Day 267-274....A visit to Canadas Wonderland.

Day 267-274....A visit to Canadas Wonderland.


Happy Tuesday from a hot and humid Toronto. Currently 26 and feeling like 31 degrees and it's supposed to reach 29 which will feel like 34-yikes. It's a tad sticky.
I came home from having more free highlights at noon (it's great to have a hairdresser who keeps needing a model-it's saved me a small fortune this year) and I attempted to go lie outside to read some of my book but I didn't even make it down onto the blanket before I knew it was too hot and came back inside. My sunbathing usually takes place in the mid-am and I think it may have to take place in the early morning if the heat increases any more...or maybe I am baked enough.
Up until today, the weather has been pretty lovely and not too hot. Upstairs has been a bit warm overnight but we haven't put the A/C on yet. If it gets to a point where nobody can sleep (and by that, I mean me) I will give in and reduce the temp from it's current 79 in here.
We get quite a good through-breeze upstairs, between the 2 beds and the bath, so we may just manage to make it to the end of June without having to close all the windows. It's lovely to have the fresh air except through my bedroom window which continues to plague me with yellow pollen.
Right, that's the weather-report dealt with and now onto the weeks review of anything else worth telling you.
The big thing we did was to get ourselves season passes for Canadas Wonderland which, as it sounds, is the big Toronto theme-park. It's not Disney but it is a great park.

I felt like I had teleported back thirty years, whilst I was riding the bus out there because I felt no different on Saturday to how I felt on that bus-ride when I first lived in Toronto in 1985.
The rides have been updated but the old rattly roller-coaster is still there. We didn't make it onto that one due to us calling it a day at 5pm.
The Season pass is well-worth it because it is paid for after just two visits. I anticipate many more than two visits as there is a water park included so it will be a great place to go hang out on hot weekends or when we get back from Edinburgh, in August. The card also gives discounts on various things including 15% off food. Alison was brave enough to snap a photo from very high chair- swings.
We missed the bus we were aiming for due to subway maintenance and each time it happens, I promise myself that I will check the TTC website before travelling...then I forget.
When the subway is down, they are pretty organised with shuttle buses but the buses take longer due to traffic and stop-lights. Thus resulting in us being on the 10am bus rather than the 9.30 one to Wonderland.
Fun was had unttil my neck felt a bit whiplashed after one of the roller coasters stopped very suddently. Alison got a bit of a bash, from another ride and so we felt it better to quit whilst we were ahead. She was also a tad tired from being out at a party till 1am-the joys of being Miss Social. Her bash and my whiplash settled quickly though-phew.
I could tell you at this point about the many minutes Alison and I spent in the Wine store on Thursday evening, debating what she was going to take with her to her party to drink but I will just have it noted that I am the coolest mum in her group, for buying her alcohol.
Not a claim that I would EVER have thought I would hear myself make (or see myself write down) but she is nearing seventeen and I felt that it was better that we chose and chatted about options rather than have her friends sneak stuff that she would try. She's a sensible cookie and I ought to have known that she would choose the coolest looking bottle that we saw. A bottle of 'Skinny Cosmo' which I had no clue on how it would taste. Apparently it tasted good but true to her word, she brought home a third of the bottle, making the other two thirds last the whole night.
