May...in the rear view mirror

Let me attempt to sum up the month with a few words...and a few snapshots.

Flowers on the table...

the last of the tulips and the first of the peonies.

We had not seen my sister-in-law in Kelowna for almost a year...

and knew she was facing new health challenges.

We decided to take a Sunday afternoon drive over the snowy pass and pay her a visit.

If it's still snowing in May...

how long will it be until that snowpack makes it way down the Fraser River and out to the sea?

We shall see.

We had a lovely visit with Martha...

and her son and daughter-in-law arranged for us to have dinner together at a wonderful lakeside restaurant.

Hopefully we won't let another year go by before we meet up again!

We spent the night in Kelowna and made the trek home in the morning.

Ranen turned 16 this month.

How can that even be?

The years have gone by too quickly...

but we are left with so many wonderful memories!

Talented, hard-working, fun-loving and beautiful...

that's Ranen.

We took her (and cousins Ryder and Maggie) to The Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner to celebrate!

I spent some time 'across the river' this month...

and always love seeing Mt. Cheam from that perspective.

Heidi was in Nepal for two weeks...

so I took Lucy to her mid-week horse riding lessons in Agassiz.

She quite likes the horses...

and they quite like her.

We happened to have one sunny and warm Sunday in May...

and we never wasted it!

We enjoyed a picnic lunch at Harrison Lake...

and settled on the shore in our lounge chairs to read for the afternoon.

Maggie is our runner...

and such a pleasure to watch.

She runs effortlessly...

usually crossing the finish line in first place.

I cheered her on at the district track meet last week...

and we may just follow her to the provincial track meet and B.C. Summer Games as well. 

She never runs out of steam...

and is always smiling.

Her uncle keeps her supplied with the best running cleats...

New Balance, of course.

Friends had their 50th wedding anniversary celebration on the weekend...

and Elvis put on a fabulous concert for their friends, family and neighbours in honour of the occasion.

Spring field work has been a struggle this year. 

The few days without rain, were very busy ones!

There is still some grass to harvest...

and several fields of corn to plant.

And so ends the coldest May on record.

Looking forward to a bright and sunny June! 

Bring on summer.

April ~ a few moments in time

I would like to remember April 2022 as being bright and cheery...

...rather like this photo.

But truth be told...

there were many days that were cool and grey and not so conducive to riding bike or even spending time outdoors. 

But we know that there is light even on the darkest of days...

sometimes we just have to look for it. 

We had fresh snow on the peaks...

and blossoms in the valley.

One chilly April evening we met up with friends at the Baron Bistro in Abbotsford...

with plans to try out their new patio domes.

They tried to discourage us from eating on the patio...

it was far too cold!

But we came bundled up and stuck with our plan.

It was a wonderful adventure in dining! 

We will do it again.

Ranen invited us to the Abbotsford Youth Orchestra performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. 

What a delightful evening...

with such gifted young musicians. 

She played a solo and did it beautifully!

I think the loveliest of day of the month was Easter Sunday.

It was so good to be back in church on after missing the Easter service for the past two years.

It was also good to gather the family around the table again for Easter dinner...

after a few years of 'pivoting'.

They had their Easter egg hunt...

...and most eggs were found.

I think Grammy will be finding a few treats as she gardens this spring!

How did these sweet littles of yesteryear grow up so quickly?

They had their Paska and ate it too...

...and took home the leftovers!

We did a little biking...

a little hiking...

(Dunville Creek forest)

...and even a min-cruise.

Who knew you could board the ferry with your bike at 11am in Vancouver, cycle to Sidney for lunch on the pier and be home in time for a late dinner?

The best part was meeting up with friends for lunch...

friends that we had not seen for several years.

I had a delivery of flowers at my front door every Thursday this past month...

a birthday gift from my kids that 'keeps on giving'.

So beautiful.

So appreciated.

On the farm, most of the spring fieldwork is still waiting to happen.

We are hoping for a warmer, drier May. 

I'll end with a photo of a neighbouring farm...

the golden field of dandelions that has been my 'front porch view' this past week.

The floods of last fall destroyed the grass...

but the dandelions came out in full force.

Welcome May...

and may it be a cheery and bright one for all of us!

March ~ Come and Gone

‘Spring flowers are in blossom all over. 

The whole world is a choir…and singing!’ 

Song of Solomon 2:12

And just like that...

it is spring!

Since we were away for the first half of March...

(covered in my previous post)...

this seemed like a very short month!

So I will keep this short.

The grands have mostly been out of school these past two weeks.

Spring break!

They have longer breaks in spring than 'back in the day'.

We began a spring-break wiener roast tradition some 15 years ago...

and have kept it up (rain or shine) ever since.

Here's a March wiener roast photo from a decade ago.

A few things have changed over the years.

We added a few more grands to the party...

and changed up the venue from our backyard to the banks of the river.

The family is bigger.

The fire is bigger.

The dog is bigger.

Actually...

it was Chester's first wiener roast and he quite enjoyed himself!

Apparently it is never too soon to have Paska buns!

Why wait till Easter?

On this last day of March...

I had a lovely bouquet delivered to 'my front porch'.

These are no ordinary daffodils!

I am looking forward to a bouquet of locally grown blooms every Thursday for the next six weeks.

How special is that?

It was a birthday gift from my kids.

'Where flowers bloom, so does hope'! ~ Lady Bird Johnson

'Can words describe the fragrance of the very breath of spring?' ~N. Blanchard

Spring.

New growth.

Hope for tomorrow!