singing in the rain' and 'A spoonfull of sugar' and 'Let's go fly a kite'...As I'm listening to Pink on my i-pod I'm watching top chef Gordon Ramsey's 'Hell's Kitchen' on the t.v. Between listening to Pink and watching Gordon, things, are getting pretty steamy. Gordon is effing and blinding at the poor chefs who are about to get the chop - if you'll excuse the pun! Prior to that they were all working hard in the kitchen, sweating profusely and then my memory recalled the poor girl in Subway the other day being lacerated by a customer because her tuna scoops were miserable. So what Gordon if somebody can cook scrambled eggs with seafood better than somebody else? Next Gordon sends his trainee Chef off in disgrace and he has to walk up a corridor of shame but not before being given a bleep bleep from Ramsey just to further tell the chef he is a loser. We see the failed chef's picture appear on the screen and then a flame burns it away - he's gone - never to return. This is 'Hell's Kitchen' after all!!
Along then comes the charming chef Emeril from the 'Emeril Live' show. Emeril is Italian and I would say his charm far surpasses the grub he produces. But he is charming and everybody loves Emeril - He is rather stout and obviously enjoys eating and making merry. Emeril feels sorry for the rejected chefs in his reality chef show, so gives them all a copy of his new book as they leave the show. But before he gives them the book he puts it up to the camera so we can all see the title of it - Good man Emeril - that's what I call Show Biz!!
Everyday of the week, there is a reality show on t.v. We follow American Idol. We also watch 'Dancing with the Stars'. Then there is America's top Model show - top Hairdresser reality show - top Dress Designer reality show - Top Scientist reality show - top Singer reality show - top Dancer reality show...top Interior Designer reality show - you name it and there is one out there. The problem I have with these programs is the systematic humiliation that the rejected ones have to suffer when they fail the challenge. Is it really necessary to be so horrible to these unfortunates? Simon Cowell is legendary for that and even though it is ha ha ha stuff Imagine how you would feel if he said to you "You've just blown the biggest chance of your life - a million dollar opportunity - you've just blown it because of your appalling choice of song, and sorry but I don't like your outfit either - you need to lose some weight - I'm only being honest because somebody needs to be honest with you...I mean PLEASE...
I guess it hits close to the bone for me because I'm going to be facing all that rejection and possible humiliation when my book comes out in a few weeks time and every time Simon is chewing them out of existence and spitting them off the planet, somebody will do the same to me
the only difference is that the whole world will not be watching it on t.v.!! Can you just imagine the balls you'd want to have, to get up there in front of the world, and then have to face Simon Cowell after you have been watching his face screw up like a constipated dog. Weird as it sounds all those young hopefulls on 'American Idol' are my heroes. If they can do it - so can I!!
This past week in Victoria we had some really nasty murders, but it's even worse in Vancouver where violence is really escalating. A young 20 year old girl was pushed in front of a bus here in Victoria and she died later from injuries. The guy who did it apparently was a very nice fellow!!
Listening to Pink and watching all these sadistic reality shows - I wonder if they are part responsible for all the violence? I mean if you are listening to stuff like 'Just a spoonfull of sugar' and 'let's go fly a kite' and watching Gene Kelly singing in the rain and Doris Day on t.v. would you still want to go out and push somebody in front of a bus?
Just a thought...
Love y'all - Do something nice for yourself today!
Cheery Billy Bye...
Patricia Delisha xxx
na na na na na na na na na na
I guess I've just lost my husband
I don't know where he went
So I'm gonna drink my money
I'm not gonna pay his rent (nope)
I got a brand new attitude
And I'm gonna wear it tonight
I'm gonna get in trouble
I wanna start a fight
Na na na na na na na na na na na
I wanna start a fight
I wanna start a fight
The waiter just took my table
And gave it to Jessica Sim.....(shit)
I guessl'll go sit with drum boy
At least he knows how to hit (whoops)
What if this song's on the radio?
Somebody's goin' to die
I'm gonna get in trouble
My ex will start a fight
He's gonna start a fight
We're all gonna get in a fight..
Na na na na na na na na na na na
So picture the scene, I'm listening to Pink yelling out the above song - I'm playing it over and over again and by the time Pink and me have finished letting off steam, I've worked off 20 mins. on the treadmill at 5.2 speed. I could not have done it - seriously - without the help of my new songstress Pink. Yeah! So what if she's a little on the aggressive side - you need that you keep you motivated on the treadmill.
But - you'll agree it is a far cry from 'Singing in the rain' and 'A spoonfull of sugar' and 'Let's go fly a kite'...As I'm listening to Pink on my i-pod I'm watching top chef Gordon Ramsey's 'Hell's Kitchen' on the t.v. Between listening to Pink and watching Gordon, things, are getting pretty steamy. Gordon is effing and blinding at the poor chefs who are about to get the chop - if you'll excuse the pun! Prior to that they were all working hard in the kitchen, sweating profusely and then my memory recalled the poor girl in Subway the other day being lacerated by a customer because her tuna scoops were miserable. So what Gordon if somebody can cook scrambled eggs with seafood better than somebody else? Next Gordon sends his trainee Chef off in disgrace and he has to walk up a corridor of shame but not before being given a bleep bleep from Ramsey just to further tell the chef he is a loser. We see the failed chef's picture appear on the screen and then a flame burns it away - he's gone - never to return. This is 'Hell's Kitchen' after all!!
Along then comes the charming chef Emeril from the 'Emeril Live' show. Emeril is Italian and I would say his charm far surpasses the grub he produces. But he is charming and everybody loves Emeril - He is rather stout and obviously enjoys eating and making merry. Emeril feels sorry for the rejected chefs in his reality chef show, so gives them all a copy of his new book as they leave the show. But before he gives them the book he puts it up to the camera so we can all see the title of it - Good man Emeril - that's what I call Show Biz!!
Everyday of the week, there is a reality show on t.v. We follow American Idol. We also watch 'Dancing with the Stars'. Then there is America's top Model show - top Hairdresser reality show - top Dress Designer reality show - Top Scientist reality show - top Singer reality show - top Dancer reality show...top Interior Designer reality show - you name it and there is one out there. The problem I have with these programs is the systematic humiliation that the rejected ones have to suffer when they fail the challenge. Is it really necessary to be so horrible to these unfortunates? Simon Cowell is legendary for that and even though it is ha ha ha stuff Imagine how you would feel if he said to you "You've just blown the biggest chance of your life - a million dollar opportunity - you've just blown it because of your appalling choice of song, and sorry but I don't like your outfit either - you need to lose some weight - I'm only being honest because somebody needs to be honest with you...I mean PLEASE...
I guess it hits close to the bone for me because I'm going to be facing all that rejection and possible humiliation when my book comes out in a few weeks time and every time Simon is chewing them out of existence and spitting them off the planet, somebody will do the same to me
the only difference is that the whole world will not be watching it on t.v.!! Can you just imagine the balls you'd want to have, to get up there in front of the world, and then have to face Simon Cowell after you have been watching his face screw up like a constipated dog. Weird as it sounds all those young hopefulls on 'American Idol' are my heroes. If they can do it - so can I!!
This past week in Victoria we had some really nasty murders, but it's even worse in Vancouver where violence is really escalating. A young 20 year old girl was pushed in front of a bus here in Victoria and she died later from injuries. The guy who did it apparently was a very nice fellow!!
Listening to Pink and watching all these sadistic reality shows - I wonder if they are part responsible for all the violence? I mean if you are listening to stuff like 'Just a spoonfull of sugar' and 'let's go fly a kite' and watching Gene Kelly singing in the rain and Doris Day on t.v. would you still want to go out and push somebody in front of a bus?
Just a thought...
Love y'all - Do something nice for yourself today!
Cheery Billy Bye...
Patricia Delisha xxx
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
The future is friendly...
Yee Haw! At least that's what the Telus truck in front of me said this morning as I was driving to my dentist appointment - they could have fooled me! On another dirty van somebody had scribbled the words 'I love you'. As you know these are all messages from my angels. Nice start to the day, especially since I made up my mind to stop hating Wednesdays and just - get on with it! Yes today I had made up my mind to embrace Wednesday with positive ideation and dare I say - joy! It wasn't me who said 'Wednesday's child is full of woe'.
It was a gloriously sunny spring day outside, the birds were happily twittering on the trees and all around the garden, new life was appearing. Clusters of snow drops have taken up residence at the base of our old oak tree. I never noticed them there before. The snow drops are just so pure and beautiful and delicate. They have an innocent quality about them and remind me of the little kids in our confirmation class.
The thing about Wednesdays is that I get a lot of work done and at the end of the day I feel I have achieved something for my efforts. I have deduced it to the fact that Wednesday is Virgo's day - ruled by the planet Mercury, which is a busy busy planet. On the other hand Thursday, my favourite day of the week and also my lucky day, is ruled by Jupiter the largest planet in the solar system and that happens to be the day I feel the greatest urge to eat, shop and be merry.
My mouth is still frozen up from the dentist - Dentist Again? I can hear you say and you would be right. The last two visits were only for fun, poking around my mouth and thinking and wondering, but doing nothing. Tooth #17 still acts up from time to time and we still haven't got to the root of the problem - if you'll excuse the pun! Well today my nice friendly dentist got some action going and replaced two old fillings - Hell! one was the wisdom tooth - two doors down from #17. It was impossible to get at it and my jaw was killing me trying to 'open wide as much as you can'. To add to my horror I knew I wasn't properly frozen as he had only left it set for a second. So they had to double on the freeze and give me another needle. I felt guilty telling them I wasn't properly frozen as time is money to these folk. I also reminded them I had 3 babies without epidurals and that I'm not normally a wimp when it comes to pain.
As I was leaving the dentist studio, I told them my mouth felt really fuzzy and when I opened wide, we discovered why - the assistant had accidently left the cotton wool in my mouth. So I wasn't lying about feeling fuzzy!!