Alcohol seems to be such a tricky subject, sometimes and so I am trying to be open to the fact that she is going to consume it and to educate her on its pitfalls the best I can so that she can be as responsible as possible. Something I wish that someone had done for me. I have to add that her friends are a year younger than her so it makes my 'coolest' hat not quite so cool.
Meanwhile, back to Canadas Wonderland briefly and The Water Park opens this weekend so it may be another trip out there...or not.
Sunday saw Alli and I affected by the TTC again as we waited a half hour for a streetcar to begin our journey home from drama. We gave up waiting and jumped on one going in the opposite direction where the driver told us there had been delays due to a parade. No sooner had we jumped on that one when our usual one appeared from the other direction-groan. One great thing about Toronto Transit is that you can go loads of different ways to get to the same destination. Going home the way we did wasn't much longer but the half hour wait before we got started meant it was after 3.30pm when we got home VERY hungry.
Devouring a quick and small lunch, Jen and I ran out the door to do the grocery shop because Andrew was coming for dinner. I usually feed him cheesy pasta but Jen and I had already eaten it three days last week (something to do with the fact that I didn't do a grocery shop the weekend before) and so I bought some chicken. The boy was a tad disappointed but cheered up when I produced a wee container of leftover cheesy pasta for his appetizer.
He looks fit, tanned and healthy and it was lovely to see him, as always. His rugby was a comfortable win, this week but he had to come off due to some plonker standing on his head-ouch was to be heard when Jen tried to feel the bumps-tee hee.
Some of you may have seen the 'For-Sale' sign in Mountcastles front garden?
We have had seven lots of folk to see it already and a couple of notes of interest so keep those fingers crossed folks. It was great to skype with Bill to hear 'all about it'. I almost stayed on skype to spy and listen to what was going on-tee hee. That may have scared off the potential buyers.
No joy on the finding-a-home front but it will all be fine. I booked the moving-truck so that's done. I may have said that in last weeks blog' cause I think it was the beginnng of last week when I booked it. The girls and I continue to plod around, looking at places from the outside and imagining what we will buy. I keep telling them to imagine all the attributes they'd like and I do the same. It's wonderful to dream up our next perfect home.
Well, I think that's that, for this week.
I didn't walk this Sunday with JR but plan to this coming Sunday.
Ross and I did some gardening yesterday, which made him feel happy and made his wee front garden look loved.
I started a 9 day meditation challenge which is wonderful. Day five today. Wrote a blog on the Bach website as part of it and the exercises that go alongside are thought-provoking. I continue to meditate at least once a day  and still find it best to get it done before the day gets going. I usually find myself also doing little bits of mindfulness and breathing throughout the day. The practice just keeps going...and going.
I have started to pull together the programmes for all my summer-teaching and I have so much I want to put into the 'Authentic Living' workshop that I will have to just give myself choices of this-or-that at times and see which way the ladies attending want it to go. Exciting.
Have a great week everyone and remember to be kind to yourself and each other.
Much Love,
Lxx

