
Just going to put those off until Monday and fill the day with busy work.

Just going to put those off until Monday and fill the day with busy work.

That must be why I enjoy both.

What did they conclude?
Scrolling through my camera roll after a conversation about the presence of people in street photography compositions, this turned up. Just a bit of visual eavesdropping during a lull in the sitters’ discussion so I never found out whether they actually liked the piece or not.

Monochrome or in colour:
Apart from the banana, eggs just might be one of the most perfect foods ever. That’s about as philosophical as I’m going to get for a Monday morning 😆

What do you think gets better with age?
While the tomatoes have long since been consumed, and yes, they were delicious straight off the vine, now I can only imagine their sweet juiciness. Luckily, I have this painting to remind me of lazier summer days and that particular garden’s bounty. Done 11 years ago, almost to the day, both the memory and the thing itself, are better for being carried forward to the present. Would it were that way for more of life’s undertakings.

Not like you don’t know what to do.
If I’m not eating what you have cooked I’m certainly not going to clean up after you. Ah, the thrill of living with others…

Pretty cool and at the same time not at all.
I should have known, in the first week of my lease five years ago, that it was going to be an interesting ride when my landlord didn’t want to replace 2 inexpensive, generic wall light fixtures that were missing their shades. It was a red flag that he “didn’t want to spend the money”.
Last April, when the main plumbing stack started leaking, it sent water into one of those same light fixtures – right into the bulb, like some electrical aquarium. Someone thought it was a good idea to turn it on so they could see the extent of the inundation. It’s a wonder the whole thing didn’t explode and set the house on fire.
I like to say that we have a guardian angel, albeit one that likes to test the limits of our patience. Could be worse…

Temporarily blue.
Clearish skies and a l’il heatwave had me out tamping down the flower beds before Beryl brings us some heavy duty rainfall. Perhaps not the smartest activity for late morning as a second shower was in order before starting any real work 🙄

Strangely, not seen on the menu this time
I always seem to get embroiled in things that aren’t necessarily my purview, often because I have some previous experience or know the best, fastest, and cheapest way to do it (yes, my way). Things usually roll merrily along until someone refuses to listen, is obstinate about following instructions or just takes me and my POV for granted.
It has been said that being less instantly reactive can be beneficial – I’m not so sure about that. Tonight I am like an unstirred pot of tomato sauce left on the stove on low heat for too long, where the bottom eventually burns – a state that is, unfortunately, irreversible and leaves a sourness in the mouth. No amount of immediate palate-cleansing helps, so you ditch it and start fresh. Or order out.

Not even July and they’re blooming.
Going to be another scorcher again except today we get bonus blazing sunshine. In backyard news, while the poor flowers struggle to gain a decent foothold the hostas are gigantic – who knew that potting them for the duration of construction would be so beneficial.

Name that cloud.
Reminds me of N.C. Wyeth.
📷 no edits /no filters

Feeling a bit prehistoric this morning.
Nothing a bout of busy can’t cure.
📍 Royal BC Museum, Victoria

Another Monday trying to figure out which direction to go in.
While I am lucky enough to work at home and be able to choose how I allot my time this also means I’m unlucky enough to get distracted by small, unfinished personal projects, the internet, snacks, noises in the backyard and any other random interruptions that may occur throughout any given day. 🐿️
Summer is often slow work mode for many people, a reprise from the routine, but it can also be a time of regrouping and getting things in order for when the days get shorter and we are stuck with the more mundane aspects of daily life. Good or bad, we all seem to have been through alot lately – moving forward is good.
So no matter how small the task or effort, if you can think of it, now is probably a good time to do it.

Happy hydrangea.
I was gifted a glorious, very large bright blue hydrangea that I anticipated putting in the backyard but that’s not going to happen now for a variety of reasons I won’t go into here. I tried putting it on the third floor balcony but it wasn’t very happy with both the stiff breeze and the stifling heat and humidity of recent days – it wilted and drooped pathetically in the space of a few hours. I brought it inside, put it in the bathtub under the skylight and gave it a cold shower and soaking – along with some climate-controlled temps courtesy of the AC and it was back to its perky self by the next day. It seems supremely happy there.
Now what do I do? 😆

They’re finally dumping earth into the two gaping pits in the backyard, so there’s some progress being made. Thankful today for small miracles.

It’s always something
Plumbing is all fixed just in time as Saturday night brought biblical proportion rains. So nice to be able to enjoy a hot bath, no matter what the weather, but perhaps not immediately as there is a full load of soaking-wet, half-done laundry sitting in the tub. Oh joy, the 15 year-old washing machine is officially on its last legs. I can’t even anymore…

Internal landscape
So that’s the culprit in all of the recent plumbing woes, an impressive 6’ long crack in the cast iron stack that has been leaking in secret for who knows how long and only recently came to our attention thanks to the deluge of rain last week.
Kudos to the plumber who did a fantastic job and had a sense of humour to boot. Encourage kids to go into the trades – as long as there are old houses there will always be work.

Another perspective
Things should be easing up a bit now that Mercury retrograde has released its stranglehold on communication and general life glitches. Don’t rush, perhaps consider last month’s setbacks from a different angle and take some advice from the Farmer’s Almanac – “Use your energy towards intelligent changes”.

Indoor bouquets only
Still too cold here for anything but hostas to be happy in the ground . Keeping my fingers crossed May will bring warmer temperatures.

Time flies
Who knew seven years could go by so fast. Dipping my toes in the waters once more – lots to catch up on.

Everyone else is making so much noise our own fake news is lost in the shuffle.
Some days you just don’t want to sit down to a large plate of anything – out with Miss Z on a sunny afternoon we opted for a little bit of everything: fresh guacamole with house nachos, sweet potato fries with coriander and chipotle mayo, a double fudge brownie with vanilla ice cream and, of course, a refreshing cocktail – a tall glass of Mezcal with lime and muddled strawberries. Yum.