I had made an appointment for the computer man to come by this evening to put my book on disk form - I should know how to do that. Then I realised that I have the confirmation class so had to cancel. Don my computer guy is an interesting fellow. An eligible bachelor in his early 50's I would think. He lives alone with his widowed mother and is a lonely type of fellow. He really loves family life - I know that because he prefers to come in to our home to fix the computer rather than the office. He likes the girls running around the place and music and the dogs and the smell of food. I can tell. Once we weren't there when he came to fix Kevin's computer and apparently he seemed very disappointed "where's all the family" he asked. You wouldn't think he noticed because when he comes around he sits in front of the computer
for hours with a blank and vacuous expression on his face. The girls think "He is Weird!"
I guess he is, but he never overcharges us, in fact he is incredibly cheap which is why I always give him a big Xmas basket - because he deserves it.
He also deserves a woman - and the thing is - I have 'the perfect woman' in mind for him. She is tailor made for the man - looks after her widowed elderly father - is in the same age bracket - is mad for a man - she loves to cook and would adore to have a family and wants to go to the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival and to check out her Irish roots. The problem is how do I introduce them? - every time I see either one, all I can think of is that they each deserve some happiness in life - I've done the name thing and her christian name and his surname go very well together. Anyways - I did try! I gave her his name as being great at fixing computers!! If there is any news I'll keep you informed...
On that hopeful note, I'll say cheery billy bye.
Look after yourselves and remember 'The Future is Friendly'.
Trisha Delisha xxx
It was a gloriously sunny spring day outside, the birds were happily twittering on the trees and all around the garden, new life was appearing. Clusters of snow drops have taken up residence at the base of our old oak tree. I never noticed them there before. The snow drops are just so pure and beautiful and delicate. They have an innocent quality about them and remind me of the little kids in our confirmation class.
The thing about Wednesdays is that I get a lot of work done and at the end of the day I feel I have achieved something for my efforts. I have deduced it to the fact that Wednesday is Virgo's day - ruled by the planet Mercury, which is a busy busy planet. On the other hand Thursday, my favourite day of the week and also my lucky day, is ruled by Jupiter the largest planet in the solar system and that happens to be the day I feel the greatest urge to eat, shop and be merry.
My mouth is still frozen up from the dentist - Dentist Again? I can hear you say and you would be right. The last two visits were only for fun, poking around my mouth and thinking and wondering, but doing nothing. Tooth #17 still acts up from time to time and we still haven't got to the root of the problem - if you'll excuse the pun! Well today my nice friendly dentist got some action going and replaced two old fillings - Hell! one was the wisdom tooth - two doors down from #17. It was impossible to get at it and my jaw was killing me trying to 'open wide as much as you can'. To add to my horror I knew I wasn't properly frozen as he had only left it set for a second. So they had to double on the freeze and give me another needle. I felt guilty telling them I wasn't properly frozen as time is money to these folk. I also reminded them I had 3 babies without epidurals and that I'm not normally a wimp when it comes to pain.
As I was leaving the dentist studio, I told them my mouth felt really fuzzy and when I opened wide, we discovered why - the assistant had accidently left the cotton wool in my mouth. So I wasn't lying about feeling fuzzy!!
I had made an appointment for the computer man to come by this evening to put my book on disk form - I should know how to do that. Then I realised that I have the confirmation class so had to cancel. Don my computer guy is an interesting fellow. An eligible bachelor in his early 50's I would think. He lives alone with his widowed mother and is a lonely type of fellow. He really loves family life - I know that because he prefers to come in to our home to fix the computer rather than the office. He likes the girls running around the place and music and the dogs and the smell of food. I can tell. Once we weren't there when he came to fix Kevin's computer and apparently he seemed very disappointed "where's all the family" he asked. You wouldn't think he noticed because when he comes around he sits in front of the computer
for hours with a blank and vacuous expression on his face. The girls think "He is Weird!"
I guess he is, but he never overcharges us, in fact he is incredibly cheap which is why I always give him a big Xmas basket - because he deserves it.
He also deserves a woman - and the thing is - I have 'the perfect woman' in mind for him. She is tailor made for the man - looks after her widowed elderly father - is in the same age bracket - is mad for a man - she loves to cook and would adore to have a family and wants to go to the Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival and to check out her Irish roots. The problem is how do I introduce them? - every time I see either one, all I can think of is that they each deserve some happiness in life - I've done the name thing and her christian name and his surname go very well together. Anyways - I did try! I gave her his name as being great at fixing computers!! If there is any news I'll keep you informed...
On that hopeful note, I'll say cheery billy bye.
Look after yourselves and remember 'The Future is Friendly'.
Trisha Delisha xxx
Monday, February 16, 2009
Yes, I know where you're coming from...
Dear Viv & Jim,
Re. Slumdog Millionaires and Boy in Striped P.J.'s
I didn't see Slumdog Millionaires but the girls did and they enjoyed it. Interesting that you found it so depressing with all the doe eyed street kids begging to be adopted. That is what started me going on the YOSA year. I saw a similar programme on t.v. and it really really got to me. I began feeling guilty splurging on fun stuff knowing there were kids out there suffering and starving. The two little sisters really touched my heart with their courage and will to survive and their efforts to make something of their lives. Their parents both died from aids and they lived alone in a mud cabin. It was their faces - those haunting eyes - I could not get it out of my head.
As for 'The boy in striped P.J.'s - now that I could not handle at all. Claudia was in tears when reading the book. I hate anything to do with Concentration Camps or suffering or wars or anything like that. Kevin can watch them and it doesn't seem to bother him but I find them way too upsetting which is why I never watched certain movies like 'Schindler's List'. The last one I saw like that was 'Sophie's Choice' with Meryl Streep and I promised myself - never again!!
I'm thinking of going to see 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' - maybe it is too close to the bone!!
Cheers and hope Valentine's Weekend was all roses and sweetness for the most part. On Valentine's Day we passed the Cathedral and there was great excitement. I later discovered why - 5 Filipino friends were all getting married at the same time! It was a 'first' for Victoria. They met as nannies and became good friends and all shared in the wedding festivities. Now that is what I call a good idea! Wonder did they go on honeymoon together?
Cheers and Slainte to one and all xxx
Patricia Delisha xxx
Re. Slumdog Millionaires and Boy in Striped P.J.'s
I didn't see Slumdog Millionaires but the girls did and they enjoyed it. Interesting that you found it so depressing with all the doe eyed street kids begging to be adopted. That is what started me going on the YOSA year. I saw a similar programme on t.v. and it really really got to me. I began feeling guilty splurging on fun stuff knowing there were kids out there suffering and starving. The two little sisters really touched my heart with their courage and will to survive and their efforts to make something of their lives. Their parents both died from aids and they lived alone in a mud cabin. It was their faces - those haunting eyes - I could not get it out of my head.
As for 'The boy in striped P.J.'s - now that I could not handle at all. Claudia was in tears when reading the book. I hate anything to do with Concentration Camps or suffering or wars or anything like that. Kevin can watch them and it doesn't seem to bother him but I find them way too upsetting which is why I never watched certain movies like 'Schindler's List'. The last one I saw like that was 'Sophie's Choice' with Meryl Streep and I promised myself - never again!!
I'm thinking of going to see 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' - maybe it is too close to the bone!!
Cheers and hope Valentine's Weekend was all roses and sweetness for the most part. On Valentine's Day we passed the Cathedral and there was great excitement. I later discovered why - 5 Filipino friends were all getting married at the same time! It was a 'first' for Victoria. They met as nannies and became good friends and all shared in the wedding festivities. Now that is what I call a good idea! Wonder did they go on honeymoon together?
Cheers and Slainte to one and all xxx
Patricia Delisha xxx
Sunday, February 15, 2009
No fire without a spark...
Thank you Sherry Ulaszonek from One to One Fitness for being the spark today! If you truly want to be fit in your life - there is no excuse with somebody like Sherry around! Sherry, God bless her faith in me...suggested I join her team to do the 10k walk in late April. I said yes...without thinking of course (we roosters do impulsive things and apparently make wonderful soldiers). So this morning I was to walk with the walkers in the beautiful Beaver Lake Park, but woke up with a burning fever and sore throat and said 'Oh no - the flu I had for most of January is back again to haunt me - typical! Now Sherry will think I'm chickening out!! (she would have only been 25% correct). I was sick. Anyways since I like Sherry, I got dressed in the fever, but took so long I had to phone Sherry and explain. Felt so guilty and being already dressed to walk, I borrowed Kevin's 1-pod with exercise music and off I went to the Chip Trail, my piece of heaven.
The weather was simply glorious but the trail resembled the Bay on Boxing Day - it was packed - with 10k hopefuls I suspect. I did my 3 mile walk and am now back and in a sweat - but a good sweat. It was the first time I was back on the trail since before Xmas. I had forgotten how much I like that walk. Listening to David Bowie and other icons from the 70's made for a very pleasant journey. The ducks were all down by the pond busy as usual and hoping somebody nice would bring them a Sunday treat.
So thank you Sherry for being my 'Spark' today.
Thank you Kevin for being my 'Spark' yesterday. The nicest, and perhaps the least expensive Valentine's Day to-date. We started off with morning coffee and
then opened our home-made Valentine Cards. Mine from Kevin had angels and stars and was addressed to 'The Scribe of Sonria' - I love it I love it! Kevin's one from me was a picture of two birds holding hands swinging from a tree. We recycled old cards as that is what I wanted to do for this YOSA. Then I made brunch for Claudia's pals who overnighted.
Later Kevin and I headed into town. We decided we would celebrate by pretending we were visitors to Victoria - seeing it with new eyes and all that... Thanks to all the RBC rewards, we had all these gift vouchers. We'd get a treat each in the Bay. Kevin was delighted to find a fab. Tommy Bahamas shirt at half price and paid for it with his complimentary gift card from me! I did the same with his one and got moisturiser which I needed. It was a great day to hit the Bay as they were pampering women all day long and offering all sort of freebies. I got a wonderful complimentary ginger hand massage and later did the rounds of the perfumes, choosing Chanel to travel with me today. Wonderful, off we set for the next round.