Day 259-266...Where has this year gone?

Day 259-266...Where has this year gone?

Happy Tuesday Folks. Well, I'm actually writing this on Monday, whilst I am remembering but it's still Happy Tuesday for anyone who's reading it on the day it's posted.
Wow-that rant lasted a couple of lines-good start.
Our weather is hot, damn hot and I am not complaining. I may be complaining soon, once the humidity climbs but for now, I will enjoy being reasonably comfortable in my shorts and vest.
Our trees are all pretty much full but I have this nasty maple tree outside my window which is giving my allergies a run for their money (or should I say 'my nose' ? ) The yellow pollen is so thick that I could see it when I swept my bedroom floor yesterday. It's coating the doorhandles also but I have perhaps already complained about this as it's been a problem for a couple of weeks now. Hopefully it will settle soon. I stopped stealing Alisons anti-hystamines because I was feeling very sluggish in the mornings and it was nothing to do with wine. They are non-drowsy but I just felt like I wanted to push the snooze button...and kept pushing it, so I have stopped them and will just sneeze and itch till it passes.
I have taken a picture of the girls legs to post. They look like they cannot possibly be from the same family. My leg-colour is somewhere between the two of theirs. Jen's actually look like she's just had a really great fake-bake.

On Sunday, I walked again with JR who owns the wee apt and store that I am interested in buying. That's three weeks in a row that we have walked at 8am and then had a lovely cuppa. The chat is great and I am always fascinated by all the different stuff that she has done. From Baking to pottery to jewellery-making to painting to interior design to working in prisons to working for health service. This woman has followed her intuition from day 1. A great inspisation for going after your dreams.
I pop in to see Janice, (Health shop around the corner), once a week-ish and we met for a coffee-catch-up this past Wednesday. Lovely visit. It is good to share spiritual chat with folk.
The other person I met up with this week was Marie. Little Noahs mom looked great and we had a great visit in Ikea with Jen and Noah. He is quite the little man now and keeps her busy. Her great news was that already he's sleeping through the night. I say 'already' because none of my three slept through the night before they were at least a year old. It was really difficult to believe that it was the first time I had seen Marie this year. Where have the months gone. It would appear that the less I do, the less I do.
This has been a long weekend and the city emptied as people headed to cottage country for the first weekend of using their cottages. And when I say cottages, they can range from a  caravan-type, like the one Janice has, to multi-million islands which are owned by the rich. When I was Mary's nanny I spent two summers on such an island which is still owned by her ex husband. Treasure Island (as it is called) was fantastic and I'm sure has just got more fantastic with the years.
Maybe some day we will have a wee family cottage where we will disappear to every summer weekend?
I better get that book written and published.
The girls continue on their wee fitnes regime and what was nine minutes and had them puggled is now four times that and they are still able to chat at the end of it. Fantastic. I am walking most days and doing a wee bit of toning. The good news is that my summer clothes still fit. Perhaps I can make them be loose by July 1st?
I have cut back on my wine-intake a bit (calories) but not given up completely. I bought a box and had a couple too many last week, which made me not have any since. Great progress in my mental attitude to wine these days and I am well-chuffed about it. I think that finally, the moderation and knowing that I am at choice, is working-yahoo and woohoo.
I was out for lunch today with Mary and Ross-yum, yum. The Golf club is wonderful and I will have to try to get Bill or Andrew to join (once we have all that money) so that I can go sit outside and watch the golfers. Ross is frail but he does truly enjoy being out and about. He had a fall when I was with him this morning and it allowed me to see how difficult it can be for him to get himself back up. Luckily he continues to heal quickly from any cuts and bruises that he gives himself and he forgets that he has fallen so is not scared of doing so again. Lots of elderly folk would be terrified after the amount of falls that he has had.
What else?
We met Andrew for dinner yesterday. He was working all weekend so we went across town to shop and then met him on his break. No rugby this past weekend due to holiday weekend so he was puting in extra hours (no doubt covering for all the young folk who's parents have cottages and who wanted to visit them)
The girls both bought some nice clothes and Jen bought me a lovely peach vest in the sales. I must tell her that I love things more often-tee hee.
We still are homeless for when we come back mid August but I am not worried. We will find the perfect place and at least we now know the area. There's a 2 bed across from Alisons school which is for rent just now. It would be perfect short term but I am not holding my breath that it will still be available next month. But...who knows.
Maybe we will be back into that wonderful airport hotel for a couple of weeks-lol.
Alison had a sleepover-she's in with a really nice group of girls (at least I think they are. I haven't met most of them-giggle) They seem to have lots of fun together and she has her first house-party this weekend which she is really looking forward to. Next weekend she's got a 'pool-party'
She only has three more weeks of school before her exams-where has the year gone? She only has exams in Math and Science to sit and they only count for 30% of her grade. She should pass both courses comfortably but they are her worst two subjects so she's a wee bit worried. The other subjects gather marks from tests done throughout the school year-a great idea and have culminating projects instead of exams. At least I think I've got my info correct.
Well, I think that's that. Our house in Mountcastle may or may not have a For Sale sign outside the front door, as you read this. Bill has organised the sale and I don't suppose that it will take long for the sign to read SOLD.
On that note, I will say ta ta for now...till next week.
Oh, and there are still spaces in both Bach Courses and on the 'Living Authentically' workshop although they are filling up :-)
Much Love to all, Lxxx

Day 244-258...or thereabouts.......Hot and Humid.

Day 244-258...or thereabouts.......Hot and Humid.