Got out on the street and two nice girls carrying baskets gave Kevin and me some free chocolate from Rogers, the Victoria Chocolatiers par excellence. No! I didn't eat it but kept it to bring back to me darlin' daughters. Off we trotted down Government Street for more cheap thrills. I tell you there is nothin' as fun as being a tourist in your own home town! Our next Port of Call was a wonderful tea shop (name I cannot remember) It was 'the ultra' in terms of sophistication and elegance. They offered us samples of delicious teas. I loved the black rose petal tea - truly wonderful.
We walked all the way down to Roberta's Hat Shop on Government. I spent at least 15 minutes trying on various hats and never in my life had so much fun. We did Easter, Weddings, Xmas and every occasion hats and my favourite was a green velvet hat with black feather - divine for St. Patrick's Day, when I celebrate with O'Bama - since there is nobody as Irish as Barack O'Bama as the song goes...Why they even changed his name from Obama to O'Bama - I say!
After the hard work with the hats, we walked down to Chinatown. I needed a latte in my very favourite coffee shop in Victoria - if not the world! It is called 'Bean around the world' and is quite an eclectic place. They serve delicious toasted sandwiches and their coffee is organic from Salt Spring Island - Delish! They also have the very best carrot cake in town - thick, moist and succulent. We did the honours and in addition Kevin got their raspberry shortcake. The girl serving us was so polite, she even asked 'would you like a corner piece or a bit in the middle which has more fruit?" I ask you - who would bother their ass asking you that with such a large lineup? I told her it was a very important question and thanked her for asking me and yes, I'd have the piece in the middle with more fruit on it. My Barista gave me the heart on my latte - but of course for Valentine's Day!!
Ahh...this is the life and so far our wonderful day has cost us virtually nothin' Simple Abundance...I tell you there is something in it...o.k.. o.k.. we bought the Cleopatra bed for Claudia earlier in the week - but you know that was for Claudia. Each of the girls has been given a bed for life to bring with them whenever, and if ever they have their own homes. An inheritance - call it what you will! We got lovely distressed-style French country Ethan Allen beds for Alexandra and Victoria in Calgary, and Claudia had been rendered 'the runt' as she felt, so yes, it's only fair she should have her 'Cleopatra Bed' too. Listen, it's like I'm barking up the wrong tree trying to make my offspring see that Yes, life can be good - with simplicity and fewer possessions - o.k. o.k. I'm 50 something and it's taken me a while to see that...Yes I agree. When I was their age, fashion and fun was the only thing on my agenda...
After 'Bean around the world' - an interesting name since that's what we've been doing today, we headed over to the Irish Times Pub/Restaurant on Government and enjoyed some wings and chips with garlic sauce. Full of nourishment and salty as hell to encourage people to drink more. We enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere and really it was just like being bang in the middle of Dublin in a pub on Grafton Street! - no different.
After 'The Irish Times' we went up to see 'The Bard and Banker' also owned and operated by the same Industrialist from Northern Ireland. Like 'The Irish Times', the place is sumptuous, for want of a better word. Originally, it was a bank, and like all Banks and Churches in a bygone era - was a place of respect, fit for a King - so hence the name 'The Bard and Banker'. Apparently he spent millions doing it up and you could tell - the chandeliers, brass fittings, marble, etc. magnificent and really a credit to him to 'raise the bar' if you'll excuse the pun! Since 'The Bard and Banker' as you can tell from its name has a British and Scottish theme, the girl attendants all wore kilts. They wore sassy kilts in 'The Irish Times' too and some kilts were short enough to see Paris and France - Kevin rationalised that like the salt in the food, the sassy kilts make men order more drinks - I wonder why!! They sure attend to all the fine details in both these establishments of pleasure.
That was our day - we headed back home to join the girls, ordered in some Chinese - what happened to the Paella I was going to make? yes, that's a good question - I was wondering the same thing! I guess it didn't happen. The Chinese more than made up for it. Later we had delish raspberry mousse cake.
Yes, all in all I needed that 3 mile walk this morning...Holy Moley look at those calories consumed yesterday. No I choose not to - thank you very much. I think like Molly Darcy now "Yesterday is history...tomorrow is a mystery...live for today".
Each day brings wonderful new surprises...that is what makes them so special. Enjoy your Sunday and hope you took time to do something nice for yourselves - remember in the plane - you gotta put the mask on yourself first!!
On that happy note,
Cheery Billy Bye,
Patricia Delisha xxx
The weather was simply glorious but the trail resembled the Bay on Boxing Day - it was packed - with 10k hopefuls I suspect. I did my 3 mile walk and am now back and in a sweat - but a good sweat. It was the first time I was back on the trail since before Xmas. I had forgotten how much I like that walk. Listening to David Bowie and other icons from the 70's made for a very pleasant journey. The ducks were all down by the pond busy as usual and hoping somebody nice would bring them a Sunday treat.
So thank you Sherry for being my 'Spark' today.
Thank you Kevin for being my 'Spark' yesterday. The nicest, and perhaps the least expensive Valentine's Day to-date. We started off with morning coffee and
then opened our home-made Valentine Cards. Mine from Kevin had angels and stars and was addressed to 'The Scribe of Sonria' - I love it I love it! Kevin's one from me was a picture of two birds holding hands swinging from a tree. We recycled old cards as that is what I wanted to do for this YOSA. Then I made brunch for Claudia's pals who overnighted.
Later Kevin and I headed into town. We decided we would celebrate by pretending we were visitors to Victoria - seeing it with new eyes and all that... Thanks to all the RBC rewards, we had all these gift vouchers. We'd get a treat each in the Bay. Kevin was delighted to find a fab. Tommy Bahamas shirt at half price and paid for it with his complimentary gift card from me! I did the same with his one and got moisturiser which I needed. It was a great day to hit the Bay as they were pampering women all day long and offering all sort of freebies. I got a wonderful complimentary ginger hand massage and later did the rounds of the perfumes, choosing Chanel to travel with me today. Wonderful, off we set for the next round.
Got out on the street and two nice girls carrying baskets gave Kevin and me some free chocolate from Rogers, the Victoria Chocolatiers par excellence. No! I didn't eat it but kept it to bring back to me darlin' daughters. Off we trotted down Government Street for more cheap thrills. I tell you there is nothin' as fun as being a tourist in your own home town! Our next Port of Call was a wonderful tea shop (name I cannot remember) It was 'the ultra' in terms of sophistication and elegance. They offered us samples of delicious teas. I loved the black rose petal tea - truly wonderful.
We walked all the way down to Roberta's Hat Shop on Government. I spent at least 15 minutes trying on various hats and never in my life had so much fun. We did Easter, Weddings, Xmas and every occasion hats and my favourite was a green velvet hat with black feather - divine for St. Patrick's Day, when I celebrate with O'Bama - since there is nobody as Irish as Barack O'Bama as the song goes...Why they even changed his name from Obama to O'Bama - I say!
After the hard work with the hats, we walked down to Chinatown. I needed a latte in my very favourite coffee shop in Victoria - if not the world! It is called 'Bean around the world' and is quite an eclectic place. They serve delicious toasted sandwiches and their coffee is organic from Salt Spring Island - Delish! They also have the very best carrot cake in town - thick, moist and succulent. We did the honours and in addition Kevin got their raspberry shortcake. The girl serving us was so polite, she even asked 'would you like a corner piece or a bit in the middle which has more fruit?" I ask you - who would bother their ass asking you that with such a large lineup? I told her it was a very important question and thanked her for asking me and yes, I'd have the piece in the middle with more fruit on it. My Barista gave me the heart on my latte - but of course for Valentine's Day!!
Ahh...this is the life and so far our wonderful day has cost us virtually nothin' Simple Abundance...I tell you there is something in it...o.k.. o.k.. we bought the Cleopatra bed for Claudia earlier in the week - but you know that was for Claudia. Each of the girls has been given a bed for life to bring with them whenever, and if ever they have their own homes. An inheritance - call it what you will! We got lovely distressed-style French country Ethan Allen beds for Alexandra and Victoria in Calgary, and Claudia had been rendered 'the runt' as she felt, so yes, it's only fair she should have her 'Cleopatra Bed' too. Listen, it's like I'm barking up the wrong tree trying to make my offspring see that Yes, life can be good - with simplicity and fewer possessions - o.k. o.k. I'm 50 something and it's taken me a while to see that...Yes I agree. When I was their age, fashion and fun was the only thing on my agenda...
After 'Bean around the world' - an interesting name since that's what we've been doing today, we headed over to the Irish Times Pub/Restaurant on Government and enjoyed some wings and chips with garlic sauce. Full of nourishment and salty as hell to encourage people to drink more. We enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere and really it was just like being bang in the middle of Dublin in a pub on Grafton Street! - no different.
After 'The Irish Times' we went up to see 'The Bard and Banker' also owned and operated by the same Industrialist from Northern Ireland. Like 'The Irish Times', the place is sumptuous, for want of a better word. Originally, it was a bank, and like all Banks and Churches in a bygone era - was a place of respect, fit for a King - so hence the name 'The Bard and Banker'. Apparently he spent millions doing it up and you could tell - the chandeliers, brass fittings, marble, etc. magnificent and really a credit to him to 'raise the bar' if you'll excuse the pun! Since 'The Bard and Banker' as you can tell from its name has a British and Scottish theme, the girl attendants all wore kilts. They wore sassy kilts in 'The Irish Times' too and some kilts were short enough to see Paris and France - Kevin rationalised that like the salt in the food, the sassy kilts make men order more drinks - I wonder why!! They sure attend to all the fine details in both these establishments of pleasure.
That was our day - we headed back home to join the girls, ordered in some Chinese - what happened to the Paella I was going to make? yes, that's a good question - I was wondering the same thing! I guess it didn't happen. The Chinese more than made up for it. Later we had delish raspberry mousse cake.
Yes, all in all I needed that 3 mile walk this morning...Holy Moley look at those calories consumed yesterday. No I choose not to - thank you very much. I think like Molly Darcy now "Yesterday is history...tomorrow is a mystery...live for today".
Each day brings wonderful new surprises...that is what makes them so special. Enjoy your Sunday and hope you took time to do something nice for yourselves - remember in the plane - you gotta put the mask on yourself first!!
On that happy note,
Cheery Billy Bye,
Patricia Delisha xxx
Friday, February 13, 2009
Love is all around...every sight and every sound
So who says Canadians aren't romantic!!
Check this out folks. Driving around this morning love is definitely in the air. Hot pink and dark pink tops on girls, red necklaces, hearts all around. Every gal is dressed up for Valentine's Day - meself included - Hot Red Moma today!!
First thing this morning we turned on the t.v. in our bedroom - I know I know - there should not be a t.v. in the boudoir - but there you go. We looked at belly dancers strutting their stuff - I so want to learn belly dancing, even if just for the clothes! Next our eye witness on the streets of Victoria checks out all the lingerie stores in town and what they are offering - PLEASE! naughty knickers for boys - black lace and slinkey - if I saw him coming out with that on I think I'd be keeping a very close eye on my underwear for any missing pieces - Seriously what man is going to wear a black slinky number like that. They had quite a few of them in the shop...so maybe they know...they know!! The girls stuff was the usual black, red and pink pieces of fluff and froth. I just don't get it with the thongs...I could tell the male reporter was getting a bit hot around the collar.
Got into the office and I was pleasantly surprised with a scented feather rose from a patient - looked real but was made up of feathers - absolutely gorgeous! I was just thanking her and saying why on earth would anybody buy a real rose now especially since the ones in the shops don't have any scent from them...this one looks the real thing, smells the real thing...and will last a lot longer than the real thing. The feather was symbolic of the Holy Spirit and at Xmas she gave us two starbucks mugs with red doves on them. The inside of the mugs were also red. I told her the significance of the dove and the red made me think of the Holy Spirit. She loved the symbolism and since then it has been doves and now the feather rose. The rose of course being symbolic of Our Lady...So lovely.
In addition being asked to oversee the confirmation class has further activated the Holy Spirit theme which seems to be following me this year. The synchronicity of life!! I so enjoyed the session last Wednesday with the kids. Love love love them and am so grateful for this experience. It was meant to be.
Hope you all have a truly special weekend - bring out the red xmas cloth and decorate the room. Since Claudia is having some friends come around this evening, I did a quick makeover before I left for the office - Check it out girls! got red xmas cloth, draped pink one over it in the shape of a diamond. Later got out my two valentine trees (purchased in winners bargain bin some years ago for $5 each). Brought out the red candles from xmas. Got my box of rose petals from the Holy Communion parties of years ago - spread the rose petals all around the table. Voila - Magnifico! Got my cherub angel with heart and draped her off the chandelier along with some rose napkin rings - also from the xmas drawer. So much fun and that is going to be my table this whole weekend. Plan to cook Paella for Sat evening. Kevin is bringing me to the Irish Times earlier in the day for a romantic lunch and that is about the size of it.
From my heart to yours I send abundant love...hugs...and kisses. I would love to hear how you celebrated the love this weekend - minus the steamy bits of course - which I shall leave to my imagination!!
May the force be with y'all this weekend of love...
Delisha xxx
Check this out folks. Driving around this morning love is definitely in the air. Hot pink and dark pink tops on girls, red necklaces, hearts all around. Every gal is dressed up for Valentine's Day - meself included - Hot Red Moma today!!
First thing this morning we turned on the t.v. in our bedroom - I know I know - there should not be a t.v. in the boudoir - but there you go. We looked at belly dancers strutting their stuff - I so want to learn belly dancing, even if just for the clothes! Next our eye witness on the streets of Victoria checks out all the lingerie stores in town and what they are offering - PLEASE! naughty knickers for boys - black lace and slinkey - if I saw him coming out with that on I think I'd be keeping a very close eye on my underwear for any missing pieces - Seriously what man is going to wear a black slinky number like that. They had quite a few of them in the shop...so maybe they know...they know!! The girls stuff was the usual black, red and pink pieces of fluff and froth. I just don't get it with the thongs...I could tell the male reporter was getting a bit hot around the collar.
Got into the office and I was pleasantly surprised with a scented feather rose from a patient - looked real but was made up of feathers - absolutely gorgeous! I was just thanking her and saying why on earth would anybody buy a real rose now especially since the ones in the shops don't have any scent from them...this one looks the real thing, smells the real thing...and will last a lot longer than the real thing. The feather was symbolic of the Holy Spirit and at Xmas she gave us two starbucks mugs with red doves on them. The inside of the mugs were also red. I told her the significance of the dove and the red made me think of the Holy Spirit. She loved the symbolism and since then it has been doves and now the feather rose. The rose of course being symbolic of Our Lady...So lovely.
In addition being asked to oversee the confirmation class has further activated the Holy Spirit theme which seems to be following me this year. The synchronicity of life!! I so enjoyed the session last Wednesday with the kids. Love love love them and am so grateful for this experience. It was meant to be.
Hope you all have a truly special weekend - bring out the red xmas cloth and decorate the room. Since Claudia is having some friends come around this evening, I did a quick makeover before I left for the office - Check it out girls! got red xmas cloth, draped pink one over it in the shape of a diamond. Later got out my two valentine trees (purchased in winners bargain bin some years ago for $5 each). Brought out the red candles from xmas. Got my box of rose petals from the Holy Communion parties of years ago - spread the rose petals all around the table. Voila - Magnifico! Got my cherub angel with heart and draped her off the chandelier along with some rose napkin rings - also from the xmas drawer. So much fun and that is going to be my table this whole weekend. Plan to cook Paella for Sat evening. Kevin is bringing me to the Irish Times earlier in the day for a romantic lunch and that is about the size of it.
From my heart to yours I send abundant love...hugs...and kisses. I would love to hear how you celebrated the love this weekend - minus the steamy bits of course - which I shall leave to my imagination!!
May the force be with y'all this weekend of love...
Delisha xxx
Thursday, February 12, 2009
I love Jerry Dean
I love Jerry Dean because his music makes me feel happy. It has a Mexican/Bavarian trumpet twist - very unusual. As I was listening to it today in the car, I had visions of 90 year old Molly Darcy, mother of 14, jiving around the floor with her son the Industrialist, Bill Cullen. We are our thoughts after all - and the happier we can make them - the better. As you listen to some of the jive numbers, try some visual stimulation - see if it works for you.
I was introduced to his music by Kevin after he visited Sante Fe, New Mexico some years ago. He brought me back a piece of Jerry in his suitcase and I have loved him ever since. I can hear so many cultures in his music - Irish - German - Mexican - Spanish. I guarantee there is not a single person in the world who would not feel happy listening to him. So today was a 'Jerry Day'. Google Jerry Dean - Latin/Spanish Pop - that's what he calls his music on I-tunes. Love to hear what you think.
I was singing along with Jerry in the car, and really enjoying driving around the city, watching people move and groove to the beat. Even a very rude and impatient yellow taxi driver behind me today couldn't phase me. Another day I might have yelled and told him where to go - (taxis and red pick-up testosterone-loaded truck drivers, are my worst enemies on the road). Not today - today was a Jerry Day. We passed a motor bike with a young couple atop. It looked so funny because the fellow was sitting at the back and he was enormous and perched in such a way I thought he was going to fall off the bike. His girlfriend the driver was teeny tiny - it should have been the other way round? But listening to Jerry they looked hilarious.
Next we passed a tandem - I hate hate hate to see very young children on those - they look so dangerous. There was a dad pedalling away in front while his teeny tiny little daughter was in the back pedalling to keep up with him - what if she fell off behind? would he notice or see if she got into difficulties? I don't think so. She should have been in front and the dad in the back. Anyway some of the things you see on the road!!
Next thing we passed a Subway restaurant and Jerry whispered into my ear that today was a day for simple abundance - and that I was to simply forget the thrift krap - and get an abundant tuna wrap. Who was I to argue? In my books food should not be one of those areas to drastically change, especially if you are not on the breadline - and not wishing to make others suffer - right? My SA journey is for me alone, and I don't want to make others suffer...Right? which is why I allowed Claudia get her Cleopatra bed yesterday and will reinstate the Chewrifics for the bitches. Jerry agreed that yes, that made sense to him too. I shall continue to do sensible things like not buying a 43rd pair of shoes, especially when I only wear about 9 pairs, and stuff like that.
I had to make an extra trip to the school today as Vicky had forgotten an important blue folder that she needed for school, so instead of saying 'darn' I said I would turn a negative situation into a positive one, and buy Subways for everybody - Yeah! what a great idea. Too bad I couldn't buy Jerry one too.
I headed into the Subway and shortly after I arrived, a big fight ensued - not a physical bust up - no just a very irate lady began to fight with the poor young 'Sandwich Artist' as they call them over here. The Sandwich Artist hadn't a word of English except to say "you like" and point to the tomatoes, peppers, etc. It has always worked for me and everybody else but not today. I always say "fully loaded - like a pistol love" and they always understand. Fully-loaded meaning a little bit of everything - believe me it saves at least 10 mins. in the line up.
'I am so very disappointed with Subway" the skinny irate lady spitted out, her face getting redder than the tomatoes the poor SA was trying to put on her slab. She must have had a tapeworm I rationalised because even I could not have handled the enormous footlong she was ordering. "I notice, and have noticed for some time now that your scoops of tuna are getting smaller and smaller" she continued, fuming at this point.