Hey Folks, I do wonder if I am supposed to stop writing this because I completely forgot to do it last week. BUT, I did have a couple of you who touched base wIth me to check I was okay and so I will keep going for now. Perhaps I will have to go back to writing a few lines daily, to keep my memory in check?
So, the last two weeks have seen me make friends with the lady who is selling the apartment/store that I have had my eye on. She is wonderful, full of enthusiasm for pretty much anything and shares a lot of the same beliefs as I do. I wish that I could say that I was buying her place but that has yet to be decided. I took the girls to see it and they were unimpressed by both the area North of it and the property itself. I think they just want a house, not a store-front, for their new home. They are sad enough to be selling their childhood home and I think they may prefer not to have me work from home like in Edinburgh. But, I am not despondent and know that if it's meant for me, I shall have it.
If Bill could see it, it would be easier.
If nothing else comes of it, I have made a friend and have also introduced her to my friend Krys who is now going to drive her around Hamilton, to let her see areas where she may buy. I know they'll become friends as they are both very artsy.
Vera and Goran are definitely moving in here and so I better get a moving-van ordered :-) hopefully I will have somewhere organised for us to go straight into when we get back in August or we will be 'hotelling' it again.
I haven't really gone out of my way to see other properties because I am thinking that perhaps Bill needs to be here to co-decide. It's a big commitment that he trusts me with so we shall see.
Wow with the UK Election whch I sat up and watched till all the Scottish seats were in. David Cameron may still be Prime Minister but I am thinking that he may soon be wishing that he is not.
Our weather is hot and humid but we are having lots of thunderstorms which is making my grass grow annoyingly fast. And how do dandelions keep appearing after I think I got them all? I just pulled hundreds more this morning before posting this. Perhaps a condo may not be such a bad idea after all-tee hee. I am not grumbling about the humidity.....yet.
As the weeks till we are in Edinburgh decrease in number, I find myself trying to be motivated to get all my summer-teaching organised. The weekend Bach Level 1 will now take place at Abbemount so that there is wheelchair access. This will allow for a few more students to join us so, if you know anyone who'd like to have a lovely Bach weekend, please let me know. Also, there are still spaces for the workshop on Aug 15th at Gillis. It will be a day for thinking about how you can be your Authentic self and will include lots of different Mindful tools that you can use, including mindfulness meditation of course.
Okay-sales pitch over.
It looks like it's going to pour again here-ah well, it's only rain.
The girls are both doing grand. Alison keeps herself busy and is out and about with friends regularly. Jen is going to be a very brown berry from lying out on the deck. Andrew thought she had fake tan when he saw her yesterday after not seeing her for three weeks. He was looking all fit and tanned from his rugby and tennis playing and was in good form. He got drenched on the way home due to the thunderstorms but at least it was warm.
Canadas Wonderland is now open and the girls are keen to go. We will likely get season passes due to the fact that two single visits cost more. They have some great rollercoasters and there is also a water park so I think the girls may spend a few Saturdays out there and lots of time when they get back from Scotland. Will I do rollercoasters? Oooh I think I might :-)
The thing with doing a weekly blog is that I can't remember the stuff I was going to tell you.

One thing tho' was that I was not very mindful this past Mothers Day Sunday. I had gone down to walk with JR (not Ewing but the lady who owns the shop) it's the second Sunday that I have headed out at 7.20 to walk down to meet her to then go for a 5km walk. The area south of her place is beautiful and she's only 5 mins from the Lake which is beautiful. Anyhoo, I came home just as the girls were heading out and I thought that they may come back with a wee latte for me but no. And No Happy Mothers Day greetings either. So, I was a wee bit in my head about why they couldn't at least wish me a Happy Mothers Day. Jen was going with us to Drama and they went out the door first and were in front of me all the way to the subway. Giggling together on the platform, I asked them if I was the object of the giggling and they said yes. Turns out that they had bought me two planters for either side of the front door and I had walked right past them. They had planned to shout 'Surprise and Happy mothers Day' when I noticed them. OOPS. The planters are beautiful and I love them.
In my defense, I am always stuffing my keys into my handbag as I go down the front steps-honest.

Well, I have nothing else that's sitting in the forefront of my mind to tell you. To be honest, my brain is a bit fuzzy due either to my hayfever or the anti-hystamines I am taking for the hayfever. I haven't been this bad in years but we have a tree outside that's been dropping very visible pollen and I think it's the culprit. Very interestingly, Alisons hayfever isn't nearly as bad as usual. We must react to different pollens. Hopefully it will pass soon because I never press the snooze button on my alarm and I have done so for two mornings in a row. That better stop. I was enjoying getting up at 6am and having my meditation done before waking Alison. Ah well. It is what it is.....until it isn't.
Much love to all,
Lxxxx