I could tell the poor sandwich artist hadn't a clue what the irate lady was saying. The irate lady with the tapeworm could not be comforted by the SA so the poor SA had to call the manager and all hell broke loose. I realised then she was probably looking for a freebie. It happens.
Subways and Starbucks have a lot in common in that regard. People are almost as fussy as me - some are even worse. I saw a similar incident in another subway in Fort McMurray some years ago. It was so ferocious an attack, I never forgot it. A very large 6' 10" caucasian male attacked the poor sandwich artist and abused her to high hell telling her she was the worst person in the whole wide world and that her scoops were pathetic. The girl - this is no joke - ended up becoming a patient of Kevin. I recognized her face - hard to forget it when I saw the colour drain from it. And I thought I was the only fussy eater.
Next time I go to Starbucks and order my tall 1% extra wet restretto cappuccino, I'll know I'm not the only one with simple tastes and that if he is a minute late serving up my creamy goodness, I'll be given a complimentary beverage coupon to reward me for my patience - Ah! that's the way to do it!
So the message of today's blog is - "If you feel like a lift - welcome Jerry into your life and see the sun begin to shine".
On that happy note I'll bid you adieu - Can't wait to hear how your Valentine's weekend goes. I shall be setting up the table with pink and red tablecloths, red candles, my two red heart shaped trees with dangling red hearts and will scatter red and gold foil chocolate hearts all over the table. Hell I know - but never mind I'll be singing along with Jerry...
Love y'all.
Keep Happy and look after yourselves.
Delisha xxx
I was introduced to his music by Kevin after he visited Sante Fe, New Mexico some years ago. He brought me back a piece of Jerry in his suitcase and I have loved him ever since. I can hear so many cultures in his music - Irish - German - Mexican - Spanish. I guarantee there is not a single person in the world who would not feel happy listening to him. So today was a 'Jerry Day'. Google Jerry Dean - Latin/Spanish Pop - that's what he calls his music on I-tunes. Love to hear what you think.
I was singing along with Jerry in the car, and really enjoying driving around the city, watching people move and groove to the beat. Even a very rude and impatient yellow taxi driver behind me today couldn't phase me. Another day I might have yelled and told him where to go - (taxis and red pick-up testosterone-loaded truck drivers, are my worst enemies on the road). Not today - today was a Jerry Day. We passed a motor bike with a young couple atop. It looked so funny because the fellow was sitting at the back and he was enormous and perched in such a way I thought he was going to fall off the bike. His girlfriend the driver was teeny tiny - it should have been the other way round? But listening to Jerry they looked hilarious.
Next we passed a tandem - I hate hate hate to see very young children on those - they look so dangerous. There was a dad pedalling away in front while his teeny tiny little daughter was in the back pedalling to keep up with him - what if she fell off behind? would he notice or see if she got into difficulties? I don't think so. She should have been in front and the dad in the back. Anyway some of the things you see on the road!!
Next thing we passed a Subway restaurant and Jerry whispered into my ear that today was a day for simple abundance - and that I was to simply forget the thrift krap - and get an abundant tuna wrap. Who was I to argue? In my books food should not be one of those areas to drastically change, especially if you are not on the breadline - and not wishing to make others suffer - right? My SA journey is for me alone, and I don't want to make others suffer...Right? which is why I allowed Claudia get her Cleopatra bed yesterday and will reinstate the Chewrifics for the bitches. Jerry agreed that yes, that made sense to him too. I shall continue to do sensible things like not buying a 43rd pair of shoes, especially when I only wear about 9 pairs, and stuff like that.
I had to make an extra trip to the school today as Vicky had forgotten an important blue folder that she needed for school, so instead of saying 'darn' I said I would turn a negative situation into a positive one, and buy Subways for everybody - Yeah! what a great idea. Too bad I couldn't buy Jerry one too.
I headed into the Subway and shortly after I arrived, a big fight ensued - not a physical bust up - no just a very irate lady began to fight with the poor young 'Sandwich Artist' as they call them over here. The Sandwich Artist hadn't a word of English except to say "you like" and point to the tomatoes, peppers, etc. It has always worked for me and everybody else but not today. I always say "fully loaded - like a pistol love" and they always understand. Fully-loaded meaning a little bit of everything - believe me it saves at least 10 mins. in the line up.
'I am so very disappointed with Subway" the skinny irate lady spitted out, her face getting redder than the tomatoes the poor SA was trying to put on her slab. She must have had a tapeworm I rationalised because even I could not have handled the enormous footlong she was ordering. "I notice, and have noticed for some time now that your scoops of tuna are getting smaller and smaller" she continued, fuming at this point.
I could tell the poor sandwich artist hadn't a clue what the irate lady was saying. The irate lady with the tapeworm could not be comforted by the SA so the poor SA had to call the manager and all hell broke loose. I realised then she was probably looking for a freebie. It happens.
Subways and Starbucks have a lot in common in that regard. People are almost as fussy as me - some are even worse. I saw a similar incident in another subway in Fort McMurray some years ago. It was so ferocious an attack, I never forgot it. A very large 6' 10" caucasian male attacked the poor sandwich artist and abused her to high hell telling her she was the worst person in the whole wide world and that her scoops were pathetic. The girl - this is no joke - ended up becoming a patient of Kevin. I recognized her face - hard to forget it when I saw the colour drain from it. And I thought I was the only fussy eater.
Next time I go to Starbucks and order my tall 1% extra wet restretto cappuccino, I'll know I'm not the only one with simple tastes and that if he is a minute late serving up my creamy goodness, I'll be given a complimentary beverage coupon to reward me for my patience - Ah! that's the way to do it!
So the message of today's blog is - "If you feel like a lift - welcome Jerry into your life and see the sun begin to shine".
On that happy note I'll bid you adieu - Can't wait to hear how your Valentine's weekend goes. I shall be setting up the table with pink and red tablecloths, red candles, my two red heart shaped trees with dangling red hearts and will scatter red and gold foil chocolate hearts all over the table. Hell I know - but never mind I'll be singing along with Jerry...
Love y'all.
Keep Happy and look after yourselves.
Delisha xxx
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Simple Abundance Me Ass - What was I thinking?
Some mornings I wake up and cannot remember what day of the week it is. I'm like the late Spike Milligan in that regard - if I recognize my surroundings it's all I ask, and I'm happy to be still alive. This morning...what can I say - I even knew before I awoke it was the dreaded Wednesday. Today's Wednesday was even more Wednesday-ish than normal if there is such a thing. By 9.00 a.m. there was enough drama packed into the day to last me all day and for the rest of the week.
Boy Scout Kevin was up at the crack of dawn and woke me up at 6.45 am with the coffee. He had broken my rule of no coffee before 7.00 am weekdays and none before 8.00 am weekends! He had been out in the gym at some ungodly hour and was full of the joys of spring. He puts the dogs out to do their business and then comes back and throws Lulu on my stomach like she's a 2 lbs. bag of potatoes - that woke me up! When I looked at the clock and saw it was not even 7.00 a.m. I knew I knew I knew - it was going to be one of those days!
Next I discover that Lulu or Chi-Chi had done a number on my La Senza favourite pink dressing gown that the girls gave me for Xmas. It wasn't just an 'ordinary' number. This was so unusual for them - only once did Lulu do a number in the bed - my reaction was such she never did it again. My favourite dressing gown had fallen off the bed during the night and was on the floor and all I can think is that the culprit must have thought it was a newspaper! The reason I didn't hang it up was because I got to bed so late ironing 20 shirts. I always leave it until Kevin is looking for me to sew on a button on a shirt. Then I know he's down to the last two.
I ironed at least 20 last night - enought to last 3 weeks. So that's why my dressing gown was at the end of the bed and not hanging up - The brats are paper trained which is why they must have thought my dressing gown was paper. Another thing - the 'culprit' must be mad at me since I haven't bought the 'Chewrifics' for a while now. That could be it too...They don't call them bitches for nothin'. Like roosters, they have to work on earning the title!
Over coffee Kevin was delirious about his new hero 'Bill Cullen' - Ireland's answer to Donald Trump. The owner of 17 companies, a self-professed workaholic, 66 years of age with the body and mind of a 26 year old! Bill is up every morning at the crack of dawn and goes into the gym...so that explains!!
After listening to him being interviewed on radio last week, Kevin admires him so much. One of 14 children and raised in a one bedroom tenement in the back streets of Dublin, Bill was always a cheerful worker. His first job was working for a car company. His hours were supposed to be from 8-6 and instead he went in from 6-8 - "That's the way to do it - Bill's your man - Simple Abundance me ass - go out and spend a week in the cat's shed and tell me how you like it! - simple abundance - me ass - I know you - you're barking up the wrong tree - you like the good life too much - if you get a windfall in the morning, I know what you'll be doing - you'll be saying Simple Abundance me Ass - get me down to Chintz and La Senza and Winners!" - He knows me! The man knows me!
Wonderful - and it was still only 7.15 a.m.
"The secret to life is Work Hard - Spend Hard - Play Hard - and enjoy your life. All this SA krap is for lazy bum Gigolos who don't want to work, and want to spend the day rejoicing in the way the sunlight casts rays upon your hair - and get you off to work woman". - That's my Man! - All Aries Male - every bit!
Wonderful! and it was still only 7.20 a.m.
I had to be up early as 'The Bed' was being delivered at 8.30 a.m. In prep for the bed I had to do the usual 'Charlie' routine - vacuum downstairs and check for chihuahua droppings - even though I know where they dropped them this morning! Though I discovered some near the t.v. - b.....s! I think it would be a good idea to reinstate the Chewrifics.
I got dressed this morning - not the usual pj job - and off we flew to the schools to be back by 8.30 a.m. I was back before then to discover - as I knew I would - that the delivery fellows would be waiting for me. They were. I told them to bring the van over to the side as it would be easier to deliver the bed through the back garden and that way they could avoid the stairs. They were grateful for my consideration - drove the big-opened-ready-to-deliver-de bed van around the side and THEN I discovered that hubby had all the gates locked like Fort Bloody Knox - what was he thinking? We're not quite at Bill Cullen's level yet!
I ran inside to look for the keys to unlock the gates - could not find them - was cursing - can you imagine - the fellows waiting outside. This had happened before with the gardener and Kevin showed me where he kept the key. (The gardener had to take the whole bolt apart and put it together again). The key wasn't where it was supposed to be, so the poor fellows had to walk all over the place with the heavy bed - the front door and stairs would have been a lot easier!!
The bed is for Claudia's room as she did not have a proper one. "That's my point about all this SA nonsense" Kevin so rightly pointed out. "It's not just an ordinary bed you got - it's a bed fit for Cleopatra. What happened to Simple Abundance?". He's right - the man is right - However, Claudia and I did the rounds on the internet to source a nice bed - the ones on Ikea looked o.k. but were, like all Ikea stuff we have bought in the past - too cheap and cheerful for our taste. Claudia is Libra - For Gosh sakes - what do you expect! - she has impeccable taste - the bed is for her - it is a bed for life!
The good news is the bed was cheaper than the Bay where we looked first - we thought we could sensibly use all our hundreds of dollars worth of vouchers to buy one there - nice try except it did not work. Their beds were for 'Grannies' as Claudia so correctly remarked - dark and gloomy - could picture a corpse being laid out on them.
Then on to 'Chintz' - my idea of Heaven! I was shaking with pleasure at the thought of a visit there - had not been there since the YOSA year began. Too risky...given my track record!! Oh my Lord! it was even more heavenly than I remembered - divine in fact - jewels from Egypt and the far corners of Afghanistan-Bananaastan, glistened from glass cases and teased the hell out of me "Buy me, I'm yours baby" "No over here" a gorgeous chintz couch yelled "I'm all yours and a great price too". I know it would look fab in the front room to replace the dog's disgusting one...Damm...get me to the beddery..quick!!
We got there to discover by pure luck the most beautiful bed I had ever in my life seen - and at a steal of a deal (they all say that I know) but compared to the stuff we had seen elsewhere - it was a great deal. A clearance item because of a little scratch in a place you would not even see. It is a sleigh bed, queen size in my favourite wood of all - burl - from the old french word 'bourle' which means tuft of wool. It has varying shades of colour - light and dark wood and has a very nice pattern from the way they applied the veneer. The bed is divine and looks very old as if it came straight out of Louis IV's palace in Paris - that's my Claudia! As long as she's not looking for a prince to join her!! I'm o.k.
So now you can understand why Kevin says "SA me a!"
By 9.00 the bed was installed until they discovered that they were missing two very important bolts for the base - I'm sitting here waiting for somebody to return with the bolts ...to take the bed apart again...to put them back in. But why did those nice fellows put the bed together knowing they were missing the bolts and that the bed would have to be taken apart again? Beats me.
Told you I didn't like Wednesdays...Wednesday happened before I even said a word...It's just doing its own thing.
10.20 - still no sign of them. I had to cancel a coffee morning with some nice girls this morning because of this bed. We will do it next week instead. I have to be in to the office early today as I have to leave early because I have the two rides today - the hospital run with Vicky which I dread - up and down that lunatic motorway where they have no manners, and are all worse drivers than me - then after that I have to rush home, make a quick sandwich for the car and then bring Claudia to Confirmation class. I will study the book in the office when I get in - when and IF I get in - still waiting on the bolts...
So that's the rest of this wonderful Wednesday...and whatever happens in between...
Still no bolts...Kevin went off to work early singing Molly Darcy's favourite song (Molly Darcy being Bill Cullen's mother) "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery...live for today". I would - if it wasn't a bleedin' Wednesday!!
Love ya. Be good to yourselves!!
Delisha xxx
Boy Scout Kevin was up at the crack of dawn and woke me up at 6.45 am with the coffee. He had broken my rule of no coffee before 7.00 am weekdays and none before 8.00 am weekends! He had been out in the gym at some ungodly hour and was full of the joys of spring. He puts the dogs out to do their business and then comes back and throws Lulu on my stomach like she's a 2 lbs. bag of potatoes - that woke me up! When I looked at the clock and saw it was not even 7.00 a.m. I knew I knew I knew - it was going to be one of those days!
Next I discover that Lulu or Chi-Chi had done a number on my La Senza favourite pink dressing gown that the girls gave me for Xmas. It wasn't just an 'ordinary' number. This was so unusual for them - only once did Lulu do a number in the bed - my reaction was such she never did it again. My favourite dressing gown had fallen off the bed during the night and was on the floor and all I can think is that the culprit must have thought it was a newspaper! The reason I didn't hang it up was because I got to bed so late ironing 20 shirts. I always leave it until Kevin is looking for me to sew on a button on a shirt. Then I know he's down to the last two.
I ironed at least 20 last night - enought to last 3 weeks. So that's why my dressing gown was at the end of the bed and not hanging up - The brats are paper trained which is why they must have thought my dressing gown was paper. Another thing - the 'culprit' must be mad at me since I haven't bought the 'Chewrifics' for a while now. That could be it too...They don't call them bitches for nothin'. Like roosters, they have to work on earning the title!
Over coffee Kevin was delirious about his new hero 'Bill Cullen' - Ireland's answer to Donald Trump. The owner of 17 companies, a self-professed workaholic, 66 years of age with the body and mind of a 26 year old! Bill is up every morning at the crack of dawn and goes into the gym...so that explains!!
After listening to him being interviewed on radio last week, Kevin admires him so much. One of 14 children and raised in a one bedroom tenement in the back streets of Dublin, Bill was always a cheerful worker. His first job was working for a car company. His hours were supposed to be from 8-6 and instead he went in from 6-8 - "That's the way to do it - Bill's your man - Simple Abundance me ass - go out and spend a week in the cat's shed and tell me how you like it! - simple abundance - me ass - I know you - you're barking up the wrong tree - you like the good life too much - if you get a windfall in the morning, I know what you'll be doing - you'll be saying Simple Abundance me Ass - get me down to Chintz and La Senza and Winners!" - He knows me! The man knows me!
Wonderful - and it was still only 7.15 a.m.
"The secret to life is Work Hard - Spend Hard - Play Hard - and enjoy your life. All this SA krap is for lazy bum Gigolos who don't want to work, and want to spend the day rejoicing in the way the sunlight casts rays upon your hair - and get you off to work woman". - That's my Man! - All Aries Male - every bit!
Wonderful! and it was still only 7.20 a.m.
I had to be up early as 'The Bed' was being delivered at 8.30 a.m. In prep for the bed I had to do the usual 'Charlie' routine - vacuum downstairs and check for chihuahua droppings - even though I know where they dropped them this morning! Though I discovered some near the t.v. - b.....s! I think it would be a good idea to reinstate the Chewrifics.
I got dressed this morning - not the usual pj job - and off we flew to the schools to be back by 8.30 a.m. I was back before then to discover - as I knew I would - that the delivery fellows would be waiting for me. They were. I told them to bring the van over to the side as it would be easier to deliver the bed through the back garden and that way they could avoid the stairs. They were grateful for my consideration - drove the big-opened-ready-to-deliver-de bed van around the side and THEN I discovered that hubby had all the gates locked like Fort Bloody Knox - what was he thinking? We're not quite at Bill Cullen's level yet!
I ran inside to look for the keys to unlock the gates - could not find them - was cursing - can you imagine - the fellows waiting outside. This had happened before with the gardener and Kevin showed me where he kept the key. (The gardener had to take the whole bolt apart and put it together again). The key wasn't where it was supposed to be, so the poor fellows had to walk all over the place with the heavy bed - the front door and stairs would have been a lot easier!!
The bed is for Claudia's room as she did not have a proper one. "That's my point about all this SA nonsense" Kevin so rightly pointed out. "It's not just an ordinary bed you got - it's a bed fit for Cleopatra. What happened to Simple Abundance?". He's right - the man is right - However, Claudia and I did the rounds on the internet to source a nice bed - the ones on Ikea looked o.k. but were, like all Ikea stuff we have bought in the past - too cheap and cheerful for our taste. Claudia is Libra - For Gosh sakes - what do you expect! - she has impeccable taste - the bed is for her - it is a bed for life!
The good news is the bed was cheaper than the Bay where we looked first - we thought we could sensibly use all our hundreds of dollars worth of vouchers to buy one there - nice try except it did not work. Their beds were for 'Grannies' as Claudia so correctly remarked - dark and gloomy - could picture a corpse being laid out on them.
Then on to 'Chintz' - my idea of Heaven! I was shaking with pleasure at the thought of a visit there - had not been there since the YOSA year began. Too risky...given my track record!! Oh my Lord! it was even more heavenly than I remembered - divine in fact - jewels from Egypt and the far corners of Afghanistan-Bananaastan, glistened from glass cases and teased the hell out of me "Buy me, I'm yours baby" "No over here" a gorgeous chintz couch yelled "I'm all yours and a great price too". I know it would look fab in the front room to replace the dog's disgusting one...Damm...get me to the beddery..quick!!
We got there to discover by pure luck the most beautiful bed I had ever in my life seen - and at a steal of a deal (they all say that I know) but compared to the stuff we had seen elsewhere - it was a great deal. A clearance item because of a little scratch in a place you would not even see. It is a sleigh bed, queen size in my favourite wood of all - burl - from the old french word 'bourle' which means tuft of wool. It has varying shades of colour - light and dark wood and has a very nice pattern from the way they applied the veneer. The bed is divine and looks very old as if it came straight out of Louis IV's palace in Paris - that's my Claudia! As long as she's not looking for a prince to join her!! I'm o.k.
So now you can understand why Kevin says "SA me a!"
By 9.00 the bed was installed until they discovered that they were missing two very important bolts for the base - I'm sitting here waiting for somebody to return with the bolts ...to take the bed apart again...to put them back in. But why did those nice fellows put the bed together knowing they were missing the bolts and that the bed would have to be taken apart again? Beats me.
Told you I didn't like Wednesdays...Wednesday happened before I even said a word...It's just doing its own thing.
10.20 - still no sign of them. I had to cancel a coffee morning with some nice girls this morning because of this bed. We will do it next week instead. I have to be in to the office early today as I have to leave early because I have the two rides today - the hospital run with Vicky which I dread - up and down that lunatic motorway where they have no manners, and are all worse drivers than me - then after that I have to rush home, make a quick sandwich for the car and then bring Claudia to Confirmation class. I will study the book in the office when I get in - when and IF I get in - still waiting on the bolts...
So that's the rest of this wonderful Wednesday...and whatever happens in between...
Still no bolts...Kevin went off to work early singing Molly Darcy's favourite song (Molly Darcy being Bill Cullen's mother) "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery...live for today". I would - if it wasn't a bleedin' Wednesday!!
Love ya. Be good to yourselves!!
Delisha xxx
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Isn't life funny!
Dear Blogging Buddies,
After yesterday's events, I was going to send y'all out a message admitting defeat...going something like this - I GIVE UP!! - No I wasn't buying any more clothes or shoes. But the universe conspired against me and sent a deluge of new expenses my way...unavoidable ones...educational trips for kids, driving lessons, new bed, etc. etc. The message I was getting was loud and clear - Hold your fire lady! - which made my little coffee here, and coffee there, seem like a wart on an elephant's backside!
Then I got this lovely message from Mary, a lady on myspace.com who told me she was enjoying my blog - THANK YOU MARY - you saved me going downhill!!
Now I'm back all bright-eyed and bushy legged - No! I shall not get an expensive salon wax treatment - I shall do it myself! I shall continue my fight even if it only seems like a wart on an elephant's back side!
I love my new sons whom we call "The Lads". Charles (who is not a Charlie type) but is the real deal 'Charles' has the most captivating smile. I put his photo on the sideboard and every time I pass it I cannot help but smile back - am loving it!
On that cheery note - actually it gets better - I FINALLY finished de book - I now have to go over it again with a fine tooth comb to weed out some words - I'm far too wordy.
As a Rooster in the Chinese astrology system - We have more of a problem pulling in our horns - than blowing them!! I ain't a COCK-A-DOODLE-DO for nothin'. They make us work in this job!
Love Ya...
Be good to yourselves...
Delisha xxx
After yesterday's events, I was going to send y'all out a message admitting defeat...going something like this - I GIVE UP!! - No I wasn't buying any more clothes or shoes. But the universe conspired against me and sent a deluge of new expenses my way...unavoidable ones...educational trips for kids, driving lessons, new bed, etc. etc. The message I was getting was loud and clear - Hold your fire lady! - which made my little coffee here, and coffee there, seem like a wart on an elephant's backside!
Then I got this lovely message from Mary, a lady on myspace.com who told me she was enjoying my blog - THANK YOU MARY - you saved me going downhill!!
Now I'm back all bright-eyed and bushy legged - No! I shall not get an expensive salon wax treatment - I shall do it myself! I shall continue my fight even if it only seems like a wart on an elephant's back side!
I love my new sons whom we call "The Lads". Charles (who is not a Charlie type) but is the real deal 'Charles' has the most captivating smile. I put his photo on the sideboard and every time I pass it I cannot help but smile back - am loving it!
On that cheery note - actually it gets better - I FINALLY finished de book - I now have to go over it again with a fine tooth comb to weed out some words - I'm far too wordy.
As a Rooster in the Chinese astrology system - We have more of a problem pulling in our horns - than blowing them!! I ain't a COCK-A-DOODLE-DO for nothin'. They make us work in this job!
Love Ya...
Be good to yourselves...
Delisha xxx
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Congratulations and Celebrations!!
Yeah I know!...I wasn't supposed to be blogging and all that... but to tell the truth I missed you guys. Something happened now and I just had to share the good news. Would you believe I still have my orange coat and scarf on me I'm that excited to tell you. What is it? you may wonder. A total miracle happened tonight. Do you remember at the start of this blog, I told you I wanted to adopt two new kids? Well tonight out of the blue - (1st time in four years of living here) a priest came to talk to us in church. He had a table full of photos of children from all over the world looking for sponsorship. It was synchronicity because that is what was in the back of my mind, especially since Fluffy's departure.
As he was talking, I did the sums and for the exact same amount as feeding and getting bedding for Fluffy, we can sponsor a child - exact same amount to the penny - except the rabbit food was not tax-deductible. We now go to 5.00 p.m. mass instead of 11.00 a.m. so we can get to sleep it in on a Sunday morning - as well as getting to sleep it in, we are also saving ourselves $40 per week not getting a brunch out after mass, like we always used to do. So I did the sums - missing just one Sunday brunch, we could pay for another little fellow for a month.
On a table in the vestibule of the church they had all the little kids looking for sponsors (their pictures - not the kids!!) The priest asked us to help out little boys as the girls are more popular. We ended up getting a little boy from Ukraine called Ivan (Scorpio) blonde and gorgeous, and another little boy from Kenya called Charles (Libra) 5th October b/day with a big libran smile.
I have always wanted sons - now my family is complete. A weird thought but true all the same - For the cost of feeding Fluffy for a month I can now feed Charles. Insane isn't it?
Wasn't it just weird the way this priest should just happen to come in tonight? I call it divine timing.
Lots of love,
Kevin, Patricia, Ali, Vicky, Claudia, Ivan, Charles and Sima xxx
I have two new sons and no! I haven't really gone around the bend and t.g. they are out of nappies now so I wont be up all night!! Been there done that. It was a pain free delivery - no epidurals - no stitches!! Allelulia...Kevin was joking we will become like Schmidt in 'About Schmidt' who adopted some kids, was bored in his retirement and began talking and writing to them and telling them all his troubles, etc. not there just yet!
Cheers and look after yourselves xxx
Delisha xxx
As he was talking, I did the sums and for the exact same amount as feeding and getting bedding for Fluffy, we can sponsor a child - exact same amount to the penny - except the rabbit food was not tax-deductible. We now go to 5.00 p.m. mass instead of 11.00 a.m. so we can get to sleep it in on a Sunday morning - as well as getting to sleep it in, we are also saving ourselves $40 per week not getting a brunch out after mass, like we always used to do. So I did the sums - missing just one Sunday brunch, we could pay for another little fellow for a month.
On a table in the vestibule of the church they had all the little kids looking for sponsors (their pictures - not the kids!!) The priest asked us to help out little boys as the girls are more popular. We ended up getting a little boy from Ukraine called Ivan (Scorpio) blonde and gorgeous, and another little boy from Kenya called Charles (Libra) 5th October b/day with a big libran smile.
I have always wanted sons - now my family is complete. A weird thought but true all the same - For the cost of feeding Fluffy for a month I can now feed Charles. Insane isn't it?
Wasn't it just weird the way this priest should just happen to come in tonight? I call it divine timing.
Lots of love,
Kevin, Patricia, Ali, Vicky, Claudia, Ivan, Charles and Sima xxx
I have two new sons and no! I haven't really gone around the bend and t.g. they are out of nappies now so I wont be up all night!! Been there done that. It was a pain free delivery - no epidurals - no stitches!! Allelulia...Kevin was joking we will become like Schmidt in 'About Schmidt' who adopted some kids, was bored in his retirement and began talking and writing to them and telling them all his troubles, etc. not there just yet!
Cheers and look after yourselves xxx
Delisha xxx
Friday, February 6, 2009
the time has come for a brief hiatus
Dear Friends,
Though words have no wings, together you and I have flown thousands of miles in the last week or so. You have taken the time to write comments and read my ranting blogs, as I voiced my opinion, and shared a little bit about my life here in Victoria. You have driven in my car with me, held my hand at the Dentist's, and shared my enthusiasm for sweet Charlie. It was so much fun. By doing this, and thanks to your support, I have got over a little of my stage fright as I now prepare to launch my first astrology book entitled 'Children of the Stars'.
I have to meet with my editor Carol next Wednesday D.V. and hand her over my completed manuscript - so I'd better get my skids on. (If you are reading this Carol - don't worry! I am working into the night and will have it ready for you by Wednesday D.V.)
Should you suffer any withdrawal symptoms - don't worry I'm always on hand to share a laugh. Email me at either phoneill@shaw.ca or delisha57@hotmail.com
Oops...before I go - I did promise the recipe for my delicious and economial
Vege Lasagne.
Some Lovin' from my oven...
Delisha's Delectable Vege Lasagne
2 packs of Yves Italian flavour vegetable protein (340 gram) or any tvp mix)
1 large can diced tomatoes (Italian flavour)
I small can tomato puree
I large onion
4-6 cloves garlic (I like lotsa garlic)
salt and pepper
3 large organic carrots
10 or so mushrooms
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil (has more flavour than canola oil)
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
Lasagne sheets (oven ready - preferably wholewheat ones - way nicer)
2 packs alfredo sauce mix (follow instructions on pack)
Grated cheese for top (love aged white cheddar the best)
**********************
In large saucepan fry onion and garlic gently in oil. Add chopped mushrooms, carrots, garlic, and peas. Keep stirring for a few moments until onions take on a nice golden hue. Next add tvp mix and break it up with wooden spoon. Add
2 cups or so of water and tomatoes and tomato puree. Give everything a good mix and if the mixture is still too thick for your liking - add a little more water - go gently with the water first as you don't want it too wet! Maybe even start with one cup of water at the beginning. Cook this mixture on the stove for about 10-15 mins or so before putting it into the oven.
Next spray base of lasagne dish with PAM or low fat spray. Put mix in base.
Cover with lasagne sheets and repeat until mixture is used up. Cover with alfredo sauce mix (some people use bechamel sauce). Lastly sprinkle some grated cheese over top. Pop into 375 deg. oven or whatever heat you normally use in your oven for a lasagne. I have an electric oven. Medium heat.
Enjoy....I get 8 average portions out of that one.
One more...
You come in home hungry from work or play, and want a quickie to satisfy you before you hit the cookie jar!
Turn on your sandwich or Panini maker (invest in a Panini maker - they are invaluable - mine was a cheapie from London Drugs (around $40) and is terrific.
Tuna Diablo is delish!
1 can tuna (in water and not oil as it makes it greasy)
hot sauce
chopped pepper
some chopped onion
mayonnaise
1 slice aged cheddar (best flavour)
2 slices of thick sandwich bread (must be thick)
*******************
In a bowl mix together tuna, some chopped red onion, red and green pepper (only a little). Add mayonnaise and hot sauce (depends on how hot you like it), taste as you go with the hot sauce! Add liberal amount of mayonnaise until you form a nice moist mixture. Put some mixture on bread (keep away from edges as it will spread). Place slice of cheese on top and then cover with other slice of bread. Stick it into Panini maker and ENJOY! Totally satisfying supper and very filling. Of course you can make that a lot lower in the calories if you use the WW wraps (1 point each) and lesser amounts of tuna, low cal mayo and low cal cheese.
Another delicious one is if you used the 'proper' panini bread which you can get in the supermarket. Butter on some basil pesto sauce (green coloured one) on the bread (it is rich so maybe on one slice) cover with a slice of havarti cheese and toast - rich but delish!
Enjoy!
Watch this space...I'll be back.
Lotsa love,
Delisha xxx
Though words have no wings, together you and I have flown thousands of miles in the last week or so. You have taken the time to write comments and read my ranting blogs, as I voiced my opinion, and shared a little bit about my life here in Victoria. You have driven in my car with me, held my hand at the Dentist's, and shared my enthusiasm for sweet Charlie. It was so much fun. By doing this, and thanks to your support, I have got over a little of my stage fright as I now prepare to launch my first astrology book entitled 'Children of the Stars'.
I have to meet with my editor Carol next Wednesday D.V. and hand her over my completed manuscript - so I'd better get my skids on. (If you are reading this Carol - don't worry! I am working into the night and will have it ready for you by Wednesday D.V.)
Should you suffer any withdrawal symptoms - don't worry I'm always on hand to share a laugh. Email me at either phoneill@shaw.ca or delisha57@hotmail.com
Oops...before I go - I did promise the recipe for my delicious and economial
Vege Lasagne.
Some Lovin' from my oven...
Delisha's Delectable Vege Lasagne
2 packs of Yves Italian flavour vegetable protein (340 gram) or any tvp mix)
1 large can diced tomatoes (Italian flavour)
I small can tomato puree
I large onion
4-6 cloves garlic (I like lotsa garlic)
salt and pepper
3 large organic carrots
10 or so mushrooms
2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil (has more flavour than canola oil)
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
Lasagne sheets (oven ready - preferably wholewheat ones - way nicer)
2 packs alfredo sauce mix (follow instructions on pack)
Grated cheese for top (love aged white cheddar the best)
**********************
In large saucepan fry onion and garlic gently in oil. Add chopped mushrooms, carrots, garlic, and peas. Keep stirring for a few moments until onions take on a nice golden hue. Next add tvp mix and break it up with wooden spoon. Add
2 cups or so of water and tomatoes and tomato puree. Give everything a good mix and if the mixture is still too thick for your liking - add a little more water - go gently with the water first as you don't want it too wet! Maybe even start with one cup of water at the beginning. Cook this mixture on the stove for about 10-15 mins or so before putting it into the oven.
Next spray base of lasagne dish with PAM or low fat spray. Put mix in base.
Cover with lasagne sheets and repeat until mixture is used up. Cover with alfredo sauce mix (some people use bechamel sauce). Lastly sprinkle some grated cheese over top. Pop into 375 deg. oven or whatever heat you normally use in your oven for a lasagne. I have an electric oven. Medium heat.
Enjoy....I get 8 average portions out of that one.
One more...
You come in home hungry from work or play, and want a quickie to satisfy you before you hit the cookie jar!
Turn on your sandwich or Panini maker (invest in a Panini maker - they are invaluable - mine was a cheapie from London Drugs (around $40) and is terrific.
Tuna Diablo is delish!
1 can tuna (in water and not oil as it makes it greasy)
hot sauce
chopped pepper
some chopped onion
mayonnaise
1 slice aged cheddar (best flavour)
2 slices of thick sandwich bread (must be thick)
*******************
In a bowl mix together tuna, some chopped red onion, red and green pepper (only a little). Add mayonnaise and hot sauce (depends on how hot you like it), taste as you go with the hot sauce! Add liberal amount of mayonnaise until you form a nice moist mixture. Put some mixture on bread (keep away from edges as it will spread). Place slice of cheese on top and then cover with other slice of bread. Stick it into Panini maker and ENJOY! Totally satisfying supper and very filling. Of course you can make that a lot lower in the calories if you use the WW wraps (1 point each) and lesser amounts of tuna, low cal mayo and low cal cheese.
Another delicious one is if you used the 'proper' panini bread which you can get in the supermarket. Butter on some basil pesto sauce (green coloured one) on the bread (it is rich so maybe on one slice) cover with a slice of havarti cheese and toast - rich but delish!
Enjoy!
Watch this space...I'll be back.
Lotsa love,
Delisha xxx
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Why I hate ATM machines
I was standing at the ATM machine one bright sunny day - delighted with myself - Spring was in the air. All around you could smell new paint as merchandisers got ready for summer. Bright fluffy stuff had arrived in the shops...and my hands were itching to spend.
Behind me in line were five men, four ladies, three Romanian gypsies and two Romanian gypsy babies. The man directly behind me was a fine hunk - not that it mattered - but he was coming in a bit close to me. I could feel his breath warm on my neck. Anyway, I stuck in the card, keyed in the pin numbers and waited...and waited...I hoped they would give me new crisp notes today - the ones that shine like silk. Still waited...nothin' happening. THEN lo and behold out comes a note - it made the empty flake wrapper they gave a fellow in the cadbury's ad. look good. This is what it said: "eff off lady - you're broke - get a job!".
I wasn't giving up without a good fight, so I keyed in my Savings account pin number - same sob story. Yes! I'd try my gold visa card - I should have thought of that in the beginning - dammit -why they even give you rewards points when you spend - now we're in business! Yes, it would be third time lucky! By now the fellow behind me was positively indecent as he pressed his body against mine - even worse - a Romanian gypsy woman has wrapped herself around my ankle like an umbilical cord "Please missus - spare a copper for the chisler - we need Pompers". The sniff would indicate that yes the baby did indeed need new Pompers.
I waited...Please Mr. Visa...be nice...if you are, I promise I'll give $20 to the Romanian gypsy for her baby. I waited and finally a note came out - the abuse of it is something I shall never forget: "Eff off lady - you're broke - get a job you maggot, you scumbag - you sweet lousy faggot - get a job!". I thought quickly as I had to save face with the decent folks behind me "Drat" I said to them, raising my hands to heaven "That's what happens when you can't remember your pin number!".
I found a kit kat in my pocket and gave it to the poor unfortunate Romanian gypsy woman - She threw it back to me "Eff off lady - get a job!" she said - this was the same lady who when times were good I gave her $10 for the Pampers and she kissed my hand - and phoned Romania on her blackberry and told them to buy another plot of land - and now she was telling me to "Eff off lady - get a job!".
Suddenly! - I woke up. I was in a lather of sweat. Hubby was swimming around in the bed "Darling, maybe you should take something for those night sweats".
Be good to yourselves - and stay away from dem ATM machines!
Lots of love,
Delisha xxx
Behind me in line were five men, four ladies, three Romanian gypsies and two Romanian gypsy babies. The man directly behind me was a fine hunk - not that it mattered - but he was coming in a bit close to me. I could feel his breath warm on my neck. Anyway, I stuck in the card, keyed in the pin numbers and waited...and waited...I hoped they would give me new crisp notes today - the ones that shine like silk. Still waited...nothin' happening. THEN lo and behold out comes a note - it made the empty flake wrapper they gave a fellow in the cadbury's ad. look good. This is what it said: "eff off lady - you're broke - get a job!".
I wasn't giving up without a good fight, so I keyed in my Savings account pin number - same sob story. Yes! I'd try my gold visa card - I should have thought of that in the beginning - dammit -why they even give you rewards points when you spend - now we're in business! Yes, it would be third time lucky! By now the fellow behind me was positively indecent as he pressed his body against mine - even worse - a Romanian gypsy woman has wrapped herself around my ankle like an umbilical cord "Please missus - spare a copper for the chisler - we need Pompers". The sniff would indicate that yes the baby did indeed need new Pompers.
I waited...Please Mr. Visa...be nice...if you are, I promise I'll give $20 to the Romanian gypsy for her baby. I waited and finally a note came out - the abuse of it is something I shall never forget: "Eff off lady - you're broke - get a job you maggot, you scumbag - you sweet lousy faggot - get a job!". I thought quickly as I had to save face with the decent folks behind me "Drat" I said to them, raising my hands to heaven "That's what happens when you can't remember your pin number!".
I found a kit kat in my pocket and gave it to the poor unfortunate Romanian gypsy woman - She threw it back to me "Eff off lady - get a job!" she said - this was the same lady who when times were good I gave her $10 for the Pampers and she kissed my hand - and phoned Romania on her blackberry and told them to buy another plot of land - and now she was telling me to "Eff off lady - get a job!".
Suddenly! - I woke up. I was in a lather of sweat. Hubby was swimming around in the bed "Darling, maybe you should take something for those night sweats".
Be good to yourselves - and stay away from dem ATM machines!
Lots of love,
Delisha xxx
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
